| Summary: | Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Biological Engineering Division, 2004. === Includes bibliographical references. === Adult tissue differentiation involves the generation of distinct cell types from adult stem cells (ASCs). Current understanding of tissue differentiation mechanisms is based on studies of protein and RNAs that asymmetrically segregate between daughter cells during embryogenesis. Whether or not other types of biomolecules segregate asymmetrically has not been widely studied. In 1975, John Cairns proposed that ASCs preferentially segregate the oldest parental template DNA strands to themselves and pass on newly replicated DNA strands to their differentiating progeny in order to protect the stem cell from inheriting DNA replication mutations. This laboratory has shown non-random chromosome segregation in murine fetal fibroblasts that model asymmetric self-renewal like ASCs. In these cells, chromosomes that contain the oldest DNA strands co-segregate to the cycling daughter stem-like cells, while chromosomes with more recently replicated DNA segregate to the non-stem cell daughters. Previously, cytological methods were reported to elucidate non-random segregation in these cells. This dissertation research provides additional confirmation of the mechanism using physicochemical methods. Specifically, buoyant density-shift experiments in equilibrium CsCl density gradients were used to detect co-segregated "immortal DNA strands" based on incorporation of the thymidine base analogue bromodeoxyuridine. In addition, DNA from cells undergoing non-random mitotic chromosome segregation was analyzed for unique DNA base modifications and global structural modifications (by HPLC and melting temperature analyses). To date, these studies show no significant differences compared to control randomly segregated DNA. Components of the mitotic chromosome separation === (cont.) apparatus that might play a role in the co-segregation mechanism were also evaluated. Two homologous proteins, essential for proper chromosome segregation and cytokinesis, Aurora A kinase and Aurora B kinase, were highly reduced in expression in cells retaining immortal DNA strands and may indicate a role for them in the immortal strand mechanism. These studies independently confirm the immortal strand mechanism and provide methods for its detection in other cell lines. In addition, observed changes in chromosome segregation proteins that are potential candidates for involvement in the mechanism have revealed a new area of investigation in the laboratory. These findings are relevant to understanding normal tissue development, cancer, and aging. === y Janice A. Lansita. === Ph.D.
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