Brianna Teerlink
Age: 19
Year: Sophomore
College/University: Brigham Young University-Provo
Intended major/minor(s): Biology and Computer Science
Future career goals: Medical Law with a focus in Bioethics
Place of birth: Harrisonburg, VA
Hometown: Mechanicsville, VA
Hobbies: Reading, writing poetry, ballroom dance, theatre
Faculty Mentor: Greg Wray, PhD
Summer Research Project: Evidence for Transcriptional Regulation by Differential Promoter Methylation in SM50 in Strongylocentrotus purpuratus in Early Development
Abstract: Brianna Teerlink, David Garfield, William Nielsen, Courtney Babbitt, Gregory A Wray
This project examines the methylation aspect of evolution and gene expression by transcriptional control in purple sea urchins from the Santa Barbara coast: Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Two crosses of eight individuals each were sampled at four stages in early development, and DNA was amplified using PCRs for the SM-50 primer set, a gene from the skeletogenic network. The DNA was methylated, amplified with biotinylated primers, and then analyzed for differences in percentage of methylation during development at CpG sites using pyrosequencing technology. Large differences were found in early developmental stages. Eight adult samples were also analyzed for variation in percentage of methylation, and found to have few differences in percentage of methylation as compared to developmental stages. Variations across adult samples may be correlated to continued growth and repair as well as age and environmental stressors. Though results are not conclusive, there is evidence for a connection between differential methylation and transcriptional regulation during early development in Strongylocentrotus purpuratus.