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Full-Text Articles in Biology

Tbrap1 Has An Unusual Duplex Dna Binding Activity Required For Its Telomere Localization And Vsg Silencing, Marjia Afrin, Amit Kumar Gaurav, Xian Yang, Xuehua Pan, Yanxiang Zhao, Bibo Li Ph.D. Sep 2020

Tbrap1 Has An Unusual Duplex Dna Binding Activity Required For Its Telomere Localization And Vsg Silencing, Marjia Afrin, Amit Kumar Gaurav, Xian Yang, Xuehua Pan, Yanxiang Zhao, Bibo Li Ph.D.

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Localization of Repressor Activator Protein 1 (RAP1) to the telomere is essential for its telomeric functions. RAP1 homologs either directly bind the duplex telomere DNA or interact with telomere-binding proteins. We find that Trypanosoma brucei RAP1 relies on a unique double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) binding activity to achieve this goal. T. brucei causes human sleeping sickness and regularly switches its major surface antigen, variant surface glycoprotein (VSG), to evade the host immune response. VSGs are monoallelically expressed from subtelomeres, and TbRAP1 is essential for VSG regulation. We identify dsDNA and single-stranded DNA binding activities in TbRAP1, which require positively charged 737RKRRR741 …


The More We Do, The Less We Gain? Balancing Effort And Efficacy In Managing The Solidago Gigantea Invasion, Dávid U. Nagy, Emily S.J. Rauschert, Tamás Henn, Kevin Cianfaglione, Szilvia Stranczinger, Robert W. Pal Jun 2020

The More We Do, The Less We Gain? Balancing Effort And Efficacy In Managing The Solidago Gigantea Invasion, Dávid U. Nagy, Emily S.J. Rauschert, Tamás Henn, Kevin Cianfaglione, Szilvia Stranczinger, Robert W. Pal

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Developing invasive plant management strategies is an important task in modern ecology, conservation biology and land management. Solidago gigantea is considered a problematic invader in Europe and Asia, where it forms dominant stands that can decrease species diversity. There is, therefore, an urgent need for effective management to reduce S. gigantea infestations and their negative impacts. We examined the efficacy of multiple approaches to S. gigantea management in Hungary. In our study, we evaluated the effect of several long-term management techniques such as grazing, mowing and periodic flooding on the invader's density as well as native community diversity. In addition, …


Investigating The Effects Of Temperature On Lesser Celandine, Regina Bellian Apr 2020

Investigating The Effects Of Temperature On Lesser Celandine, Regina Bellian

The Downtown Review

This paper explores invasive species Ficaria verna (Lesser celandine) and the effects of temperature on its growth. Trials were completed with two treatments, 13OC cold temperature and 20OC ambient temperature. Germinated bulbils of Lesser celandine were planted on February 15, 2017 and placed in their respective growing chambers. The plants were watered weekly and monitored for growth until harvest on March 29, 2017. Upon harvest, the plants’ height, largest leaf diameter and biomass were measured after extraction from soil and the removal of the leftover soil debris. Average height was found to be 11.66cm for the cold treatment and 5.14cm …


Basal Signaling Through Death Receptor 5 And Caspase 3 Activates P38 Kinase To Regulate Serum Response Factor - Mediated Myod Transcription, Jason A. Ross Jan 2020

Basal Signaling Through Death Receptor 5 And Caspase 3 Activates P38 Kinase To Regulate Serum Response Factor - Mediated Myod Transcription, Jason A. Ross

ETD Archive

The formation of functional skeletal muscle is the consequence of both the differentiation and apoptosis of skeletal myoblasts. Ex vivo culture of skeletal myoblasts provides a tractable model for the study of these two coordinately regulated processes. We have previously reported that 23A2 myoblasts stably expressing a dominant negative Death Receptor 5 (A2:dnDR5 myoblasts) exhibit decreased basal mRNA and protein expression of the master muscle regulatory transcription factor MyoD. This decrease at the mRNA level is not a consequence of altered stability. Binding of the transcription factor SRF to a non-canonical CArG box within a serum response element (SRE) in …


Characterization Of The Immune Response To Anti-Mullerian Hormone, Justin M. Johnson Jan 2020

Characterization Of The Immune Response To Anti-Mullerian Hormone, Justin M. Johnson

ETD Archive

Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) has been known since the mid-twentieth century as the substance secreted by the testes of the male fetus that is responsible for directing the proper development of the male reproductive organs from the primordial structures that would otherwise become the uterus and fallopian tubes. However, despite its longknown significance in male development, only recently has its importance in the adult female become evident. AMH is now considered to be not only a clinical indicator of the finite ovarian egg supply, but a vital regulator thereof throughout the reproductive life of the female. Dysfunctions in AMH regulation may …


