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Full-Text Articles in Cell Biology

Active Learning Outside The Classroom: Implementation And Outcomes Of Peer-Led Team-Learning Workshops In Introductory Biology, Philip Kudish, Robin Shores, A. Mcclung, Lisa Smulyan , '76, Elizabeth Ann Vallen, Kathleen King Siwicki Sep 2016

Active Learning Outside The Classroom: Implementation And Outcomes Of Peer-Led Team-Learning Workshops In Introductory Biology, Philip Kudish, Robin Shores, A. Mcclung, Lisa Smulyan , '76, Elizabeth Ann Vallen, Kathleen King Siwicki

Biology Faculty Works

Study group meetings (SGMs) are voluntary-attendance peer-led team-learning workshops that supplement introductory biology lectures at a selective liberal arts college. While supporting all students’ engagement with lecture material, specific aims are to improve the success of underrepresented minority (URM) students and those with weaker backgrounds in biology. Peer leaders with experience in biology courses and training in science pedagogy facilitate work on faculty-generated challenge problems. During the eight semesters assessed in this study, URM students and those with less preparation attended SGMs with equal or greater frequency than their counterparts. Most agreed that SGMs enhanced their comprehension of biology and …


Trehalose Is A Chemical Attractant In The Establishment Of Coral Symbiosis, M. Hagedorn, V. Carter, N. Zuchowicz, M. Phillips, C. Penfield, B. Shamenek, Elizabeth A. Vallen, F. W. Kleinhans, K. Peterson, M. White, P. H. Yancey Jan 2015

Trehalose Is A Chemical Attractant In The Establishment Of Coral Symbiosis, M. Hagedorn, V. Carter, N. Zuchowicz, M. Phillips, C. Penfield, B. Shamenek, Elizabeth A. Vallen, F. W. Kleinhans, K. Peterson, M. White, P. H. Yancey

Biology Faculty Works

Coral reefs have evolved with a crucial symbiosis between photosynthetic dinoflagellates (genus Symbiodinium) and their cnidarian hosts (Scleractinians). Most coral larvae take up Symbiodinium from their environment; however, the earliest steps in this process have been elusive. Here we demonstrate that the disaccharide trehalose may be an important signal from the symbiont to potential larval hosts. Symbiodinium freshly isolated from Fungia scutaria corals constantly released trehalose (but not sucrose, maltose or glucose) into seawater, and released glycerol only in the presence of coral tissue. Spawning Fungia adults increased symbiont number in their immediate area by excreting pellets of Symbiodinium, and …


Immobile Myosin-Ii Plays A Scaffolding Role During Cytokinesis In Budding Yeast, C. Wloka, Elizabeth Ann Vallen, Lydia Thé , '08, X. Fang, Y. Oh, E. Bi Feb 2013

Immobile Myosin-Ii Plays A Scaffolding Role During Cytokinesis In Budding Yeast, C. Wloka, Elizabeth Ann Vallen, Lydia Thé , '08, X. Fang, Y. Oh, E. Bi

Biology Faculty Works

Core components of cytokinesis are conserved from yeast to human, but how these components are assembled into a robust machine that drives cytokinesis remains poorly understood. In this paper, we show by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analysis that Myo1, the sole myosin-II in budding yeast, was mobile at the division site before anaphase and became immobilized shortly before cytokinesis. This immobility was independent of actin filaments or the motor domain of Myo1 but required a small region in the Myo1 tail that is thought to be involved in higher-order assembly. As expected, proteins involved in actin ring assembly (tropomyosin and …


Biphasic Targeting And Cleavage Furrow Ingression Directed By The Tail Of A Myosin Ii, X. Fang, J. Y. Luo, R. Nishihama, C. Wloka, C. Dravis, M. Travaglia, M. Iwase, Elizabeth Ann Vallen, E. Bi Dec 2010

Biphasic Targeting And Cleavage Furrow Ingression Directed By The Tail Of A Myosin Ii, X. Fang, J. Y. Luo, R. Nishihama, C. Wloka, C. Dravis, M. Travaglia, M. Iwase, Elizabeth Ann Vallen, E. Bi

Biology Faculty Works

Cytokinesis in animal and fungal cells utilizes a contractile actomyosin ring (AMR). However, how myosin II is targeted to the division site and promotes AMR assembly, and how the AMR coordinates with membrane trafficking during cytokinesis, remains poorly understood. Here we show that Myo1 is a two-headed myosin II in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and that Myo1 localizes to the division site via two distinct targeting signals in its tail that act sequentially during the cell cycle. Before cytokinesis, Myo1 localization depends on the septin-binding protein Bni5. During cytokinesis, Myo1 localization depends on the IQGAP Iqg1. We also show that the Myo1 …


Role Of Inn1 And Its Interactions With Hof1 And Cyk3 In Promoting Cleavage Furrow And Septum Formation In S. Cerevisiae, R. Nishihama, J. H. Schreiter, M. Onishi, Elizabeth A. Vallen, J. Hanna, K. Moravcevic, Margaret Flynn Lippincott , '01, Haesun Han , '08, M. A. Lemmon, J. R. Pringle, E. Bi Jun 2009

Role Of Inn1 And Its Interactions With Hof1 And Cyk3 In Promoting Cleavage Furrow And Septum Formation In S. Cerevisiae, R. Nishihama, J. H. Schreiter, M. Onishi, Elizabeth A. Vallen, J. Hanna, K. Moravcevic, Margaret Flynn Lippincott , '01, Haesun Han , '08, M. A. Lemmon, J. R. Pringle, E. Bi

