Melanophore assignment T3 2013
SLE 331 Cellular Physiology: Melanophore Assignment T3 2013; 12.5% of overall mark

Submission arrangements: The latest date for submission is Monday, January 13
2014.
The assignment can be submitted as an electronic copy into the Assignment Dropbox on
CloudDeakin.

If possible, I would advise completing the assignment before the Christmas break. If you work
in a group, make sure your report is your own work and list your collaborators in your report.
It is not acceptable to plagiarise the work of others including material that I have written.
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Aim: The aim of the assignment is to write a succinct report on your experiments with
zebrafish melanophores performed in Practical 5. The assignment should include the
following components:

1. A comparison of your findings to the average class data over previous years [on next
page].
2. A comparison of the melanophore control in zebrafish [based on your data and the
class data] to published data for zebrafish found in the publication file on CloudDeakin.

Your report should have the following elements.
• A brief Introduction outlining the aim of practical 5.
• A brief Methods section, summarised but not directly copied from the laboratory notes.
• A summary of the Results that you obtained from each of your experiments. You can
augment your written results with tabulation of data and diagrams if appropriate.
Creative presentation of data is suggested.
• A concluding Summary of your findings including the following elements:
- An appropriate analysis that would lead the reader to understand what receptors

and second messengers are used to control the melanophores of zebrafish,
including what has been published for this species.
- An analysis of the errors that may have occurred in your own experiments.

Assessment of the assignment
The primary criteria used to award marks for the assignment will be:
- Your understanding of the experimental data and how it has been interpreted.
- The interpretation of the data in the context of melanophore control in zebrafish.
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Melanophore assignment T3 2013

Melanophore Practical: Indicative class data from previous years

Use the data in the table to get an overall picture of how zebrafish melanophores have
responded in previous years. For example, it is obvious that Forskolin always causes
dispersal but the effect of AVT is variable.