Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Genetics and Genomics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Social and Behavioral Sciences

2017

Institution
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 1 - 30 of 34

Full-Text Articles in Genetics and Genomics

Prospective Associations Of Homocysteine, Executive Function, And Depressive Symptoms, Peter J. Dearborn Dec 2017

Prospective Associations Of Homocysteine, Executive Function, And Depressive Symptoms, Peter J. Dearborn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Associations of cardiovascular risk factors, cognitive performance, and depressive symptoms have been well established. However, the directionality of these associations as well as the specificity of these associations with respect to executive function are less clear. Additionally few studies have determined whether genetic risk factors, such as apolipoprotein-E4 (APOE-E4) genotype, and age moderate the associations of cardiovascular risk factors such as homocysteine with changes in depressive symptoms and how these associations may be mediated by cognitive performance. The primary aim of this study was to analyze the bidirectional associations of a full range of cognitive domains and symptoms of depression …


Validation Of Minimally-Invasive Sample Collection Methods For Measurement Of Telomere Length, Stephanie A. Stout, Jue Lin, Natalie Hernandez, Elysia Poggi Davis, Elizabeth Blackburn, Judith E. Carroll, Laura M. Glynn Dec 2017

Validation Of Minimally-Invasive Sample Collection Methods For Measurement Of Telomere Length, Stephanie A. Stout, Jue Lin, Natalie Hernandez, Elysia Poggi Davis, Elizabeth Blackburn, Judith E. Carroll, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

Objective: The discovery of telomere length (TL) as a biomarker of cellular aging and correlate of age-related disease has generated a new field of research in the biology of healthy aging. Although the most common method of sample collection for TL is venous blood draw, less-invasive DNA collection methods are becoming more widely used. However, how TL relates across tissues derived from these sample collection methods is poorly understood. The current study is the first to characterize the associations in TL across three sample collection methods: venous whole blood, finger prick dried blood spot and saliva.

Methods: TL …


Human Dispersal From Siberia To Beringia: Assessing A Beringian Standstill In Light Of The Archaeological Evidence, Kelly E. Graf, Ian Buvit Dec 2017

Human Dispersal From Siberia To Beringia: Assessing A Beringian Standstill In Light Of The Archaeological Evidence, Kelly E. Graf, Ian Buvit

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

With genetic studies showing unquestionable Asian origins of the first Americans, the Siberian and Beringian archaeological records are absolutely critical for understanding the initial dispersal of modern humans in the Western Hemisphere. The genetics-based Beringian Standstill Model posits a three-stage dispersal process and necessitates several expectations of the archaeological record of northeastern Asia. Here we present an overview of the Siberian and Beringian Upper Paleolithic records and discuss them in the context of a Beringian Standstill. We report that not every expectation of the model is met with archaeological data at hand.


Mediation And Moderation Of Intergenerational Epigenetic Effects Of Trauma, Stefanie Renee Pilkay Dec 2017

Mediation And Moderation Of Intergenerational Epigenetic Effects Of Trauma, Stefanie Renee Pilkay

Doctoral Dissertations

Trauma and early-life stress have been linked to poor mental and physical health outcomes. In fact, research has identified trauma and stress can influence epigenetic marks on genes that can alter gene activity. It is suspected that epigenetically altered gene activity is involved in behavior and mental health. This may help explain why some individuals don’t experience great benefit from treatment for the effects of stress, and severe mental health symptoms can be chronic for decades or a lifetime. Moreover, some trauma-related mental health symptoms have shown generational patterns that appear linked to epigenetic marks. Therefore, this study sought to …


Role Of Incompatibility Group 1 (Inci1) Plasmid-Encoded Factors On Salmonella Enterica Antimicrobial Resistance And Virulence, Pravin Raghunath Kaldhone Dec 2017

Role Of Incompatibility Group 1 (Inci1) Plasmid-Encoded Factors On Salmonella Enterica Antimicrobial Resistance And Virulence, Pravin Raghunath Kaldhone

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Foodborne illnesses are a leading cause of infectious diseases in the world. Among enteric organisms Salmonella is a key pathogen. It’s high prevalence in poultry and other food-animal sources make it imperative to study. Salmonella has the ability to modify its genetic content with help of mobile genetic elements such as plasmids. Incompatibiltiy group 1 (IncI1) plasmids are commonly reported in Salmonella. This study evaluates role on IncI1 plasmids in antimicrobial resistance and virulence in Salmonella. Genetic determinants of resistance and virulence are noted among our IncI1-containing Salmonella isolates. These genetic elements are also transferable and reported to carry respective …


