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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Ngasp - The Nematode Genome Annotation Assessment Project, Avril Coghlan, Tristan J. Fiedler, Sheldon J. Mckay, Paul R. Flicek, Todd W. Harris, Darin Blasiar, Lincoln D. Stein
Ngasp - The Nematode Genome Annotation Assessment Project, Avril Coghlan, Tristan J. Fiedler, Sheldon J. Mckay, Paul R. Flicek, Todd W. Harris, Darin Blasiar, Lincoln D. Stein
Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Faculty Publications
While the C. elegans genome is extensively annotated, relatively little information is available for other Caenorhabditis species. The nematode genome annotation assessment project (nGASP) was launched to objectively assess the accuracy of protein-coding gene prediction software in C. elegans, and to apply this knowledge to the annotation of the genomes of four additional Caenorhabditis species and other nematodes. Seventeen groups worldwide participated in nGASP, and submitted 47 prediction sets across 10 Mb of the C. elegans genome. Predictions were compared to reference gene sets consisting of confirmed or manually curated gene models from WormBase. Results: The most accurate gene-finders were …
Community-Based Inquiry Improves Critical Thinking In General Education Biology, Ian J. Quitadamo, Celia L. Faiola, James E. Johnson, Martha J. Kurtz
Community-Based Inquiry Improves Critical Thinking In General Education Biology, Ian J. Quitadamo, Celia L. Faiola, James E. Johnson, Martha J. Kurtz
All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences
National stakeholders are becoming increasingly concerned about the inability of college graduates to think critically. Research shows that, while both faculty and students deem critical thinking essential, only a small fraction of graduates can demonstrate the thinking skills necessary for academic and professional success. Many faculty are considering nontraditional teaching methods that incorporate undergraduate research because they more closely align with the process of doing investigative science. This study compared a research-focused teaching method called community-based inquiry (CBI) with traditional lecture/laboratory in general education biology to discover which method would elicit greater gains in critical thinking. Results showed significant critical-thinking …
Evolution Of The Holozoan Ribosome Biogenesis Regulon, Seth J. Brown, Michael D. Cole, Albert J. Erives
Evolution Of The Holozoan Ribosome Biogenesis Regulon, Seth J. Brown, Michael D. Cole, Albert J. Erives
Dartmouth Scholarship
The ribosome biogenesis (RiBi) genes encode a highly-conserved eukaryotic set of nucleolar proteins involved in rRNA transcription, assembly, processing, and export from the nucleus. While the mode of regulation of this suite of genes has been studied in the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, how this gene set is coordinately regulated in the larger and more complex metazoan genomes is not understood. Here we present genome-wide analyses indicating that a distinct mode of RiBi regulation co-evolved with the E(CG)-binding, Myc:Max bHLH heterodimer complex in a stem-holozoan, the ancestor of both Metazoa and Choanoflagellata, the protozoan group most closely related to animals. These …
Lis1 And Ndel1 Influence The Timing Of Nuclear Envelope Breakdown In Neural Stem Cells, Sachin Hebbar, Mariano T. Mesngon, Aimee M. Guillotte, Bhavim Desai, Ramses Ayala, Deanna S. Smith
Lis1 And Ndel1 Influence The Timing Of Nuclear Envelope Breakdown In Neural Stem Cells, Sachin Hebbar, Mariano T. Mesngon, Aimee M. Guillotte, Bhavim Desai, Ramses Ayala, Deanna S. Smith
Faculty Publications
Lis1 and Ndel1 are essential for animal development. They interact directly with one another and with cytoplasmic dynein. The developing brain is especially sensitive to reduced Lis1 or Ndel1 levels, as both proteins influence spindle orientation, neural cell fate decisions, and neuronal migration. We report here that Lis1 and Ndel1 reduction in a mitotic cell line impairs prophase nuclear envelope (NE) invagination (PNEI). This dyneindependent process facilitates NE breakdown (NEBD) and occurs before the establishment of the bipolar spindle. Ndel1 phosphorylation is important for this function, regulating binding to both Lis1 and dynein. Prophase cells in the ventricular zone (VZ) …
Darwin At The Drugstore? Testing The Biological Fitness Of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Alan L. Gillen, Sarah Anderson
Darwin At The Drugstore? Testing The Biological Fitness Of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Alan L. Gillen, Sarah Anderson
Faculty Publications and Presentations
The issue of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is growing. For example, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a leading human pathogen. New strains of MRSA are resistant to methicillin and numerous other antibiotics, placing the patient in significant danger. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control revealed in 2007 that the number of deaths due to MRSA exceeded that of AIDS in the United States. It is no wonder that antibiotic resistance is one of the most significant and important health care issues. The ability of bacterial pathogens to evade traditional antibiotics is faster than the drug makers’ ability to make new …
Peer Review In An Undergraduate Biology Curriculum: Effects On Students’ Scientific Reasoning, Writing And Attitudes, Briana Eileen Timmerman
Peer Review In An Undergraduate Biology Curriculum: Effects On Students’ Scientific Reasoning, Writing And Attitudes, Briana Eileen Timmerman
Faculty Publications
Scientific reasoning and writing skills are ubiquitous processes in science and therefore common goals of science curricula, particularly in higher education. Providing the individualized feedback necessary for the development of these skills is often costly in terms of faculty time, particularly in large science courses common at research universities. Past educational research literature suggests that the use of peer review may accelerate students’ scientific reasoning skills without a concurrent demand on faculty time per student. Peer review contains many elements of effective pedagogy such as peer-peer collaboration, repeated practice at evaluation and critical thinking, formative feedback, multiple contrasting examples, and …
Proper Cellular Reorganization During Drosophila Spermatid Individualization Depends On Actin Structures Composed Of Two Domains, Bundles And Meshwork, That Are Differentially Regulated And Have Different Functions, Tatsuhiko Noguchi, Marta Lenartowska, Aaron D. Rogat, Deborah J. Frank, Kathryn G. Miller
Proper Cellular Reorganization During Drosophila Spermatid Individualization Depends On Actin Structures Composed Of Two Domains, Bundles And Meshwork, That Are Differentially Regulated And Have Different Functions, Tatsuhiko Noguchi, Marta Lenartowska, Aaron D. Rogat, Deborah J. Frank, Kathryn G. Miller
Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations
During spermatid individualization in Drosophila, actin structures (cones) mediate cellular remodeling that separates the syncytial spermatids into individual cells. These actin cones are composed of two structural domains, a front meshwork and a rear region of parallel bundles. We show here that the two domains form separately in time, are regulated by different sets of actin-associated proteins, can be formed independently, and have different roles. Newly forming cones were composed only of bundles, whereas the meshwork formed later, coincident with the onset of cone movement. Polarized distributions of myosin VI, Arp2/3 complex, and the actin-bundling proteins, singed (fascin) and quail …