DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/7CHW-N207
Defense Date
2016
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Integrative Life Sciences
First Advisor
Amanda Dickinson
Second Advisor
Rob Tombes
Third Advisor
Rita Shiang
Fourth Advisor
Greg Walsh
Fifth Advisor
Maria Rivera
Abstract
Among the most prevalent and devastating types of human birth defects are those affecting the mouth and face, such as orofacial clefts. Children with malformed orofacial structures undergo multiple surgeries throughout their lifetime and struggle with facial disfigurements, speech, hearing, and eating problems. Therefore, facilitating new research in cranio- and orofacial development is paramount to prevention and treatment of these types of birth defects in humans. Xenopus laevis has emerged as a new tool for dissecting the mechanisms governing facial development. Thus, molecular analyses accompanied by quantitative assessment of morphological changes during orofacial development of this species could be very powerful for understanding how these defects arise. In this dissertation, I present such a study. I first establish a quantitative protocol to describe size and shape changes in facial morphology of wild-type Xenopus embryos. I then utilize this method on embryos in which retinoic acid signaling or folate metabolism have been disrupted to correlate morphological changes with their underlying mechanisms. Finally, I demonstrate the utility of Xenopus as a system for chemical genomics to uncover other regulators of orofacial development.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-4-2016