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Articles 1 - 27 of 27
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
In Vitro Characterization Of Fluorogenic Chemical Tools To Study Human Carboxylesterases (Cess), Taylor Parish Spidle
In Vitro Characterization Of Fluorogenic Chemical Tools To Study Human Carboxylesterases (Cess), Taylor Parish Spidle
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Human carboxylesterases (CESs) are enzymes that are responsible for the metabolism of many important pharmaceuticals. Although CESs are key players in the hydrolysis of many ester-containing drugs, they remain understudied. Our group hypothesizes that this is primarily because there are few methods capable of reporting activity in live cells. Here, I report a new series of fluorogenic chemical tools to study the CES activity of one of the two major CESs in humans, CES1, in live cells. MCP-Me, MCP-Et, and MCP-iPr utilize the same carbonate group of a previously developed chemical tool in our group, FCP-1, and work to mimic …
Uridine Promotes Neurite Outgrowth In Neuro2a Cells, Jacquelyn Spathies
Uridine Promotes Neurite Outgrowth In Neuro2a Cells, Jacquelyn Spathies
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are the main causes of age-related dementia. These diseases can be due to neuronal cell death and/or impairment of neurite outgrowth. Giant oyster mushroom (GOM), Pleurotus giganteus, is used as a nootropic to improve cognitive function. GOM can also be used to prevent the onset of dementia. The underlying mechanism behind the medicinal property of GOM is unclear. Previous studies have shown that GOM has a high concentration of uridine. In this study, I examined the effects of uridine on neurite outgrowth in the Neuro-2a (N2a) neuroblastoma cell line. We also examined …
Exploration Of Sonic Hedgehog Gene Expression In Fathead Minnows (Pimephales Promelas), Brooke Renee Greiner
Exploration Of Sonic Hedgehog Gene Expression In Fathead Minnows (Pimephales Promelas), Brooke Renee Greiner
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Pollutants, as a result of wastewater treatments, have been shown to have negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems. To better understand the possible consequences caused by effluents on ecosystems, it is important to examine ecotoxicology data. One of the most commonly used species for water quality testing is the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas. Ecotoxicology can then be taken one step further to understand the effects of pollutants on a molecular level. Previous research had identified effluents as causes for abnormal minnow fin morphology. In order to collect additional data on development, tanks with fathead minnows were placed at the Charleston …
Genomic Dysregulation By Overexpression Of Transcription Factors, Mackenzie Scroggins
Genomic Dysregulation By Overexpression Of Transcription Factors, Mackenzie Scroggins
Undergraduate Honors Theses
As one of the major organs, the liver plays vital roles in the homeostasis of an individual. Being able to identify master regulator genes, genes whose product can affect the activation or deactivation of other genes, will enrich our understanding of hepatic function and liver disease. Previously, our lab used genome-wide microarray data to identify several transcription factors that may play a key role in liver expression. Here we ask whether overexpression of these transcription factors in a non-liver cell would result in liver phenotype activation or general disruption of gene regulation. To this end, we stably introduced seven transcription …
Analysis Of Gut Microbiota From Aedes Albopictus Mosquitoes Collected In Central Illinois, Megan E. Cooper
Analysis Of Gut Microbiota From Aedes Albopictus Mosquitoes Collected In Central Illinois, Megan E. Cooper
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Aedes albopictus, Asian tiger mosquitoes, are vectors of a wide number of human viral diseases including, West Nile virus, Dengue virus, Chikungunya virus and (recently) Zika virus. A large body of evidence has suggested that microbiomes of mosquito midguts are closely associated with specific mosquito life processes such as nutrition, reproduction, aggregation and defense against toxins. In this study we characterize the bacterial flora of the midguts of adult female Ae. albopictus collected from woodlots and residential areas in Champaign and Coles Counties of Central Illinois (40 samples in each category). After extraction of DNA from dissected midguts, we …
Median Fin Patterning In Bony Fish: Caspase-3 Role In Fin Fold Reabsorption, Kaitlyn Ann Hammock
Median Fin Patterning In Bony Fish: Caspase-3 Role In Fin Fold Reabsorption, Kaitlyn Ann Hammock
