Research Project Title: RAISED IN AN EMOTIONAL ENVIRONMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR ADULT HIPPOCAMPAL NEUROGENESIS

Increasing evidence shows that adult-born hippocampal neurons are highly impacted by environmental influences, including the affective state of an organism. Survival of adult-born neurons is enhanced by novelty and enriching environments. The amygdala, a structure commonly associated with affect and emotion, may play a role in regulating adult neurogenesis. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) shares extensive neural connectivity with the hippocampus and can modulate hippocampal plasticity. Repeated stimulation of the BLA) can also lead to increased adult-born cell proliferation and hippocampal remodeling. These findings suggest that there is a bidirectional interaction between the amygdala and adult-born hippocampal neurons in the context of emotional experiences. We have designed a novel method for exploring the regulation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis by emotional experiences which recruit amygdala activation. Rats were allowed limited exposure to an enriched environment during temporary inactivation of the BLA (via bupivacaine infusion) in order to assess the role of the amygdala in mediating the enhanced survival of new neurons due to these manipulations. New neurons were labeled with 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) to quantify levels of survival in the hippocampus and their activity was assessed using an immediate early gene, c-fos. 2. Student Name: Britni Arlian Mentor: Dr. Hilde CheroutreDivision of Developmental Immunology Research Project Title: ANALYSIS OF MOUSE INTRAEPITHELIAL T LYMPHOCYTE RECEPTORS USING SINGLE CELL SEQUENCING Abstract: An important role of the intestinal immune system is to protect against pathogens while maintaining tolerance to harmless oral and commensal antigens. Relatively little is known about this unique system, and the function of TCRαβ+ CD8αα+ intraepithelial T lymphocytes (IELs) that represent a large fraction of cells in the small intestine has yet to be determined. In order to gain insight into the physiology of this intricate cell population, we aim at developing a method to sequence their T cell receptor (TCR) αand βchains at the single-cell level. In the first step, IELs will be isolated from mouse small intestine, and single cells of the population of interest will be sorted using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). RNA from each cell will be reversely transcribed into the first cDNA strand. Subsequently, single-cell 5’ rapid An important role of the intestinal immune system is to protect against pathogens while maintaining tolerance to harmless oral and commensal antigens. Relatively little is known about this unique system, and the function of TCRαβ+ CD8αα+ intraepithelial T lymphocytes (IELs) that represent a large fraction of cells in the small intestine has yet to be determined. In order to gain insight into the physiology of this intricate cell population, we aim at developing a method to sequence their T cell receptor (TCR) αand βchains at the single-cell level. In the first step, IELs will be isolated from mouse small intestine, and single cells of the population of interest will be sorted using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). RNA from each cell will be reversely transcribed into the first cDNA strand. Subsequently, single-cell 5’ rapid