Research area: | Neurogenetics | ||
Research unit: | Faculty of Biology | ||
Funding institution: | Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Bulgaria | ||
Project duration: | April 2012 - December 2012 | ||
Project leader: | Prof. Ginka Genova | ||
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Abstract
The most unexpected manifestation of magnetic activity in ultra cool dwarfs (UCDs) has been the detection radio emission, particularly the periodic 100% circularly polarized pulses. These objects comprise a whole new class of radio sources. The pulses are produced at the poles of a large-scale magnetic field by the electron cyclotron maser (ECM) instability, the same mechanism known to be responsible for the radio emission from the magnetized planets in our solar system and certain classes of solar and stellar bursts.
The project aims to further the understanding of magnetic activity of stellar objects at the bot-tom of the main sequence and beyond. To this end, we have planned detailed studies of the generation and mechanism of radio emission, magnetic field diagnostics, the efficiency with which magnetic fields are generated, rotation rates, dependency of activity on rotation, etc.
Results
The researchers optimized the method of semi-quantitative RT-PCR and studied the relative mRNA-levels of the genes discs large 1 (dlg 1) and scribbled (scrib). They are known to function as cell polarity determinants and are important for maturation and function of synapses. First, the researchers isolated total RNAs from heads of wild type flies and of mutants in which dFMRP was overexpressed. These total RNAs were used to obtain cDNAs which were used for PCR amplification.
In these experiments, the researchers observed increased levels of the mRNAs of dig 1 and scrib in flies, overexpressing dFMRP, as compared to the wild type.
On these grounds, the researchers speculate that dFMRP exerts a positive control at the level of transcription of both genes.
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Contacts
Prof. Ginka Genova
Faculty of Biology
Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"
8 Dragan Tzankov Blvd., 1164 Sofia
e-mail: genova@biofac.uni-sofia.bg