Date of Submission

5-12-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Advisor

Anna Kloc

Keywords

Epstein-Barr virus, gene expression, heart pathology

LCSH

Epstein-Barr virus, gene expression, pathology, heart

Abstract

The overall purpose of this project is to evaluate active gene expression in heart tissue samples infected by the Epstein-Barr virus. By cataloging active gene expression, one could elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underpin viral infection’s role in the development of heart pathology. This was accomplished by extracting nucleic acids from homogenized heart tissue samples, employing reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) to synthesize cDNA from extracted mRNA), and performing a qPCR to quantify the levels of gene expression from these cDNA samples. The genes explored within this project were: Hsp60, a chaperonin protein involved in mitochondrial stress response; BCL2, an anti-apoptotic protein that inhibits apoptotic signaling from other BCL2 family protein; and Cytochrome C, an electron carrier that is associated with the inner membrane of the mitochondria that also has functions as an apoptotic signaler within the intrinsic apoptotic pathway.

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