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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

Die WRKY-Transkriptionsfaktorfamilie in Arabidopsis thaliana: Untersuchungen zur Spezifität der Bindung an W-Box-Elemente und weiterführende Analyse von drei ausgewählten Vertretern

Ciolkowski, Ingo. Unknown Date (has links) (PDF)
Universiẗat, Diss., 2004--Köln.
2

Transcriptional regulation of neutral sphingomyelinase 2 gene expression of a human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7, induced by the anti-cancer drug, daunorubicin

伊藤, 裕美 25 March 2011 (has links)
名古屋大学博士学位論文 学位の種類:博士(医療技術学) (課程) 学位授与年月日:平成23年3月25日
3

Estudos de reconhecimento biomolecular por eletroforese capilar / Capillary electrophoresis-based biomolecular recognition studies

Hillebrand, Sandro 09 September 2005 (has links)
Esta tese trata do desenvolvimento de métodos bioanalíticos, baseados na técnica de eletroforese capilar, para duas aplicações distintas: a análise de complexos formados pela ligação entre proteínas e DNA e detecção e monitoramento de hidrólise de GTP catalisada por enzimas. No primeiro capítulo descreve-se uma investigação sobre a viabilidade de ensaios tipo EMSA (?electrophoretic mobility shift assay?) em chips com microcanais para eletroforese. Os fatores de transcrição purificados c-Jun(AP1) e p-50(NFkB) foram usados nos estudos de ligação a sondas de DNA fita dupla contendo as seqüências consenso de ligação dos fatores AP1, NFkB e AP2. As sondas de DNA sintéticas continham como modificação a marcação com o corante fluorescente Cy5 ligado à extremidade 5?, sendo que as mesmas seqüências não marcadas foram usadas para experimentos de competição. Ensaios tipo EMSA em chip puderam ser realizados em cerca de 2 h com baixo consumo de amostra e sem a necessidade de usar marcação com material radioativo. A sondas de DNA e os complexos formados nas reações de ligação foram analisados no Bioanalyzer usando tanto o procedimento padrão para a análise de DNA quanto um protocolo modificado. Nesta modificação não foi usado corante de intercalação mas 4,9 nM de Cy5-dCTP que foi adicionado ao gel, permitindo apenas a detecção de DNA previamente marcado. Apesar da necessidade de ajustes no método para cada proteína testada, foi mostrado o potencial de se substituir o método de EMSA em gel por métodos baseados em eletroforese em chip. Um experimento de competição foi realizado com sucesso mostrando a ligação do fator de transcrição p-50 à sonda contendo a seqüência consenso NFkB. Este experimento foi considerado como prova de princípio para a hipótese estudada. No segundo capítulo relata-se o desenvolvimento de um método para a detecção e monitoramento in vitro de atividade nucleotídeo-trifosfatase. O método que se mostrou robusto e reprodutível foi aplicado para investigar a atividade GTPase de uma proteína recombinante contendo o domínio catalítico de uma septina humana SEPT4 / Bradeiona (GST-rDGTPase). O exemplo de aplicação demonstra que a técnica de eletroforese capilar pode substituir o método tradicionalmente usado com marcação radioativa para detecção de atividade GTPase inclusive em estudos de cinética enzimática. Os parâmetros cinéticos determinados para a GST-rDGTPase foram: vmax = 1.7 μ M min-1 ± 0.1 and Km = 1.0 mM ± 0.3; kcat = 9 x 10-3 SM-1. O efeito de co-fatores como Mg2+ and Mn2+ também foi estudado. O método analítico descrito também se mostrou útil para a análise de di- e trifosfatos de outros nucleotídeos. / This Thesis concerns on the development of capillary electrophoresis-based bioanalytical methods for two distinct applications: DNA-protein binding analysis and monitoring of enzyme-catalyzed GTP hydrolysis. In the first chapter, the feasibility of on-chip electrophoretic mobility-shift assays (EMSA) is investigated. Purified transcription factors c-Jun(AP1) and p-50(NFkB) were used for binding studies to dsDNA probes containing the consensus sequences from AP1, NFkB and AP2 regulatory sequences. DNA probes were modified at the 5?-end with the Cy5 and unlabeled oligos were used for competition experiments. On-chip-EMSA could be carried out within ca. 2 h with low sample consumption and no need to handle radioactive material. Both, the dsDNA probes and the shifted oligos from binding reactions were analyzed on the ?2100 Bioanalyzer? using either, the standard procedure for DNA analysis or a modified protocol, in which no intercalating dye was used. Instead, 4.9 nM Cy5-dCTP was added to the gel matrix allowing the detection of only Cy5-labeled DNA. Despite the need of specific adjustments for each protein, we have shown the potential for replacing slab gel-based EMSA for on-chip methods. A competition experiment to show sequence specific binding of the transcription factor p-50 to the consensus sequence NFkB is presented as a proof of principle. In chapter II, a capillary electrophoresis-based method for in vitro detection and monitoring of nucleotide-triphosphatase activity is described. This robust and reproducible method was used to investigate GTPase activity of a recombinant protein construct containing the catalytic domain of Human SEPT4 /Bradeion ? (GST-rDGTPase). The application example demonstrates that the capillary electrophoresis technique can replace classical radioactive methods for GTPase activity assays and may be used as a routine analytical tool. Enzyme kinetics of GST-rDGTPase was studied and yielded the following kinetic parameters: vmax = 1.7 μM min-1 ± 0.1 and Km = 1.0 mM ± 0.3; kcat = 9 x 10-3 s-1. In addition the effect of co-factors such as Mg2+ and Mn2+ in the catalytic activity was investigated. The described analytical method was also shown to be useful to analyze di- and triphosphated forms of other nucleotides.
4