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Fish larvae develop a fin fold that will later be replaced by the median fins. I hypothesize that fin fold reabsorption is part of the initial patterning of the median fins, and that caspase-3, an apoptosis marker, will be expressed in the fin fold during reabsorption. I analyzed time series of larvae in the first 20-days post hatch (dph) to determine timing of median fin development in a basal bony fish - sturgeon- and in zebrafish, a derived bony fish. I am expecting the general activation pathway to be conserved in both fishes but, the timing and location of cell …
Pioglitazone, Neet Family Proteins, And Galactose Modulation Of Liver Cell Bioenergetics, David F. Grimm
Pioglitazone, Neet Family Proteins, And Galactose Modulation Of Liver Cell Bioenergetics, David F. Grimm
Undergraduate Honors Theses
MitoNEET was discovered through interactions with a labeled and photoactive derivative of pioglitazone (pio), a drug used to increase peripheral insulin sensitivity. Its unique coordination of a [2Fe-2S] cluster by three cysteine residues (Cys-72, Cys-74, and Cys-83) and one histidine (His-87) gives this cluster both stability and the ability to be donated to acceptor proteins. These qualities allow mitoNEET to participate in a diversity of biological functions. Functions of mitoNEET and the consequences of pioglitazone (pio) treatment in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells cultured in glucose or galactose-based medium were examined by respiration and proliferation studies. Pio treatment decreased complex …
Effects Of Turbidity On The Vision And Behavior Of Longear Sunfish, Lindsey Denea Caudle
Effects Of Turbidity On The Vision And Behavior Of Longear Sunfish, Lindsey Denea Caudle
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Fish are known to use vision in many essential behaviors, including foraging, intraspecific communication and predator avoidance. Turbidity is one of the many environmental factors potentially affecting vision quality. I examined the behavior of interacting conspecific fish in varying levels of turbidity to determine how this environmental variable affects vision and behavior. Experiments were designed to observe how longear sunfish, Lepomis megalotis, reacted to visual cues - in this case a conspecific fish in a glass jar - in the presence or absence of turbidity. My hypothesis is that sunfish will display territorial behavior when introduced to another fish …
Dry And Alive: Applications Of Anhydrobiosis In The Preservation Of Eukaryotic Cells, Daniel A. Webster
Dry And Alive: Applications Of Anhydrobiosis In The Preservation Of Eukaryotic Cells, Daniel A. Webster
Undergraduate Honors Theses
First discovered in the 1980's, late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins now play an important role in the modern paradigm of anhydrobiosis. These proteins are intrinsically disordered in the hydrated state, and gain more defined secondary structure motifs (e.g. beta-sheets and alpha-helices) during the process of dehydration. This gain in secondary structure likely plays a key role in the ability of LEA proteins to protect the machinery important to life sustaining processes within the cell during severe water stress. Methods such as high resolution respirometry offer insight into the level of protection conferred by these proteins during periods of acute water …
The Role Of Late Embryogenesis-Abundant Proteins In Desiccation-Induced Apoptosis, Benjamin S. Poznic
The Role Of Late Embryogenesis-Abundant Proteins In Desiccation-Induced Apoptosis, Benjamin S. Poznic
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Encysted embryos of the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana survive extreme water loss by expressing the late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) protein AfLEA1.3 and the moss Physcomitrella patens expresses PpDHNA under conditions of dehydration. I investigated the impact of transgenic expression of PpDHNA and AfLEA1.3 on the metabolism of mammalian cells exposed to 0.5 M sucrose. The gene PpDHNA was transgenically expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells and AfLEA1.3 was cloned into human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells. Calorimetry was utilized to measure the metabolic activity of both cell lines. HEK cells showed a metabolic output of -24.1 ± 2.04 (SD) μW …
Mitoneet: Reduction In Insulin Resistance Through Ameliorated Oxidative Stress?, Nicolas A. Ferry
Mitoneet: Reduction In Insulin Resistance Through Ameliorated Oxidative Stress?, Nicolas A. Ferry
Undergraduate Honors Theses
