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Full-Text Articles in Biology

Novel Mechanistic Insight Into Ciliary Regulation: Old Pathways Yield New Mechanisms, Larissa L. Dougherty Jan 2023

Novel Mechanistic Insight Into Ciliary Regulation: Old Pathways Yield New Mechanisms, Larissa L. Dougherty

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Cilia are structures present on most eukaryotic cells which provide important signaling and motile components to cells from early development to fully differentiated and matured cells. Regulation of these structures is critical to proper functioning of the cell and is known to be tied to the cell cycle. Preparation for ciliary assembly following cell cycle exit and ciliary disassembly following cell cycle reentry requires components throughout the cell body and within the cilium to facilitate this process. Here I identify how the cell adapts to ensure modifications to cilia occur for assembly or disassembly using the model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. …


Visual Ecology: Sensing The Social World, Elliott P. Steele Nov 2022

Visual Ecology: Sensing The Social World, Elliott P. Steele

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Social animals, and even solitary animals, must at different points in their life actively search for and locate conspecifics within their environment, using one or multiple senses. One sense in particular, vision, can provide some of the most spatially detailed and temporally rapid information about the environment. Yet, the surrounding environment can also severely challenge animals’ abilities to find fellow conspecifics. Furthermore, once an animal successfully locates conspecifics, it must then make key decisions about when and where to enter group formations, decisions which may strongly impact their access to socially-acquired resources. Even after an animal has positioned itself within …


Ecology And Evolution Of Social Information Use, Clare T. M. Doherty Nov 2022

Ecology And Evolution Of Social Information Use, Clare T. M. Doherty

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Sociality is a strategy many animals employ to cope with their environments, enabling them to survive and reproduce more successfully than would otherwise be possible. When navigating their environments and making decisions, social individuals often use information provided by conspecifics (in the form of social cues and signals), thereby increasing the scope and reliability of the information they can gather. However, social information use may be influenced by many factors, including key differences in context across the physical and social environment. My thesis asks and answers a series of questions regarding the trade-offs in social information use across different contexts, …


A Multi-Resolution Graph Convolution Network For Contiguous Epitope Prediction, Lisa Oh Jan 2021

A Multi-Resolution Graph Convolution Network For Contiguous Epitope Prediction, Lisa Oh

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Computational methods for predicting binding interfaces between antigens and antibodies (epitopes and paratopes) are faster and cheaper than traditional experimental structure determination methods. A sufficiently reliable computational predictor that could scale to large sets of available antibody sequence data could thus inform and expedite many biomedical pursuits, such as better understanding immune responses to vaccination and natural infection and developing better drugs and vaccines. However, current state-of-the-art predictors produce discontiguous predictions, e.g., predicting the epitope in many different spots on an antigen, even though in reality they typically comprise a single localized region. We seek to produce contiguous predicted epitopes, …


Cddo-Me Attenuates Inflammation In Healthy And Systemic Sclerosis Macrophages, Saemi Han, Rajan Bhandari, Patricia A. Pioli May 2018

Cddo-Me Attenuates Inflammation In Healthy And Systemic Sclerosis Macrophages, Saemi Han, Rajan Bhandari, Patricia A. Pioli

Wetterhahn Science Symposium Posters 2018

No abstract provided.


Predicting Mercury Levels In Freshwater Fish Through Biotic And Abiotic Factors: A Case Study Of Nantucket Island, Callum Hoyt Backstrom, Celia Y. Chen, Kate Buckman May 2018

Predicting Mercury Levels In Freshwater Fish Through Biotic And Abiotic Factors: A Case Study Of Nantucket Island, Callum Hoyt Backstrom, Celia Y. Chen, Kate Buckman

Wetterhahn Science Symposium Posters 2018

No abstract provided.


