Poster abstracts

Poster number 30 submitted by Whitney Howe

The mechanism of gene expression regulation by the ykkCD riboswitch

Whitney Howe (Chemistry, Ball State University), Svetlana Pekovic (Chemistry, Ball State University), Timea Gerczei (Chemistry, Ball State University)

Abstract:
Riboswitches are gene regulatory elements found in the 5’ untranslated region of mRNA that operate without protein cofactors. Riboswitches can regulate the expression of corresponding genes by specifically recognizing and binding small molecules. Binding of the metabolite induces a conformational change that can either terminate transcription or prevent translation initiation. The ykkCD riboswitch is expected to control the expression of a multi-drug efflux pump that exports a variety of toxic drugs from the bacterial cell via transcriptional control. We will test whether transcription termination is the method of control by successively adding antibiotics to transcription reactions; antibiotics should trigger up-regulation of the efflux pump and gel electrophoresis will show if the pump is being transcribed. The rate of transcription can affect the regulatory function of the riboswitch if transcription is completed before metabolite binding induces the conformational change. We will examine how the rate of transcription compares to the rate of antibiotic binding and conformational change. We hope that this research may one day be useful in the fight against antibiotic resistance of infectious bacteria.

Keywords: riboswitch, gene regulation, transcription