College

Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences (BCAS)

Date of Last Revision

2023-05-03 23:50:34

Major

Biology

Honors Course

3100:499

Number of Credits

2

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Date of Expected Graduation

Spring 2020

Abstract

Capsicum spp. evolved capsaicin as a chemical defense to deter consumption of its fruits by mammals, allowing birds to disperse the seeds throughout a greater range. The Pun1 locus codes for a capsaicin synthase (CS), the expression of which is a direct determinant of capsaicin accumulation. RT-qPCR was used to measure low-abundance mRNA transcripts. The aim of this study was to use RT-qPCR to measure Pun1 expression in cDNA synthesized from total RNA extracted from placental tissue of Capsicum annuum and chinense cultivars. A secondary aim was to troubleshoot the protocol designed for this experiment to verify the efficacy of each step. RT-qPCR revealed genomic DNA contamination in a majority of cDNA samples.

Research Sponsor

Dr. Richard Londraville

First Reader

Dr. R. Joel Duff

Second Reader

Dr. Randy Mitchell

Honors Faculty Advisor

Dr. Brian Bagatto

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