Genetics and Genomics Commons^™

The Trehalose Pathway In Maize: Conservation And Gene Regulation In Response To The Diurnal Cycle And Extended Darkness, Clémence Henry, Samuel W. Bledsoe, Allison Siekman, Alec Kollman, Brian M. Waters, Regina Feil, Mark Stitt, L. Mark Lagrimini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Energy resources in plants are managed in continuously changing environments, such as changes occurring during the day/night cycle. Shading is an environmental disruption that decreases photosynthesis, compromises energy status, and impacts on crop productivity. The trehalose pathway plays a central but not well-defined role in maintaining energy balance. Here, we characterized the maize trehalose pathway genes and deciphered the impacts of the diurnal cycle and disruption of the day/night cycle on trehalose pathway gene expression and sugar metabolism. The maize genome encodes 14 trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS) genes, 11 trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (TPP) genes, and one trehalase gene. Transcript abundance of most …

Identification And Characterization Of Cysteine Protease Genes In Tobacco For Use In Recombinant Protein Production, Kishor Duwadi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Plants are an attractive host system for pharmaceutical protein production. Many therapeutic proteins have been produced and scaled up in plants at a low cost compared to the conventional microbial and animal based systems. The main technical challenge during this process is to produce sufficient level of proteins in plants. Low yield is generally caused by proteolytic degradation during expression and downstream processing of recombinant proteins. The yield of a human therapeutic protein interleukin (IL) -10 produced in transgenic tobacco leaves was found to be below the critical level, and is potentially due to degradation by tobacco cysteine proteases (CysPs). …

Two Spotted Spider Mite (Tetranychus Urticae) Selection To Arabidopsis Thaliana, Huzefa Ratlamwala

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Spider mite feeding on A. thaliana induces the production of indole glucosinolates (IGs), plant secondary metabolites that negatively affect mite performance. In this study I conducted selection experiments on A. thaliana with varying levels of IGs, to determine if mites could adapt to IGs and other defense compounds. After 12 months, mites reared on host with IGs performed significantly better on A. thaliana than mites maintained on beans. However, an adaptation cost was detected between selected mite lines and their ancestral host. The qRT-PCR data on different mite lines revealed that the detoxification genes previously identified may only be involved …

Connecting Through Consilience: Ecology, Society, Culture And Technology, Ruth Mirams, Alexander Hayes

Alexander Hayes Mr.

Amongst linguistic, cultural and geographic diversity, humanity is characterised by inquisitiveness, communication and a deep desire to connect with each other. Despite our advanced intelligence and technological capacity, we are creatures of nature - a species which occupies a habitat, depends on consumable resources and fragile in many ways. As a species, we currently face challenges including overpopulation, diminishing resources and habitat degradation. In essence, we are exhausting the resources we depend on. [1] Resource depletion, disruption, famine, growth and sustainability are all observable in other species and natural systems. Human societies and systems can be described through the same …

Sheep Updates 2014, James Kynge, David Lindsay, Johan Greeff, John Young, Luke Stephen, Graham Gardner, Stephen Lee, Bindi Murray, James Rowe

Sheep Updates

This session covers nine papers from different authors:

Genetic Research: A brave new world of opportunities

1. "China's Appetite" - The implications for WA, James Kynge, Chairman, FT Confidential Research, Emerging Markets Editor, Financial Times, London.

2. The genetics warm-up - the secret language of genetic research and its impacts on WA's sheep flock, Professor David Lindsay, University of Western Australia, Perth WA

The strength of genetic data: is it really valuable?

3. Genetic research in Western Australia - What have the compromises in production been? Johan Greeff, Senior Geneticist, Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia

4. Show …

Functional Genomics Of Maize Endosperm Maturation And Protein Quality, Lingling Yuan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Maize is one of the most important cereal crops and widely cultivated throughout the world. The study on maize kernel development including protein quality improvement is essential for removing dietary protein deficiency because of the lack of essential amino acids, especially lysine and tryptophan, in maize kernel. Quality Protein Maize (QPM) is a hard kernel variant of the high-lysine mutant, opaque-2. We created opaque QPM variants to identify opaque-2 modifier genes and to investigate deletion mutagenesis combined with Illumina sequencing as a maize functional genomics tool. A K0326Y-QPM deletion mutant, line 107, was null for the 27- and 50-kD …

Differential Expression Of Cyclin G2, Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor 2c And Peripheral Myelin Protein 22 Genes During Adipogenesis..Pdf, Jibin Zhang, Yeunsu Suh, Young Min Choi, Jinsoo Ahn, Michael E. Davis, Kichoon Lee

