Life Sciences Commons^™

An Assessment Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Dynamics, Management, And Impacts In Highly Fragmented Landscapes, Bambi Shafer

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Habitat and forage selection by deer can cause local extinction of plant species. In my research, I asked: 1) How do deer population growth rates in urban parks change through time? 2) Are culling rates and deer densities correlated? 3) Are browse rates on Trillium spp. and deer densities correlated? I used FLIR deer census data from Davis Aviation and culling data from Five Rivers MetroParks (Montgomery County, Ohio). I found that deer population growth rates generally declined from 2003 to 2008. The number of deer culled was positively correlated to the deer densities. The browse rates of Trillium spp. …

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlordibenzo-P-Dioxin Mediated Immune Suppression Through Interactions At The 3'Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain Regulatory Region Enhancers, David Harold Ellis

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2,3,7,8-Tetrachlordibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a potent toxin which inhibits the antibody response of B cells. The 3'IgHRR which is involved in transcriptional regulation of the heavy-chain polypeptide of antibodies is inhibited by TCDD. The hs1,2 enhancer region, isolated from the 3'IgHRR, is also inhibited while the isolated hs4 is activated by TCDD. This project sought to determine if that dichotomy in effects results from interactions at enhancer-specific binding sites for AhR, thought to mediate transcriptional effects of TCDD, and NFκB, a transcription factor involved in B cell activation. Here, I report a difference in the effect of TCDD on transcriptional activity …

Inhibition Of Cell Invasion By Targeting Pld, Terry C. Farkaly

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Phospholipase D (PLD) is a crucial signaling enzyme involved in many cellular processes. The catalytic activity of PLD is essential for the production of Phosphatidic Acid (PA), a critical second messenger in cell signaling cascades downstream. Using the highly invasive rat mammary adenocarcinoma cell line mTLn3 as a metastatic model, we investigated the proficiency of these cells to invade using matrigels that mimic the basement membrane of the extracellular matrix (ECM), their activity through PLD enzymatic assays, as well as the potency of our potential inhibitors to inhibit PLD-mediated cell invasion and lipase activity. This study reveals that PLD-mediated cell …

Constitutive And Jasmonate-Inducible Defenses In Phloem Of Two North American And Two Asian Ash Species Grown In A Common Garden, Qin Wang

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Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is more damaging to North American ashes than Asian ashes. Variation in the resistance of ash species to feeding by larvae of EAB may be related to variation in levels of chemical defenses in the phloem. I compared constitutive and methyl jasmonate (MeJA)-inducible levels of several chemical defenses in the phloem of young Manchurian, Chinese, white, and green ashes. Manchurian ash is known to be highly resistant to attack by EAB in the field, while white and green ashes are both susceptible. The hypotheses of this experiment were that: (1) Manchurian (Fraxinus mandshurica) and Chinese ash …

The Influence Of Stored Product Mites On The Function Of Skin Microvascular Endothelial Cells, Jennifer Graff Curp

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The prevalence of allergenic diseases and sensitization to stored product mites is increasing worldwide. Stored product mites are prevalent in homes, foods, and some work environments. Stored product mites need to be further studied so we can characterize their inflammatory properties to understand their role in skin disease, and provide proper treatment to patients with mite allergies. The purpose of the study was to show the role of stored product mites in modulating the inflammatory and immune response to human dermal endothelial cells in the skin. The epidermis serves as the first line of defense between the body and the …

Genetic Studies Of Genes Involved In The Initiation Of Dna Replication In The Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces Pombe, Zhuo Wang

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The initiation of DNA replication is a highly conserved process in all eukaryotes. However, the underlying mechanism is not well understood. Genetic studies in the fission yeast S. pombe have contributed greatly to and will continue to provide insights to our understanding of this important biological process.