Molecular mechanisms controlling bacilysin biosynthesis in plant growth promoting rhizobacterium - Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42

Mariappan, Aruljothi 02 August 2012 (has links)
Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42 ist ein grampositives Bakterium, das in der Rhizosphäre das Pflanzenwachstum fördert (PGPR - Plant Growth Promotion) und pathogene Organismen hemmt. Abgesehen von dieser Fähigkeit produziert es eine Vielzahl von sekundären Metaboliten, die sowohl ribosomale als auch nicht-ribosomale Peptide umfassen. In dieser Arbeit erfolgte die Untersuchung der transkriptionellen Aktivierung und Regulation der Bacilysin- Biosynthese an den Promotoren der bac- und ywfH- Gene. Durch 5´-Deletionsanalysen wurde der Promotor von Bacilysin identifiziert. Die A (Sigmafaktor A) - abhängige Transkription startet über die konservierten Promotorelemente (-10 und -35) von den bac- und ywfH Genen. Die Untersuchungen der Promotoraktivitäten vom Wildtyp und den erzeugten Regulationsmutanten erfolgten über in vivo ß-Galaktosidase-(Reporter)-Assays. Die Ergebnisse der Reporter-Aktivitäten zeigten, dass Transkriptionsregulatoren die Expression der Bacilysin- Gene aktivieren. Mehrere globale Regulatoren wie DegU, ComA, Hpr und AbrB beeinflussen die Genexpression. In dieser Arbeit wurde mithilfe von DNaseI Footprinting-Analysen die DegU-Bindung an die bac- und ywfH- Promotoren bestätigt.Die negative Regulation der Bacilysin-Biosynthese wird durch den Regulator der transienten Phase Hpr bewerkstelligt. Eine direkte Hpr-Bindung an bac Promotor wurde mit DNaseI Footprint-Analysen gezeigt. Der Promotor des monocistronischen Gens ywfH wurde aber durch Hpr nicht beeinflusst. Die anderen Transkriptionsregulatoren, wie ComA und AbrB, regulieren die Genexpression von Bacilysin indirekt über DegQ und Hpr. In dieser Arbeit konnte demonstriert werden, dass der globale Regulator AbrB den Promotor vom hpr-Gen direkt kontrolliert. Zusammenfassend liefert diese Studie neue Informationen über die genetische Regulation der Bacilysin- Biosynthese in B. amyloliquefaciens FZB42. / Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42 is a Gram-positive, pathogen-suppressing and plant-growth promoting rhizobacterium. Apart from this ability, it produces a vast array of secondary metabolites, which includes both ribosomal and non-ribosomal peptides. In this work, the transcriptional activation and regulation of bacilysin biosynthesis were studied at the promoters of bac and ywfH genes. The promoter of bacilysin was identified using 5''-deletion analysis. Sigma factor A (σA) was found to start transcription via conserved promoter elements (-10 and -35) of bac and ywfH genes. lacZ reporter fusion studies were performed in wild type and regulatory mutants. The results show the involvement of transcriptional regulators to activate the expression of bacilysin genes. Several global regulators such as DegU, ComA, Hpr and AbrB were identified and found to influence gene expression. In particular, I confirmed DegU binding in bac and ywfH promoters using radioactive DNase I footprinting. Furthermore, Hpr, a transition state regulator was found negatively to control bacilysin biosynthesis. Hpr binding to bac promoter was demonstrated using radioactive DNase I footprinting. Remarkably, Hpr does not influence the promoter of the monocistronic gene, ywfH. The other transcriptional regulators, such as ComA and AbrB, were correlated indirectly to affect the gene expression of bacilysin via DegQ and Hpr, respectively. The gene regulation of hpr was studied in this work. It was demonstrated that AbrB, a global regulator, directly controls the promoter of the hpr gene. However, the consensus sequence for AbrB binding was not identified, since it covers the entire promoter region in the DNA-protein interaction study. To conclude, this study provides new information regarding the genetic regulation of bacilysin biosynthesis in B. amyloliquefaciens FZB42.
5