Jibin Zhang

Heterogeneity, Not Randomness, Sets Challenges For Quantitative Genetics And Epidemiology: A Response To Davey Smith’S “Gloomy Prospect”, Peter J. Taylor

Working Papers on Science in a Changing World

Social epidemiologist Davey Smith (2011) argues that epidemiologists should accept a gloomy prospect: considerable randomness at the individual level means that they should keep their focus on modifiable causes of disease at the population level. The difficulty epidemiology has had in moving from significant population-level risk factors to improved prediction of cases at an individual level is analogous to the lack of success in the search for systematic aspects of the non-shared environmental influences that human quantitative genetics claims overshadow common environmental influences (e.g., the family’s socioeconomic status which siblings have in common). This article responds to the argument and …

Draft Genome Sequence Of Xylella Fastidiosa Pear Leaf Scorch Strain In Taiwan, C.-C. Su, W.-L. Deng, F.-J. Jan, C.-J. Chang, Hong Huang, J. Chen

School of Information Faculty Publications

The draft genome sequence of Xylella fastidiosa pear leaf scorch strain PLS229, isolated from the pear cultivar Hengshan (Pyrus pyrifolia) in Taiwan, is reported here. The bacterium has a genome size of 2,733,013 bp, with a G+C content of 53.1%. The PLS229 genome was annotated and has 3,259 open reading frames and 50 RNA genes.

Jibin Zhang's Ppt For Midwest Meeting.Pdf, Jibin Zhang, Yeunsu Suh, Young Min Choi, Michael E. Davis, Kichoon Lee

Jibin Zhang

Phylogeny And Population Genetics Of The Endangered Dwarf Bear-Poppy, Arctomecon Humilis Coville (Papaveraceae) Using Microsatellite Markers, Joshua Simpson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The genus Arctomecon (Papaveraceae) is comprised of three narrowly endemic rare species that are largely restricted to gypsum soils of the eastern Mojave Desert. The small, remaining populations of these species have become increasingly isolated by urban development and habitat fragmentation. Arctomecon humilis is federally listed as endangered due to its limited distribution within a ~15 km radius of an actively expanding city. Organizations involved with land management and conservation have called for greater insight into the genetic variation and population structure of the remaining subpopulations as they make important decisions regarding where to focus their efforts and resources.

The …

A Comprehensive Microrna Expression Profile Of The Backfat Tissue From Castrated And Intact Full-Sib Pair Male Pigs.Pdf, Ying Bai, Jinming Huang, Gang Liu, Jibin Zhang, Jianying Wang, Chengkun Liu, Meiying Fang

Jibin Zhang

Selection And Phenotypic Characterization Of A Core Collection Of Brachypodium Distachyon Inbred Lines, Ludmilla Tyler, Johnathan U. Fangel, Alexandra D. Fagerström, Michael A. Steinwand, Ted K. Raab, William Gt Willats, John P. Vogel

Ted K. Raab

The model grass Brachypodium distachyon is increasingly used to study various aspects of grass biology. A large and genotypically diverse collection of B. distachyon germplasm has been assembled by the research community. The natural variation in this collection can serve as a powerful experimental tool for many areas of inquiry, including investigating biomass traits. We surveyed the phenotypic diversity in a large collection of inbred lines and then selected a core collection of lines for more detailed analysis with an emphasis on traits relevant to the use of grasses as biofuel and grain crops. Phenotypic characters examined included plant height, …

Pearl Millet Breeding Lines Developed At Icrisat:A Reservoir Of Variability And Useful Source, Mahalingam Govindaraj

Mahalingam Govindaraj

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi- Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) conducts inter-disciplinary and partnership-based research for the genetic improvement of its mandate crops. During the 1970s and 1980s, the pearl millet improvement at ICRISAT, Patancheru, emphasized on: (i) developing a diverse range of traitspecific composites, based on the germplasm largely from the Western and Central Africa; (ii) improving them by the process of recurrent selection, principally for grain yield and downy mildew (Sclerospora graminicola (Sacc.) Schroet ) resistance; and (iii) developing open-pollinated varieties (OPVs)

Global Changes In Mineral Transporters In Tetraploid Switchgrasses (Panicum Virgatum L.), Nathan A. Palmer, Aaron J. Saathoff, Brian M. Waters, Teresa Donze, Tiffany M. Heng-Moss, Paul Twigg, Christian M. Tobias, Gautam Sarath

