Molecular Biology Commons^™

Molecular Evolution And Biogeography Of The New World Eptesicus Bats, Xueling Yi

Theses and Dissertations

Molecular evolution refers to a broad field of studies ranging from microevolution (e.g., population genetics) to macroevolution (e.g., phylogeny), including the bridging field of phylogeography. In natural populations, molecular studies are also combined with biogeography that links biological diversity with geographic distributions to provide a comprehensive understanding of evolutionary processes. The field of molecular evolution has been largely advanced from early exploratory descriptions to statistical tests on biological hypotheses and integrative analyses using sophisticated modeling. However, studies of molecular evolution still face some unresolved questions and challenges, especially in non-model systems. For example, the application of new technology has largely …

Flavobacterium Gliding Motility: From Protein Secretion To Cell Surface Adhesin Movements, Joseph Johnston

Theses and Dissertations

Flavobacterium johnsoniae exhibits rapid gliding motility over surfaces. At least twenty genes are involved in this process. Seven of these, gldK, gldL, gldM, gldN, sprA, sprE, and sprT encode proteins of the type IX protein secretion system (T9SS). The T9SS is required for surface localization of the motility adhesins SprB and RemA, and for secretion of the soluble chitinase ChiA. This thesis demonstrates that the gliding motility proteins GldA, GldB, GldD, GldF, GldH, GldI and GldJ are also essential for secretion. Cells with mutations in the genes encoding any of these seven proteins had normal levels of gldK mRNA but …

Mechanistic Insights Into Translational Silencing Of Hacl Mrna In Yeast S. Cerevisiae, Leena Sathe

Theses and Dissertations

Protein synthesis is a fundamental life process. Protein synthesis regulates cellular metabolism, cellular growth, the cell cycle, and cell morphogenesis. Technical advances in molecular biology, advanced high-throughput sequencing technologies and recent developments in crystallographic methodologies have aided in better understanding of the process of protein synthesis. Current knowledge of protein synthesis provides us with an overview of the initiation, elongation, and termination steps, general regulatory mechanisms, and molecular functions of the ribosomal rRNA and proteins. However, even with all this information we are far from understanding the detailed sequence of molecular interactions involved in the process of protein synthesis. We …

Characterization And Use Of Folate Receptor Isoforms For Targeting Of Epithelial And Myeloid Cells, Sreya Biswas

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

CHARACTERIZATION AND USE OF FOLATE RECEPTOR ISOFORMS FOR TARGETING OF EPITHELIAL AND MYELOID CELLS

by

Sreya Biswas

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2016

Under the Supervision of Professor Douglas A. Steeber

Folate receptor (FR) is a GPI-anchored glycoprotein with high binding affinity for folic acid. FR has two membrane-associated isoforms, α and β, that are overexpressed on epithelial and myeloid tumors, respectively. Normal cells may also exhibit FR expression at very low levels but interestingly, FR-α on normal cells is restricted to the apical surface i.e., away from the blood stream. This differential expression and orientation of the FR-α isoform …

Role Of Protein Phosphatase Reg2-Glc7 In The Regulation Of The Yeast Stress Response Kinase, Snf1, Marcin Maziarz

Theses and Dissertations

Kinases of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) family are conserved in eukaryotes and play central roles in responses to reduced energy availability. AMPK, nicknamed the “fuel gauge” of the cell, monitors cellular energy status via the ratio of AMP to ATP nucleotides. AMPK restores energy homeostasis by reducing energy “spending” and increasing energy “income”. Correspondingly, defects in AMPK signaling have been implicated in diseases including type II diabetes, obesity, and cancer.

In yeast, the AMPK homolog is Snf1 protein kinase. Glucose is the preferred carbon/energy source of yeast, and thus limitation for glucose similarly activates Snf1. Snf1 activation requires phosphorylation …

Transport Mechanisms For Human Fecal Indicator Bacteria In An Urban Stormwater Basin In Southeastern Wisconsin, Chelsea M. Corson

Theses and Dissertations

Discharge of stormwater runoff to receiving waters is a known source of human pathogens; however the primary mechanisms by which these pathogens enter the stormwater system have yet to be quantified. This study builds upon and utilizes prior research findings in an attempt to explain the influence of the age of the pipes within stormwater and sanitary conveyance systems, rainfall and hydrogeological characteristics, and select infrastructure variables that contribute to the observed contamination of an urban stormwater basin in Southeastern Wisconsin.

Over the course of approximately two years from 2012 to 2014, a total of 260 samples from 22 stormwater …

Interaction Of Rhizobium Sp. Strain Irbg74 With A Legume (Sesbania Cannabina) And A Cereal (Oryza Sativa), Shubhajit Mitra

Theses and Dissertations

Rhizobium sp. IRBG74 (IRBG74) develops a classical nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with the legume Sesbania cannabina and also promotes the growth of rice (Oryza sativa), but not much is known about the rhizobial determinants important for these interactions. We hypothesize that Rhizobium sp. IRBG74 utilizes similar mechanisms to endophytically colonize both legume and cereal hosts. In this study, we analyzed the colonization of rice and S. cannabina using a strain of IRBG74 marked with β-glucuronidase (GUS) and Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP). IRBG74 infected both of the host plants through crack entry under submerged conditions, but showed root hair mediated infection under aerobic …

Gene Regulatory Pathways Driving Central Nervous System Regeneration In Zebrafish, Ishwariya Venkatesh

Theses and Dissertations

Damage to the central nervous system (CNS) circuitry of adult mammals results in permanent disability. In contrast, the ability to regenerate damaged CNS nerves and achieve functional recovery occurs naturally in fish. The ability of fish to successfully regrow damaged CNS nerves is in part a consequence of their ability to re-express key neuronal growth-associated genes/proteins in response to CNS injury. On such protein is Growth-Associated Protein-43 (Gap43), a protein which is highly enriched in axonal growth cones during CNS development and regeneration. Experiments conducted in mammals have demonstrated that ectopic expression of GAP-43 improves axonal re-growth after injury. Using …