Date of Graduation
Spring 2026
Degree
Master of Science in Biology
Department
Biology
Committee Chair
Kyoungtae Kim
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are characterized by their strong carbon-fluorine bonds, which makes it highly resistant to degradation. A notable member of the PFAS group is perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), which is widely used in products like non-stick cookware. It is used because of its unique ability to repel water and oil. However, PFOS’s high environmental persistence and long half-life poses significant risks to human health and natural biogeochemical processes. Several studies about perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and its toxicity to bacteria and certain eukaryotic cells have been reported; however, studies about PFOS and its toxicity within yeast cells remain to be accomplished. A budding yeast strain was exposed to PFOS with varying concentrations. A cell viability assay, mitochondria staining, an ATP assay, RNA sequencing, and RT-qPCR were used to determine possible toxic effects that PFOS has on Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cell viability decreased with increasing incubation times. An IC50 value of 800 µM was used after the cell viability assay for further experimentation. To determine why viability was decreasing, the mitochondria distribution patterns and the quantity of ATP produced in response to PFOS were examined. An RNAseq analysis was employed to reveal global gene expression in PFOS-treated cells, which was helpful in finding specific biological pathways that are being downregulated or upregulated in response to PFOS. The standard RT-qPCR method was used to validate the gene expression data from the RNAseq analysis. This study offers a new insight into the underlying molecular mechanisms of PFOS-mediated toxicity in fungal cells and provide potential impacts in raising public awareness about the risk of PFOS exposure as well as strategies to decrease the presence of the toxic compound within the environment.
Keywords
PFOS, viability assay, mitochondrial staining, ATP assay, RTPCR, cDNA, yeast
Subject Categories
Biology | Cell Biology
Copyright
© Ta'lor Z. Sandul
Recommended Citation
Sandul, Ta'lor Z., "Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) Toxicity on Yeast Cells: Cell Viability, Mitochondrial Modifications, and RNA Sequencing" (2026). Graduate Theses/Dissertations. 4164.
https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/4164
