UMD Department of Biology

Let's end finals strong with the last Biology Seminar of the semester this Friday, May 8th!

🔎 We are looking for someone to run the social media for the Biology Department. Use Job ID 373482 in the job portal to find the position, or email Stacey Vartmann ([email protected]) if you have any questions.

🗓There are only two seminars left in the semester. Let's finish strong, Bulldogs!

Interested in a profession in health care? Check out this opportunity with Conversations to Remember.

To sign up, use any of the links/contact info above or copy/paste the link below:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-1PcQ_A78PACrGwBtiEoWWFLFBjKcP1kDAUwALgqGNo/edit?usp=sharing

Only a few more Biology Seminars left for the semester! This Friday, Brennan Rosenthal will present on the role of Extracellular Matrix Proteins Fibronectin and Laminin in Axis Formation Within the Zebrafish Pineal Gland.

🔎Read the abstract below to learn more:

Incomplete closure of the anterior neural tube in mammals leads to anencephaly, a fatal neural tube defect (NTD). Our lab has found that zebrafish embryos deficient in two extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, Laminin (Lam) and Fibronectin (Fn), display anencephaly-like phenotypes, though the mechanisms by which deficiencies in Lam and Fn trigger NTD are poorly understood. Previous work by Araya and colleagues suggests that these NTD could be caused by disorganized apicobasal polarity within neuroepithelium cells (Araya et al., Dev Dyn. 2016, 245:580-9). As cell polarity and axis formation are tightly linked, we hypothesize that axis formation within the anterior neural tube will also be disrupted in ECM-deficient mutants. This project assesses medial-lateral axis development within the neural tubes of Lam and Fn single and double mutants by observing expression of the protein Exorhodopsin (Exorh) within the pineal gland, a photosensitive protein which normally maps to the midline of the forebrain. Morphometric analysis showed that Exorh expression is significantly less linear in lamc1ti263a and lamb1apd110 mutants than in their WT siblings, and that lamc1ti263a, lamb1apd110, and fn1astop;fn1bstop genotypes display a reduction in the length: width ratio of the region of Exorh expression, indicating disruption of the normal medial-lateral axis. Additionally, lamc1ti263a, lamb1apd110, and fn1astop;fn1bstop genotypes display much higher instances of occlusion of the region of Exorh by melanocytes, suggesting that the pineal window is no longer excluding melanocytes from atop the pineal gland. These results imply that Lam and Fn facilitate coordination of adjacent tissue layers and orientation of cells to body axes during neurulation, providing context to further study of NTD in ECM-deficient mutants.

Make sure to submit your application for the UMD Campus-Wide Scholarship by May 3rd. All students are encouraged to apply!

To register, copy and paste this link and submit the form: https://umn.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DDPb2sNsQTWBrI27ozjtjg?utm_source=chatgpt.com #/registration

💻 More information about the webinar:

The webinar is part of Minnesota Sea Grant’s Minnesota Lake Lookout project, a statewide initiative that equips community volunteers to monitor chloride pollution and harmful algal blooms in lakes. Participants will learn how to join a growing network of volunteers dedicated to monitoring chloride and harmful algal blooms.

Chloride, commonly introduced through road salt and water softeners, is a long-lasting pollutant that can build up in lakes over time. Along with harmful algal blooms, it poses growing risks to water quality, aquatic life, and lake use across Minnesota.

During the webinar, participants will:

🌊 Learn how chloride affects lake ecosystems
🌊 Get an overview of Sea Grant’s Minnesota Lake Lookout project
🌊 Hear from researchers studying lake water quality
🌊 Find out how to participate in community-based monitoring

The webinar will feature presentations from Minnesota Sea Grant, the University of Minnesota’s Natural Resources Research Institute, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

We are extremely proud of our undergraduates, Ali Fish, Rowan Malmberg, and Tallie Boheim! Good job, Bulldogs! 🙌 🎉

Come to this week's Biology Seminar with Lauren Willman to learn about her work studying sea lamprey!

Abstract:

The invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) has severely disrupted the ecological balance of the Laurentian Great Lakes. While current management relies on chemical lampricides and physical barriers, these methods often impact non-target native species or are bypassed by the lamprey’s unique suction-based locomotion. This study first compared the attachment performance of invasive sea lampreys against native species, silver (Ichthyomyzon unicuspis), American brook (Lethenteron appendix), and northern brook (I. fossor) lampreys, to establish a baseline for species-specific physical capabilities. Parasitic species exhibited significantly higher mean attachment forces (1.10 N for sea lampreys) compared to non-parasitic species (0.03 -0.06 N), and sea lampreys withstood significantly higher flow velocities before detaching.
To exploit the mechanical limitations of this attachment, we tested the suction efficacy of adult sea lampreys on 3D-printed convex textures (cubes, cones, and pyramids). Results indicate that surface morphology is a critical determinant of adhesion, with texture volume and surface area showing a significant negative correlation with detachment force. Notably, high-complexity textures completely prevented attachment in several trials. These findings bridge a critical knowledge gap in lamprey functional morphology and provide a data-driven framework for designing texture-modified physical barriers that selectively inhibit invasive sea lampreys while potentially reducing risks to ecologically significant native species.

Looking for a summer or fall internship and love the Great Lakes Aquarium? Why not intern there? Lots of opportunities and great flexibility! 🐟 🐠 🐡

Go to the Great Lakes Aquarium website or copy and paste this link to apply or find more information: https://glaquarium.org/about-us/jobs-and-internships/internships/