DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/F753-Q257
Defense Date
2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Microbiology & Immunology
First Advisor
Sandeep singh
Second Advisor
Rebecca martin
Third Advisor
Tomasz Kordula
Abstract
Our central nervous system comprises many cell types: neurons, astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes. Each of these cells performs specialized functions, yet the dynamic interactions between them are still poorly understood. In fact, one of the biggest challenges in neuroscience is to build a systems-level understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the crosstalk between these cell types within the brain. Although modern techniques for studying cell-cell interactions are available, they often fail to take into account RNAs that are localized to distal cell structures, transported to neurites, or undergo localized translation - all of which are essential features of CNS cells. A significant technological advance towards this goal was the development of the TRAP (Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification) which provides a powerful tool to study the changes in translating mRNA (hence proteins) in specific cell populations under different conditions. However, it can be only carried out for one cell type at a time. Therefore, the aim of this project was to develop a novel methodology that will extend the TRAP approach by generating M-TRAP (Multi-tagged Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification) constructs for each cell type to study the molecular basis of cell-cell interactions between CNS cell types in vitro.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-11-2023