Natalia Bezuch

Project title: Epigenetic, genetic and behavioural responses to developmental stress in the zebrafish.

Aims: My project seeks to test how early life stress affects behaviour and to investigate the underlying biological mechanisms that regulate it in an experimental animal system, the zebrafish (Danio rerio).

By testing the movement in a novel tank and anxiety-like behaviour following chronic stress exposure in the first five days of their development as well as later on in their adult life, I hope to get an insight into what behavioural responses are evoked by chronic stress and if these responses differ from those to acute stress. I am interested if these changes persist into adulthood and can potentially be passed onto the next generations via non-genetic inheritance. Moreover, I am looking into the biological mechanisms underlying these behavioural changes by measuring key HPI axis gene expression and how these genes might be regulated transcriptionally by measuring the DNA methylation of these genes.


Supervisors: Dr Will Swaney, Dr Adam Reddon, Dr Chris Murgatroyd

Languages

English
Polish

Degrees

2018, Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom, MRes
2017, Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science

Academic appointments

Teaching Support Officer, Biological and Environmental Science, Liverpool John Moores University, 2019 - present