Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Date of Award

8-2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biology

First Advisor

Dr. Luis A. Materon

Second Advisor

Dr. Subramanian Dhandayuthapani

Third Advisor

Dr. Mohammed Farooqui

Abstract

Mycoplasma genitalium is a bacterium with no cell wall and the second smallest free-living organism. It is an intracellular parasite that causes urethritis in men and women. Symptoms of infection in women can be missed and include vaginal malodor and discharge, painful urination and sexual intercourse. M. genitalium infection is a serious, though preventable and treatable, infection. Recently, due its notable characteristics, many studies have revealed an enormous amount of genetic and structural information on this bacterium. Furthermore, many of its genes have been characterized. The uncovering of roles of genes involved in signal transduction via phosphorylation and dephosphorylation mechanisms have provided some clues into the regulation of protein activation both in M. genitalium and M. pneumoniae. This study aims to investigate the role of the MG207 gene in M. genitalium that encodes a serine/threonine protein phosphatase that is believed to regulate the dephosphorylation of proteins involved in cytadherence.

Comments

Copyright 2012 Mario A. Martinez. All Rights Reserved.

https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/characterization-serine-threonine-phosphatase/docview/1035157624/se-2

Granting Institution

University of Texas-Pan American

Included in

Biology Commons

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