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Characterization Of The Immunoglobulin Lambda Chain Across Diverse Human Populations., William Gibson
Characterization Of The Immunoglobulin Lambda Chain Across Diverse Human Populations., William Gibson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The adaptive immune system relies on a diverse set of over one hundred immunoglobulin (IG) genes across three genomic loci that are variably combined to form antibodies (Ab). The IG Lambda locus is one of two loci which encodes the IG light chain. The complexity of the IGL locus severely limits the effective use of standard short-read sequencing, limiting our knowledge of population diversity in these loci. We leveraged single molecule real-time (SMRT) long-read sequencing in conjunction with IGL-targeted DNA capture to develop the method IG-Cap for accurate and high-throughput sequencing of the IGL locus. We benchmarked this method using …
The Effect Of Genetic Relatedness On Mate Selection And Spatial Distribution In The American Alligator, Alligator Mississippiensis, Mark Hoog
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
To date, most genetic studies on the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) have focused on population genetics and multiple paternity. There have not been any studies looking at how relatedness affects alligator behavior and movement. This study focused on three main questions: 1) what is the genetic diversity among alligators in this location? 2) can parentage be accurately defined among parents and offspring? and 3) how does individual relatedness affect their spatial distribution? We examined the relatedness of 174 unique individuals from the Okefenokee Swamp Park, in South Georgia, USA. In addition, we placed Telonics® satellite tags on …
Unraveling Dna And Identity: A Humanistic Perspective On Epistemologies And Ethics Of Genetic Ancestry Testing., Eve Carlisle Polley
Unraveling Dna And Identity: A Humanistic Perspective On Epistemologies And Ethics Of Genetic Ancestry Testing., Eve Carlisle Polley
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The advent of DNA ancestry testing motivated a burst of human activities that constitute a scientific-technological-industrial-personal-social movement of immense scale, infused with epistemological and ethical questions of great and important variety. This movement has motivated many discourses in the social sciences, with study subjects ranging from the language usage of geneticists, to moral conundrums faced by test-takers, to potential ramifications in global structures of political power. At the same time, and especially in recent decades, the discourses of the comparative humanities have included with increasing frequency and urgency research and theorization about concepts and consequences of human social identities, alongside …
The Role Of Foxd1 In Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, Kyle H. Bond
The Role Of Foxd1 In Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, Kyle H. Bond
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the 8th most common cancer in the United States, with the clear cell variant (ccRCC) being the most prevalent. Over 14,000 people die every year to RCC, with rates continuing to increase with an aging general population. Patients suffering from metastatic RCC (mRCC) have extremely poor prognoses, with a 5-year survival of only 11.2%. Current treatment options include resection of primary lesions, tyrosine kinase inhibition (Sunitinib, Pazopanib), mTOR inhibition (Temsirolimus, Everolimus), and immune checkpoint inhibition (Nivolumab, Atezolizumab). Recent attention has been drawn to inhibition of transcription factors like HIF2α (Belzutifan). There is a need …
Population Genetic Analyses Of Arctic Char (Salvelinus Alpinus) Life History Types In Nettilling Lake & Amadjuak River Ecosystem: A Test Of Reproductive Isolation, Chen Liu
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
A great number of studies have identified strong genetic differences between sympatric anadromous and resident populations of Salmonidae. However, Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) migratory phenotypes in the Nettilling Lake and Amadjuak River ecosystem in Nunavut, Canada have not been genetically characterized, and it remains unclear if distinct genotypes and phenotypes associated with migratory life history differences are maintained through reproductive isolation, and they have been assumed to be sympatric populations, or co-occurring populations. Co-occurring Arctic char (n=225) were sampled from eleven sites along the Amadjuak River in 2014 and 2015. Twelve microsatellite loci were used to quantify genetic variation among …
The Evolution Of Coral Snake Mimicry, Renan Janke Bosque
The Evolution Of Coral Snake Mimicry, Renan Janke Bosque
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Scientists have regarded mimicry as one of the most amazing examples of the power of natural selection. Early observations by naturalists of the mimetic association between venomous New World coral snakes of the genus Micrurus and harmless mimics has stimulated an intense debate about the causes and consequences of mimicry that persists today. Despite its medical, evolutionary and historical importance our understanding of evolution within the genus Micrurus is negligible. My dissertation explores the evolution of mimicry within South American coral snakes and their mimics using a multi-scale framework involving macroevolutionary (Chapter I), geographic/morphological concordance (Chapters II and III), behavioral …
