University of San Francisco
Regulation of Dkk1, an Inhibitor of the Wnt Signaling Pathway, by DAX-1 in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
Abstract
dc:description.abstract<p>DAX-1 is known to play a key role in the maintenance of pluripotency in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC), such that elimination of DAX-1 (through methods such as RNAi) leads to the differentiation of ESC (Khalfallah et al. 2009). Earlier research by the Tzagarakis-Foster lab identified target genes of DAX-1 in mESC through PCR array methodology (Torres 2013). The Dickkopf 1 gene (Dkk1) was identified as a potential target of DAX-1 by these studies and has since been confirmed to be a DAX-1 target in mESC. However, to date very little is understood of the mechanism of DAX-1 repression of Dkk1 in mESC. In order to better understand the relationship between DAX-1 and Dkk1 in mESC, DAX-1 was knocked down via RNAi and levels of gene expression were measured by qPCR. We found that Dkk1 gene expression exhibited more than a twofold increase in mESCs that had a DAX-1 knockdown, which supports our hypothesis that DAX-1 acts as a negative transcriptional regulator of Dkk1.</p>
Degree
thesis:*- Name thesis:degree_name
- Bachelor of Science
- Level thesis:degree_level
- Honors Thesis
- Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
- Biology
- Year dc:date.available
- 2014
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Gavallos, Victor D
- Contributors dc:contributor
-
- Dr. Christina Tzagarakis-Foster
- Dr. Mary Jane Niles
- Dr. Gary Stevens
Subjects
dc:subject × 7Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- Repository record dc:identifier
- https://repository.usfca.edu/honors/4
- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:repository.usfca.edu:honors-1003