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Phytochelatin Synthase Genes From Arabidopsis And The Yeast Schizosaccharomyces Pombe, Suk Bong Ha, Aaron P. Smith, Ross Howden, Wendy M. Dietrich, Sarah Bugg, Matthew J. O'Connell, Peter B. Goldsbrough, Christopher S. Cobbett

Faculty Publications

Phytochelatins (PCs), a family of heavy metal-inducible peptides important in the detoxification of heavy metals, have been identified in plants and some microorganisms, including Schizosaccharomyces pombe, but not in animals. PCs are synthesized enzymatically from glutathione (GSH) by PC synthase in the presence of heavy metal ions. In Arabidopsis, the CAD1 gene, identified by using Cd-sensitive, PC-deficient cad1 mutants, has been proposed to encode PC synthase. Using a positional cloning strategy, we have isolated the CAD1 gene. Database searches identified a homologous gene in S. pombe, and a mutant with a targeted deletion of this gene was also Cd sensitive …

The Long Isoform Uncoupling Protein-3 (Ucp3l) In Human Energy Homeostasis, W. K. Chung, A. Luke, R. S. Cooper, C. Rotini, A. Vidal-Puig, M. Rosenbaum, D. Gordon, S. M. Leal, S. Caprio, R. Goldsmith, A. L. Andreu, C. Bruno, S. Dimauro, M. Heo, W. L. Lowe, B. B. Lowell, D. B. Allison, R. L. Leibel

Faculty Publications

The biological role(s) proposed for UCP3 in energy homeostasis have been based primarily upon amino acid sequence homology to UCP1. Spontaneous mutations of UCP3 have been described in humans, but not in rodents. The functional consequences—or lack thereof—of these mutations in humans will be of great importance in elucidating the biology of this protein. The results of two such studies are summarized here. © 1999 Stockton Press. All rights reserved.

Preliminary Determination Of The Number Of Β-1, 3-Glucanase Isoforms And Their Cumulative Activity In The Leaves Of The Strawberry Plant, Maria F. Chen

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Hypoxia: Topic 1 Report For The Integrated Assessment On Hypoxia In The Gulf Of Mexico, Nancy N. Rabalais, R. Eugene Turner, Dubravko Justic, Quay Dortch, William J. Wiseman

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Life History Of Southern Flounder (Paralichthys Lethostigma) In Louisiana Waters, Andrew James Fischer

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The objectives of this study were to describe the life history patterns of the southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) in Louisiana waters through determination of age, growth, and reproductive biology. A variety of sample sources were included to demonstrate how the southern flounder life cycle is dependent on both the estuary and offshore waters throughout the various stages of its life cycle. Females exhibited greater lengths then males reaching a maximum of 764mm total length and males a maximum of 414mm. Ages were estimated through examination of transverse sections of sagittal otoliths. Annuli were validated to form yearly in the winter …

The Life History Of Southern Flounder (Paralichthys Lethostigma) In Louisiana Waters, Andrew James Fisher

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The objectives of this study were to describe the life history patterns of the southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) in Louisiana waters through determination of age, growth, and reproductive biology. A variety of sample sources were included to demonstrate how the southern flounder life cycle is dependent on both the estuary and offshore waters throughout the various stages of its life cycle. Females exhibited greater lengths then males reaching a maximum of 764mm total length and males a maximum of 414mm. Ages were estimated through examination of transverse sections of sagittal otoliths. Annuli were validated to form yearly in the winter …

Decomposition Strategies For Process Identification And Control Using Neural Networks, Olufemi Adebiyi

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Linear Identification and control strategies suffer from the inadequacy of capturing the inherently nonlinear phenomena of chemical processes, and are valid only in a narrow region around a chosen operating point.

Hence, the goal of this dissertation is be to design nonlinear identification and control strategies using neural networks. Neural networks are identification paradigm that mimics the brain and can capture the underlying nonlinearities of a given data.

The Methodology undertaken is to decompose a complex nonlinear problem into less complex nonlinear problems that can easily be handled by multiple neural network models. Two strategies are developed in this dissertation: …

Dark Phoenix: The Representation Of Black Woman In Je Suis Martiniquais By Mayotte Capecia And Mon Examen De Blanc By Jacqueline Manicom, Sybil Shevron Jackson

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Black women writers in the French West Indies were conspicuously absent from the literary canon during the negritude movement in the 1940's. Mayotte Capecia was one of the few who managed to write during this time. Capecia was criticized severely for her novel Je suis Martiniquais by Frantz Fanon and accused of betraying her race because of the inter-racial love affair between her heroine and a French soldier. Jacqueline Manicom, her literary descendant who wrote Mon Examen de Blanc in 1972, was ostracized from the medical profession for her political beliefs concerning women's rights.

