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Elucidating A Role For Hoxd13 During Gut Development In The Chick And Skate, Elizabeth R. Ackley
Elucidating A Role For Hoxd13 During Gut Development In The Chick And Skate, Elizabeth R. Ackley
Honors Theses
The Hox genes are a family of highly conserved transcription factors that are critical during embryonic development. Although the function of Hox genes is to pattern the embryo from head to tail, the mechanism by which Hox genes do this is unknown. Elucidating the mechanism for Hox gene function can provide insights into how morphologies are formed in a variety of organisms. I am investigating the role of Hoxd13 in patterning the colon in the developing chick. We virally misexpressed the chick ortholog, cHoxd13, in the midgut mesoderm of the chick to validate that transformation to hindgut morphology would occur. …
Metacaspase Gene Function In The Mushroom Fungus Schizophyllum Commune, Matthew P. Hanley
Metacaspase Gene Function In The Mushroom Fungus Schizophyllum Commune, Matthew P. Hanley
Honors Theses
The overall goal of this project was to investigate the biological role of a putative metacaspase gene present in the mushroom fungus Schizophyllum commune. For this study, we have utilized a strain of S. commune that is unable to integrate DNA via the non-homologous end joining pathway. This forces transforming DNA to integrate homologously, as is required for the purposes of gene knockout. The gene Scp1 encodes a likely member of the metacaspase protein family, which are suspected to have activity similar to caspases, the latter crucial to programmed cell death. A knockout construct containing a non-functional version of Scp1 …
From Gene To Behavior: Investigation Of Ppt1 And Ppt2 Rnai Induced Knock-Down During Drosophila Neurogenesis, Patrick J. O'Hern
From Gene To Behavior: Investigation Of Ppt1 And Ppt2 Rnai Induced Knock-Down During Drosophila Neurogenesis, Patrick J. O'Hern
Honors Theses
Infantile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (INCL) is caused by a mutation of the gene CLN1, which encodes palmitoyl protein thioesterase 1 (PPT1). PPT1 is a lysosomal enzyme that cleaves the thioester bond connecting long chain fatty acids of palmitoylated proteins. Without PPT1, palmitoylated proteins are not degraded properly and this causes unwanted build up in neurons leading to fatality. Recently, it has been thought that a mutation in a similar enzyme, palmitoyl-protein thioesterase 2 (PPT2), another lysosomal hydrolase, may also be responsible for INCL by causing a similar effect of Ppt1 deficiency. A bioinformatics analysis in this study showed similarities between …