Language
English (en)
Date of Award
Spring 5-7-2025
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Restricted/Unrestricted
Unrestricted
Abstract
Among the hallmarks of the eukaryotic cell is its organization into spatially defined sub-compartments known as organelles. Organelles provide optimized environments for otherwise incompatible biochemical reactions within the cell. It has been shown that there is significant variation in the properties of organelles in a cell, and that cells have access to a limited pool of resources that they can allocate to organelles. This begs the question: by what principles do cells dictate how resources are allocated? To begin to explore this question, we look at resource allocation in S. cerevisiaefrom two perspectives. First, we use a combination of theory and experiment to characterize organelle size-number optimization. Second, we use experiment to study the variation in protein expression in organelles. We propose that cellular resource allocation to organelle number and size is consistent with a simple optimality principle: resources are optimally allocated to organelle number and size growth for de novo synthesized organelles, while organelle numbers and sizes themselves are optimized for fission derived organelles. We also show a quantitative measure of intra-cellular variation in protein expression. This work represents a potential step toward uncovering the general rules that dictate resource allocation decisions during the processes eukaryotic cells use to build their organelles.
Mentor
Shankar Mukherji
Recommended Citation
Hanley, Ronan, "Experimental Evaluation of Resource Allocation to Organelles in Eukaryotic Cells" (2025). Senior Honors Papers / Undergraduate Theses. 67.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/undergrad_etd/67