In the first chapter, we have used a complementary method to test three recently identified human replication proteins DUE-B, Ticrr/Treslin, and GEMC1 as the candidate functional homologue of Sld3 in S. pombe. Sld3 is an essential replication initiation protein discovered in yeasts. Since no apparent sequence similarity can be found, its homologue in …

Characterization Of Three Mutations In Conserved Domain Of Subunit Iii Of Cytochrome C Oxidase From Rhodobacter Sphaeroides, Rachel Omolewu

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Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) is the final electron acceptor in mitochondrial respiratory chain and in many bacterial species including Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Electron transfer is coupled with the pumping of protons across the membrane. Previous work has shown that reaction of beef COX with dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) resulted in an inhibition of proton translocation by covalently binding to the conserved amino acid residue E90 located in a nonpolar region of subunit III (SIII). E90 is involved in a bonding pair with another conserved residue H212, possibly connected by a salt bridge or a hydrogen bond in the three dimensional structure of SIII. …

The Im-9 Cell Line: A Model For Evaluating Tcdd-Induced Modulation Of The Polymorphic Human Hs1,2 Enhancer Within The 3' Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain Regulatory Region, Ruth C. Chambers-Turner

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2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), a disrupter, of B-cell differentiation, induces binding of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) nuclear complex to dioxin responsive elements (DRE) within the mouse immunoglobulin heavy chain regulatory region (3'IgHRR), and produces a marked inhibition of 3'IgHRR activation, IgH expression, and antibody secretion in a well-characterized mouse B-cell line (CH12.LX). The mouse 3'IgHRR consists of at least four enhancers (hs3a; hs1,2; hs3b; hs4), and is highly homologous with the three enhancers (hs3; hs1,2; hs4) of the human 3'IgHRR. A polymorphism of the human hs1,2 enhancer (resulting in varying numbers of tandem repeats containing a DRE and κB site) has …

Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships For Organophosphates Binding To Trypsin And Chymotrypsin, Christopher Daniel Ruark

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Organophosphate (OP) nerve agents such as sarin, soman, tabun, and O-ethyl S-[2-(diisopropylamino) ethyl] methylphosphonothioate (VX) do not react solely with acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Evidence suggests that a wide range of cholinergic-independent pathways are also targeted, including serine proteases. These proteases comprise nearly one-third of all known proteases and play major roles in synaptic plasticity, learning, memory, neuroprotection, wound healing, cell signaling, inflammation, blood coagulation and protein processing. Inhibition of these proteases by OPs was found to exert a wide range of noncholinergic effects depending on the type of OP, the dose, and the duration of exposure. Consequently, in order to understand …

P63 And Vdr Are Regulated By Vitamin D (Vd3) And Uv Signaling, Andrew J. Whitlatch

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Skin cancers, such as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), develop from accumulated mutations as a result of excessive exposure to Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. Intriguingly, UVB also catalyzes the synthesis of 1alpha, 25-dihydroxy Vitamin D3 (VD3), the hormonally active form of Vitamin D. Downstream VD3 signaling has been associated with promoting the inhibition of cell cycle progression, regulating calcium homeostasis, and inducing differentiation and apoptosis. VD3 mediates these processes via genomic mechanisms through interaction with its cognate receptor, the Vitamin D Receptor, (VDR). In addition, it was recently discovered that VD3 reduces UVB-mediated phosphorylation of the SAPK/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), which …

Hyperbaric Oxygen In The Prevention Of Carbon Monoxide Induced Delayed Neurological Sequelae In Male Sprague Dawley Rats (Rattus Norvegicus), Chester P. Gut Jr.