This Is Just A Phase : The Impact Of Population Structure On Haplotype Phasing And Linkage Disequilibrium Measures At Functional Genetic Sites., Roxanne Kaaren Leiter Dec 2017

This Is Just A Phase : The Impact Of Population Structure On Haplotype Phasing And Linkage Disequilibrium Measures At Functional Genetic Sites., Roxanne Kaaren Leiter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The block-like structure of the human genome has been the subject of many scientific papers and is of practical significance in large-scale genome-wide association studies. How stringent haplotype block boundaries are within and between populations has been the subject of ongoing debate within human population genetics. This thesis will contribute to the description of universal and population-specific haplotype blocks at functional sites, namely across the IL-10 gene family (including IL-10, IL-19, IL-20 and IL-24), which is involved in a number of immune system processes, and MAPKAP-K2, an adjacent and functionally significant kinase gene. Beyond the description of blocks across these …


Characterizing Mekk1: Candidate Behavioural Isolation Gene, Caryn Dooner Nov 2017

Characterizing Mekk1: Candidate Behavioural Isolation Gene, Caryn Dooner

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Behavioural isolation can occur due to divergence in aspects of courtship and mating, and can contribute to reproductive isolation. The purpose of this study is to determine how a gene, Mekk1, contributes to female rejection behaviour between D. melanogaster and D. simulans. Unique polymorphisms were identified within D. simulans Mekk1 that could contribute to behaviour, most of which are non-coding. Both transcripts of Mekk1 appear to be expressed at similar levels in D. simulans and D. melanogaster. These data also indicate that Mekk1 may be expressed in a specific region of the brain called the mushroom body, …


Evolution, Function And Deconstructing Histories: A New Generation Of Anthropological Genetics, Omer Gokcumen Nov 2017

Evolution, Function And Deconstructing Histories: A New Generation Of Anthropological Genetics, Omer Gokcumen

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Introduction to the Special Issue, mainly based on contributions by the speakers in the 2016 AAAG symposium, “Ancient alleles in modern populations: Ancient structure, introgression, and variation-maintaining adaptive forces.”


Chaco Canyon Dig Unearths Ethical Concerns, Katrina G. Claw, Dorothy Lippert, Jessica Bardill, Anna Cordova, Keolu Fox, Joseph M. Yracheta, Alyssa C. Bader, Deborah A. Bolnick, Ripan S. Malhi, Kimberly Tallbear, Nanibaa' A. Garrison Nov 2017

Chaco Canyon Dig Unearths Ethical Concerns, Katrina G. Claw, Dorothy Lippert, Jessica Bardill, Anna Cordova, Keolu Fox, Joseph M. Yracheta, Alyssa C. Bader, Deborah A. Bolnick, Ripan S. Malhi, Kimberly Tallbear, Nanibaa' A. Garrison

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

The field of paleogenomics (the study of ancient genomes) is rapidly advancing with more robust methods of isolating ancient DNA and increasing access to next-generation DNA sequencing technology. As these studies progress, many important ethical issues have emerged that should be considered when ancient Native American remains, whom we refer to as ancestors, are used in research. We highlight a recent article by Kennett et al. (2017), “Archaeogenomic evidence reveals prehistoric matrilineal dynasty,” that brings several ethical issues to light that should be addressed in paleogenomics research (Kennett et al. 2017). The study helps elucidate the matrilineal relationships in ancient …


Genetic Differentiation In A Sample From Northern Mexico City Detected By Hla System Analysis: Impact In The Study Of Population Immunogenetics, Eva D. JuáRez CortéS, Miguel A. Contreras Sieck, AgustíN J. Arriaga Perea, Rosa M. MacíAs Medrano, Anaí Balbuena Jaime, Paola Everardo MartíNez, JoaquíN ZúÑIga, VíCtor AcuñA Alonzo, Julio Granados, Rodrigo Barquera Nov 2017

