Digital Commons Network^™

Elucidation Of Mechanisms Whereby Embryonic Chicken Limbs Develop, James Broadbent, Jeffery Barrow

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As established by John Saunders 60 years ago, the AER is required for limb growth and patterning. However, the mechanisms whereby the AER regulates these processes remain poorly understood. My professor and I propose that one of the primary roles of the AER is to regulate directional growth of the adjacent limb mesenchyme. Over time, the AER extends along the anteroposterior (AP) and thins along the dorsoventral (DV) axes. These results highlight a morphogenetic paradigm: the dimensions of recruitment signaling centers ultimately shape organs. This model also provides mechanistic insight for evolutionary change. We also show that sonic hedgehog (Shh) …

Using Three Incommensurate Wave Components To Generate Terahertz Radiation, Jacob Bagley, Jeremy Johnson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Electromagnetic radiation is a wave composed of an electric field and a magnetic field. Examples of electromagnetic radiation include visible light, ultraviolet light, Xrays, infrared light, microwaves, and more. Electromagnetic radiation is an indispensable tool for both controlling and studying matter and is applied to countless fields such as electronics manufacturing and medical imaging. Over the past two decades terahertz (THz) radiation, a form of electromagnetic radiation, has become an intense area of research. This surge in activity in due in part to technological advances in generating THz radiation, but is also due to the myriad of potential applications of …

Tear Analysis: High-Speed Video Capture Of The Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear, Devon Smith, Steven Cook

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The tearing of the ACL is among one of the most common sports injuries seen during this era. Research shows that annually there are more than 80,000 documented cases of ACL tears occurring with a 15x greater possibility of re-tearing after reconstruction.1 Currently, there is no digitally filmed data on how the fiber bundles unravel during an induced ACL tear. Published studies utilize a Porcine ACL as the highest anatomically comparative model to Human ACL. We are looking to create a grade 3 ACL tear in both human and porcine ACL’s, and film them at high-speed while it unravels. We …

Using Bioinformatics To Increase The Number Of Tumors That Can Be Treated With Existing Drug Treatments, Jonathan Dayton, Stephen Piccolo

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Typically, tens or even hundreds of mutations are observed in the DNA of a single tumor by the time it has been detected1-4. Knowledge of these mutations may be useful in guiding the way the tumor is treated. In some cases, if a tumor has a mutation in a certain gene, this may indicate that the tumor can be treated with a certain drug. For example, the drug Trastuzumab is a targeted therapy for breast cancer patients with mutations in the HER2 gene5. In other cases, a mutation may be able to be targeted by a drug even if the …

Genome-Wide Association Study Of Prolactin In Cerebrospinal Fluid And Plasma, Lorna Sheradyn Hamilton, Dr. John Kauwe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Prolactin is the major hormone involved in milk lactation for pregnant women and has been discovered to play a role in a variety of biological functions. Several other functions include the immune system, reproductive system, maternal behavior, insulin production, and stimulating neurogenesis.1 2 Using prolactin levels from both cerebrospinal fluid and blood plasma from nearly 500 individuals, we will be able to conduct a genome-wide association study to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which will lead to a better understanding of what genes are playing a significant role in prolactin’s production and regulation.

The Chemotherapeutic Potential Of Resveratrol-Based Treatments, Connor Peck, Kim O'Neill

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Cancer is one of the most prevalent and deadly diseases in the world. In 2012 alone, there were approximately 14 million new cases of cancer and over 8 million cancer-related deaths worldwide. Despite extensive research in past decades, the burden of cancer continues to increase.

One of the most common treatments for cancer is chemotherapy, the use of various chemical substances that exhibit anti-cancer activity. Unfortunately, chemotherapy can be quite toxic and often produces inadequate results. There remains a great need for improved chemotherapeutic treatment strategies in order to improve outcomes for cancer patients.

The purpose of my project was …

Development Of A Directed Forward Genetic Screen Using Crispr Libraries, Robert C. Russell, Johnathon Hill

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Thousands of genes control the development of our bodies. These genes must be activated at the proper place and time in order for development to proceed correctly. The technique that we are developing will improve our ability to identify such genes, thus providing insights to the mechanisms underlying development processes. One in 33 live births in the United States is impacted by a birth defect. Of these, congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common, affecting nearly 1% of births in the United States.1 For this reason, we are developing a technique that will identify key contributors in heart development.