MitoNEET is a mitochondrial iron-sulfur protein with poorly-understood functions. Proposed functions of mitoNEET include regulating of oxidative capacity, reactive oxygen homeostasis, and other possible roles. Investigating the interactions of mitoNEET with other proteins might help identify functional roles of this protein. MitoNEET was discovered in 2004 to identify physiological targets of pioglitazone hydrochloride, a drug that is commonly used to treat type-2 diabetes. Type-2 diabetes is a metabolic disease and, although the exact pathology is complex, the role of the mitochondrion in cellular energy production and glucose oxidation indicates that this organelle has a role in type-2 diabetes. Because of …
Gut Helminths Of Two Species Of Light Geese In Illinois, Evan C. Boone
Gut Helminths Of Two Species Of Light Geese In Illinois, Evan C. Boone
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Parasite burdens in lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) and Ross’s geese (Chen rossii) migrating through central Illinois were determined and compared to documented parasite burdens on the breeding grounds in northern Canada and the wintering grounds in southern Texas. The digestive tracts of 48 snow geese (38 lesser snow geese and 10 Ross’s geese) were collected from 4 February to 3 March, 2012, in Raymond, Illinois. Eight helminth taxa (two species of Trematoda, four species of Nematoda, and two species of Cestoda) were recovered. Five of the eight helminth taxa were common in both species …
An Examination Of Keratinophilic Fungal On Eastern Bluebird Eggshells, Edward Anthony Hillman Iii
An Examination Of Keratinophilic Fungal On Eastern Bluebird Eggshells, Edward Anthony Hillman Iii
Undergraduate Honors Theses
This study was designed to evaluate the mycobiota of Eastern Bluebird eggshells and assess the abundance of keratinophilic fungi. Samples of fungi taken from Eastern Bluebird eggshells were subcultured for identification using macroscopic and microscopic characteristics. The occurrence of a significant number of keratinophilic fungi on Eastern Bluebird eggshells poses a potential threat to developing chicks.
Plant-Microbial Interactions Change Along A Prairie Restoration Chronosequence, Anna Herzberger
Plant-Microbial Interactions Change Along A Prairie Restoration Chronosequence, Anna Herzberger
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Soil microbial communities are critical in determining the performance and density of species in plant communities. However, their role in regulating the success of restorations is much less clear. This study assessed the ability of soil microbial communities to regulate the growth and performance of two potentially dominant grasses and two common forbs in prairie restorations. Specifically, I examined the effects of soil microbial communities along a restoration chronosequence from agricultural fields to remnant prairies using experimentally inoculated soils. The two grass species, Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans, produced larger biomass with the agricultural inoculates and experienced a decline …
Optimization Of Protocols For Wolbachia Detection Using Pcr Methods, Jennifer Kim
Optimization Of Protocols For Wolbachia Detection Using Pcr Methods, Jennifer Kim
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Wolbachia is a genus of intracellular bacterium that is known to infect a wide range of arthropods. Species within this clade have the ability to modify the reproductive success of their hosts to promote their own distribution throughout host populations. Wolbachia cannot be cultured outside of the host and characterizing infection of gonadal cells might be time consuming. Thus, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays are a common method of Wolbachia DNA amplification from arthropods. I assessed the utility of 3 DNA sequence markers (16S, ITS, and 28S) paired with the Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) gene in various PCR …
Leaf Anatomy And Systematics Of Polygaleae (Polygalaceae), Heather Wilber
Leaf Anatomy And Systematics Of Polygaleae (Polygalaceae), Heather Wilber
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Polygalaceae are comprised of approximately 1000 species found worldwide in a variety of habitats. Over half of the species in the family were traditionally grouped into the polyphyletic genus Polygala and need resolution. Leaves from 21 species in 13 genera within tribe Polygaleae were field collected or taken from specimens at the Missouri Botanical Garden Herbarium (MO) to find phylogenetically useful characteristics of the foliar anatomy. The leaves were rehydrated using concentrated ammonium hydroxide, embedded in paraffin, and sectioned at 10 μm thickness using a rotary microtome. To observe epidermal features, rehydrated leaves were also cleared using 3% potassium hydroxide. …