Genetic Differentiation In A Sample From Northern Mexico City Detected By Hla System Analysis: Impact In The Study Of Population Immunogenetics, Eva D. JuáRez CortéS, Miguel A. Contreras Sieck, AgustíN J. Arriaga Perea, Rosa M. MacíAs Medrano, Anaí Balbuena Jaime, Paola Everardo MartíNez, JoaquíN ZúÑIga, VíCtor AcuñA Alonzo, Julio Granados, Rodrigo Barquera

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

The major histocompatibility complex is directly involved in the immune response and thus the genes coding for its proteins are useful markers for the study of genetic diversity, susceptibility to disease (autoimmunity and infections), transplant medicine, and pharmacogenetics, among others. The polymorphism of the system also allows researchers to use it as a proxy for population genetics analysis, such as genetic admixture and genetic structure. In order to determine the immunogenetic characteristics of a sample from the northern part of Mexico City and to use them to analyze the genetic differentiation from other admixed populations, including those from previous studies …


Leveraging Multiple Populations Across Time Helps Define Accurate Models Of Human Evolution: A Reanalysis Of The Lactase Persistence Adaptation, Chenling Xu Antelope, Davide Marnetto, Fergal Casey, Emilia Huerta-Sanchez Nov 2017

Leveraging Multiple Populations Across Time Helps Define Accurate Models Of Human Evolution: A Reanalysis Of The Lactase Persistence Adaptation, Chenling Xu Antelope, Davide Marnetto, Fergal Casey, Emilia Huerta-Sanchez

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Access to a geographically diverse set of modern human samples from the present time and from ancient remains, combined with archaic hominin samples, provides an unprecedented level of resolution to study both human history and adaptation. The amount and quality of ancient human data continues to improve, and enables tracking the trajectory of genetic variation over time. These data have the potential to help us redefine or generate new hypotheses of how human evolution occurred, and revise previous conjectures. In this review, we argue that leveraging all these data will help us better detail adaptive histories in humans. As a …


Enrichment Of Putatively Damaging Rare Variants In The Dyx2 Locus And The Reading-Related Genes Ccdc136 And Flnc, Andrew K. Adams, Shelley D. Smith, Dongnhu T. Truong, Erik G. Willcutt, Richard K. Olson, John C. Defries, Bruce F. Pennington, Jeffrey R. Gruen Nov 2017

Enrichment Of Putatively Damaging Rare Variants In The Dyx2 Locus And The Reading-Related Genes Ccdc136 And Flnc, Andrew K. Adams, Shelley D. Smith, Dongnhu T. Truong, Erik G. Willcutt, Richard K. Olson, John C. Defries, Bruce F. Pennington, Jeffrey R. Gruen

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

Eleven loci with prior evidence for association with reading and language phenotypes were sequenced in 96 unrelated subjects with significant impairment in reading performance drawn from the Colorado Learning Disability Research Center collection. Out of 148 total individual missense variants identified, the chromosome 7 genes CCDC136 and FLNC contained 19. In addition, a region corresponding to the well-known DYX2 locus for RD contained 74 missense variants. Both allele sets were filtered for a minor allele frequency ≤0.01 and high Polyphen-2 scores. To determine if observations of these alleles are occurring more frequently in our cases than expected by chance in …


Introgression Makes Waves In Inferred Histories Of Effective Population Size, John Hawks Oct 2017

Introgression Makes Waves In Inferred Histories Of Effective Population Size, John Hawks

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Human populations have a complex history of introgression and of changing population size. Human genetic variation has been affected by both these processes, so that inference of past population size depends upon the pattern of gene flow and introgression among past populations. One remarkable aspect of human population history as inferred from genetics is a consistent “wave” of larger effective population size, found in both African and non-African populations, that appears to reflect events prior to the last 100,000 years. Here I carry out a series of simulations to investigate how introgression and gene flow from genetically divergent ancestral populations …


