Life Sciences Commons^™

Towards A Molecular Method For The Detection Of Leaf Rust In Lowbush Blueberry, Steven Valentino

Honors College

Thekopsora minima, or leaf rust, is a fungal pathogen that infects Vaccinium angustifolium (lowbush blueberry), an economically important crop to the state of Maine. T. minima undergoes a complicated life cycle that contains five unique spore stages. It causes abscissions in the leaves of plants that may consequently lower yields in the next growing cycle if leaf drop is severe. Currently, growers are instructed to apply fungicides in late July to prevent further infection. However, this is often not effective due to poor timing. Data on spore release patterns would be beneficial to elucidate the infection period. However, microscopic identification …

Preliminary Analysis Of Β-Methylamino-L-Alanine Interactions With Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Zebrafish Models, Elizabeth Pflugradt

Honors College

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a terminal neurodegenerative disease

with symptoms including limb-onset muscle wasting, difficulties swallowing and breathing, leading to death. Sporadic ALS occurs in 90% of patients, while 10% of cases are familial (FALS). Twenty percent of FALS cases are a result of mutation in the copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene, leading to the activation of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Meanwhile, a prominent cause of sporadic ALS is exposure to neurotoxins, such as β-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA). BMAA has been suggested to induce selective motor neuron death, which is observed in ALS patients. While research has been done to how …