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Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology

Developing Ultra-High Throughput Sequencing Based Assay For Ligase Ribozymes For The Study Of Evolutionary Innovations, James Collet Dec 2018

Developing Ultra-High Throughput Sequencing Based Assay For Ligase Ribozymes For The Study Of Evolutionary Innovations, James Collet

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The study of evolutionary innovations, or novel traits, is integral to understanding evolution yet is poorly understood. By studying the regions between genotype networks that produce the same phenotype, we can better characterize the process by which innovation occurs. The overarching goal of this study is to assign fitness values to the overlapping genotype network of two catalytic RNA molecules, or ribozymes. Properly characterizing this region requires the study of thousands of individual sequences, which is achievable through the use of high-throughput sequencing analysis. This thesis focuses on developing assays for one of the ribozymes, the ligase ribozyme. Due to …


Iron-Dependent Cleavage Of Ribosomal Rna During Oxidative Stress In The Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Jessica A Zinskie, Arnab Ghosh, Brandon M Trainor, Daniel Shedlovskiy, Dimitri G Pestov, Natalia Shcherbik Sep 2018

Iron-Dependent Cleavage Of Ribosomal Rna During Oxidative Stress In The Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Jessica A Zinskie, Arnab Ghosh, Brandon M Trainor, Daniel Shedlovskiy, Dimitri G Pestov, Natalia Shcherbik

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

Stress-induced strand breaks in rRNA have been observed in many organisms, but the mechanisms by which they originate are not well-understood. Here we show that a chemical rather than an enzymatic mechanism initiates rRNA cleavages during oxidative stress in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). We used cells lacking the mitochondrial glutaredoxin Grx5 to demonstrate that oxidant-induced cleavage formation in 25S rRNA correlates with intracellular iron levels. Sequestering free iron by chemical or genetic means decreased the extent of rRNA degradation and relieved the hypersensitivity of grx5Δ cells to the oxidants. Importantly, subjecting purified ribosomes to an in vitro iron/ascorbate …


Characterization Of The Celf6 Rna Binding Protein: Effects On Mouse Vocal Behavior And Biochemical Function, Michael A. Rieger Aug 2018

Characterization Of The Celf6 Rna Binding Protein: Effects On Mouse Vocal Behavior And Biochemical Function, Michael A. Rieger

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Behavior in higher eukaryotes is a complex process which integrates signals in the environment, the genetic makeup of the organism, and connectivity in the nervous system to produce extremely diverse adaptations to the phenomenon of existence. Unraveling the subcellular components that contribute to behavioral output is important for both understanding how behavior occurs in an unperturbed state, as well as understanding how behavior changes when the underlying systems that generate it are altered. Of the numerous molecular species that make up a cell, the regulation of messenger RNAs (mRNAs), the coding template of all proteins, is of key importance to …


Gq Noncanonical Roles In Translational Regulation, Brett Demarco Aug 2018

Gq Noncanonical Roles In Translational Regulation, Brett Demarco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates protein nucleic acid interactions, focusing on G-quadruplex (GQ) forming DNA/RNA in human disease. GQ structures are formed in DNA/RNA, when four guanine residues form planar tetrads stabilized by Hoogsteen base pairing, that stack forming a GQ structure stabilized by potassium ions. These GQ structures are targeted by the arginine glycine-glycine (RGG) RNA-binding domain. Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), a translation regulator protein implicated in the fragile X syndrome, has an RGG domain and has been previously shown to interact with neuronal GQ forming messenger RNA (mRNA). We have investigated three neuronal FMRP mRNA targets that we …


Detection Of Local Steroidogenic Enzyme Gene Expression In Brown Anoles, Ada Spahija Jan 2018

Detection Of Local Steroidogenic Enzyme Gene Expression In Brown Anoles, Ada Spahija

Honors Program Theses

The endocrine system in vertebrates responds to stress by releasing steroid hormones, mainly glucocorticoids (GC), which increase blood glucose levels to supply key organs and muscles with energy needed for survival. Steroid hormones are synthesized via an enzymatic pathway that converts cholesterol into either GCs, androgens, or estrogens in a step-wise manner. The adrenal cortex is known to produce GCs, but evidence suggests that individual organs can also produce steroid hormones de novo in response to stress. This study aims to quantify gene expression of four steroidogenic enzymes, encoded by CYP19A1, CYP17A1, StAR, and HSD17ß3 genes, via qRT-PCR to determine …