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The role of the de novo DNA methyltransferase Dnmt3a in the nervous system
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007)
DNA methylation is an important mechanism of gene regulation. Evidence is mounting that epigenetic mechanisms including that of DNA methylation operate in the nervous system. Genetic disruption of the de novo DNA ...
Translational regulation by short RNAs in mammalian cells
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006)
The large complexity of animals is thought to depend upon the regulation of gene expression and not the number of genes in a genome. Gene expression is a highly conserved process in which genes encoded by DNA are transcribed ...
Redesigning specificity in miniproteins
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006)
This work focuses on designing specific miniprotein interactions using computational models and then testing these designs with experiments. Miniproteins are small, autonomously-folding proteins that are excellent for ...
The germline- and tissue-specific effects of endogenous point-mutant p53
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005)
p53 is frequently altered in human tumors through missense mutations that result in accumulation of mutant p53 protein. These mutations may confer dominant-negative or gain-of- function properties to p53. To ascertain the ...
Regulation of horizontal gene transfer by intercellular peptide signaling in Bacillus subtilis
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006)
Horizontal gene transfer plays an important role in bacterial evolution. Although acquisition of foreign DNA can be beneficial to cells, it can also be detrimental. Therefore, cells that possess mechanisms to regulate ...
Targeting and function of mammalian microRNAs
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009)
In the span of a few short years, animal microRNAs have become recognized as broad regulators of gene expression, largely in part due to our improved understanding of how animal microRNAs recognize their targets. Crucial ...
Long-term activity-induced changes in the brain : a study of translational regulation and structural plasticity
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005)
Long-lasting changes must take place in the brain to store the skills and memories that have been learned by the organism throughout its history. Long-term memory (LTM), and its cellular correlate, the late-phase of long-term ...
Control of product molecular weight in the enzymatic synthesis of a biodegradable polyester, polyhydroxybutyrate
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006)
Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a polymer accumulated by many bacterial species to store carbon and reducing equivalents. PHB is packaged intracellularly in inclusions termed "granules" that contain the polymer in an amorphous ...
The role of Cdyl and CDY in mammalian spermatogenesis
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006)
Mouse Cdyl was originally identified based on homology to the human gene CDY (Lahn and Page, 1999), which is found in four copies on the human Y chromosome (Kuroda-Kawaguchi et al., 2001). Because CDY is expressed specifically ...
Prion protein in health and disease
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008)
The prion protein (PrP) is a conserved glycoprotein tethered to cell membranes by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor. In mammals, PrP is expressed in many tissues, most abundantly in brain, heart, and muscle. Importantly, ...