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Articles 1 - 30 of 33
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Water Temperature And Harmful Algal Bloom Rate, Geoff Bright, Greg Michalski, Benjamin P. Wilkins
Water Temperature And Harmful Algal Bloom Rate, Geoff Bright, Greg Michalski, Benjamin P. Wilkins
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Harmful algal blooms, made up of cyanobacteria, is an increasing problem in Midwestern lakes. Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers used in crops such as corn and soybeans run off into streams and eventually lakes. Nitrogen and phosphorus in the form of nitrate and phosphate respectively is then used by cyanobacteria as a food source, allowing them to bloom at an alarming rate. Massive bloom events can be hazardous to both human health and the natural environment because of the release of neurotoxins, hepatotoxins and others into the air and drinking water. We set out to find if different water temperature can …
Engineering Bioluminescent Sensors Of Cyclic Amp To Study Opioid Signaling, Alexander L. Tesmer, Alexander R. French, Mathew Tantama
Engineering Bioluminescent Sensors Of Cyclic Amp To Study Opioid Signaling, Alexander L. Tesmer, Alexander R. French, Mathew Tantama
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Opioids are small signaling molecules which bind to opioid receptors on the surface of cells. The kappa opioid receptor (KOR) is one of three major types of opioid receptors found in human neurons. When an opioid binds to a KOR, a variety of biochemical signaling pathways are activated inside the cell. Each of these pathways are associated with different physiological effects of KOR activation. The production of a small signaling molecule, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), is known to be inhibited during KOR activation of the analgesic (pain-killing) signaling pathway. The ability to interrogate the individual responses of KOR signaling pathways …
Cost-Effective Paper-Based Diagnostic Using Split Proteins To Detect Yeast Infections, Zachary R. Berglund, Kevin V. Solomon, Mohit S. Verma, Moiz Rasheed, Zachary Hartley, Kevin Fitzgerald, Kok Zhi Lee, Janice Chan, Julianne Dejoie, Makayla Schacht, Alex Zavala
Cost-Effective Paper-Based Diagnostic Using Split Proteins To Detect Yeast Infections, Zachary R. Berglund, Kevin V. Solomon, Mohit S. Verma, Moiz Rasheed, Zachary Hartley, Kevin Fitzgerald, Kok Zhi Lee, Janice Chan, Julianne Dejoie, Makayla Schacht, Alex Zavala
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
The common yeast infection, vulvovaginal candidiasis, affects three out of four women throughout their lifetime and can be spread to their child in the form of oral candidiasis (thrush). This disease is caused by the fungal pathogen Candida albicans, which is also a major cause of systemic candidiasis, a rarer but deadly disease with up to a 49% lethality rate. Current widely-used diagnostic methods include cell cultures, pH tests, and antibody detection, to assist effective treatment. Despite availability of various diagnostic methods, there is no inexpensive, rapid, and accurate way to detect C. albicans infection. This project aims to …
Engineering Dub-Deficient Viral Proteases From Fipv And Pedv Coronaviruses, Daniel T. Wesenberg, Jozlyn R. Clasman, Andrew D. Mesecar
Engineering Dub-Deficient Viral Proteases From Fipv And Pedv Coronaviruses, Daniel T. Wesenberg, Jozlyn R. Clasman, Andrew D. Mesecar
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Coronaviruses form a class of viral pathogens lethal to humans and livestock. This issue is compounded by a lack of commercially available treatments or vaccines. In 2014, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) emerged in the United States and accounted for an estimated 7 million porcine deaths. Deaths of humans, companion animals, and livestock caused by coronaviruses highlight the need for therapeutic strategies to combat this devastating disease. One strategy involves engineering papain-like protease 2 (PLP2), an enzyme conserved among coronavirus species that is critical for virus replication and pathogenesis. PLP2’s de-ubiquitinating (DUB) activity aids in the suppression of the host’s …
Another Route For Amino Acid Production?: Reverse Genetic Probing For A Functional Cytosolic Shikimate Pathway In Plants, Gabrielle C. Buck, Joseph Lynch, Natalia Dudareva
