Mckinnon Mead | 2026 I.S. Symposium

Name: Mckinnon Mead
Title: Examining the Effects of Tau-mediated Neurodegeneration on CircRNA Formation
Major: Neuroscience
Advisor: Seth Kelly

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disorder with over 7 million Americans suffering from the disease today. Alzheimer’s is characterized by intracellular neurofibrillary tangles composed of abnormal aggregates of the tau protein. The presence of neurofibrillary tangles places Alzheimer’s under the broader category of tauopathies. Many studies have shown that the overexpression of tau causes disruptions in RNA splicing, suggesting a mechanism for tau-induced neurodegeneration. Further research into tau’s effects on RNA processing led to the identification of circRNA, circularized RNA formed through backsplicing, as a potential biomarker/mechanism of tau-induced neurodegeneration. Previous literature found that the overexpression of mutant tau causes an increase in a specific circRNA, circMbl. The purpose of this study was to reinforce this past literature by determining the effects that the overexpression of tau has on circMbl formation in relation to its linear transcript. No effect of the overexpression of tau was found on the expression levels of circMbl, the linear Mbl transcript, or the ratio of circMbl to linear Mbl. Although our results did not support past literature, circRNA formation remains a promising area of research for tau-induced neurodegeneration and future studies into circRNA formation in aging Drosophila could help us better understand the mechanisms behind tauopathies.

Posted in Symposium 2026 on May 1, 2026.