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Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology

Molecular Identification And Characterization Of Viral Pathogens Infecting Sweet Cherry, Aaron J. Simkovich Oct 2020

Molecular Identification And Characterization Of Viral Pathogens Infecting Sweet Cherry, Aaron J. Simkovich

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Stone fruits are a valuable crop grown worldwide, however pathogens such as viruses threaten fruit production by reducing tree health and fruit yield. In an orchard within the Niagara region of Ontario, symptoms typical of viral infection such as chlorosis and leaf deformation were seen on sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) trees. Next generation sequencing was performed on symptomatic and asymptomatic leaves and four viruses were identified. On the tree displaying the most severe symptoms, Prune dwarf virus (PDV), was the only virus detected. A survey conducted during this work showed 42% of cherry trees on a single …


Production Of A Candidate Recombinant Protein Vaccine For Mannheimia Haemolytica In Lettuce And Tobacco Chloroplasts, Coby K. Martin Jul 2018

Production Of A Candidate Recombinant Protein Vaccine For Mannheimia Haemolytica In Lettuce And Tobacco Chloroplasts, Coby K. Martin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The cattle industry worldwide is ravaged by bovine respiratory disease (BRD), a bacterial disease caused by Mannheimia haemolytica. Recent efforts to design vaccines against M. haemolytica focus on a virulence factor, leukotoxin, in addition to surface lipoproteins. Plant-based protein production is a safe and inexpensive alternative to traditional methods. Edible vaccines deliver antigens to pharyngeal tissues, which can provide local immunization against M. haemolytica prior to its progression into the lungs. In this project, a chimeric protein containing M. haemolytica antigens was produced in tobacco chloroplasts as a candidate edible vaccine for BRD. Attempts were made to transform lettuce …


Multi-Gene Resistance To Neonicotinoids In The Colorado Potato Beetle, Leptinotarsa Decemlineata, Emine Kaplanoglu Aug 2016

Multi-Gene Resistance To Neonicotinoids In The Colorado Potato Beetle, Leptinotarsa Decemlineata, Emine Kaplanoglu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, is a significant pest of potato, and its impact on agriculture is measured on a global scale. The beetle is mainly controlled by neonicotinoid insecticides, however, resistance development is a growing concern. Resistance to neonicotinoids is thought to involve elevated activity of detoxifying enzymes and xenobiotic transporters that break-down and excrete insecticide molecules. Here, using mRNA sequencing, I identified multiple detoxifying enzyme and xenobiotic transporter genes transcriptionally up-regulated in a neonicotinoid resistant strain of beetles. I then used RNA interference to knock down the transcript levels of the ten most promising genes in …


Planting The Chalcone Reductase Family Tree: Identification And Characterization Of Chalcone Reductase Genes In Soybean, Caroline Julia Sepiol Aug 2015

Planting The Chalcone Reductase Family Tree: Identification And Characterization Of Chalcone Reductase Genes In Soybean, Caroline Julia Sepiol

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr) is an important crop grown in Canada, generating $2.4 billion in sales. Though this number may be promising, soybean farmers lose about $50 million worth of yield annually due to root and stem rot disease caused by Phytophthora sojae. Many strategies have been developed to combat the infection; however, these methods are prohibitively expensive. A ‘cost effective’ approach to this problem is to select a trait naturally found in soybean that can increase resistance. One such trait is the increased production of root glyceollins. One of the key enzymes exclusively involved in glyceollin …


Uncovering The Molecular Link Between Mir156.Spl15 And Carotenoid Accumulation In Arabidopsis, Davood Emami Meybodi Oct 2013

Uncovering The Molecular Link Between Mir156.Spl15 And Carotenoid Accumulation In Arabidopsis, Davood Emami Meybodi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Carotenoid Cleavage Dioxygenases (CCDs) are an enzyme family that cleaves specific double bonds in carotenoids. MicroR156 in Arabidopsis regulates a network of genes by repressing 10 SPL genes, among which, SPL15 was found to regulate shoot branching and carotenoid accumulation. The expression of CCD1, CCD4, CCD7, CCD8, NCED2, NCED3, NCED5, NCED6, NCED9 and SPL15 was evaluated in siliques at 10 days post anthesis and in 10-day-old roots in Arabidopsis wild type, sk156 (miR156 overexpression mutant), RS105 (miR156 overexpression line), spl15 (SPL15 knockout mutant) and two 35S:SPL15 lines. Results showed that most of CCD/NCED genes were …


Protein Body Formation In Stable Transgenic Plants Of Nicotiana Tabacum Expressing Elastin-Like Polypeptide And Hydrophobin Fusion Proteins, Sonia P. Gutierrez Aug 2012

Protein Body Formation In Stable Transgenic Plants Of Nicotiana Tabacum Expressing Elastin-Like Polypeptide And Hydrophobin Fusion Proteins, Sonia P. Gutierrez

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Plants are recognized as an efficient and inexpensive system to produce valuable recombinant proteins. However, the use of plants still faces two main limitations: the low accumulation levels of some recombinant proteins and the lack of efficient protein purification methods. Two fusion partners, elastin-like polypeptides (ELP) and hydrophobin I (HFBI) were found to increase the accumulation of recombinant proteins and induce the formation of protein bodies (PBs) when targeted to the ER in transient expression assays. In this study I examined the effect of these tags in stable transgenic plants of two Nicotiana tabacum cultivars when fused to green fluorescent …