Life Sciences Commons^™

Technology Development Of High-Resolution Single-Cell Lineage Tracing For Cell Reprogramming Systems, Sadie Vanhorn

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

A critical element of cell identity is the cell that created the observed cell. This parent cell dictates many aspects of its identity, whether measured by function, phenotype, or specific assays. The cell’s lineage impacts the ability of the cell to differentiate into final cell types in development or successfully reprogram in direct cell reprogramming. Here, we evolve molecular barcoding techniques to increase the resolution of lineage recording at single-cell resolution. Using single-cell RNA-sequencing as the readout for this measurement, polyadenylated reporter gene transcripts with engineered 3’ untranslated regions were designed to initially label and then record lineage information. While …

Multi-Omic Analysis Of Phototrophic Extracellular Electron Uptake In Novel Rhodovulum Spp. Isolated From A Marine Estuary, Emily J. Davenport

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Microbial metabolisms are incredibly versatile and dynamic, allowing adaptive strategies for growth in even the most limiting environments. For an ever-increasing number of microbes, this includes utilizing soluble or insoluble inorganic mineral species as electron donors, driving geochemical cycles and microbial metabolisms. This metabolic function of transporting electrons derived from the extracellular environment across cell membranes is called extracellular electron uptake (EEU). Within (photo)autotrophs, (p)EEU also sustains CO2 fixation to cell biomass, implicating a potentially fundamental role of microbial carbon cycling in aquatic and soil ecosystems. A model metabolic scheme of pEEU occurring in natural environments is photoferrotrophy, which pairs …

Agot: Agricultural Guide For Occupational Therapy Practitioners, Kara Smallegan, Meghan Skidmore Otd, Otr, Cns, Angela Labrie Blackwell Phd, Otr

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

As agriculture is a hazardous occupation, this project discusses agricultural workers with health conditions/disabilities, experiencing disruption to occupational performance and participation, increasing risk of secondary injuries, and impacting overall well-being and how occupational therapy practitioners can improve these factors through the development of a guidebook. The guide covers population insights, risk factors, assessment guide, conditions, and resources to aid occupational practitioners when assisting the agricultural worker population.

Using Bivalves As An Indicator For Fecal Bacteria, Kamala Chuss

Honors Scholar Theses

This project focuses on the integration of fecal bacteria from warm-blooded animals into bivalve tissue, and the utilization of bivalves as an indicator for fecal bacteria in waterways. Bivalves may give a more representative long-term average of fecal bacteria in water as compared to direct water testing. The primary objective is to create a standard operating procedure to use bacterial testing of bivalves as a proxy for bacteria concentration in the water. This method can be used in places where bivalves do not already exist by adding them to a body of water, or by collecting bivalves that already exist …

Achieving Inter- And Transdisciplinarity In Ecohealth: Insights From A Rodent-Borne Disease Project In A Polycrisis Era, Isabelle Arpin, Clémence Massart, Vincent Bourret, Guillaume Castel, Valeria Carolina Colombo, Jana Eccard, Jasmin Firozpoor, Maciej Grzybek, Heikki A. Henttonen, Herwig Leirs, Andrew Mcmanus, Ben Roche, Tarja Sironen, Vincent Sluydts, Peter Stuart, Annetta Zintl, Nathalie Charbonnel

Publications

Introduction: Inter- and transdisciplinary research (ITDR) is increasingly promoted to address “wicked problems”, particularly in health sectors adopting approaches like Ecohealth. Our Ecohealth-inspired project on rodent-borne diseases, initiated just before the COVID-19 pandemic, provided an opportunity to evaluate ITDR implementation.

Methods: We employed a recently developed semi-quantitative evaluation method to measure our project’s success in achieving ITDR and analyzed factors influencing this achievement.

Results: The project showed strengths in system description, team task allocation, and data sharing, but had lower scores in engaging societal actors throughout the project cycle.

