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Population Characteristics Of Selected Small Pelagic Fish Species Along The Tanzanian Coast, Godfrey Fabiani, Leonard J. Chauka, Christopher A. Muhando

Tanzania Journal of Science

Although small pelagic fishing in Tanzania is rising, lack of information on population structure has been a significant concern in its management. This study aimed to determine the species composition, length-weight relationship and length at first maturity of Amblygaster sirm, Encrasicholina heteroloba, Encrasicholina punctifer, Stolephorus commersonii, and Spratelloides gracilis landed at Kilwa Kivinje, Kipumbwi and Shangani along the Tanzanian coast. These landing sites were chosen because of their locations and importance in the small pelagic fishery. Sampling was done monthly from October 2018 to June 2020. The catch composition was site specific such that  E. heteroloba dominated at Kilwa Kivinje …

The Use Of Non-Model Drosophila Species To Study Natural Variation In Tor Pathway Signaling, Tessa Steenwinkel, Kailee K. Hamre, Thomas Werner

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Nutrition and growth are strongly linked, but not much is known about how nutrition leads to growth. To understand the connection between nutrition through the diet, growth, and proliferation, we need to study the phenotypes resulting from the activation and inhibition of central metabolic pathways. One of the most highly conserved metabolic pathways across eukaryotes is the Target of Rapamycin (TOR) pathway, whose primary role is to detect the availability of nutrients and to either induce or halt cellular growth. Here we used the model organism Drosophila melanogaster (D. mel.) and three non-model Drosophila species with different dietary needs, Drosophila …

Multiple Generations Of Antibiotic Exposure And Isolation Influence Host Fitness And The Microbiome In A Model Zooplankton Species, Reilly O. Cooper, Sarah Tjards, Jessica Rischling, David T. Nguyen, Clayton E. Cressler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background

Chronic antibiotic exposure impacts host health through changes to the microbiome, increasing disease risk and reducing the functional repertoire of community members. The detrimental effects of antibiotic perturbation on microbiome structure and function after one host generation of exposure have been well-studied. However, much less is understood about the multigenerational effects of antibiotic exposure and how the microbiome may recover across host generations.

Results

In this study, we examined microbiome composition and host fitness across five generations of exposure to a suite of three antibiotics in the model zooplankton host Daphnia magna. By utilizing a split-brood design where …

Transmembrane Helices Mediate The Formation Of A Stable Ternary Complex Of B5r, Cyt B5, And Scd1, Jiemin Shen, Gang Wu, Ah-Lim Tsai, Ming Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Mammalian cytochrome b5 (cyt b5) and cytochrome b5 reductase (b5R) are electron carrier proteins for membrane-embedded oxidoreductases. Both b5R and cyt b5 have a cytosolic domain and a single transmembrane (TM) helix. The cytosolic domains of b5R and cyt b5 contain cofactors required for electron transfer, but it is not clear if the TM helix has function beyond being an anchor to the membrane. Here we show that b5R and cyt b5 form a stable binary complex, and so do cyt b5 and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1). We also show that b5R, cyt b5 and SCD1 form a stable ternary complex. …

Drosophila Melanogaster As A Model For Male Reproductive System Ethanol Toxicity, Gbemisola Ilelaboye

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Drosophila melanogaster has been extensively used in different types of research as a model organism due to its high reproductivity, short life span, and easy maintenance. In this paper, we examined drosophila as a model for ethanol toxicity in the male reproductive system. We developed three assays: The DAPI assay, sperm viability assay, and tubulin staining assay. The DAPI assay is a nuclear staining assay that assesses the effects of various ethanol concentrations in late spermiogenesis in which increased detrimental effects to the sperm bundles were observed. The second assay consisted of the sperm viability assay which showed an increase …

Generation Of Mycobacterium Smegmatis Model Systems For Testing Inhibitors Of The Mycobactin Siderophore Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Gabrielle A. Germain

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the pathogenic bacterium causative of tuberculosis. According to the 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) Global Tuberculosis (TB) Report, there were approximately 5.8 million TB cases in 2020, and 1.3 million TB deaths among HIV negative people in that year. The rise of multi-drug resistant Mtb strains has increased the need for more potent microbials against this pathogen. Biosynthesis of iron scavenging molecules, known as siderophores (e.g., mycobactin and carboxymycobactin), has been identified as a potential drug target candidate since iron acquisition has been directly linked to the survival and virulence of Mtb. Salicyl-AMS (Sal-AMS) is …

