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2011

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Articles 31 - 60 of 5489

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

An Assessment Of Moose (Alces Alces Americana) And Moose Management In Connecticut, Andrew M. Labonte Dec 2011

An Assessment Of Moose (Alces Alces Americana) And Moose Management In Connecticut, Andrew M. Labonte

Master's Theses

Eastern moose (Alces alces americana) populations have been increasing in New England over the past decade. Moose populations have the potential to generate human conflict due to their size, speed, nocturnal behavior, and seasonal mobility. As problems associated with increasing moose populations become more common, the need to develop management strategies that are both effective and acceptable to stakeholders becomes increasingly important. The potential for moose to continue to expand in southern New England and the long-term impacts they may have on Connecticut residents, is unclear. The overall purpose of this study was to assess how suitable Connecticut …

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Effects Of 4-Hydroxy-2-Nonenal On Mutant Sperm Whale Myoglobins, Nantawat Tatiyaborworntham Dec 2011

Effects Of 4-Hydroxy-2-Nonenal On Mutant Sperm Whale Myoglobins, Nantawat Tatiyaborworntham

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

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Septotemporal Variation In Theta Rhythm Dynamics: Effects Of Speed And Habituation, James Hinman Dec 2011

Septotemporal Variation In Theta Rhythm Dynamics: Effects Of Speed And Habituation, James Hinman

Master's Theses

Theta (6-12 Hz) field potentials and the synchronization (coherence) of these potentials present neural network indices of hippocampal physiology. Theta signals within the hippocampal formation may reflect alterations in sensorimotor integration, the flow of sensory input and/or distinct cognitive operations. While the power and coherence of theta signals vary across lamina within the septal hippocampus, limited information is available about variation in these indices across the septotemporal (long) or areal axis. The present study examined the relationship of locomotor speed to theta indices at CA1 and DG sites across the septotemporal axis as well as in the entorhinal cortex. Our …

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Role Of Pseudomonas Produced Hydrogen Cyanide In Biological Control Of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes, Haytham Aly Dec 2011

Role Of Pseudomonas Produced Hydrogen Cyanide In Biological Control Of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes, Haytham Aly

Dissertations

Plant-parasitic nematodes are among the most devastating pests world-wide, causing extensive damage to important agriculture crops. The management of nematodes is challenging. Current methods used for nematode control rely mostly on using chemical nematicides and naturally resistant plants. Because of serious health and environmental problems associated with chemical control and over use of resistant plants resulting in resistant breaking strains of nematodes, alternative nematode-control methods are needed. Several potential nematode-biocontrol agents, including bacteria and fungi, have been studied for their antagonistic effect toward plant-parasitic nematodes. However, a concise picture about the biological agent’s mechanisms used to antagonize nematodes remains elusive. …

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A Technology Assessment Of On-Farm Renewable Energy Carbon Mitigation Strategies, Laura Kossey Dec 2011

A Technology Assessment Of On-Farm Renewable Energy Carbon Mitigation Strategies, Laura Kossey

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This project explores whether the Shenandoah Valley can achieve its 25x.25 (25% from renewable energies by 2025) goals on farms in the agricultural sector. Solar photovoltaic electric power production was assessed to be the most feasible renewable energy technology for such farms. After a review of the barriers to the adoption of renewable energy by agricultural operations, estimations of the potential rates of adoption and energy output using US data from the US Census of Agriculture were calculated. Multiple scenarios were explored, including the ¡°maximum theoretical¡± contribution of renewable energy to the agricultural sector as well as scenarios of farm …

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Pedometers Accelerometers And Observational Methods: A Comparison Of Measurements Of Physical Activity In Fourth-Grade Students., Amanda E. Greene Dec 2011

Pedometers Accelerometers And Observational Methods: A Comparison Of Measurements Of Physical Activity In Fourth-Grade Students., Amanda E. Greene

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years physical inactivity among students has become a matter of great concern. Nearly 65% of students do not meet the daily recommended level of physical activity, which is 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day, with 50% of that time being spent in moderate to vigorous levels of activity (CDC, 2010b). As a result, the 21st century has shown to be a time of many health problems such as, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. In fact, nearly one third of all children are considered obese or overweight (Slawta & DeNeui, …

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The Role Of The Nascent Polypeptide-Associated Complex In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Paul T. Arsenovic Dec 2011

The Role Of The Nascent Polypeptide-Associated Complex In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Paul T. Arsenovic

