THE EFFECT OF HYPOXIA ON THE EXPRESSION OF ISOCITRATE LYASE IN TETRAHYMENA THERMOPHILA
Date
2020-05
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Tetrahymena thermophila are ciliates that live in freshwater environments.
Little is known about their reaction to hypoxic stress. Hypoxia is thought to induce the
glyoxylate cycle, a variant of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Older studies in
Tetrahymena pyriformis tested this by growing cells in containers with a very small
surface area to simulate hypoxia and containers with a larger surface area be a
normoxia control. These studies looked at the biochemical activities of two critical
enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle, isocitrate lyase and malate synthase. The current
study is interested in determining if there is a change in the gene expression or activity
of isocitrate lyase, a glyoxylate enzyme, in T. thermophila in carefully defined
hypoxic conditions. This was explored through the use of qPCR and biochemical ICL
assays. The qPCR trials found a 3.16-fold increase in the expression of ICL, although
the data were inconsistent and not significant. The ICL activity experiments were
inconclusive but did not seem to indicate a change in ICL activity. In conclusion,
hypoxia may increase ICL expression or activity, but further work is needed.
Description
Keywords
biological science, hypoxia, isocitrate lyase, tetrahymena thermophila