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Defining the functional bases within centromeric promoters
Joshi, Arati D.
Joshi, Arati D.
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URCAS, Symposiums, Student research, Class of 2019, Biology, Department of, 2018 Spring
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Abstract
During cellular division, DNA is duplicated and partitioned such that the two new cells inherit
the same genetic information. Failure to form a centromere, a complex of DNA and proteins,
causes errors in DNA division and can cause developmental defects in humans.
Heterochromatin, a condensed form of DNA and DNA-associated proteins, is necessary for
centromere formation. Previous work has shown that RevCen, a transcribed DNA sequence
present in multiple copies at the centromere, is sufficient to recruit heterochromatin and silence
nearby genes. To test whether RevCen transcription is important for silencing, we engineered
versions of RevCen without a promoter. We show that RevCen-mediated gene silencing is
partially dependent on the presence of its promoter. Future work will confirm that the loss of
gene silencing is accompanied by a loss of heterochromatin and will determine whether RevCen
transcript levels decrease when the promoter is absent. To define the functional bases within the
RevCen promoter, we will create a series of promoter deletion fragments and measure their
ability to initiate transcription and establish heterochromatin. This work demonstrates that the
RevCen promoter is important for gene silencing and will identify specific sequences within the
promoter that are necessary for transcription and heterochromatin establishment.
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Presentation by Arati Joshi ('19) delivered at the Rhodes College Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Symposium (URCAS).