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A Structural And Biochemical Analysis Of The Drosophila Protein Period, Heather Anne King
A Structural And Biochemical Analysis Of The Drosophila Protein Period, Heather Anne King
Student Theses and Dissertations
Circadian clocks regulate changes in behavior and physiology that occur with a period of approximately 24 hours and are based on negative feedback loops. The molecular components of circadian clocks are conserved among animals, and a key element in all such clocks is the protein Period (PER), a circadian transcription inhibitor. The stable production, posttranslational modification, and nuclear translocation of PER all contribute to the timing of the clock. This work describes the synthesis and purification of various Drosophila PER fragments for biochemical and crystallographic analysis. Several stable PER fragments are identified, including one crystallizable fragment. The structure of the …
Insect Host Seeking: Investigations Into The Molecular Mechanisms Of Chemosensation, Walton D. Jones
Insect Host Seeking: Investigations Into The Molecular Mechanisms Of Chemosensation, Walton D. Jones
Student Theses and Dissertations
Among other functions, chemosensory systems play a crucial role in the host-seeking behaviors of insects that allow them to find their preferred food sources. Quite often, however, these host-seeking behaviors have a negative impact on either human health or livelihood. The following details investigations into the evolution and molecular mechanisms of two distinct pathways involved in insect chemosensation. The atypical odorant receptor gene, Or83b, is co-expressed with other ORs in most olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) of the Drosophila antenna. OR83b acts as a generic heterodimeric partner for other ORs coupling them to the ciliary trafficking machinery, which is responsible for …
The Role Of Drosophila Odorant Receptors In Odor Coding, Elane Fishilevich
The Role Of Drosophila Odorant Receptors In Odor Coding, Elane Fishilevich
Student Theses and Dissertations
Drosophila melanogaster is a powerful genetic model organism, and a promising model system in olfaction. At the onset of my thesis research, the expression patterns of fly’s 62 odorant receptors (ORs) were largely unknown. I set out to understand the rules of connectivity of olfactory sensory neurons and the resulting properties of olfactory circuit. Consequently, we assembled maps of the olfactory neuron projections in the fly brain and characterized the contribution of several ORs to olfactory-guided behavior. We compiled near-complete maps of OR-specific neuronal projections to the antennal lobe glomeruli of adult and larval fly brains. We analyzed expression profiles …