Creation of an Eschericia coli C.0293 Knockout for an Examination of the Stress Response — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

Creation of an Eschericia coli C.0293 Knockout for an Examination of the Stress Response

Name: Ellisa Mullen
Major: Biology
Hometown: Brodhead, WI
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Independent research

Name: Angela Fuller
Major: Biology, Music
Hometown: Glendale, WI
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Independent research

Abstract

The field of small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) exploded with the discovery of the RNA Interference pathway. It is now understood that these sRNAs are critical for proper development and gene regulation. While the role of sRNAs has been extensively studied in other systems, little is known about their role in gene control in bacteria, specifically in the cellular stress response. One sRNA found inEscherichia coli (E. coli) and the closely related Salmonella typhimurium, C.0293, is only expressed when cells are grown on minimal media, yet its specific function is unknown. Affinity studies have shown that heat unstable nucleoid protein (HU), a small dimer that inhibits DNA supercoiling and represses the gal operon, interacts with C.0293 in vitro. We hypothesize that this binding could activate HU to repress the gal operon in times of limited nutrient availability. In vivo homologous recombination via the Red/ET recombination system was used to delete the C.0293 gene. Preliminary studies suggest that this gene deletion was successful and that C.0293 is required for cell growth in minimal media. Future studies will screenDC.0293 cell growth under a wide range of conditions to elucidate its role in the cellular stress response, potentially leading to the development of better and more targeted therapeutics.

Poster file