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The nascent polypeptide-associated complex (NAC) is a highly conserved protein complex known to play an important role in the development of metazoan organisms, but its molecular function is not well understood. Recent evidence from experiments using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as model supported the hypothesis that the NAC is either a chaperone or a component of the cytosolic chaperone network that interacts with nascent peptides emerging from the ribosome. We tested this model in C. elegans and found that the homologues of the NAC , icd-1 and icd-2, behave like chaperones in the worm. Lack of icd-1 or icd-2 altered the worms …

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A Case Study In Wetlands Conservation: Identifying Best Management Practices For Landowner Stewardship, Allison M. Bredbenner Dec 2011

A Case Study In Wetlands Conservation: Identifying Best Management Practices For Landowner Stewardship, Allison M. Bredbenner

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This research explores wetlands conservation techniques employed by private landowners owning 1,000 or more acres who were recipients of an Environmental Law Institute National Wetlands Award. Study of private landowner stewardship is timely and important because in the United States, 75 percent of all wetlands are under private ownership. Given that wetlands provide a suite of valuable ecosystem services such as water filtration, flood abatement, and carbon storage, their conservation is critical to a healthy environment and productive economy. To accomplish this research, landowner files were processed into a digital archive and sub-categorized for research purposes. Telephone interviews were conducted …

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Isolation Of A Rhodococcus Soil Bacterium That Produces A Strong Antibacterial Compound., Ralitsa Bogomilova Borisova Dec 2011

Isolation Of A Rhodococcus Soil Bacterium That Produces A Strong Antibacterial Compound., Ralitsa Bogomilova Borisova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rhodococci are notable for their ability to degrade a variety of natural and xenobiotic compounds. Recently, interest in Rhodococcus has increased due to the discovery of a large number of genes for secondary metabolism. Only a few secondary metabolites have been characterized from the rhodococci (including 3 recently described antibiotics). Twenty-four new Rhodococcus strains were isolated from soils in East Tennessee using acetonitrile enrichment culturing and identified using 16S rRNA analysis. Forty-seven Rhodococcus strains were screened for antibiotic production using a growth inhibition assay. One strain, MTM3W5.2, had 90% similarity to the Rhodococcus opacus 16S rRNA gene sequence and produced …

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Use Of Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull To Determine Asymmetrical Strength Differences In Ncaa D-I Athletes., Ethan Monroe Owens Dec 2011

Use Of Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull To Determine Asymmetrical Strength Differences In Ncaa D-I Athletes., Ethan Monroe Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of isometric mid-thigh pulls to determine lower-limb asymmetrical strength differences in NCAA D-I athletes. Sixty-six subjects (40 males and 26 females) performed 2 maximal effort isometric pulls over two force plates sampling at 1000 Hz each. Peak force was scaled for body weight, and rate of force development was examined from 0-200ms. Results of the study show subjects' produced significantly greater scaled force with the left leg as compared to the right leg; however, no significant differences existed for rate of force development (RFD). Men exhibited significant differences between both …

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Habitat Characteristics Affecting Site Occupation In Wintering Henslow’S Sparrows At Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, Mary E. Nicholson Dec 2011

Habitat Characteristics Affecting Site Occupation In Wintering Henslow’S Sparrows At Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, Mary E. Nicholson

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Henslow’s sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) winters in recently burned sites in pine savannas of the Southeastern United States. Previous studies have suggested that factors such as seed abundance and litter depth are important to wintering Henslow’s sparrows. My study asked how habitat variables including vegetation structure, seed abundance, and arthropod abundance predict Henslow’s sparrow site occupancy at Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. In this study, Henslow’s sparrow more often occupied sites burned one growing season earlier than sites burned two growing seasons earlier, and did not occupy sites burned three or more growing seasons earlier. Data indicated that mass …

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Multivariate Models And Algorithms For Systems Biology, Lipi Rani Acharya Dec 2011

Multivariate Models And Algorithms For Systems Biology, Lipi Rani Acharya

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Rapid advances in high-throughput data acquisition technologies, such as microarraysand next-generation sequencing, have enabled the scientists to interrogate the expression levels of tens of thousands of genes simultaneously. However, challenges remain in developingeffective computational methods for analyzing data generated from such platforms. In thisdissertation, we address some of these challenges. We divide our work into two parts. Inthe first part, we present a suite of multivariate approaches for a reliable discovery of geneclusters, often interpreted as pathway components, from molecular profiling data with replicated measurements. We translate our goal into learning an optimal correlation structure from replicated complete and incomplete …

