Life Sciences Commons^™

Soil Characteristics Drive Ficaria Verna Abundance And Reproductive Output, Justin P. Kermack, Emily Rauschert

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna Huds.), an invasive plant from Europe, is becoming widespread in river valleys throughout the northeastern United States and the Pacific Northwest. Its high rate of asexual bulbil and tuber production creates dense infestations threatening native spring ephemerals. Ficaria verna abundance and reproductive output (seeds, bulbils, and tubers) were examined in invaded transects spanning a disturbance gradient away from a river. Site characteristics (photosynthetically active radiation [PAR], soil pH, moisture, texture, and nutrients) were quantified to examine their roles in plant abundance and reproduction. A larger-scale study examined random transects not specifically chosen based on F. …

Biophysical And Biomechanical Properties Of Neural Progenitor Cells As Indicators Of Developmental Neurotoxicity, Gautam Mahajan, Moo-Yeal Lee, Chandrasekhar R. Kothapalli

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Conventional in vitro toxicity studies have focused on identifying IC50 and the underlying mechanisms, but how toxicants influence biophysical and biomechanical changes in human cells, especially during developmental stages, remain understudied. Here, using an atomic force microscope, we characterized changes in biophysical (cell area, actin organization) and biomechanical (Young's modulus, force of adhesion, tether force, membrane tension, tether radius) aspects of human fetal brain-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) induced by four classes of widely used toxic compounds, including rotenone, digoxin, N-arachidonoylethanolamide (AEA), and chlorpyrifos, under exposure up to 36 h. The sub-cellular mechanisms (apoptosis, mitochondria membrane potential, DNA damage, glutathione …

Modeling Of Free Chlorine Consumption And Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Cross-Contamination During Fresh-Cut Produce Wash Cycles, Mohammadreza Dehghan Abnavi, Ali Alradaan, Daniel Munther, Chandrasekhar R. Kothapalli, Partha Srinivasan

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Controlling the free chlorine (FC) availability in wash water during sanitization of fresh produce enhances our ability to reduce microbial levels and prevent cross-contamination. However, maintaining an ideal concentration of FC that could prevent the risk of contamination within the wash system is still a technical challenge in the industry, indicating the need to better understand wash water chemistry dynamics. Using bench-scale experiments and modeling approaches, we developed a comprehensive mathematical model to predict the FC concentration during fresh-cut produce wash processes for different lettuce types (romaine, iceberg, green leaf, and red leaf), carrots, and green cabbage as well as …

Shifts In Plant Functional Composition Following Long-Term Drought In Grasslands, Robert J. Griffin‐Nolan, Dana M. Blumenthal, Scott L. Collins, Timothy E. Farkas, Ava M. Hoffman, Kevin E. Mueller, Troy W. Ocheltree, Melinda D. Smith, Kenneth D. Whitney, Alan K. Knapp

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

1. Plant traits can provide unique insights into plant performance at the community scale. Functional composition, defined by both functional diversity and community-weighted trait means (CWMs), can affect the stability of above-ground net primary production (ANPP) in response to climate extremes. Further complexity arises, however, when functional composition itself responds to environmental change. The duration of climate extremes, such as drought, is expected to increase with rising global temperatures; thus, understanding the impacts of long-term drought on functional composition and the corresponding effect that has on ecosystem function could improve predictions of ecosystem sensitivity to climate change.

2. We experimentally …

Splicing Dysregulation Contributes To The Pathogenicity Of Several F9 Exonic Point Variants, Upendra K. Katneni, Aaron Liss, David Holcomb, Nobuko H. Katagiri, Ryan Hunt, Haim Bar, Amra Ismail, Anton A. Komar, Chava Kimchi‐Sarfaty

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Background: Pre‐mRNA splicing is a complex process requiring the identification of donor site, acceptor site, and branch point site with an adjacent polypyrimidine tract sequence. Splicing is regulated by splicing regulatory elements (SREs) with both enhancer and suppressor functions. Variants located in exonic regions can impact splicing through dysregulation of native splice sites, SREs, and cryptic splice site activation. While splicing dysregulation is considered primary disease‐inducing mechanism of synonymous variants, its contribution toward disease phenotype of non‐synonymous variants is underappreciated. Methods: In this study, we analyzed 415 disease‐causing and 120 neutral F9 exonic point variants including both synonymous and non‐synonymous …

A Non-Natural Nucleotide Uses A Specific Pocket To Selectively Inhibit Telomerase Activity, Wilnelly Hernandez-Sanchez, Wei Huang, Brian Plucinsky, Nelson Garcia-Vazquez, Nathaniel J. Robinson, William P. Schiemann, Anthony J. Berdis, Emmanuel Skordalakes, Derek J. Taylor

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Telomerase, a unique reverse transcriptase that specifically extends the ends of linear chromosomes, is up-regulated in the vast majority of cancer cells. Here, we show that an indole nucleotide analog, 5-methylcarboxyl-indolyl-2′-deoxyriboside 5′-triphosphate (5-MeCITP), functions as an inhibitor of telomerase activity. The crystal structure of 5-MeCITP bound to the Tribolium castaneum telomerase reverse transcriptase reveals an atypical interaction, in which the nucleobase is flipped in the active site. In this orientation, the methoxy group of 5-MeCITP extends out of the canonical active site to interact with a telomerase-specific hydrophobic pocket formed by motifs 1 and 2 in the fingers domain and …

