{"id":{"repo_id":"carleton","oai_identifier":"oai:carleton.scholaris.ca:20.500.14718/40274"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/carleton/oai:carleton.scholaris.ca:20.500.14718/40274","repository":{"repo_id":"carleton","name":"Carleton University","base_url":"https://carleton.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Micromanaging Freeze Tolerance: The Biogenesis and Regulation of microRNAs in Frozen Frogs","abstract":"When temperatures plummet below 0°C, the wood frog (Rana sylvatica) freezes up to 65% of its body water in extracellular ice masses, displaying no measurable brain activity, no breathing, and a flat-lined heart. Various molecular mechanisms including microRNAs, a multifunctional group of short non-coding RNAs, are in place to facilitate freeze tolerance. This thesis provides the first large-scale investigation of microRNA in a freeze tolerant vertebrate. Immunoblotting was used to investigate protein abundance of key microRNA biogenesis factors in brain and liver of control, 24 h frozen, and 8 h thawed R. sylvatica. Biogenesis capacity was reduced in brains and elevated in livers during freezing and thawing. This correlated with RT-qPCR levels of ~110 microRNAs, where the majority of differentially expressed miRNAs were downregulated in brains and upregulated in livers. Bioinformatic miRNA targeting predicted brain miRNAs to play a neuroprotective role, while hepatic miRNAs suppressed energy-expensive pro-growth processes.","abstract_html":"When temperatures plummet below 0°C, the wood frog (Rana sylvatica) freezes up to 65% of its body water in extracellular ice masses, displaying no measurable brain activity, no breathing, and a flat-lined heart. Various molecular mechanisms including microRNAs, a multifunctional group of short non-coding RNAs, are in place to facilitate freeze tolerance. This thesis provides the first large-scale investigation of microRNA in a freeze tolerant vertebrate. Immunoblotting was used to investigate protein abundance of key microRNA biogenesis factors in brain and liver of control, 24 h frozen, and 8 h thawed R. sylvatica. Biogenesis capacity was reduced in brains and elevated in livers during freezing and thawing. This correlated with RT-qPCR levels of ~110 microRNAs, where the majority of differentially expressed miRNAs were downregulated in brains and upregulated in livers. Bioinformatic miRNA targeting predicted brain miRNAs to play a neuroprotective role, while hepatic miRNAs suppressed energy-expensive pro-growth processes.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hadj-Moussa, Hanane"],"institution":"Carleton University","degree_name":"Master of Science (M.Sc.)","degree_level":"Master's","degree_discipline":"Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017","date_published":"2017","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:34:38Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright © 2017 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, research, scholarship, and teaching. Theses may only be shared by linking to Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be used without proper attribution to the author. 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This thesis provides the first large-scale investigation of microRNA in a freeze tolerant vertebrate. Immunoblotting was used to investigate protein abundance of key microRNA biogenesis factors in brain and liver of control, 24 h frozen, and 8 h thawed R. sylvatica. Biogenesis capacity was reduced in brains and elevated in livers during freezing and thawing. This correlated with RT-qPCR levels of ~110 microRNAs, where the majority of differentially expressed miRNAs were downregulated in brains and upregulated in livers. Bioinformatic miRNA targeting predicted brain miRNAs to play a neuroprotective role, while hepatic miRNAs suppressed energy-expensive pro-growth processes."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Micromanaging Freeze Tolerance: The Biogenesis and Regulation of microRNAs in Frozen Frogs"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Hadj-Moussa, Hanane"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-04-08T19:57:31Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-04-08T19:57:31Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2017"],"dc:description.abstract":["When temperatures plummet below 0°C, the wood frog (Rana sylvatica) freezes up to 65% of its body water in extracellular ice masses, displaying no measurable brain activity, no breathing, and a flat-lined heart. Various molecular mechanisms including microRNAs, a multifunctional group of short non-coding RNAs, are in place to facilitate freeze tolerance. This thesis provides the first large-scale investigation of microRNA in a freeze tolerant vertebrate. Immunoblotting was used to investigate protein abundance of key microRNA biogenesis factors in brain and liver of control, 24 h frozen, and 8 h thawed R. sylvatica. Biogenesis capacity was reduced in brains and elevated in livers during freezing and thawing. This correlated with RT-qPCR levels of ~110 microRNAs, where the majority of differentially expressed miRNAs were downregulated in brains and upregulated in livers. Bioinformatic miRNA targeting predicted brain miRNAs to play a neuroprotective role, while hepatic miRNAs suppressed energy-expensive pro-growth processes."],"dc:identifier.doi":["10.22215/etd/2017-12054"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14718/40274"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Carleton University"],"dc:rights":["Copyright © 2017 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, research, scholarship, and teaching. 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