Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Date of Award

4-28-2019

Document Type

Honors Paper

Degree Name

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology-BS

Department

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Advisor

John Tansey, Ph.D.

First Committee Member

Jennifer Bennett, Ph.D.

Second Committee Member

Cindy Laurie-Rose, Ph.D.

Keywords

Perilipin 5 C-Terminus, Lipid, Structure, Droplet, Tip 47

Subject Categories

Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology | Biology | Molecular Biology

Abstract

The crystallization of protein with subsequent X-Ray crystallography analysis is a powerful technique for uncovering a protein’s structure. This methodology is cutting edge and innovations are being made daily on how to best use the fundamentals of this technique for clearer characterizations. The protein Perilipin 5 could benefit from this technique as properties involving the structure of the molecule are still largely unknown. Knowing the structural aspects of perilipin 5 is important as several research efforts indicate that is a key factor in the regulation of lipolysis, or the breakdown of fats within a biological system. In the life sciences, it is crucial to determine the structure of a component in order to derive its hypothetical functions within the context of a larger biological system. This study has begun to progress on the steps necessary to acquire this structural data. Thus far, a strain of E. coli has been developed to overexpress the desired protein construct. Once complete, this structural data will assist future work in determining how the c-terminus functions within the cell and how it relates to other proteins in the perilipin family.

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