Project description:Artificial light at night (ALAN) disrupts natural light-dark cycles, posing ecological challenges for wildli in urban areas. Here we investigated the efcts of ALAN on gene expression in the brain, liver, skin, and gonads of green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis) whose urban populations are increasingly exposed to light pollution. To identify genetic pathways impacted by ALAN exposure we analysed expression of genes associated with circadian and metabolic regulation at midday, midnight and at midnight with artificial light. Difrential expression analysis revealed that clock-related genes (PER1, NR1D1, CRY2) were significantly altered in the brain, liver, and skin following ALAN treatment and genes involved in glucagon regulation (GCG) and lipid metabolism (NOCT) were difrentially expressed in the liver, indicating metabolic disruptions. Skin exhibited unique responses to ALAN suggesting that repair responses may be altered as genes related to cellular processes, such as wound healing, were upregulated under normal light and dark conditions. Our findings also show that ALAN disrupts core circadian genes, impacting physiological processes including hormone regulation, glucose homeostasis, and potentially reproductive cycles. This study provides the first transcriptomic evidence of the efcts of light pollution on green anoles, highlighting the need to preserve natural light cycles in urban habitats. An interactive online database developed for this study allows further exploration of gene expression changes, to promote research on artificial light-polluted environments.
Project description:Space travel presents unlimited opportunities for exploration and discovery, but requires a more complete understanding of the immunological consequences of long-term exposure to the conditions of spaceflight. To understand these consequences better and to contribute to design of effective countermeasures, we used the Drosophila model to compare innate immune responses to bacteria and fungi in flies that were either raised on earth or in outer space aboard the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-121). Microarrays were used to characterize changes in gene expression that occur in response to infection by bacteria and fungus in drosophila that were either hatched and raised in outer space (microgravity) or on earth (normal gravity). Whole Oregon R strain drosophila melanogaster fruit flies either raised on earth or in space that were (1) uninfected, (2) infected with bacteria (Escherichia coli), or (3) infected with fungus (Beauveria bassiana) were used for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays.