Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Nr4a1 In Β-Cell Growth And Onset Of Type 2 Diabetes, Adam Wynn, Jeffery Tessem, Ph.D.

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Progression to type 2 diabetes (T2D) includes a loss of functional pancreatic beta cells (β-cells), which are responsible for secreting insulin and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Nr4a1 is a gene that has been shown to be involved in fuel utilization in the liver, muscles, and adipose tissues,1, 2, 3, 4 but not much is known about its role in the β-cell and T2D progression. We therefore set out to further define Nr4a1’s role in the β- cell during T2D progression. We hypothesized that the loss of Nr4a1 in the pancreata of mice would result in decreased β-cell maintenance and …

Quantifying Predictive Value Of Biological Data Types In Machine Learning Models Of Cancer Outcome, Samantha Jensen, Stephen Piccolo

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Precision medicine is a growing movement toward utilizing molecular diagnostics to guide medical decisions. It is particularly useful when applied to cancer treatment, as knowing details about cancer stage, genetic pathology, and tumor type can inform life-saving decisions. Increasingly, physicians may use genetic, proteomic, epigenetic, and expression data to determine treatment strategy and even choose specific chemotherapy drugs1.

Microbiota Effects On Ethanol Tolerance In Drosophila Melanogaster, Rebekah Rushforth, John Chaston

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, is one of the primary organisms for genetic study because it contains a small genome that allows for easy study of mutations. Furthermore, Drosophila is a choice model for host genetics. The human gut microbiome contains hundreds to thousands of different species of microbiota; where the microbiota of a fruit fly is approximately 40 species. In addition, we can make the flies axenic (bacteria free). This allows us to mono or multi associate different bacteria groups in order to identify causation in phenotype changes in the host organism. In this project, we test axenic …

In-Class Participation And Performance Gender Gaps In Introductory Biology Courses: The Instructor Gender Effect, Nicholas Nelson, Liz Bailey

Journal of Undergraduate Research

It is well known that undergraduate women are underrepresented in STEM disciplines, which includes the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (NSF 20011). However, the explanation for this phenomenon is not completely understood. Much research has been done recently and suggests that the “why?” is very complicated and multi-faceted (Smith 2012, Gayles 2014). Reasons can include female students’ sense of belonging, perception of ability, access to a positive mentor, and others (Smith 2012). While biology programs are unique in that female enrollment often exceeds that of males, gender inequities are still seen as postgraduates enter their careers (Handelsman et.al 2005). Because …

Examining The Relative Contributions Of Genes, Diet, And The Gut Microbiome To The Development Of Obesity And Diabetes, Laura C. Bridgewater

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This project began as a collaboration with Dr. Julianne Grose in MMBIO to study the effect of PAS kinase on diabetes and obesity in a mouse model system. Due to our initial findings, the study has grown to include Dr. Ben Bickman in PDBIO (an expert in metabolism) and Dr. Scott Weber in MMBIO (an immunologist). We have found that PAS kinase knockout mice have an increased metabolic rate—not only in their overall system but also specifically in skeletal muscle. Metabolic rate can have a profound influence on the immune system, so we began working with Dr. Weber to measure …

Analysis Of Hmgcr As A Genetic Modifier For Alzheimer’S Disease, Brian Davis, Dr. John S. K. Kauwe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that occurs predominantly later in life and represents the fourth most common cause of death in the developed world. Given the absence of curative treatment, discovering the factors related to the development of AD and the conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD is one of the most urgent medical mysteries affecting the aging population. The search for the identification of genes contributing to AD led to the identification of 695 candidate genes of which a surprising number are directly involved in lipid metabolism at the level of transport, synthesis, storage, …

Marital Satisfaction, Error-Observation, And The Brain: Harmful Or Beneficial Effects Of Spouse Observation?, Chelsea Romney, Michael Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Romney, Chelsea Marital Satisfaction, Error-observation, and the Brain: Harmful or Beneficial Effects of Spouse Observation? Faculty Mentor: Larson, Michael, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Introduction Rewarding marital relationships are associated with many positive outcomes in one’s physical and mental health (Robles, & Kiecolt-Glaser, 2003). These benefits include improved cardiovascular functioning (Kiecolt-Glaser, & Newton, 2001), decreased depression risk (Robins & Reiger, 1991), higher self-reported levels of happiness (Proulx & Snyder-Rivas, 2013), and overall lower rates of mortality (Manzoli, Villari, Pirone & Boccia, 2007). Furthermore, positive health outcomes are not only due to marital status, but also to the quality of one’s …

Marital Satisfaction, Error-Observation, And The Brain: Harmful Or Beneficial Effects Of Spouse Observation?, Chelsea Romney, Michael Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Romney, Chelsea Marital Satisfaction, Error-observation, and the Brain: Harmful or Beneficial Effects of Spouse Observation? Faculty Mentor: Larson, Michael, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Introduction Rewarding marital relationships are associated with many positive outcomes in one’s physical and mental health (Robles, & Kiecolt-Glaser, 2003). These benefits include improved cardiovascular functioning (Kiecolt-Glaser, & Newton, 2001), decreased depression risk (Robins & Reiger, 1991), higher self-reported levels of happiness (Proulx & Snyder-Rivas, 2013), and overall lower rates of mortality (Manzoli, Villari, Pirone & Boccia, 2007). Furthermore, positive health outcomes are not only due to marital status, but also to the quality of one’s …

Presenilin E318g Variant And Alzheimer’S Disease Risk: The Cache Country Study, Ariel Hippen, John Kauwe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly and the third most common cause of death in the United States. A vast number of genes regulate Alzheimer’s disease, including Presenilin 1 (PSEN1). It is possible that novel variants in the PSEN1 gene have an effect on Alzheimer’s disease status. A recent study suggested that one of these variants, PSEN1 E318G, significantly affects Alzheimer’s disease status in a large case-control dataset, particularly in connection with the APOEε4 allele [1].

Discovery And Confirmation Of Novel Serum Biomarkers Diagnosing Alzheimer’S Disease, Tyler Mower, Dr. John Kauwe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains challenging to diagnose, especially early disease. Useful serum AD biomarkers would be of great utility in clinical settings and in drug development efforts. We used a novel serum proteomic approach to interrogate the lowmolecular- weight proteome for AD biomarkers.

Experimental design: A discovery study used sera from 58 any-stage AD cases and 55 controls analyzed by capillary liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Promising biomarkers were retested in a second, blinded confirmatory study (AD cases=68, controls=57). Several biomarkers replicated and multi-marker sets were modeled.

Results: The initial study found 59 potential AD biomarkers. Thirteen recurred in more …

Replication Of Gene-Gene Interactions In Large Alzheimer Disease Dataset, Kevin Boehme, Dr. John "Keoni" Kauwe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common and complex neurodegenerative disease. It is the most common cause of dementia and is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. To date, many genetic loci have been found that modify AD risk, but collectively, they explain only a fraction of the heritability of the disease. It is hypothesized that rare variants with large effects as well as epistatic interactions account for much of the unexplained heritability in AD.

Effects Of Blocking Tlr 4 And Rage On The Progression Of Oa In The Tmj, David Mecham, David Kooyman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the cartilage that affects more than 80% of Americans above the age of 65 (1). Many adults also suffer from Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD), and 80% of such individuals eventually develop Temporomandibular joint associated Osteoarthritis (TMJ OA) (2). Current pharmaceutical options target symptoms of OA, but there are no known treatments available. Research is being undertaken to elucidate the root causes of the disease at a cellular level. Our lab has previously shown that mice lacking the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products are protected from OA (3). Other researchers have shown that blocking …

Genome-Wide Association Study Of Cerebrospinal Fluid Prostatic Acid Phosphatase Levels, Lyndsay A. Staley, John S. K. Kauwe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In genome wide association studies (GWAS), the use of endophenotypes, or intermediate traits, have been found to provide novel insights into understanding the genetics of complex human disease and the pathways and proteins associated with them. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has been shown to contain analytes that may provide promising insight into disease pathways that may not be identified using blood or other biological fluids. The analytes were selected from the Rules Based Medicine, Inc. (RBM) (Austin, TX) Human Discovery Panel 1.0, which includes a range of signaling, structural, and trafficking proteins that have previously shown relationships with human disease pathology. …