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Regulation Of Mitotic Progression By Btf And Trap150, Divya Cheedu Jan 2016

Regulation Of Mitotic Progression By Btf And Trap150, Divya Cheedu

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Serine-arginine-rich (SR) or SR-like splicing factors interact with exon junction complex proteins during pre-mRNA processing to promote mRNA packaging into mature messenger ribonucleoproteins (mRNPs) and to dictate mRNA stability, nuclear export, and translation. In this thesis, I examined if depletion of two homologous non-classical serine-arginine-rich (SR) splicing factors, Btf (BCLAF1) and TRAP150, impacts regulation of cell cycle regulator transcripts and mitosis. Previous work showed that depletion of these proteins by RNAi causes mitotic defects including chromosome misalignment in metaphase. However, since Btf and/or TRAP150 did not co-localize with mitotic structures during mitosis, I hypothesized that Btf and/or TRAP150 depletion affect …


Delineating ΔNp63α'S Function In Epithelial Cells, Suraj Sakaram Jan 2016

Delineating ΔNp63α'S Function In Epithelial Cells, Suraj Sakaram

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ΔNp63α, the most physiologically relevant isoform of p63, a p53 family member protein, maintains the proliferative capacity of the basal layer of epithelial tissues and is highly expressed in non-melanoma skin cancer. It has been implicated in a variety of different cancers, including breast, lung, and prostate cancers, however the complex role it plays in disease remains poorly understood. Elucidating ΔNp63α’s regulatory network may provide insight into its role in epithelial tissues and in cancer progression. The objective of this thesis is to investigate ΔNp63α’s upstream regulation in the context of non-melanoma skin cancer as well as expand on ΔNp63α’s …


Investigation Of Exoribonuclease-1 Function In Regulation Of Stem Cells During Planarian Regeneration, Steven Gobinsing Sayson Jan 2016

Investigation Of Exoribonuclease-1 Function In Regulation Of Stem Cells During Planarian Regeneration, Steven Gobinsing Sayson

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Precise regulation of gene expression is crucial for the maintenance of pluripotency and proper differentiation of stem cells. Due to their exceptional capacity for stem cell-driven regeneration, planarians are ideal models to dissect mechanisms regulating gene expression that secure stem cell function in vivo. While mechanisms of transcriptional regulation of gene expression in stem cells have been extensively investigated, less is known about regulation at the post-transcriptional level. Exoribonuclease-1 (XRN-1) is a conserved enzyme in eukaryotes that catalyzes 5' to 3' exonucleolytic degradation of RNA. XRN-1 is known to be required for proper regeneration of Dugesia japonica. Here, I …


Development And Validation Of Virus And Ebola Misconceptions Assessment (Viremia): Ebola Virus Misconceptions In College Students, Michele Miller Jan 2016

Development And Validation Of Virus And Ebola Misconceptions Assessment (Viremia): Ebola Virus Misconceptions In College Students, Michele Miller

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In this study an assessment (VirEMiA) on college students' knowledge and misconceptions of the Ebola virus was created and validated. VirEMiA was then used to determine what misconceptions college students have about Ebola, if there is a difference in misconceptions between students with and without a strong science background, and if Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) increases students' knowledge of Ebola and decreases their misconceptions. VirEMiA was shown to be a valid and reliable assessment whether confidence was integrated (seprel=0.97) or not (seprel=0.98), and for measuring misconceptions (seprel=0.97). If psychology and nursing majors were considered to have a strong background in science, …


Social Buffering By Unfamiliar Adult Males In Preweaning Guinea Pigs (Cavia Pocellus): The Effects On Hpa Activity And Fos Induction In The Medial Prefrontal Cortex, Withayapon Watanasriyakul Jan 2016

Social Buffering By Unfamiliar Adult Males In Preweaning Guinea Pigs (Cavia Pocellus): The Effects On Hpa Activity And Fos Induction In The Medial Prefrontal Cortex, Withayapon Watanasriyakul

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Social buffering, a phenomenon in which the presence of a social partner can reduce stress responses, is often most effective between strongly attached partners. Our laboratory previously found a surprising buffering effect of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) response in preweaning guinea pigs by unfamiliar adult males. It was hypothesized that this HPA-buffering effect was driven by social interactions between the two partners and may involve an activation of the prelimbic cortex. Therefore, the current study examined these potential associations. To limit social interactions, the adult male was anesthetized in one condition compared to another condition where the adult male remained conscious. …


