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Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology

Rumen Microbial Ecology And Rumen-Derived Fatty Acids: Determinants Of And Relationship To Dairy Cow Production Performance, Laura Marie Cersosimo Jan 2017

Rumen Microbial Ecology And Rumen-Derived Fatty Acids: Determinants Of And Relationship To Dairy Cow Production Performance, Laura Marie Cersosimo

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Rumen microbiota enable dairy cattle to breakdown fiber into useable energy for milk production. Rumen bacteria, protozoa, and fungi ferment feedstuff into volatile fatty acids (VFA), the main energy source, while methanogens utilize fermentation by-products to produce methane. Milk fat contains several bioactive rumen-derived fatty acids (FA), including odd-chain FA (OCFA) and branched-chain FA (BCFA), important for maintenance of human health. The overarching dissertation goal was to determine which factors affect rumen methanogen and protozoal community structures and their metabolism products, while defining relationships between rumen microbiota and animal performance. Results presented contribute to the goals of providing new knowledge …


Target Identification Strategies For Mmv Malaria Box Inhibitors Of Toxoplasma Gondii Growth, Jenna Elizabeth Foderaro Jan 2017

Target Identification Strategies For Mmv Malaria Box Inhibitors Of Toxoplasma Gondii Growth, Jenna Elizabeth Foderaro

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Small molecule screening is commonly used to discover lead compounds for drug development, but it can also be a powerful way to identify chemical probes for studying biological mechanisms. Our lab uses small molecules to study the mechanisms by which the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii infects and replicates within its hosts. In this work, we employed a fluorescence-based assay to screen the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) Open Access Malaria box for compounds that affect T. gondii growth. The box contains 400 previously identified small-molecule inhibitors of the related parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. We identified 79 hits, including a 2,4-diaminoquinazoline (MMV006169; …