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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Ocean Acidification Modulates The Impact Of Fluoxetine On Larval Behaviors Of Non-Target Organisms, Veronica A. Chua , '21
Ocean Acidification Modulates The Impact Of Fluoxetine On Larval Behaviors Of Non-Target Organisms, Veronica A. Chua , '21
Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards
Emerging pollutants, such as pharmaceuticals from human waste, are continuously released into aquatic systems. Although pharmaceuticals alone can adversely impact marine organisms, the bioavailability of many pharmaceuticals are dependent on ambient physical conditions, like pH. As few studies have considered the interactive effects of pharmaceutical pollution and anthropogenic ocean acidification, this study investigated the behavioral response of larval sea urchins (Heliocidaris crassispina) and ascidians (Styela plicata) to environmentally-relevant concentrations of fluoxetine (10 and 100 ng L⁻¹) under ambient (pH 8.0) and acidified conditions (pH 7.7). Larval ascidians reared at pH 8.0 exhibited swam in slower, more …
How About That Extension? Biomechanical Roles Of Spines In Crustacean Nauplii, Emily N. Branam , '21
How About That Extension? Biomechanical Roles Of Spines In Crustacean Nauplii, Emily N. Branam , '21
Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards
Marine plankton possess elongated body structures, such as spines and horns, that increase drag on the body. While these extensions are often considered an anti-predation mechanism, the biomechanical implications of these structures are less studied. Using the barnacle nauplii Octolasmis spp., I explore the role of one such body extension, the dorsal thoracic spine, through amputation. Motion analysis revealed slower swimming and more erratic trajectories in dorsal thoracic spine amputees than those in control. Limb kinematic adjustments such as a larger beat amplitude, increased phase lag, and reduced contralateral symmetry were observed in amputees. While these changes may act …
Virus-Like Particles Enable Low Levels Of Crispr-Cas9-Mediated Homology-Directed Repair, Noah C. Cheng , '21
Virus-Like Particles Enable Low Levels Of Crispr-Cas9-Mediated Homology-Directed Repair, Noah C. Cheng , '21
Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards
The development of efficient and safe delivery platforms for CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing tools is one of the largest challenges for in vivo therapeutic genome editing. Virus-like particles (VLPs), which harness viral packaging and delivery mechanisms, have been shown to efficiently deliver CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs) to cells. Here, we sought to elucidate whether VLPs can deliver the necessary components for CRISPR-Cas9-mediated homology-directed repair (HDR). We tested four different methods to induce HDR in a reporter cell line using VLPs: [1] nucleofection of HDR repair templates into cells and subsequent treatment with VLPs carrying Cas9 RNPs (Cas9 VLPs), [2] treatment with …
Sharpening New Scissors: Designing A Crispr-Cas9 Construct For Inducible And Interchangeable Hsatii Expression In Tig-1 Fibroblasts, Andrew Y. Cheng , '21
Sharpening New Scissors: Designing A Crispr-Cas9 Construct For Inducible And Interchangeable Hsatii Expression In Tig-1 Fibroblasts, Andrew Y. Cheng , '21
Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards
As research delves ever deeper into the causes and progression of cancers, complex relationships between noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) and tumorigenesis have been revealed. One such RNA is human satellite II (HSATII). While HSATII exists across multiple human chromosomes and comprises large portions of pericentromeric heterochromatin, it is transcriptionally silent in healthy cells. However, HSATII expression is aberrantly upregulated in many tumors, suggesting an etiological or exacerbatory role for the RNA transcripts. In cancerous cells, many aspects of cellular function are dysregulated, complicating the assessment of the specific effects of HSATII RNA. To investigate the role of HSATII RNA expression in …