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Evolutionary Relationships Among Duiker Antelope (Bovidae: Cephalophinae), Anne Johnston Dec 2011

Evolutionary Relationships Among Duiker Antelope (Bovidae: Cephalophinae), Anne Johnston

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Duikers are a species rich subfamily of threatened African antelope whose recent origin poses a challenge to the molecular identification of taxa and estimation of their phylogeny. I test the ability of DNA barcodes to identify all taxa within this group. I then use mitochondrial and nuclear genes to estimate a multi-locus species tree and to date divergence times. DNA barcodes are unable to distinguish many sister taxa, calling into question the utility of barcodes for the regulation of duiker trade or in identification of field-collected feces. The multi-locus phylogeny provides support for the relationships among major duiker lineages and …

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Synthesis Of Resveratrol Esters And Aliphatic Acids., Stanley Mofor Jing Dec 2011

Synthesis Of Resveratrol Esters And Aliphatic Acids., Stanley Mofor Jing

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Resveratrol (RV) is a naturally occurring phytoalexin of the stilbenoid family produced by some plant species, and present in grape skin, peanuts, and red wine. It has been found to exhibit anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-aging, cardio protective, and anti-oxidant properties. Bioavailability is a huge setback that limits the potentials of RV. As a result, efforts have been made to design and synthesize RV esters and aliphatic acids in an attempt to increase its bioavailability, solubility in water, and possibly improving its biological activities. Resveratrol esters, 3,5,4'-triacetyloxystilbene (2) and Methyl 1,1',1''- (3,4',5-stilbenyl)-1,6-hexanedioate (3) have been synthesized. Compound 3 is a new …

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Effects Of The Exotic Shrub Lonicera Maackii On The Plant Animal Interactions In The Invaded Habitat, Humberto De Paula Dutra Dec 2011

Effects Of The Exotic Shrub Lonicera Maackii On The Plant Animal Interactions In The Invaded Habitat, Humberto De Paula Dutra

Dissertations

Invasive plants are an economical, political, social, and ecological problem. Some invasive species are a serious concern for society because some of them are diseases, some are agricultural pests, and some become major threats to the ecosystems. Most studies with invasive species are limited because they measure only the impact of the invasion via direct pathways. Unfortunately, the potential for non-native plant species to alter ecosystem functions via indirect pathways mediated by interactions with animals just recently became broadly recognized. This research investigates the interactions of Amur honeysuckle with native fauna and how these interactions indirectly affect other trophic levels …

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Reactions With Platinum (Ll) Complexes And Selenium-Containing Amino Acids, Stephanie Robey Dec 2011

Reactions With Platinum (Ll) Complexes And Selenium-Containing Amino Acids, Stephanie Robey

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

We have reacted [Pt(Me4en)(D2O)2]2+ [Me4En=N,N,N’N’-tetramethylethylenediamine] with Selenomethionine (SeMet), Methionine (Met), and Methylselenocysteine (MeSeCys). When MeSeCys was reacted with [Pt(Me4en)(D2O)2]2+, we observed both stereoisomers of Se,N chelates, as well as [Pt(Me4en)(MeSeCys)Cl]+ from ­1­H NMR Spectroscopy; the latter formed due to the presence of Cl- in the solution. Both isomers of the chelate seemed to form proportionally to one another, not favoring a specific stereoisomer. Eventually the [Pt(Me4en)(MeSeCys)Cl]+ products became Se,N chelates. We incubated SeMet with …

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Vespidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) Of Puerto Rico, West Indies, James M. Carpenter, Julio A. Genaro Dec 2011

Vespidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) Of Puerto Rico, West Indies, James M. Carpenter, Julio A. Genaro

Insecta Mundi

The vespid fauna of Greater Puerto Rico is reviewed (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Three new species are described, Ancistrocerus isla Carpenter, Euodynerus jeitita Carpenter and Genaro, and Omicron aridum Carpenter and Genaro. Polistes crinitus americanus (Fabricius, 1775) and P. crinitus multicolor (Olivier, 1792) are both reduced to synonyms of nominotypical P. crinitus (Felton, 1765), revised status; Zeta abdominale hispaniolae (Bequaert and Salt, 1931) and Zeta abdominale ornatum (de Saussure, 1855) are both reduced to synonyms of nominotypical Zeta abdominale (Drury, 1770), revised status; and Zethus rufinodus monensis Bohart and Stange, 1965, and Zethus rufinodus virginicus Bohart and Stange, 1965, are both reduced …

