CAREER: The Impact of Aneuploidy on Transcription: A Mechanistic Approach

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

Aneuploidy, an abnormal chromosome copy number, is common in evolution and nature. For the cell, there are both positive and negative effects of aneuploidy. Aneuploidy alters transcription but the mechanisms driving these changes are not understood. The powerful yeast model organism will be utilized to ascertain the underlying molecular mechanism using a combination of chromatin immunoprecipitation, next-generation sequencing, and computational analysis. Understanding these mechanisms will provide tremendous insight into not only aneuploidy but also transcriptional regulation in general. This project will lead to a better understanding of the costs and benefits of aneuploidy. Broader Impact A similar cross-disciplinary approach will be utilized to build a summer undergraduate research program in synthetic biology and develop an interactive fiction tool for teaching responsible conduct of research. Tremendous leaps in scientific understanding often arise from individuals who ignore traditional disciplinary boundaries to relentlessly pursue the question at hand. In this proposal, the PI seeks to instill this philosophy into generations of undergraduates through the development of a University of Colorado internationally Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) team. This synthetic biology competition brings students together for an intensive summer to design and construct unique biological circuits. Additionally, the PI seeks to bring the ante-disciplinary philosophy to teaching responsible conduct of research by developing an interactive fiction game. This game will not only train scientists in an engaging and interactive manner but also will enable studies into how peer pressure influences ethical behavior. The long term impact of creating honest, intelligent, and creative scientists is incalculable.