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Genetics published an article this month by Visiting Instructor of Biology Astrid H. Helfant titled "Mutational analysis reveals a role for the C terminus of the proteasome subunit Rpt4p in spindle pole body duplication in Saccharomyces cerevisiae."

In this paper, Helfant, in conjunction with two other scientists and two Colgate undergraduate students, focuses on the proteasome component Rpt4p in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This protein is believed to promote degradation of a substrate(s), whose decreased concentration triggers yeast centrosome duplication. The centrosome is an organelle found in fungi (including yeast) and in most animal cells and is known to play a key role in maintaining the genomic stability of the cell. The mutational analysis presented in the paper involved creating more than 50 different mutations in the RPT4 gene (which encodes for the Rpt4 protein).

For more information on Helfant's research, go to: http://academics.hamilton.edu/biology/ahelfant/helfant_research_interests.html 

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