The Effects of Repeated Heat Stress on Heat Shock Protein Induction in a Drosophila Melanogaster Model of Glial Tauopathy

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dc.contributorColodner, Ken
dc.contributorHarold, James
dc.contributor.advisorMcMenimen, Kathryn
dc.contributor.authorTatusko, Tabitha
dc.date.accessioned2025-07-15T13:58:22Z
dc.date.available2025-07-15T13:58:22Z
dc.date.gradyear2025
dc.date.issued2025-07-15
dc.description.abstractTauopathies are a family of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by hyperphosphorylated tau aggregate accumulation in neurons and glia. These disorders include prevalent diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal lobe dementia, and progressive supranuclear palsy. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are part of the chaperone machinery responsible for maintaining proper protein folding and clearance of aggregates. However, they are ineffective in preventing tau toxicity associated with these disease pathologies. Using a female Drosophila melanogaster model of glial tauopathy, this study broadened the established chaperone profile, illuminating novel differences in induction across the HSPs in response to glial tau and varied intensities and frequencies of heat stress. These findings are promising for understanding why the chaperone response differs between early- and late-onset tauopathies and suggest chaperones like HSP60 may be uniquely responsive to compounded stress. This study also supports emerging research demonstrating the unintended off-target effects of the GAL4 transgenic driver. Distinct and pervasive differences were observed in heat induction across the chaperones when comparing the non-transgenic and transgenic control groups.
dc.description.sponsorshipNeuroscience and Behavior
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10166/6771
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.rights.restrictedrestricted
dc.subjectHeat shock proteins (HSPs)
dc.subjectDrosophila melanogaster
dc.subjectTauopathies
dc.subjectNeurodegenerative disorders
dc.subjectGlial tau
dc.subjectGAL4 transgenic driver
dc.titleThe Effects of Repeated Heat Stress on Heat Shock Protein Induction in a Drosophila Melanogaster Model of Glial Tauopathy
dc.typeThesis
mhc.degreeUndergraduate
mhc.embargo.length4 years
mhc.institutionMount Holyoke College

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