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Characterization Of The Role Nuclear Bmp2 (Nbmp2) Plays In Regulating Gene Expression, Fialka Grigorova Dec 2011

Characterization Of The Role Nuclear Bmp2 (Nbmp2) Plays In Regulating Gene Expression, Fialka Grigorova

Theses and Dissertations

The nBmp2 protein was first identified in a DNA affinity chromatography/mass spectrometry screen designed to detect proteins that interact with a cartilage-specific enhancer element (called D/E) from the type XI collagen gene Col11a2. The transcription factor SOX9, a protein from the Sox (SRY-related HMG box) family, binds to and activates gene expression from this enhancer. nBmp2 has no transcriptional activity of its own on this enhancer, but when co-transfected with SOX9 it increases SOX9's activation of D/E nearly 2-fold. SOX9 also activates cartilage-specific enhancer elements from the Col2a1, Col27a1, and Col9a1 genes. The purpose of this project …

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Influence Of Weak Interactions On Supramolecular Binding: Characterization Of Cucurbituril Complexes With Alkylmonoammonium Ions Using Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry, Ruijan Shi Dec 2011

Influence Of Weak Interactions On Supramolecular Binding: Characterization Of Cucurbituril Complexes With Alkylmonoammonium Ions Using Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry, Ruijan Shi

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on using mass spectrometry-based techniques for characterizing the structure and behavior of cucurbituril complexes in the gas phase. Both solvent and counter ion effects can be completely eliminated in the gas phase and the intrinsic interactions in the system are directly shown in the experimental results. Chapter 1 introduces the structures, properties and host-guest chemistry of cucurbituril, and FTICR mass spectrometry including instrumentation, performance and working principles. Two mass spectrometry-based methods for supramolecular characterization, sustained off-resonance irradiation collision induced dissociation (SORI CID) and ion molecule equilibrium measurements, are also discussed in this chapter. Chapter 2 characterizes the …

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Rational Design Of Pathogen-Mimicking Amphiphilic Materials As Nanoadjuvants, Bret D. Ulery, Latrisha K. Petersen, Yashdeep Phanse, Chang Sun Kong, Scott R. Broderick, Devender Kumar, Amanda E. Ramer-Tait, Brenda Carrillo-Conde, Krishna Rajan, Michael J. Wannemeuhler, Bryan H. Bellaire, Dennis W. Metzger, Balaji Narasimhan Dec 2011

Rational Design Of Pathogen-Mimicking Amphiphilic Materials As Nanoadjuvants, Bret D. Ulery, Latrisha K. Petersen, Yashdeep Phanse, Chang Sun Kong, Scott R. Broderick, Devender Kumar, Amanda E. Ramer-Tait, Brenda Carrillo-Conde, Krishna Rajan, Michael J. Wannemeuhler, Bryan H. Bellaire, Dennis W. Metzger, Balaji Narasimhan

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

An opportunity exists today for cross-cutting research utilizing advances in materials science, immunology, microbial pathogenesis, and computational analysis to effectively design the next generation of adjuvants and vaccines. This study integrates these advances into a bottom-up approach for the molecular design of nanoadjuvants capable of mimicking the immune response induced by a natural infection but without the toxic side effects. Biodegradable amphiphilic polyanhydrides possess the unique ability to mimic pathogens and pathogen associated molecular patterns with respect to persisting within and activating immune cells, respectively. The molecular properties responsible for the pathogen-mimicking abilities of these materials have been identified. The …

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Changes In Fruit And Vegetable Household Food Availability Among Low-Income Families Over A One-Month Period Of Time, Ann Alicia Wells Dec 2011

Changes In Fruit And Vegetable Household Food Availability Among Low-Income Families Over A One-Month Period Of Time, Ann Alicia Wells

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: There is little evidence of how fruit and vegetable (FV) household food availability changes over a one-month period among low-income households. The objective of this study was to analyze how FV variety and sustainability changes over a 4-week period.
Design: Inventories were conducted in low-income family households (n=49) once a week over a 4-week period. Trained researchers gathered the weights of all FV, including legumes, within the home. Previously determined mean container weights were subtracted to obtain the estimated weight of the FV. All weights were then converted to edible cups of FV, taking into account the weight that …

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A Floristic Survey Of The Lichens Of The Spring Mountains, Nevada, Usa, Monica W. Proulx Dec 2011

