Life Sciences Commons^™

Creation Of A Digital Storage System For Genome Sequencing Metadata, Jacquelin W. Olexa

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

As the field of computational genomics continues to expand in both potential and application, it is now more imperative than ever to ensure that massive genetic sequencing datasets are properly stored in an accessible manner. This project sought to establish a practical, user-friendly, secure system for a genomics research lab (the Good Lab; thegoodlab.org) at the University of Montana. A MySQL database and connected web application was ruled the best configuration to maximize utility and accessibility for the lab’s researchers. Building the logical framework for the database, creating the server, and sourcing data occurred over several months. The dataset ranged …

Annotation Of Non-Model Species’ Genomes, Taiya Jarva

Master's Theses

The innovations in high throughput sequencing technologies in recent decades has allowed unprecedented examination and characterization of the genetic make-up of both model and non-model species, which has led to a surge in the use of genomics in fields which were previously considered unfeasible. These advances have greatly expanded the realm of possibilities in the fields of ecology and conservation. It is now possible to the identification of large cohorts of genetic markers, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and larger structural variants, as well as signatures of selection and local adaptation. Markers can be used to identify species, define population …

Insights Into The Speciation Process From Genomic And Phenotypic Analysis Of An Avian Hybrid Zone In Amazonia, Glaucia Christina Del-Rio

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Understanding the outcome of secondary contact is essential to shed light on the mechanisms governing species formation and maintenance. In Amazonia, closely related bird taxa with limited dispersal abilities are often separated by rivers, which presumably act as dispersal barriers. However, at the headwaters, rivers cease to be dispersal barriers, and this generates opportunities for secondary contact. In my dissertation, I studied genomic mechanisms associated with phenotypic differences, mitochondrial DNA structure, and putative reproductive barriers between two hybridizing Amazonian bird species in the genus Rhegmatorhina, a group of antbirds that find their arthropod prey exclusively by following army-ant swarms. …

An Assessment Of Inp/Zns As Potential Anti-Cancer Therapy: Quantum Dot Treatment Induces Stress On Hela Cells, Victoria Grace Davenport

MSU Graduate Theses

Indium Phosphide/Zinc Sulfide (InP/ZnS) quantum dots (QDs) are an emerging option in QD technologies for uses of fluorescent imaging as well as targeted drug and anti-cancer therapies based on their customizable properties. In this study we explored effects of InP/ZnS when treated with HeLa cervical cancer cells. We employed XTT viability assays, reactive oxygen species (ROS) analysis, and apoptosis analysis to better understand cytotoxicity extents at different concentrations of InP/ZnS. In addition, we compared the transcriptome profile from the QDtreated HeLa cells with that of untreated HeLa cells to identify changes to the transcriptome in response to the QD. Intracellular …

Applications Of And Algorithms For Genome Assembly And Genomic Analyses With An Emphasis On Marine Teleosts, Brandon D. Pickett

Theses and Dissertations

The burgeoning frequency of genome sequencing in recent years is a testament to both the improvements in sequencing technologies and the utility of genomic analyses for biological discovery. The rapid proliferation in technological advancements and availability of complementary data types and techniques has obfuscated the optimal process of genome assembly and raised the barrier to entry to unprecedented levels. In this dissertation, we describe the genome assemblies performed for several marine teleosts and discuss the algorithms and applications required for genome assembly, including some of our specific contributions to the genome assembly and annotation space. In Chapter 1 and Chapter …

Using Multi-Omics Approaches To Study Flowering Time And Fruit Development In Perennial Fruit Species, Jiali Yu

Doctoral Dissertations

Perennial fruiting plants coordinate their reproductive activities with seasonal changes in the temperate climates, with a pattern of bud set, dormancy establishment, fulfillment of chilling, flowering, fruit set, and fruit ripening. These processes have been optimized for the production of orchard plants that reliably produce quality fruit for human consumption. The understanding of molecular controls of dormancy in fruit trees has grown rapidly in the past decade, however, the complex mechanisms remain largely unknown. This dissertation presents my findings on genetic and epigenetic changes in Prunus species from dormancy to flowering using transcriptomics and epigenomics approaches. First, I compared the …