Another Route For Amino Acid Production?: Reverse Genetic Probing For A Functional Cytosolic Shikimate Pathway In Plants, Gabrielle C. Buck, Joseph Lynch, Natalia Dudareva
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
The shikimate pathway is a metabolic pathway that produces the three aromatic amino acids—phenylalanine, tryptophan, and tyrosine—which are essential to human diets and necessary for many plant functions. Consequently, the shikimate pathway is commonly targeted for antibiotic and herbicide strategies as well as genetic engineering in several fields. This pathway is known to be localized in the plastids, or double membrane-bound organelles, of plant cells; however, there is enzymatic evidence of another shikimate pathway in the cell fluid, or cytosol. To determine whether a complete cytosolic shikimate pathway exists, we used a modified gene for the first enzyme of the …
Performing A Genetic Screen To Identify Factors That Promote Lncrna-Dependent Gene Repression, Chrishan Fernando, Cecilia Yiu, Sara Cloutier, Siwen Wang, Elizabeth Tran
Performing A Genetic Screen To Identify Factors That Promote Lncrna-Dependent Gene Repression, Chrishan Fernando, Cecilia Yiu, Sara Cloutier, Siwen Wang, Elizabeth Tran
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were once thought not to have useful functions in organisms but rather to be products of aberrant transcription. However, roles are being found for lncRNAs in beneficial processes such as controlling gene expression. In some of these cases, lncRNAs form R-loops in vivo. R-loops are nucleic acid structures consisting of hybridized strands of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) as well as the displaced strand of ssDNA. Formation of these R-loops is important for gene regulation by the lncRNAs. However, factors that promote formation of lncRNA R-loops are not known. The gene PHO84 is being …
Fret Biosensors: Engineering Fluorescent Proteins As Biological Tools For Studying Parkinson’S Disease, Nathan J. Leroy, Jacob R. Norley, Saranya Radhakrishnan, Mathew Tantama
Fret Biosensors: Engineering Fluorescent Proteins As Biological Tools For Studying Parkinson’S Disease, Nathan J. Leroy, Jacob R. Norley, Saranya Radhakrishnan, Mathew Tantama
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease with over 200,000 new cases each year. In general, the cause of the disease is unknown, but oxidative stress inside of neurons has been associated with the disease’s pathology for some time. Currently, techniques to study the onset of PD inside of neurons are limited. This makes treatments and causes difficult to discover. One solution to this has been fluorescent protein biosensors. In short, these proteins can be engineered to glow when a certain state is achieved inside a cell. The present research discusses the engineering of a genetically-encoded fluorescent protein (FP) …
Fluorescent Protein Biosensor For Use In Parkinson's Research, Piper R. Miller, Keelan Trull, Mathew Tantama
Fluorescent Protein Biosensor For Use In Parkinson's Research, Piper R. Miller, Keelan Trull, Mathew Tantama
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Purinergic signaling is a type of extracellular communication that occurs between cells, mediated by adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and adenosine. In Parkinson’s Disease, purinergic signaling is disrupted, which contributes to neurodegeneration. In order to monitor this change in cell-to-cell signaling, there is a need for the development of a fluorescent protein (FP) biosensor to study the changes in the concentration of the signaling molecule ATP and its decomposition bioproduct ADP. This summer a genetically encoded ADP sensor that measures changes in ADP concentration was developed. This sensor utilizes Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) which is a sensing technique …
Determination Of Amino Acids Involved In Specificity And Activity Of Chladub2, Trent S. Arbough, John M. Hausman, Chittaranjan Das
Determination Of Amino Acids Involved In Specificity And Activity Of Chladub2, Trent S. Arbough, John M. Hausman, Chittaranjan Das
