Presentation Title
The Biological Role of Sulfur and Selenium in Bacterial Translation
Abstract
The process of translation, ribosomes decoding genetic information from mRNA and joining amino acids together using tRNA, is an essential part of protein production in the cell. Under conditions of oxidative stress, the translation process can be altered due to oxidation of sulfur- and selenium-modified uridines located on glutamate, glutamine and lysine tRNAs, leading to impaired ability of the ribosome to make protein. Our hypothesis is that during translation under oxidative stress, the selenium-modified uridine can resist oxidation and retain function much better than the sulfur-modified uridine. This hypothesis will be tested by comparing the ability of E. coli wild type (WT) and mutant E. coli (∆SelU) to translate under either normal conditions or oxidative stress.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Robert Hondal
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Program/Major
Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Primary Research Category
Biological Sciences
The Biological Role of Sulfur and Selenium in Bacterial Translation
The process of translation, ribosomes decoding genetic information from mRNA and joining amino acids together using tRNA, is an essential part of protein production in the cell. Under conditions of oxidative stress, the translation process can be altered due to oxidation of sulfur- and selenium-modified uridines located on glutamate, glutamine and lysine tRNAs, leading to impaired ability of the ribosome to make protein. Our hypothesis is that during translation under oxidative stress, the selenium-modified uridine can resist oxidation and retain function much better than the sulfur-modified uridine. This hypothesis will be tested by comparing the ability of E. coli wild type (WT) and mutant E. coli (∆SelU) to translate under either normal conditions or oxidative stress.