F Plasmids In Escherichia Coli Decrease Permissivity To Coliphage, Cesar Eber Montelongo Hernandez

Dissertations

The urinary tract contains a community of bacteria called the urinary microbiota (urobiota) thatmay be relevant to health; the genomic component of the urobiota is the urinary microbiome (urobiome). Urinary bacteria have been associated with both asymptomatic states and disease conditions, such as urinary tract infection (UTI), overactive bladder (OAB), and urge urinary incontinence (UUI). Some bacteria, such as E. coli, are considered urinary pathogens (uropathogens) but also can be commensals. Bacteriophage (phage) are ubiquitous in nature and likely shape bacterial populations in every niche; thus, phage may be one factor that modulates the urobiota. Phages have a specific host …

Characterization Of Yellow Family Proteins In Gryllus Bimaculatus, Alexandra W. Rubenstein

Honors Projects

Neuronal plasticity occurs in developing nervous systems, with adult organisms rarely able to recover from neurological damage. The cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus, is useful to study neuronal plasticity due to its reorganization of the auditory system in response to injury beyond development. When a cricket ear is removed and auditory afferents severed, a rare phenomenon occurs: the dendrites of interneurons on the deafferented side cross the typically-respected midline of the prothoracic ganglion to form functional synapses with auditory afferents from the opposite side. To find proteins involved in this phenomenon, the Horch Lab assembled a de novo transcriptome from neurons in …

Development Of An Attenuated Zika Virus By Editing The 5’ Untranslated Region, E. Ashley Thompson

Master's Theses

Zika Virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted flavivirus that usually causes no symptoms to mild febrile in humans, and it has been regarded as an insignificant pathogen to public health. However, recent outbreaks of ZIKV infection have revealed that ZIKV can cause severe neurological effects in adults, such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), and in infants whose mothers acquired the virus during pregnancy, causing Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS). Currently, no approved vaccine is available and there is a critical need to develop an effective and safe vaccine. While most vaccine developmental strategies target the viral prM-E protein of ZIKV, we aimed to …

Genetic Removal Of Toxin And Integrase Genes From A Staphylococcal Bacteriophage, Hannah Sparks

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that specifically infect and kill bacterial cells. Phages are the most numerous biological entities on Earth, with an estimated population size of 10³¹ (1). Discovery, purification, and characterization of phages illuminate the composition of the microbial world and provide potential applications in medicine. To combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria, phages are being investigated as supplements or alternatives to antibiotics. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a commonly acquired infection in hospitals that has become difficult to treat due to its resistance to antibiotics commonly used to treat ordinary S. aureus infections (20). Bacteriophage, JB, isolated from dairy …

Effiicient Computation Of Maximal Exact Matches Between Genomic Sequences, Valeria Leticia Portes De Cerqueira Cesar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Sequence alignment is one of the most accomplished methods in the field of bioinformatics, being crucial to determine similarities between sequences, from finding genes to predicting functions. The computation of Maximal Exact Matches (MEM) plays a fundamental part in some algorithms for sequence alignment. MEMs between a reference-query genome are often utilized as seeds in a genome aligner to increase its efficiency. The MEM computation is a time consuming step in the sequence alignment process and increasing the performance of this step increases significantly the whole process of the alignment between the sequences. As of today, there are many programs …

Diversity And Cross-Infection Potential Of Colletotrichum On Apples And Small Fruits In Kentucky Mixed-Fruit Orchards, Madison Julia Eaton

Theses and Dissertations--Plant Pathology

Fungi in the genus Colletotrichum cause apple, blueberry, and strawberry fruit rots, which result in significant losses for Kentucky growers. Most orchards in Kentucky are agritourism-focused and grow multiple fruits in close proximity. These mixed-fruit orchards may facilitate Colletotrichum cross-infection, which has serious management implications. Small fruit and apple Colletotrichum isolates from Kentucky orchards were characterized by morphotype, phylogenetic species identification, cross-inoculation, genome sequencing, and telomere fingerprinting. The small fruit isolates grouped into seven morphotypes, representing two species complexes: C. acutatum and C. gloeosporioides. All blueberry isolates belonged to the species C. fioriniae, and the majority of strawberry …