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Chlamydia trachomatis is a pathogen which infects humans as a sexually transmitted disease or through ocular infection, causing ocular trachoma. Ocular trachoma is the leading cause of non-congenital blindness in developing countries. The bacteria employs the deubiquitinating enzyme ChlaDUB2 to remove ubiquitin from its inclusion membrane in order to avoid lysosomal degradation. Key amino acids involved in ubiquitin recognition and cleavage were mutated in order to probe substrate specificity and catalytic activity of ChlaDUB2. Mutants were used in fluorometry assays in order to determine how the mutations affect the ability of ChlaDUB2 to release the amino methyl coumarin (AMC) group …
Tumor Formation In Response To Loss Of Chromatin Remodeler Chd5 In Zebrafish, Taylor R. Sabato, Erin L. Sorlien, Dr. Joseph P. Ogas
Tumor Formation In Response To Loss Of Chromatin Remodeler Chd5 In Zebrafish, Taylor R. Sabato, Erin L. Sorlien, Dr. Joseph P. Ogas
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 5 (CHD5) has been identified as a tumor suppressor in humans. Deletion or mutation of CHD5 has been observed in numerous cancers, including neuroblastoma and melanoma. We hypothesize that chd5 is also a tumor suppressor in zebrafish, a powerful model system to study tumorigenesis. Many genes involved in tumorigenesis are conserved in zebrafish, and they develop fully penetrant tumor phenotypes. We have created chd5 knock-out zebrafish using CRISPR/Cas9 and are monitoring them for tumor development. In addition to the chd5 knock-outs, we are undertaking a double-mutant approach by coupling loss …
Determining The Role Of Epigenetic Factors In Antifungal Drug Resistance, Abigail R. Gress, Scott D. Briggs, Nina Serratore
Determining The Role Of Epigenetic Factors In Antifungal Drug Resistance, Abigail R. Gress, Scott D. Briggs, Nina Serratore
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Epigenetic factors are proteins that regulate gene expression by altering transcriptional machinery access to nucleosomes, DNA wrapped around histone proteins. Two classes of epigenetic factors are ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers and histone modifiers such as histone methyltransferases (HMTs), proteins that add methyl groups to histone tails. This study focuses on AIF4 (Antifungal-Induced Factor 4), a possible HMT induced upon neutral lipid depletion that we hypothesize is regulating antifungal drug resistance genes. Overexpression of AIF4 results in hypersensitivity to antifungal drugs. Studying epigenetic factors in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, including AIF4, can lead to better understanding of cell adaptation to their environments …
The Effect Of An Enhanced Isopentenyl Monophosphate Pool On Terpenoid Biosynthesis In Vivo, Evan T. Adams, Laura K. Henry, Dr. Natalia Dudareva
The Effect Of An Enhanced Isopentenyl Monophosphate Pool On Terpenoid Biosynthesis In Vivo, Evan T. Adams, Laura K. Henry, Dr. Natalia Dudareva
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Found in all living organisms, terpenoids make up the largest group of natural products and are essential compounds for many major processes, including photosynthesis, respiration, hormone production, and electron transport. Additionally, they have commercial and medical value in products including fragrances, cosmetics, and medicines. Terpenoids originate from the five-carbon building blocks isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP), which are synthesized by the mevalonic acid (MVA) and methylerithritol phosphate (MEP) pathways. An alternative MVA pathway was discovered in Archaea with the final two enzymes being phosphomevalonate decarboxylase (MPD) and isopentenyl phosphate kinase (IPK). Even though this alternative pathway is not …
Expression And Site-Directed Mutagenesis Of Type Iii Polyketide Synthases, Logan R. Richards, Odessa Goudy, Lee M. Stunkard, Aaron B. Benjamin, Bethany P. Manning, Jeremy Lohman
Expression And Site-Directed Mutagenesis Of Type Iii Polyketide Synthases, Logan R. Richards, Odessa Goudy, Lee M. Stunkard, Aaron B. Benjamin, Bethany P. Manning, Jeremy Lohman
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Natural products are a well-established source of drugs, and evolution has yielded polyketides such as leinamycin and iso-migrastatin that have demonstrated anti-tumor activity. Polyketides are large metabolites with a high degree of chemical variability and are commonly produced by soil bacteria. Polyketide synthases (PKS) exist as three different archetypes, and the reaction mechanisms of ketosynthases from all archetypes is not understood. Type III PKSs exist as an independently functioning ketosynthase (KS), which primarily use coenzyme A (CoA), with some exceptions, for the biosynthesis of polyketides. We elected to focus our studies on ketosynthases, because they are responsible for forming the …
