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Host Factors Affecting Group Ii Intron Retrotransposition, Justin Michael Waldern
Host Factors Affecting Group Ii Intron Retrotransposition, Justin Michael Waldern
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Group II introns are self-splicing mobile elements that are thought to be the evolutionary ancestors of eukaryotic retrotransposons, the spliceosome, and spliceosomal introns. Yet, little is known about how group II introns have coevolved within their native hosts or about the corresponding host biology.Using the Ll.LtrB intron in its native host, Lactococcus lactis, I first sought to identify host factors that influence retrotransposition. Since retrotransposition can be costly to the host organism, group II introns must achieve a delicate balance between self-proliferation and host preservation. By utilizing the native host organism, my goal was to unearth retrotransposition-related mechanisms that have …
Retrotransposon-Mediated Transduction Of An Environmental Cue To Regulate Centrosome Fate, Shawn Patrick Murphy
Retrotransposon-Mediated Transduction Of An Environmental Cue To Regulate Centrosome Fate, Shawn Patrick Murphy
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
In 1969, the enrichment of mobile element repeat sequences led Britton and Davidson to propose the hypothesis that gene expression in higher eukaryotes is regulated through the exaptation of mobile elements. In this work, I have explored the hypothesis that mobile elements can also be harnessed by the host to regulate asymmetric cell division, thereby determining cell fate. Retrotransposons are ubiquitous eukaryotic mobile elements that transpose through an RNA intermediate. They are often active in cell types that divide asymmetrically to yield daughter cells with different fates, such as embryonic stem cells, germline stem cells, neuronal stem cells and the …