Date Approved
8-2016
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology
Department
Molecular Biology
College
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
First Advisor
Eric Moss, PhD
Committee Member 1
Ronald Ellis, PhD
Committee Member 2
Michael Henry, PhD
Committee Member 3
Michael Law, PhD
Committee Member 4
Allison Abbott, PhD
Subject(s)
Caenorhabditis elegans; Developmental Gene Expression Regulation; MicroRNAs
Disciplines
Cell Biology | Genetic Processes | Medical Cell Biology | Medical Microbiology | Medicine and Health Sciences | Molecular Biology
Abstract
The correct timing of developmental events is fundamental to the growth of every animal. The pathways that control developmental timing and cell-fate succession are complex and robust in a way that underscores this importance. In this work, I have shown how an early developmental regulator, LIN-14, acts to integrate the earliest aspects of development with the events that take place afterward. I have uncovered how microRNAs from two different families fit into the cascade of proteins and micro RNA regulation that defines the developmental timing pathway. Finally, my work has helped to uncover the dual-acting nature of two proteins in this pathway, LIN-28 and HBL-1. The two-step mechanisms of the proteins in this pathway are an emerging theme of developmental timing, where they act once to promote a specific cell lineage, and again to block expression of later acting micro RNAs.
Recommended Citation
Tsialikas, Jennifer, "The Genetic Hierarchy of the Heterochronic Pathway in C. elegans" (2016). Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations. 54.
https://rdw.rowan.edu/gsbs_etd/54
Included in
Cell Biology Commons, Genetic Processes Commons, Medical Cell Biology Commons, Medical Microbiology Commons, Molecular Biology Commons
