Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Biological Sciences
Committee Chair
Luis R. Cruz-Vera
Committee Member
Tatyana Sysoeva
Committee Member
Joseph D. Ng
Research Advisor
Luis R. Cruz-Vera
Subject(s)
Biosensors, Peptides--Biotechnology, Ribosomes, Genetic regulation
Abstract
Since creating biosensors from zero has proven a more challenging enterprise than expected, resorting into naturally occurring regulatory systems already characterized represents a more accurate, rapid, and attractive option. Various previous strategies have sought to exploit and modify regulatory elements that sense for different molecules, including monosaccharides (Tang et al., 2008), secondary metabolites (Flachbart et al., 2021), and other amino acids (Della Corte et al., 2020). This study aims to leverage current scientific knowledge and advances concerning the structure and function of the ribosomal arrest peptide TnaC. With this research I integrated the TnaC ribosome-arresting peptide into a new biosensor that responds to the presence of tryptophan by exhibiting fluorescence, which proved to be more fine-tuned than previous designs. Additionally, I evaluate the feasibility of modifying in the TnaC' sensing domains to equip it with novel detection abilities, setting a precedent for the versatility of engineering the TnaC’s ligand specificities.
Recommended Citation
Delgado Castillo, Alexis Orlando, "Modifying the L-tryptophan affinity of the ribosomal arrest peptide TnaC" (2025). Theses. 748.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-theses/748
