Sukhmani Kaur

• BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences
• An investigation of the function of NF-κB p52 Ser222 phosphorylation using CRISPR/Cas9 engineered cell lines

CRISPR/Cas9 is a powerful technique allowing scientists to change the sequence of the DNA in genes in cells. Using this approach, the Perkins lab have engineered cancer cell lines to mutate a specific amino acid of the NF-kB2 (p100/p52) gene, an effector of the 'non-canonical' NF-kB pathway. This amino acid, serine 222, is modified in cells by phosphorylation and can regulate DNA binding by the active, p52 form, of this protein. It has been shown that the 'non-canonical' NF-kB pathway, can become aberrantly active in many types of cancer, where it can function as an important regulator of cell proliferation. I will investigate the effects of mutating the serine 222 (S222) phosphorylation on gene expression and cancer cell proliferation regulated by p52. My experiments will establish the importance of this phosphorylation site as a regulator of NF-kB activity, providing insights into how p52 activity is regulated in cancer cells.

Funding source: Biochemical Society

Project supervisor:Professor Neil Perkins