Date of Award

12-31-2013

Document Type

Campus Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biotechnology and Biomedical Science

First Advisor

Linda Huang

Second Advisor

Alexey Veraksa

Third Advisor

Katherine Gibson

Abstract

Cell signaling pathways are complex communication systems that coordinate a plethora of cellular activities such as development, differentiation, growth, proliferation and survival. I am studying the yeast gene Sporulation Specific 1 (SPS1). SPS1 encodes a protein that belongs to a family of proteins, the germinal center kinases (GCKs), which are found in humans, plants, and fungi. Although we understand the basic activation mechanism of protein kinases, we do not know the main targets of Sps1 and do not fully understand its function within the cell. To have a better understanding of the biological role SPS1, we evaluated a proposed role of SPS1 in aging. In addition, using the yeast two-hybrid system we examined the interaction of Sps1 with the nuclear transporter Crm1. Elucidating the role of Sps1 in the yeast cell contributes to increasing our understanding of GCK function in the analogous signaling pathways found in other organisms.

Comments

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