UC San Diego

Yeast as a well-studied model organism has also been a major subject of genetic modifications. Various engineering has been performed on yeast gene circuits to not only rewire the gene transcriptional regulation network, but also gain control over certain gene expression via extracellular signals. This thesis demonstrates the application of exogenous signal-induced promoters to study the aging process of yeast cells. By performing single-cell aging analysis based on microfluidics and fluorescent microcopy with yeast cells that contain tunable promoter-controlled tardigrade unique damage suppressor (Dsup), I examined how the inducible promoter system could be used to study the dynamics and effects of an alien damage suppressor in the yeast aging process. The experiments showed promising capacities of an inducible promoter system to control gene expression of the alien gene in yeast cells. Dsup protein affected the aging phenotypes of yeast cells and its effects were independent of the protein’s dynamics.