Molecular Genetics Commons^™

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).

Taf2: A Potential Oncogene For Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Saranya Chidambaranathan Reghupaty

Theses and Dissertations

Astrocyte Elevated Gene 1 (AEG1) is an oncogene for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Its role in HCC pathogenesis has been well studied. A pan cancer analysis of gene expression in multiple databases identified TATA-box binding protein associated factor 2 (TAF2) as the gene that is most frequently co-expressed with AEG1. TAF2 is a protein that is involved in transcription of genes by RNA polymerase II. It is a factor that is dispensable for basal transcription but, required for activated transcription. It has also been shown to be involved in regulating cyclin levels and hence cell cycle progression. Bioinformatic analysis on data …

Role Of Mitochondrial Beta-Oxidation In Ethanol Response: A Candidate Gene Study Using Caenorhabditis Elegans, Harini Pallikarana Tirumala

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the fourth leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and the fifth leading risk factor for premature death and disability, globally. There are currently very few treatment options for AUD and there is a need for effective preventive and treatment strategies for this condition. AUD risk has a significant hereditary component, with the contribution of genetic factors being estimated to be about 50%. The Davies-Bettinger laboratory uses C. elegans as a model organism to study the contribution of genetic factors in modulating neuronal responses to ethanol. In this project, we examined the role …

Characterization Of Staphylococcal Nuclease And Tudor Domain Containing Protein 1 (Snd1) As A Molecular Target In Hepatocellular Carcinoma And Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis, Nidhi H. Jariwala

Theses and Dissertations

CHARACTERIZATION OF STAPHYLOCOCCAL NUCLEASE AND TUDOR DOMAIN CONTAINING PROTEIN 1 (SND1) AS A MOLECULAR TARGET IN HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA AND NON-ALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS

Nidhi Jariwala, PhD

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Integrative Life Sciences

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2017

Devanand Sarkar, M.B.B.S., PhD.

Associate Professor, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia

SND1, a subunit of the miRNA regulatory complex RISC, has been implicated as an oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Oncoprotein SND1 regulates gene expression at a post-transcriptional level in multiple cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). …

Epigenetic Editing To Validate Findings From Methylome-Wide Association Studies Of Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Robin F. Chan

Theses and Dissertations

DNA methylation is necessary for learning, memory consolidation and has been implicated in a number of neuropsychiatric disorders. Obtaining high quality and comprehensive data for the three common forms of methylation in brain is challenging for methylome-wide association studies (MWAS). To address this we optimized a panel of enrichment methods for screening the brain methylome. Results show that these enrichment techniques approach the coverage and fidelity of the current gold standard bisulfite based techniques. Our MBD-based method can also be used with low amounts of genomic material from limited human biomaterials. Psychiatric disorders have high prevalence and are often chronic …

Pnpase In C. Elegans: Mutagenic Analysis To Complement Knockdown Studies, Danielle K. Seibert

Theses and Dissertations

PNPase is a gene implicated as a potential target for cancer therapy; human mutations also present with deafness, myopathies, and neuropathies. In this study, C. elegans was used to investigate the effect of knocking out PNPase in a whole animal. C. elegans knockdown studies have reported an extended lifespan via an increase in ROS production. Further noted are larger mitochondria and an increase in fzo-1 expression. Knockout animals previously constructed using CRISPR/Cas9 were used for this study. We aimed to confirm these findings validating previous studies. It was discovered that PNPase knockout animals demonstrated a similar lifespan extension that was …