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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Lipid-Coated Gold Nanoparticle As A Biosensor For Lipid-Protein Interactions, Yuheng Cai
Lipid-Coated Gold Nanoparticle As A Biosensor For Lipid-Protein Interactions, Yuheng Cai
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Gold nanoparticles have been intensively studied for their unique optical features. Due to surface plasmon resonance phenomenon, gold nanoparticles can respond to the refractive index change of the environment near the particles. This phenomenon gives gold nanoparticles the potential to become biosensors that detect the biological interactions at or near the particles. In this work, gold nanospheres were coated with phosphatidylcholine as the substrate for lipoxygenase. It is demonstrated, in our work, that lipid coated gold nanospheres can be used to detect the activity of lipoxygenase and provide more information of this reaction than common assays, like conjugated diene assay …
Gene Expression In The Choanoderm, Jesús Federico Peña
Gene Expression In The Choanoderm, Jesús Federico Peña
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The body plan of sponges (phylum Porifera) is an outlier among modern animals and is thought to have special evolutionary significance. Sponges lack muscles, nerves and a gut. Instead, they are composed of few cell types and simple tissues that function to pump water through an internal canal network where bacterial prey are filtered by a specialized tissue called the choanoderm. The choanoderm is composed of cells with striking similarity to choanoflagellates, the unicellular relatives of animals. Thus, the traditional view is that the sponge choanoderm is a useful model of the first animal epithelial tissues. Using the freshwater sponge …
Rab8 Directs Tubulation And Furrow Ingression During Epithelial Formation In Drosophila Melanogaster, Lauren Mackenzie Mavor
Rab8 Directs Tubulation And Furrow Ingression During Epithelial Formation In Drosophila Melanogaster, Lauren Mackenzie Mavor
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
One of the most fundamental changes in cell morphology is the formation of a plasma membrane furrow. The Drosophila embryo undergoes several cycles of rapid furrow ingression during early development, which culminates in the formation of an epithelial sheet. Previous studies have demonstrated the requirement for intracellular trafficking pathways in furrow ingression; however, the pathways that link compartmental behaviors with cortical furrow ingression events have remained unclear. This research shows that Rab8, a small GTPase associated with late exocytic trafficking events, demonstrates striking dynamic behaviors in vivo; transitioning from punctate structures to a stable association with the cortex during …
Species Preference Of Viral Deubiquitinating Proteases Toward Isg15 Through Structural And Enzymatic Characterization, Michelle Kay Deaton
Species Preference Of Viral Deubiquitinating Proteases Toward Isg15 Through Structural And Enzymatic Characterization, Michelle Kay Deaton
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Proteases from the Ovarian Tumor domain (OTU) superfamily of deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) are expressed by a range of RNA viruses. Viral OTUs (vOTUs) are found in nairoviruses such as Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus (CCHFV), Nairobi sheep disease virus (NSDV), the Erve virus (ERVEV), and the Dugbe virus (DUGV), as well as in the areterivirus Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus (PRRSV), among others. vOTUs, which interfere with host innate immune response through editing of host Ub and Ub-like molecules such as interferon stimulated gene 15 (ISG15), have been identified as a potential virulence factor through their role in evading …
The Role Of Cognition In Sexual Signals And Mate Choice Decisions, Ross Minter
The Role Of Cognition In Sexual Signals And Mate Choice Decisions, Ross Minter
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Cognitive ability varies dramatically among individuals, yet the manner in which this variation affects reproduction has rarely been investigated. Here, we asked 1) whether male sexual signals reflect cognitive ability and whether females prefer males with superior cognitive abilities, and 2) whether female cognition affects male and female mating decisions? We addressed these questions in a mutual mate choice system, threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We tested cognitive performance by presenting the males and females with a novel task (a barrier to food) to evaluate problem-solving abilities and learning. We found that males that problem solve have elaborate sexual …