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Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology

Deciphering The Perpetual Fight Between Virus And Host: Utilizing Bioinformatics To Elucidate The Host's Genetic Mechanisms That Influence Jc Polyomavirus Infection, Michael P. Wilczek Aug 2021

Deciphering The Perpetual Fight Between Virus And Host: Utilizing Bioinformatics To Elucidate The Host's Genetic Mechanisms That Influence Jc Polyomavirus Infection, Michael P. Wilczek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) is a human-specific pathogen that infects 50-80% of the population, and can cause a deadly, demyelinating disease, known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). In most of the population, JCPyV persistently infects the kidneys but during immunosuppression, it can reactivate and spread to the central nervous system (CNS), causing PML. In the CNS, JCPyV targets two cell types, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. Due to the hallmark pathology of oligodendrocyte lysis observed in disease, oligodendrocytes were thought to be the main cell type involved during JCPyV infection. However, recent evidence suggests that astrocytes are targeted by the virus and act …


Identifying The Link Between Non-Coding Regulatory Rnas And Phenotypic Severity In A Zebrafish Model Of Gmppb Dystroglycanopathy, Grace Smith May 2020

Identifying The Link Between Non-Coding Regulatory Rnas And Phenotypic Severity In A Zebrafish Model Of Gmppb Dystroglycanopathy, Grace Smith

Honors College

Muscular Dystrophy (MD) is characterized by varying severity and time-of-onset by individuals afflicted with the same forms of MD, a phenomenon that is not well understood. MD affects 250,000 individuals in the United States and is characterized by mutations in the dystroglycan complex. gmppb encodes an enzyme that glycosylates dystroglycan, making it functionally active; thus, mutations in gmppb cause dystroglycanopathic MD1 . The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a powerful vertebrate model for musculoskeletal development and disease. Like human patients, gmppb mutant zebrafish present both mild and severe phenotypes. In order to understand the molecular mechanisms involved, we performed high-throughput RNA …


Thermal And Microbial Effects On Brown Macroalgae: Heat Acclimation And The Biodiversity Of The Microbiome, Charlotte Tc Quigley Nov 2018

Thermal And Microbial Effects On Brown Macroalgae: Heat Acclimation And The Biodiversity Of The Microbiome, Charlotte Tc Quigley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines effects of stress on brown algal biology from a macroscopic scale by examining the whole aquaculture crops, and at a microscopic level by examining the macroalgal microbiome, across the vertical stress gradient of the intertidal zone and across the latitudes of their biogeographic ranges. Thermal stress negatively affected seedstock gametophytes of the kelp Alaria esculenta isolated from northern and southern locations in Maine. However, previous thermal stress had a positive effect on growth of the next-generation sporophytes. Alaria esculenta has potential as a kelp crop in Maine’s sea vegetable aquaculture sector and implementing this protocol may allow …


Divergent Responses Of Larval And Juvenile Blue Mussels To Low Salinity Exposure, Melissa A. May May 2017

Divergent Responses Of Larval And Juvenile Blue Mussels To Low Salinity Exposure, Melissa A. May

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, we compared the osmotic stress response of larval and juvenile blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) at the transcriptomic, metabolomic, and whole organism levels. Blue mussels inhabit coastal areas, where they face climate-induced reductions in nearshore salinity. Despite their ecological and economic importance, scientists do not fully understand the underlying transcriptomic and cellular mechanisms of the osmotic stress response in blue mussels or how the ability to respond to stress changes throughout development. Blue mussels spend the first weeks of life developing through several larval stages in the plankton. These early life history stages are more vulnerable …


Functional Characterization Of Recombinant Interleukin (Il)-17a/F1 In The Japanese Pufferfish (Takifugu Rubripes), Jun-Ichi Hikima Dr., Koshin Mihara, Shun Maekawa, Han-Ching Wang, Takashi Aoki, Tomoya Kono, Masahiro Sakai Jun 2016

Functional Characterization Of Recombinant Interleukin (Il)-17a/F1 In The Japanese Pufferfish (Takifugu Rubripes), Jun-Ichi Hikima Dr., Koshin Mihara, Shun Maekawa, Han-Ching Wang, Takashi Aoki, Tomoya Kono, Masahiro Sakai

2nd International Conference of Fish & Shellfish Immunology

No abstract provided.


Reverse Genetic Analysis Of A Cysteine Protease-Encoding Gene (Rd19a) Of Arabidopsis Thaliana In Relation To The Mechanism Of Resistance To The Piercing/Sucking Insect Myzus Persicae, Siobhan A. Cusack May 2013

Reverse Genetic Analysis Of A Cysteine Protease-Encoding Gene (Rd19a) Of Arabidopsis Thaliana In Relation To The Mechanism Of Resistance To The Piercing/Sucking Insect Myzus Persicae, Siobhan A. Cusack

Honors College

A recent study in Solanum bulbocastanum (a wild relative of the cultivated potato) aiming to identify potential genes involved in aphid and pathogen resistance mechanisms found that a homolog of the Arabidopsis thaliana cysteine protease gene RD19a is upregulated during aphid infestation. RD19a is upregulated in response to abiotic stresses such as drought and high salinity, and rd19a mutants show increased susceptibility to bacterial infection. In this study, Arabidopsis rd19a mutants and wild-type plants were subjected to aphid feeding to observe and compare the molecular, physiological and phenotypic responses. The aim was to further establish the proof of concept regarding …