A Longitudinal Cline Characterizes The Genetic Structure Of Human Populations In The Tibetan Plateau, Choongwon Jeong, Benjamin M. Peter, Buddha Basnyat, Maniraj Neupane, Geoff Childs, Sienna Craig, John Novembre, Anna Di Rienzo Apr 2017

A Longitudinal Cline Characterizes The Genetic Structure Of Human Populations In The Tibetan Plateau, Choongwon Jeong, Benjamin M. Peter, Buddha Basnyat, Maniraj Neupane, Geoff Childs, Sienna Craig, John Novembre, Anna Di Rienzo

Dartmouth Scholarship

Indigenous populations of the Tibetan plateau have attracted much attention for their good performance at extreme high altitude. Most genetic studies of Tibetan adaptations have used genetic variation data at the genome scale, while genetic inferences about their de- mography and population structure are largely based on uniparental markers. To provide genome-wide information on population structure, we analyzed new and published data of 338 individuals from indigenous populations across the plateau in conjunction with world- wide genetic variation data. We found a clear signal of genetic stratification across the east- west axis within Tibetan samples. Samples from more eastern locations …


Salting Our Freshwater Lakes, Hilary A. Dugan, Sarah L. Bartlett, Samantha M. Burke, Jonathan P. Doubek, Flora Krivak-Tetley Apr 2017

Salting Our Freshwater Lakes, Hilary A. Dugan, Sarah L. Bartlett, Samantha M. Burke, Jonathan P. Doubek, Flora Krivak-Tetley

Dartmouth Scholarship

The highest densities of lakes on Earth are in north temperate ecosystems, where increasing urbanization and associated chloride runoff can salinize freshwaters and threaten lake water quality and the many ecosystem services lakes provide. However, the extent to which lake salinity may be changing at broad spatial scales remains unknown, leading us to first identify spatial patterns and then investigate the drivers of these patterns. Significant decadal trends in lake salinization were identified using a dataset of long-term chloride concentrations from 371 North American lakes. Landscape and climate metrics calculated for each site demonstrated that impervious land cover was a …


Hearing On The Fly: The Effects Of Wing Position On Noctuid Moth Hearing, Shira D. Gordon, Elizabeth Klenschi, James F. C. Windmill Mar 2017

Hearing On The Fly: The Effects Of Wing Position On Noctuid Moth Hearing, Shira D. Gordon, Elizabeth Klenschi, James F. C. Windmill

Dartmouth Scholarship

The ear of the noctuid moth has only two auditory neurons, A1 and A2, which function in detecting predatory bats. However, the noctuid's ears are located on the thorax behind the wings. Therefore, as these moths need to hear during flight, it was hypothesized that wing position may affect their hearing. The wing was fixed in three different positions: up, flat and down. An additional subset of animals was measured with freely moving wings. In order to negate any possible acoustic shadowing or diffractive effects, all wings were snipped, leaving the proximal-most portion and the wing hinge intact. Results revealed …


Winner's Curse Correction And Variable Thresholding Improve Performance Of Polygenic Risk Modeling Based On Genome-Wide Association Study Summary-Level Data, Jianxin Shi, Ju-Hyun Park, Jubao Duan, Sonja T. Berndt, Winton Moy, Kai Yu, Lei Song, William Wheeler, Xing Hua, Debra Silverman, Montserrat Garcia-Closas, Chao Agnes Hsiung, Jonine D. Figueroa, Victoria K. Cortessis, Nuria Malats, Margaret R. Karagas Dec 2016

Winner's Curse Correction And Variable Thresholding Improve Performance Of Polygenic Risk Modeling Based On Genome-Wide Association Study Summary-Level Data, Jianxin Shi, Ju-Hyun Park, Jubao Duan, Sonja T. Berndt, Winton Moy, Kai Yu, Lei Song, William Wheeler, Xing Hua, Debra Silverman, Montserrat Garcia-Closas, Chao Agnes Hsiung, Jonine D. Figueroa, Victoria K. Cortessis, Nuria Malats, Margaret R. Karagas

Dartmouth Scholarship

Recent heritability analyses have indicated that genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have the potential to improve genetic risk prediction for complex diseases based on polygenic risk score (PRS), a simple modelling technique that can be implemented using summary-level data from the discovery samples. We herein propose modifications to improve the performance of PRS. We introduce threshold-dependent winner’s-curse adjustments for marginal association coefficients that are used to weight the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in PRS. Further, as a way to incorporate external functional/annotation knowledge that could identify subsets of SNPs highly enriched for associations, we propose variable thresholds for SNPs selection. We applied …


