Analysis of messenger RNA expression levels of a member of the low-voltage activated or t-type calcium channel in the neonatal rat spinal cord under hypothyroid conditions
The purpose of this research was to determine how thyroid hormones influence T-type calcium channel gene expression in the developing rat spinal cord. We analyzed mRNA expression levels of the a1G LVA calcium channel in the neonatal rat spinal cord under hypothyroid conditions. We hypothesized that the thyroid hormone's role in normal spinal cord development was mediated through the expression of T-type calcium channels. To examine a potential aspect of thyroid hormone's role in neuronal development we investigated its role in the expression of T-type calcium channels. By doing this we were able to determine if the expression of the a1G LVA calcium channel genes decreased under hypothyroid conditions compared to normal thyroid levels. If this had been found to be true the assumption could have been made that the lack of thyroid hormone not only retards growth in other body organs but it affects certain gene expression in the spinal cord. We chose to look at the developing spinal cord as a representative neuronal tissue. Previous work has shown hypothyroidism to have profound effects on the normal development of the spinal cord. When compared to normal levels, the rate of spinal cord development was markedly reduced in hypothyroid animals when various parameters were measured. By examining the expression levels for the a1G LVA calcium channel gene during development under hypothyroid conditions, we found little evidence for mRNA expression of the a1G LVA in the spinal cord, either in the normal or hypothyroid animal. The results at this stage are preliminary and further work is needed before any definite conclusions can be made.
School:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Department:
Molecular and Integrative Physiology
Research Advisor:
Esmail Meisami
Department of Research Advisor:
Molecular and Integrative Physiology
Year of Publication:
2003