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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Gene Response Profiles For Daphnia Pulex Exposed To The Environmental Stressor Cadmium Reveals Novel Crustacean Metallothioneins, Joseph R. Shaw, John K. Colbourne, Jennifer C. Davey, Stephen P. Glaholt, Thomas H. Hampton, Celia Y. Chen, Carol L. Folt, Joshua W. Hamilton Dec 2007

Gene Response Profiles For Daphnia Pulex Exposed To The Environmental Stressor Cadmium Reveals Novel Crustacean Metallothioneins, Joseph R. Shaw, John K. Colbourne, Jennifer C. Davey, Stephen P. Glaholt, Thomas H. Hampton, Celia Y. Chen, Carol L. Folt, Joshua W. Hamilton

Dartmouth Scholarship

Genomic research tools such as microarrays are proving to be important resources to study the complex regulation of genes that respond to environmental perturbations. A first generation cDNA microarray was developed for the environmental indicator species Daphnia pulex, to identify genes whose regulation is modulated following exposure to the metal stressor cadmium. Our experiments revealed interesting changes in gene transcription that suggest their biological roles and their potentially toxicological features in responding to this important environmental contaminant.


The Role Of Carcinine In Signaling At The Drosophila Photoreceptor Synapse, Brendan A. Gavin, Susan E. Arruda, Patrick J. Dolph Dec 2007

The Role Of Carcinine In Signaling At The Drosophila Photoreceptor Synapse, Brendan A. Gavin, Susan E. Arruda, Patrick J. Dolph

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Drosophila melanogaster photoreceptor cell has long served as a model system for researchers focusing on how animal sensory neurons receive information from their surroundings and translate this information into chemical and electrical messages. Electroretinograph (ERG) analysis of Drosophila mutants has helped to elucidate some of the genes involved in the visual transduction pathway downstream of the photoreceptor cell, and it is now clear that photoreceptor cell signaling is dependent upon the proper release and recycling of the neurotransmitter histamine. While the neurotransmitter transporters responsible for clearing histamine, and its metabolite carcinine, from the synaptic cleft have remained unknown, a …


A Conserved Cam- And Radial Spoke–Associated Complex Mediates Regulation Of Flagellar Dynein Activity, Erin E. Dymek, Elizabeth F. Smith Nov 2007

A Conserved Cam- And Radial Spoke–Associated Complex Mediates Regulation Of Flagellar Dynein Activity, Erin E. Dymek, Elizabeth F. Smith

Dartmouth Scholarship

For virtually all cilia and eukaryotic flagella, the second messengers calcium and cyclic adenosine monophosphate are implicated in modulating dynein- driven microtubule sliding to regulate beating. Calmodulin (CaM) localizes to the axoneme and is a key calcium sensor involved in regulating motility. Using immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, we identify members of a CaM-containing complex that are involved in regulating dynein activity. This complex includes flagellar-associated protein 91 (FAP91), which shares considerable sequence similarity to AAT-1, a protein originally identified in testis as an A-kinase anchor protein (AKAP)- binding protein. FAP91 directly interacts with radial spoke protein 3 (an AKAP), which …


The Small Rna Repertoire Of Dictyostelium Discoideum And Its Regulation By Components Of The Rnai Pathway, Andrea Hinas, Johan Reimegård, E. Gerhart H. Wagner, Wolfgang Nellen, Victor R. Ambros, Fredrik Soderbum Oct 2007

The Small Rna Repertoire Of Dictyostelium Discoideum And Its Regulation By Components Of The Rnai Pathway, Andrea Hinas, Johan Reimegård, E. Gerhart H. Wagner, Wolfgang Nellen, Victor R. Ambros, Fredrik Soderbum

Dartmouth Scholarship

Small RNAs play crucial roles in regulation of gene expression in many eukaryotes. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of 18–26 nt RNAs in the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum . This survey uncovered developmentally regulated microRNA candidates whose biogenesis, at least in one case, is dependent on a Dicer homolog, DrnB. Furthermore, we identified a large number of 21 nt RNAs originating from the DIRS-1 retrotransposon, clusters of which have been suggested to constitute centromeres. Small RNAs from another retrotransposon, Skipper, were significantly up-regulated in strains depleted of the second Dicer-like protein, DrnA, and a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, …


