NIH Aplysia Renewal Year 29 - 33

The proposed diversity supplement will fund a two-year postdoctoral fellowship for Dr. Javier Rodriguez Casariego within the National Resource for Aplysia supervised by co-mentors Drs. Michael Schmale and Danielle McDonald. Appropriate plans are in place to support educational and career development objectives of the candidate as

well as to provide training in the responsible conduct of research. The proposed research program will continue experiments that explore how sub-lethal exposure to hypoxia can modulate future responses to stress and the molecular mechanisms involved in this type of memory, primarily through epigenetic mechanisms. Aims of the

project include the characterization of DNA methylation and non-coding RNAs in hypoxia resistant and sensitive phenotypes, identify epigenetic markers supporting the transgenerational inheritance of resistance, and the role of these mechanisms regulating gene expression programs in the nervous system of Aplysia. This project is

consistent with the aims of the parent grant by expanding the use of Aplysia as a model for health-related research in areas like neuroprotection to stroke and other neurodegenerative diseases, and contributing to the development of an ischemia/reperfusion injury model in this species.