Life Sciences Commons^™

Establishment Of A Pesticide Resistance Monitoring Tool For The Two-Spotted Spider Mite, Tetranychus Urticae, Hanna Varonina

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Two-spotted spider mite (TSSM), or Tetranychus urticae (Koch), is a major agriculture pest known for its rapid development of resistance to pesticides. The analysis of spider mites’ pesticide resistance demonstrated that resistance patterns and frequencies vary between T. urticae strains collected from different geographic locations and host plants. This research aims at characterization of pesticide resistance patterns in mite populations present in greenhouses in the Southwestern Ontario by identifying genetic and metabolic markers of their pesticide resistance. The establishment of these markers lays the basis for development of a pesticide resistance diagnostic tool that will enable prediction of population resistance …

Functional Characterization Of Arogenate Dehydratase Isoforms In Soybean, Ramtin Sirjani

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Phenylalanine flux is partitioned between phenylpropanoid and protein synthesis. The mechanisms behind the metabolic channeling of phenylalanine are largely unknown. Arogenate dehydratase (ADT) enzymes, which catalyze the last and rate-limiting step in the synthesis of phenylalanine in plants, have been shown to interact with the isoflavonoid metabolon in the cytosol. Cytosolic phenylalanine, however, can only be synthesized through prephenate dehydratase (PDT) activity. In this study, putative soybean ADTs (GmADTs) were characterized for their ADT and PDT activity. This was done using complementation assays with two different knockout yeast strains, aro8aro9 and pha2, which lack prephenate aminotransferase and PDT activity, …

Evaluation Of Two Mouse Models Of High Genetic Variation For Suitability To Test A Heterozygote Instability Hypothesis, Hailie Pavanel

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Characterization of genetic variation underlying complex phenotypes is incomplete yet critical to understanding mutational mechanisms and phenotypes. Heterozygote Instability (HI) is a new, poorly understood source of mutations needing models for mechanistic study. Two models ideal for characterizing HI-associated mutational mechanisms are outbred mice and mouse basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Both have discontinuous landscapes of heterozygosity essential to assess HI-induced mutations. Here, heterozygosity and copy number variants (CNVs) in two outbred mouse stocks are characterized with 1690, and 3935 autosomal CNVs detected. A positive correlation exists between chromosomal heterozygosity and CNV occurrence (R² = 0.14 and 0.09), and 41 …

Genetic Approaches For The Study Of Complex Human Diseases, Julieta Lazarte

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The field of human genetics has evolved from its initial narrow focus on single-gene Mendelian disorders, which largely affect children, to our current understanding that for most diseases there is continuum of rare to common variants which can exert a range of phenotypic effects. Despite advances in sequencing capabilities and our overall understanding of diseases, there remains a large proportion of heritability unexplained. Through the use of next-generation sequencing technologies and DNA microarray, I have explored a spectrum of genetic variations from rare, single and structural variants to common variants in individuals with i) “lone” atrial fibrillation; ii) familial hypercholesterolemia; …

The Role Of Gsk3 Alpha And Beta In Embryonic Craniofacial Development, Harman Jassar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: The GSK-3 genes (Gsk3a and Gsk3b) have been known to affect many cellular processes and signaling pathways some of which are implicated in the growth and development of the craniofacial skeleton.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of chondrocyte-specific deletion of Gsk3a and Gsk3b on the size of the mandible and craniofacial skeleton in embryonic mice.

Materials & Methods: Mice were bred to generate cartilage-specific Gsk3a and Gsk3b KO mice. On embryonic day 18.5 (E18.5) the offspring were gathered by caesarian section. Whole mount skeletal staining was completed on the specimens using …