Interleukin-6 (Il-6) Rs1800796 And Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor (Cdkn2a/Cdkn2b) Rs2383207 Are Associated With Ischemic Stroke In Indigenous West African Men, Rufus Akinyemi, Donna K. Arnett, Hemant K. Tiwari, Bruce Ovbiagele, Fred Sarfo, Vinodh Srinivasasainagendra, Marguerite Ryan Irvin, Abiodun Adeoye, Rodney T. Perry, Albert Akpalu, Carolyn Jenkins, Lukman Owolabi, Reginald Obiako, Kolawole Wahab, Emmanuel Sanya, Morenikeji Komolafe, Michael Fawale, Philip Adebayo, Godwin Osaigbovo, Taofiki Sunmonu, Paul Olowoyo, Innocent Chukwuonye, Yahaya Obiabo, Onoja Akpa, Sylvia Melikam, Raelle Saulson, Raj Kalaria, Adesola Ogunniyi, Mayowa Owolabi Aug 2017

Interleukin-6 (Il-6) Rs1800796 And Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor (Cdkn2a/Cdkn2b) Rs2383207 Are Associated With Ischemic Stroke In Indigenous West African Men, Rufus Akinyemi, Donna K. Arnett, Hemant K. Tiwari, Bruce Ovbiagele, Fred Sarfo, Vinodh Srinivasasainagendra, Marguerite Ryan Irvin, Abiodun Adeoye, Rodney T. Perry, Albert Akpalu, Carolyn Jenkins, Lukman Owolabi, Reginald Obiako, Kolawole Wahab, Emmanuel Sanya, Morenikeji Komolafe, Michael Fawale, Philip Adebayo, Godwin Osaigbovo, Taofiki Sunmonu, Paul Olowoyo, Innocent Chukwuonye, Yahaya Obiabo, Onoja Akpa, Sylvia Melikam, Raelle Saulson, Raj Kalaria, Adesola Ogunniyi, Mayowa Owolabi

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background—Inherited genetic variations offer a possible explanation for the observed peculiarities of stroke in sub – Saharan African populations. Interleukin–6 polymorphisms have been previously associated with ischemic stroke in some non-African populations.

Aim—Herein we investigated, for the first time, the association of genetic polymorphisms of IL-6 and CDKN2A- CDKN2B and other genes with ischemic stroke among indigenous West African participants in the Stroke Investigative Research and Education Network (SIREN) Study.

Methods—Twenty-three previously identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 14 genes of relevance to the neurobiology of ischemic stroke were investigated. Logistic regression models adjusting for known …


Neurogenetics Of The Externalizing Spectrum, Caitlin E. Carey Aug 2017

Neurogenetics Of The Externalizing Spectrum, Caitlin E. Carey

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Externalizing spectrum disorders, which include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, alcohol and substance use disorders, and antisocial personality disorder, are characterized by behavioral disinhibition and are thought to be manifestations of a common heritable liability factor throughout the lifespan. However, relatively little is known about their underlying etiology. Here, I probe genetic and neural risk mechanisms for externalizing psychopathology in three complementary studies. First, I report an indirect association between genetic risk for childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and problem drinking in young adulthood, mediated by heightened reward-related neural activity within the ventral striatum, among 404 college students. I …


Linking Kindling To Increased Glutamate Release In The Dentate Gyrus Of The Hippocampus Through The Stxbp5/Tomosyn-1 Gene, Seth R. Batten, Elena A. Matveeva, Sidney W. Whiteheart, Thomas C. Vanaman, Greg A. Gerhardt, John T. Slevin Aug 2017

Linking Kindling To Increased Glutamate Release In The Dentate Gyrus Of The Hippocampus Through The Stxbp5/Tomosyn-1 Gene, Seth R. Batten, Elena A. Matveeva, Sidney W. Whiteheart, Thomas C. Vanaman, Greg A. Gerhardt, John T. Slevin

Psychology Faculty Publications

Introduction: In kindling, repeated electrical stimulation of certain brain areas causes progressive and permanent intensification of epileptiform activity resulting in generalized seizures. We focused on the role(s) of glutamate and a negative regulator of glutamate release, STXBP5/tomosyn-1, in kindling.

Methods: Stimulating electrodes were implanted in the amygdala and progression to two successive Racine stage 5 seizures was measured in wild-type and STXBP5/tomosyn-1−/− (Tom−/−) animals. Glutamate release measurements were performed in distinct brain regions using a glutamate-selective microelectrode array (MEA).

