Using RNA Sequencing to Examine Encephalic Gene Expression in Cactus Mice

Author

Sarah A. Nicholls, University of New Hampshire - Main CampusFollow

Date of Award

Spring 2025

Project Type

Senior Honors Thesis

College or School

COLSA

Department

Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences

Program or Major

Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

First Advisor

Matthew MacManes

Abstract

Many of the exact mechanisms by which desert-adapted animals avoid dehydration-induced complications are unknown, though there are likely ties to the general mammalian dehydration response, a multisystem process spearheaded by the brain. Peromyscus eremicus, the cactus mouse, can survive its whole life without intaking water and is commonly used as a model to study desert adaptations. In this study, we have used bulk transcriptomics to characterize the differential gene expression across hydrated and dehydrated P. eremicus in five major regions of the brain: the cerebral cortex (referred to throughout much of this paper as the cortex), hippocampus, thalamus, midbrain, and cerebellum. Preliminary results demonstrate both an organ-wide response to dehydration, including increased cell death, vascular changes, angiotensin signalling, and metabolic changes; and responses specific to each region analyzed, with the cerebellum showing the greatest amount of differential expression across hydration treatments. Existing research on the mammalian brain’s role in the dehydration response is lacking, and no comprehensive studies of the P. eremicus brain have been previously performed. Alongside filling these gaps in the literature, this research has wide-scale conservational and biomedical implications as climate change continues to decrease water availability worldwide.

Recommended Citation

Nicholls, Sarah A., "Using RNA Sequencing to Examine Encephalic Gene Expression in Cactus Mice" (2025). Honors Theses and Capstones. 899.
https://scholars.unh.edu/honors/899