Estudos de reconhecimento biomolecular por eletroforese capilar / Capillary electrophoresis-based biomolecular recognition studies

Sandro Hillebrand 09 September 2005 (has links)
Esta tese trata do desenvolvimento de métodos bioanalíticos, baseados na técnica de eletroforese capilar, para duas aplicações distintas: a análise de complexos formados pela ligação entre proteínas e DNA e detecção e monitoramento de hidrólise de GTP catalisada por enzimas. No primeiro capítulo descreve-se uma investigação sobre a viabilidade de ensaios tipo EMSA (?electrophoretic mobility shift assay?) em chips com microcanais para eletroforese. Os fatores de transcrição purificados c-Jun(AP1) e p-50(NFkB) foram usados nos estudos de ligação a sondas de DNA fita dupla contendo as seqüências consenso de ligação dos fatores AP1, NFkB e AP2. As sondas de DNA sintéticas continham como modificação a marcação com o corante fluorescente Cy5 ligado à extremidade 5?, sendo que as mesmas seqüências não marcadas foram usadas para experimentos de competição. Ensaios tipo EMSA em chip puderam ser realizados em cerca de 2 h com baixo consumo de amostra e sem a necessidade de usar marcação com material radioativo. A sondas de DNA e os complexos formados nas reações de ligação foram analisados no Bioanalyzer usando tanto o procedimento padrão para a análise de DNA quanto um protocolo modificado. Nesta modificação não foi usado corante de intercalação mas 4,9 nM de Cy5-dCTP que foi adicionado ao gel, permitindo apenas a detecção de DNA previamente marcado. Apesar da necessidade de ajustes no método para cada proteína testada, foi mostrado o potencial de se substituir o método de EMSA em gel por métodos baseados em eletroforese em chip. Um experimento de competição foi realizado com sucesso mostrando a ligação do fator de transcrição p-50 à sonda contendo a seqüência consenso NFkB. Este experimento foi considerado como prova de princípio para a hipótese estudada. No segundo capítulo relata-se o desenvolvimento de um método para a detecção e monitoramento in vitro de atividade nucleotídeo-trifosfatase. O método que se mostrou robusto e reprodutível foi aplicado para investigar a atividade GTPase de uma proteína recombinante contendo o domínio catalítico de uma septina humana SEPT4 / Bradeiona (GST-rDGTPase). O exemplo de aplicação demonstra que a técnica de eletroforese capilar pode substituir o método tradicionalmente usado com marcação radioativa para detecção de atividade GTPase inclusive em estudos de cinética enzimática. Os parâmetros cinéticos determinados para a GST-rDGTPase foram: vmax = 1.7 μ M min-1 ± 0.1 and Km = 1.0 mM ± 0.3; kcat = 9 x 10-3 SM-1. O efeito de co-fatores como Mg2+ and Mn2+ também foi estudado. O método analítico descrito também se mostrou útil para a análise de di- e trifosfatos de outros nucleotídeos. / This Thesis concerns on the development of capillary electrophoresis-based bioanalytical methods for two distinct applications: DNA-protein binding analysis and monitoring of enzyme-catalyzed GTP hydrolysis. In the first chapter, the feasibility of on-chip electrophoretic mobility-shift assays (EMSA) is investigated. Purified transcription factors c-Jun(AP1) and p-50(NFkB) were used for binding studies to dsDNA probes containing the consensus sequences from AP1, NFkB and AP2 regulatory sequences. DNA probes were modified at the 5?-end with the Cy5 and unlabeled oligos were used for competition experiments. On-chip-EMSA could be carried out within ca. 2 h with low sample consumption and no need to handle radioactive material. Both, the dsDNA probes and the shifted oligos from binding reactions were analyzed on the ?2100 Bioanalyzer? using either, the standard procedure for DNA analysis or a modified protocol, in which no intercalating dye was used. Instead, 4.9 nM Cy5-dCTP was added to the gel matrix allowing the detection of only Cy5-labeled DNA. Despite the need of specific adjustments for each protein, we have shown the potential for replacing slab gel-based EMSA for on-chip methods. A competition experiment to show sequence specific binding of the transcription factor p-50 to the consensus sequence NFkB is presented as a proof of principle. In chapter II, a capillary electrophoresis-based method for in vitro detection and monitoring of nucleotide-triphosphatase activity is described. This robust and reproducible method was used to investigate GTPase activity of a recombinant protein construct containing the catalytic domain of Human SEPT4 /Bradeion ? (GST-rDGTPase). The application example demonstrates that the capillary electrophoresis technique can replace classical radioactive methods for GTPase activity assays and may be used as a routine analytical tool. Enzyme kinetics of GST-rDGTPase was studied and yielded the following kinetic parameters: vmax = 1.7 μM min-1 ± 0.1 and Km = 1.0 mM ± 0.3; kcat = 9 x 10-3 s-1. In addition the effect of co-factors such as Mg2+ and Mn2+ in the catalytic activity was investigated. The described analytical method was also shown to be useful to analyze di- and triphosphated forms of other nucleotides.
6

