Bound Volume Number
1
Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-1-2015
Capstone Advisor
Prof. Scott Erdman
Honors Reader
Prof. Melissa Pepling
Capstone Major
Chemistry
Capstone College
Arts and Science
Audio/Visual Component
no
Keywords
cellular polarization, cellular asymmetry, environmental stress and mating process
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
yes
Honors Categories
Sciences and Engineering
Subject Categories
Biochemistry | Cell Biology
Abstract
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, cellular polarization is an essential structural and functional aspect of growth and development. It is responsible for yielding and maintaining cellular asymmetry, and allows for cells to function. Mating in S. cerevisiae is a process that incorporates cell-to-cell signaling, signal transduction, cellular polarization, plasmogamy, karyogamy, and many other cellular processes. Each of these steps is mediated by a myriad of signaling proteins that are involved in a signaling cascade that is regulated by both extracellular and intracellular signals. Much is known about the mating process and pathway in S. cerevisiae. However, this project aimed to target that pathway and determine how much it is developmentally buffered to its environment.
The environment that S. cerevisiae most successfully grows and mates in is an optimal temperature of 30°C. In this project, it was hypothesized that elevating the temperature from the optimal 30°C up to between 39°C to 41°C would inhibit mating. This is an environmental stress that is easily applied in a controlled manner and that may allow for weaknesses in the mating process under such conditions to be exploited for their identification genetically. Both the ability of the cells to mate and their ability to form mating projections at elevated temperatures were studied. It was determined that the strains used are not capable of mating at 41°C and that polarization in the form of mating projections is greatly reduced at 41°C.
Recommended Citation
Hosie, Sarah, "The Effect of High Terperature on Mating: Developmental Buffering of S. cerevisiae to the Environment" (2015). Honors Capstone Projects - All. 821.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/821
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