Evolutionary Genomics Of Dynamic Sex Chromosomes In The Salicaceae, Ran Zhou

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Identifying the sex-determination region (SDR) and other genomic features of sex chromosomes are of great importance in the studies of the evolution of sex. However, the process of accurately identifying the size and location of the SDR is often difficult, even when a genomic sequence is available. This usually is hindered by large repetitive elements and a lack of recombination in the SDR. In this thesis, I assemble sex chromosomes with whole genomic sequencing data, identify SDRs and explore their genomic features in two sister species from the Salicaceae family. I also develop an interpretation of the lability of the …

A Genomic Investigation Of The Stomach Phenotype In Teleosts, Louis Pfeifer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The stomach, which is physiologically defined in vertebrates by its function in acid-peptic digestion, has been lost independently multiple times during the evolution of the teleost fishes. The function of the stomach is facilitated by the proton pump H⁺/K⁺-ATPase, which acidifies the stomach, and pepsinogens, which are converted to proteolytic pepsins in this acidic environment. It is well documented that in agastric (stomachless) fish, the genes what code for the expression of this proton pump (atp4a and atp4b) and the pepsinogens (pga, pgb, pgf, pgc and cym,) are absent from the genome …

Impacts Of Genome And Nuclear Architecture On Molecular Evolution In Eukaryotes, Xyrus Maurer-Alcalá

Doctoral Dissertations

The traditional view of genomes suggests that they are static entities changing slowly in sequence and structure through time (e.g. evolving over geological time-scales). This outdated view has been challenged as our understanding of the dynamic nature of genomes has increased. Changes in DNA content (i.e. polyploidy) are common to specific life-cycle stages in a variety of eukaryotes, as are changes in genome content itself. These dramatic genomic changes include chromosomal deletions (i.e. paternal chromosome deletion in insects; Goday and Esteban 2001; Ross, et al. 2010), developmentally regulated genome rearrangements (e.g. the V(D)J system in adaptive immunity in mammals; Schatz …

Improving The Phylogenetic Understanding Of The Genus Juniperus, Therese Balkenbush

All Master's Theses

Juniperus is a species-rich and geographically widespread genus of coniferous trees and shrubs. The genus is relatively recently diverged, and has experienced periods of rapid diversification. Recent phylogenetic investigations by others have compared DNA from selected regions of the chloroplast, but the resulting topologies conflict, and some relationships remain unresolved. Their relatively small data sets failed to capture sufficient variation to resolve events of rapid diversification in these closely related taxa. This study provides increased resolution and support by generating a plastome-scale phylogeny for 28 Juniperus species, revealing previously unresolved relationships at both deep and shallow nodes. One-third of the …

Development, Evaluation, And Application Of A Novel Error Correction Method For Next Generation Sequencing Data, Isaac Akogwu

Dissertations

Tremendous evolvement in sequencing technologies and the vast availability of data due to decreasing cost of Next-Generation-Sequencing (NGS) has availed scientists the opportunity to address a wide variety of evolutionary and biological issues. NGS uses massively parallel technology to accelerate the process at the expense of accuracy and read length in comparison to earlier Sanger methods. Therefore, computational limitations exist in how much analysis and information can be gleaned from the data without performing some form of error correction.

Error correction process is laborious and consumes a lot of computational resources. Despite the existence of many NGS data error correction …

Complete Sequencing And Comparative Analysis Of The Genomes Of The First Magnetotactic Gammaproteobacteria Isolated In Pure Culture: Strains Bw-2 And Ss-5, Corey Geurink

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The genomes of the first two discovered magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) belonging to the ammaproteobacteria, strains BW-2 and SS-51, were sequenced, sealed, annotated and compared to MTB of other phylogenetic groups. Cells of both strains are rod-shaped and biomineralize cuboctahedral and elongated octahedral crystals of magnetite, respectively, that are enveloped in a protein-embedded, lipid-bilayer membrane referred to as the magnetosome membrane or vesicle. The crystals and their associated membranes are known as magnetosomes. Magnetosome crystals consist of either magnetite (Fe3O4) or greigite (Fe3S4) and, because of their specific mineral compositions, crystal morphologies and sizes, the biomineralization processes involved in magnetosome formation …