Results: Naïve Tom−/− mice had significant increases in KCl-evoked glutamate release compared to naïve wild type as …


Pro-Angiogenesis Therapy And Aging: A Mini-Review, Charles T. Ambrose Aug 2017

Pro-Angiogenesis Therapy And Aging: A Mini-Review, Charles T. Ambrose

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Apart from major illnesses and chronic afflictions, the elderly experience lesser ailments, such as muscle weakness, cold intolerance, and transient memory lapses. Physical signs in the aged include wrinkled skin and the slow healing of skin abrasions. These ailments and signs are grouped together because they may be due in part to an age-linked, waning microcirculation. A reduced capillary density (CD) throughout the body of aged people and animals has been reported in over 40 papers. The reduced CD is due in turn to declining levels of angiogenic growth factors (AGFs) throughout the body during old age, as documented in …


Optimizing A Method For Simultaneous Recovery Of Proteins And Dna From Fingerprints, Steven Kranes Aug 2017

Optimizing A Method For Simultaneous Recovery Of Proteins And Dna From Fingerprints, Steven Kranes

Student Theses

DNA testing on touched objects is a valuable tool in forensic investigations, but DNA is usually present in low amounts, causing poor STR typing results. For touch DNA evidence, there is a clear need for additional individualization, especially for highly probative samples. This could be achieved by testing genetically variable proteins. The goal of this project was to develop a DNA/protein co-extraction method to facilitate DNA and protein testing on the same evidence item. Existing DNA extraction methods were carefully adjusted to allow for downstream mass spectrometry analysis. Initial experiments on saliva and fingerprints placed on glass suggested that trypsin …


Impact Of Home Visit Capacity On Genetic Association Studies Of Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease, David W. Fardo, Laura E. Gibbons, Shubhabrata Mukherjee, M. Maria Glymour, Wayne Mccormick, Susan M. Mccurry, James D. Bowen, Eric B. Larson, Paul K. Crane Aug 2017

Impact Of Home Visit Capacity On Genetic Association Studies Of Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease, David W. Fardo, Laura E. Gibbons, Shubhabrata Mukherjee, M. Maria Glymour, Wayne Mccormick, Susan M. Mccurry, James D. Bowen, Eric B. Larson, Paul K. Crane

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION—Findings for genetic correlates of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) in studies that rely solely on clinic visits may differ from those with capacity to follow participants unable to attend clinic visits.

METHODS—We evaluated previously identified LOAD-risk single nucleotide variants in the prospective Adult Changes in Thought study, comparing hazard ratios (HRs) estimated using the full data set of both in-home and clinic visits (n = 1697) to HRs estimated using only data that were obtained from clinic visits (n = 1308). Models were adjusted for age, sex, principal components to account for ancestry, and additional health indicators.

RESULTS …


Population Genomics Of A Baboon Hybrid Zone In Zambia, Kenneth Lyu Chiou May 2017

Population Genomics Of A Baboon Hybrid Zone In Zambia, Kenneth Lyu Chiou

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hybridization is increasingly recognized as a common, important process shaping the evolution of organisms including humans. Across hybrid zones, the genomes of incipient species are mixed and recombined through hybridization and backcrossing, creating conditions ideal for evaluating the actions of natural selection on gene variants in novel genomic contexts. This dissertation aims to increase our understanding of hybridization using a Zambian baboon study system in which two species, Kinda baboons (Papio kindae) and grayfoot baboons (Papio griseipes), hybridize despite exhibiting pronounced differences in body size and behavior. Using genome-wide genotypic data prepared using double-digest RADseq, I scan for genomic regions …


Single-Trait And Multi-Trait Genome-Wide Association Analyses Identify Novel Loci For Blood Pressure In African-Ancestry Populations, Jingjing Liang, Thu H. Le, Digna R. Velez Edwards, Bamidele O. Tayo, Kyle J. Gaulton, Jennifer A. Smith, Yingchang Lu, Richard A. Jensen, Guanjie Chen, Lisa R. Yanek, Karen Schwander, Salman M. Tajuddin, Tamar Sofer, Wonji Kim, James Kayima, Colin A. Mckenzie, Ervin Fox, Michael A. Nalls, J. Hunter Young, Yan V. Sun, Jacqueline M. Lane, Sylvia Cechova, Jie Zhou, Hua Tang, Myriam Fornage, Solomon K. Musani, Heming Wang, Juyoung Lee, Adebowale Adeyemo, Albert W. Dreisbach, Donna K. Arnett May 2017

