Genetics Commons^™

An Analysis Of The Interaction Between Sin3 And Methionine Metabolism In Drosophila, Mengying Liu

Wayne State University Dissertations

Chromatin modification and cellular metabolism are tightly connected. The mechanism for this cross-talk, however, remains incompletely understood. SIN3 controls histone acetylation through association with the histone deacetylase RPD3. In this study, my major goal is to explore the mechanism of how SIN3 regulates cellular metabolism.

Methionine metabolism generates the major methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) for histone methylation. In collaboration with others, I report that reduced levels of some enzymes involved in methionine metabolism and histone demethylases lead to lethality, as well as wing development and cell proliferation defects in Drosophila melanogaster. Additionally, disruption of methionine metabolism can directly affect histone …

Population Genetics And Epigenetics Of Two Salt Marsh Plant Species Along An Environmental Gradient, Christy M. Foust

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of a given genotype to exhibit different phenotypes in response to environmental variables, which can impact population level processes. Plasticity of ecologically-relevant traits is important to an organism’s environmental response; however, the underlying mechanisms of plasticity are largely unknown. Ecological epigenetics may offer mechanisms (e.g. DNA methylation) underlying phenotypic plasticity. Epigenetics can be defined as the underlying molecular mechanisms that allow one genotype to exhibit different phenotypes. Differential DNA methylation is one epigenetic mechanism that has been correlated with a number of ecologically-relevant traits; including, differential herbivory in Viola cazorlensis, spinescence in Ilex aquifolium …

Using The Intact Method To Study Pickle In Individual Cell Types, Jacqueline L. Phipps, Daniela N. Martir, Ben Carter, Joe Ogas

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Cell differentiation is an essential part of development in multicellular organisms. Cells with identical genomic DNA are able to differentiate into a variety of tissues due to selective expression and repression of genes. This tissue-specific gene expression is enabled in part by proteins called chromatin remodelers, which can move, remove, or restructure histone proteins to restrict or allow physical access to genomic DNA. PICKLE (PKL) is a member of the CHD family of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers that promotes cellular identity in the plant model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. PKL promotes cell identity by silencing embryonic genes during seed germination by promoting …

Investigation Into The Specification Of Nurf Recruitment To The Genome, Marissa Mack

Theses and Dissertations

The nucleosome remodeling factor (NURF) is a mutli-protein complex that plays a role in the regulation of gene expression through its ability to remodel nucleosomes. The largest subunit of this complex, Bptf (Bromodomain PHD Finger Transcription Factor) is important for many cellular processes as a transcriptional regulator and improper function results in disease or malignancy. To further understand the genome-wide recruitment of the NURF complex, the interaction partner for the N-terminal PHD finger domain of Bptf was investigated through pull down assays followed by mass spectrometry. It was determined that this domain does not recognize histones; instead it recognizes a …

Structural And Functional Characterization Of The Mbd2-Nurd Co-Repressor Complex, Megha Desai

Theses and Dissertations

The MBD2-NuRD co-repressor complex is an epigenetic regulator of the developmental silencing of embryonic and fetal β-type globin genes in adult erythroid cells as well as aberrant methylation-dependent silencing of tumor suppressor genes in neoplastic diseases. Biochemical characterization of the MBD2-NuRD complex in chicken erythroid cells identified RbAp46/48, HDAC1/2, MTA1/2/3, p66α/β, Mi2α/β and MBD2 to comprise this multi-protein complex.

In the work presented in Chapter 2, we have pursued biophysical and molecular studies to describe a previously uncharacterized domain of human MBD2 (MBD2_IDR). Biophysical analyses show that MBD2_IDR is an intrinsically disordered region (IDR). Despite this inherent …

Acquired Epigenetic And Chromosomal Changes In Women Treated For Breast Cancer, Noran Aboalela

Theses and Dissertations

Improved survival for women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer (BC) has been accompanied by the development/persistence of psychoneurological symptoms (PNS) that compromise their quality of life. The biological basis for these PNS is unknown, but could reflect the acquisition of soma-wide chromosomal/epigenetic alterations. An important first step in testing this hypothesis is to determine if somatic genetic/epigenetic changes arise and persist following treatment. To answer this question we longitudinally studied 71 women (ages 23-71) with early-stage BC and collected measures before chemotherapy (baseline), and 4 weeks (mid-chemo); six months (during radiation therapy for a subset of women); and one year …

Contributions Of Apolipoprotein E And Environmental Factors In Alzheimer’S Disease, Kelly C. Mcmullen

Senior Honors Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder, which currently affects nearly 5.5 million people in the United States alone. Clinical features often exhibited in AD include memory loss, unusual behavior, personality changes, and impaired cognitive function. The primary molecular hallmarks of AD include deposits of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in brain tissue. A myriad of risk factors are associated with the disease, but this review will focus on Apolipoprotein E polymorphisms and certain environmental factors. Understanding the role of Apolipoprotein E in AD pathology may aid in the development of certain drug therapies and possible cures for AD. …

Organellar Signaling Expands Plant Phenotypic Variation And Increases The Potential For Breeding The Epigenome, Roberto De La Rosa Santamaria

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

MUTS HOMOLOGUE 1 (MSH1) is a nuclear gene unique to plants that functions in mitochondria and plastids, where it confers genome stability. Phenotypic effects of MSH1 down- regulation were studied in sorghum inbreed line Tx430 and Arabidopsis ecotype Columbia-0, with the hypothesis that RNAi suppression of MSH1 triggers retrograde signaling from organelles to the nucleus, alters the epigenome, and derives heritable phenotypic variation suitable for artificial selection. An array of morphological traits and metabolic pathways was detected, including leaf variegation, male sterility and dwarfism, associated with altered gibberellic acid metabolism, higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and decreased synthesis …

The Role Of Epigenetics In Evolution: The Extended Synthesis, Aaron W. Schrey, Christina L. Richards, Victoria Meller, Vincent Sollars, Douglas M. Ruden

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Epigenetic Variation May Compensate For Decreased Genetic Variation With Introductions: A Case Study Using House Sparrows (Passer Domesticus) On Two Continents, Aaron W. Schrey, Courtney A. C. Coon, Michael T. Grispo, Mohammed Awad, Titus Imboma, Earl D. Mccoy, Henry R. Mushinsky, Christina L. Richards, Lynn B. Martin

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

Epigenetic mechanisms impact several phenotypic traits and may be important for ecology and evolution. The introduced house sparrow (Passer domesticus) exhibits extensive phenotypic variation among and within populations. We screened methylation in populations from Kenya and Florida to determine if methylation varied among populations, varied with introduction history (Kenyan invasion < 50 years old, Florida invasion ~150 years old), and could potentially compensate for decrease genetic variation with introductions. While recent literature has speculated on the importance of epigenetic effects for biological invasions, this is the first such study among wild vertebrates. Methylation was more frequent in Nairobi, and outlier loci suggest that populations may be differentiated. Methylation diversity was similar between populations, in spite of known lower genetic diversity in Nairobi, which suggests that epigenetic variation may compensate for decreased genetic diversity as a source of phenotypic variation during introduction. Our results suggest that methylation differences may be common among house sparrows, but research is needed to discern whether methylation impacts phenotypic variation.