Submission Date

7-24-2026

Document Type

Paper- Restricted to Campus Access

Department

Biology

Faculty Mentor

Lindsay Kraus

Comments

Presented during the 28th Annual Summer Fellows Symposium, July 24, 2026 at Ursinus College.

Project Description

Fibroblast cells are primarily involved in tissue repair, production of extracellular matrices, and signal transduction. However, under stress, these cells undergo fibrosis, which subjects them to various physiological changes, often resulting in impaired cellular function. This project investigates the Runt-related transcription factor (RUNX) family of genes, comprised of RUNX1, RUNX2, and RUNX3, each uniquely involved in cellular responses to stressful environments. For instance, RUNX1 and RUNX3 work in tandem alongside p53, which subsequently upregulates apoptosis-inducing genes following DNA damage detection through the DNA damage response (DDR). This project aims to gain further insight on the expression of said genes, and investigate their roles, if any, in response to cellular stress in mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Additionally, this project investigates the possible chemotherapeutic roles, if any, of mitoxantrone dihydrochloride (MTX) and its potential interactions within the DDR, as well as within the RUNX family. Isolation of RNA from control and stressed cells underwent reverse transcription to convert into complementary DNA (cDNA) to be utilized for the qPCR. Following this conversion, qPCR was then performed using gene-specific primers for genes associated with the DDR, alongside the RUNX family. Quantification of gene expression was calculated to determine the relative fold change of each gene of interest.

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