Date of Graduation
8-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Biology
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Biological Sciences
Advisor/Mentor
Lewis, Jeffrey
Committee Member/Reader
Kud, Joanna
Committee Member/Second Reader
Alverson, Andrew
Committee Member/Third Reader
Wheeler, Jill
Committee Member/Fourth Reader
Lewis, Jeffrey
Abstract
The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a key model organism for the genetic study of Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease results from neuronal death caused by the accumulation of toxic aggregates of the ⍺-synuclein protein (⍺-syn). The exact reason that ⍺-syn aggregates are toxic is unknown, nor is it clear why some individuals are more sensitive to those toxic effects. ⍺-Syn can be overexpressed in yeast, which accurately expresses phenotypes similar to those seen in early-stage Parkinson’s disease neurons. Due to the simple culturing conditions required by the organism, and an easily modified genome, yeast is an ideal model for understanding the genetics of ⍺-syn toxicity. To make stable observations, the gene encoding ⍺-syn can be integrated into the genome under the control of an estradiol-inducible promoter in order to evaluate expression on different carbon sources. Experiments described in this thesis demonstrate the usefulness of this system in yeast for variation in ⍺-syn susceptibility across yeast strains, which will in turn help understand the potential molecular sources of variation in ⍺-syn susceptibility in humans.
Keywords
yeast; Parkinson's; genetics
Citation
Mathews, M. (2024). Tools for Understanding the Significance of Yeast as a Model for Parkinson’s Disease. Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/biscuht/111
