Syed, Naweed I.Gagatek, Jessics2017-12-182017-12-182007Gagatek, J. (2007). Epidermal growth factor-receptor induced synapse formation between lymnaea neurons (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/1067http://hdl.handle.net/1880/102068Bibliography: p. 128-139Some pages are in colour.Trophic factors are well known for their role in cell proliferation, differentiation, survival, neurite outgrowth, and more recently, in synapse formation and synaptic plasticity (Hamakawa et al., 1999). Despite their well defined roles during development, relatively little is known about the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms governing their actions. In this study, 1 investigated the precise role of the invertebrate trophic factor, Lymnaea epidermal growth factor (L-EGF) and its receptor, L-EGFR, in mediating excitatory synapse fonnation between identified neurons visceral dorsal 4 (VD4) and its postsynaptic partner left pedal dorsal 1 (LPeDl). The data presented here show that L-EGF mimics brain-derived conditioned medium's (CM) ability to promote excitatory synapse formation between specific synaptic partners. Through pharmacological and molecular perturbations of the L-EGFR, I further demonstrated that the L-EGF-induced effects on synapse fonnation are mediated through the L-EGFR. Vertebrate EGF and its structural homologue, transforming growth factor-a (TGF-a), also promoted excitatory synapse formation between identified Lymnaea neurons, and these effects also appeared to be mediated through the L-EGF receptor. The fact that only L­EGF or its vertebrate homologues could signal through the L-EGFR suggests that this receptor is highly specific and is conserved among both vertebrate and invertebrate species. The Lymnaea soma-soma model thus provides an unparalleled opportunity to elucidate further molecular mechanisms by which trophic factors affect synapse formation.xii, 139 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.master thesis10.11575/PRISM/1067