Single-Trait And Multi-Trait Genome-Wide Association Analyses Identify Novel Loci For Blood Pressure In African-Ancestry Populations, Jingjing Liang, Thu H. Le, Digna R. Velez Edwards, Bamidele O. Tayo, Kyle J. Gaulton, Jennifer A. Smith, Yingchang Lu, Richard A. Jensen, Guanjie Chen, Lisa R. Yanek, Karen Schwander, Salman M. Tajuddin, Tamar Sofer, Wonji Kim, James Kayima, Colin A. Mckenzie, Ervin Fox, Michael A. Nalls, J. Hunter Young, Yan V. Sun, Jacqueline M. Lane, Sylvia Cechova, Jie Zhou, Hua Tang, Myriam Fornage, Solomon K. Musani, Heming Wang, Juyoung Lee, Adebowale Adeyemo, Albert W. Dreisbach, Donna K. Arnett

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Hypertension is a leading cause of global disease, mortality, and disability. While individuals of African descent suffer a disproportionate burden of hypertension and its complications, they have been underrepresented in genetic studies. To identify novel susceptibility loci for blood pressure and hypertension in people of African ancestry, we performed both single and multiple-trait genome-wide association analyses. We analyzed 21 genome-wide association studies comprised of 31,968 individuals of African ancestry, and validated our results with additional 54,395 individuals from multi-ethnic studies. These analyses identified nine loci with eleven independent variants which reached genome-wide significance (P < 1.25×10−8) for either systolic and …


Does Genotype Correlate With Phenotype? Evaluating Ruffed Lemur (Varecia Spp.) Color Vision Using Subject Mediated Automatic Remote Testing Apparatus (Smarta), Raymond Vagell May 2017

Does Genotype Correlate With Phenotype? Evaluating Ruffed Lemur (Varecia Spp.) Color Vision Using Subject Mediated Automatic Remote Testing Apparatus (Smarta), Raymond Vagell

Theses and Dissertations

Ruffed lemur (Varecia spp.) color vision research was conducted using a multidisciplinary approach: psychophysics, genetic analysis, technology, and animal training. The behavioral manifestation of Varecia spp. trichromacy was shown using a touchscreen apparatus (SMARTA). Trichromats performed better than dichromats when discriminating red from green (G2 = 78.10, p < 0.001).


Investigating The Genetic Basis For Hominoid Taillessness, Samantha M. Tickey-Mccrane, Holly Dunsworth, Johanna E. Wegener May 2017

Investigating The Genetic Basis For Hominoid Taillessness, Samantha M. Tickey-Mccrane, Holly Dunsworth, Johanna E. Wegener

Senior Honors Projects

Investigating the Genetic Basis for Hominoid Taillessness:

A Comparative Genetic Approach Across Ten Catarrhine Taxa

Samantha Tickey-McCrane1,2, Johanna E. Wegener2, and Holly Dunsworth1

Honors Thesis Abstract Written by Samantha Tickey-McCrane, Departments of Anthropology & Biology

Advisor: Dr. Holly Dunsworth, Department of Anthropology

How did hominoid tail loss occur? My goals are to test phylogenetic and adaptive hypotheses for tail length variation among macaques, and use those insights to reconstruct the evolution of hominoid taillessness. Further, I aim to ultimately uncover which candidate genes or pathways may be responsible for catarrhine tail loss, and what other traits may be affected by …


A Behavioral Prerequisite For The Genetic Analysis Of Auditory Feature Detection Mechanisms In Female Crickets, Rebecca L. Blisko May 2017

A Behavioral Prerequisite For The Genetic Analysis Of Auditory Feature Detection Mechanisms In Female Crickets, Rebecca L. Blisko

Senior Honors Projects

Sexual dimorphism is exhibited across all cricket species and is a central aspect of the mating processes of these insects. Only male crickets possess wing structures and pattern generators in the central nervous system that allow them to produce a mating call that is unique to their species in order to attract conspecific females. Conspecific females possess an auditory feature detection circuit in the central nervous system that is capable of detecting the species-specific frequency and temporal pattern of sound pulses within a male call. In order for dimorphic differences in mating behavior to result in successful continuation of a …


