Project 3 – Mitochondrial and Cellular Mechanisms of Neurotoxicity of Superfund Chemical Co-Exposures

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Project Leaders

Joel Meyer

Principal Investigator

Susan K. Murphy

Co-Investigator

Trainees

Javier Huayta

Postdoctoral Researcher

Christina Bergemann

PhD student

Katherine Morton

PhD student

Claire Sparling

Undergraduate student

Goals and Importance of Research

Some developmental exposures impact the proper functioning of mitochondria, resulting in altered behavior and increased risk of neurodegeneration and related diseases. This project will study the underlying mechanisms of developmental neurotoxicity from co-exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the metals lead and cadmium in the nematode worm C. elegans. One plausible mechanism is that exposures change how neurons develop, leading to altered cell fate, structure, and connectivity (“hardwiring”). An alternative mechanism is that epigenetic changes result in altered function of neurons that otherwise look normal (epigenetic “programming”). This work will study these potential mechanisms, thus informing adverse outcome pathways and methods to intervene and reverse health impacts.

Novel Aspects of Research

  • Take advantage of invariant and well understood developmental trajectory of the nervous system in C. elegans to detect changes to cell architecture after pollutant exposure.
  • Test for sex specificity in mitochondrial and neuronal toxicity.
  • Create innovative cell-specific tools to assess mitochondrial dysfunction in C. elegans.

Project Aims

  1. Test if co-exposures to PAHs and the metals lead and cadmium cause developmental and later-life neurotoxicity by altering hardwiring.
  2. Test if co-exposures cause developmental and later-life neurotoxicity via altered programming.

Project 3 News

Trainee Kate Morton receives Young Investigator award at Society for Redox Biology and Medicine annual meeting

Project 3 trainee Kate Morton was honored with a Young Investigator award at the ...

Trainee Kate Morton awarded best graduate student poster at International Neurotoxicology Association meeting

Project 3 Trainee Kate Morton was awarded the David Ray Best Graduate Student Poster ...