Discussion: We identified the underexplored influence of problem wickedness as a …

Comparison Of Vendor-Pretrained And Custom-Trained Deep Learning Segmentation Models For Head-And-Neck, Breast, And Prostate Cancers, Xinru Chen, Yao Zhao, Hana Baroudi, Mohammad D El Basha, Aji Daniel, Skylar S Gay, Cenji Yu, He Wang, Jack Phan, Seungtaek L Choi, Chelain R Goodman, Xiaodong Zhang, Joshua S Niedzielski, Sanjay S Shete, Laurence E Court, Zhongxing Liao, Fredrik Löfman, Peter A Balter, Jinzhong Yang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background/objectives: We assessed the influence of local patients and clinical characteristics on the performance of commercial deep learning (DL) segmentation models for head-and-neck (HN), breast, and prostate cancers.

Methods: Clinical computed tomography (CT) scans and clinically approved contours of 210 patients (53 HN, 49 left breast, 55 right breast, and 53 prostate cancer) were used to train and validate segmentation models integrated within a vendor-supplied DL training toolkit and to assess the performance of both vendor-pretrained and custom-trained models. Four custom models (HN, left breast, right breast, and prostate) were trained and validated with 30 (training)/5 (validation) HN, 34/5 left …

Characterization Of An Inorganic Powder-Based Scintillation Detector Under A Uhdr Electron Beam, Daline Tho, Sam Beddar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) radiation therapy needs a reliable dosimetry solution and scintillation detectors are promising candidates. In this study, we characterized an inorganic powder-based scintillation detector under a 9 MeV UHDR electron beam.

Methods: A mixture of ZnS:Ag powder and optic glue was coupled to an 8 m Eska GH-4001-P polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) optical fiber. We evaluated the dependence of the detector on dose per pulse (DPP), pulse repetition frequency (PRF), and pulse width (PW). Additionally, we determined the stability and the reproducibility of the detector.

Results: The signal ratio between the PMMA clear optical fiber and the …

Functional Properties Of Corticothalamic Circuits Targeting Paraventricular Thalamic Neurons, Guillermo Aquino-Miranda, Dounya Jalloul, Xu O Zhang, Sa Li, Gilbert J Kirouac, Michael Beierlein, Fabricio H Do Monte

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Corticothalamic projections to sensorimotor thalamic nuclei show modest firing rates and serve to modulate the activity of thalamic relay neurons. By contrast, here we find that high-order corticothalamic projections from the prelimbic (PL) cortex to the anterior paraventricular thalamic nucleus (aPVT) maintain high-frequency activity and evoke strong synaptic excitation of aPVT neurons in rats. In a significant fraction of aPVT cells, such high-frequency excitation of PL-aPVT projections leads to a rapid decay of action potential amplitudes, followed by a depolarization block (DB) that strongly limits aPVT maximum firing rates, thereby regulating both defensive and appetitive behaviors in a frequency-dependent manner. …

Utility Of Colposcopy For The Screening And Management Of Cervical Cancer In Africa: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of Providers’ Training And Practices, Joël Fokom Domgue, Issimouha Dille, Freddy Gnangnon, Sharon Kapambwe, Celine Bouchard, Nomonde Mbatani, Elodie Gauroy, Nathalie Ledaga Ambounda, Robert Yu, Fatoumata Sidibe, Joseph Kamgno, Bangaly Traore, Pierre-Marie Tebeu, Gregory Halle-Ekane, Mohenou Isidore Diomande, Jean-Marie Dangou, Fabrice Lecuru, Isaac Adewole, Marie Plante, Partha Basu, Sanjay Shete

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Cervical cancer is a public health issue in Africa with devastating socioeconomic consequences due to the lack of organized screening programs. The success of screening programs depends on the appropriate investigation and management of women who test positive for screening. Colposcopic assessment following positive screening results is a noteworthy issue in Africa. This study aimed to assess the utilization of colposcopy by providers in the region.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021-2022 among healthcare providers involved in cervical cancer prevention activities in Africa. They were invited to report prior colposcopy training, whether they performed colposcopy and the …

Characterization Of An Inorganic Powder-Based Scintillation Detector Under A Uhdr Electron Beam, Daline Tho, Sam Beddar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

(1) Background: Ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) radiation therapy needs a reliable dosimetry solution and scintillation detectors are promising candidates. In this study, we characterized an inorganic powder-based scintillation detector under a 9 MeV UHDR electron beam. (2) Methods: A mixture of ZnS:Ag powder and optic glue was coupled to an 8 m Eska GH-4001-P polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) optical fiber. We evaluated the dependence of the detector on dose per pulse (DPP), pulse repetition frequency (PRF), and pulse width (PW). Additionally, we determined the stability and the reproducibility of the detector. (3) Results: The signal ratio between the PMMA clear optical …

