Abstract:
Oxytricha trifallax is a fascinating organism for genetic study. This ciliate undergoes precise disassembly and reassembly of ciliary structures during several different developmental processes by mechanisms not well defined or understood. Understanding genetic mechanisms behind intracellular reorganization is possible by creating cDNA libraries and Finding cDNAs specific to certain stages of development. It is the goal of the laboratory to create these cDNA libraries for multiple developmental processes and stages. But before that can occur, the protocol needs to be analyzed for its feasibility and all troubleshooting worked out. It is one aim of this thesis to analyze the data from a cyst cDNA library to determine what may need to be altered for future library construction. The second aim of this thesis is to determine the feasibility of another method for analyzing genes important to specific stages of development. With the increased interest in RNA interference, this thesis explores the possibility of using dsRNA at the small scale, single-cell level to interfere with gene expression for purposes of analyzing genes found to be important to developmental stages through library creation.
