CAREER:The Role of the Protein Kinase C Pathway and Chromatin Remodeling Factors in Orchestrating the Environmental Stress Response in Yeast

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All organisms must be able to sense their environment and mount the appropriate defenses against environmental stress. This project will examine the complex regulatory network that orchestrates the environmental stress response (ESR) in yeast. The ESR consists of ~900 gene expression changes that are activated by diverse stresses. Experiments are planned to test the role of the Protein Kinase C (PKC) signaling network and chromatin remodeling proteins in regulating the ESR in response to specific stresses. Using DNA microarrays, it is possible to measure the expression level of every single gene in the yeast genome in one experiment. Yeast microarrays will be used to follow whole-genome expression in wild-type cells and in cells defective in PKC signaling, as cells respond to stress. Computational analysis of the data will identify genes whose expression is dependent on different regulatory proteins in the network, thus allowing the investigators to map the path of signal transduction in response to stress. These results will provide insights into how cells orchestrate complex cellular responses, including the ESR, and will shed light on the PKC signaling network. A significant component of this work is the development of a new computational genomics course at UW-Madison, specifically aimed at training biologists in statistical and computational analysis of large datasets.