Project Details
Description
Transposable elements are segments of DNA that can change their chromosomal
location in the genome of the host. They are found in all organisms, and
their unique genetic properties have profound implications for the
evolution of species from bacteria to higher plants and animals, including
man. The long term goal of this research is to understand transposable
elements in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans. C. elegans is a
simple metazoan suitable for the study of many fundamental questions in
biology. Basic studies in such model systems provide the new knowledge
upon which advances in medicine depend. In this research two newly discovered, putative transposable elements will
be characterized at the DNA sequence level. Their structure will be
compared to that of the many other known elements in other organisms. In
addition, RNA and protein products of these sequences and of the previously
characterized transposable element Tcl will be studied. The purpose is to
identify the protein factors, transposases, that catalyze the movement of
these elements, and to study their regulation. The information obtained
will be used to construct novel, synthetic transposable elements with
properties that can be exploited in genetic experiments with C. elegans.
These experiments involve isolation of genes by transposon tagging and
DNA-mediated transformation.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 12/31/89 → 3/31/92 |
ASJC
- Genetics
- Medicine(all)
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
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