This dissertation examines images and representation …

Oligosaccharides From Cell Surface Glycoproteins Of Thermoplasma Acidophilum, An Archae, Gitanjali Srivastava

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Evidence That Cys230 And Lys238 Of Biotin Carboxylase Do Not Act As An Acid-Base Pair To Deprotonate Biotin, Robert Brett Lloyd

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Nutrient Enhanced Coastal Ocean Productivity In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, William J. Wiseman Jr., Michael J. Dagg, Nancy N. Rabalais, Terry E. Whitledge

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Louisiana Agriculture Spring, 1999, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

Diet Overlap Of Native And Translocated Northern White-Tailed Deer In Southeastern Louisiana, Brian Matthew Zielinski

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

I used microhistological analysis of fecal pellets to estimate and compare seasonal diet compositions between free-ranging, southern and translocated. northern woodland white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on Golden Ranch Hunting Farm, Gheens, Louisiana,. over four consecutive seasons, from January 1997 through January 1998. I analyzed pellet groups with Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) and wet chemistry techniques to evaluate and compare crude protein levels between populations of deer and provide indices of diet quality. On average, native and translocated deer diets were 87.65% similar during the entire study, and were significantly associated during all seasons ( P < 0.0000 I ). suggesting that deer fed on similar plant species in like quantities throughout the year. Few differences were found in plant selection frequencies per fecal sample. hut significant differences were detected (P 0.00 l) among deer populations in the use of Berchemia scandens and Vitis rotundifolia during spring. Northern deer also ingested a greater diversity of plants (P < 0.05) during spring and winter; and fecal crude protein levels were similar (P > 0.05) in all seasons …

Diets Of White-Tailed Deer At Avery Island, Louisiana, Nathan D. Rains

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

I conducted a food habits study of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) at Avery Island, Louisiana, to determine if deer diets differed among seasons. In 1997, I randomly collected 25 seasonal fecal pellet groups in January. April, August and October respectively I also collected reference forage plant samples in conjunction with fecal pellet collections I estimated botanical composition of deer diets based on a microscopic analysis of fecal pellets I compared diets using a chi- squared contingency table to assess significant seasonal variation I also used Kulczynski's similarity index to determine degree of similarity among seasonal diets

I found significant differences …

The Boundaries Of The Silenced Hmr Domain In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, David Donze, Christopher R. Adams, Jasper Rine, Rohinton T. Kamakaka

Faculty Publications

The chromosomes of eukaryotes are organized into structurally and functionally discrete domains that provide a mechanism to compact the DNA as well as delineate independent units of gene activity. It is believed that insulator/boundary elements separate these domains. Here we report the identification and characterization of boundary elements that flank the transcriptionally repressed HMR locus in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Deletion of these boundary elements led to the spread of silenced chromatin, whereas the ectopic insertion of these elements between a silencer and a promoter blocked the repressive effects of the silencer on that promoter at HMR and at telomeres. …

Orientation Of Heparin-Binding Sites In Native Vitronectin. Analyses Of Ligand Binding To The Primary Glycosaminoglycan-Binding Site Indicate That Putative Secondary Sites Are Not Functional, Angelia D. Gibson, John A. Lamerdin, Ping Zhuang, Kunnumal Baburaj, Engin H. Serpersu, Cynthia B. Peterson

Faculty Publications

A primary heparin-binding site in vitronectin has been localized to a cluster of cationic residues near the C terminus of the protein. More recently, secondary binding sites have been proposed. In order to investigate whether the binding site originally identified on vitronectin functions as an exclusive and independent heparin-hinding domain, solution binding methods have been used in combination with MR and recombinant approaches to evaluate ligand binding to the primary site. Evaluation of the ionic strength dependence of heparin binding to vitronectin according to classical linkage theory indicates that a single ionic bond is prominent. It had been previously shown …

Erratum: Lizards Took Express Train To Polynesia (Nature (1999) 397 (13- 114), C. Austin

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Crystal Structure Of The H256a Mutant Of Rat Testis Fructose-6- Phosphate,2-Kinase/Fructose-2,6-Bisphosphatase: Fructose 6-Phosphate In The Active Site Leads To Mechanisms For Both Mutant And Wild Type Bisphosphatase Activities, Mi H. Yuen, Hiroyuki Mizuguchi, Yong Hwan Lee, Paul F. Cook, Kosaku Uyeda, Charles A. Hasemann