Understanding Birth Defects By Establishing Glutathione Ontogeny In A Chick Embryo Model, Ryan Mackay, Dr. Jason Hansen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Most chemicals known to cause birth defects have been shown to induce oxidative stress – a disruption in intracellular redox signaling. The overall purpose of this research is to better understand how environmental/chemical insults that cause oxidative stress result in specific malformations. Since the tripeptide glutathione (GSH) is an abundant antioxidant and important mediator in redox state and signaling, the goal of this project was to measure levels of glutathione during early embryonic development in order to determine when embryos are more susceptible to environmental and chemical stresses. Changes in the amount of GSH will affect the sensitivity of cells …

Effect Of High Expression Of Irf5 On B Cell Activation After Antigen Stimulation, Kalarelyn Eberting, Brian Poole

Journal of Undergraduate Research

While autoimmune diseases are very prevalent in the United States, little is understood about the cause of autoimmunity, making it difficult to take preventative measures and develop treatments. Previous studies have determined that a common genetic risk factor across many autoimmune diseases leads to B cell overexpression of the transcription factor IRF5 (1,2,4). Researchers have also discovered that high IRF5 levels are strongly associated with autoantibody production, suggesting that IRF5 may play a role in actually causing autoimmunity. At this point, however, it is unclear how IRF5 promotes the production of autoantibodies.

Combating Anemia And Other Iron Related Deficiencies Through Iron- Efficiency In Soybeans, Miranda Ruth, Bryan Hopkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Plants uptake iron from the soil in a variety of ways. Dicots, like soybeans, primarily exude hydrogen (H+) ions and chemical reductants from their roots, which acidify the root zone and reduce Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺ that can then be utilized by the plant (Brown and Jolley 1989). Iron efficiency in soybeans results in increased dietary iron for those eating the beans. Anemia, which is due to a dietary lack of iron, is an extremely serious health problem that affects much of the world, especially developing countries. Globally, over 30% of the world suffers from this lack of dietary …

Characterizing The Design Space Of Oscillatory Biological Networks, Leanne Lunsford, Denise Stephens, Eric Hintz

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Characterizing the relevant parameters of a design space in order to satisfy a specific behavior criterion is an important problem throughout all of science and engineering. In this project we proposed to apply model reduction to the case of biological oscillations involving Michaelis-Menten reactions. By removing irrelevant parameters from a fully connected network we were able to reduce a known problem in systems biology to a more general model. Furthermore, significant progress has been made in applying Manifold Boundary Approximation Method (MBAM) to oscillatory models in systems biology.

Modelling Climate Suitability For Ephedra Viridis In Space And Time, Anne Thomas, Richard Gill

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Climate change is expected to decrease soil moisture in the sensitive, water-limited ecosystems of America’s southwestern deserts, leading to shifts in plant distributions and altering ecosystem function. Studies have already documented the loss of desert grasses and the expansion of desert shrubs on the Colorado Plateau near Canyonlands National Park.i The objective of this work is to identify the climatic and biophysical factors influencing the distribution of an evergreen shrub, Ephedra viridis, and its expansion in plot-scale studies over the past 30 years.ii A gymnosperm and member of the plant division Gnetophyta, this shrub is unique because of its …

Alzheimer’S Risk Genes And Pathways Of Expression, Samantha Jensen, John Kauwe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Although Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been the subject of research for nearly 100 years, these decades of research have not led to a unified understanding of the mechanisms behind the disease pathology1 ,2. Recent improvements in whole genome sequencing have made it possible for researchers to find a large number of mutations implicated in AD. Due to a high frequency of false positives and confounding factors, many mutations being investigated for therapies may not even have a causative effect on Alzheimer’s expression. Without concrete knowledge of the interactions of the proteins and genes implicated in the disease, drug development has …

Cellular Mechanism Of Thymidine Kinase 1 Secretion, Wei Meng, Kim O'Neill

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Cancer remains the second most common cause of death in the US, accounting for nearly 1 of every 4 deaths. Studies have shown that the early detection of cancer leads to better patient prognosis and a greater five-year survival rate. [1] Diagnostic and prognostic markers play a key role in classifying tumors and determining the best treatment plan for a patient. Among these biomarkers, Thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) has been studied extensively, primarily as a diagnostic biomarker for a variety of cancer types. TK1 plays a role in regulating the intracellular thymidine pools throughout the cell cycle, and thus regulates …

Is Hdac1 Mediated Β-Cell Proliferation Dependent On Decreased P15 Expression?, Kyle Kener, Jeffery Tessem

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The body maintains normoglycemia through pancreatic β-cells which sense elevation in circulating glucose levels and secrete insulin to maintain the correct blood glucose concentration. A decrease in functional pancreatic β-cell mass leads to Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Each form has different initial causes, but both forms ultimately result in decreased functional β-cell mass. Functional β-cell mass is defined as the rate of glucose stimulated insulin secretion multiplied by the total β-cell mass. The total β-cell mass is a function of cellular proliferation and death rates. β-cells have a very low proliferation rate, therefore determining the mechanisms that induce …

Phenome-Wide Association Study Of Y Chromosome Genetic Markers, Matthew Durrant, Mary Davis

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this project was to analyze genetic variants on the Y chromosome for significant association with various diseases. In Dr. Mary Davis’ lab we gained access to a unique data set that allows us to analyze many single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the Y chromosome. This was a hypothesis-generating study that has the potential to revolutionize the currently accepted hypothesis that genetic variants on the Y chromosome do not play a significant role in common disease.