Generierung und Charakterisierung von Proteinderivaten zur gezielten Mineralisierung von DNA-Konstrukten

Gehlhar, Maria 14 June 2021 (has links)
Die Besonderheit der DNA-Nanotechnologie liegt in der Verwendung von DNA als Konstruktionsmaterial für die Herstellung von artifiziellen Strukturen im Nanometermaßstab (Seeman, 1982; Winfree et al., 1998). Diese DNA-Nanoobjekte, wie beispielsweise DNA-Nanoröhren, offerieren innovative und vielversprechende Anwendungsmöglichkeiten in verschiedenen Bereichen wie der Elektronik oder Medizin. Eine Herausforderung für die dauerhafte Verwendung von DNA-Nanoröhren stellt deren Stabilität dar. Einflussfaktoren wie die DNA-Nukleaseaktivitäten, die Ionenstärke und hohe Temperaturen können dabei eine langfristige Anwendung limitieren. Als ein Lösungsansatz für die Erhöhung der Beständigkeit wird eine gezielte Mineralisierung der DNA-Nanoröhren durch spezifische Fusionsproteine angestrebt. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die dafür notwendige Herstellung und Charakterisierung der DNA-bindenden Fusionsproteine mit Mineralisierungsdomänen vorzustellen. Das umfasst das Auswählen geeigneter DNA-Bindungsproteine als Bestandteil der Fusionsproteine. In dieser Arbeit wurden die DNA-Bindungsproteine MutH und SBB aus Escherichia coli (E. coli) sowie Yku70p aus Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) aufgrund ihrer spezifischen Bindungseigenschaften dafür identifiziert. Damit können die Fusionsproteine sequenzspezifische oder -unspezifische Bindungen mit doppelsträngiger (engl. double stranded DNA, dsDNA) oder einzelsträngiger DNA (engl. single stranded DNA, ssDNA) eingehen. Es ist mittels Klonierung gelungen, verschiedene Fusionskonstrukte mit den genannten DNA-Bindungsproteinen zu generieren. Diese beinhalten ebenfalls das enhanced green fluorescent protein sowie den His6-Tag für den Expressionsnachweis und die Proteinreinigung. Weitere Varianten der Fusionskonstrukte bestehen zusätzlich aus der tobacco etch virus-Protease-Erkennungssequenz zur Entfernung des His6-Tags und der Domänen R5-Peptid (R5P) oder Poly-L-Arginin (PLR) für die Mineralisierung. Bestandteil dieser Arbeit sind Western-Blot-Analysen und mikroskopische Aufnahmen, welche die erfolgreiche heterologe Expression aller Fusionskonstrukte nachweisen. Aus den Ergebnissen der Expressions- und Löslichkeitsanalysen lässt sich schlussfolgern, dass insbesondere das Expressionslevel und die Synthese löslicher Proteine mit den Mineralisierungsdomänen eine Herausforderung darstellen. Ebenfalls in dieser Arbeit sind Versuche zur Optimierung mit verschiedenen Expressionsstämmen (E. coli und S. cerevisiae) und Expressionsparametern (Temperatur und Induktor-Konzentration) enthalten. Den Ergebnissen nach eignen sich besonders die Fusionsproteine MutH-EGFP-His6 und SSB-EGFP-His6 für die weiteren Experimente. Die Untersuchungen der DNA-Bindungseigenschaften erfolgten mittels Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) und Rasterkraftmikroskopie (engl. atomic force microscopy, AFM). Diese Methoden mussten für jedes Fusionsprotein zuvor etabliert und optimiert werden. Zu Beginn stand das MutH-Fusionsprotein im Focus, wobei die durchgeführten EMSA-Untersuchungen die Spezifität zur GATC-Erkennungssequenz sowie zur dsDNA betrachteten. Die Charakterisierung mittels AFM diente als weitere Möglichkeit zur Analyse der DNA-Bindungseigenschaften. Zusätzlich kam in dieser Arbeit eine Variante des CRISPR/Cas9-Systems als Fusionsprotein für eine sequenzspezifische Adressierung von dsDNA zum Einsatz. Die EMSA- und AFM-Analysen deuteten dabei auf eine Interaktion von dem dCas9-Fusionsproteins und dsDNA hin. Weiterhin war das SSB-Fusionsprotein Bestandteil der Untersuchungen. Die Bindungsanalysen mittels EMSA zeigten, dass es bevorzugt mit ssDNA interagiert und nur eine geringe Affinität zu dsDNA vorliegt. Die Bindung zu ssDNA konnte ebenfalls erfolgreich anhand von AFM-Untersuchungen gezeigt werden. Zusammenfassend bestätigen die Ergebnisse die Funktionalität des MutH- und SSB-Fusionsproteins. Es konnten zudem erste Hinweise erbracht werden, die eine spezifische Bindung der Fusionsproteine an dsDNA oder ssDNA belegen. Mit dieser Arbeit ist es gelungen, Proteinderivate zu generieren und charakterisieren, wodurch eine entscheidende Grundlage für die gezielte Mineralisierung von DNA-Konstrukten geschaffen wurde.
7