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In Carbon Monoxide (CO) induced Delayed Neurological Sequelae (DNS) clinical signs develop 1 to 6 weeks after CO has cleared the body. The aim of this experiment was to develop a model of CO induced DNS which closely mimics "real world" conditions both in exposure and treatment. The model was challenged with hyperbaric or normobaric oxygen, or room air. Basic behaviors were measured by Open Field test on days 1, 7, 14 post exposure and treatment. No significant difference in behavior was observed between exposed and control animals or between treatment groups. Histological analyses showed no DNA or necrotic damage …

Impacts Of A Herbivorous Fish, Campostoma Anomalum (Central Stoneroller), On Nitrogen Fixation By Benthic Algae, Chad Robert Schwinnen

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Herbivorous fish negatively impact algal biomass and promote the growth of cyanobacteria. In nutrient poor conditions that sustain high levels of productivity nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria can supply up to 28% of the available nitrogen (Higgins et al. 2001) We investigated the role of grazing fish in sustaining high levels of productivity in nutrient poor conditions. We used the grazing minnow, Campostoma anomalum, and the acetylene reduction technique in a controlled environment to analyze rates of nitrogen fixation and primary production by the periphyton. Fish grazing reduced algal biomass and promoted the growth of cyanobacteria but had no impact on overall …

Tissue Specific Effects Of Adipose Stem Cells (Asc) In A Melanoma Tumor Environment, Drew Michael Nedderman

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This study determined the tissue-specific effect of adipose stem cells (ASC) within a melanoma environment for development of a cell-based melanoma therapy. Analysis included a subcutaneous B16-F1 melanoma model using thirty-one C57BL/6 wild-type mice. Melanoma xenografts were treated with cell-based therapies of CFDA-SE-labeled human fibroblasts HF20x (control), non-differentiated ndASC or hematopoietic-differentiated HdASC. No tumor regression was observed in presence of cell-based therapies, thus, the HdASC group demonstrated an increase in tumor growth accompanied with an up-regulated macrophage response, and increased angiogenesis. In addition, this group demonstrated a decrease in Melan-A tumor marker and interferon-γ expression suggesting that ASC-supported tumor angiogenesis …

Ecological Speciation In A Multi-Trophic Complex: Gall Midges, Goldenrods, And Parasitoids, Brenda L. Wells

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The importance of ecological interactions in the origin and maintenance of species diversity remains unclear. The current study assesses how ecological interactions shape the process of evolutionary diversification using a gall midge-host plant system in Ohio involving the gall midge, Asteromyia carbonifera (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), and its goldenrod (Solidago) host-plants. A. carbonifera form four morphologically distinctive gall morphs and differ genetically. I studied phenology, host-plant specialization, and parasitism at three field sites in Southwestern Ohio. Phenology was assessed for twelve weeks while host-plant distribution and pressure from parasitoids were measured by monthly plot and rearing gall collections. Relative gall frequencies and …

Revision Of The Genus Erythromelana Townsend, 1919 (Diptera: Tachinidae) With Notes On Their Phylogeny And Diversification, Diego Javier Inclan Luna

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The neotropics harbor an enormous diversity of tachinid flies, yet the fauna remains poorly known. The tribe Blondeliini is particularly diverse in this region and desperately needs taxonomic attention. Here, I present a revision of the neotropical genus Erythromelana Townsend including the redescription of three previously described species and the description of 11 new species. Two species previously assigned into this genus, are resurrected as distinct genera. Erythromelana species are widely distributed from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, with the Andes being a hotspot of diversity. Erythromelana are specialized on geometrids in the genus Eois, which mainly feed on plants …

Rev Interacts With Tubulin Heterodimers To Cause Cell Cycle Defects, Poornima Kotha Lakshmi Narayan

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Rev is a regulatory protein that plays an important role in the replication of HIV virus by post-transcriptionally promoting expression of viral proteins late in infection. Rev expression also slows cell growth, leads to an accumulation of cells in G2/M specifically before the spindle checkpoint, and can produce changes in ploidy. Because Rev is capable of depolymerizing microtubules (MTs) in vitro, possibly by a mechanism shared with Kinesin-13 proteins, themselves potent cellular MT depolymerases, I tested the hypothesis that these cellular defects were due to an interaction between Rev and tubulin.

To this end, Rev and select Rev mutants defective …