First Advisor

Kenneth Stedman

Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biology and University Honors

Department

Biology

Subjects

Archaebacteria, Genomics, Viruses, Thermophilic microorganisms

DOI

10.15760/honors.56

Abstract

SSV1 is an archaeal virus that infects the thermoacidophile Sulfolobus residing in hot springs. The lemon shaped/spindle-shaped fuselloviruses (SSV) that infect Sulfolobus solfataricus is quite morphologically different from almost all other viruses. Because these archaeal viruses live in hot springs with high temperatures and low pH, their genomes and structures have adapted to withstand such harsh conditions. Little research has been done on these extreme viruses, and of the little research, SSV has been the most prominent. Not much is known about the genes that the genome encodes and so I have inserted transposons randomly into genome to determine functionality. The only highly conserved genes whose functions we know for sure are the VP1-3, encoding for the capsids and DNA packaging. I tried to isolate transposons that have inserted into a very small region of the genome, approx. 800bp, but have not had any luck. So far the transposon only inserted into ORFs B-49, F-93, A-132, A-100, and between F-112 and B-49.

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Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/17262

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