Comparison Of Theophylline And 8-Cyclopentyltheophylline On The Heart Rates Of Neonatal Rats, Stephanie Arnold
Comparison Of Theophylline And 8-Cyclopentyltheophylline On The Heart Rates Of Neonatal Rats, Stephanie Arnold
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Neonatal apnea is a serious condition that affects the health of infants, especially those born prematurely. To stimulate breathing, methylxanthine drugs, such as theophylline and caffeine, are administered to reverse this condition in humans and avoid the use of breathing-assistance equipment. These drugs cause stimulation of the central nervous system and the heart, however, both detrimental side effects in preterm infants. Antagonism of adenosine receptors is the proposed mechanism of methylxanthine action. Synthetic chemists have produced xanthine analogs with increased affinity for adenosine receptors that could lead to respiratory stimulation while reducing cardiostimulant effects. For this study, theophylline and 8-cyclopentyltheophylline …
An Assessment Of Transformation Protocols Of Trametes Versicolor: A Possible Biological Pretreatment For Biomass, Michelle Hartnett
An Assessment Of Transformation Protocols Of Trametes Versicolor: A Possible Biological Pretreatment For Biomass, Michelle Hartnett
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Lignin is an obstacle in large-scale biofuel production. This can be overcome by the use of fungal pretreatment. This experiment assessed two transformation assays, based on the protocols of Laccaria bicolor and Phanerochaete chrysosporium, and applied them to Trametes versicolor. In order to determine a successful transformation, T. versicolor was transformed with green fluorescence protein (GFP) using the two assays, followed by detection of transformed mycelia under UV light. The two protocols were assessed based on timeliness, ease, and effectiveness. Based on the quantity of viable transformants and ease, the membrane assay described for Laccaria is successful when …
Taking The Road Most Travelled: Understanding Patterns Of Snake (Colubridae; Storeria) Movement And Road Mortality In A State Park, Iwo P. Gross
Undergraduate Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
Seed Ecology Of Federally Threatened Pinguicula Ionantha (Godfrey's Butterwort), Jenna Annis
Seed Ecology Of Federally Threatened Pinguicula Ionantha (Godfrey's Butterwort), Jenna Annis
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Pinguicula ionantha G. (Lentibulariaceae) is a carnivorous plant occurring in historically fire-dependent bog habitats of longleaf pine savannas. The species is limited to 6 counties within the Florida Panhandle. The species is currently listed as federally threatened due largely to habitat loss. The objective of this research is to provide the appropriate Pinguicula ionantha germination and seed bank information that would aid in the deli sting of the species. Eleven collections of Pinguicula ionantha seeds were made from natural populations. All germination trials took place in a seed germination chamber. Treatments included stratification, liquid smoke solutions, plant growth regulators (PGR), …
Seed Germination And Seed Bank Of Scutellaria Species, Jennifer O'Brien
Seed Germination And Seed Bank Of Scutellaria Species, Jennifer O'Brien
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Florida skullcap, Scutellaria floridana Chapm. (Lamiaceae), is a federally threatened species found in the Florida Panhandle. Its habitat is a fire-prone, longleaf pine forest dominated by Aristida stricta Michx. var. beyrichiana (wiregrass). Other Scutellaria species used in the study are found in southeastern U.S., including two within the Florida Panhandle. The objective of this study was to compare several techniques to germinate seeds of Scutellaria incana, Scutellaria lateriflora, Scutellaria ovata ssp. ovata, and Scutellaria floridana, and to access the presence of a seed bank for S. floridana. For the germination study, Scutellaria later …
Puccinia Mariae-Wilsoniae And Claytonia Virginica: A Pathogen's Tale, Sarah A. Schlund
Puccinia Mariae-Wilsoniae And Claytonia Virginica: A Pathogen's Tale, Sarah A. Schlund
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Rusts are economically important fungal plant pathogens. For the majority of rust species, complete life history data, including host range, geographic distribution, plant response to the rust, identity of alternate hosts, and mode of sexual reproduction are incomplete. The purpose of this study was to examine the life history of Puccinia mariae-wilsoniae, a rust on Claytonia virginica (spring beauty), and to observe responses in leaf anatomy to its fungal pathogen. Spring beauty is an ephemeral woodland plant that lasts three to four weeks and P. mariae-wilsoniae infects C. virginica almost as soon as the plant emerges from dormancy in …
