Life Sciences Commons^™

Three Lc-Ms Plant Metabolomics Studies Of Hop (Humulus) Species: Wild H. Neomexicanus, Drought Stress, And Agricultural Terroir, Taylan Morcol

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The hop plant (Humulus L., Cannabaceae) is a dioecious, perennial, twining vine with a long history of human use. Nowadays, hop plants are generally grown for their inflorescences (“cones”), which are used in brewing for their phytochemical metabolites. Many of these metabolites are involved in plant stress response and communication. Genetics and environment are two major factors that affect plant metabolism. In three separate metabolomics studies, this project examined the effects of both genetic and environmental factors on hop phytochemistry.

In the first study, 23 hop genotypes were grown in two different locations in the Pacific Northwest region of …

Understanding The Influence Of Zinc On Grain Cadmium Accumulation And Bioaccessibility In Rice, Michael A. Tavarez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The effect of cadmium and zinc on mineral concentrations in three cultivars of rice

Interactions between the essential mineral zinc (Zn) and the toxic heavy metal cadmium (Cd) play an important role in regulating transport of both minerals to rice grains. Understanding these interactions is crucial for limiting cadmium and increasing zinc transfer to the food chain. Previous studies on the matter have had conflicting results suggesting synergistic and antagonistic relationships between the minerals. The goal of this work was to identify the effect of external cadmium and zinc on the uptake and translocation of both minerals from roots to …

Anti-Cancer Effects Of Oleocanthal And Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Limor Goren

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Oleocanthal is a phenolic compound found in varying concentrations in extra virgin olive oil. Oleocanthal has been shown to be active physiologically, benefiting several diseased states by conferring anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective benefits. Recently, we and other groups have demonstrated its specific and selective toxicity toward cancer cells; however, the mechanism leading to cancer cell death is still disputed. The current study demonstrates that oleocanthal induced damage to cancer cells’ lysosomes leading to cellular toxicity in vitro. Non-cancer cells were significantly less affected. Lysosomal membrane permeabilization following oleocanthal treatment in various cell lines was assayed via three complementary methods. Additionally, …

The Therapeutic Potential Of Natural Products From Vaccinium Berries For Viral And Lung Diseases Through An Improved Lc-Ms-Based Chemometric Approach, Vanya I. Petrova

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Smoking is a global epidemic that creates serious health and economic burden. It is the primary, preventative factor for the majority of causes of death worldwide. Analysis of publicly available data revealed that smoking prevalence rates among the youth in developing countries, especially in Bulgaria, are alarmingly high. The Bulgarian population has one of the highest percentages of smokers and the second highest rate among teenage girls. Consequently, chronic diseases affected by smoking, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), have been increasing there in the last five years. Poland, on the other hand, is an exemplary outlier for the …

Metabolic Profiling Of Genetically Modified Potato Periderm Tissues, Liqing Jin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Potato tubers are protected from dehydration and pathogens by a covering peel (periderm) impregnated with suberin, a complex cross-linked biopolymer that contains both polyaliphatic and lignin-like aromatic domains. Current models describing the macromolecular structure of suberin assume that ferulic acid cross-links both domains as it may form carboxyl ester bonds with aliphatic monomers and non-ester radical-coupled bonds with phenolics. Ferulic acid also links by ester bonds to glycans and acts in cross-linking polysaccharides and lignin. Fatty alcohol/ω-hydroxyacid hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (FHT) is a BADH acyltransferase responsible for the synthesis of akyl-ferulates that is necessary for suberin biosynthesis. Periderm from FHT-RNAi …