Do Individual Responses To Resistance Exercise Exist To An Extent That Can Be Detected Beyond That Of Measurement Error/Random Biological Variability?, Scott J. Dankel
Do Individual Responses To Resistance Exercise Exist To An Extent That Can Be Detected Beyond That Of Measurement Error/Random Biological Variability?, Scott J. Dankel
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Millions of dollars are spent analyzing inter-individual differences in response to resistance exercise, but the lack of a non-exercise control group means they may simply be examining random error. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are inter-individual differences in response to two distinct resistance exercise protocols. Participants (n=151) were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups as follows: (1) a traditional exercise group performing 4 sets to failure with a load that could be lifted 8-12 times; (2) a one-repetition maximum (1RM) training group performing a 1RM test each visit; and (3) a non-exercise control group. …
Application And Refinement Of Molecular Ecology Techniques For Amphibian Conservation, Stephanie Marie Burgess
Application And Refinement Of Molecular Ecology Techniques For Amphibian Conservation, Stephanie Marie Burgess
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Wildlife conservation has become increasingly difficult due to habitat loss habitat fragmentation and land use change. Thus conservationists have embraced advances in molecular ecology such as landscape genetics and microbial bioinformatics that employ genetic techniques to further understand the relationship between individuals and their environment. In landscape genetics model inferences can be used to identify features that facilitate or resist gene flow providing a framework for anticipating the impacts of land use changes on a species’ ability to disperse. However the factors that affect the transferability of landscape genetics inferences are poorly understood and little is known about the effect …
Eco-Evolutionary Implications Of Environmental Change Across Heterogeneous Landscapes, Jared J. Homola
Eco-Evolutionary Implications Of Environmental Change Across Heterogeneous Landscapes, Jared J. Homola
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Species use a variety of mechanisms to adapt to environmental change. These range from spatially tracking optimal environments, to phenotypically plastic responses and evolutionary adaptation. Due to increases in anthropogenic influence on environments, characteristics of change such as their duration and magnitude are undergoing fundamental shifts away from the natural disturbance regimes that shaped species’ evolution. This dissertation uses empirical data and simulation models to examine the ecological and evolutionary consequences of environmental change across real, heterogeneous landscapes for multiple species, with an emphasis on anthropogenic changes. I used landscape genetics to evaluate the effects of urbanization on two native …
Movement In Cats, Valerie N. Plummer
Movement In Cats, Valerie N. Plummer
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Feral cats (Felis catus) are listed as one of the '100 world's worst invasive alien species'. There are as many as 70-100 million feral cats in the United States as well as an estimated 117-157 million domestic indoor and outdoor cats. Management efforts include a nonlethal feeding and sterilization program known as "trap-neuter-release" (TNR) where cats are surgically sterilized and returned to the environment. Population size and structure, immigration rates, spay/neuter rates, and data on spatial use all play a role in whether TNR is a viable management option. This study focuses on population structure and spatial use. …
Congenic And Functional Analysis Of Rat Mammary Cancer Susceptibility., Saasha Le
Congenic And Functional Analysis Of Rat Mammary Cancer Susceptibility., Saasha Le
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Breast cancer is a complex disease affected by genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors. The genetic architecture of breast cancer comprises of high to low penetrance alleles. Although low penetrance alleles associate with a small change in an individual’s risk to breast cancer, the total number of variants present and the high population frequency attributes to a much greater population based impact compared to rare high penetrance alleles. Animal models have been used to study these low penetrance modifier alleles in breast cancer. Different rat strains vary in their susceptibility to 7,12- dimethybenzanthracene (DMBA) induced mammary carcinogenesis, with the Wistar- Furth …
Loblolly Pine Genetics Structure Its Mycorrhizal Community, Bridget Joan Piculell
Loblolly Pine Genetics Structure Its Mycorrhizal Community, Bridget Joan Piculell
