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Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology
Role Of Cdx4 And Sp5l In Zebrafish Development, Wesley Tsai
Role Of Cdx4 And Sp5l In Zebrafish Development, Wesley Tsai
Honors Theses
The Caudal Type Homeobox transcription factors cdx are a family of genes found in vertebrates that regulates body regionalization and anterior-posterior patterning. They are also responsible for regulating axial elongation, but the mechanisms behind this behavior are not known. Previous studies in mouse embryonic stem cells have shown that the cdx genes are necessary for upregulating the gene sp5 which may be linked to axial elongation. Sp5 is a zinc-finger transcription factor belonging to the specificity protein (sp) family. Our group has used in-situ hybridization experiments on zebrafish embryos to show that sp5-like (sp5l) is transcribed within tailbud tissues that …
Diversity Of The Major Histocompatibility Complex In African Penguins (Spheniscus Demersus) In Situ, Athena Schalk
Diversity Of The Major Histocompatibility Complex In African Penguins (Spheniscus Demersus) In Situ, Athena Schalk
Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects
The Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) is responsible for the immune response in all jawed vertebrates and protects individuals against a variety of pathogens and diseases. Maintaining genetic diversity within the MHC exons is critical to protecting endangered species. African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) are in danger of losing their MHC diversity in isolated populations due to reductions in population size associated with environmental changes and human activity. This study analyzes the diversity within the exons in the DNA encoding the MHC by amplifying the exons through polymerase chain reaction and identifying alleles through denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Wild populations of …