Evaluating and Isolating Promoters in Impatiens walleriana: Towards the Development of Mosquitocidal Nectar

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorKearney, Christopher Michel, 1958-
dc.contributor.authorPinson, Marisa
dc.contributor.departmentBiochemistry.en_US
dc.contributor.otherBaylor University.en_US
dc.contributor.schoolsHonors College.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2016-08-10T16:34:33Z
dc.date.available2016-08-10T16:34:33Z
dc.date.copyright2016
dc.date.issued2016-08-10
dc.description.abstractMosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria, are a persistent problem, leading to numerous deaths across the world that could be easily prevented by better control of mosquito populations. Because the main source of energy for many mosquitoes are the sugars present in nectar, a novel approach for mosquito control that would complement methods already in use would be to develop plants that express mosquito-specific toxins in their nectar. Nectar-specific promoters would be a necessary step in developing plants that express mosquito toxin solely in their nectar. One nectar-specific promoter that has been found and sequenced is the pNEC promoter of Nicotiana langsdorffii X N. sanderae. To test the effectiveness of this promoter in Impatiens walleriana, pNEC was combined with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and used in the transformation of I. walleriana. Kanamycin resistance was used to select transformants; presence of EGFP in nectar would then prove successful promotion of expression by pNEC. When no EGFP was found to be present, further investigation determined that the transformations were not successful, despite surviving the kanamycin selection step. A means for potentially isolating the nectar-specific promoter endogenous in I. walleriana was also tested. Thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR (TAIL-PCR) was used to successfully isolate the 26S rRNA promoter of I. walleriana, verifying it as a method to eventually isolate the IW23 promoter of I. walleriana.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2104/9759
dc.rightsBaylor University projects are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.en_US
dc.rights.accessrightsWorldwide accessen_US
dc.subjectBiology.en_US
dc.subjectMolecular genetics.en_US
dc.titleEvaluating and Isolating Promoters in Impatiens walleriana: Towards the Development of Mosquitocidal Nectaren_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
Theis BEARdocs form.pdf
Size:
236.58 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Permissions Form
Download
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Pinson Honors Thesis BEARdocs.pdf
Size:
386.87 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Thesis
Download

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.87 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

Theses - Honors College