Access Type

Open Access Dissertation

Date of Award

January 2012

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Department

Chemistry

First Advisor

Andrew L. Feig

Abstract

To survive bacteria must be able to respond to its ever-changing environmental conditions. sRNAs have been implicated in a variety of stress-response pathways that help bacterial systems modulate gene expression. The RNA binding protein Hfq facilities this process by, helping sRNA to base pair with its target mRNAs to initiate gene regulation. A common feature of Hfq-mediated gene regulation is the network-based organization where a single sRNA can control multiple messages to promote integrated response to stress. Current mechanistic models that are present to describe Hfq functions cannot explain the complexity at which Hfq performs gene regulation. In this work we have used a variety of biophysical, biochemical and biological approaches to understand the nature of Hfq interactions with target mRNAs.

Included in

Biochemistry Commons

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