Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Reproductive Isolation In The Elegans-Group Of Caenorhabditis, Scott Everet Baird, Sara Rose Seibert Mar 2013

Reproductive Isolation In The Elegans-Group Of Caenorhabditis, Scott Everet Baird, Sara Rose Seibert

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Reproductive isolation is the basis of the Biological Species Definition and can be a driving force of speciation. Theoretical studies have provided models of how reproductive isolation can arise within individual species. Genetic tests of these models are limited to populations in which reproductive isolation is present but not complete. Here, reproductive isolation in the Elgans-Group of the nematode genus Caenorhabditis is reviewed. Pre-mating barriers, assortative fertilization and post-zygotic barriers all have been observed in this clade. In some combinations of species, fertile F1 hybrids can be obtained. Therefore, the Elegans-Group of Caenorhabditis is poised to become an important experimental …


Adenosine Triphosphate (Atp) Is A Candidate Signaling Molecule In The Mitochondria-To-Nucleus Retrograde Response Pathway, Feng Zhang, Tammy Pracheil, Janet Thornton, Zhengchang Liu Mar 2013

Adenosine Triphosphate (Atp) Is A Candidate Signaling Molecule In The Mitochondria-To-Nucleus Retrograde Response Pathway, Feng Zhang, Tammy Pracheil, Janet Thornton, Zhengchang Liu

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Intracellular communication from the mitochondria to the nucleus is achieved via the retrograde response. In budding yeast, the retrograde response, also known as the RTG pathway, is regulated positively by Rtg1, Rtg2, Rtg3 and Grr1 and negatively by Mks1, Lst8 and two 14-3-3 proteins, Bmh1/2. Activation of retrograde signaling leads to activation of Rtg1/3, two basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper transcription factors. Rtg1/3 activation requires Rtg2, a cytoplasmic protein with an N-terminal adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding domain belonging to the actin/Hsp70/sugar kinase superfamily. The critical regulatory step of the retrograde response is the interaction between Rtg2 and Mks1. Rtg2 binds to …


Mitochondrial Dna Instability In Cells Lacking Aconitase Correlates With Iron Citrate Toxicity, Muhammad A. Farooq, Tammy M. Pracheil, Zhejun Dong, Fei Xiao, Zhengchang Liu Jan 2013

Mitochondrial Dna Instability In Cells Lacking Aconitase Correlates With Iron Citrate Toxicity, Muhammad A. Farooq, Tammy M. Pracheil, Zhejun Dong, Fei Xiao, Zhengchang Liu

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Aconitase, the second enzyme of the tricarboxylic acid cycle encoded by ACO1 in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, catalyzes the conversion of citrate to isocitrate. aco1 Delta results in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) instability. It has been proposed that Aco1 binds to mtDNA and mediates its maintenance. Here we propose an alternative mechanism to account for mtDNA loss in aco1 Delta mutant cells. We found that aco1 Delta activated the RTG pathway, resulting in increased expression of genes encoding citrate synthase. By deleting RTG1, RTG3, or genes encoding citrate synthase, mtDNA instability was prevented in aco1 Delta mutant …


Genetic Population Structure Of Us Atlantic Coastal Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis), David T. Gauthier, Corinne A. Audemard, Jeanette E. L. Carlsson, Tanya L. Darden, Michael R. Denson, Kimberly S. Reece, Jens Carlsson Jan 2013

Genetic Population Structure Of Us Atlantic Coastal Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis), David T. Gauthier, Corinne A. Audemard, Jeanette E. L. Carlsson, Tanya L. Darden, Michael R. Denson, Kimberly S. Reece, Jens Carlsson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Genetic population structure of anadromous striped bass along the US Atlantic coast was analyzed using 14 neutral nuclear DNA microsatellites. Young-of-the-year and adult striped bass (n = 1114) were sampled from Hudson River, Delaware River, Chesapeake Bay, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Analyses indicated clear population structure with significant genetic differentiation between all regions. Global multilocus F-ST was estimated at 0.028 (P < 0.001). Population structure followed an isolation-by-distance model and temporal sampling indicated a stable population structure more than 2 years at all locations. Significant structure was absent within Hudson River, whereas weak but significant genetic differences were observed between northern and southern samples in Chesapeake Bay. The largest and smallest effective striped bass population sizes were found in Chesapeake Bay and South Carolina, respectively. Coalescence analysis indicated that the highest historical gene flow has been between Chesapeake Bay and Hudson River populations, and that exchange has not been unidirectional. Bayesian analysis of contemporary migration indicated that Chesapeake Bay serves as a major source of migrants for Atlantic coastal regions from Albemarle Sound northward. In addition to examining population genetic structure, the data acquired during this project were capable of serving as a baseline for assigning fish with unknown origin to source region.


The Use Of Metagenomic Approaches To Analyze Changes In Microbial Communities, Girish Neelakanta, Hameeda Sultana Jan 2013

The Use Of Metagenomic Approaches To Analyze Changes In Microbial Communities, Girish Neelakanta, Hameeda Sultana

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Microbes are the most abundant biological entities found in the biosphere. Identification and measurement of microorganisms (including viruses, bacteria, archaea, fungi, and protists) in the biosphere cannot be readily achieved due to limitations in culturing methods. A non-culture based approach, called “metagenomics”, was developed that enabled researchers to comprehensively analyse microbial communities in different ecosystems. In this study, we highlight recent advances in the field of metagenomics for analyzing microbial communities in different ecosystems ranging from oceans to the human microbiome. Developments in several bioinformatics approaches are also discussed in context of microbial metagenomics that include taxonomic systems, sequence databases, …


Pronounced Genetic Structure In A Highly Mobile Coral Reef Fish, Caesio Cuning, In The Coral Triangle, Amanda S. Ackiss, Shinta Pardede, Eric D. Crandall, Ma Carmen A. Ablan-Lagman, Ambariyanto, November Romena, Paul H. Barber, Kent E. Carpenter Jan 2013

Pronounced Genetic Structure In A Highly Mobile Coral Reef Fish, Caesio Cuning, In The Coral Triangle, Amanda S. Ackiss, Shinta Pardede, Eric D. Crandall, Ma Carmen A. Ablan-Lagman, Ambariyanto, November Romena, Paul H. Barber, Kent E. Carpenter

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The redbelly yellowtail fusilier Caesio cuning has a tropical Indo-West Pacific range that straddles the Coral Triangle, a region of dynamic geological history and the highest marine biodiversity on the planet. Previous genetic studies in the Coral Triangle indicate the presence of multiple limits to connectivity. However, these studies have focused almost exclusively on benthic, reef-dwelling species. Schooling, reef-associated fusiliers (Perciformes: Caesionidae) account for a sizable portion of the annual reef catch in the Coral Triangle, yet to date, there have been no indepth studies on the population structure of fusiliers or other mid-water, reef-associated planktivores across this region. We …