Faculty Publications

Fructose-6-phosphate,2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (Fru-6-P,2- kinase/Fru-2,6-Pase) is a bifunctional enzyme, catalyzing the interconversion of β-D-fructose-6-phosphate (Fru-6-P) and fructose-2,6-bisphosphate (Fru- 2,6-P2) at distinct active sites. A mutant rat testis isozyme with an alanine replacement for the catalytic histidine (H256A) in the Fru-2,6-Pase domain retains 17% of the wild type activity (Mizuguchi, H., Cook, P. F., Tai, C-H., Hasemann, C. A., and Uyeda, K. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 274, 2166- 2175). We have solved the crystal structure of H256A to a resolution of 2.4 Å by molecular replacement. Clear electron density for Fru-6-P is found at the Fru-2,6-Pase active site, revealing the important interactions in …

Mechanisms Of First Language Forgetting., Ludmila Isurin

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The present research explored the processes and mechanisms of first language forgetting from linguistic and psychological perspectives. Two studies, one---a case study, another---a controlled experimental study, yielded evidence on L1 loss. The case study involved a 9 year old Russian girl who was adopted by an American family, brought to the US and completely taken out of a Russian-speaking environment. Over the course of one year, changes in L1 morphology, syntax, and vocabulary were investigated using various tasks, e.g. picture description, picture naming, story telling. Data on L1 retention, L2 acquisition, and reaction time were gathered. The results of the …

Effects Of Repeated Restraint Stress On Tissue Metabolism In Rats., Jun Zhou

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

It has been reported that repeated restraint stress (RS), 3 hours/day for 3 days, in rats caused sustained weight loss and a temporary drop in daily food intake with no subsequent compensatory overeating during the post stress period. The hypothesis tested in the present study is that RS causes peripheral tissue metabolism changes which account for the abnormal regulation of body weight and food intake during the post stress period. Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to control, pair fed (PF) or RS groups. One day after the end of RS, midbrain urocortin mRNA was at control levels in …

Influence Of Environment And Genotype On The Expression Of Host Plant Resistance In Sweet Potato To The Sweet Potato Weevil, Cylas Formicarius (Fab.)., Lixin Mao

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Field and laboratory experiments were conducted to study the influence of environment and genotype on the expression of sweetpotato resistance to the sweetpotato weevil (SPW), Cylas formicarius (Fab.). Roots of four genotypes ("W-244", "W-250", "Beauregard", "Centennial") were evaluated for SPW feeding and oviposition at three different storage times. Roots from Louisiana, South Carolina and Mississippi were also evaluated. Genotype had a significant effect on feeding and oviposition. Storage time and production sites appeared to affect resistance expression; the outcomes depend on the genotypes. The effect of nitrogen on sweetpotato resistance to SPW was studied. Four genotypes were grown in the …

Estimating The Returns To Investment In Louisiana's Agricultural Research System., Yongli Zhu

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study demonstrates one way in which the combined nonparametric and parametric estimates of returns-to-research can be used to build a stronger argument for public investment in agricultural research. The data used in this study were constructed from time series information covering the period 1949--95. Tornqvist-Theil quantity indices were calculated to determine the implicit state price for each input category. The returns-to-research in Louisiana agriculture were estimated using both nonparametric and parametric estimators, with appropriate emphasis given to lag structures, data coherence, and functional forms. Model misspecification testing for the parametric model was examined. Internal rates of return were calculated …

Biochemical And Biophysical Analysis Of The Intracellular Lipid Binding Proteins Of Adipocytes, Melanie A. Simpson, Vince J. Licata, Natalie Ribarik Coe, David A. Bernlohr

Faculty Publications

Adipocytes express two lipid-binding proteins; the major one termed the adipocyte lipid-binding protein or aP2 (ALBP/aP2) and a minor one referred to as the keratinocyte lipid-binding protein (KLBP). In order to evaluate the potential physiological roles for these proteins, their biochemical and biophysical properties have been analyzed and compared. ALBP/aP2 and KLBP exhibit similar binding affinities for most long-chain fatty acids; however, ALBP/aP2 exhibits a two to three-fold increased affinity for myristic, palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids, the predominant fatty acids of adipocytes. As measured by guanidinium hydrochloride denaturation, the stability of ALBP/aP2 is nearly 3 kcal/mol greater than that …

Hydrostatic Pressure Alters The Time Course Of Gtp[S] Binding To G Proteins In Brain Membranes From Two Congeneric Marine Fishes, Joseph F. Siebenaller, Thomas F. Murray

