Investigating the Protein-Coding Potential of a lncRNA
Varnum, Stella
Varnum, Stella
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Abstract
Within healthy individuals, the immune system serves to find and attack foreign substances that have the potential to harm the body. Autoimmunity is characterized by this system’s identification of normal body cells as harmful, and subsequent attack on these non-invader cells. The study of autoimmune disorders seeks to understand what causes this improper activation, which results in symptoms as mild as seasonal allergies, or eczema, to life-changing diseases such as lupus, or multiple sclerosis. Identifying the cause of the malfunction can lead to the development of disease therapies. Usually, there is no single origin, and multiple pathways contribute to the manifest of disease. One such pathway involves macrophage cells, cells of the immune system that are a key component of any immune response, including unwarranted ones. Macrophage cells are activated by environmental components that the cell deems to be dangerous. Active macrophages contain elevated concentrations of certain cellular molecules, such as long, non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). This class of molecule has a role in cellular behavior, but the relationship is poorly understood. I'm studying the involvement of the murine lncRNA U90926 in the macrophage activation process, with the hopes that preventing expression of this molecule could suppress erroneous immune responses, which result in autoimmune disorders.
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Date
2019-01-01
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Undergraduate
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Biochemistry
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College of Arts and Sciences
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Biological Sciences