Regulation Of Meiotic Cohesion And Chromosome Core Morphogenesis During Pachytene In Drosophila Oocytes, Radhika S. Khetani, Sharon E. Bickel Jul 2007

Regulation Of Meiotic Cohesion And Chromosome Core Morphogenesis During Pachytene In Drosophila Oocytes, Radhika S. Khetani, Sharon E. Bickel

Dartmouth Scholarship

During meiosis, cohesion between sister chromatids is required for normal levels of homologous recombination, maintenance of chiasmata and accurate chromosome segregation during both divisions. In Drosophila, null mutations in the ord gene abolish meiotic cohesion, although how ORD protein promotes cohesion has remained elusive. We show that SMC subunits of the cohesin complex colocalize with ORD at centromeres of ovarian germ-line cells. In addition, cohesin SMCs and ORD are visible along the length of meiotic chromosomes during pachytene and remain associated with chromosome cores following DNase I digestion. In flies lacking ORD activity, cohesin SMCs fail to accumulate at oocyte …


Parasites Alter Community Structure, Chelsea L. Wood, James E. Byers, Kathryn L. Cottingham, Irit Altman May 2007

Parasites Alter Community Structure, Chelsea L. Wood, James E. Byers, Kathryn L. Cottingham, Irit Altman

Dartmouth Scholarship

Parasites often play an important role in modifying the physiology and behavior of their hosts and may, consequently, mediate the influence hosts have on other components of an ecological community. Along the northern Atlantic coast of North America, the dominant herbivorous snail Littorina littorea structures rocky intertidal communities through strong grazing pressure and is frequently parasitized by the digenean trematode Cryptocotyle lingua. We hypothesized that the effects of parasitism on host physiology would induce behavioral changes in L. littorea, which in turn would modulate L. littorea's influence on intertidal community composition. Specifically, we hypothesized that C. lingua …


Coordinated Regulation Of Myc Trans-Activation Targets By Polycomb And The Trithorax Group Protein Ash1, Julie M. Goodliffe, Michael D. Cole, Eric Wieschaus May 2007

Coordinated Regulation Of Myc Trans-Activation Targets By Polycomb And The Trithorax Group Protein Ash1, Julie M. Goodliffe, Michael D. Cole, Eric Wieschaus

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Myc oncoprotein is a transcriptional regulator whose function is essential for normal development. Myc is capable of binding to 10% of the mammalian genome, and it is unclear how a developing embryo controls the DNA binding of its abundant Myc proteins in order to avoid Myc's potential for inducing tumorigenesis.To identify chromatin binding proteins with a potential role in controlling Myc activity, we established a genetic assay for dMyc activity in Drosophila. We conducted a genome-wide screen using this assay, and identified the Trithorax Group protein Ash1 as a modifier of dMyc activity. Ash1 is a histone methyltransferase known …


Stoichiometric Controls Of Mercury Dilution By Growth, Roxanne Karimi, Celia Y. Chen, Paul C. Pickhardt, Nicholas S. Fisher, Carol L. Folt May 2007

Stoichiometric Controls Of Mercury Dilution By Growth, Roxanne Karimi, Celia Y. Chen, Paul C. Pickhardt, Nicholas S. Fisher, Carol L. Folt

Dartmouth Scholarship

Rapid growth could significantly reduce methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in aquatic organisms by causing a greater than proportional gain in biomass relative to MeHg (somatic growth dilution). We hypothesized that rapid growth from the consumption of high-quality algae, defined by algal nutrient stoichiometry, reduces MeHg concentrations in zooplankton, a major source of MeHg for lake fish. Using a MeHg radiotracer, we measured changes in MeHg concentrations, growth and ingestion rates in juvenile Daphnia pulex fed either high (C:P = 139) or low-quality (C:P = 1317) algae (Ankistrodesmus falcatus) for 5 d. We estimated Daphnia steady-state MeHg concentrations, using a …