Location
Innovation Lab Atrium
Start Date
4-3-2025 2:00 PM
End Date
4-3-2025 3:30 PM
Presentation Date
3 April 2025, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Biography
Jenn Harrell is a third-year doctoral student in the Department of Biology. Her academic track has taken her from a non-traditional student at East Central College to a doctoral student at Missouri S&T. She is attempting to identify differences that link sleep deprivation to molecular changes and metabolic changes associated with disease. She uses mathematical modeling of sleep characteristics coupled with broad metabolomic quantification to identify enzymatic pathways to identify treatments to mitigate the impact of inadequate sleep. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and camping with her children.
Meeting Name
2025 - Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference
Department(s)
Biological Sciences
Document Type
Poster
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
event
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2025 The Authors, All rights reserved
Included in
Metabolites, Lipids, and Sleep: Unveiling Molecular Links in Drosophila with MALDI-TOF Imaging
Innovation Lab Atrium
Comments
Advisor: Matthew S. Thimgan
Abstract:
Sleep is an evolutionarily conserved function essential for life. Inadequate sleep promotes disease and reduces lifespan. Given its widespread effects, we hypothesize a general underlying mechanism linking sleep to health. Our lab uses mathematical models to predict lifespan in Drosophila based on sleep characteristics, categorizing them as predicted long- or short-lived. Using Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization – Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MALDI-TOF MSI), we found elevated AMP in short-lived predicted flies, suggesting impaired energy maintenance for proteostasis and oxidative stress response. Several lipid classes were altered, indicating dysregulated signaling and energy metabolism. We also observed differences in tissue localization of lipid species, AMP/ATP/ADP, and GSSG/GSH between groups. Understanding these metabolic shifts will help identify biomarkers of dysfunction and potential intervention targets.