How Specialist And Generalist Herbivores Are Responding To Invasive Plant Threats, Lauren Elizabeth Shewhart Jan 2016

How Specialist And Generalist Herbivores Are Responding To Invasive Plant Threats, Lauren Elizabeth Shewhart

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The purpose of this study was to investigate novel interactions of native herbivores (Abia inflata, Abia americana, Zaschizonyx montana, and Hyphantria cunea) with non-native plants in Ohio. No-choice and choice bioassays were conducted with adults and larvae to examine life history traits, performance, and preference of these herbivores feeding exclusively on native and non-native species and damaged and undamaged foliage. It was found that all organisms in this study can perform well and complete their whole life cycle on L. maackii. Adult A. americana will oviposit in non-native hosts however newly emerged larvae have …


Characterization Of Sterility And Germline Defects Caused By Smed-Boule Rna-Interference, Jessica Kathryne Steiner Jan 2016

Characterization Of Sterility And Germline Defects Caused By Smed-Boule Rna-Interference, Jessica Kathryne Steiner

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Evolutionarily conserved molecular processes involved in construction of the germline and embryonic development are essential for the procreation of many species. Infertility affects 15% of couples in the world and can be caused by dysfunctions during egg and sperm development, anatomic defects, as well as faulty embryonic development. Although there are some infertility disorders that are genetically defined, such as Turner and Klinefelter syndromes, many clinical infertility cases are diagnosed as idiopathic due to the lack of understanding of basic fertility mechanisms. Schmidtea mediterranea is a freshwater planarian species that has the ability to regenerate complete organisms, including germ cells …


Changes In Cytoskeleton Proteins In Hsv-1 Infection Of J774a.1 Macrophage Phenotype, Riham Abbas Subahi Jan 2016

Changes In Cytoskeleton Proteins In Hsv-1 Infection Of J774a.1 Macrophage Phenotype, Riham Abbas Subahi

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The cell cytoskeleton, a unique intracellular matrix found in all eukaryotes, is composed of three main protein structures, microtubules, microlaments and intermediate laments. The cytoskeleton maintains cell shape and internal structures providing mechanical support that facilitates intracellular transport (Parker et al., 2014). Many viruses such as the herpesviruses use the cytoskeleton system of the cell for infectivity (Henry Sum, M. S. 2015). HSV-1 utilizes the cell cytoskeleton in many steps of its life cycle from entry through assembly to egress (Lyman et al., 2008). During infection, HSV-1 viral proteins cause drastic changes and rearrangement of the cellular actin and cell …


Host Location And Host-Associated Divergence In Parasitoids Of The Gall Midge, Asteromyia Carbonifera, Jeffrey L. Howell Jan 2016

Host Location And Host-Associated Divergence In Parasitoids Of The Gall Midge, Asteromyia Carbonifera, Jeffrey L. Howell

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Some of the world's greatest mysteries are the series of ecological and behavioral processes that promote adaptive radiation: when one species rapidly diverges into multiple descendants due to ecological selective pressures. Selective pressures from natural enemies have the potential to drive such radiations, as has been suggested in the diversification of the goldenrod gall-midge, Asteromyia carbonifera (Stireman et al., 2008, 2012). This complex, multitrophic system involves the midge species complex, their goldenrod host plants (Solidago sp.), and a suite of parasitoid enemies in the diverse wasp superfamily, Chalcidoidea. There is evidence that the midge is undergoing host-associated differentiation (HAD), in …


Species Differences In The Effects Of Tcdd On A Transcriptional Regulatory Region Within The Ig Heavy Chain Gene, Zahra J. Alfaheeda Jan 2016

Species Differences In The Effects Of Tcdd On A Transcriptional Regulatory Region Within The Ig Heavy Chain Gene, Zahra J. Alfaheeda

