Degree Name
MS (Master of Science)
Program
Biology
Date of Award
5-2023
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Bert Lampson
Committee Members
Ranjan Chakraborty, Laraine Powers, Erik Petersen
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous, opportunistic pathogen that causes acute and chronic infections. Infection is typically initiated via motile and virulent strains. After exposure to stressors, acute infections make both genotypic and phenotypic switches to a chronic, sessile strain. This is due to intricate regulatory networks directing gene expression in response to stressors. One network, GacA/GacS, has been established to control virulence factors. The stringent response of bacteria is mediated by alarmones produced primarily by RelA which responds to starvation.
To study the effect of the stringent response on the virulence switch. A series of experiments were run in both PAO1, a virulent strain, and PDO300, an acute strain, and RelA deletion mutants of each transcriptional fusions of GacA/GacA system were integrated in the wild-types and mutants. Alginate, swimming, twitching, and biofilm formation assays were performed on all. The preliminary data suggests that the stringent response influences the GacA/GacS system.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Hooker, Michael Shawn, "The Stringent Response in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Influences the Phenotypes Controlled by the Gac/Rsm System" (2023). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4185. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4185
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
Bacteriology Commons, Microbial Physiology Commons, Organismal Biological Physiology Commons, Other Microbiology Commons, Pathogenic Microbiology Commons