Effect of Food Intake on Neuronal Cell Number During Regeneration

Presenter: Owen Matthew Enright

Group Members: Charlotte W. Liu, Vasiliki Gioldasis, Owen Zen Gates, Christopher Shinmyo Kim, Alexander Linares, Morgan Bertolini, Fiona Liu, Noah Dongkun Lee, Diya Vijaya Kumar, Tina Touma

Faculty Sponsor: Akiko Okusu

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Biology

Session: Poster Session 5, 3:15 PM - 4:00 PM, 163, C2

ABSTRACT

Nematostella vectensis, commonly known as the starlet sea anemone, is a small, estuarine cnidarian native to shallow coastal waters along the Atlantic coast of North America and parts of the United Kingdom. This species is an emerging model organism in developmental biology, genomics, and evolutionary studies due to its unique phylogenetic position as a member of the phylum Cnidaria, an early-diverging group in the animal kingdom. While food intake is known to influence regeneration speed, its effect on neuronal cell number is less understood. This study examines how nutritional status affects the number of neurons present in regenerated tentacles of Nematostella vectensis. Animals were assigned to fed and unfed groups and allowed to regenerate following tentacle amputation. After regeneration, neuronal cells were visualized using fluorescent markers and quantified. This study highlights the connection between metabolism and neural regeneration and provides insight into how environmental conditions influence nervous system maintenance.

RELATED ABSTRACTS