University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Open Access Master's Theses 2014 STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND EVOLUTION OF PHOSPHOPROTEIN P0 AND ITS UNIQUE INSERT IN TETRAHYMENA THERMOPHILA Giovanni Pagano University of Rhode Island,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses Recommended Citation Pagano, Giovanni, "STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND EVOLUTION OF PHOSPHOPROTEIN P0 AND ITS UNIQUE INSERT IN TETRAHYMENA THERMOPHILA" (2014). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 358. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/358 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND EVOLUTION OF PHOSPHOPROTEIN P0 AND ITS UNIQUE INSERT IN TETRAHYMENA THERMOPHILA BY GIOVANNI PAGANO A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2014 MASTER OF SCIENCE OF GIOVANNI PAGANO APPROVED: Thesis Committee: Major Professor Linda A. Hufnagel Lenore M. Martin Roberta King Nasser H. Zawia DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2014 ABSTRACT Phosphoprotein P0 is a highly conserved ribosomal protein that forms the central scaffold of the large ribosomal subunit’s “stalk complex”, which is necessary for recruiting protein elongation factors to the ribosome. Evidence in the literature suggests that P0 may be involved in diseases such as malaria and systemic lupus erythematosus. We are interested in the possibility that the P0 of the “ciliated protozoa” Tetrahymena thermophila may be useful as a model system for vaccine research and drug development.