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Molecular Genetics

Virginia Commonwealth University

Theses and Dissertations

RNA-seq

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Identifying Genes Downstream Of Mef2 That Influence Ethanol Sedation In Drosophila Melanogaster, Ananya Talikoti Jan 2021

Identifying Genes Downstream Of Mef2 That Influence Ethanol Sedation In Drosophila Melanogaster, Ananya Talikoti

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder is a global public health issue that affects millions across the world. It can result in negative physical and mental health outcomes, and currently treatment options are limited and rates of relapse are high. Identifying genes that affect aspects of ethanol behaviors in model organisms, such as Drosophila melanogaster, can serve to eventually develop more robust therapeutic interventions for those experiencing alcohol dependence. Previous studies have identified a relationship between a person's initial sensitivity to alcohol and their abuse potential for the drug in later life. Therefore, we can study sedation behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster to …


Independent Origination Of Floral Zygomorphy, A Predicted Adaptive Response To Pollinators: Developmental And Genetic Mechanisms, Ghadeer Bukhari, Wenheng Zhang Jan 2016

Independent Origination Of Floral Zygomorphy, A Predicted Adaptive Response To Pollinators: Developmental And Genetic Mechanisms, Ghadeer Bukhari, Wenheng Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Observations of floral development indicate that floral organ initiation in pentapetalous flowers more commonly results in a medially positioned abaxial petal (MAB) than in a medially positioned adaxial petal (MAD), where the medial plane is defined by the stem and the bract during early floral development. It was proposed that the dominant MAB petal initiation might impose a developmental constraint that leads to the evolution of limited patterns of floral zygomorphy in Asteridae, a family in which the floral zygomorphy develops along the medial plane and results in a central ventral (CV) petal in mature flowers. Here, I investigate whether …