The CCR5-∆32 deletion mutation is a naturally-occurring genetic polymorphism that confers strong resistance to HIV-1 infection. I propose the use of chimeric recombinase enzymes as a gene therapy method to safely emulate the natural mutation in CCR5 and therefore confer resistance to HIV-1.
While olfactory receptor neurons’ pre-synaptic activity have been extensively researched in anesthetized mice, little is known about odor-evoked synaptic activity in awake, freely moving animals. This project attempts to address this problem by adapting a fiber optic bundle imaging technique to the olfactory bulb.
Most genomes are made up of substantial portions of repetitive DNA, such as tandem repeats, sequences which are repeated head-to-tail at one specific locus within the genome. This paper studies tandem repeats and finds that repeats in promoters may allow quick evolution of gene expression levels to changing environments and selective pressures.