All Roads Lead To Weediness: Stories About Weedy Rice Origins, Weedy Genes And Weed Competitiveness, Zhongyun Huang

Doctoral Dissertations

Weedy rice (Oryza spp.), a weedy relative of cultivated rice (O.sativa), infests and persists in cultivated rice fields worldwide. Many weedy rice populations have evolved similar adaptive traits, considered part of the ‘agricultural weed syndrome’, making this an ideal model to study the genetic basis of parallel evolution. Using population genetics analyses of South Asian and US weedy rice, my research reveals multiple independent evolution events giving rise to weed groups in the two geographic areas. Weeds in South Asia have highly heterogenous genetic backgrounds, with contributions from both cultivated varieties (aus and indica) …

Genetic Analysis Of Field Populations Of The Plant Pathogens Cercospora Sojina, Corynespora Cassiicola And Phytophthora Colocasiae, Sandesh Kumar Shrestha

Doctoral Dissertations

Genetic markers and whole genome sequencing (WGS) were used to study the disease dynamics and population structure for three important plant pathogens; Cercospora sojina (frogeye leaf spot of soybean), Corynespora cassiicola (target spot of soybean, cotton and many other crops) and Phytophthora colocasiae (taro leaf blight). For each pathogen, genome sequencing was used to guide the development of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and both were used to investigate diversity in field populations. Investigation of C. sojina in Tennessee included comparisons of extant populations and historical isolates, revealing a dominant, potentially long-lived, clonal lineage. Characterization of QoI fungicide resistance indicates …

Cdna Sequences Of The Caprine Gamma Delta T Cell Hybrid Co-Receptor And Pathogen Recognition Receptor Wc1 Multigene Family, Maria Solangi

Masters Theses

Workshop cluster 1 (WC1) molecules are exclusively expressed on the surface of gamma delta T cells and act as co-receptors and bind pathogens thus also functioning as pattern recognition receptors. The aim was to obtain cDNA evidence to support the recent caprine genome annotation of the WC1 multigene family conducted by a colleague. To get cDNA sequences three strategies were used. Strategy 'I' was used to obtain three clones that corresponded to WC1 SRCR domain d9 through the intracytoplasmic tail sequence. Strategy 'II' was used to obtain 6 clones. A PCR was conducted using SRCR domain b7 through the intracytoplasmic …

Characterization Of Five Brevibacillus Bacteriophages And Their Genomes, Michael Allen Sheflo

Theses and Dissertations

Brevibacillus laterosporus (B. laterosporus) is a pathogen difficult to distinguish from Paenibacillus larvae (P. larvae), and contributes to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) of honeybees. To develop a biocontrol agent to limit its presence, bacteriophages were isolated from Utah County soil samples and used to infect B. laterosporus isolated from Utah County honey and larvae samples. Since CCD is prevalent in Utah beehives, bacteriophage that infect and lyse B. laterosporus may be isolated and characterized. Pathogens were isolated from soil samples, and 16S rRNA gene tests initially identified the strains as P. larvae. Bacteriophages were isolated, purified, and amplified sufficiently to …

Functional Significance Of Mtdna Cytosine Modification Tested By Genome Editing, Jason M. Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

The field of epigenetics is gaining popularity and speed, due in part to its capability to answer lingering questions about the root cause of certain diseases. Epigenetics plays a crucial role in regulation of the cell and cell survival, particularly by cytosine methylation. It remains controversial if DNMT’s which facilitate methylation are present in mammalian mitochondria and what the functional significance they may have on modification of mitochondrial DNA. CRISPR-Cas9 technology enabled genome editing to remove the MTS (mitochondrial targeting sequence) from DNMT1 of HCT116 cells, purposefully minimizing effects on nuclear cytosine methylation, while exclusively impacting mitochondrial modification. Removal of …

Characterization Of Somatically-Eliminated Genes During Development Of The Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus), Stephanie A. Bryant

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) undergoes programmed genome rearrangements (PGRs) during early development that facilitate the elimination of ~20% of the genome from the somatic cell lineage, resulting in distinct somatic and germline genomes. To improve our understanding of the evolutionary/developmental logic of PGR, we generated computational predictions to identify candidate germline-specific genes within a transcriptomic dataset derived from adult germline and the embryonic stages encompassing PGR. Validation studies identified 44 germline-specific genes and characterized patterns of transcription and DNA loss during early embryogenesis. Expression analyses reveal that several of these genes are differentially expressed during early embryogenesis …