The identification of aptamers against serum biomarkers of human tuberculosis

Martin, Darius Riziki January 2018 (has links)
>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Tuberculosis (TB) is a global health problem and rated as the second leading cause of death after HIV/AIDS. Transmission of TB from one person to the next is very rapid in crowded communities. Therefore, it is crucial to identify people who are infected as quickly as possible not only to provide treatment but also to prevent the spread of the disease. Current TB diagnostic tests such as the culture and sputum smear tests are time-consuming, while rapid tests make use of antibodies that are costly and have low sensitivity and stability. Great improvement has been observed when aptamers are used in place of antibodies in rapid diagnostic tests such as lateral flow devices (LFDs). Therefore, the current study aims to synthesize and identify aptamers against serum biomarkers for development of rapid TB diagnostic tests such as a lateral flow assay. Several TB serum biomarkers have been identified and can be used for the diagnosis of TB. TB biomarkers expressed in serum samples were identified through in silico approach. The biomarkers were expressed in bacterial systems using recombinant DNA technology. The recombinant proteins were purified by affinity chromatography and further used as targets for the selection of aptamers using Systemic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment (SELEX). Aptamers for the selected biomarkers were synthesized based on magnetic-bead based SELEX and characterized by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), Surface Plasmon resonance (SPR) and MicroScale Thermophoresis (MST). Six putative TB serum biomarker proteins were selected from literature, namely, Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein 6 (IGFBP6), Interferon-stimulated Gene 15 (ISG15), Calcium Binding Protein (S100A9), Retinol Binding Protein 4 (RBP4), Granzyme A (GrA), and Transgelin-2 (TAGLN2). The biomarkers were recombinantly expressed and purified after which they were used as targets in SELEX for aptamers synthesis. Aptamers were analysed by in silico method and the ones with highly conserved motifs were selected. The selected aptamers were synthesized and later characterized. The aptamers that show high affinity and specificity for the biomarkers will be used for the fabrication of a rapid lateral flow device for TB screening. Such a test would allow for a short diagnostic turnaround time, and hence expedite treatment.
8

La machinerie transcriptionnelle basale : étude de son organisation moléculaire au promoteur génique et de ses interactions avec les régulateurs XAB1 et DDX5

Thérien, Cynthia January 2005 (has links)
Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.
9