Determinants Of Holliday Junction Formation And Resolution During Budding Yeast Meiosis, Marina Bykova Jan 2020

Determinants Of Holliday Junction Formation And Resolution During Budding Yeast Meiosis, Marina Bykova

ETD Archive

In the process of meiosis, 4 haploid cells are produced from 1 diploid cell in two rounds of division. During prophase I of meiosis I, double strand breaks (DSBs) are created by the Spo11 protein, some of which are later repaired by homologous recombination into crossovers. During homologous recombination, structures called Holliday Junctions are formed, which later are resolved into crossovers to allow homologous chromosomes to separate. Ifthey are not resolved, the cell arrests and cannot progress further in meiosis. I have investigated three proteins known or suspected to be involved in Holliday Junction formation and resolution: the transcription factor …


Functional Ecology And Ecosystem Services Of Urban Trees, Milos Simovic Jan 2020

Functional Ecology And Ecosystem Services Of Urban Trees, Milos Simovic

ETD Archive

Compared to their natural counterparts, trees in urban ecosystems experience distinctive environmental conditions which can be both beneficial and harmful to tree functions and fitness. Thus, the morphological, phenological, and physiological functions of trees in urban ecosystems can be unique and might not be predictable from patterns identified in natural forests where most research on tree ecology has occurred. To better understand how different tree species contribute to ecosystem services in urban environments, we estimated a number of key performance metrics and functional traits for species commonly planted in urban areas. Between April of 2017 and December of 2019, we …


Life Cycle And Morphological Characterization Of Colpodella Sp. (Atcc 50594) In Hay Medium, Troy A. Getty Jan 2020

Life Cycle And Morphological Characterization Of Colpodella Sp. (Atcc 50594) In Hay Medium, Troy A. Getty

ETD Archive

Colpodella species are free living biflagellated protists that prey on algae and bodonids in a process known as myzocytosis. Colpodella are phylogenetically closely related to Apicomplexa. Cyst and trophozoite stages have been identified in Colpodella species, however the mechanisms of encystation and excystation are unknown. The timing and transition of the life cycle stages are unknown. In the present study I investigated the life cycle of Colpodella sp. (ATCC 50594). Colpodella sp. were grown in diprotist cultures in tissue culture flasks containing Hay medium bacterized with Enterobacter aerogenes and containing Bodo caudatus as prey. I wanted to know the timing …


Basal Signalling Through Death Receptor 5 And Caspase 3 Activates P38 Kinase To Regulate Serum Response Factor (Srf)-Mediated Myod Transcription, Jason A. Ross, Brianna Barrett, Victoria Bensimon, Girish Shukla, Crystal M. Weyman Jan 2020

Basal Signalling Through Death Receptor 5 And Caspase 3 Activates P38 Kinase To Regulate Serum Response Factor (Srf)-Mediated Myod Transcription, Jason A. Ross, Brianna Barrett, Victoria Bensimon, Girish Shukla, Crystal M. Weyman

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

We have previously reported that stable expression of a dominant negative Death Receptor 5 (dnDR5) in skeletal myoblasts results in decreased basal caspase activity and decreased mRNA and protein expression of the muscle regulatory transcription factor MyoD in growth medium (GM), resulting in inhibited differentation when myoblasts are then cultured in differentiation media (DM). Further, this decreased level of MyoD mRNA was not a consequence of altered message stability, but rather correlated with decreased acetylation of histones in the distal regulatory region (DRR) of the MyoD extended promoter known to control MyoD transcription. As serum response factor (SRF) is the …


Trypanosoma Brucei Rap1 Has Essential Functional Domains That Are Required For Different Protein Interactions, Marjia Afrin, Hanadi Kishmiri, Ranjodh Sandhu, M. A.G. Rabbani, Bibo Li Jan 2020

Trypanosoma Brucei Rap1 Has Essential Functional Domains That Are Required For Different Protein Interactions, Marjia Afrin, Hanadi Kishmiri, Ranjodh Sandhu, M. A.G. Rabbani, Bibo Li

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

RAP1 is a telomere protein that is well conserved from protozoa to mammals. It plays important roles in chromosome end protection, telomere length control, and gene expression/silencing at both telomeric and nontelomeric loci. Interaction with different partners is an important mechanism by which RAP1 executes its different functions in yeast. The RAP1 ortholog in Trypanosoma brucei is essential for variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) monoallelic expression, an important aspect of antigenic variation, where T. brucei regularly switches its major surface antigen, VSG, to evade the host immune response. Like other RAP1 orthologs, T. brucei RAP1 (TbRAP1) has conserved functional domains, including …