Life Sciences Commons^™

Forward Genomics Of A Complex Trait: Mammalian Basal Metabolic Rate, Caleigh Charlebois

Honors College

The significance and nature of basal metabolic rate, a metabolic parameter recorded under specific laboratory conditions, are contested among biologists. Although it was most likely important in the evolution of endothermy in mammals and is associated with many other traits inter-and intra-specifically, the specifics of its heritability and its genetic determinants are largely unknown. Two bioinformatics pipelines are available which can associate traits with their genetic correlates given only whole genomes and phenotypes for each animal. However, extant pipelines were created with binary traits in mind. This leaves a void in our ability to associate continuous traits such as basal …

Diversity Of Small Rna Expression During Zebrafish Caudal Fin Regeneration, Jefferson Adams

Honors College

Over the years microRNA have been shown to play a role in the regulation of genes involved in regeneration of zebrafish (Danio rerio) tissues. However, recent research suggest that there may be other types of small RNA that play a regulatory role in these regenerative processes. For the most part these other small RNA (sRNA), such as transfer RNA (tRNA) derived fragments, ribosomal RNA (rRNA) derived fragments, and small nucleolar RNA, are disregarded. Here I analyzed the expression pattern of these sRNA during the regeneration of the zebrafish caudal fin. High-throughput sequencing was used to characterize the expression of small …

Characterization Of Transcriptional Control Elements In Cluster E Mycobacteriophage Ukulele, Campbell Belisle Haley

Honors College

Mycobacteriophage (phage) are a diverse group of viruses that infect Mycobacterium. Their study allows further understanding of viral evolution and genetics. Phage tightly control gene expression and transcribe their genes using host RNA polymerases. This project identifies potential transcriptional control elements in the genome of mycobacteriophage Ukulele. Promoters are sequences of the genome that allow binding of RNA polymerase and initiation of transcription. 21 putative promoters were identified in the Ukulele genome. To confirm transcriptional activity from putative promoters, a GFP reporter system was developed in mycobacterial cells. Intrinsic terminators are mRNA sequences that form secondary structure during transcription …

Collaborative Research: North East Cyberinfrastructure Consortium, Michael Eckardt, Vicki Nemeth, Carolyn Mattingly

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

The North East Cyberinfrastructure Consortium has finished its third year of Track-2 funding. In this report we summarize our overall progress and progress for Year 3.

In 2006, we began to organize as the five North Eastern EPSCoR states (ME, NH, VT, Rl, DE) around cyberinfrastructure. The box below describes the state of cyberinfrastructure in 2008 by which time we had developed the North East Cyberinfrastructure Consortium to position ourselves for grant opportunities that would help us to address our cyber deficits.

The Track-2 collaborative proposal submitted in January 2009 was designed to address these barriers in order enable our …