Low Soil Nitrogen And Moisture Limit The Expansion Of The Invasive Grass, Megathyrsus Maximus (Guinea Grass) In Semi-Arid Soils, E. Penelope Holland, Vanessa Thomas, Pushpa G. Soti

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

The goal of this study was to predict the range expansion potential of an invasive forage grass, Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus). We collected rhizosphere soil samples of M. maximus and coexisting species from 150 different locations and analysed them for soil properties. We estimated the probability of M. maximus presence as a function of soil moisture, organic matter, pH, salinity, total N, and CN ratio using logistic regression. Presence of M. maximus was associated with higher soil moisture, higher organic matter, pH, and nitrogen, but lower salinity and CN ratio. Soil nitrogen and moisture …

The Utilization Of Crispr/Cas9 In Monogenic Disorders Authors, Shauna M. Mellor

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

This paper is a literature review of various scientific research papers, exploring the recent scientific advancement in the field of genetic engineering. The research presented is a foundational tool, building awareness on the implications of CRISPR/ Cas9 technology. CRISPR/ Cas9 was first discovered through the study of bacterial immune systems, fighting against viral infections. Manipulation of the Cas9 protein would eventually lead to target specific, gene-altering medicines for human organisms. CRISPR/ Cas 9 technology has begun to show promise as an effective treatment for certain monogenic disorders. Despite this, time is required before its efficacy as a proven genetic treatment …

Brainless But Smart: Investigating Cognitive-Like Behaviors In The Acellular Slime Mold Physarum Polycephalum, Subash Kusum Ray

Dissertations

Evolutionary pressures to improve fitness, have enabled living systems to make adaptive decisions when faced with heterogeneous and changing environmental and physiological conditions. This dissertation investigated the mechanisms of how environmental and physiological factors affect the behaviors of non-neuronal organisms. The acellular slime mold Physarum polycephalum was used as the model organism, which is a macroscopic, unicellular organism, that self-organizes into a network of intersecting tubules. Without using neurons, P. polycephalum can solve labyrinth mazes, build efficient tubule networks, and make adaptive decisions when faced with complicated trade-offs, such as between food quality and risk, speed and accuracy, and exploration …

Investigating The Role Of The Transcriptional Coregulator Cited2 In Regulating Intermediate Progenitor Proliferation And Modulating Behavior, Nikolaus R. Wagner

Dissertations - ALL

The mammalian neocortex develops from a thin layer of neuroepithelial cells into a robust mosaic of differentiated neurons organized into distinct layers and functional areas. This process requires a complex choreography of transcription factors and epigenetic regulators to be spatially and temporally activated in a precise manner. Disruptions in any aspect of this delicate process may lead to neurodevelopmental disorders like autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, or intellectual disability. One such transcriptional coregulator that is a crucial regulator of neocortical development is Cited2. Previous work demonstrated that forebrain-specific Cited2 loss-of-function causes a reduction in neocortical progenitor proliferation which leads to reduced …

Nla28 Activator Modulates Σ54-Dependent Gene Regulation In Myxococcus Xanthus, Muqing Ma

Dissertations - ALL

The complex life cycle of Myxococcus xanthus makes it a model organism for studying multicellular developmental processes in bacteria. In response to environmental changes, M. xanthus cells collectively and dramatically adjust their morphology, physiological functions, and biosynthesis. Particularly, M. xanthus copes with starvation by producing fruiting bodies filled with dormant and stress-resistant spores. During secondary metabolism, it synthesizes polyketide (PK) and non-ribosomal peptide (NRP) natural products that are crucial sources of antibiotics. Bacteria including M. xanthus, require the alternative σ54 regulatory system to initiate the transcription of necessary genes for settling stress and completing developmental process. This dissertation introduces in …

Understanding The Effects Of Phthalate Exposure, Karen Orenshteyn

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Phthalates are found in nearly all everyday products; therefore, human exposure is inevitable. Phthalates are groups of chemicals classified as plasticizers that help increase the durability and shelf life of whatever product they are put into. The effects of phthalates can occur prenatally and throughout adulthood. Despite phthalates being understood to be endocrine disruptors, chemicals that block hormones and certain receptors, phthalate use within plastics is increasing every year- raising concern to find different alternatives. This research analysis will aim to define and explain what phthalates are and where they are found along with the harmful effects that occur due …

Molecular Docking And Dynamics Simulation Studies To Predict Multiple Medicinal Plants’ Bioactive Compounds Interaction And Its Behavior On The Surface Of Denv-2 E Protein, Arief Hidayatullah, Wira Eka Putra, Muhaimin Rifa’I, Sustiprijatno Sustiprijatno, Diana Widiastuti, Muhammad Fikri Heikal, Hendra Susanto, Wa Ode Salma, Hilal Mulyadi