Tertiary Alphabet For The Observable Protein Structural Universe, Craig\ O. Mackenzie, Jianfu Zhou, Gevorg Grigoryan Nov 2016

Tertiary Alphabet For The Observable Protein Structural Universe, Craig\ O. Mackenzie, Jianfu Zhou, Gevorg Grigoryan

Dartmouth Scholarship

Here, we systematically decompose the known protein structural universe into its basic elements, which we dub tertiary structural motifs (TERMs). A TERM is a compact backbone fragment that captures the secondary, tertiary, and quaternary environments around a given residue, comprising one or more disjoint segments (three on average). We seek the set of universal TERMs that capture all structure in the Protein Data Bank (PDB), finding remarkable degeneracy. Only ∼600 TERMs are sufficient to describe 50% of the PDB at sub-Angstrom resolution. However, more rare geometries also exist, and the overall structural coverage grows logarithmically with the number of TERMs. …


A New Timepiece: An Epigenetic Mitotic Clock, Brock C. Christensen, Karl T. Kelsey Oct 2016

A New Timepiece: An Epigenetic Mitotic Clock, Brock C. Christensen, Karl T. Kelsey

Dartmouth Scholarship

A new mitotic clock and mathematical approach that incorporates DNA methylation biology common among human cell types provides a new tool for cancer epigenetics research.


Oxidative Stress In Oocytes During Midprophase Induces Premature Loss Of Cohesion And Chromosome Segregation Errors, Adrienne T. Perkins, Thomas M. Das, Lauren C. Panzera, Sharon E. Bickel Oct 2016

Oxidative Stress In Oocytes During Midprophase Induces Premature Loss Of Cohesion And Chromosome Segregation Errors, Adrienne T. Perkins, Thomas M. Das, Lauren C. Panzera, Sharon E. Bickel

Dartmouth Scholarship

In humans, errors in meiotic chromosome segregation that produce aneuploid gametes increase dramatically as women age, a phenomenon termed the "maternal age effect." During meiosis, cohesion between sister chromatids keeps recombinant homologs physically attached and premature loss of cohesion can lead to missegregation of homologs during meiosis I. A growing body of evidence suggests that meiotic cohesion deteriorates as oocytes age and contributes to the maternal age effect. One hallmark of aging cells is an increase in oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, increased oxidative damage in older oocytes may be one of the factors that leads …


Dissection Of Molecular Assembly Dynamics By Tracking Orientation And Position Of Single Molecules In Live Cells, Shalin B. Mehta, Molly Mcquilken, Patrick J. La Riviere, Patricia Occhipinti, Amitabh Verma, Rudolf Oldenbourg, Amy Gladfelter, Tomomi Tani Sep 2016

Dissection Of Molecular Assembly Dynamics By Tracking Orientation And Position Of Single Molecules In Live Cells, Shalin B. Mehta, Molly Mcquilken, Patrick J. La Riviere, Patricia Occhipinti, Amitabh Verma, Rudolf Oldenbourg, Amy Gladfelter, Tomomi Tani

Dartmouth Scholarship

Regulation of order, such as orientation and conformation, drives the function of most molecular assemblies in living cells but remains difficult to measure accurately through space and time. We built an instantaneous fluorescence polarization microscope, which simultaneously images position and orientation of fluorophores in living cells with single-molecule sensitivity and a time resolution of 100 ms. We developed image acquisition and analysis methods to track single particles that interact with higher-order assemblies of molecules. We tracked the fluctuations in position and orientation of molecules from the level of an ensemble of fluorophores down to single fluorophores. We tested our system …


Field Estimates Of Parentage Reveal Sexually Antagonistic Selection On Body Size In A Population Of Anolis Lizards, Mary C. Duryea, Patrick Bergeron, Zachary Clare-Salzler, Ryan Calsbeek Aug 2016

Field Estimates Of Parentage Reveal Sexually Antagonistic Selection On Body Size In A Population Of Anolis Lizards, Mary C. Duryea, Patrick Bergeron, Zachary Clare-Salzler, Ryan Calsbeek