Transcriptomic Clustering Of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Molecular Subtypes Based On Bruton’S Tyrosine Kinase Expression Levels, Gorkem Kismali, Ganiraju Manyam, Nitin Jain, Cristina Ivan, Betty Lamothe, Mary L Ayres, Lakesla R Iles, William G Wierda, Varsha Gandhi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Historically, CLL prognostication relied on disease burden, reflected in clinical stage. Later, chromosome abnormalities and genomics suggested several CLL subtypes which were aligned with response to therapy. Gene expression profiling data identified pathways associated with CLL progression. We hypothesized that transcriptome and proteome may identify functional omics associated with CLL nosology. As a test cohort, we utilized publicly available treatment-naïve CLL transcriptomics data (n = 130) and did consensus clustering that identified BTK-expression-based clusters. The BTK-High and BTK-Low clusters were validated in public and our in-house databases (n = >550 CLL patients). To associate with functional relevance, we took samples …

Factors Affecting Sport-Related Concussion Non-Disclosure In Women's Rugby-A Multi-Country Qualitative Analysis, Lisa Ryan, Ed Daly, Katherine Hunzinger

Department of Exercise Science Faculty Papers

Background and Objectives: Collision-sport athletes, such as rugby players, are at risk of sport-related concussion (SRC). Women are known to be at higher risk of SRC and may experience more severe and chronic symptomology than men. Knowledge of the factors that affect a player’s disclosure of their concussive symptoms could help to inform strategies to improve compliance with reporting and management of head injuries. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that may impact women rugby players’ disclosure of a concussion. Methods: Twenty-eight adult (≥18 years of age) elite and semi-elite women rugby players from the UK …

Aging, Fast And Slow: Gene Expression Signatures Of Physiological Age Vs. Future Lifespan In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Matthew Mosley

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

An outstanding question in the field of aging biology is the origin of variability in lifespans among members of the same species. Traditional wisdom dictates that differences in one individual’s genes or environment, “nature” and “nurture,” could predispose that individual to a long or short life. However, these explanations are radically incomplete. Even in a model system as homogenous as C. elegans, using an isogenic population in a lab-controlled environment, we observe a distribution in lifespans comparable to that seen in outbred human populations. The first part of this dissertation focuses on characterizing this non-genetic, non-environmental variability in the aging …

Gene Expression Regulation By Au-Rich Elements And Au-Rich Element Binding Proteins, Courtney Fay Jungers

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The regulation of messenger RNA (mRNA) splicing, stability, and translation efficiency are major modes for controlling gene expression – which is essential for life. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) are trans-acting factors that bind to cis-elements influencing the stability and translation of the mRNA transcript. AU-rich elements (AREs) are cis-elements that are targeted by AU-rich element binding proteins (ARE-BPs). Here, I show a novel role for AREs and AU-rich element binding protein 1 (AUF1) during alternative splicing and report on interactions of RBPs and miRNAs to design a new treatment for breast cancer by interrupting these interactions in the …

A Filter-Based Model Of Visual Recognition, Olivia Rose Bockler

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Visual recognition, a key perceptual process, enables primates to identify faces, food, tools, and potential threats in their environment. Cortical neurons along the ventral visual stream—spanning from early visual cortex (V1) through inferotemporal cortex (IT), with long-range projections to ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC)—are essential for visual recognition. Traditional models propose that neuronal representations increase in complexity in each stage of this pathway, culminating in object-specific representations in higher-order cortex. However, this hypothesis remains debated, particularly as artificial visual models have countered that individual neurons along this pathway may function more as filters contributing to distributed representations of objects. Thus, this …

Invasion Stress Mitigates Climate Stress In A Brackish Marsh Amphipod, Lorna E. Haworth, Sarah Nancollas, Susie N. Landa, Anne E. Todgham, Richelle L. Tanner