Detection Of Genes Influencing Chronic And Mendelian Disease Via Loss-Of-Function Variation, Alexander H. Li

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

A typical human exome harbors dozens of loss-of-function (LOF) variants predicted to severely disrupt or abolish gene function. These variants are enriched at the extremely rare end of the allele frequency spectrum (< 0.1%), suggesting purifying selection against these sites. However, most previous population-based sequencing studies have not included analysis of genotype-phenotype relationships with LOF variants. Thus, the contribution of LOF variation to health and disease within the general population remains largely uncharacterized.

Using whole exome sequence from 8,554 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, we explored the impact of LOF variation on a broad spectrum of human phenotypes. First, we selected 20 common chronic disease risk factor phenotypes and performed gene-based association tests. Analysis of this sample verified two relationships in well-studied genes (PCSK9 and APOC3) and identified eight new loci. Novel relationships included …

Addressing The Black Box Phenomenon Of Genome Sequencing And Assembly, Brandon Carter

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Genomics, a study of all genetic material in an organism, is a new discipline having a great impact on medicine, agriculture, and environmental phenomena. Most undergraduate faculty members were not formally trained in genomics and must retool themselves in order to stay current with these evolving technologies. Advances in sequencing technology have resulted in an explosion of “big data” that can only be managed and analyzed using digital methods. Multiple complex computer programs are required to teach students the concepts using hands-on methods. These programs are challenging to use, especially since the same faculty members lacking genomics training were not …

Efficient Synergistic De Novo Co-Assembly Of Bacterial Genomes From Single Cells Using Colored De Bruijn Graph, Narjes Sadat Movahedi Tabrizi

Wayne State University Dissertations

Recent progress in DNA amplification techniques, particularly multiple displacement

amplification (MDA), has made it possible to sequence and assemble bacterial

genomes from a single cell. However, the quality of single cell genome assembly has

not yet reached the quality of normal multi-cell genome assembly due to the coverage

bias (including uneven depth of coverage and region blackout) and errors caused by

MDA. Computational methods try to mitigates the amplification bias. In this document

we introduce a de novo co-assembly method using colored de Bruijn graph,

which can overcome the problem of blackout regions due to amplification bias. The

algorithm is …

Compositional Traits In Sorghum Bicolor Characterized By Transcriptome, Ionome And Genome-Wide Association Analysis, Nadia Shakoor

Theses and Dissertations

To address the challenge of global mineral malnutrition, current biofortification research in crop plants aims to improve mineral concentration and micronutrient bioavailablity via genetic and traditional breeding methods. Many staple food crops are also used as biofuels, and the chemical and mineral composition of these energy crops directly affect biomass quality and subsequent energy output. Identification of genes and QTL that impact mineral and compositional traits in the grain and biomass of major cereals, including sorghum, is fundamental to developing breeding and selection methods aimed at increasing bioavailable minerals and improving biofuel suitability and seed nutritional quality. A combinatorial strategy …

Error Correcting Codes And The Human Genome., Suzanne Mclean Lyle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this work, we study error correcting codes and generalize the concepts with a view toward a novel application in the study of DNA sequences. The author investigates the possibility that an error correcting linear code could be included in the human genome through application and research. The author finds that while it is an accepted hypothesis that it is reasonable that some kind of error correcting code is used in DNA, no one has actually been able to identify one. The author uses the application to illustrate how the subject of coding theory can provide a teaching enrichment activity …

Genomic Perspectives On Evolution In Bracken Fern, Joshua P. Der

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The fern genus Pteridium comprises a number of closely related species distributed throughout the world. Collectively they are called bracken ferns and have historically been treated as a single species, Pteridium aquilinum. Bracken is notorious as a toxic weed that colonizes open fields and poisons livestock. Bracken is also easily cultured and has become one of the most intensively studied ferns. Bracken has been used as a model system for the study of the fern life cycle, fern gametophyte development, the pheromonal mechanism of sex determination, toxicology, invasion ecology, and climate change. This dissertation places bracken within a global …