Mutational And Biochemical Analysis Of Isoprenylcysteine Carboxyl Methyltransferase, Sahej Bains, Amy L. Funk, Christine A. Hrycyna
Mutational And Biochemical Analysis Of Isoprenylcysteine Carboxyl Methyltransferase, Sahej Bains, Amy L. Funk, Christine A. Hrycyna
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Ninety percent of pancreatic cancers are attributed to mutations in the Ras protein, making it paramount to concentrate on Ras activity. This study focuses on Ras activity by targeting a post-translational modifying enzyme of Ras called Isoprenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransferase (Icmt). Elucidation of the binding site of Icmt will allow the development of therapeutics that effectively inhibit Icmt causing the mislocalization of Ras, and in turn, aid in the treatment of Ras driven cancers. Currently, the hydrophobic substrate binding site of Icmt is unknown. In order to characterize the substrate binding site of Icmt, site-directed mutagenesis was used to design mutations …
In Vitro Motility Of Actin Filaments Powered By Plant Myosins Xi, Cesar A. Quintana-Cataño, Christopher J. Staiger, Weiwei Zhang
In Vitro Motility Of Actin Filaments Powered By Plant Myosins Xi, Cesar A. Quintana-Cataño, Christopher J. Staiger, Weiwei Zhang
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
The actomyosin network is thought to support fundamental processes of plant development and cell expansion such as polarized elongation of root hairs and the diffuse growth of epidermal and mesophyll cells. Inhibition of myosins via pharmacological treatments represents one of the key approaches for understanding of their roles in different cellular processes. However, the use of the standard plant myosin inhibitor, 2,3-butanedionemonoxime (BDM), is questioned as it requires a high concentration and may not be as specific as desired. By testing drugs that inhibit animal and yeast myosins V, the Staiger laboratory previously found pentabromopseudilin (PBP) as a potential inhibitor …
Nanobubbles Provide Theranostic Relief To Cancer Hypoxia, Christopher M. Long, Pushpak N. Bhandari, Joseph Irudayaraj
Nanobubbles Provide Theranostic Relief To Cancer Hypoxia, Christopher M. Long, Pushpak N. Bhandari, Joseph Irudayaraj
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Hypoxia is a common motif among tumors, contributing to metastasis, angiogenesis, cellular epigenetic abnormality, and resistance to cancer therapy. Hypoxia also plays a pivotal role in oncological studies, where it can be used as a principal target for new anti-cancer therapeutic methods. Oxygen nanobubbles were designed in an effort to target the hypoxic tumor regions, thus interrupting the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) regulatory pathway and inhibiting tumor progression. At less than 100nm, oxygen nanobubbles act as a vehicle for site-specific oxygen delivery, while also serving as an ultrasound contrast agent for advanced imaging purposes. Through in vitro and in vivo studies, …
Biochemical And Structural Characterization Of Cdc14 Phosphatases From Pathogenic Fungi, John Whitney, Kyle Wettschurack, Mark Hall, Jeremy Lohman, Aaron Benjamin, Lee M. Stunkard
Biochemical And Structural Characterization Of Cdc14 Phosphatases From Pathogenic Fungi, John Whitney, Kyle Wettschurack, Mark Hall, Jeremy Lohman, Aaron Benjamin, Lee M. Stunkard
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdk) drive cell cycle progression and reversal of Cdk phosphorylation is essential for mitotic exit. Cdc14 is a widely conserved family of protein phosphatases that reverse Cdk phosphorylation. Recently, Cdc14 was also found to be essential for pathogenicity of some fungal plant pathogens. Fungal pathogens, like Ustilago maydis, decrease agricultural crop yield costing global agriculture by some accounts $60 billion per year. Since Cdc14 is absent in plants, a fungi specific Cdc14 inhibitor could be made to reduce the pathogenicity of U. maydis and other fungal plant pathogens to increase crop yields. To guide inhibitor development, a …
Role Of Sumoylation In Mitochondrial Division In Tetrahymena Thermophila, Ramya Modi, James Forney
Role Of Sumoylation In Mitochondrial Division In Tetrahymena Thermophila, Ramya Modi, James Forney
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