Dartmouth Scholarship

Sexual dimorphism evolves when selection favors different phenotypic optima between the sexes. Such sexually antagonistic selection creates intralocus sexual conflict when traits are genetically correlated between the sexes and have sex‐specific optima. Brown anoles are highly sexually dimorphic: Males are on average 30% longer than females and 150% heavier in our study population. Viability selection on body size is known to be sexually antagonistic, and directional selection favors large male size whereas stabilizing selection constrains females to remain small. We build on previous studies of viability selection by measuring sexually antagonistic selection using reproductive components of fitness over three generations …


A Heavy Metal P-Type Atpase Oshma4 Prevents Copper Accumulation In Rice Grain, Xin-Yuan Huang, Fenglin Deng, Naoki Yamaji, Shannon R.M. Pinson, Miho Fujii-Kashino, John Danku, Alex Douglas, Mary Lou Guerinot, David Salt, Jian Feng Ma Jul 2016

A Heavy Metal P-Type Atpase Oshma4 Prevents Copper Accumulation In Rice Grain, Xin-Yuan Huang, Fenglin Deng, Naoki Yamaji, Shannon R.M. Pinson, Miho Fujii-Kashino, John Danku, Alex Douglas, Mary Lou Guerinot, David Salt, Jian Feng Ma

Dartmouth Scholarship

Rice is a major source of calories and mineral nutrients for over half the world's human population. However, little is known in rice about the genetic basis of variation in accumulation of copper (Cu), an essential but potentially toxic nutrient. Here we identify OsHMA4 as the likely causal gene of a quantitative trait locus controlling Cu accumulation in rice grain. We provide evidence that OsHMA4 functions to sequester Cu into root vacuoles, limiting Cu accumulation in the grain. The difference in grain Cu accumulation is most likely attributed to a single amino acid substitution that leads to different OsHMA4 transport …


A New Method For Ecoacoustics? Toward The Extraction And Evaluation Of Ecologically-Meaningful Soundscape Components Using Sparse Coding Methods, Alice Eldridge, Michael Casey, Paola Moscoso, Mika Peck Jun 2016

A New Method For Ecoacoustics? Toward The Extraction And Evaluation Of Ecologically-Meaningful Soundscape Components Using Sparse Coding Methods, Alice Eldridge, Michael Casey, Paola Moscoso, Mika Peck

Dartmouth Scholarship

Passive acoustic monitoring is emerging as a promising non-invasive proxy for ecological complexity with potential as a tool for remote assessment and monitoring (Sueur & Farina, 2015). Rather than attempting to recognise species-specific calls, either manually or automatically, there is a growing interest in evaluating the global acoustic environment. Positioned within the conceptual framework of ecoacoustics, a growing number of indices have been proposed which aim to capture community- level dynamics by (e.g., Pieretti, Farina & Morri, 2011; Farina, 2014; Sueur et al.,2008b) by providing statistical summaries of the frequency or time domain signal. Although promising, the ecological relevance and …


Alcohol Discrimination And Preferences In Two Species Of Nectar-Feeding Primate, Samuel R. Gochman, Michael B. Brown, Nathaniel J. Dominy Jun 2016

Alcohol Discrimination And Preferences In Two Species Of Nectar-Feeding Primate, Samuel R. Gochman, Michael B. Brown, Nathaniel J. Dominy

Dartmouth Scholarship

Recent reports suggest that dietary ethanol, or alcohol, is a supplemental source of calories for some primates. For example, slow lorises (Nycticebus coucang) consume fermented nectars with a mean alcohol concentration of 0.6% (range: 0.0–3.8%). A similar behaviour is hypothesized for aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis) based on a single point mutation (A294V) in the gene that encodes alcohol dehydrogenase class IV (ADH4), the first enzyme to catabolize alcohol during digestion. The mutation increases catalytic efficiency 40-fold and may confer a selective advantage to aye-ayes that consume the nectar of Ravenala madagascariensis. It is uncertain, however, whether alcohol exists in this nectar …


Elevational Variation In Body-Temperature Response To Immune Challenge In A Lizard, Francisco Javier Zamora-Camacho, Senda Reguera, Gregorio Moreno-Rueda Apr 2016

