Item Details

title

A MOLECULAR INVESTIGATION OF CHEMESTHESIS IN EISENIA HORTENSIS THROUGH ANALYSIS OF TRANSIENT RECEPTOR POTENTIAL CHANNELS

author

Smith, Karleigh Alyse

abstract

The earthworm fulfills an important ecological function in breaking down waste, providing key nutrients for plants, and promoting soil health worldwide. Despite their indispensable role in agriculture, little is known about the chemical senses of earthworms, especially how they detect noxious compounds - a sense known as chemesthesis. The goal of this investigation was to examine transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in the European nightcrawler, Eisenia hortensis. TRP channels are cation channels that play a critical role in the detection of chemical irritants as well as thermal and mechanical stimuli in most animals. The search for these TRP channels was conducted using polymerase chain reactions and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). Using these methods, we have amplified several E. hortensis DNA fragments that resemble TRP channels, specifically TRPA1, TRPM8, and TRPV1, in other species. These are a few of the first steps in elucidating the chemosensing capabilities and mechanisms of earthworms. This information will help us understand how earthworms are repelled from particular soil areas and could allow earthworm abundance to serve as a bioindicator of soil health.

subject

Chemesthesis

Earthworms

RACE PCR

TRPA1

TRP Channels

TRPM8

contributor

Silver, Wayne L (committee chair)

Johnson, Erik C (committee member)

Pratt, Wayne E (committee member)

date

2019-05-24T08:35:53Z (accessioned)

2019-11-23T09:30:33Z (available)

2019 (issued)

degree

Biomedical Science – MS (discipline)

embargo

2019-11-23 (terms)

identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/10339/94001 (uri)

language

en (iso)

publisher

Wake Forest University

type

Thesis