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L) is a perennial, C4 grass with great potential as a biofuel crop. An in-depth understanding of the mechanisms that control mineral uptake, distribution, and remobilization will benefit sustainable production. Nutrients are mobilized from aerial portions to below-ground crowns and rhizomes as a natural accompaniment to above-ground senescence post seed-set. Mineral uptake and remobilization is dependent on transporters, however, little if any information is available about the specific transporters that are needed and how their relative expression changes over a growing season.Using well-defined classes of mineral transporters, we identified 520 genes belonging to 40 different transporter …

Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum L) Flag Leaf Transcriptomes Reveal Molecular Signatures Of Leaf Development, Senescence, And Mineral Dynamics, Nathan A. Palmer, Teresa Donze-Reiner, David Horvath, Tiffany Heng-Moss, Brian M. Waters, Christian M. Tobias, Gautam Sarath

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Switchgrass flag leaves can be expected to be a source of carbon to the plant, and its senescence is likely to impact the remobilization of nutrients from the shoots to the rhizomes. However, many genes have not been assigned a function in specific stages of leaf development. Here, we characterized gene expression in flag leaves over their development. By merging changes in leaf chlorophyll and the expression of genes for chlorophyll biosynthesis and degradation, a four-phase molecular roadmap for switchgrass flag leaf ontogeny was developed. Genes associated with early leaf development were up-regulated in phase 1. Phase 2 leaves had …

Origins Of The Classical Gene Concept, 1900–1950: Genetics, Mechanistic, Philosophy, And The Capitalization Of Agriculture, Garland E. Allen

Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations

In the period of “classical genetics” (roughly 1915–1950), the common view of the gene was mechanistic—that is, genes were seen as individual, atomistic units, as material components of the chromosomes. Although it was recognized early on that genes could interact and influence each other’s expression, they were still regarded as individually functioning units, much like the chemists’ atoms or molecules. Although geneticists in particular knew the story was more complex, the atomistic gene remained the central view for a variety of reasons. It fit the growing philosophy of mechanistic materialism in the life sciences, as biologists tried to make their …

Fusarium Head Blight Resistance And Agronomic Performance In Soft Red Winter Wheat Populations, Daniela Sarti Dvorjak

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe [telomorph: Gibberella zeae Schwein.(Petch)], is recognized as one of the most destructive diseases of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. and T. durum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) worldwide. Breeding for FHB resistance must be accompanied by selection for desirable agronomic traits. Donor parents with two FHB resistance quantitative trait loci (QTL) Fhb1 (chromosome 3BS) and QFhs.nau-2DL (chromosome 2DL) were crossed to four adapted SRW wheat lines to generate backcross and forward cross progeny. F₂ individuals were genotyped and assigned to 4 different groups according to presence/ absence of …

Soil Microbial Community Distributions And Disease Suppressiveness In The Coastal Plain Of Georgia, Michael J. Sabula

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study compared the soil microbial communities of three vegetation types in the coastal plain of Georgia: 1. crop land actively in use for agricultural production, 2. transitional grassland in early stages of secondary succession, and 3. pristine unmanaged forest land. Microbial species diversity and quantities of microbial DNA were determined from each of these vegetation types at three separate locations near Statesboro, Georgia. Length heterogeneity PCR(LH-PCR) methods and subsequent analysis of fungal, bacterial, and metazoan communities by analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) revealed high within-group similarity by vegetation type, indicating land management intensity and vegetation cover is a strong determining …

Fate Of Antimicrobials And Antimicrobial Resistance Genes In Simulated Swine Manure Storage, Stacey R. Joy, Xu Li, Daniel D. Snow, John Gilley, Bryan L. Woodbury, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The behavior of three antibiotics (bacitracin, chlortetracycline, and tylosin) and two classes of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), tet and erm, were monitored in swine manure slurry under anaerobic conditions. First-order decay rates were determined for each antibiotic with half-lives ranging from1 day (chlortetracycline) to 10 days (tylosin). ARGs were monitored in the swine manure slurry, and losses of approximately 1 to 3 orders of magnitude in relative abundance were observed during the 40 day storage period. First-order degradation profiles were observed for chlortetracycline and its corresponding resistance genes, tet(X) and tet(Q). Tylosin was degraded to approximately 10% …

Sudden Aspen Decline Report For Spruce Beetle Epidemic And Aspen Decline Management Response Eis, Jim Worrall, Suzanne Marchetti, Gerald E. Rehfeldt

Aspen Bibliography

Aspen is an important component of GMUG’s forests. Over 288,000 ha (712,000 acres) of aspendominated forest type (TAA) occur across the GMUG (Table 1). Just over half (55%) of the aspen forest type is outside wilderness and roadless areas.