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

1. Organisms in coastal brackish ecosystems face not only highly variable environmental conditions, but the intensity and stochasticity of these environmental conditions are anticipated to increase due to climate change. While environmental changes are often presented unilaterally as stressors, there are some anthropogenic environmental transformations, such as the introduction of habitat forming plant species, that may mitigate physiological stress imposed by warming. In Suisun Marsh in the California Delta, native plant canopies allow light and heat to penetrate to the understory yet the canopies of the introduced Phragmites australis reed block out sunlight and heat for organisms living below.
2. We set …

Distinct Effects Of Extra- And Intracellular Trehalose Supplementation In Freezing Medium On The Post-Thaw Developmental Capacity Of Feline Oocytes, Saengtawan Arayatham, Wirakan Kallayanathum, Panuwat Padungros, Theerawat Tharasanit

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Oocyte cryopreservation is a crucial technique for preserving the genetic material of female cats, yet maintaining post-thaw oocyte developmental competence remains a significant challenge. This study investigated the impact of intra- and extracellular trehalose on the developmental competence of feline oocytes following cryopreservation. In Experiment 1, immature feline oocytes were matured in vitro (IVM) with varying concentrations (0, 1.5, and 3 mM) of intracellular trehalose hexaacetate (Tre-(OAc)6). The matured oocytes were then cryopreserved and thawed prior to in vitro fertilization and embryo culture. Experiment 2 examined the effects of extracellular trehalose supplementation at concentrations of 0, 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 …

Programmatic Accreditation: Implementation Strategies For College Kinesiology Program Directors, Kworweinski Lafontant

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology

Programmatic accreditation within Kinesiology sub-disciplines, such as physical therapy and sports medicine, have typically been required at the graduate level. Within the coming decade, major certifications for exercise physiology (ACSM-EP) and strength & conditioning (CSCS) will institute programmatic accreditation requirements at the undergraduate level. This article takes a narrative review approach at examining ways that programmatic accreditation at the undergraduate level may impact incoming undergraduate students, such as necessitating earlier specialization and limiting the ability for late-stage career changes. To mitigate these impacts, college kinesiology program directors may benefit from considering the perspectives of students as they work to meet …

Game On! A Comparative Analysis Of External Load In Division Iii Soccer Players Across Gender And Position, Bianca J. De Lucia, Daniel M. Smith, Ashima Fillbach, Mary K. Feit

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology

Global positioning systems have been used increasingly in sports science due to their ability to quantify external loads of athletes during competitions and practices. Limited research has examined gender differences in external load throughout a collegiate soccer season. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare game workloads across collegiate men (MSOC) and women (WSOC) soccer players. Division III MSOC and WSOC players wore GPS devices during games throughout a 15-week season. METHODS: Metrics analyzed from GPS data were: total distance (TD), sprint distance (SD), number of deceleration efforts (decel) (>-3 m/s²), number of acceleration efforts (accel) ( …

The Relationship Between International Tennis Association Rankings And Total Athleticism Score In Collegiate Athletes, Ryne Yamashiro, Paulette Yamada, Trevor Short

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology

Training tennis athletes for peak athletic performance may translate to enhanced on-court performance, resulting in higher rankings. However, the specific trainable tennis attributes that account for the variance in International Tennis Association (ITA) remain elusive. ITA Rankings are calculated based on how a collegiate tennis athlete performs whereby their rankings will change based on wins or losses and scores against their opponents ITA Ranking. A lower ITA Ranking (closer to 1) indicates a higher ranked tennis player. Holistic athletic profiling can be performed by assessing multiple key performance indicators, with the total athleticism score (TAS) being utilized to …

Water Quality Assessment Of Three Ponds In The Plaster Creek Watershed, Orin Daspit, Salome Giessmann, Kennedi Pepin, Andrew Slagter, Sydney Wagenmaker

Student Papers and Reports

Ponds are commonly found in urban areas serving as both an aesthetic and ecological feature. The water quality of these ponds can make important contributions to the overall health of the watershed in which they reside. This study analyzes three ponds within the Plaster Creek Watershed: the Southbridge Condominium Association Pond, the Calvin University Seminary Pond, and the Calvin University Ecosystem Preserve Kettle Swamp. This project aims to provide the Southbridge Condo Association with data that will inform future remediation actions. Using water samples collected over three days, E. coli, pH, nutrients, and total dissolved solids were measured in each …