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The envelope protein (E) is a fusion class II protein that is essential for DENV fusion. We use two active compounds derived from commonly used plants in Indonesia: galangin and kaempferide. We ran a docking and 1000 ps molecular dynamic analysis with normal physiological parameters. During the simulation, galangin and kaempferide binding sites fluctuated. But chloroquine has lesser ligand mobility, hence keeping contact with fusion loops, whereas both drugs lose contact with hydrophobic pockets. However, the two active compounds have a more stable ligand configuration. Less than 2 Å alterations were seen in the RMSF simulation of the protein E …

Microbial Dimension Of Symbiosis And Dysbiosis In Fungus–Gardening Ants, Blake S. Bringhurst

Biology Theses

With symbiotic partners, the means by which a host obtain a symbiont influence the specificity between the host and the symbiont. One such system where symbiont specificity is seen to varying degrees is with higher attine ants. Higher attine ants have symbiotic relationships with the fungal cultivar they grow and the bacterial symbionts in their microbiomes. Among the higher attines, there are two broad groups of fungi. Most ants in the genus Trachymyrmex tend to grow Clade–B fungi, which are a group of undescribed Leucocoprinus species, while leaf–cutting ants in the genera Acromyrmex and Atta tend to grow Clade–A fungi …

Assessment Of Population Size, Survival, And Movement Behavior Of The Rare Frosted Elfin Butterfly, Breelyn Gilbert

Biology Student Scholarship

The frosted elfin butterfly (Callophrys irus) is a locally rare Lycaenaid with spotty distribution throughout the eastern United States. As host plant specialists, frosted elfins only lay eggs on two plant species. Yellow wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria), one of the host plants for this species, is found in abundance at Gavins Pond (Foxboro MA). Since 2000, Massachusetts Butterfly Club members have been informally monitoring the frosted elfin population at this site; however, no systematic population surveys have been done. Using their data, I estimated annual population size from 2000 to 2022. In 2022, I also performed …

Floral Nutritional Value And Plant-Pollinator Interactions In Providence, Rhode Island, Gracey Sorensen

Biology Student Scholarship

Bees obtain nutrients from flowers. Pollen provides proteins and fats; nectar provides carbohydrates and some amino acids. With recent decline in pollinator populations, conservationists are interested in providing nutritious plants for pollinators. Counterintuitively, urban areas have the green space for pollinator friendly plantings. On Providence College’s urban campus, I examined how floral abundance and pollinator interactions correlate to the nutritional value of plant species. Quadrat surveys were performed within 53 quadrats through the Spring and Summer for plant-pollinator interactions. Pollen was collected from all flowering species and analyzed for nitrogen and carbon content using an elemental analyzer. Nectar samples were …

Targeting The Maladaptive Effects Of Binge Drinking On Circadian Gene Expression, Courtney Ledford

University Honors Theses

Previous studies 1) support a role of circadian genes in regulating alcohol intake, and 2) reveal that harmful alcohol use alters circadian rhythms. However, there [is] minimal knowledge of the effects of chronic alcohol processes on rhythmic circadian gene expression across brain regions important for circadian biology and alcohol intake. Therefore, the present study sought to test the effects of chronic binge-like drinking on diurnal circadian gene rhythms in the master circadian pacemaker (SCN), the ventral tegmental area (VTA), and the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in High Drinking in the Dark-1 (HDID-1) mice, a unique genetic risk model for drinking to …

Circadian Rhythms Mediate Infection Risk In Daphnia Dentifera, Alaina C. Pfenning-Butterworth, David T. Nguyen, Jessica L. Hite, Clayton E. Cressler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Biological rhythms mediate important within-host processes such as metabolism, immunity, and behavior which are often linked to combating disease exposure. For many hosts, exposure to pathogens occurs while feeding. However, the link between feeding rhythms and infection risk is unclear because feeding behavior is tightly coupled with immune and metabolic processes which may decrease susceptibility to infection. Here, we use the Daphnia dentifera–Metschnikowia bicuspidata host–pathogen system to determine how rhythms in feeding rate and immune function mediate infection risk. The host is known to have a nocturnal circadian rhythm in feeding rate, yet we found that they do not exhibit …

Effects Of Anthropogenic Global Change On A Grassland Prairie Community, Carter Wolff