Biology Faculty Works

Cytokinesis requires coordination of actomyosin ring (AMR) contraction with rearrangements of the plasma membrane and extracellular matrix. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, new membrane, the chitin synthase Chs2 (which forms the primary septum [PS]), and the protein Inn1 are all delivered to the division site upon mitotic exit even when the AMR is absent. Inn1 is essential for PS formation but not for Chs2 localization. The Inn1 C-terminal region is necessary for localization, and distinct PXXP motifs in this region mediate functionally important interactions with SH3 domains in the cytokinesis proteins Hof1 (an F-BAR protein) and Cyk3 (whose overexpression can restore PS …


Identification And Functional Analysis Of The Essential And Regulatory Light Chains Of The Only Type Ii Myosin Myo1p In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, J. Luo, Elizabeth Ann Vallen, C. Dravis, S. E. Tcheperegine, B. Drees, E. Bi Jun 2004

Identification And Functional Analysis Of The Essential And Regulatory Light Chains Of The Only Type Ii Myosin Myo1p In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, J. Luo, Elizabeth Ann Vallen, C. Dravis, S. E. Tcheperegine, B. Drees, E. Bi

Biology Faculty Works

Cytokinesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae involves coordination between actomyosin ring contraction and septum formation and/or targeted membrane deposition. We show that Mlc1p, a light chain for Myo2p (type V myosin) and lqg1p (IQGAP), is the essential light chain for Myo1p, the only type 11 myosin in S. cerevisiae. However, disruption or reduction of Mlc1p-Myo1p interaction by deleting the Mlc1p binding site on Myo1p or by a point mutation in MLC1, mlc1-93, did not cause any obvious defect in cytokinesis. In contrast, a different point mutation, mlc1-11, displayed defects in cytokinesis and in interactions with Myo2p and lqg1p. These data suggest that …


Analysis Of Protein Localization And Secretory Pathway Function Using The Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Elizabeth Ann Vallen Jan 2002

Analysis Of Protein Localization And Secretory Pathway Function Using The Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Elizabeth Ann Vallen

Biology Faculty Works

The isolation and characterization of mutants has been crucial in understanding a number of processes in the field of cell biology. In this exercise, students examine the effects of mutations in the secretory pathway on protein localization. Yeast strains deficient for synthesis of histidinol dehydrogenase are transformed with a plasmid encoding a chimeric protein. The chimera contains a signal sequence fused to histidinol dehydrogenase. A strain with a defect in the translocation of secretory proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) accumulates sufficient histidinol dehydrogenase in the cytoplasm to grow on media lacking histidine. In contrast, yeast proficient for secretion, or …


Mutations In Sid2, A Novel Gene In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Cause Synthetic Lethality With Sic1 Deletion And May Cause A Defect During S Phase, Matthew D. Jacobson , '97, Claudia C. Muñoz , '99, Kirstin S. Knox , '99, Beth E. Williams , '01, Lenette L. Lu , '02, Frederick Cross , '78, Elizabeth Ann Vallen Sep 2001

Mutations In Sid2, A Novel Gene In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Cause Synthetic Lethality With Sic1 Deletion And May Cause A Defect During S Phase, Matthew D. Jacobson , '97, Claudia C. Muñoz , '99, Kirstin S. Knox , '99, Beth E. Williams , '01, Lenette L. Lu , '02, Frederick Cross , '78, Elizabeth Ann Vallen

Biology Faculty Works

SIC1 encodes a nonessential B-type cyclin/CDK inhibitor that functions at the G1/S transition and the exit from mitosis. To understand more completely the regulation of these transitions, Mutations causing synthetic lethality with sic1 Delta were isolated. In this screen, we identified a novel gene, SID2, which encodes an essential protein that appear., to be required for DNA replication or repair. sid2-1 sic1 Delta strains and sid2-21 temperature-sensitive strains arrest preanaphase as large-budded cells with a single nucleus, a short spindle, and an similar to 2C DNA content. RAD9, which is necessary for the DNA damage checkpoint, is required for the …


Roles Of Hof1p, Bni1p, Bnr1p, And Myo1p In Cytokinesis In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Elizabeth Ann Vallen, J. Caviston, E. Bi Feb 2000

Roles Of Hof1p, Bni1p, Bnr1p, And Myo1p In Cytokinesis In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Elizabeth Ann Vallen, J. Caviston, E. Bi

Biology Faculty Works

Cytokinesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae occurs by the concerted action of the actomyosin system and septum formation. Here we report on the roles of HOF1,BNI1, and BNR1 in cytokinesis, focusing on Hof1p. Deletion of HOF1 causes a temperature-sensitive defect in septum formation. A Hof1p ring forms on the mother side of the bud neck in G2/M, followed by the formation of a daughter-side ring. Around telophase, Hof1p is phosphorylated and the double rings merge into a single ring that contracts slightly and may colocalize with the actomyosin structure. Upon septum formation, Hof1p splits into two rings, disappearing upon cell separation. Hof1p …


Mutations In Rad27 Define A Potential Link Between G₁ Cyclins And Dna Replication, Elizabeth Ann Vallen, Frederick R. Cross , '78 Aug 1995

Mutations In Rad27 Define A Potential Link Between G₁ Cyclins And Dna Replication, Elizabeth Ann Vallen, Frederick R. Cross , '78

Biology Faculty Works

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has three G1 cyclin (CLN) genes with overlapping functions. To analyze the functions of the various CLN genes, we examined mutations that result in lethality in conjunction with loss of cln1 and cln2. We have isolated alleles of RAD27/ERC11/YKL510, the yeast homolog of the gene encoding flap endonuclease 1, FEN-1.cln1 cln2 rad27/erc11 cells arrest in S phase; this cell cycle arrest is suppressed by the expression of CLN1 or CLN2 but not by that of CLN3 or the hyperactive CLN3-2. rad27/erc11 mutants are also defective in DNA damage repair, as determined by their increased sensitivity to …