Expression Changes Of Dopamine Type 2 Receptor On The Surface Of Human Monocytes And Lymphocytes After Exposure To Dopamine In Vitro., Brandon Thomas Garcia, Sandra Hope, Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Dopamine (DA) is a neurotransmitter in the brain that plays a role in several functions such as reward, motivation, and dependence. The imbalance of DA in the central nervous system (CNS) can lead to several debilitating diseases like Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s, and Schizophrenia as well as drug dependence. Levels of DA in the brain are often determined by measuring the expression of Dopamine type 2 (D2) receptors by positron emission topography (PET) scans in the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc). This test which is often expensive and unavailable to many people without access to hospitals or regular healthcare.

Development Of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells To Target Cancer, Justin Crandall, Dr. Scott Weber

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Cancer negatively affects the lives of millions of individuals, and remains a difficult ailment to treat. In 2014, approximately 585,720 deaths and 1,665,540 new cases of cancer were reported in the USA alone.1 Treatment of cancer is challenging due to cancer mutating to combat the body’s immune system. An example is shown in major histocompatibility complexes (MHCs) located on the surface of nearly every cell. These are patrolled by T cells to ensure that cells are properly functioning and healthy. With cancer however, these become downregulated allowing the cancer to grow and proliferate since T cells are unable to detect …

Development Of A Model For Adult T Cell Leukemia In Htlv-1 Infected Humanized Mice, Matthew Smith, Dr. Brad Berges

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Millions of people in the world are infected with human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1). As the name states, this virus attacks the T cells of the infected organism. Though many of these individuals will remain asymptomatic throughout life, a small percentage will develop adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), a rare and understudied form of cancer. The latency period, or amount of time between infection and detection of cancer, is generally 20-40 years before infected patients begin developing cancer.

Creation Of Twelve Member Plasmid Library For Promoter Swapping To Control Chromosomal Gene Expression In E. Coli, Chris Nielson, William R. Mccleary

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Metabolic engineering is becoming a very important area of research, allowing researchers to harness metabolic pathways to either eliminate or synthesize desired compounds. Understanding metabolic pathways by altering expression of proteins involved in the pathway helps to uncover thermodynamic bottlenecks which render certain pathways inefficient or infeasible. Altering expression of genes through the use of promoter swapping is a useful research technique used to understand important metabolic and physiologic pathways. Engineered promoters contained in plasmids can be inserted into chromosomal DNA through the utilization of promoter swapping to alter the expression of a given gene in order to better understand …

Investigating Species Boundaries And Taxonomy In The California Pincushion Plants, Theresa Saunders, Leigh Johnson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Species in the genus Navarretia are annual wildflowers found almost exclusively in California. The Navarretia atractyloides group consists of just two species, N. atractyloides and N. hamata, that are more similar to each other morphologically than to any other Navarretia species. The most recent taxonomic investigation of these two species distinguishes between them based on bract shape, stamen attachment to the corolla, and whether the style is included and anthers included to slightly exserted from the corolla tube versus style exserted and anthers long exserted (Day, 1993). However, we have noticed that some specimens that seem to be …

Toxoplasma Gondii Moderates The Association Between Multiple Folate-Cycle Factors And Cognitive Function In U.S. Adults, Bruce L. Brown, Andrew N. Berrett, Shawn D. Gale, Lance D. Erickson, Dawson W. Hedges

Faculty Publications

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a microscopic, apicomplexan parasite that can infect muscle or neural tissue, including the brain, in humans. While T. gondii infection has been associated with changes in mood, behavior, and cognition, the mechanism remains unclear. Recent evidence suggests that T. gondii may harvest folate from host neural cells. Reduced folate availability is associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and cognitive decline. We hypothesized that impairment in cognitive functioning in subjects seropositive for T. gondii might be associated with a reduction of folate availability in neural cells. We analyzed data from the third …

Thymidine Kinase 1: The Key To Predicting Cancer Recurrence, Rachel Brog, Dr. Kim L. O'Neill

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Currently it is estimated that over 230,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year in the United States alone. Although treatments are improving, an alarming number of these cases will show cancer recurrence after treatment. A method to consistently predict cancer recurrence is crucial to better treat cancer and improve patient care. Thymidine Kinase 1 (TK1) has been found in abnormally high levels in serum and tissue of cancer patients compared to healthy patients. There is question to why TK1 is present in such high quantities when normally it aids in the DNA salvage pathway during S phase …

Effect Of Speaker Age And Dialect On Listener Perceptions Of Personality, Brittni Elizabeth Bergstrom

