Date of Award:

12-2022

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Committee Chair(s)

Ryan N. Jackson

Committee

Ryan N. Jackson

Committee

Sean J. Johnson

Committee

Nick E. Dickenson

Abstract

Similarly to people, bacteria are under the treat of infection by viruses. To circumvent these threats, bacteria evolve complex immune systems. Our understanding of some of these immune systems has led to many advancements in the field of Biotechnology including tools that made expressing proteins for study in a lab easier, tools that revolutionized the feasibility of gene editing, and tools that could change the way we think about viral diagnostics and cancer therapeutics. A certain type of immune system that bacteria use to fight virus is called a CRISPR system. Presented here is work to understand the function of two CRISPR immune systems with unknown functions. Through sequence analysis and the design of a plasmid clearance assay, a potential function of the type IV-B CRISPR system is proposed. In addition to the type IV-B CRISPR system, biochemical assays are used to determine the function of the type V-A2 protein Cas12a2. It is revealed that Cas12a2 functions using a unique mechanism of immunity that could be harnessed to improve tools in viral diagnostics, viral therapeutics, and cancer therapeutics.

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