Elevational Variation In Body-Temperature Response To Immune Challenge In A Lizard, Francisco Javier Zamora-Camacho, Senda Reguera, Gregorio Moreno-Rueda

Dartmouth Scholarship

Immunocompetence benefits animal fitness by combating pathogens, but also entails some costs. One of its main components is fever, which in ectotherms involves two main types of costs: energy expenditure and predation risk. Whenever those costs of fever outweigh its benefits, ectotherms are expected not to develop fever, or even to show hypothermia, reducing costs of thermoregulation and diverting the energy saved to other components of the immune system. Environmental thermal quality, and therefore the thermoregulation cost/benefit balance, varies geographically. Hence, we hypothesize that, in alpine habitats, immune-challenged ectotherms should show no thermal response, given that (1) hypothermia would be …


Micron-Scale Plasma Membrane Curvature Is Recognized By The Septin Cytoskeleton, Andrew A. Bridges, Maximilian S. Jentzsch, Patrick W. Oakes, Patricia Occhipinti, Amy S. Gladfelter Apr 2016

Micron-Scale Plasma Membrane Curvature Is Recognized By The Septin Cytoskeleton, Andrew A. Bridges, Maximilian S. Jentzsch, Patrick W. Oakes, Patricia Occhipinti, Amy S. Gladfelter

Dartmouth Scholarship

Cells change shape in response to diverse environmental and developmental conditions, creating topologies with micron-scale features. Although individual proteins can sense nanometer-scale membrane curvature, it is unclear if a cell could also use nanometer-scale components to sense micron-scale contours, such as the cytokinetic furrow and base of neuronal branches. Septins are filament-forming proteins that serve as signaling platforms and are frequently associated with areas of the plasma membrane where there is micron-scale curvature, including the cytokinetic furrow and the base of cell protrusions. We report here that fungal and human septins are able to distinguish between different degrees of micron-scale …


The Fast-Evolving Phy-2 Gene Modulates Sexual Development In Response To Light In The Model Fungus Neurospora Crassa, Zheng Wang, Ning Li, Jigang Li, Jay C. Dunlap, Frances Trail, Jeffrey P. Townsend Mar 2016

The Fast-Evolving Phy-2 Gene Modulates Sexual Development In Response To Light In The Model Fungus Neurospora Crassa, Zheng Wang, Ning Li, Jigang Li, Jay C. Dunlap, Frances Trail, Jeffrey P. Townsend

Dartmouth Scholarship

Rapid responses to changes in incident light are critical to the guidance of behavior and development in most species. Phytochrome light receptors in particular play key roles in bacterial physiology and plant development, but their functions and regulation are less well understood in fungi. Nevertheless, genome-wide expression measurements provide key information that can guide experiments that reveal how genes respond to environmental signals and clarify their role in development. We performed functional genomic and phenotypic analyses of the two phytochromes in Neurospora crassa, a fungal model adapted to a postfire environment that experiences dramatically variable light conditions. Expression of phy-1 …


Experimenting With Sex: Four Approaches To The Genetics Of Sex Reversal Before 1950, Michael Dietrich Jan 2016

Experimenting With Sex: Four Approaches To The Genetics Of Sex Reversal Before 1950, Michael Dietrich

Dartmouth Scholarship

In the early twentieth century, Tatsuo Aida in Japan, jvind Winge in Denmark, Richard Goldschmidt in Germany, and Calvin Bridges in the United States all developed different experimental systems to study the genetics of sex reversal. These locally specific experimental systems grounded these experimenters' understanding of sex reversal as well as their interpretation of claims regarding experimental results and theories. The comparison of four researchers and their experimental systems reveals how those different systems mediated their understanding of genetic phenomena, and influenced their interpretations of sex reversal.