SUMOylation is a post translation modification that involves the addition of a small protein called SUMO, Small Ubiquitin-like MOdifier to a target protein. It is an important mechanism for the regulation of gene expression, the maintenance of genomic stability and in modifying nuclear proteins. More recently evidence has emerged for its importance in regulating mitochondrial fission and fusion in mammalian cells. This study evaluates the parameters for optimal staining of Tetrahymena thermophila mitochondria using two different dyes and then examines different cell lines with defects in the SUMOylation pathway. The first staining method uses Mitotracker Green, a vital stain that …
Characterizing The Rogfp2-Orp1 Fluorescent Biosensor For Detecting Oxidative Stress In Mammalian Cells, Sara A. Doan, Stevie Norcross, Mathew Tantama
Characterizing The Rogfp2-Orp1 Fluorescent Biosensor For Detecting Oxidative Stress In Mammalian Cells, Sara A. Doan, Stevie Norcross, Mathew Tantama
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease involving the death of neurons in the substantia nigra and loss of the neurotransmitter, dopamine. The disease leads to progressive loss of motor control. Exact causes and mechanisms by which Parkinson’s disease proceeds are unknown, however, previous experiments determine oxidative stress in mitochondria as a factor that results in cell death. Strategies have been implemented to generate fluorescent biosensors to monitor reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrations while simultaneously measuring the spatiotemporal distribution and correlation between the ROS, cellular function and organelle. Orp1, an enzyme found in yeast, is a sensitive oxidizing species and when …
Characterizing The Role Of Aif4 In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Antonia L. Hur Ms., Nina Serratore Ms., Scott D. Briggs
Characterizing The Role Of Aif4 In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Antonia L. Hur Ms., Nina Serratore Ms., Scott D. Briggs
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Chromatin remodelers are important regulatory mechanisms that eukaryotic cells use to modify the structure of chromatin, which is made up of DNA and proteins. DNA wraps around histone proteins to make up chromatin. When these proteins are modified, the shape of the chromatin is altered. “Loosening” the chromatin structure by chromatin modifications allows for active gene expression whereas “tightening” or compaction of chromatin results in gene repression. Therefore the modifications on chromatin modulate gene expression in all eukaryotes. It has been shown that mis-regulation of chromatin remodelers contribute to various cancers. Understanding the biochemistry behind how chromatin associating proteins modify …
Viewing The Extracellular Matrix: An Imaging Method For Tissue Engineering, Michael Drakopoulos, Sarah Calve
Viewing The Extracellular Matrix: An Imaging Method For Tissue Engineering, Michael Drakopoulos, Sarah Calve
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
The field of regenerative medicine seeks to create replacement tissues and organs, both to repair deficiencies in biological function and to treat structural damage caused by injury. Scaffoldings mimicking extracellular matrix (ECM), the structure to which cells attach to form tissues, have been developed from synthetic polymers and also been prepared by decellularizing adult tissue. However, the structure of ECM undergoes significant remodeling during natural tissue repair, suggesting that ECM-replacement constructs that mirror developing tissues may promote better regeneration than those modeled on adult tissues. This work investigated the effectiveness of a method of viewing the extracellular matrix of developing …
Using The Intact Method To Study Pickle In Individual Cell Types, Jacqueline L. Phipps, Daniela N. Martir, Ben Carter, Joe Ogas
Using The Intact Method To Study Pickle In Individual Cell Types, Jacqueline L. Phipps, Daniela N. Martir, Ben Carter, Joe Ogas
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Cell differentiation is an essential part of development in multicellular organisms. Cells with identical genomic DNA are able to differentiate into a variety of tissues due to selective expression and repression of genes. This tissue-specific gene expression is enabled in part by proteins called chromatin remodelers, which can move, remove, or restructure histone proteins to restrict or allow physical access to genomic DNA. PICKLE (PKL) is a member of the CHD family of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers that promotes cellular identity in the plant model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. PKL promotes cell identity by silencing embryonic genes during seed germination by promoting …
