INFLUENCE OF MELATONIN ON NEUROREGENERATION IN CRUSTACEANS

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The aims of this pilot project are to establish a model system for monitoring neurite outgrowth in crustaceans and to study the influence of melatonin at the cellular and molecular levels on this process. Melatonin affects neurite growth and function in regions of the vertebrate brain such as the hippocampus, and it is hypothesized that melatonin may be involved in learning and prevention of degenerative diseases. However, the mechanisms of melatonin activity at the cellular level are not yet known. Crustaceans provide robust analogous systems for comparative studies of the nervous system. In our study, we are using crustacean neurons as model systems for studying the growth-promoting and neuroprotective effects of melatonin. In the first two years of the project, we identified cell types that could be cultured to provide an assay for neurite growth, and we developed a cell culture system that optimizes neurite outgrowth.