Presentation Year

2018

Depreciated Participant

Dixie BlumenshineBiological SciencesUndergraduate Student

College or Department

Short Description of your Research or Creative Project (700 characters or less)

Huntington’s disease (HD) is associated with CAG trinucleotide repeats in the HTT gene, which encodes the huntingtin protein. Our central hypothesis is that overexpression of normal huntingtin, with the eventual inhibition of cells’ autophagy pathway or other route of clearance, will lead to a disease-like state. In order to address this hypothesis, we are developing a novel human cell model that will allow us to assess how excess huntingtin is managed and/or cleared by cells, and precisely how cell death occurs upon buildup of huntingtin protein. Using this model as a starting point, it is possible to study the response of human cells to huntingtin overexpression.

Permission to Publish Work

Yes

Node ID

436

Page Classification