The Effects of Warming Temperatures on Rad51 Expression in Tetrahymena thermophila
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Authors
Brunson, Timothy
Lefstad, Rachael
Otto-Hitt, Stefanie
Date of Issue
2018-07-01
Type
paper
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Abstract
Our experiment explored whether raised temperatures affected expression of the Rad51 gene in Tetrahymena thermophila. Our hypothesis was that raised temperatures would result in a decrease in expression of the Rad51 gene. The protein product of this gene functions in double stranded DNA repair. We chose this experiment to see if the rising average temperatures around the world would affect expression of genes involved in DNA repair. Our test samples were kept in a growth medium at 37C while our control samples were kept in a growth medium at 24C. Afterwards, the transcribed mRNA was reverse transcribed into DNA and primers were used to amplify the Rad51 gene. Semi-quantitative PCR was then used to analyze expression of the Rad51 gene. Our prediction was that higher temperatures would decrease the expression of the Rad51 gene.