A Floristic Survey Of The Lichens Of The Spring Mountains, Nevada, Usa, Monica W. Proulx

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is the culmination of a graduate research project involving a floristic survey of the lichens of the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area (SMNRA), Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Nevada. The project was based on extensive collections made between 1997 and 2007 as part of an air pollution biomonitoring program and a baseline established by Larry St. Clair (BYU). The Spring Mountains are a sky island mountain range in the Mojave Desert located less than an hour northwest of Las Vegas. A floristic survey of the lichen communities in the Spring Mountains represents a major addition to our understanding of the …

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Fine-Scale Genetic Structure And Parentage In Urocitellus Beldingi, Marissa R. Lafler Dec 2011

Fine-Scale Genetic Structure And Parentage In Urocitellus Beldingi, Marissa R. Lafler

Master's Theses

Urocitellus beldingi (Belding's ground squirrel), previously known as Spermophilus beldingi, is a social, montane rodent that occupies alpine and subalpine meadows in the Sierra Nevadas (Helgen et al. 2009). The Tioga Pass meadow (Mono Co. CA) population has been studied behaviorally and demographically for several decades. Microsatellites were developed for this species and conditions for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were defined. Nine microsatellite loci amplified adequately and were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, displaying an average heterozygosity of 0.67±0.19. These nine microsatellite loci were analyzed via PCR to elucidate the fine scale genetic structure, offering insight into population health, stochastic events, and …

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The First Vouchered Milliped Records For Prince Edward Island And Additional New Records From The Maritime Provinces Of Canada (Arthropoda: Diplopoda), Rowland M. Shelley, Mary E. Smith Dec 2011

The First Vouchered Milliped Records For Prince Edward Island And Additional New Records From The Maritime Provinces Of Canada (Arthropoda: Diplopoda), Rowland M. Shelley, Mary E. Smith

Insecta Mundi

Four milliped species, substantiated by preserved voucher samples, are reported from Prince Edward Island, Canada. All are introduced European species that now occur widely in both Canada and the United States, and the panglobal Asian paradoxosomatid, Oxidus gracilis (C. L. Koch, 1847), is listed as probable. Choneiulus palmatus (Némec, 1895) (Julida: Blaniulidae) is newly recorded from New Brunswick, and four representatives of the Julidae are cited from Nova Scotia. Discovery of Cylindroiulus punctatus (Leach, 1815) (Julidae) in this province constitutes the second record from both Canada and North America, the other being in Newfoundland.

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Systematic Revision Of The American Taxa Belonging To The Genera Alloblackburneus Bordat, 2009, And Blackburneus Schmidt, 1913, With Description Of Seven New Species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), Marco Dellacasa, Giovanni Dellacasa, Robert D. Gordon Dec 2011

Systematic Revision Of The American Taxa Belonging To The Genera Alloblackburneus Bordat, 2009, And Blackburneus Schmidt, 1913, With Description Of Seven New Species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), Marco Dellacasa, Giovanni Dellacasa, Robert D. Gordon

Insecta Mundi

The American species belonging to the genera Alloblackburneus Bordat and Blackburneus Schmidt (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) are redescribed and figured. Seven new species are described: Alloblackburneus guadalajarae, A. ibanezbernali; Blackburneus amazonicus, B. sanfilippoi, B. surinamensis, B. teposcolulaensis, B. thomasi. The neotype of Scarabaeus rubeolus Palisot de Beauvois, 1809 is designated. The lectotype of Blackburneus argentinensis (Schmidt, 1909) and of Blackburneus laxepunctatus (Schmidt, 1910) are designated. The following new combinations are proposed: Alloblackburneus aegrotus (Horn, 1870); Alloblackburneus cavidomus (Brown, 1927); Alloblackburneus cynomysi (Brown, 1927); Alloblackburneus fordi (Gordon, 1974); Alloblackburneus geomysi (Cartwright, 1939); Alloblackburneus lentus (Horn, 1870); Alloblackburneus rubeolus (Palisot de Beauvois, …

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Reproducible Hairy Root Transformation And Spot-Inoculation Methods To Study Root Symbioses Of Pea, Scott R. Clemow, Lindsey Clairmont, Lene H. Madsen, Frédérique C. Guinel Dec 2011

Reproducible Hairy Root Transformation And Spot-Inoculation Methods To Study Root Symbioses Of Pea, Scott R. Clemow, Lindsey Clairmont, Lene H. Madsen, Frédérique C. Guinel

Biology Faculty Publications

Pea has lagged behind other model legumes in the molecular study of nodulation and mycorrhizae-formation because of the difficulty to transform its roots and its poor growth on agar plates. Here we describe for pea 1) a transformation technique which permits the complementation of two known non-nodulating pea mutants, 2) a rhizobial inoculation method which allows the study of early cellular events giving rise to nodule primordia, and 3) a targeted fungal inoculation method which allows us to study short segments of mycorrhizal roots assured to be infected. These tools are certain to advance our knowledge of pea root symbioses.