The Influence Of Heat Therapy On Redox Signaling In Skeletal Muscle, Kimberly Miriam Richard

Theses and Dissertations

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been identified as crucial signaling molecules in skeletal muscle adaptations to exercise and signal for protective pathways within the myofiber. Pathological heat stress studies in animals demonstrate the ability of heat to increase ROS production in skeletal muscle. Limited data on the influence of therapeutic heat on ROS production and redox signaling in human skeletal muscle exists in the literature. The purpose of this study was to assess ROS production and redox signaling in human skeletal muscle following an acute, therapeutic bout of heat treatment. We hypothesized that heat would create an oxidized environment within …

Investigation And Computational Analysis Of The Iqd Gene Family In Common Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.): Expression Profiling Under Salt Stress, Tarik Kirlioğlu, Aybüke Okay, Emi̇ne Sümer Aras, İlker Büyük

Turkish Journal of Botany

Common bean is one of the most nutritionally important legumes because of its high-quality protein content. While its genome has been widely studied however, the IQD gene family has not been extensively investigated in common bean to date. The IQD proteins (IQ-67 domain), a type of calmodulin-binding protein, are involved in plant growth and development, as well as the plant's response to environmental stressors. In this study, thirty-six PvIQD genes were discovered and their proteins were found to be classified into four groups according to the phylogenetic tree. The proteins which are encoded by PvIQD genes with similar exon-intron pattern …

Primary Distribution And Rt-Pcr-Based Detection Of Citrus Dwarfing Viroid (Cdvd) In Citrus Cultivars Of Pakistan, Zia Ul Haq, Amjad Ali, Syed A.H. Naqvi, Faheem Shehzad Baloch, Ummad U.D. Umar

Turkish Journal of Botany

Viroid diseases have emerged as a significant threat to citrus orchards globally. In Pakistan, viroid infections have rapidly spread across different citrus cultivar, posing serious challenges to the survival of orchards. This study encompasses the determination of the prevalence and detection of Citrus dwarfing viroid (CDVd) in both reported and newly introduced citrus cultivars in Pakistan using RT-PCR. RNA was extracted from 122 infected citrus samples and examined for the presence of viroids following the successful optimization of newly designed CDVd primers (CDVd AF1/AR1). This led to the confirmation of CDVd in 72 samples (59.01%).. Biological indexing was performed using …

Functional Characterization Of Haloarchaeal Udp-Glucose 4-Epimerase And 3-Hydroxybutyryl-Coa Dehydrogenase Genes In Nicotiana Tabacum, Çi̇ğdem Otur, Sezer Okay, Aslihan Kurt Kizildoğan

Turkish Journal of Botany

The objective of the studyAbiotic stress poses a significant threat to plant survival. In response to the challenging conditions, plants have evolved various resistance mechanisms. Recently, genetic strategies have become increasingly prevalent in efforts to enhance abiotic stress tolerance and develop stress-resistant plant varieties. In this study, we employed heterologous expression of two metabolism-related haloarchaeal genes in the Nicotiana tabacum genome to improve its mechanism for salt and drought tolerance.Experimental procedure(s)The U2642 and CL165 genes encoding 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase and UDP-glucose 4-epimerase, respectively, were subcloned into the pIPKb004 vector under the control of Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S (CaMV35S) promoter using the …

Genome-Wide Identification And Characterization Of The Lea Gene Family In Common Bean And The Role Of The Dehydrin Gene Pvhdn3 In Enhancing Salt And Drought Tolerance In Transgenic Tobacco Plant., Gökhan Gökdemi̇r, Zafer Seçgin, Karam Mostafa, Mohamed Farah Abdulla, Musa Kavas

Turkish Journal of Botany

Global climate change exposes crops to numerous abiotic and biotic stress factors, significantly threatening their growth, development, and overall productivity. Among the various abiotic stresses, salt and drought are the most detrimental, having a severe impact on yield stability. Late Embryogenesis Abundant proteins (LEA) represent a broad and varied class of polypeptides that accumulate in response to cellular dehydration across diverse organisms. Nonetheless, there has been a scarcity of studies on this protein family in common beans prior to this investigation. In this study, we identified 69 members of the LEA gene family in common bean, characterized by conserved LEA …