A Screen To Identify Saga-Activated Genes That Are Required For Proper Photoreceptor Axon Targeting In Drosophila Melanogaster, Kaelan J. Brennan, Vikki M. Weake, Jingqun Q. Ma
A Screen To Identify Saga-Activated Genes That Are Required For Proper Photoreceptor Axon Targeting In Drosophila Melanogaster, Kaelan J. Brennan, Vikki M. Weake, Jingqun Q. Ma
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
The inherited human genetic disease spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is characterized by progressive neurodegeneration and visual impairment that ultimately leads to blindness. SCA7 results from a mutation in the human ATXN7 gene that causes an expansion of polyglutamine tracts in this gene’s corresponding protein. Human ATXN7 protein serves as a component of the deubiquitylase (DUB) module of the large, multi-subunit complex Spt-Ada-Gcn acetyltransferase, or SAGA. SAGA is a transcriptional coactivator and histone modifier that functions to deubiquitylate histone H2B and allow for transcription of SAGA-mediated genes to occur. In Drosophila, mutations in SAGA DUB’s Nonstop and sgf11 components …
Elucidating The Role Of Hausp Ubiquitin Like Domains In The Catalytic Function Of Usp7, Anuj Patel, Nicole Davis, Andrew Mesecar
Elucidating The Role Of Hausp Ubiquitin Like Domains In The Catalytic Function Of Usp7, Anuj Patel, Nicole Davis, Andrew Mesecar
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Ubiquitin specific proteases (USPs) are a class of enzymes involved in myriad cellular processes. One USP of great interest due to its oncogenic properties is USP7. In normal conditions USP7 is closely regulated due to its responsibility for destabilizing the tumor suppressor, p53, through the deubiquitination of MDM2. In multiple myeloma cases, it appears the regulation of USP7 subsides, as it is largely overexpressed, leading to the inappropriate degradation of p53. Inhibition of USP7 could, therefore, prove a viable target for cancer therapy. A greater understanding of USP7’s function and structure can lead to more insight into how this enzyme …
A Novel Synthetic Yeast For Enzymatic Biodigester Pretreatment, Tianyu Tan, Mark S. Aronson, Arren Liu, Jill H. Osterhus, Melissa Robins, Suraj Mohan, Erich Leazer, Bowman Clark, Alexa Petrucciani, Katherine Lowery, James Welch, Casey Martin, Helena Lysandrou, Michael E. Scharf, Jenna Rickus
A Novel Synthetic Yeast For Enzymatic Biodigester Pretreatment, Tianyu Tan, Mark S. Aronson, Arren Liu, Jill H. Osterhus, Melissa Robins, Suraj Mohan, Erich Leazer, Bowman Clark, Alexa Petrucciani, Katherine Lowery, James Welch, Casey Martin, Helena Lysandrou, Michael E. Scharf, Jenna Rickus
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Lignin, a complex organic polymer, is a major roadblock to the efficiency of biofuel conversion as it both physically blocks carbohydrate substrates and poisons biomass degrading enzymes, even if broken down to monomer units. A pretreatment process is often applied to separate the lignin from biomass prior to biofuel conversion. However, contemporary methods of pretreatment require large amounts of energy, which may be economically uncompelling or unfeasible. Taking inspiration from several genes that have been isolated from termites and fungi which translate to enzymes that degrade lignin, we want to establish a novel “enzymatic pretreatment” system where microbes secrete these …
Determining The Binding Between Saga Subunits And Spliceosomal Components, Peyton J. Spreacker, Rachel L. Stegeman, Vikki M. Weake
Determining The Binding Between Saga Subunits And Spliceosomal Components, Peyton J. Spreacker, Rachel L. Stegeman, Vikki M. Weake
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Proper gene regulation is vital to the health and development of an organism. Determining the relationship between splicing, transcription, and chromatin structure is vital for understanding gene regulation as a whole. There have been previous studies linking these elements pairwise; however, no evidence exists for a direct link between all three. Recent data shows that splicing components of the U2 small nuclear ribonucleic protein (snRNP) co-purify with Spt-Ada-Gcn5-acetyltransferase (SAGA), a highly conserved transcriptional co-activator and chromatin modifier. We hypothesize that SAGA binds with splicing components through a multi-protein binding surface with certain core components based on preliminary yeast two-hybrid data. …
