Faculty Advisor
Saucedo, Leslie
Area of Study
Science and Mathematics
Publication Date
Summer 2013
Abstract
The Phosphatase of Regenerating Liver (PRL) family of proteins control cell growth, motility and proliferation. They have been shown to elevate the levels of these functions, leading to an increase in cancer metastasis (“malignancy”), when they are overexpressed. The goal of this experiment is to knockout PRL gene expression to examine the general function of PRL proteins. Drosophila melanogaster have only one copy of the PRL gene (dPRL-1), as opposed to humans and other mammals, which have 3. Thus, using P-element imprecise excision to create mutant strains either fully lacking or with decreased function of the dPRL-1 protein, I propose to evaluate the overall function of PRLs in living organisms. Because of their oncogenic nature, PRLs must be further characterized functionally so that future researchers can design molecularly targeted therapy treatments, counteracting cancer metastasis.
Recommended Citation
Valenzuela, John, "Examining the functional role of dPRL-1 in Drosophila Melanogaster" (2013). Summer Research. 192.
https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/summer_research/192
Rights
Publisher
University of Puget Sound
Included in
Biology Commons, Cancer Biology Commons, Cell Biology Commons, Developmental Biology Commons, Genetics Commons, Other Cell and Developmental Biology Commons