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Progress towards genetic engineering of an EMF-responsive plasmid in yeast

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Date Issued:
1998
Summary:
Despite the many epidemiological studies which have shown some effects of EMF on biological systems, there has yet to be any data that indicates the molecular mechanisms by which this effect takes place. My goal was to genetically engineer a yeast strain that would have a clear biological effect to the EMF's. The strategy involved using a yeast strain which requires histone function from a plasmid, and the plasmid construct that has a Gal1 promoter controlling the histone function. The plasmid construct could then be engineered to contain a promoter sequence for a known EMF-repressed gene in yeast, which would control the histone production. Without a functional histone gene, the cells will die, and the effects will be easily visualized. Although the genetic screening for the desired transformants appeared to work, the molecular analysis of those transformants did not show the promoter insertion. There are a few possible reasons for why this happened, including possible reversions from one of the original mutations of the chromosomal histone H4 genes, or the mutation of the Gal1 promoter which would no longer repress the histone H4 gene and allow the cells to grow on glucose.
Title: Progress towards genetic engineering of an EMF-responsive plasmid in yeast.
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Name(s): Crenshaw, Karin Ann.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Binninger, David, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1998
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 53 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Despite the many epidemiological studies which have shown some effects of EMF on biological systems, there has yet to be any data that indicates the molecular mechanisms by which this effect takes place. My goal was to genetically engineer a yeast strain that would have a clear biological effect to the EMF's. The strategy involved using a yeast strain which requires histone function from a plasmid, and the plasmid construct that has a Gal1 promoter controlling the histone function. The plasmid construct could then be engineered to contain a promoter sequence for a known EMF-repressed gene in yeast, which would control the histone production. Without a functional histone gene, the cells will die, and the effects will be easily visualized. Although the genetic screening for the desired transformants appeared to work, the molecular analysis of those transformants did not show the promoter insertion. There are a few possible reasons for why this happened, including possible reversions from one of the original mutations of the chromosomal histone H4 genes, or the mutation of the Gal1 promoter which would no longer repress the histone H4 gene and allow the cells to grow on glucose.
Identifier: 9780591929898 (isbn), 15572 (digitool), FADT15572 (IID), fau:12332 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1998.
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Subject(s): Electromagnetism--Physiological effect
Genetic engineering
Plasmids--Genetics
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15572
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.