Date of Graduation
12-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Cell & Molecular Biology (PhD)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Plant Pathology
Advisor/Mentor
Martin Egan
Committee Member
Erf, Gisela
Second Committee Member
Pinto, Ines
Third Committee Member
Wang, Yong
Keywords
Aggregate, Aspergillosis, Aspergillus, Cytoskeleton, Endosome, Mycology
Abstract
The genetic tractability and eukaryotic nature of fungi have led to their long history as an invaluable tool for the understanding of basic cell biology or as models for specific diseases. Unfortunately, they themselves also have also proven to be highly successful pathogens of many organisms, including humans. The three studies contained within this dissertation each touch upon a different aspect of this range of interactions between humans and filamentous fungi. The first study used Aspergillus nidulans to further our basic understanding of the role of dynein in nuclear division, finding that activated dynein localizes to the spindle pole body in a cell-cycle dependent manner. The second study sought to understand the importance of early endosome motility to the pathogenicity of the devastating human pathogen A. fumigatus. Though motility was not found to be important for pathogenicity in a larval infection model, it did play a role in hyphal branching in response to physical obstacles. The final study uses the long, polar cells of A. nidulans as a model to help us better understand the sequestration and clearance of misfolded proteins, a process that—when impaired in neurons—can lead to deadly diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. This study produced a list of potential novel interacting proteins for the heat shock protein Hsp104 and found that Hsp104 confers a greater survival benefit after extreme heat shock than does AtgHAtg8. It also observed the short, directional motility of small VHL aggregates with early endosomes.
Citation
Bieger, B. (2023). Investigating Dynein Localization, Endosomal Trafficking, and the Clearance of Protein Aggregates in Aspergillus. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/5201
Included in
Biological Phenomena, Cell Phenomena, and Immunity Commons, Cell Biology Commons, Fungi Commons, Integrative Biology Commons