Department of Physiology Honours Projects
Dr K Gibson / Dr A Boyce
Project 1: Developmental programming of hypertension and renal disease. This study, conducted in guinea pigs, will examine the interactions between developmental programming and lifestyle factors (high salt and/or high fat diet) on the development of hypertension and renal disease. In particular the role of the newly discovered renin receptor will be examined.
Project 2: Vitamin D and the developing kidney. It has recently been discovered that Vit D suppresses renin expression in the adult, but nothing is known about how Vit D interacts with the renin angiotensin system during development. This study will look at whether Vit D controls renin expression in the fetal and neonatal rat and the implications this has for kidney development.
Techniques involved may include: animal surgery, chronic measurement of blood pressure in conscious animals. assessment of renal function, tissue collection at post mortem, gene expression studies using real time PCR, nephron counting and glomerular volume assessment, renal histology, immunohistochemistry and enzymatic assays for prorenin, renin and ACE activity.
Dr P Bertrand/ Dr R Bertrand
Project 1: Characterisation of 5-HT release from the gastrointestinal tract. This project will characterize the release of 5-HT from enterochromaffin cells in real-time from intact preparations of small and large intestine. Skills learnt: electrochemistry, immunohistochemistry, pharmacological techniques, animal handling, microdissection, laboratory skills.
Project 2: Innervation and motor reflex activity of the gastrointestinal tract. This project will investigate motor reflex circuits in the gut by analysing the activity of the highly innervated smooth muscle. Skills learnt: electrophysiology, electrochemistry, immunohistochemistry, pharmacological techniques, animal handling, microdissection, laboratory skills.
Project 3+: Negotiated and other projects. Students interested in studying the physiology, pathophysiology, and/or neurophysiology of the gut, or are interested in basic neuroscience questions, are encouraged to come discuss possible projects. Skills learnt: electrophysiology, electrochemistry, molecular biology, immunohistochemistry, pharmacological techniques, animal handling, microdissection, laboratory skills.
Dr S Head
Skeletal muscle damage due to eccentric exercise; effects of steroid type substances on skeletal muscle growth; role of creatine in skeletal muscle fatigue; skeletal muscle pathophysiology in muscular dystrophy.
Prof G Housley -Translational Neuroscience Facility
Project 1: TRPC ion channel expression in the mouse cochlea. The project investigates the diversity of TRPC ion channel subunit expression in the cochlea and how this impacts on the regulation of sound transduction and auditory neuron excitability. Skill set: quantitative analysis of transcript (mRNA) levels, Ca2+ imaging, electrophysiology.
Project 2: Reduction of stroke injury. The study investigates the cellular mechanisms of reperfusion injury in the cerebellum following ischaemia (stroke model). Skill set: in vivo multi-photon imaging.
Project 3: Protection from noise-induced hearing loss. The study investigates how purinergic signaling (ATP release) in the cochlea provides protection from noise-induced hearing loss. Skill set: hearing testing in transgenic mice (evoked potential electrophysiology, otoacoustic emissions).
Arun Krishnan -Translational Neuroscience Facility
Project:Effects of sodium channel blockade on sensory nerve excitability in human subjects.
Skill Learnt: nerve conduction studies and nerve excitability techniques.
Dr Andrew Moorhouse / Dr Trevor Lewis / EProf Peter Barry- Membrane Biophysics Laboratory
Ligand-gated ion channels are one of the fundamental building blocks for a functioning nervous system mediating fast synaptic transmission between nerve cells. The current focus of research in the Membrane Biophysics Laboratory is the relationship between the structure and the function of the inhibitory GABA and glycine activated ligand-gated ion channels. These channels are investigated by using a combination of patch clamp recordings from recombinant receptors expressed in cultured cells and molecular biology techniques to introduce specific amino acid mutations. The following honours projects are currently available, although students interested in related projects are encouraged to discuss their ideas with us.
Project 1: Investigating the relative movement of loop structures in the extracellular domain of the glycine receptor. These structures have been implicated in the mechanism that leads to opening of the channel pore following ligand binding.
Project 2: Identification and functional characterization of amino acid residues within the cytoplasmic M3-M4 loop of the glycine receptor. We hypothesise that this region is important in determining both the ion permeation properties and desensitization kinetics of the receptor-channel.
Project 3: Investigating the action of flavonoids, a diverse group of plant-derived compounds, on human glycine receptor channels.
Skills learnt: mammalian cell culture techniques, transient transfection of mammalian cells, whole-cell and single-channel patch clamp electrophysiology, biophysical analysis of ion channel properties, immuno-histochemistry of transfected cells.
Dr Shaun Sandow / Dr Tim Murphy / Rebecca Haddock - Microvascular Laboratory see also Pharmacology Honours Projects
Project 1: Cell communication in vascular health and disease (with Dr Shaun Sandow)
Arteries consist of two main cell types; endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells. These cells communicate with each other by release of diffusible factors and by direct contact via gap junctions. The latter junctions are referred to as myoendothelial gap junctions, and recent studies show that a variety of ion channels and receptors are found very close to these junctions, implying that they interact as a functional ‘microdomain’.
This study will use anatomical methods (confocal microscopy) to examine whether the proteins at myoendothelial gap junction microdomains are altered in vascular disease, such as is found in obesity, diabetes and hypertension. Attendance at a confocal microscopy course will be required.
Project 2: Blood pressure and cyclic-nucleotide-dependent vasodilation (with Dr Tim Murphy)
Cyclic nucleotides (cAMP and cGMP) are second messengers vitally involved in smooth muscle relaxation and vasodilation caused by several neurotransmitters, hormones and autacoids. Many commonly-used anti-hypertensive medications target the cyclic nucleotide system. Some recent observations suggest increased intra-vascular pressure alters receptor-signalling in vascular smooth muscle, preferentially targetting cyclic nucleotides. This project will to examine the effect of increased pressure on cyclic-nucleotide-mediated signalling in isolated arterioles. Techniques involved include pressure myography, real-time PCR and biochemistry.
Project 3: Innervation and vascular disease (with Dr Rebecca Haddock)
Stimulation of sympathetic nerves is a primary mechanism that controls constriction of arteries and is thus important for control of blood flow and pressure. Overactivity of sympathetic nerve activity has been reported in vascular disease states. Understanding the mechanisms that underlie this overactivity will enable the identification of a unique target for future therapeutic intervention aimed at maintaining vessel tone and reducing overall cardiovascular disease risk.
This study will use methods to examine live vessel function (pressure myography, electrical field stimulation, videomicroscopy) with drug intervention to examine the effects of sympathetic neurotransmission on vessel tone during vascular disease, such as is found in obesity, diabetes and hypertension
Dr R Vickery / A/Prof J Morley (Conjoint)
Sensory neuroscience, especially of vision and touch; sensori-motor integration; cortical processing; prostheses including tactile navigational aids for the blind, tactile remote sensing equipment, bionic eye; neural networks and AI.
Project 1. Stimulus coding in the sense of touch. Stimuli delivered through a 144 pin dynamic stimulator will enable determination of key factors encoding
touch. Psychophysics and microneurography will be combined to record single neuron responses.
Project 2. Developing a navigational aid for the blind. A novel method of electrical stimulation may improve the functional resolution of an array of skin electrodes to a level sufficient to support increased mobility in the blind.
Skills Learnt: Psychophysics, tactile stimulation, electrophysiology, neural coding, data analysis, reading/writing scientific literature.