Poster abstracts

Poster number 102 submitted by Ethan Pickerill

Identification of functions of pseudouridine synthase 7 in Candida albicans

Ethan Pickerill (Ball State University Biology Department), Dr. Douglas Bernstein (Ball State University Biology Department)

Abstract:
Candida albicans is the most prevalent human fungal pathogen. To identify new antifungal targets we must first better understand what differentiates fungi from humans at the molecular level. We are interested in RNA modification and in particular how the process of RNA modification differs between fungal taxa and humans. We study pseudouridine, the most common RNA modification. Pseudouridylation occurs in all organisms and can be present in tRNA, rRNA, mRNA, snoRNA, and snRNA. This study investigates the effects of CRISPR mediated deletion of Pseudouridine synthase 7 in C. albicans. The PUS7 knockout has defects in filamentation and grows slower than wild type C. albicans. The PUS7 knockout also has lesser virulence than wild type C. albicans in the Galleria mellonella in vivo infection model. Additionally, northern blot and high throughput sequencing indicates the PUS7 knockout has defects in rRNA processing. In the future, we will identify C. albicans Pus7 substrates and explore the possibility of a Pus7 consensus sequence.

References:
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Keywords: Pseudouridine, Pseudouridine Synthase 7, Candida Albicans