Faculty Publications

The effects of hydrostatic pressure on the receptor-stimulated exchange of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) for guanosine diphosphate (GDP) on the α subunit of G proteins were studied in two congeneric marine teleost fishes that differ in their depths of distribution. The poorly hydrolyzable GTP analog [35S]guanosine 5'-[γ-thio]triphosphate ([35S]GTP[S]) was used to monitor the modulation of signal transduction by the A(I) adenosine receptor agonist N6-R-(phenylisopropyl)adenosine (R-PIA) in brain membranes of the scorpaenids Sebastolobus alascanus and S. altivelis. The maximal binding (B(max)) and dissociation constant (K(d)) values, determined from equilibrium binding isotherms at atmospheric pressure (5°C), were similar in the two species. The …

Protein And Ligand Adaptation In A Retinoic Acid Binding Protein, Rekha Pattanayek, Marcia E. Newcomer

Faculty Publications

A retinoic acid binding protein isolated from the lumen of the rat epididymis (ERABP) is a member of the lipocalin superfamily. ERABP binds both the all-trans and 9-cis isomers of retinoic acid, as well as the synthetic retinoid (E)-4-[2-(5,6,7,8)-tetrahydro-5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-2 napthalenyl-1 propenyl]-benzoic acid (TTNPB), a structural analog of all-trans retinoic acid. The structure of ERABP with a mixture of all-trans and 9-cis retinoic acid has previously been reported. To elucidate any structural differences in the protein when bound to the all-trans and 9-cis isomers, the structures of all-trans retinoic acid-ERABP and 9-cis retinoic acid ERABP were determined. Our results indicate that …

Attributes Of Atmospheric Carbon Monoxide Oxidation By Maine Forest Soils, G. M. King

Faculty Publications

CO, one of the most important trace gases, regulates tropospheric methane, hydroxyl radical, and ozone contents. Ten to 25% of the estimated global CO flux may be consumed by soils annually. Depth profiles for 14CO oxidation and CO concentration indicated that CO oxidation occurred primarily in surface soils and that photooxidation of soil organic matter did not necessarily contribute significantly to CO fluxes. Kinetic analyses revealed that the apparent K(m) was about 18 nM (17 ppm) and the V(max) was 6.9 μmol g (fresh weight)-1 h-1; the apparent K(m) was similar to the apparent K(m) for atmospheric methane consumption, but …

Maximizing Economic Returns From Sugarcane Production Through Optimization Of Harvest Schedule, Michael E. Salassi

LSU Agricultural Experiment Station Reports

No abstract provided.

Costs Of Induced Responses And Tolerance To Herbivory In Male And Female Fitness Components Of Wild Radish, A. A. Agrawal, S. Y. Strauss, M. J. Stout

Faculty Publications

Theory predicts that plant defensive traits are costly due to trade-offs between allocation to defense and growth and reproduction. Most previous studies of costs of plant defense focused on female fitness costs of constitutively expressed defenses. Consideration of alternative plant strategies, such as induced defenses and tolerance to herbivory, and multiple types of costs, including allocation to male reproductive function, may increase our ability to detect costs of plant defense against herbivores. In this study we measured male and female reproductive costs associated with induced responses and tolerance to herbivory in annual wild radish plants (Raphanus raphanistrum). We induced resistance …

Genetic Analysis Of The Role Of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Glycoprotein K In Infectious Virus Production And Egress, Timothy P. Foster, Konstantin G. Kousoulas

Faculty Publications

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (KOS)ΔgK is a mutant virus which lacks glycoprotein K (gK) and exhibits defects in virion egress (S. Jayachandra, A. Baghian, and K. G. Kousoulas, J. Virol. 69:5401-5413, 1997). To further understand the role of gK in virus egress, we constructed recombinant viruses, ΔgKhpd-1, -2, -3, and -4, that specified gK amino-terminal portions of 139, 239, 268, and 326 amino acids, respectively, corresponding to truncations immediately after each of the four putative membrane-spanning domains of gK. ΔgKhpd-1 and ΔgKhpd-2 viruses produced lower yields and smaller plaques than ΔgK. Numerous ΔgKhpd-1 capsids accumulated predominately within large double-membrane …

Use Of Western Immunoblot Analysis For Testing Moose Serum For Brucella Suis Biovar 4 Specific Antibodies, Matthew D. Edmonds, Felicia M. Ward, Todd M. O'Hara, Philip H. Elzer

Faculty Publications

To determine if 12 moose (Alces alces) from northern Alaska with agglutinating antibodies specific for Brucella spp. had been exposed to either B. suis biovar 4 or B. abortus biovar 1, western immunoblot serologic analysis was performed. Differential serologic responses to strain specific A and M antigenic variances of the lipopolysaccharide O-polysaccharide sugar allowed strain identification. Prior to examination, test sera were absorbed with killed whole cells from either B. abortus biovar 1, containing predominately A antigen (A+ M-); B. melitensis biovar 1, containing essentially M antigen (A-M+); or B. suis biovar 4, containing both antigenic types (A+ M+). The …