Theses and Dissertations

The association between dialect and perceived personality traits has been studied for a number of years. The purpose of this study was to examine how the dialect, the gender of both the speaker and the listener, and the perceived age of the speaker affected the listeners' perception of the speaker's personality. The spontaneous speech samples were drawn from existing corpora. There were 48 speakers, 24 New Zealanders and 24 Utahns. Each dialect group was stratified into three age groups (young, middle, older), and within each age group there were an equal number of males and females. The listener group included …

The Effects Of Nucleosome Positioning And Chromatin Architecture On Transgene Expression, Colton E. Kempton

Theses and Dissertations

Eukaryotes use proteins to carefully package and compact their genomes to fit into the nuclei of their individual cells. Nucleosomes are the primary level of compaction. Nucleosomes are formed when DNA wraps around an octamer of histone proteins and a nucleosome's position can limit access to genetic regulatory elements. Therefore, nucleosomes represent a basic level of gene regulation. DNA and its associated proteins, called chromatin, is usually classified as euchromatin or heterochromatin. Euchromatin is transcriptionally active with loosely packed nucleosomes while heterochromatin is condensed with tightly packed nucleosomes and is transcriptionally silent. In order to become active, heterochromatin must first …

Anthrax, Matrix Biology, And Angiogenesis: Capillary Morphogenesis Gene 2 Mediates Activity And Uptake Of Type Iv Collagen-Derived Anti-Angiogenic Peptides, Jordan Grant Finnell

Theses and Dissertations

Capillary Morphogenesis Gene 2 (CMG2) is a type I transmembrane, integrin-like receptor. It was originally identified as one of several genes upregulated during capillary formation. It was subsequently identified as one of two physiological anthrax toxin receptors, where CMG2 serves as a cell-surface receptor for anthrax toxin and mediates entry of the toxin into cells via clathrin-dependent endocytosis. Additionally, loss-of-function mutations in CMG2 cause the genetic disorder hyaline fibromatosis syndrome (HFS), where the core symptom is dysregulation of extracellular matrix homeostasis (ECM), including excessive accumulation of proteinaceous hyaline material; HFS clearly indicates that CMG2 plays an essential function in ECM …

Comparison Of Cytokine Expression And Bacterial Growth During Periparturient And Mid Lactation Mastitis In A Mouse Model, Rhonda Nicole Chronis

Theses and Dissertations

Clinical cases of bovine mastitis are most severe in the early stages of lactation. The causes of this increased propensity for severe mastitis during early lactation, compared to mid and late lactation are unclear. In order to better understand the early lactation immune response to mastitis, a murine model of mastitis was employed. Intramammary inoculation of a mastitis causing Escherichia coli strain was performed in lactating mice at various stages of lactation to model the immune response seen in cows during lactation. In our experiments, mice in the early stages of lactation exhibited altered mRNA expression of cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, …

Characterization Of Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors And Their Positive Allosteric Modulators, Doris Clark Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are ligand-gated ion channels that are necessary in memory and cognition. They are pentameric and consist of α and β subunits. They are most commonly heteromeric but, can sometimes be homomeric. nAChRs are activated by many ligands including nicotine (exogenous) and acetylcholine (endogenous).nAChRs are located on hippocampal interneurons. The interneurons, although sparse, control the synchronous firing of the pyramidal cells. However, the hippocampal interneuron structure and function is quite diverse and not fully characterized. Therefore, we sought to quantify nAChR subunit mRNA levels using real-time PCR of CA1 hippocampal interneurons.Surprisingly we found that the α3 …

Integrative Analysis To Evaluate Similarity Between Brcaness Tumors And Brca Tumors, Weston Reed Bodily

Theses and Dissertations

The term "BRCAness" is used to describe breast-cancer patients who lack a germline mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2, yet who are believed to express characteristics similar to patients who do have a germline mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2. Although it is hypothesized that BRCAness is related to deficiency in the homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathways, relatively little is understood about what drives BRCAness or what criteria should be used to assign patients to this category. We hypothesized that patients whose tumor carries a genomic or epigenomic aberration in BRCA1 or BRCA2 should be classified under the BRCAness category and that …

Physiological Attunement And Influence In Couples Therapy: Examining The Roots Of Therapeutic Presence, Julia Campbell Bernards

Theses and Dissertations

Extensive interdisciplinary common factor research has identified the therapeutic relationship as a consistent factor influencing therapeutic outcomes. We use Polyvagal and Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) theories to guide an examination of the physiological mechanisms at work in the therapeutic relationship. Both Polyvagal and IPNB theories provide understandings about how humans are neurophysiologically wired for social connection. Each points to a sense of safety as being essential for meaningful connection to occur and clarifies that physiological attunement is an observable indicator of interpersonal connection. In this study, we use these theories to guide an examination of therapist physiological influence on clients in …