Title:
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Characterization of virulence factors targeting Apis mellifera: Varroa Toxic Protein and LarvinA |
Author:
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Turner, Madison
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Department:
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Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology |
Program:
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Molecular and Cellular Biology |
Advisor:
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Guzman, Ernesto Merrill, Rod |
Abstract:
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Apis mellifera populations are declining due to a variety of factors, including the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, and the bacterial disease, American foulbrood (AFB). This thesis describes the biochemical characterization of two important virulence factors: LarvinA from AFB, and Varroa Toxic Protein (VTP) from the mite. LarvinA was kinetically characterized and confirmed to be a functional C3-like mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase toxin. N-terminal deletions and single-residue variants led to the identification of novel interactions between the α1-helix and the active-site of LarvinA, including the role of net charge in cell entry. Next, VTP was purified using glutathione-based affinity and size-exclusion chromatography. Analysis of the primary sequence and circular dichroism spectra revealed that VTP is primarily an α-helical protein; however, it is thermally labile based on the temperature analysis of the protein. These findings can be combined with future studies to elucidate novel therapeutics. |
URI:
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http://hdl.handle.net/10214/17965
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Date:
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2020-05 |
Terms of Use:
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