Submission Date

4-25-2022

Document Type

Paper- Restricted to Campus Access

Department

Biology

Adviser

Jennifer Round

Committee Member

Rebecca Roberts

Committee Member

Lisa Grossbauer

Department Chair

Rebecca Lyczak

Project Description

Of interest in my research is the interaction between two proteins that are important in driving synapse formation: PSD-95 and Slitrk2. PSD-95 is a pivotal post-synaptic scaffolding protein in excitatory neurons, and an intracellular binding partner for Slitrk2. PSD-95 and Slitrk2 colocalize at synapses in mouse brain. While there is a lot of data on the relevance and importance of Slitrks, the role of PSD-95 in this interaction is not well understood. My research aims to test whether PSD-95 affects Slitrk2's trafficking to synapses. Understanding how Slitrk2 is trafficked to the synapse and anchored there is important for gaining a better understanding of the trafficking of similar molecules to the synapses, and the formation of synapses overall. These interactions are also medically relevant as both Slitrk2 and PSD-95 have been linked to a number of neurological conditions such as Bipolar disorder, Autism, and Schizophrenia.

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