Discovery And Fine-Mapping Of Adiposity Loci Using High Density Imputation Of Genome-Wide Association Studies In Individuals Of African Ancestry: African Ancestry Anthropometry Genetics Consortium, Maggie C. Y. Ng, Mariaelisa Graff, Yingchang Lu, Anne E. Justice, Poorva Mudgal, Ching-Ti Liu, Kristin Young, Lisa R. Yanek, Mary F. Feitosa, Mary K. Wojczynski, Kristin Rand, Jennifer A. Brody, Brian E. Cade, Latchezar Dimitrov, Qing Duan, Xiuqing Guo, Leslie A. Lange, Michael A. Nalls, Hayrettin Okut, Salman M. Tajuddin, Bamidele O. Tayo, Sailaja Vedantam, Jonathan P. Bradfield, Guanjie Chen, Wei-Min Chen, Alessandra Chesi, Marguerite R. Irvin, Badri Padhukasahasram, Jennifer A. Smith, Wei Zheng, Donna K. Arnett Apr 2017

Discovery And Fine-Mapping Of Adiposity Loci Using High Density Imputation Of Genome-Wide Association Studies In Individuals Of African Ancestry: African Ancestry Anthropometry Genetics Consortium, Maggie C. Y. Ng, Mariaelisa Graff, Yingchang Lu, Anne E. Justice, Poorva Mudgal, Ching-Ti Liu, Kristin Young, Lisa R. Yanek, Mary F. Feitosa, Mary K. Wojczynski, Kristin Rand, Jennifer A. Brody, Brian E. Cade, Latchezar Dimitrov, Qing Duan, Xiuqing Guo, Leslie A. Lange, Michael A. Nalls, Hayrettin Okut, Salman M. Tajuddin, Bamidele O. Tayo, Sailaja Vedantam, Jonathan P. Bradfield, Guanjie Chen, Wei-Min Chen, Alessandra Chesi, Marguerite R. Irvin, Badri Padhukasahasram, Jennifer A. Smith, Wei Zheng, Donna K. Arnett

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified > 300 loci associated with measures of adiposity including body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (adjusted for BMI, WHRadjBMI), but few have been identified through screening of the African ancestry genomes. We performed large scale meta-analyses and replications in up to 52,895 individuals for BMI and up to 23,095 individuals for WHRadjBMI from the African Ancestry Anthropometry Genetics Consortium (AAAGC) using 1000 Genomes phase 1 imputed GWAS to improve coverage of both common and low frequency variants in the low linkage disequilibrium African ancestry genomes. In the sex-combined analyses, we identified …


Csf Protein Changes Associated With Hippocampal Sclerosis Risk Gene Variants Highlight Impact Of Grn/Pgrn, David W. Fardo, Yuriko Katsumata, John S. K. Kauwe, Yuetiva Deming, Oscar Harari, Carlos Cruchaga, Alzheimer’S Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, Peter T. Nelson Apr 2017

Csf Protein Changes Associated With Hippocampal Sclerosis Risk Gene Variants Highlight Impact Of Grn/Pgrn, David W. Fardo, Yuriko Katsumata, John S. K. Kauwe, Yuetiva Deming, Oscar Harari, Carlos Cruchaga, Alzheimer’S Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, Peter T. Nelson

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Objective—Hippocampal sclerosis of aging (HS-Aging) is a common cause of dementia in older adults. We tested the variability in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteins associated with previously identified HS-Aging risk single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

Methods—Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative cohort (ADNI; n=237) data, combining both multiplexed proteomics CSF and genotype data, were used to assess the association between CSF analytes and risk SNPs in four genes (SNPs): GRN (rs5848), TMEM106B (rs1990622), ABCC9 (rs704180), and KCNMB2 (rs9637454). For controls, non-HS-Aging SNPs in APOE (rs429358/rs7412) and MAPT (rs8070723) were also analyzed against Aβ1-42 and total tau CSF analytes.

