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Title: Microsatellite Instability in Cultured Mammalian Cells (Research Advisor: Dr. Rosann Farber, Biology Sponsor: Dr. Bob Duronio, Research Mentor: Jayne Boyer)
Kelly Hankins Microsatellite sequences in DNA are simple repeats of one or more nucleotide base pairs, which are found dispersed throughout the human genome. Because of their repetition, microsatellites are prone to mutations in which repeat units are incorrectly inserted or deleted. Many cases of colorectal cancer have been shown to lack functional DNA repair proteins, leading to this instability and increasing the probability of mutations in other genes that are directly involved in tumorigenesis. I am working under the direction of Dr. Rosann Farber, studying mutation rates of microsatellites made up of seventeen and thirty adenine nucleotides (A17/A30) in both normal mammalian cells and cells lacking a critical mismatch repair protein. My project should ultimately help reveal whether observed differences in stabilities of different sequences result from differences in the rate of DNA replication errors, differences in the rate at which they are repaired, or these two factors in combination. Determination of the cause of mutations in colorectal carcinogenesis should lead to improved diagnosis of individuals predisposed to this type of cancer and eventually to development of improved treatments for these individuals. |
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