Extending The Osmometer Method For Assessing Drought Tolerance In Herbaceous Species, Robert J. Griffin-Nolan, Troy W. Ocheltree, Kevin E. Mueller, Dana M. Blumenthal, Julie A. Kray, Alan K. Knapp

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Community-scale surveys of plant drought tolerance are essential for understanding semi-arid ecosystems and community responses to climate change. Thus, there is a need for an accurate and rapid methodology for assessing drought tolerance strategies across plant functional types. The osmometer method for predicting leaf osmotic potential at full turgor ((o)), a key metric of leaf-level drought tolerance, has resulted in a 50-fold increase in the measurement speed of this trait; however, the applicability of this method has only been tested in woody species and crops. Here, we assess the osmometer method for use in herbaceous grassland species and test whether …

Analysis Of Oxygen-18 Labeled Phosphate To Study Positional Isotope Experiments Using Lc-Qtof-Ms, Sujatha Chilakala, Iteen Cheng, Ireen Lee, Yan Xu

Chemistry Faculty Publications

A method is proposed in this paper for the determination of oxygen-18 labeled phosphate so that positional isotope experiments using sensitive and rapid liquid chromatography–QTOF–mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) experiments can be carried out. The positional isotope exchange technique is a useful tool in understanding the mechanisms and kinetics of many enzyme-catalyzed reactions. Detection of the positions and concentration of these exchanged isotopes is the key. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging are commonly used analytical techniques for measurement of ¹⁸O/¹⁶O, ³¹P and ¹⁵N isotope enrichment. Since these techniques either require a time-consuming derivatization …

Amino Acids Profiling For The Diagnosis Of Metabolic Disorders, Yana Sandlers

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) represent a group of inherited diseases in which genetic defect leads to the block on a metabolic pathway, resulting in a single enzyme dysfunction. As a downstream consequence of the residual or full loss of the enzymatic activity, there is an accumulation of toxic metabolites in the proximity of the metabolic block and/or a deficiency of an essential metabolic product which leads to the clinical presentation of the disease. While individually IEMs are rare, a collectively estimated incidence of metabolic inherited disorders is 1:800. The genetic basis of IEMs can involve abnormalities such as point …

Role Of Ribosomal Protein Us9/Ys16 In Translation Initiation And Elongation In Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae., Supriya Jindal

ETD Archive

The process of translation in all living cells is performed by ribosomes and is divided into four major steps (initiation, elongation, termination and ribosome recycling). Ribosomes consist of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and proteins and are composed of two subunits small and large. There are three major sites for tRNA binding within ribosome: the (aminoacyl) A-site which accepts the aminoacyl (aa)-tRNA; the P-site, where the peptidyl-tRNA is formed and the (exit) E-site, where deacylated tRNA exits the ribosome. These sites are formed by both rRNA and ribosomal proteins. Though rRNA are involved in the catalysis of protein synthesis, the contribution of …

Functional Diversity And Restoration Of Meadows In Northeast Ohio, Keri Plevniak

ETD Archive

Restoration outcomes can be variable and there is a need to understand the short- and long-term responses of the vegetation community. It is important to see if management goals are being met by evaluating restoration outcomes. Restoration goals often include establishing native species, increasing conservation value, and providing pollinator resources throughout the year. Assessing communities is commonly done though a taxonomic approach by using species presence and abundance. Another method of evaluation is through functional traits or species traits and their abundance. Both give different perspectives on how the community is achieving management goals. While taxonomic assessments can give insight …

Insights Into The Ribosomal, Extra-Ribosomal And Developmental Role Of Rp L13a In Mammalian Model, Ravinder Kour

ETD Archive

Ribosomal protein L13a plays an extra-ribosomal function in translational silencing of GAIT (IFN-gamma-activated inhibitor of translation) element bearing mRNAs encoding inflammatory proteins but the underlying molecular mechanism of translational silencing and ribosomal incorporation of L13a remains poorly understood. Also, our laboratory showed that L13a acts as a physiological defense against uncontrolled inflammation in macrophage-specific knockout (KO) mice. However, the consequence of a total knockout of L13a in mammals remains unexplored. Therefore, our current study is focused on (i) identifying the amino acid residue(s) of L13a essential for incorporation and translational silencing of target mRNAs and (ii) studying the consequences of …

Investigation Of Ires-Mediated Translation Of Puma Mrna: Initiation Factor Requirements And Search For Itafs, Amra Ismail

ETD Archive

Translation initiation is the rate-limiting and tightly regulated step of protein synthesis. Cap-dependent translation initiation accounts for about 95% of cellular mRNAs. Around 3-5% of cellular mRNAs have been found to contain a cis-regulatory element (IRES) which can recruit ribosomes in a cap-independent manner. IRESs support protein synthesis under cellular stress conditions when cap-dependent translation is inhibited. Differentiation in 23A2 myoblast cells can be induced by culturing cells in serum-free differentiating media (DM). During 23A2 cellular myoblast differentiation, approximately 30% of cells undergo apoptosis as a result of stress caused by serum withdrawal in order to induce differentiation. The expression …

Which Of The Following Is True: We Can Write Better Multiple Choice Questions, Emily Rauschert, Suann Yang, Rachel M. Pigg

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

In August of 2018, we held a workshop for ecological educators on best practices for writing multiple-choice questions at the annual Ecological Society of America (ESA) meeting. Here, we summarize the highlights from the pedagogical literature and our own experiences that we shared with workshop participants, along with their insights. The feedback we received at the end of the workshop suggested a need for more pedagogical training opportunities at future conferences.