Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0003-4142-7089
Date of Award
Summer 8-1-2025
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Developmental and Brain Sciences
First Advisor
Richard G. Hunter III
Abstract
Once dismissed as “junk”, transposable elements have recently gained recognition for their regulatory roles, especially in the brain. During development, circulating androgens promote proper morphological development of hippocampal neurons. We and others have shown that murine B2 SINE RNA is a regulator in the rodent hippocampus. It is unknown, however, if B2 is necessary for the proper development of hippocampal neurons. This dissertation investigates the role of murine B2 in the development of primary hippocampal neurons in combination with androgen treatment. We first examined the role of ALU SINE and androgen receptor in a prostate cancer cell model and found that DHT alters the expression of ALU RNA. We utilized rat primary hippocampal cells to examine the effects of DHT and B2 RNA knockdown on dendritic arborization. We found that knocking down B2 in male neurons results in a reduction of dendritic complexity but not in female neurons. Taken together, this work suggests that B2 SINE RNA plays a role in the proper development of hippocampal neurons in a sex dependent manner.
Recommended Citation
Richter, Troy A., "The Role of Androgen Receptor and B2/ALU SINE RNA Interaction in Hippocampal Dendritic Development" (2025). Graduate Doctoral Dissertations. 1102.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/doctoral_dissertations/1102
Included in
Cell Biology Commons, Developmental Neuroscience Commons, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Commons