Manduca sexta as a Model Organism for Developmental Trauma
Authors: Sophia Haligowski, Marcus Lukan, Sukhjit Kaur
Faculty Supervisor: Megumi Fuse
Department: Biology
Manduca sexta is becoming a model organism for pain research, with a well-characterized striking response to noxious stimuli. When the hornworm is exposed to noxious stimuli, it enters a sensitized state, affecting both its behavior and physiology. It has been suggested in this lab, that sensitization after a noxious stimulus depends on epigenetic changes as well. We aim to establish a model for trauma after repeated painful stimuli over the course of a few days that is distinct from sensitization after a single event. The long term goal is to assess whether this model shows generational trauma, as has been shown in humans, to study epigenetic changes due to trauma. To develop this model, we assess physiological metrics such as growth rates, time to pupation and eclosion to the adult, with three levels of trauma, in the form of multiple