Abstract

This study evaluates the impact of protein acetylation on breast cancer gene expression and the regulation of metabolism. Acetylation is the second abundant post-translational modification after phosphorylation, regulating protein activity and function. The alterations in acetylation of both histone and non-histone proteins is known to be related to many human diseases, including cancer. Acetylation and deacetylation of histones is closely associated with the regulation of gene expression, while acetylation of non-histone proteins may have a broad effect on major cellular processes, such as proliferation, metabolism, cell cycle and apoptosis, imbalanced regulation of which is essential for cancer development. Therefore, it’s critical to explore the role of this post-translational modification in cancer in a systematic manner. Here, utilizing a unique acetylome dataset for 120 patients with breast cancer, as well as genomic and proteomic data, I showed the impact of acetylation on gene expression and metabolic enzymes. More specifically, the association between histone H2B acetylation level and expression of FOXA1 and GATA3 transcription factors has been established. In addition, acetylation of metabolic enzymes has been demonstrated to reveal additional information on metabolism regulation in breast cancer.

Committee Chair

Li Ding

Committee Members

Michael Brent Gary Patti

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Author's Department

Biomedical Engineering

Author's School

McKelvey School of Engineering

Document Type

Thesis

Date of Award

12-2018

Language

English (en)

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