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The immunoglobulin heavy chain gene (Igh) is regulated by numerous regulatory elements including the 3'Igh regulatory region (3'IghRR). Several transcription factors are involved in modulating the 3'IghRR including NF-B, AP-1, and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). The AhR is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates the transcription of genes involved in the metabolism of environmental toxicants such as TCDD. TCDD binds AhR and regulates immunoglobulin (Ig) expression in B cells of animal models. This modulation appears to be directly mediated by binding of the AhR to dioxin response elements (DRE) within the 3'IghRR. Structural differences have been found between the …


The Genomics Of Speciation Within The Globally Distributed Blue-Winged Ducks, Joel Thomas Nelson Jan 2016

The Genomics Of Speciation Within The Globally Distributed Blue-Winged Ducks, Joel Thomas Nelson

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The ability to disperse over long distances can result in a high propensity for colonizing new geographic regions and lead to lineage diversification via allopatric speciation. However, high vagility can also result in gene flow between otherwise allopatric populations, and in some cases, parapatric or divergence-with-gene-flow models of speciation might be more applicable to widely distributed lineages. Here, I used five nuclear introns and the mitochondrial control region to examine divergence, gene flow, and phylogenetic relationships within a cosmopolitan lineage comprising six species, the blue-winged ducks (genus Anas), which inhabit all continents except Antarctica. I found two primary sub-lineages, the …


Comparing Antibody-Coated Immune Beads With Flow Cytometry To Measure Ss-2-Microglubulin+ Murine Spleen Cells, Amal Fahad Alajman Jan 2016

Comparing Antibody-Coated Immune Beads With Flow Cytometry To Measure Ss-2-Microglubulin+ Murine Spleen Cells, Amal Fahad Alajman

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In diseases like AIDS, Multiple Myeloma, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Type 1 Diabetes, and Systemic Lupus Erythromatosus the detection of major histocompatibility complex type 1 molecules (MHC 1) can be a helpful component of disease diagnosis and prognosis. Most somatic mammalian cells display to varying degrees major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class 1 antigen on the cell surface. MHC1 molecules consist of a polymorphic alpha a chain and a monomorphic beta chain, beta 2 microglubulin (ß2m). The ß2M composition is fairly constant within a species whereas the alpha chain is not. The polymorphic alpha chain is encoded by an MHC complex gene …


The Impact Of Hsv-1 Infection, Socs1 Peptide, And Socs3 Peptide Mimetic On Cell Viability, Morphology, And Cytoskeleton Proteins Of Unpolarized And Cytokine-Polarized M1 Raw 264.7 Murine Macrophages, Mubarak Almutairi Jan 2016

The Impact Of Hsv-1 Infection, Socs1 Peptide, And Socs3 Peptide Mimetic On Cell Viability, Morphology, And Cytoskeleton Proteins Of Unpolarized And Cytokine-Polarized M1 Raw 264.7 Murine Macrophages, Mubarak Almutairi

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Mubarak Huraysan Almutairi. M.S. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wright State University, 2016. The Impact of HSV-1 Infection, SOCS1 peptide, and SOCS3 peptide mimetic on Cell Viability, Morphology, and Cytoskeleton Proteins of Unpolarized and Cytokine-Polarized M1 RAW 264.7 Murine Macrophages. The immune response against HSV-1 involves macrophages in both innate and adaptive immunity by limiting HSV-1 replication. In this study, the effects of HSV-1 challenge on cell viability, morphology, and cytoskeletal filament in unpolarized and cytokine-polarized murine RAW 264.7 macrophages at 24 and 48 hours were monitored. Because the distribution of cytoskeleton throughout the cell is critical in cell viability …


Parasitoid Communities Of Remnant And Constructed Prairie Fragments In Western Ohio, Michael Drew Sheaffer Jan 2016

Parasitoid Communities Of Remnant And Constructed Prairie Fragments In Western Ohio, Michael Drew Sheaffer

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The ability of organisms to disperse to, utilize, and persist in novel habitats in a fragmented landscape is vital to the success of many ecosystem restoration and construction efforts. With less than four percent of original tallgrass prairie persisting across its range, conservationists have made efforts to both protect and restore remnant prairies as well as to plant new prairies. Previous studies suggest that restored ecosystems do not support the same levels of biodiversity and ecosystems services as their remnant counterparts. In this study I measured tachinid fly diversity and orthopteran parasitism rates in order to assess ecological similarity of …