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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Identification Of Genes Required To Synthesize An Antibiotic-Like Compound From The Soil Bacterium Rhodococcus Sp. Mtm3w5.2, Amber L. Ward Aug 2015

Identification Of Genes Required To Synthesize An Antibiotic-Like Compound From The Soil Bacterium Rhodococcus Sp. Mtm3w5.2, Amber L. Ward

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rhodococcus is a soil bacterium, member of the Actinobacteria, and a close relative of the prolific small molecule producer Streptomyces. Recent interest in Rhodococcus as an under investigated source of possible bioactive secondary metabolites is sparked by the discovery of many polyketide synthase and non-ribosomal peptide synthetase genes of unknown function from sequenced Rhodococcus genomes. Rhodococcus species strain MTM3W5.2 was recently shown to produce a strong inhibitory compound with activity against most strains of Rhodococcus and closely related genera. A goal of this investigation is to discover the gene(s) required to synthesize this inhibitory molecule. The engineered Rhodococcus …


Algr Directly Controls Rsma In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Tyler Speaks Aug 2015

Algr Directly Controls Rsma In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Tyler Speaks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterial pathogen that can infect any human tissue. The lungs of cystic fibrosis patients become chronically infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Virulence factor gene expression is under elaborate regulatory control that remains poorly characterized. Understanding the regulatory hierarchy involved during infection is essential for identifying novel drug targets. RsmA is a post-transcriptional regulatory protein that controls expression of several virulence factors. Previous studies demonstrated alginate regulatory components AlgU and AlgR as regulators of rsmA expression. The aim of this study was to determine how AlgR controls rsmA expression. Western blot analysis of HA-tagged RsmA confirmed lower …


Characterization Of Putative Exbb And Exbd Leads To The Identification Of A Potential Tol-Pal System In Rhizobium Leguminosarum Atcc 14479, Valeria Barisic May 2015

Characterization Of Putative Exbb And Exbd Leads To The Identification Of A Potential Tol-Pal System In Rhizobium Leguminosarum Atcc 14479, Valeria Barisic

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rhizobium leguminosarum is a Gram negative nitrogen-fixing soil bacterium. Due to the limited bioavailability of iron, bacteria utilize siderophores that scavenge and bind available iron. The transport of iron-siderophore complexes is achieved by the TonB-ExbB-ExbD complex. We have previously shown that a functional TonB protein is necessary for iron transport by creating ΔtonB mutants and assessing their growth and 55Fe-siderophore transport ability. We attempted to identify and characterize the roles of putative exbB and exbD genes using a similar approach. Growth curves and sequence analyses suggest putative exbB and exbD may be the tolpal-associated genes tolQ and tolR. Phenotypic and …


Influence Of The Anti-Hiv Drug Elvitegravir On Chlamydial Development And The Characterization Of Chlamydial Polymorphic Membrane Protein Expression In Herpes Simplex Virus (Hsv)/C. Trachomatis Co-Infected Cells, Hena Yakoob May 2015

Influence Of The Anti-Hiv Drug Elvitegravir On Chlamydial Development And The Characterization Of Chlamydial Polymorphic Membrane Protein Expression In Herpes Simplex Virus (Hsv)/C. Trachomatis Co-Infected Cells, Hena Yakoob

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common bacterial agent of sexually transmitted infections worldwide and a common co-infection in AIDS patients. Chlamydial genital tract infections are often asymptomatic; therefore many infections go untreated and result in complications like chronic inflammation, ectopic pregnancy, and pelvic inflammatory disease. Chlamydia share a unique developmental cycle and under stress, can enter a state known as persistence, in which the bacteria are noninfectious but still viable. Removal of the stressor allows the chlamydiae to re-enter and complete the developmental cycle. Exposure to low-dose quinolones can cause the chlamydiae to enter persistence and halt the developmental cycle. …