Degree Name
MS (Master of Science)
Program
Biology
Date of Award
8-2018
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Christopher L. Pritchett
Committee Members
Bert C. Lampson, Michael Kruppa
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacillus found in numerous environments. Gene regulatory mechanisms such as; Two-Component Systems, transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators, and small non-coding RNAs control the expression of virulence factors that allow P. aeruginosa to initiate acute infections and persist as a chronic infection. A significant post-transcriptional regulator involved in these regulatory networks is the Regulator of Secondary Metabolites (RsmA). In this study, we investigated the contribution of a putative stem-loop on expression of RsmA. We constructed rsmA leader fusions to measure translation with and without the stem-loop present. Secondly, we introduced point mutations to disrupt the formation of the stem-loop. Finally, we performed Site-Directed Mutagenesis on the rsmA leader to examine protein levels in vivo by western blot analysis using an HA-tagged rsmA. Our data suggests that the segment of RNA that contains the putative stem-loop structure serves some function in post-transcriptional regulation of RsmA.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Miller, Ian, "Post-transcriptional Regulation of RsmA In Pseudomonas aeruginosa" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3481. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3481
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.