Date Awarded
2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.Sc.)
Department
Biology
Advisor
Oliver Kerscher
Committee Member
Diane Shakes
Committee Member
Shanta Hinton
Abstract
SUMO, a small ubiquitin-like modifier protein, becomes attached to specific eukaryotic proteins to modulate their function and activity. The importance of SUMO modification in cell cycle progression, transcriptional regulation, and DNA damage-related processes has been firmly established. In contrast, a SUMO-dependent Stress Response (SSR) exists, but this process remains ill-defined. When cells are exposed to proteotoxic and genotoxic stressors, the SSR involves a rapid and dramatic increase in SUMO-modified proteins. The SSR is believed to play a cytoprotective role for normal cells, but it may also enhance the robustness of cancerous cells and eukaryotic pathogens. To test our hypothesis that SUMO and SUMO pathway components play a role in stress tolerance, we utilize the stress tolerant yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus (Km). Unlike Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sc) cells, Km cells thrive at temperatures of up to 49°C and are highly resistant to oxidative stress and UV irradiation. By utilizing Km, we aimed to I) establish whether sumoylation and the SSR play a role in stress tolerance of Km and II) identify specific SUMO pathway components involved in stress tolerance of Km. Our results reveal that Km displays a distinct SSR. Additionally, by cloning nine Km SUMO pathway genes and using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, we were able to replace Sc SUMO with its Km ortholog and found that this replacement enhances the resistance of Sc cells to oxidative stress.
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.21220/s2-adv6-6w41
Rights
© The Author
Recommended Citation
Setayeshpour, Yasaman, "The K. Marxianus Small Protein Modifier Sumo Enhances Stress Tolerance In The Mesophilic Yeast S. Cerevisiae" (2020). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. William & Mary. Paper 1616444513.
http://dx.doi.org/10.21220/s2-adv6-6w41
