Yeast as Model Organisms to
Study COX-2 Enzyme
Production in Microgravity
Brookhaven Academy
Brookhaven, Mississippi
 Principal Investigators:
 Missy Noel Clanton, 10th grade
 Mica Bailey Stewart, 10th grade
 Advisor:
 Dr. Donna Sullivan PhD
 Researcher – University of Mississippi Medical Center
 Teacher Facilitators
 Leslie Hood, Brookhaven Academy
 Dr. Dianne Watson, Brookhaven Academy
Yeast as a Model Organism to Study
COX-2 Enzyme Production in
Microgravity.
Will COX-2 Expression Increase?
 COX-2 enzymes are elevated in approximately
85% of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC)
 CRC is the 2nd leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the
United States
 Statistics show that over 90% of people who get colorectal
cancer die
Yeast as a Model Organism to Study
COX-2 Enzyme Production in
Microgravity.
 Yeast is often used as a model organism in cancer
research
 The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used in this
study due to its production of the COX-2 enzyme
Yeast as a Model Organism to Study
COX-2 Enzyme Production in
Microgravity.
 Microarray analysis will be used to measure mRNA
levels of several thousand genes in yeast, including
those involved in the production of COX-2
 The specific aim of this proposal is to evaluate gene
expression in S. cerevisiae by microarray analysis
Yeast as a Model Organism to Study
COX-2 Enzyme Production in
Microgravity.
 The proposed hypothesis is that COX-2 enzymes
will be up-regulated in microgravity.
Yeast as a Model Organism to Study
COX-2 Enzyme Production in
Microgravity.
 Materials:
 0.5 mL of S. cerevisiae in phosphate buffered (SigmaAldrich)
 2.0 mL of Yeast Peptone Dextrose Broth (Sigma-Aldrich)
 2.5 mL of RNA later II (Agilent Technologies)
Yeast as a Model Organism to Study
COX-2 Enzyme Production in
Microgravity.
Yeast as a Model Organism to Study
COX-2 Enzyme Production in
Microgravity.
 Hypothesis:
 COX-2 enzymes will be up-regulated in microgravity.
 Expected Outcome:
 COX-2 enzymes will increase in number as the yeast
increase in number
 previous research shows that microorganisms such as
yeast grow more rapidly in microgravity environments
Acknowledgments
 Selby and Richard McRae Foundation
 Brookhaven Academy Educational Foundation
 Center for the Advancement of Science in
Space (CASIS), SSEP National Partner
 National Center for Earth and Space Science
Education
 Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum