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Articles 1 - 20 of 20
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Genetics Of Metal Uptake In Caulobacter Crescentus: Characterization Of Regulators And Identification Of Receptors, Leah Howell
All Dissertations
Caulobacter crescentus is an oligotrophic, Gram negative bacterium with a dimorphic lifecycle. It is a model system for cell cycle regulation and cellular development. Since C. crescentus resides primarily in freshwater, this microorganism can also serve as a model system for nutrient uptake by oligotrophic freshwater species. This study focused on TonB-dependent receptors and metal-dependent regulators in C. crescentus.
To maintain appropriate levels of iron within the cell, bacteria have evolved mechanisms to control iron uptake, storage, and use. In microbes, there are two protein families possessing members that accomplish this: Fur and Rrf2. In the C. crescentus genome, there …
Identification And Characterization Of Micrornas In Porcine Gametes And Pre-Implantation Embryos, Erin Curry
Identification And Characterization Of Micrornas In Porcine Gametes And Pre-Implantation Embryos, Erin Curry
All Dissertations
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short ribonucleic acids that ultimately affect the production of proteins. Although miRNAs are involved in nearly every biological process examined to date, little is known of the identity or function of miRNA in porcine reproductive tissues or their potential involvement in reproductive processes in pigs or other species. The objective of this dissertation research was to determine the presence of miRNAs in porcine gametes and both in vivo- and in vitro- produced pre-implantation embryos and to identify differences in miRNA expression between normal and aberrant samples. Using a heterologous RT-PCR approach, we demonstrated the presence of a …
Nitrosative Stress And Dna Repair In Microorganisms, Sung-Hyun Park
Nitrosative Stress And Dna Repair In Microorganisms, Sung-Hyun Park
All Dissertations
DNA can be damaged by reactive nitrogen intermediates (RNI) and reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) from both endogenous and exogenous sources. Under nitrosative stress conditions, DNA may be modified through base deamination or crosslinking. Uracil (U), xanthine (X) and oxanine (O), hypoxanthine (I), and thymine (T) are the corresponding deamination products derived from cytosine (C), guanine (G), adenine (A), and 5-methylcytosine, respectively. To remove DNA damage, cells are equipped with a variety of DNA repair enzymes which participate in different repair pathways.
My dissertation work involves studies of genes and enzymes in nucleotide excision repair (NER) and base excision repair (BER) …
Development And Characterization Of Novel Sub-Coatings With Polymorphic Brookite Titania Nanoparticles: Enhanced Uv/Vis Photocatalytic Antibacterial And Anticancer Properties, Donna Weinbrenner
All Dissertations
ABSTRACT
Nosocomial and community infections and biofilm formation from bacteria has increased significantly through adaptation combined with overuse of broad spectrum antibiotics. Because the world population continues to escalate, hospitals and long-term managed care will also escalate, thereby increasing transmission of infections, lowering patients' quality of health. Another disease on the rise throughout the world is skin cancer. A treatment modality that would cause less deleterious effects on the patient would be ideal. These two seemingly different issues could be solved with one product. First an inexpensive, safe, and non-selective antimicrobial surface coating would enhance the hospital arena and a …
Understanding Gafp, A Plant Lectin With Broad Spectrum Inhibitory Activity, Alexis Nagel
Understanding Gafp, A Plant Lectin With Broad Spectrum Inhibitory Activity, Alexis Nagel
All Dissertations
South Carolina and Georgia are the largest peach producing regions in the Southeastern United States, generating about $60 million worth (~90,000 tons) of fruit per year on average. Peaches and other stone-fruits (Prunus sp.) can be afflicted by a variety of root-associated diseases which negatively impact annual yield and long-term tree mortality. An engineered Prunus rootstock with enhanced resistance to soil-borne pathogens would therefore be of great benefit to the Southeastern peach industry. The Gastrodia anti-fungal protein (GAFP) is a monocot mannose-binding lectin which is able to inhibit the growth of multiple species of plant pathogenic fungi. Previous findings from …
Spidroin N-Terminal Domain: A Ph Sensor In The Spider Silk Assembly Process, William Gaines
Spidroin N-Terminal Domain: A Ph Sensor In The Spider Silk Assembly Process, William Gaines
All Dissertations
Spider silks are protein-based fibers with remarkable mechanical qualities. Perhaps even more impressive is the spinning process in which the spider silk proteins (spidroins) are assembled from a highly soluble storage state into a well-ordered and insoluble fiber. Indeed, the ordered arrangement of spidroins, which is endowed by the spinning process, is the basis of fiber strength. However, the forces driving fiber assembly and the mechanisms by which spidroins respond those forces are only poorly understood. Spidroins have a tripartite domain architecture consisting of a large and repetitive central domain flanked by small, non-repetitive N- and C-terminal domains. Both terminal …
Successional Vegetation In The Jocassee Gorges, South Carolina, Maxwell Boyle
Successional Vegetation In The Jocassee Gorges, South Carolina, Maxwell Boyle
All Dissertations
Multifactor ecosystem classification systems provide a three-pronged approach to identifying site units across the landscape based on repeating patterns of vegetation, soil, and geomorphology. Ecosystem classification models have been developed for a diversity of forest landscapes throughout North America, and are beneficial as an ecosystem management tool because the outcome yields data models that can be utilized by scientists and natural resource managers alike. In contrast to the enormous amount of classification studies undertaken in relatively stable, older-aged forests in eastern North America, there have been few studies that have employed multifactor classification techniques across a successional gradient, or heavily …
Resistance And Dna Repair Mechanisms Under Nitrosative Stress In Mammalian And Microbial Systems, Hyun-Wook Lee
Resistance And Dna Repair Mechanisms Under Nitrosative Stress In Mammalian And Microbial Systems, Hyun-Wook Lee
All Dissertations
Living organisms are exposed a nitrosative stress mediated by reactive nitrogen species (RNS) that can cause DNA damage and mutation. DNA base deamination is a typical damage occurred under nitrosative stress, which results in conversion of cytosine (C) to uracil (U), adenine (A) to hypoxanthine (I), and guanine (G) to xanthine (X) or oxanine (O). Base excision repair (BER) is an important pathway to remove deaminated DNA lesions in mammalian and microbial systems. My dissertation work concerns with genes and enzymes involved in resistance to nitrosative stress and DNA glycosylases in the BER pathway. In chapter one, I will briefly …
Population Variability Of Rotylenchulus Reniformis In Cotton Agroecosystems, Megan Leach
Population Variability Of Rotylenchulus Reniformis In Cotton Agroecosystems, Megan Leach
All Dissertations
Rotylenchulus reniformis, reniform nematode, is a highly variable species and an economically important pest in many cotton fields across the southeast. Rotation to resistant or poor host crops is a prescribed method for management of reniform nematode. An increase in the incidence and prevalence of the nematode in the United States has been reported over the last two decades. However it is not clear whether the observed increase is related to the emergence of novel populations that are more aggressive or have a higher fitness or shifts in host availability or susceptibility. The objectives of this research were to determine …
Sequencing And Functional Analysis Of A Multi-Component Dioxygenase From Pah-Degrading Sphingomonas Paucimobilis Epa505, Renuka Miller
Sequencing And Functional Analysis Of A Multi-Component Dioxygenase From Pah-Degrading Sphingomonas Paucimobilis Epa505, Renuka Miller
All Dissertations
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are hydrophobic organic compounds consisting of two or more fused benzene rings. PAHs derive from many different sources including petroleum refining, wood treatment, and coal coking industries. Because of their structural stability and water insolubility, PAHs are extremely resistant to degradation. These compounds are also believed to have mutagenic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic effects. Therefore, there are currently 16 PAH compounds on the EPA's list of priority pollutants.
Many species of bacteria have the ability to breakdown these persistent pollutants. However, bioremediation strategies using these organisms have many unresolved issues. While laboratory experiments can easily demonstrate the …
Autecology Of The Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus Horridus) In The South Carolina Mountains., Jeff Mohr
Autecology Of The Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus Horridus) In The South Carolina Mountains., Jeff Mohr
All Dissertations
Although the most common rattlesnake in the eastern United States, the timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) is little studied and remains poorly understood. Furthermore, populations have been severely diminished throughout its range and only a few scattered metapopulations remain in what was once a large and extensive North American range. Whereas some timber rattlesnake populations in woodland communities of the northeastern and western US have been studied, information on those occurring along the southern part of its range is virtually non-existent. In South Carolina there has been relatively little research done on this rattlesnake and there has been no formal study …
Simulating And Assessing The Southern Pine Beetle Spot Growth On Management Scenarios Using Gis-Based Model And 3-D Landscape Visualization, Chiao-Ying Chou
Simulating And Assessing The Southern Pine Beetle Spot Growth On Management Scenarios Using Gis-Based Model And 3-D Landscape Visualization, Chiao-Ying Chou
All Dissertations
Models for simulating southern pine beetle (SPB), Dendroctonus frontalis Zimm., population dynamics and infestation risk are quite well developed. However, most of them are not spatially explicit models. In this study, a GIS-based model, SPBSPOT, is developed for simulating SPB spot growth using ArcGIS software with ArcObject and Visual Basic for Application. SPBSPOT is built by five subroutines. Individual interfaces are developed for each of them to allow users the flexibility to specify stand situations and design management scenarios based on their individual needs. Although integrated pest management systems are currently adopted, SPB management is still challenging because of diverse …
Candidate Gene Studies In Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Pamela Jackson
Candidate Gene Studies In Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Pamela Jackson
All Dissertations
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a grouping of disorders that range from the diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome to Autistic Disorder (formally known as autism). Attention Deficit Disorders and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified are also a part of this spectrum of disorders. Autism Spectrum Disorder affects one out of every 110 children and has a male to female ratio of 4:1. This has led to the need to identify genes that may be causative for this disorder.
Several genome-wide scans have been conducted and have identified locations in the human genome that may contain causative genes for Autism Spectrum Disorder. One …
Development Of A Nutrition Education Program For Hispanic Women Of South Carolina Based On Nutrition And Cooking Classes Using The Health Belief Model And The Social Cognitive Theory, Marta Gamboa Acuna
All Dissertations
During 2005, Hispanics became the largest minority group in the country. In the case of South Carolina during 2006, the Hispanic population represented 3.5% of its entire population. In general, Hispanics have lower level of income and education, and higher obesity rates than other ethnic groups. In addition, several studies have shown that Hispanics lack a basic knowledge regarding health and healthy eating, food combinations, portion size and cooking skills. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a nutrition and cooking program for Hispanics with low income and low education levels. To determine participants' needs, an instrument …
The Role Of Car And Pxr In Toxicant Sensitivity, Linda Mota
The Role Of Car And Pxr In Toxicant Sensitivity, Linda Mota
All Dissertations
The Constitutive Androstane Receptor (CAR) and the Pregnane X Receptor (PXR) are nuclear receptors of significant importance in the regulation of enzymes that metabolize, detoxify and eliminate compounds from the body. In this study we assessed the protective role of CAR and PXR in the basal and inducible regulation of Cytrochrome P450s (CYPs), and the potential of CAR and PXR to help protect individuals from the organophosphate, parathion and the plasticizer, nonylphenol, putatively due to improved metabolism and elimination. Knockout models of these receptors were used to model susceptible populations such as children that are known to have lower CAR …
Investigation Of Biochemistry And Enzymology Of Acyl-Coenzyme A Synthetase, Yu Meng
Investigation Of Biochemistry And Enzymology Of Acyl-Coenzyme A Synthetase, Yu Meng
All Dissertations
Acetyl-CoA, an essential metabolite at the junction of various anabolic and catabolic pathways, is generated both from the breakdown of carbohydrates, lipids, and amino acids, and from the activation of acetate. AMP-forming acetyl-CoA synthetase, a key enzyme for acetate activation into acetyl-CoA in all domains of life, is a member of the adenylate-forming enzyme superfamily. Although members in the superfamily have different biological functions, they all share the property of forming an acyl-adenylate intermediate. Here I describe my research on characterization of a medium-chain acyl-CoA synthetase from Methanosarcina acetivorans (MacsMa) and identification of key residues in acyl substrate …
Mapping Quantitative Trait Loci Associated With Chilling Requirement And Bloom Date In Peach, Shenghua Fan
Mapping Quantitative Trait Loci Associated With Chilling Requirement And Bloom Date In Peach, Shenghua Fan
All Dissertations
Chilling requirement (CR), together with heat requirement (HR), determines bloom date (BD), which impacts climatic distribution of genotypes of temperate tree species. The molecular basis of floral bud CR is poorly understood despite its importance to fruit tree adaptation and production. A peach F2 populations developed from two genotypes with contrasting CR values was used for QTL mapping for CR, HR and BD. Using the Contender × Fla.92-2c population, 20 QTLs with additive effects were identified for three traits including one major QTL for CR and two major QTLs for BD. Particularly, one genomic region of 2cM pleiotropic for the …
The Genetics Of Chilling Requirement In Apricot (Prunus Armeniaca L.), Bode Olukolu
The Genetics Of Chilling Requirement In Apricot (Prunus Armeniaca L.), Bode Olukolu
All Dissertations
Commercial production of apricot is severely affected by sensitivity to climatic conditions, an adaptive feature essential for cycling between vegetative or floral growth and dormancy. Yield losses are due to either late winter or early spring frosts or inhibited vegetative or floral growth caused by unfulfilled chilling requirement (CR). Studies in this dissertation developed the first high-density apricot linkage map; followed by a comparative mapping strategy to validate conservation of synteny, genome collinearity and stable quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling CR and bud break between apricot and peach; and ultimately attempt to identify key candidate genes following a linkage disequilibrium-based …
The Population Genetics Of The Endangered Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, Sphyrna Lewini, Across Its Eastern Pacific Range, Holly Nance
All Dissertations
I have characterized the population genetic structure, inferred the evolutionary processes shaping it, and estimated effective population size (Ne) using different contemporary and coalescent methods in the endangered scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, throughout its Eastern Pacific (EP) range. I found significant genetic differentiation among seven coastal sites between Mexico and Ecuador using 15 microsatellite loci, and significant isolation by distance among samples of mtDNA control region haplotypes. While Bayesian statistical analyses and coalescent-based methods revealed low levels of ecological connectivity between most sampled sites (point estimates of Nm = 0.6 - 7.3), mismatch analyses showed that all populations experienced …
Carnosine Content And Antioxidant Activity From Poultry Co-Products, Protein Meal And Stressed Poultry Tissues, Paljinder Manhiani
Carnosine Content And Antioxidant Activity From Poultry Co-Products, Protein Meal And Stressed Poultry Tissues, Paljinder Manhiani
All Dissertations
Four separate studies were conducted to examine carnosine levels and associated antioxidant activity in poultry co-products, in rendered poultry protein meal, in tissues from stressed or non-stressed chickens. In the first study, carnosine was extracted from poultry co-products (head, liver, lungs, tail, gizzard, brain and heart). Liver contained the highest (102.29 mg/gm) level, while brain contained the lowest level of carnosine (0.95 mg/gm). Except brain, all tissue ultrafiltrates (20.87-39.57%) and reconstituted dry powders (5.66- 14.47%) showed thiobarbituric reactive acid species (TBARS) inhibition. Head ultrafiltrate and reconstituted dry powder showed maximum while gizzard showed the minimum metal chelating activity. Free radical …