Life Sciences Commons^™

Design, Synthesis, And Characterization Of Chemical Tools To Study Peroxisomal Import, Jhalak N. Timilsena

Masters Theses

Peroxisomes are dynamic and interconnected single lipid membrane bound organelles found in the eukaryotic cells which are involved in various biochemical processes including the b-oxidation of very long chain and branched chain fatty acids, metabolism of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, and reduction of hydrogen peroxide among others. These organelles are known to host numerous proteins and enzymes depending on the cellular environment. All of the proteins needed in the peroxisomes are encoded in the nucleus and synthesized in the cytosol which are then transported to the peroxisomes with the help of a sophisticated protein-transport machinery. Pex5 is one of …

Xylan Metabolism By Caulobacter Crescentus, Viet Bui

Masters Theses

Bacteria present unique opportunities to explore the molecular mechanisms of nutrient acquisition processes at single cell level under various experimental conditions. Caulobacter crescentus is a gram-negative oligotrophic environmental bacterium with adaptive physiological responses, such as slow growth or complete arrest of cell cycle, presence of sessile and motile progenies with the sessile cells growing stalk to enhance nutrient uptake for growth in low-nutrient conditions. Details of plant polysaccharide-derived carbon compound, such as cellobiose, maltose, and xylose utilization by C. crescentus can be found but molecular details or mechanisms of polysaccharide utilization, such as xylan, has not been reported. Database analyses …

Impact Of Transcription Factors On Fibroblast Specific Gene Silencing In Somatic Cell Hybrids, Tania Ray

Masters Theses

As totipotent cells differentiate to specific cell types in multicellular organisms, certain sets of genes are turned off (gene silencing/gene extinction) while others are turned on (gene activation). Cell type specific gene silencing and gene activation is the basis of cell differentiation. Somatic cell hybrids which are produced by fusing different types of somatic cells from two different tissues have been used as a valuable resource to discern the phenomenon of lineage- specific gene extinction. Identification of regulatory factors that mediate gene extinction in hybrids are key to understanding regulatory mechanisms that govern cell differentiation in a multicellular organism. Transcription …

Expression Of Artemia Lea Proteins In Drosophila Melanogaster Cells Using Multicistronic Vector Constructs, Kazi Nazrul Islam

Masters Theses

In nature several organisms exhibit anhydrobiosis, the outstanding feature to survive in extreme desiccation by entering into a state of dormancy known as diapause. The cyst of the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana shows anhydrobiosis by entering into a diapause phase. Previous studies showed a correlation between anhydrobiosis and expression of highly hydrophilic polypeptides termed late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins. However, the precise molecular mechanisms of LEA proteins are still unknown. The presence of multiple LEA proteins in Artemia suggests that some of them might work together. Here, I aimed to express different combination of two LEA proteins from Artemia franciscana …

The Effects Of Solutes In The Cryopreservation Of Adherent Neuroblastoma (Neuro-2a) Cells, Trisha L. Bailey

Masters Theses

A simple method to cryopreserve adherent monolayers of neuronal cells is currently not available, but the development of this technique could facilitate numerous applications in the field of biomedical engineering, cell line development, and drug screening. However, complex tissues of some exceptional animals survive freezing in nature. These animals are known to accumulate several small molecular weight solutes prior to freezing. Following a similar strategy, we investigated the effects of osmolytes such as trehalose, proline, and sucrose as additives to the traditional cryoprotectant dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO) in modulating the cryopreservation outcome of mouse neuroblastoma (Neuro-2a) cells. Neuro-2a cells adhered to …

Molecular Mechanisms Involved In Anhydrobiosis Of Insect Cells, Diyagama Arachchi Ralalage Dilini Sewwandi Samarajeewa

Masters Theses

Animals possessing tolerance to extreme water stress are termed anhydrobiotes. Many desiccation tolerant organisms respond to water stress by intracellular accumulation of selected sugars such as trehalose and larger macromolecules such as Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins and thereby maintain the cell viability. Evidence indicates that the presence of trehalose and Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins may work synergistically to confer cellular protection during drying in eukaryotic cells. We evaluated any increase in cellular desiccation tolerance by expressing different LEA proteins in a non-desiccation tolerant insect cell line Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) (Kc167 cells) in the presence of trehalose.

Transgenic …

A Cytogenetic Study Of Xx/Xy Chimerism And Other Anomalies Of Bos Taurus In A Sampled Dairy Herd, Ferne M. Rogers

Masters Theses

The establishment of normal chromosomal patterns for a wide range of plants and animals has led to the recognition of abnormalities as well as their relationship to phenotypic irregularities. Research dealing with the expression of human karyotype is of prime interest; but, closely rivaling that is the genetic study of domestic animals which are of economic importance to man.

One observed anomaly which has come under scrutiny by cytogeneticists is that of the female member of a heterogeneous bovine twin pair, the freemartin. This is a sterile animal with internal morphology showing varying degrees of intersex. Cytogenetic studies reveal XX/XY …

The Effect Of Caffeine On Pisum Sativum With Emphasis On Meiosis, Terese M. Mikottis

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.