Life Sciences Commons^™

Determining The Impacts Of Environmental Contaminants To Zebra Mussels Using Genetic Biomarkers, Nicklaus James Neureuther

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

DETERMINING THE IMPACTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS TO ZEBRA MUSSELS USING GENETIC BIOMARKERS

by

Nicklaus James Neureuther

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2016

Under the Supervision of Professor Rebecca Klaper, PhD

Persistent legacy contaminants and emerging chemicals of concern continue to be a threat to the function and health in the Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs). While chemical monitoring programs traditionally sample water and sediment, these studies can only provide information of the type and level of contamination within an (AOC). This being said, information on the biological impacts to the biota are needed to measure impairments of chemical exposure, …

Characterization And Use Of Folate Receptor Isoforms For Targeting Of Epithelial And Myeloid Cells, Sreya Biswas

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

CHARACTERIZATION AND USE OF FOLATE RECEPTOR ISOFORMS FOR TARGETING OF EPITHELIAL AND MYELOID CELLS

by

Sreya Biswas

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2016

Under the Supervision of Professor Douglas A. Steeber

Folate receptor (FR) is a GPI-anchored glycoprotein with high binding affinity for folic acid. FR has two membrane-associated isoforms, α and β, that are overexpressed on epithelial and myeloid tumors, respectively. Normal cells may also exhibit FR expression at very low levels but interestingly, FR-α on normal cells is restricted to the apical surface i.e., away from the blood stream. This differential expression and orientation of the FR-α isoform …

Assessment Of Benthic Habitat Quality In Lower Green Bay, Lake Michigan With Special Regard To Potential Hexagenia Recolonization, Christopher Michael Groff

Theses and Dissertations

With environmental remediation in the Great Lakes, Hexagenia have recovered or are recovering in systems from which they were once extirpated. An active Hexagenia recovery does not appear to be taking place in lower Green Bay. This study first examines the highly fluidized nature of lower Green Bay sediment as a possible cause for their lack of recovery due to nymphs’ potential inability to construct and maintain burrows essential to the completion of their life cycles. Hexagenia bilineata nymphs collected from the Upper Mississippi River were distributed into oxygenated aquaria containing substrates from lower Green Bay or the Upper Mississippi …

The Function Of Renalase, Brett Allen Beaupre

Theses and Dissertations

Renalase was originally reported to be an enzyme secreted into the blood by the kidney to lower blood pressure and slow heart rate. Despite multiple reports claiming to confirm this activity in vivo there has been considerable discord in regards to the reaction catalyzed by renalase. The structural topology of renalase resembles that of known flavoprotein oxidases, monooxygenases and demethylases, but the conserved active site residues are unique to renalase. It has been reported that the catalytic function of renalase is to oxidize circulating catecholamines, however in vitro studies have failed to demonstrate a catalytic activity in the presence of …

Natural Selection By Insect Pollinators And Seed Predators On Floral Head Traits Of Helianthus Grosseserratus (Sawtooth Sunflower), Jason Stephen Servi

Theses and Dissertations

Flowering plants must invest energy and resources to produce floral displays that are attractive to pollinators, but these same displays may also attract detrimental insects. How floral traits are shaped by the preferences of both pollinators and herbivores/seed predators is not fully understood. Using Helianthus grosseserratus (sawtooth sunflower) as my study species, I investigated these conflicting selective pressures on floral head traits through a 2-year study in a large, unbroken tract of mesic prairie in Wisconsin. In the first season, I followed individual heads over time and recorded insect visitation patterns and phenological changes to floral head traits. I also …

Blood Parasite Infection And Plumage Elaboration Of Migratory And Resident Populations Of The Common Yellowthroat, Rebecca Leigh Schneider

