41JH – Yeast phenomic analysis of a metabolism-specific growth-arresting P53 variant

Status: Filled – Katie Sage Jordan
Intern: Katie Sage Jordan
Faculty Name: john-louis-hartman
Primary Faculty Appointment: UAB
UAB/HA Department: Genetics
Campus Address: 720 20th St S, RM 702, Kaul Genetics Building
Telephone Number: (205) 996-4195
Email: jhartman@uab.edu or Click to Send E-Mail
For how many summers have you served as a preceptor: 3 or more
CCC Research Area: Genetics
Number of hours per week that the preceptor will personally supervise or work with the intern: 5
Other faculty, staff, or graduate students who may help to supervise the intern:
1. John Rodgers
2. Ryan Mancinone
Title of Project: 41JH – Yeast phenomic analysis of a metabolism-specific growth-arresting P53 variant
Project Description:

P53 is a gene with functions of central importance to understanding cancer cell biology; it is a suppressor of many cancer types, meaning its loss of function is causal for malignancy. However, gain of function mutations in P53 have also been described. P53 functions as a transcription factor, but also as a non-transcription factor. The many biological roles of P53 are complicated and thus a systematic comprehensive analysis of these functions in a relatively simple experimental system would contribute new knowledge. Many genes can contribute to cancer, doing so in various combinations. The “multi-hit principle” of cancer biology raises critical questions about how mutations in different genes interact functionally? To investigate these questions, we are using budding yeast as a model; it is a single cell eukaryotic organism recognized for enabling the most powerful genetic analyses possible. For example, all of its ~6000 genes have been individually knocked out, and leveraging its vegetative haploid life cycle, we have been able to express P53 alleles in combination with loss of function alleles in all other genes to identify other genes in the cell that cooperate with P53 to regulate yeast growth. These “combination-dependent” phenotypes of cells are called interactions and, in this project, we are analyzing results from a phenomic experiment to understand this network of P53 gene interactions. p53 expression in wild type and mutant form has been assessed by quantitative growth phenotypes in two metabolic contexts (glycolysis and respiration), termed yeast phenomic analysis, which informs further about the individual p53 interactions, with the use of bioinformatics tools. We think these data could teach us specifically about non-transcriptional functions of p53, which would be novel direction for cancer biology.

Project Status: Already up and running
Location of Project: Birmingham, AL (UAB)
Proposed Start Date: May 3, 2021
Proposed End Date: August 20, 2021
Expected work schedule for intern: Flexible, intern can largely set his or her own schedule (as for students who are instructed how to proceed and are permitted to work independently with weekly guidance) and should contribute full-time effort.
Number of days that the student will be expected to come physically to UAB:
1 day or a few days as needed
Category of Project: Laboratory Research
Cancer topic: Multiple Cancer Sites
Does this project involve human subjects: No
Does this project involve animal subjects: No
Duty:
1.

Understand, help design, perform and record experiment results.

2.

Analyze data, in communication with supervisors, to generate figures.

3.

Generate figures and summaries of results, with guidance from mentors, to help draft a manuscript.

Preceptor will provide intern with access to the following: Office or desk space, Computer and printer, Laboratory work bench space, Supplies needed to complete project, Equipment needed to complete project
Likelihood that intern will be included as an author on one or more publications related to this summer research project: Very likely
Areas in which the ideal candidates will have experience: Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Genetics and Genomics, Microbiology, Molecular Biology