Date of Award

2010

Degree Name

Biology

College

College of Science

Type of Degree

M.S.

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Simon Collier, Ph.D., Committee Chairperson

Second Advisor

Wendy Trzyna, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Jagan Valluri, Ph.D.

Abstract

Chmp1A has recently been linked to pancreatic cancer, a leading cause of cancer death in humans. Pancreatic tumors have lowered Chmp1A expression, and it has been described as a tumor suppressor. Chmp1A is also a member of ESCRT III (Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport), a conserved protein complex involved in the degradation and recycling of activated transmembrane receptors. There is a single Chmp1 protein in Drosophila that is homologous to vertebrate Chmp1A; however, Chmp1 hasn’t been studied in Drosophila. The objective of this study was to characterize Chmp1 in Drosophila using gene knockdown and over-expression. We used an RNAi fly line to knockdown Chmp1 in the wing of the fly and created a transgenic fly line to look at over-expression. Our results suggest that Chmp1 may be regulating the Epidermal Growth Factor pathway and Notch-Delta signaling, as well as the Frizzled-Planar Cell Polarity pathway.

Subject(s)

Pancreas -- Tumors.

Tumor suppressor proteins.

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