The Effect of in ovo Nicotine Administration on Tbr2 Expression During Gray Matter Development in the Chicken Embryo

Lila Bagley

In our study, fertilized chicken eggs will be injected in ovo on embryonic day (E) 3 with either 0.67% or 1% nicotine. Using quantitative RTPCR, changes in the expression of Tbr2 in the embryonic chick brain will be observed on E15. The expression of Tbr2 is expected to decrease with increasing concentrations of nicotine compared to the nontreated embryos. This study is based on a student-led research project where the changes in the amount of gray matter during embryonic chick development after nicotine treatment were observed.

• Lila Bagley is a Junior from Irmo, SC who graduated from Dutch Fork High School. She is a biology major with a genetics emphasis with minors in chemistry and forensic science. She works on campus as a peer tutor, a work-study student in the biology department, and she is on the leadership team for Lander Baptist Collegiate Ministry. She has worked on her research since her sophomore year and recently presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists.