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Microbiology

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Wilfrid Laurier University

Theses/Dissertations

Microbiology

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Riparian Zone Soil Microbial Community Dynamics: Interactions With Nutrient Loadings, James Bannister Jan 2019

Riparian Zone Soil Microbial Community Dynamics: Interactions With Nutrient Loadings, James Bannister

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Riparian zones are a type of wetland described as the interface between land and a body of water such as a river or stream. Riparian zones are effective buffers against anthropogenic pollutants and nutrient loads from non-point sources that can greatly diminish water quality. Riparian zones can host a variety of plant species and associated microbial communities. The combined biological processes of plants, bacteria, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are key to nutrient cycling and nutrient removal in riparian zones. As such, understanding the factors that influence them is critical for watershed management. This research is targeted at obtaining a …


Structural Investigation Of Bcsc: Insight Into Periplasmic Transport During Cellulose Export, William Scott, Joel T. Weadge Jan 2019

Structural Investigation Of Bcsc: Insight Into Periplasmic Transport During Cellulose Export, William Scott, Joel T. Weadge

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

A biofilm can be defined by a community of microbes coexisting within a self-produced protective polymeric matrix. Exopolysaccharide (EPS) is a key component in biofilms and a contributor to their virulence and pathogenicity. The cellulose bacterial synthesis complex is one such EPS system that is found in many Enterobacteriaceae,including Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp., and is responsible for the production and secretion of the EPS cellulose. BcsC is the periplasmic protein responsible for the export of the exopolysaccharide cellulose and was the focus of this research. Sequence homology comparisons and structural predictions between BcsC, and the previously characterized alginate …


Structure-Function Investigation Of Proteins Involved In Cellulose Biosynthesis By Escherichia Coli, Thomas Brenner Jan 2017

Structure-Function Investigation Of Proteins Involved In Cellulose Biosynthesis By Escherichia Coli, Thomas Brenner

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Bacteria thrive within multicellular communities called biofilms consisting of a self-produced matrix. Biofilm matrices improve bacterial adherence to surfaces while creating a barrier from host immune responses, disinfectants, antibiotics and other environmental factors. Persistent colonization by the widely distributed pathogens, Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp., has been linked to production of biofilms composed of the exopolysaccharide cellulose. Cellulose-containing biofilms are also important to Acetobacter, Sarcina, Rhizobium and Agrobacterium species to form symbiotic and pathogenic interactions. In Enterobacteriaceae, two operons (bcsABZC and bcsEFG) are proposed to encode for proteins that form a cellulose biosynthetic complex that spans the …