Phylogenomics Of The Tribe Leonureae Reveals A New Genus: Paraleonurus (Lamiaceae, Lamioideae), Mei-Lin Qian, Ya-Ping Chen, Tuncay Di̇rmenci̇, Yue Zhao, Guo-Xiong Hu, Fei Zhao, Ferhat Celep, Bo Li, Chunlei Xiang

Turkish Journal of Botany

With approximately 80 species across six genera (Leonurus, Lagopsis, Panzerina, Lagochilus, Chaiturus, and Loxocalyx), the tribe Leonureae represents one of the most morphologically diverse tribes within the subfamily Lamioideae of Lamiaceae. Previous studies indicated that Leonurus and Lagopsis are not monophyletic, and relationships among and within these genera remain unclear due to limited sampling and DNA markers. In this study, we present the most comprehensive phylogenomic analyses of Leonureae based on complete plastome sequences and 127 nuclear loci retrieved from next-generation sequencing data. Our results provide strong evidence for the monophyly of Leonureae, which can be further divided into six …

Heterologous Expression Of Haloarchaeal Transporter Genes In Nicotiana Tabacum Under Salt And Drought Stresses, Çi̇ğdem Otur, Musa Kavas, Aslihan Kurt Kizildoğan

Turkish Journal of Botany

The objective of the study: Climate change and human activities impose severe biotic and abiotic stresses that threaten plant survival. To cope with these extreme conditions, plants have evolved various resistance mechanisms. In recent years, genetic approaches have been increasingly employed to enhance abiotic stress tolerance and develop stress-resistant plants. In this study, we introduced three transporter-related genes from extreme haloarchaea, which thrive in saturated NaCl environments, into the Nicotiana tabacum genome to improve its salt and drought tolerance mechanisms.E xperimental procedure(s) : The U2845, U3508, and CL165 genes were subcloned into the pIPKb004 vector, which includes the cauliflower mosaic …

Innovations In Plant Genome Editing And Biotechnology: Addressing Global Agricultural Challenges, Bayram Ali̇ Yerli̇kaya, Karam Mostafa, Abdullah Aydin, Seher Yerli̇kaya, Momna Mehmood, Ni̇sa Nur Yilmaz, Kubi̇lay Yildirim, Musa Kavas

Turkish Journal of Botany

Developments in genome editing and plant biotechnology in recent years, especially CRISPR-Cas9 and RNA interference (RNAi) technologies, offer essential tools for solving global agricultural problems that are worsened by climate change and the increasing food demand caused by the rising world population. This review focuses on the urgent need to feed a growing global population. It explores how key biotechnological tools can enhance crop resilience and nutritional quality amid climate variability and extreme weather. The applicability of CRISPR-Cas technologies in the development of climate-friendly, more nutritious, and higher-yielding crops has opened a biotechnological avenue for the development of both transgenic …

Advancements In Qtl Mapping And Gwas Application In Plant Improvement, Muhammad Tanveer Altaf, Muhammed Tatar, Amjad Ali, Waqas Liaqat, Parnaz Mortazvi, Ceyhun Kayihan, Fati̇h Ölmez, Muhammad Azhar Nadeem, Jazib Javed, Jin-Ying Gou, Meng-Lu Wang, Ummad Ud Din Umar, Hayri̇ye Yildiz Daşgan, Cemal Kurt, Mehtap Yildiz, Sheikh Mansoor, Abdelfattah A. Dababat, Nafiz Çeli̇ktaş, Faheem Shehzad Baloch

Turkish Journal of Botany

Molecular markers play a crucial role in modern plant breeding by enabling the precise identification of genetic loci associated with important agronomic traits. This article focuses on the advancements in Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) mapping and Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS), which are pivotal in identifying and dissecting complex traits such as stress tolerance, yield improvement, and nutrient efficiency. Through QTL mapping, significant genetic regions linked to desired traits are identified, while GWAS leverages larger populations for higher resolution in genetic association studies. The integration of next-generation sequencing, CRISPR, and transcriptomics technologies has revolutionized the precision and efficiency of these methods, …