Theses and Dissertations

In birds, blood parasite diversity varies with latitude, seasonal changes, and habitat type. As a consequence, migratory populations of birds have greater exposure to parasites during their annual cycle than resident populations. Parasite infections may negatively affect the health of individuals which could, in turn, affect the development of elaborate plumage ornaments. We compared migratory (Wisconsin) and resident (Florida) populations of common yellowthroats (Geothlypis trichas) to test whether migratory birds in Wisconsin have more prevalent, intense and diverse infections of blood parasites and subsequently less elaborate ornamentation than their resident counterparts in Florida. As predicted, we found higher prevalence, intensity …

A Study Of The Hydrostatic And Hydrodynamic Properties Of Aeoliscus Straigatus, Jeremy J. Keifenheim

Theses and Dissertations

Aeoliscus strigatus is a highly maneuverable fish found in the Indo-Pacific region. It boasts a unique head down posture and employs median paired fin propulsion to perform precise movements. The need for highly maneuverable underwater AUVs for exploration and testing drove the examination of the hydrostatics and hydrodynamics influencing Aeoliscus. To determine the stability of Aeoliscus the center of gravity and buoyancy were found. Center of gravity was experimentally located using the three plumb line method while center of buoyancy was located using two separate methods. The first method utilized the measured buoyant force, a rigidly mounted fish and a …

Are We Missing The Forest For The Trees? Quantifying The Maintenance Of Diversity In Temperate Deciduous Forests, Kathryn Barry

Theses and Dissertations

One of the most pressing questions of community ecology is: Why do we have so many species? Over 100 hypotheses have been proposed to answer this question for woody plants over the past 70 years, yet there remains no consensus among community ecologists. In this dissertation, I explore the evidence supporting several different hypotheses (Chapter 1). I provide evidence that negative density dependence, where individuals perform poorly near members of their own species, may only be relevant for canopy tree species (Chapter 2). Understory species do not demonstrate negative density dependence while canopy trees demonstrate negative density dependence that increases …

Consequences Of Loss Of An Abundant Pollinator: An Experimental Study, Allysa Hallett

Theses and Dissertations

Pollinator populations are declining worldwide, and this may lower the quantity and quality of pollination services. Since pollinators often compete for floral resources, loss of an abundant pollinator species may release others from competition and potentially alter floral visitation rates. We explored how the removal of a frequent pollinator, bumble bees, influenced pollination success of whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata). In three small and three large populations we quantified pollinator visitation rates and pollination success for control plots and for plots where bumble bees were experimentally excluded. We found that exclusion of bumble bees did not reduce A. verticillata pollination success. …

Role Of Protein Phosphatase Reg2-Glc7 In The Regulation Of The Yeast Stress Response Kinase, Snf1, Marcin Maziarz

Theses and Dissertations

Kinases of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) family are conserved in eukaryotes and play central roles in responses to reduced energy availability. AMPK, nicknamed the “fuel gauge” of the cell, monitors cellular energy status via the ratio of AMP to ATP nucleotides. AMPK restores energy homeostasis by reducing energy “spending” and increasing energy “income”. Correspondingly, defects in AMPK signaling have been implicated in diseases including type II diabetes, obesity, and cancer.

In yeast, the AMPK homolog is Snf1 protein kinase. Glucose is the preferred carbon/energy source of yeast, and thus limitation for glucose similarly activates Snf1. Snf1 activation requires phosphorylation …

Deciphering The Multi-Tiered Regulatory Network That Links Cyclic-Di-Gmp Signaling To Virulence And Bacterial Behaviors, Xiaochen Yuan

Theses and Dissertations

Bis-(3’-5’)-cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) is a bacterial second messenger that regulates multiple cellular behaviors in most major bacterial phyla. C-di-GMP signaling in bacterial often includes enzymes that are responsible for the synthesis and degradation of c-di-GMP, effector proteins or molecules that bind c-di-GMP, and targets that interact with effectors. However, little is known about the specificity of c-di-GMP signaling in controlling virulence and bacterial behaviors. In this work, we have investigated the c-di-GMP signaling network using the model plant pathogen Dickeya dadantii 3937.

In Chapter 2, we characterized two PilZ domain proteins that regulate biofilm formation, swimming motility, Type …