Graduation Year
2025
Date of Submission
12-2024
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
W.M. Keck Science Department
Second Department
Biochemistry
Reader 1
Bethany Caulkins
Reader 2
Kathleen Purvis Roberts
Terms of Use & License Information
Abstract
Plasmodesmata are intercellular pores that connect plant cells together, establishing cytoplasmic and endomembrane continuities within the plant. This physical connection facilitates the movement of nutrients and other materials throughout the plant, as well as cell-to-cell communication. The novel protein Plasmodesmata 1 (PD1, 36 kDa) was extracted from the plasmodesmata of Arabidopsis Thaliana, and its sequence was determined, however the structure and function of this protein remain unknown. This research focuses on developing a purification procedure for PD1 to obtain pure protein for future nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) structural analysis. PD1 protein was first expressed in e. coli, and bacterial growth was monitored using UV-Vis spectroscopy. A standard Ni-NTA column purification procedure was used to guide the development of a PD1 specific procedure, and several attempts at purification were performed to optimize the conditions for this protein. Successful purification occurred under denaturing conditions using Tris-HCl based buffers at pH 8.0 with all steps run at 4 °C. Next steps include an isotopically labeled expression and purification of PD1 so interrogation of the biomolecular structure of PD1 can be performed.
Recommended Citation
Aqui, Kaili, "Development of a Purification Procedure for Plasmodesmata 1" (2025). CMC Senior Theses. 3855.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/3855
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.