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Celebration of Research

Conference

2019

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Investigating Mycobacteriophage Cluster Relationships: Characterization Of Anti-Mycobacteriophage Antibodies, Emily Geraets, Sara Sybesma Tolsma Apr 2019

Investigating Mycobacteriophage Cluster Relationships: Characterization Of Anti-Mycobacteriophage Antibodies, Emily Geraets, Sara Sybesma Tolsma

Celebration of Research

The current study investigated binding characteristics of polyclonal anti-phage antibodies previously produced in our lab and attempted to produce monoclonal antibodies against phage proteins. Western blot analysis was used in order to visualize cross-reactivity between the anti-phage antibodies and protein samples from phages belonging to a variety of clusters. Results indicated a high degree of cross-reactivity between anti-Cborch11 and anti-Roots515 polyclonal antibodies and the sample phage proteins, suggesting these protein structures are highly conserved among phage clusters. Polyethylene glycol fusion was used in order to produce monoclonal antibodies against phage proteins, but have yet to be confirmed, and cell culture …


On The Age And Creation Of The Universe: A Philosophical Perspective, Brant Vermeer Apr 2019

On The Age And Creation Of The Universe: A Philosophical Perspective, Brant Vermeer

Celebration of Research

Questions about the origin of the universe have captivated mankind’s imagination for thousands of years. As mankind has sought to make sense of its own existence, it has created stories and theories to explain its origin. Based on physical, philosophical and theological evidence, one can support the conclusion that the universe was created by the God of the bible. However, it is likely this creation did not follow the six-day timeline presented in Genesis 1. This paper examines the biblical text, modern scientific literature and the works of Christopher Davis and Paul Davies to understand how a Christian scientist should …


Annotation Of Four Novel Mycobacteriophages: Beelzebub, Raela, Redraider77, And Antonia, Michaela Aulner, Kristina Sevcik, Peace Preston Apr 2019

Annotation Of Four Novel Mycobacteriophages: Beelzebub, Raela, Redraider77, And Antonia, Michaela Aulner, Kristina Sevcik, Peace Preston

Celebration of Research

We isolated, purified, and characterized four novel Mycobacteriphages: Beelzebub, Raela, RedRaider77, and Antonia from soil samples collected from South Dakota, Colorado, and Nebraska. Raela, Beelzebub, and RedRaider77 are among the first cluster S phages sequenced to date, and Antonia was found to be a member of cluster B1. All four phages are lytic, siphoviridae in morphotype, contain double-stranded DNA genomes, and have long, flexible, non-contractile tails. The genomes of Raela, Beelzebub, and RedRaider77 consist of 65,380 base pairs, 65,529 base pairs, and 64,827 respectively. Antonia’s genome contains 68,573 base pairs. Raela, Beelzebub, and RedRaider77 have a 63.4% GC content, while …


Anti-Proliferative Effects Of Common Plant Extracts On Tumor Cells In Vitro, Joseph Kelly, Christopher Borchers, Perkins Aiyegbeni, Paige Boote, Brittany Buren, Katie Dekruyff, Emily Geraets, Chau Le, Rachel Mercer, Courtney Mithelman, Haley Muyskens, Renju Pun, Zachary Rosson, Sara S. Tolsma Apr 2019

Anti-Proliferative Effects Of Common Plant Extracts On Tumor Cells In Vitro, Joseph Kelly, Christopher Borchers, Perkins Aiyegbeni, Paige Boote, Brittany Buren, Katie Dekruyff, Emily Geraets, Chau Le, Rachel Mercer, Courtney Mithelman, Haley Muyskens, Renju Pun, Zachary Rosson, Sara S. Tolsma

Celebration of Research

In 2018, the World Health Organization identified cancer as responsible for 1 in 6 deaths globally, encouraging the exploration of creative forms of cancer treatment. Our research interests include identifying anti-proliferative plant extracts and illuminating mechanisms of growth inhibition. In this study we measured the effects of Vitis vinifera (grapeseed), Juniperus communis (juniper berry), and Curcuma longa (turmeric) extracts on the proliferation of several normal and tumorigenic cell strains and lines (HFF-S2, HeLa, HepG2, MDA MB 231, and RAW 264.7). We performed dose response CyQUANT assays to analyze the effects on cell growth. We are using DNA analysis, recovery experiments, …


Annotation Of Two Soil Mycobacteriophages: Jacoren57 And Drlupo, Ali Almail, Kelsey Dorhout, Jackson Johnson, Hannah Jorgensen, Byron Noordewier, Sara S. Tolsma Apr 2019

Annotation Of Two Soil Mycobacteriophages: Jacoren57 And Drlupo, Ali Almail, Kelsey Dorhout, Jackson Johnson, Hannah Jorgensen, Byron Noordewier, Sara S. Tolsma

Celebration of Research

We discovered two novel Mycobacteriophagesfrom soil samples. JacoRen57 is a singleton, most closely related to cluster AB phages. DrLupois a member of the rare H2 sub-cluster containing only one other member. Both phages exhibit a siphoviridaemorphotype, double-stranded DNA genome, and a non-contractile tail. The genome of JacoRen57 is composed of 52,411 base pairs with a 56.7% GC content and includes genes and plaque morphology that suggest a lytic life cycle. The genome is organized according to the following order from the left to right arm: 33 forward genes followed by 16 reverse genes and 24 forward genes. We identified functions …


Probing The Spt16-Pob3 Interface Through Bpa Cross-Linking In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae As A Proof Of Concept, Ali Almail Apr 2019

Probing The Spt16-Pob3 Interface Through Bpa Cross-Linking In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae As A Proof Of Concept, Ali Almail

Celebration of Research

Examining protein-protein interactions in vivo can often be challenging due to nonspecific cross reactivity. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the BPA cross-linking technique in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by confirming protein-protein interactions between FACT subunits: Spt16 and Pob3. We concluded that the BPA cross-linking technique was effective in confirming the protein-protein interactions between FACT subunits within the dimerization domain.