Evolutionary Escalation: The Bat–Moth Arms Race, John M. Ratcliffe Jan 2016

Evolutionary Escalation: The Bat–Moth Arms Race, John M. Ratcliffe

Dartmouth Scholarship

Echolocation in bats and high-frequency hearing in their insect prey make bats and insects an ideal system for studying the sensory ecology and neuroethology of predator–prey interactions. Here, we review the evolutionary history of bats and eared insects, focusing on the insect order Lepidoptera, and consider the evidence for antipredator adaptations and predator counter-adaptations. Ears evolved in a remarkable number of body locations across insects, with the original selection pressure for ears differing between groups. Although cause and effect are difficult to determine, correlations between hearing and life history strategies in moths provide evidence for how these two variables influence …


A Comprehensive Benchmarking Study Of Protocols And Sequencing Platforms For 16s Rrna Community Profiling, Rosalinda D’Amore, Umer Zeeshan Ijaz, Melanie Schirmer, John G. Kenny, Richard Gregory, Alistair C. Darby, Migun Shakya Jan 2016

A Comprehensive Benchmarking Study Of Protocols And Sequencing Platforms For 16s Rrna Community Profiling, Rosalinda D’Amore, Umer Zeeshan Ijaz, Melanie Schirmer, John G. Kenny, Richard Gregory, Alistair C. Darby, Migun Shakya

Dartmouth Scholarship

In the last 5 years, the rapid pace of innovations and improvements in sequencing technologies has completely changed the landscape of metagenomic and metagenetic experiments. Therefore, it is critical to benchmark the various methodologies for interrogating the composition of microbial communities, so that we can assess their strengths and limitations. The most common phylogenetic marker for microbial community diversity studies is the 16S ribosomal RNA gene and in the last 10 years the field has moved from sequencing a small number of amplicons and samples to more complex studies where thousands of samples and multiple different gene regions are interrogated. …


Possible Synergistic Effects Of Thymol And Nicotine Against Crithidia Bombi Parasitism In Bumble Bees, Olivia Masi Biller, Lynn S. Adler, Rebecca E. Irwin, Caitlin Mcallister, Evan C. Palmer-Young Dec 2015

Possible Synergistic Effects Of Thymol And Nicotine Against Crithidia Bombi Parasitism In Bumble Bees, Olivia Masi Biller, Lynn S. Adler, Rebecca E. Irwin, Caitlin Mcallister, Evan C. Palmer-Young

Dartmouth Scholarship

Floral nectar contains secondary compounds with antimicrobial properties that can affect not only plant-pollinator interactions, but also interactions between pollinators and their parasites. Although recent work has shown that consumption of plant secondary compounds can reduce pollinator parasite loads, little is known about the effects of dosage or compound combinations. We used the generalist pollinator Bombus impatiens and its obligate gut parasite Crithidia bombi to study the effects of nectar chemistry on host-parasite interactions. In two experiments we tested (1) whether the secondary compounds thymol and nicotine act synergistically to reduce parasitism, and (2) whether dietary thymol concentration affects parasite …


Testing Dose-Dependent Effects Of The Nectar Alkaloid Anabasine On Trypanosome Parasite Loads In Adult Bumble Bees, Winston E. Anthony, Evan C. Palmer-Young, Anne S. Leonard, Rebecca E. Irwin, Lynn S. Adler Nov 2015

Testing Dose-Dependent Effects Of The Nectar Alkaloid Anabasine On Trypanosome Parasite Loads In Adult Bumble Bees, Winston E. Anthony, Evan C. Palmer-Young, Anne S. Leonard, Rebecca E. Irwin, Lynn S. Adler

Dartmouth Scholarship

The impact of consuming biologically active compounds is often dose-dependent, where small quantities can be medicinal while larger doses are toxic. The consumption of plant secondary compounds can be toxic to herbivores in large doses, but can also improve survival in parasitized herbivores. In addition, recent studies have found that consuming nectar secondary compounds may decrease parasite loads in pollinators. However, the effect of compound dose on bee survival and parasite loads has not been assessed. To determine how secondary compound consumption affects survival and pathogen load in Bombus impatiens, we manipulated the presence of a common gut parasite, …


A Mitochondria-Anchored Isoform Of The Actin-Nucleating Spire Protein Regulates Mitochondrial Division, Uri Manor, Sadie Bartholomew, Gonen Golani, Eric Christenson, Michael Kozlov, Henry Higgs, James Spudich, Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz Aug 2015

A Mitochondria-Anchored Isoform Of The Actin-Nucleating Spire Protein Regulates Mitochondrial Division, Uri Manor, Sadie Bartholomew, Gonen Golani, Eric Christenson, Michael Kozlov, Henry Higgs, James Spudich, Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz

Dartmouth Scholarship

Mitochondrial division, essential for survival in mammals, is enhanced by an inter-organellar process involving ER tubules encircling and constricting mitochondria. The force for constriction is thought to involve actin polymerization by the ER-anchored isoform of the formin protein inverted formin 2 (INF2). Unknown is the mechanism triggering INF2-mediated actin polymerization at ER-mitochondria intersections. We show that a novel isoform of the formin-binding, actin-nucleating protein Spire, Spire1C, localizes to mitochondria and directly links mitochondria to the actin cytoskeleton and the ER. Spire1C binds INF2 and promotes actin assembly on mitochondrial surfaces. Disrupting either Spire1C actin- or formin-binding activities reduces mitochondrial constriction …


Predicting Landscape-Scale Co 2 Flux At A Pasture And Rice Paddy With Long-Term Hyperspectral Canopy Reflectance Measurements, J. H. Matthes, S. H. Knox, C. Sturtevant, O. Sonnentag Aug 2015

Predicting Landscape-Scale Co 2 Flux At A Pasture And Rice Paddy With Long-Term Hyperspectral Canopy Reflectance Measurements, J. H. Matthes, S. H. Knox, C. Sturtevant, O. Sonnentag

Dartmouth Scholarship

Measurements of hyperspectral canopy reflectance provide a detailed snapshot of information regarding canopy biochemistry, structure and physiology. In this study, we collected 5 years of repeated canopy hyperspectral reflectance measurements for a total of over 100 site visits within the flux footprints of two eddy covariance towers at a pasture and rice paddy in northern California. The vegetation at both sites exhibited dynamic phenology, with significant interannual variability in the timing of seasonal patterns that propagated into interannual variability in measured hyperspectral reflectance. We used partial least-squares regression (PLSR) modeling to leverage the information contained within the entire canopy reflectance …


Polyq-Dependent Rna–Protein Assemblies Control Symmetry Breaking, Changhwan Lee, Patricia Occhipinti, Amy S. Gladfelter Jul 2015

Polyq-Dependent Rna–Protein Assemblies Control Symmetry Breaking, Changhwan Lee, Patricia Occhipinti, Amy S. Gladfelter

Dartmouth Scholarship

Dendritic growth in fungi and neurons requires that multiple axes of polarity are established and maintained within the same cytoplasm. We have discovered that transcripts encoding key polarity factors including a formin, Bni1, and a polarisome scaffold, Spa2, are nonrandomly clustered in the cytosol to initiate and maintain sites of polarized growth in the fungus Ashbya gossypii. This asymmetric distribution requires the mRNAs to interact with a polyQ-containing protein, Whi3, and a Pumilio protein with a low-complexity sequence, Puf2. Cells lacking Whi3 or Puf2 had severe defects in establishing new sites of polarity and failed to localize Bni1 protein. Interaction …


Spatial Heterogeneity, Host Movement And Mosquito-Borne Disease Transmission, Miguel A. Acevedo, Olivia Prosper, Kenneth Lopiano, Nick Ruktanonchai, T. Trevor Caughlin, Maia Martcheva, Craig W. Osenberg, David L. Smith Jun 2015

Spatial Heterogeneity, Host Movement And Mosquito-Borne Disease Transmission, Miguel A. Acevedo, Olivia Prosper, Kenneth Lopiano, Nick Ruktanonchai, T. Trevor Caughlin, Maia Martcheva, Craig W. Osenberg, David L. Smith

Dartmouth Scholarship

Mosquito-borne diseases are a global health priority disproportionately affecting low-income populations in tropical and sub-tropical countries. These pathogens live in mosquitoes and hosts that interact in spatially heterogeneous environments where hosts move between regions of varying transmission intensity. Although there is increasing interest in the implications of spatial processes for mosquito-borne disease dynamics, most of our understanding derives from models that assume spatially homogeneous transmission. Spatial variation in contact rates can influence transmission and the risk of epidemics, yet the interaction between spatial heterogeneity and movement of hosts remains relatively unexplored. Here we explore, analytically and through numerical simulations, how …