Results—The GRN risk …


Ptsd, Alcohol Dependence, And Conduct Problems: Distinct Pathways Via Lability And Disinhibition, Jeffrey S. Simons, Raluca M. Simons, Carol O'Brien, Scott F. Stoltenberg, Jessica A. Keith, Jaime A. Hudson Jan 2017

Ptsd, Alcohol Dependence, And Conduct Problems: Distinct Pathways Via Lability And Disinhibition, Jeffrey S. Simons, Raluca M. Simons, Carol O'Brien, Scott F. Stoltenberg, Jessica A. Keith, Jaime A. Hudson

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study tested the role of affect lability and disinhibition in mediating associations between PTSD symptoms and two forms of alcohol-related problems, dependence syndrome symptoms (e.g., impaired control over consumption) and conduct problems (e.g., assault, risk behaviors). Genotype at the serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) was hypothesized to moderate associations between traumatic stress and PTSD symptoms. In addition, the study tested whether childhood traumatic stress moderated associations between combat trauma and PTSD symptoms. Participants were 270 OIF/OEF/OND veterans. The hypothesized model was largely supported. Participants with the low expression alleles of 5-HTTLPR (S or LG) exhibited stronger …


A Concept Analysis Of Resilience Integrating Genetics, Kosuke Niitsu, Julia F. Houfek, Cecilia R. Barron, Scott F. Stoltenberg, Kevin A. Kupzyk, Michael J. Rice Jan 2017

A Concept Analysis Of Resilience Integrating Genetics, Kosuke Niitsu, Julia F. Houfek, Cecilia R. Barron, Scott F. Stoltenberg, Kevin A. Kupzyk, Michael J. Rice

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Although clinicians and researchers are interested in the phenomenon of resilience, there is no agreed-upon definition of resilience. Scientific evidence suggests that resilience is influenced by intrapersonal (e.g., personality traits) and environmental (e.g., social support) variables. A concept analysis was conducted to better understand the meaning of resilience. In this analysis, the antecedent of resilience was a potentially traumatic event; the defining attributes were ego-resiliency, emotion regulation, social support, and heredity; and the consequences were none to mild psychopathological symptoms and positive adaptation. This analysis can help nurses better understand resilience and its relationships …


A Systematic Review And Secondary Data Analysis Of The Interactions Between The Serotonin Transporter 5-Httlpr Polymorphism And Environmental And Psychological Factors In Eating Disorders, Vanja Rozenblat, Deborah Ong, Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Kirsti Akkermann, David Collier, Rutger C. M. E. Engels, Fernando Fernandez-Aranda, Jaanus Harro, Judith R. Homberg, Andreas Karwautz, Evelyn Kiive, Kelly K. Klump, Sarah E. Racine, Jodie Richardson, Howard Steiger, Scott F. Stoltenberg, Tatjana Van Strien, Gudrun Wagner, Janet Treasure, Isabel Krug Jan 2017

A Systematic Review And Secondary Data Analysis Of The Interactions Between The Serotonin Transporter 5-Httlpr Polymorphism And Environmental And Psychological Factors In Eating Disorders, Vanja Rozenblat, Deborah Ong, Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Kirsti Akkermann, David Collier, Rutger C. M. E. Engels, Fernando Fernandez-Aranda, Jaanus Harro, Judith R. Homberg, Andreas Karwautz, Evelyn Kiive, Kelly K. Klump, Sarah E. Racine, Jodie Richardson, Howard Steiger, Scott F. Stoltenberg, Tatjana Van Strien, Gudrun Wagner, Janet Treasure, Isabel Krug

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objectives: To summarize and synthesize the growing gene × environment (G × E) research investigating the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) in the eating disorders (ED) field, and overcome the common limitation of low sample size, by undertaking a systematic review followed by a secondary data meta-analysis of studies identified by the review. Method: A systematic review of articles using PsycINFO, PubMed, and EMBASE was undertaken to identify studies investigating the interaction between 5-HTTLPR and an environmental or psychological factor, with an ED-related outcome variable. Seven studies were identified by the systematic review, with complete data sets …


Denatured: Emergent Realities Of Encyclopedic Dna Elements, Amelia Leeya Goldstein Jan 2017

Denatured: Emergent Realities Of Encyclopedic Dna Elements, Amelia Leeya Goldstein

Senior Projects Spring 2017

The Human Genome Project was the center of much controversy in the 1990's, as creating a map of the human genome drew into question the boundaries between nature and nurture, or science and society. Fifteen years have now passed since the Human Genome Project's completion, and the new paradigm of genetics is no longer governed by a strict nature/nurture dualism. This project looks at one of the Human Genome Project's successors: the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project, which has created new boundaries and limitations in this new phase of genetic thinking. Using a frame analysis and Actor-Network Theory approach …