The graph shows when the gene is expressed in Tetrahymena thermophila. The spike in the graph indicates that Pprs-42 is strongly expressed at that moment in conjugation.
Other Tetrahymena genes have been researched however this one has not and very little is known about this specific gene. This research just confirms that it is not involved in the DNA damage repair pathway which is a major pathway that occurs during conjugation.
Conjugation is when two organisms exchange DNA which allows it to then go on to replicate. When T. Thermophila replicates it cuts up its DNA which leads to a really robust pathway. So,the DNA damage repair pathway occurs during conjugation.
As the gene was found to have no expression when double stranded breaks were induced it is highly unlikely that Pprs-42 is involved in the repair pathway. We could do further experiments where we induced DNA damage in other ways but it is probably better to just shift gears and look at other potential genes that may be involved.
Thanks! Using primer design plus is actually super easy. We just pasted our genomic and coding sequences into the website and it generated possible primers for us. We then used the conditions that I listed in the methods to compare them and chose the best one.
curesymposium.org 
What does the spike in the graph included in the question and hypothesis section depict?
LikeLike
The graph shows when the gene is expressed in Tetrahymena thermophila. The spike in the graph indicates that Pprs-42 is strongly expressed at that moment in conjugation.
LikeLike
How does your figure show that Peppers is only active during conjugation?
LikeLike
The graph shows when Pprs-42 is expressed, as you can see on the graph it is only expressed during the c phase which stands for conjugation.
LikeLike
How does your research further previous research done on this topic?
LikeLike
Other Tetrahymena genes have been researched however this one has not and very little is known about this specific gene. This research just confirms that it is not involved in the DNA damage repair pathway which is a major pathway that occurs during conjugation.
LikeLike
What does conjugation entail in the process of the DNA repair pathway?
LikeLike
Conjugation is when two organisms exchange DNA which allows it to then go on to replicate. When T. Thermophila replicates it cuts up its DNA which leads to a really robust pathway. So,the DNA damage repair pathway occurs during conjugation.
LikeLike
What further research could depict Pprs-42 to be involved in the DNA damage repair pathway?
LikeLike
As the gene was found to have no expression when double stranded breaks were induced it is highly unlikely that Pprs-42 is involved in the repair pathway. We could do further experiments where we induced DNA damage in other ways but it is probably better to just shift gears and look at other potential genes that may be involved.
LikeLike
Great poster! I found this super interesting and was curious how does designing primers using the Primer Design Plus work?
LikeLike
Thanks! Using primer design plus is actually super easy. We just pasted our genomic and coding sequences into the website and it generated possible primers for us. We then used the conditions that I listed in the methods to compare them and chose the best one.
LikeLike