Creating, optimising and applying TRANCERS (TRanscriptionally Autonomous enhaNCERS) to drive cell and tissue specific expression

Thesis

The process by which a foreign gene is introduced into a cell and translated into a functional protein is referred to as transgene expression. Understanding and optimising transgene expression is crucial for many applications which range from functional genetic studies, recombinant protein production and gene therapy. The overall goal of this project has been to create a flexible system where we can engineer highly tissue- and stage-specific expression patterns. To accomplish this, we have taken advantage of past observations about enhancer function as well as revealing known and novel principles of transcript stability and nuclear export. My thesis has focused on the creation of TRANCERS (TRanscriptionally Autonomous enhaNCERS). To develop TRANCERS, we have shown that cell type specific distal enhancer elements, which normally drive expression from promoters, can also be engineered to themselves act as autonomous, specific, timely and highly compact sources of transcription.

Authors: Barrow Molina, E

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-ae0q1wjvm
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: tissue-specific expression of transgene constructs
• Subjects: Biotechnology