ANÁLISIS FUNCIONAL DE PROTEÍNAS CODIFICADAS POR EL VIRUS DE LA ROTURA DEL COLOR DE LA FLOR DEL PELARGONIUM

Martínez Turiño, Sandra 23 July 2012 (has links)
Interés del estudio: El virus de la rotura del color de la flor del Pelargonium (Pelargonium flower break virus, PFBV) (género Carmovirus, familia Tombusviridae) constituye uno de patógenos virales más frecuentes en geranio, una planta ornamental de gran interés para la industria floral. En los últimos años se ha registrado un aumento progresivo de las infecciones causadas por este patógeno, con un porcentaje de incidencia superior al 80% en regiones de Europa occidental y en algunas áreas de España. La información acerca de las relaciones estructura-función en las proteínas de este virus era prácticamente inexistente al inicio de este trabajo y bastante limitada para las proteínas equivalentes de muchos virus relacionados, de modo que la aportación de datos adicionales en este campo puede ser de gran utilidad para entender mejor el establecimiento de la infección y los mecanismos de interacción con el huésped de este virus y de otros equivalentes. Objetivos: Durante el desarrollo de esta Tesis Doctoral se han llevado a cabo análisis de las relaciones estructura-función de las proteínas que codifica el PFBV, centrándonos en aquellos productos virales con características atípicas o cuya función no está del todo clara dentro del grupo al cual pertenece el virus. Con ello se ha pretendido aportar nuevos datos al conocimiento del patógeno y, en general, del grupo al que pertenece. Elementos de la metodología a destacar: La realización de esta Tesis ha permitido la publicación de varios artículos de divulgación científica, aprobados por comités que han avalado convenientemente el uso de las metodologías empleadas. Resultados logrados: Con este trabajo se ha establecido la etapa del ciclo infeccioso en la que se encuentran involucradas las distintas proteínas del PFBV y se han analizado relaciones estructura-función en dichos productos. Asimismo, se han determinado algunas propiedades relevantes de proteínas implicadas en la replicación, así como de aquellas que asisten / Martínez Turiño, S. (2012). ANÁLISIS FUNCIONAL DE PROTEÍNAS CODIFICADAS POR EL VIRUS DE LA ROTURA DEL COLOR DE LA FLOR DEL PELARGONIUM [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/16807 / Palancia
10

Characterization of Transcriptional and Post-transcriptional Regulation of lin-42/Period During Post-embryonic Development of C. elegans

James, Tracy 23 October 2012 (has links)
Period, which is broadly conserved in metazoans, regulates circadian timing of neurophysiology as well as cell fate specification. Studies in mouse and humans indicate that period functions as a tumor suppressor and controls adult stem cell differentiation. However, regulation of period function in developmental pathways has not been characterized and appears to be different from its regulation and function in circadian pathways. lin-42 is the Caenorhabditis elegans ortholog of period and has both circadian and developmental timing functions. During post-embryonic larval development, cyclic expression and function of lin-42 controls stage-specific and reiterative cell fate choices of a subset of epidermal stem cells called seam cells. We are studying lin-42 regulation of seam cell fate during C. elegans larval development as a model for understanding the mechanisms of period regulation of adult stem cell fate in mammals. This dissertation describes the research undertaken to characterize the cis-regulatory elements and the trans-regulatory factors that control lin-42 expression. We used direct molecular interaction assays (Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay, EMSA) (Chapter 2) followed by an RNA interference (RNAi)-based genetic screen (Chapter 3) to identify lin-42 transcriptional regulators. Using the EMSA, we identified three 50 to 100 base pair regions (binding regions, BR1-3) in the lin-42 5â noncoding sequences that were bound with specificity by C. elegans nuclear proteins. These binding regions represent putative cis-regulatory elements that may serve as transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs). We attempted to identify by mass spectrometry the proteins that bind to the BR sequences. We also used Phylogenetic Footprinting and bioinformatics screens to identify candidate C. elegans transcription factors (TFs) that may bind to putative TFBSs within the BR sequences. Using an RNAi-based screen, we tested the candidate TF genes for potential genetic interactions with lin-42. We identified ZTF-16, a member of the Hunchback/Ikaros zinc-finger transcription factor family, as a potential lin-42 activator and, using quantitative real-time PCR, confirmed that ztf-16 mutation results in down-regulation and loss of cycling expression of lin-42. We further determined that loss of ztf-16 results in seam cell development defects that phenocopy lin-42 loss-of-function, thus validating ZTF-16 as a transcriptional activator of lin-42. / Ph. D.

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