Theses and Dissertations

Anthropogenic global change is altering food web dynamics. Global change comprises factors, like temperature, sound, light and more. In this dissertation, I evaluate how two factors, sound and temperature, alter prairie communities. In Chapter 1, I test if sound influences grasshopper respiration rate, thereby altering diet. Some sound frequencies increased grasshopper respiration rate while others decreased respiration rate. Frequencies that elevated respiration rate led to grasshoppers consuming more carbohydrate-rich foods compared to protein-rich foods. This diet change stems from a carbon deficit due to increased respiration rate and could act as a mechanism by which sound pollution indirectly alters plant …

Effects Of Mass Death On Community Structure And Ecosystem Function, Abby Kimpton Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Death and decomposition are natural processes that are generally well-understood. However, large events of death, such as mass mortality events (MMEs) are increasing in frequency and their impacts on the ecosystem are largely unknown. These events may have both bottom-up effects from increased nutrient input as well as top-down effects from loss of an ecological functional group by the affected population. Different functional MMEs may result in different top-down effects, creating cascading effects. In Chapter 1, I test the hypothesis that scavenger and herbivore simulated MMEs generate novel bottom-up and top-down effects. Results indicate that MMEs have a significant effect …

Circadian Rhythms Mediate Infection Risk In Daphnia Dentifera, Alaina C. Pfenning-Butterworth, David T. Nguyen, Jessica L. Hite, Clayton E. Cressler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Biological rhythms mediate important within-host processes such as metabolism, immunity, and behavior which are often linked to combating disease exposure. For many hosts, exposure to pathogens occurs while feeding. However, the link between feeding rhythms and infection risk is unclear because feeding behavior is tightly coupled with immune and metabolic processes which may decrease susceptibility to infection. Here, we use the Daphnia dentifera–Metschnikowia bicuspidata host–pathogen system to determine how rhythms in feeding rate and immune function mediate infection risk. The host is known to have a nocturnal circadian rhythm in feeding rate, yet we found that they do not exhibit …

Circadian Rhythms Mediate Infection Risk In Daphnia Dentifera, Alaina C. Pfenning-Butterworth, David T. Nguyen, Jessica L. Hite, Clayton E. Cressler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Biological rhythms mediate important within-host processes such as metabolism, immunity, and behavior which are often linked to combating disease exposure. For many hosts, exposure to pathogens occurs while feeding. However, the link between feeding rhythms and infection risk is unclear because feeding behavior is tightly coupled with immune and metabolic processes which may decrease susceptibility to infection. Here, we use the Daphnia dentifera–Metschnikowia bicuspidata host–pathogen system to determine how rhythms in feeding rate and immune function mediate infection risk. The host is known to have a nocturnal circadian rhythm in feeding rate, yet we found that they do not exhibit …

Time Domains Of Hypoxia Responses And -Omics Insights, James J. Yu, Amy L. Non, Erica C. Heinrich, Wanjun Gu, Joe Alcock, Esteban A. Moya, Elijah S. Lawrence, Michael S. Tift, Katie A. O'Brien, Jay F. Storz, Anthony V. Signore, Jane I. Khudyakov, William K. Milsom, Sean M. Wilson, Cynthia M. Beall, Francisco C. Villafuerte, Tsering Stobdan, Colleen G. Julian, Lorna G. Moore, Mark M. Fuster, Jennifer A. Stokes, Richard Milner, John B. West, Jiao Zhang, John Y. Shyy, Ainash Childebayeva, José Pablo Vázquez-Medina, Luu V. Pham, Omar A. Mesarwi, James E. Hall, Zachary A. Cheviron, Jeremy Sieker, Arlin B. Blood, Jason X. Yuan, Tatum S. Simonson, Et Al.

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The ability to respond rapidly to changes in oxygen tension is critical for many forms of life. Challenges to oxygen homeostasis, specifically in the contexts of evolutionary biology and biomedicine, provide important insights into mechanisms of hypoxia adaptation and tolerance. Here we synthesize findings across varying time domains of hypoxia in terms of oxygen delivery, ranging from early animal to modern human evolution and examine the potential impacts of environmental and clinical challenges through emerging multi-omics approaches. We discuss how diverse animal species have adapted to hypoxic environments, how humans vary in their responses to hypoxia (i.e., in the context …

The Association Of Cuzd1 And Stat5 In Adipocytes, Zachary Wigger

LSU Master's Theses

Obesity is a metabolic disorder that has turned into a global epidemic over the past few decades. Adipocyte dysfunction brought on by obesity can lead to increased risk of metabolic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Knowing how adipocytes function to regulate metabolic homeostasis is critical. CUZD1 (CUB and Zona Pellucida-like Domain-containing protein 1) has not been studied in the context of adipocyte biology but could play a role in several metabolic processes. CUZD1 has been suggested to be a biomarker for several inflammatory diseases and cancers but little functional data has been published. There …

