A DNA REPAIR/PHASE VARIATION REPORTER SYSTEM USING A POLY-GUANINE TRACT IN A NEISSERIA GONORRHOEAE NITROREDUCTASE GENE

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dc.contributor.advisorStein, Daniel Cen_US
dc.contributor.authorRodgers, Mark Andrewen_US
dc.contributor.departmentCell Biology & Molecular Geneticsen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2006-02-04T06:51:18Z
dc.date.available2006-02-04T06:51:18Z
dc.date.issued2005-11-10en_US
dc.description.abstractNeisseria gonorrhoeae undergoes phase variation to adapt to new environments, increase pathogenesis, and evade the host immune system. This may be due to defects in DNA repair. A reporter system was created to detect phase variation by phenotypic switching from a nitrofuran-sensitive phenotype to a nitrofuran-resistant (NitR) phenotype. Strains were created with poly-guanine tracts from 5 to 12 guanines in the coding region of a nitroreductase gene (nfsB) that would be susceptible to frame-shifting mutations during DNA replication. The minimum number of consecutive guanines needed to observe increased mutation was 5. A strain expressing 7 guanines nfsB possessed nitroreductase activity similar to wild-type and a spontaneous mutation frequency that was increased ~104 fold relative to wild-type. Frame-shifting mutations of strain expressing 8 guanines in nfsB were observed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Future work with the reporter system could lead to new understanding of phase variation and DNA repair.en_US
dc.format.extent1770093 bytes
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3096
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledBiology, Geneticsen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledBiology, Microbiologyen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledBiology, Molecularen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledNeisseriaen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrollednitroreductaseen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledDNA repairen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledphase variationen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledreporter geneen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledgeneticsen_US
dc.titleA DNA REPAIR/PHASE VARIATION REPORTER SYSTEM USING A POLY-GUANINE TRACT IN A NEISSERIA GONORRHOEAE NITROREDUCTASE GENEen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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