Honors Theses
Advisor
Thomas M. Williams
Department
Biology
Publication Date
Spring 4-2014
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Abstract
My thesis research studies the genetic material that is the blue print to make animal life. In animals, a key type of genetic material is sequences collectively referred to as cis-regulatory elements (CREs). These sequences control the expression of genes; more specifically they instruct when to turn “ON” or “OFF” the production of a gene’s functional product. My research investigates the interaction between the two CREs, the Anterior Element and the Dimorphic Element of the fruit fly species Drosophila melanogaster. These two CREs act synergistically to produce a pattern of expression for the bab1 and bab2 genes that differs between male and female flies. As synergistic CRE interactions have seldom been reported, my research has sought to identify the necessary sequences for this interaction. Learning more about CRE functions in fruit flies will facilitate a better understanding as to how CREs function in our own genetic material.
Permission Statement
This item is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and may only be used for noncommercial, educational, and scholarly purposes.
Keywords
Undergraduate research
Disciplines
Biology | Life Sciences
eCommons Citation
Francis, Kaitlyn R., "Identifying the DNA Sequence Requirements for a Synergistic Interaction Between Two Cis-Regulatory Elements" (2014). Honors Theses. 23.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/uhp_theses/23