The Effect Of Transient Hmg-Coa Reductase And 1-Deoxy-D-Xylulose-5-Phosphate Synthase Overexpression On Terpene Production In Transgenic Tomato Fruits, Scott A. Gentry, Michael Gutensohn, Laura Henry, Natalia Dudareva
The Effect Of Transient Hmg-Coa Reductase And 1-Deoxy-D-Xylulose-5-Phosphate Synthase Overexpression On Terpene Production In Transgenic Tomato Fruits, Scott A. Gentry, Michael Gutensohn, Laura Henry, Natalia Dudareva
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Isoprenoids are secondary metabolites that control numerous plant functions including signaling, growth, photosynthesis, and membrane structure. The bioengineering of isoprenoid synthesis could produce plants with a variety of beneficial traits. Plants form isoprenoids using two different pathways, the mevalonate (MVA) pathway and the methylerithritol phosphate (MEP) pathway, which cooperate via metabolic cross-talk. Transgenic tomato lines expressing both the plastidic and cytosolic forms of the snapdragon nerolidol/linalool terpene synthase under a fruit ripening specific promoter were transiently transformed to overexpress key enzymes in the two isoprenoid pathways. Hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGR) is the rate limiting enzyme in the MVA pathway that …
Cellular Uptake Mechanism Of Paclitaxel Nanocrystals, Iris K. Archer, Zhaohui Wang, Tonglei Li
Cellular Uptake Mechanism Of Paclitaxel Nanocrystals, Iris K. Archer, Zhaohui Wang, Tonglei Li
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Therapeutic options for metastasized human cancer in current practice remain limited and, sadly, there is no cure for metastatic cancer. The typical approach, chemotherapy, has both low efficacy due to poor drug solubility, and cytotoxic side effects to healthy tissue when delivered indiscriminately. To address both of these issues, we are pursuing the use of nanocrystal formulations of current chemotherapeutic agents as delivery platforms. Herein, we have studied cellular uptake mechanisms in cancer cells of nanocrystals of a chemotherapeutic agent, paclitaxel. Our goal in this study is to determine whether the nanocrystals can be taken up via endocytosis, especially when …
Identification Of Set1 Target Genes, William Beyer, Scott D. Briggs
Identification Of Set1 Target Genes, William Beyer, Scott D. Briggs
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
The Set1 complex, a histone methyltransferase complex found in S. cerevisiae (budding yeast), is the only histone methyltransferase responsible for catalyzing methylation of histone H3 at Lysine 4. It possesses homologues in other species, humans included. While yeast only have the Set1 complex, the human homologues of the yeast Set1 complex include mixed-lineage leukemia family (MLL1-4), Set1 A, Set1 B, among others. MLL1-4 has been shown to play a role in transcription, cell type specification, and the development of leukemia. One application of characterizing the role of a protein is that the information gained can provide insight into the function …
Involvement Of Post-Transcriptional Histone Modifications In Chromosome Missegregation, Jessica N. Gabbard, Ann Kirchmaier
Involvement Of Post-Transcriptional Histone Modifications In Chromosome Missegregation, Jessica N. Gabbard, Ann Kirchmaier
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Proper chromosome segregation during mitosis ensures the equal inheritance of parental DNA by two daughter cells. Errors in chromosome segregation result in aneuploidy, the inheritance of abnormal chromosome numbers. Aneuploidy is a characteristic of tumors cells; therefore, understanding the factors that cause chromosome missegregation will provide insight into carcinogenesis. Certain post-transcriptional histone modifications in centromeric and pericentromeric regions are associated with maintaining kinetochore integrity and ensuring proper chromosome segregation. However, whether loss or improper distribution of modifications directly or indirectly causes chromosome missegregation is yet to be determined. To compare the DNA content of mutated yeast strains relative to WT, …