Improved Tolerance To Freeze And Salt Stress In Mitochondria Of Drosophilia Melanogaster Cells Conferred By Lea Protein, Matthew R. Marunde
Improved Tolerance To Freeze And Salt Stress In Mitochondria Of Drosophilia Melanogaster Cells Conferred By Lea Protein, Matthew R. Marunde
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Mechanisms that govern anhydrobiosis involve the accumulation of highly hydrophilic macromolecules, such as late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins. Group 1 LEA proteins comprised of 181 (AfLEA1.1) and 197 (AfLEA1.3) amino acids were cloned from embryos of Artemia franciscana and expressed in Drosophila melanogaster cells (Kc167). Confocal microscopy revealed accumulations of green fluorescence protein (GFP) and AfLEA1.3 constructs in the mitochondria (AfLEA1.3-GFP) and AfLEA1.1-GFP constructs in the cytoplasm. In the presence of mixed substrates, oxygen consumption was similar for permeabilized Kc167 control and Kc167-AfLEA1.3 cells. Acute titrations of NaCl (up to 500 mM) led to successive drops in oxygen flux of …
Genome Wide Analysis Of Hepatic Gene Silencing In Mammalian Cell Variants, Jeffrey L. Kurkewich
Genome Wide Analysis Of Hepatic Gene Silencing In Mammalian Cell Variants, Jeffrey L. Kurkewich
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Using microarray data, a genome wide analysis of hepatic gene-silencing in four hepatoma variant cell lines was carried out. The purpose of this analysis was to identify candidate genes that may be able to restore liver function in non-functional cell variants, ultimately giving insight into the mechanisms behind global hepatic gene expression. Based on a selection scheme allowing only for genes activated or repressed at least 5 fold in 2 out of the 4 variant cell lines, 225 genes were found to be repressed while a total of 76 genes were found to be activated. Of the repressed genes identified, …
Degradation Of Atrazine By White Rot And Soil Fungi, Gerald Presley
Degradation Of Atrazine By White Rot And Soil Fungi, Gerald Presley
Undergraduate Honors Theses
The widespread use of atrazine in agriculture has lead to an abundance of this toxic chemical in the environment. Fungi that have the ability to degrade atrazine into less toxic products have been identified and used in the remediation of atrazine. In this study atrazine degradation in a defined liquid media was characterized in a diverse group of white rot basidiomycete and deuteromycete soil fungi. Atrazine did not have an effect on fungal growth although each species produced a different amount of biomass in culture. Statistical analysis showed that biomass production was an important factor in determining the amount of …
Royal Catchfly (Silene Regia) Growth And Floral Development In Response To Fertilizer And Photo Period, Amanda Wildenberg
Royal Catchfly (Silene Regia) Growth And Floral Development In Response To Fertilizer And Photo Period, Amanda Wildenberg
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Royal Catchfly, Silene regia, is a prairie forb that is endangered in multiple states. More information on the plant's development and propagation is essential to successful recovery programs. Little is known about S. regia's response to fertilizer or how floral initiation is triggered. Within Caryophyllaceae floral initiation often is linked to photoperiod. The objectives of my study were to investigate how fertilizer affects growth of S. regia to transplant stage and to determine if flowering of S. regia is initiated by photoperiod or developmental age. For fertilizer, treatments consisted of a control, a 20-20-20 liquid fertilizer solution at …
Using Polymerase Chain Reaction To Detect Nifh And Vnfdgk In A Novel Acidophilic Microbial Community, Samantha L. Flowers
Using Polymerase Chain Reaction To Detect Nifh And Vnfdgk In A Novel Acidophilic Microbial Community, Samantha L. Flowers
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Acidophiles are widely known for their ability to exploit harsh environments, typically consisting of high temperatures, dissolved metal concentrations, and acidic conditions. Consequently, different acidophilic species are employed industrially in applications such as biomining and bioleaching. However, their full potential in bioremediation, and in industrial practices, has yet to be fully explored because many of these acidophiles are difficult to culture in laboratory conditions or have yet to be properly identified. This investigation focuses on a novel community sampled from the Richmond Mine site in Iron Mountain, California, consisting of a filamentous fungus and prokaryotes. This consortium can be cultured …