Life Sciences Commons^™

Resolution Of The Nutritional Requirements And Metabolic Profile Of Clostridium Scindens Atcc 35704, A Major Bile Acid-Dehydroxylating Anaerobe In The Human Gut, Rachana Shrestha

Masters Theses

Bile acids (cholate and chenodeoxycholate) are synthesized from cholesterol in the human liver, and secreted in small intestine for food digestion. However, a portion of these primary bile acids is converted in the colon to toxic secondary bile acids, deoxycholate and lithocholate. Secondary bile acid formation is the result of 7α-dehydroxylating anaerobes, and one of the key players in this conversion is Clostridium scindens. Interestingly, little is known about the basic physiology and nutrition of C. scindens. Therefore, the goal of this research was to understand the nutritional requirement, and determine the 7α-dehydroxylation activity and end products from …

The Transcriptional Response Of Trametes Versicolor To Growth On Maple Chips And Miscanthus Straw, Maha Alanazi

Masters Theses

This thesis research explored the transcriptional response of Trametes versicolor, a white-rot fungus, in response to fundamentally different types of lignocellulosic biomass (miscanthus and maple) and rich medium (malt extract agar). After five weeks of growth by the fungus on the biomass, the fungal RNA was extracted from three biological replicates per biomass type and mRNA was sequenced (approximately 30 million reads per sample). The reads were processed using ArrayStar to covert to RPKM and annotated using JGI's T. versicolor GO annotation file along with NCBI's BLAST. Comparisons were made between average gene expression of the fungus grown on …

The Role Of Prrx1 And Snai2 As Master Regulators Of Fibroblast Identity, Huda A. Alzahrani

Masters Theses

Mammalian development involves a complex system of regulatory signals and reactions, leading to the creation of distinct tissues with specific structures and functions controlled by various gene expression profiles. Tissue-specific gene expression is by controlled specific combinations of transcription factors and cofactors that dictate cell differentiation via activation and repression of genes in mammalian cells.

Whole genome microarray analyses of fibroblasts have revealed candidate genes that may serve as master regulators of fibroblast identity, such as Prrx1 and Snai2, that activate downstream genes such as Bmp3, Twist, Shox2, Cfos, Slug, Sema3A, Spp1, and Col1a1. A previous study showed that Prrx1 …

Medicinal Properties Of Cyperus Species (Sedge Family, Cyperaceae), Lata Maishaya Udari

Masters Theses

The grasses that yield therapeutically important products are among the least studied in the Cyperaceae family. Herb-based medicine from ancient times have played a vital role in ailments of various disease and nowadays it has been a particular area of interest in medicine. Phytochemicals are inherent compounds derived from plants that are biologically active, non-nutritive chemicals that act as a defensive or prophylactic medicine in humans. Their extracts have proven to show inhibition properties against different microbes. Despite the prevalence of Cyperus species and their traditional use in medicine, the chemical components responsible for their attributes remain largely unknown. This …

Effects Of Main-Stem Impoundments On Hydrology And Larval Fish Communities In Major Tributaries Of Two Large Midwestern Rivers, Jordan Pesik

Masters Theses

Anthropogenic modifications, like impoundments, have altered natural environmental conditions in most lotic systems and impacted fish ecology in many ways. We examined the effect of large river impoundments on fish reproductive behavior by studying the larval fish communities in tributaries of the impounded Illinois and unimpounded Wabash Rivers. We hypothesized that larval fish communities would be similar between the geographically proximal systems, but temporal structuring would depend largely on flow regimes. Biweekly larval densities were greatest among all taxa in the Wabash system, though overall communities were similar between systems. Of the six tributaries, the four smallest rivers were most …

An Efficient Protocol For Root Studies In The Common Sunflower Using Composite Plants, Tyler Parks

Masters Theses

Sunflower, Helianthus annuus, is one of the most important oilseed crop in the world. Oil from the seeds is prized for its' exceptional quality and flavor. Despite this, sunflowers have been forced onto marginal lands often on semi-arid and non-fertile soil, due to disease pressures and economics making it critical to produce more resilient lines and varieties to withstand these new stresses. The recent availability of the sunflower genome can allow genome-wide characterization of gene families. Stable transformation protocols, which can be used for characterization studies, have been developed for H. annuus using Agrobacterium tumefaciens, but they produce …

Co-Product Potential Of Algae Biocake, Elizabeth J. Nixon

Masters Theses

Society needs to find replacements for fossil fuels, which are finite resources that may be fully depleted within a few generations. While solar and wind have great potential as alternative energy sources, they are unlikely to completely replace all of the current fuel sources, particularly liquid fuels. Plant biomass has great potential for this market, and is already used in many forms for heat energy (e.g. direct combustion). However, the bulk density of important bioenergy crops, particularly grasses, is often low, which necessitates the use of binders in densification strategies. In the present study, waste algae biocake from a proprietary …

Reproductive Health And Morphometric Comparison Of Catostomid Species In Two Midwestern Rivers, Bethany Ellen Hoster

Masters Theses

Wastewater treatment effluent, agricultural runoff, and impoundments can alter the water quality and flow regime of rivers. Fishes around the world are increasingly exposed to estrogenic compounds due to the discharge of wastewater into rivers. Estrogenic compounds, such as those found in birth control pills and soybean byproducts, are endocrine disruptors in vertebrates. The Sanitary District of Decatur serves the municipal and industrial entities of Macon County, IL, and discharges its effluent into the Sangamon River, which includes byproducts of industrial soybean processing. I assessed impacts of treated wastewater on the health of fishes in the Sangamon River. Abnormal caudal …

Bigheaded Carp Reproduction In Large River Tributaries With Evaluation Of Sampling Gear Performance, Daniel R. Roth

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.