Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Restricted Thesis
Terms of Use
© 2012 Hannah E. Edelman. All rights reserved. Access to this work is restricted to users within the Swarthmore College network and may only be used for non-commercial, educational, and research purposes. Sharing with users outside of the Swarthmore College network is expressly prohibited. For all other uses, including reproduction and distribution, please contact the copyright holder.
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Biology Department
First Advisor
Amy Cheng Vollmer
Abstract
Because cancer cells are highly dependent on antioxidant mechanisms, artificially increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels by inhibiting antioxidants is a promising therapeutic strategy. PPARy coactivator-1∝ (PGC-1∝) is a major regulator of the mitochondrion and induces the transcription of a variety of antioxidants, making it the perfect target for manipulating ROS levels.A ChIP screen revealed PGC-1∝ as a target of MiTF, a member of the MiT family of transcription factors, which also includes TFE3 and TFEB. In this study I begin to confirm that PGC-1∝ is a target gene of MITF, TFE3, and TFEB by using RNAi experiments to show that these transcription factors regulate mRNA levels of PGC-1∝ in a variety of cancerous and non-cancerous cell types. Knowing that the MiT family of transcription factors is involved in the regulation of PGC-1∝ expression gives a starting point for future studies on therapeutic manipulation of PGC-1∝.
Recommended Citation
Edelman, Hannah E. , '12, "MIT family members MITF, TFE3, and TFEB regulate transcription of PPARγ coactivator-I∝ (PGC-I∝), a coactivator important in ROS control mechanisms" (2012). Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards. 116.
https://works.swarthmore.edu/theses/116