Ask a Librarian

Threre are lots of ways to contact a librarian. Choose what works best for you.

HOURS TODAY

10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Reference Desk

CONTACT US BY PHONE

(802) 656-2022

Voice

(802) 503-1703

Text

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT OR EMAIL A QUESTION

Schedule an Appointment

Meet with a librarian or subject specialist for in-depth help.

Email a Librarian

Submit a question for reply by e-mail.

WANT TO TALK TO SOMEONE RIGHT AWAY?

Library Hours for Thursday, March 28th

All of the hours for today can be found below. We look forward to seeing you in the library.
HOURS TODAY
8:00 am - 12:00 am
MAIN LIBRARY

SEE ALL LIBRARY HOURS
WITHIN HOWE LIBRARY

MapsM-Th by appointment, email govdocs@uvm.edu

Media Services8:00 am - 7:00 pm

Reference Desk10:00 am - 3:00 pm

OTHER DEPARTMENTS

Special Collections10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Dana Health Sciences Library7:30 am - 11:00 pm

 

CATQuest

Search the UVM Libraries' collections

UVM Theses and Dissertations

Browse by Department
Format:
Online
Author:
Waldron, Ashley
Dept./Program:
Biology
Year:
2019
Degree:
Ph. D.
Abstract:
Histidyl-tRNA Synthetase (HARS) is a member of the family of enzymes that are responsible for attaching specific amino acids to their corresponding tRNA molecules. This function is critical for accurate and efficient protein synthesis and therefore is required in every cell of an organism. Interestingly, there are a growing number of tissue-specific disorders associated with mutations in genes for this family. For example, mutations in HARS have been associated with three different genetic disorders. The tissue most commonly affected in these disorders is nervous tissue and symptoms range from peripheral neuropathy to severe cognitive impairment. The bias towards nervous system defects suggests that these ubiquitous proteins may be particularly important for neuronal development and maintenance. In order to better understand the relationship between HARS and the nervous system, we set out to establish an animal model to study its function in an organismal context. We used a gene knock-down approach to investigate HARS' influence on zebrafish embryonic development. Our research revealed that neuronal tissues have a higher sensitivity to levels of HARS expression. We found that ubiquitously knocking down HARS expression caused neuronal progenitor cells, specifically those of the retina, to undergo cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Previous research had indicated that HARS and other members of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase family are important for cell proliferation and survival, but our in vivo experiments suggest that this role may be more important in nervous tissues than others. Furthermore, these findings provide valuable insight into HARS-related human disease and lay the groundwork for future studies on the molecular etiology of these phenotypes.