PROJECTS:
Hindbrain patterning
Evo-devo
Pancreas development

PROJECTS: Pancreas development

Mary Kinkel - NRSA Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy
Gokhan Dalgin - Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy
Stefani Eames - Graduate student, Committee on Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition

Stefani Eames   

The goal of my project is to enhance our knowledge of normal pancreatic beta-cell function to better understand islet dysfunction in patients with diabetes mellitus. This objective will be achieved through the use of genetically targeted biosensors to image beta-cell Ca²⁺ signaling in zebrafish islets. Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion is strongly associated with changes in calcium concentration within the cytoplasm ([Ca²⁺]_c). Although the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying this process remains incomplete, an increase in [Ca²⁺]_c following glucose stimulation provides a faithful indicator of beta-cell function with respect to insulin secretion. Application of a novel FRET-based Ca²⁺ indicator provides a method for imaging the temporal and spatial changes in [Ca²⁺]_c that occur during insulin secretion. The zebrafish is a valuable tool for imaging studies due to its external fertilization and maturation, rapid development, and optical transparency during embryo and larval stages. Our research plan combines non-invasive experimental manipulations with real-time imaging of cell behavior to functionally visualize beta-cells in live zebrafish during development. By establishing the zebrafish as a model of pancreatic physiology, we will be providing an additional tool in which to examine the molecular mechanisms of insulin secretion.

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