Anticipating Infection: How Parasitism Risk Changes Animal Physiology, Patricia C. Lopes

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

1. Uninfected animals can attempt to prevent parasitism in many ways. Behavioural avoidance of parasitized conspecifics, for instance, is documented in several species.
2. Interactions with parasitized conspecifics can also, however, lead to physiological changes in uninfected animals, an effect that is much less well studied, and consequently, less well understood. The way in which exposure to parasitism risk changes the physiology of uninfected animals and the impacts of those changes on animal fitness remain a significant gap in knowledge.
3. Determining how the disease environment experienced by animals impacts their physiology, survival and reproduction has major implications for our knowledge of how …

Chemically Induced Phytoextraction Of Lead (Pb) Contaminated Soil By Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum L.), Assisted With Bap And Nta Applications, Genna Hart

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

The accumulation of lead (Pb) deposits in soil is a growing global concern. Phytoextraction of Pb-contaminated soil can be enhanced by soil chelation to increase the bioavailability of Pb. In the initial study nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) 5mM, the alkylpolyglucoside (APG) Triton X-100 (2%), and nano-silica were applied to switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) growing in 5L pots of Pb-contaminated soil. The second experiment used 10mM NTA, the alkylpolyglycoside Triton X-100 (2%), foliar application of the plant growth regulator 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) twice per week, Triple-12® nutrients, and Infuse™ a soil fungicide which were applied to switchgrass Plants were grown in a controlled …

Genome Sequence Of Sn1, A Bacteriophage That Infects Sphaerotilus Natans And Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, K.M. Damitha Gunathilake, Denise M. Tremblay, Pier-Luc Plante, Ellen C. Jensen, Kenneth Nickerson, Sylvain Moineau

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Phage SN1 infects Sphaerotilus natans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. Its genome consists of 61,858 bp (64.3% GC) and 89 genes, including 32 with predicted functions. SN1 genome is very similar to Pseudomonas phage M6, which contains hypermodified thymidines. Genome analyses revealed similar base-modifying genes as those found in M6.

Genome Sequence Of Sn1, A Bacteriophage That Infects Sphaerotilus Natans And Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, K.M. Damitha Gunathilake, Denise M. Trembly, Pier-Luc Plante, Ellen C. Jensen, Kenneth W. Nickerson, Sylvian Moineau

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Phage SN1 infects Sphaerotilus natans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. Its genome consists of 61,858 bp (64.3% GC) and 89 genes, including 32 with predicted functions. SN1 genome is very similar to Pseudomonas phage M6, which contains hypermodified thymidines. Genome analyses revealed similar base-modifying genes as those found in M6.

Characterization Of Microbotryum Lychnidis-Dioicae Secreted Effector Proteins That Manipulate Its Host Plant, Silene Latifolia., Ming-Chang Tsai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The smut fungal species Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae is an obligate phytopathogen colonizing the plant host, Silene latifolia. A significant feature of M. lychnidis-dioicae infection is that the fungus can replace pollen on the anthers of susceptible host plants with fungal teliospores, thus earning the fungus the name: anther smut disease of flowers. The fungus synthesizes and secretes effector proteins into the cells of the plant host during infection, and the protein-protein interactions may interfere with and modify metabolism, plant development, and gene expression of the host to allow fungal colonization. Two potential fungal effector proteins, MVLG_06175 and MVLG_05122, were identified …

Activation Of The Ppar Nuclear Receptors By Oxylipins And Their Potential Effects On Differentiation And Gene Expression In Myocytes, Jazmine Eccles

All Theses

Obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases are a growing issue worldwide. Decreased expression of CYP2B6 is associated with obesity in humans and Cyp2b-null mice are diet-induced obese; however fatty liver disease is worse in humanized CYP2B6 transgenic mice than WT or Cyp2b-null mice despite lower obesity. CYP2B6 produces several oxylipins with preference for metabolism at the 9- and 13-positions with 9-HODE and 13-HODE (from linoleic acid; n-6), and 9-HOTrE and 13-HOTrE (from a-linolenic acid; n-3) preferentially produced. Oxylipins serve as signaling molecules for many processes, such as inflammatory pathways, lipid distribution, and lipid metabolism. Due to their diversity, oxylipins can …