Biochemistry Commons^™

Transcriptomic Analyses Of The Co2-Concentrating Mechanisms And Development Of Molecular Tools For Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Andrew J. Brueggeman

Department of Biochemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Microalgae, such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, account for a large percentage of photosynthesis that occurs on the planet. Many algae possess a Carbon-Concentrating Mechanism, or CCM, that actively transports inorganic carbon (C_i) into the cell to create artificially high internal levels of CO₂, enhancing their rate of carbon fixation. The production of biofuels from algal sources can serve as both a renewable and carbon-neutral energy source. This thesis details research in Chlamydomonas, in the effort to both better understand the CCM in algae and improve laboratory and industrial manipulations with algae.

In the first chapter of this …

Studies On The Small Ubiquitin-Like Modifier (Sumo) E2 Conjugases Of The Sumoylation System In Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii And Their Role In Stress Physiology, Amy R. Knobbe

Department of Biochemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The eukaryotic protein post-translational modification by SUMOylation is involved in a diverse array of cellular processes, including various stress responses. A fully functional SUMOylation system is present in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and SUMOylation of multiple high molecular weight proteins is induced in response to abiotic stress in this organism. We report here the characterization of a SUMO E2 conjugase deletion mutant in C. reinhardtii, mut5. SUMO E2 conjugase enzymes are responsible for the conjugation of the protein SUMO to a lysine residue within a target protein. C. reinhardtii mutants in which the SUMO E2 …