Date of Award

Spring 5-16-2026

Document Type

Honors Project

University Scholars Director

Dr. Joshua Tom

First Advisor/Committee Member

Dr. Jenny Tenlen

Keywords

Germline specification, CBP/p300 histone acetyltransferase, Hypsibius exemplaris, Epigenetic regulation, Tardigrade development, Developmental biology

Abstract

Germline specification is a fundamental process that ensures the proper development of germ cells. Germline specification occurs either through germ cell determinants maternally inherited through the mechanism of preformation or through induction, where cell interaction and epigenetic modifications direct specification. Determining how these mechanisms evolved and diverged remains an important question in developmental biology. Despite research on germline regulation in model organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans or Drosophila melanogaster, such regulation remains poorly understood in many other animal groups. Tardigrades are an emerging model system for investigating developmental mechanisms due to their phylogenetic placement and experimentally tractable embryos. CBP/P300 is a highly conserved transcriptional coactivator that promotes gene expression through interactions with transcription factors and signaling pathways. In model organisms such as nematodes and fruit flies, it is found to function in germline regulation and development. This study focused on characterizing a candidate homolog of the histone acetyltransferase CBP/p300 in the tardigrade species Hypsibius exemplaris through the use of genetic bioinformatic analysis, phylogenetic reconstruction, and experimental validations through quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and established a foundation for future studies on sound epigenetic mechanisms within tardigrade development.

Copyright Status

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Additional Rights Information

Copyright held by author.

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