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Does Weather Or Site Characteristics Influence The Ability Of Scavengers To Locate Food?, Rebekah E. Ruzicka, Michael R. Conover Dec 2011

Does Weather Or Site Characteristics Influence The Ability Of Scavengers To Locate Food?, Rebekah E. Ruzicka, Michael R. Conover

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Olfactory predators and scavengers rely on odors to locate food, and they forage primarily at night. We hypothesized that weather (e.g. wind speed, humidity, and temperature), vegetation, and landscape features affect the dissipation of odors in the atmosphere and, thus, impact the foraging efficiency of olfactory predators. We tested this hypothesis by assessing what conditions were correlated with the persistence of bait along the dike surrounding Willard Bay Reservoir, Utah. We distributed 124 chicken eggs and 199 dead European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) as bait over 21 separate occasions spanning from May 21, 2009, to August 18, 2009. We used timers …

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Discrimination And Aggregative Patterns Among And Between Populations Of Entamoeba Spp., Katelyn M. Higgins Dec 2011

Discrimination And Aggregative Patterns Among And Between Populations Of Entamoeba Spp., Katelyn M. Higgins

Honors Senior Capstones and Theses

Kin recognition facilitates the evolution of cooperation in animals, but its relevance in microorganisms and their behavior toward relatives remains unclear. The Entamoeba lineage constitutes an ideal model to determine the behavioral and signaling cues needed for aggregative preference. Chemical cues have been reported for E. histolytica but not E. dispar, suggesting cell-communication between con-specifics and behavioral differences with relevance for disease. Entamoeba varieties have been reported as ‘morphologically undistinguishable’. Two strains of E. invadens have been isolated from different hosts (VK-1: NS - Varanus komodoensis and IP1- serpentes) but were classified within the same ‘species’. Trophozoites …

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Son Maintains Accurate Splicing For A Subset Of Human Pre-Mrnas, Alok Sharma, Michael P. Markey, Keshia Torres-Munoz, Sapna Varia, Madhavi P. Kadakia, Athanasios Bubulya, Paula A. Bubulya Dec 2011

Son Maintains Accurate Splicing For A Subset Of Human Pre-Mrnas, Alok Sharma, Michael P. Markey, Keshia Torres-Munoz, Sapna Varia, Madhavi P. Kadakia, Athanasios Bubulya, Paula A. Bubulya

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Serine-arginine-rich (SR) proteins play a key role in alternative pre-mRNA splicing in eukaryotes. We recently showed that a large SR protein called Son has unique repeat motifs that are essential for maintaining the subnuclear organization of pre-mRNA processing factors in nuclear speckles. Motif analysis of Son highlights putative RNA interaction domains that suggest a direct role for Son in pre-mRNA splicing. Here, we used in situ approaches to show that Son localizes to a reporter minigene transcription site, and that RNAi-mediated Son depletion causes exon skipping on reporter transcripts at this transcription site. A genome-wide exon microarray analysis was performed …

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Mechanism Of G Protein Beta-Gamma Assembly Mediated By Phosducin-Like Protein 1, Chun Wan Jeffrey Lai Dec 2011

Mechanism Of G Protein Beta-Gamma Assembly Mediated By Phosducin-Like Protein 1, Chun Wan Jeffrey Lai

Theses and Dissertations

G-protein coupled receptor signaling (GPCR) is essential for regulating a large variety of hormonal, sensory and neuronal processes in eukaryotic cells. Because the regulation of these physiological responses is critical, GPCR signaling pathways are carefully controlled at different levels within the cascade. Phosducin-like protein 1 (PhLP1) can bind the G protein βγ dimer and participate in GPCR signaling. Recent evidence has supported the concept that PhLP1 can serve as a co-chaperone of the eukaryotic cytosolic chaperonin complex CCT/TRiC to mediate G βγ assembly. Although a general mechanism of PhLP1-mediated G βγ assembly has been postulated, many of the details about …

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