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Plant populations are constantly exposed to a multitude of biotic and abiotic environmental selection pressures. The ability of a population to persist in or adapt to its environment is heavily influenced by the genetic underpinnings of the traits involved. Thus, in order to understand patterns in current plant populations, and to predict future populations dynamics, an understanding of the genetic basis of adaptive traits is necessary. For example, genetic correlations between traits (driven by pleiotropy or linkage disequilibrium) could influence how species evolve under multiple, conflicting selection pressures, potentially either constraining or enhancing the adaptation of species to each other. …
Genetic Structure And Demographic Analysis Of Key Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus Clavium), Vicki Villanova
Genetic Structure And Demographic Analysis Of Key Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus Clavium), Vicki Villanova
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Recent improvements in genetic analyses have paved the way in using molecular data to answer questions regarding evolutionary history, genetic structure, and demography. Key deer are a federally endangered subspecies assumed to be genetically unique (based on one allozyme study), homogeneous, and have a female-biased population of approximately 900 deer. I used 985bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and 12 microsatellite loci to test two hypotheses: 1) if the Moser Channel is a barrier to gene flow, I should expect that Key deer are differentiated and have reduced diversity compared to mainland deer and (2) if isolation on islands …
The Role Of Artificial Structures In Facilitating Range Expansion Of The Introduced Barnacle Megabalanus Coccopoma In The Southeastern U.S.A., Alicia M. Reigel
The Role Of Artificial Structures In Facilitating Range Expansion Of The Introduced Barnacle Megabalanus Coccopoma In The Southeastern U.S.A., Alicia M. Reigel
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The barnacle Megabalanus coccopoma is a recent invader of the southeastern U.S.A. from the tropical eastern Pacific. In Georgia, M. coccopoma populations along the immediate coastline often suffer extensive mortality during the winter, but population rebuilding is common after these events suggesting that there may be nearby larval sources. I investigated the hypothesis that artificial structures (i.e., buoys, towers), occurring far enough offshore of Georgia for water temperatures to be moderated by the Gulf Stream, provide refuges for breeding adults of M. coccopoma and can serve as the larval source. I investigated this hypothesis by first developing thirteen microsatellite primer …
Light-Related Photosynthetic Gene Expression And Enzyme Activity In The Heterokont Alga Vaucheria Litorea And Its Symbiotic Partner The Sacoglossan Mollusc Elysia Chlorotica, Kara M. Soule
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Photosynthesis is comprised of tightly coupled reactions and therefore requires strict matrices of regulation, particularly involving alterations in gene expression and enzyme activity within the nucleus and plastid. Extensive research has been carried out on these light-regulated mechanisms in plants and green algae, however, much less is known in the red algal lineage, including heterokonts. The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of light on photosynthetic gene expression and select enzyme activity in the heterokont alga Vaucheria litorea and its symbiotic partner Elysia chlorotica, a photosynthetic sacoglossan mollusc (sea slug). Elysia chlorotica harbors V. litorea plastids …
A Temperature-Sensitive Mutant Of Escherichia Coli Affected In The Alpha Subunit Of Rna Polymerase, Majid Mehrpouyan
A Temperature-Sensitive Mutant Of Escherichia Coli Affected In The Alpha Subunit Of Rna Polymerase, Majid Mehrpouyan
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
A temperature-sensitive mutant of Escherichia coli affected in the alpha subunit of RNA polymerase has been investigated. Gene mapping and complementation experiments placed the mutation to temperature-sensitivity within the alpha operon at 72 min on the bacterial chromosome. The rate of RNA synthesis in vivo and the accumulation of ribosomal RNA were significantly reduced in the mutant at 44$\sp\circ$C. The thermostability at 44$\sp\circ$C of the purified holoenzyme from mutant cells was about 20% of that of the normal enzyme. Assays with T7 DNA as a template showed that the fraction of active enzyme competent for transcription was reduced as a …
Variants And Polymorphisms Of Three Repetitive Dna Families In The Human Genome, Robert M. Roudabush
Variants And Polymorphisms Of Three Repetitive Dna Families In The Human Genome, Robert M. Roudabush
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
A novel 0.6 kb LINE family in human DNA, designated L2Hs, has been described (Musich and Dykes 1986). Studies employing clone N6.4, containing three 0.6 kb segments of this family, indicate that these sequences are interspersed and moderately repetitive. Two additional variant sequences of the L2Hs family, N6.1 and N6.3, have been identified. Restriction mapping of each cloned segment indicates similarities among N6.4, N6.3 and N6.1. When the cloned DNAs were cleaved with restriction enzymes and subjected to cross-hybridization, each cloned insert produced a pattern indicating that the sequences contained in N6.1 and N6.3 are represented in at least one …