Life Sciences Commons^™

Seasonal Effects Of Plant Functional Groups On Molecular Biogeochemistry Of Dissolved Organic Matter In Porewater Of A Poor Fen, Zhimin Song, Maryam Khaksari, Erik A. Lilleskov, Evan Kane, Paul V. Doskey

Michigan Tech Publications

Climate change may transform peatlands from net carbon (C) sinks to C sources, which could result in a positive feedback to global warming. Warmer temperatures might lower water tables, increase the abundance of shrubs, slow Sphagnum and sedge growth and further accelerate the decomposition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) with a concomitant release of C from the surface. Studies in which vascular plant functional groups (PFGs) in peatlands have been manipulated to mimic the potential effects of a warming climate on DOM are scarce. In the subject study, seasonal effects of PFGs on the molecular composition of DOM of peat …

Role And Key Species Of Freshwater Snails In Enhancing Plant Growth Performance Of Duckweeds (Spirodela Polyrhiza) In Rice Paddy Fields, Dwi Harya Yudistira, Fariz Ardiansyah Gunawan, Shahla Aurelia Arif, Satoru Sato

Jurnal Kultivasi

Freshwater snails are widely distributed in the rice field ecosystem. Freshwater snails’ feeding and metabolic activities can potentially increase the complexity of freshwater ecosystems, particularly through the nutrient cycle. Cipangopaludina chinensis, Physa acuta, and Semisulcospira libertina are commonly found in Japan's paddy field ecosystems. Spirodela polyrhiza is expected to support biodiversity, improve soil fertility, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in paddy field ecosystems, while providing food and shelter for the snails. In this study, we investigated the effects of these three snail species on the growth of Spirodela polyrhiza. The results showed that the presence of P. acuta or C. …

The Effect Of Weed Control Using Herbicide On Soil Bacteria, Growth, And Yield Of Sweet Corn, Lafi Na'imatul Bayyinah, Purwanto, Risqa Naila Khusna Syarifah, Rama Adi Pratama, Ida Widiyawati, Hendra

Jurnal Kultivasi

Weeds are managed by herbicides, but this can reduce the abundance of soil bacteria. This research aimed to determine the effect of active compounds of herbicides on weeds, the abundance of soil bacteria, growth and yield of sweet corn. The experiment was conducted from June to October 2023 in the fields and Laboratory of Agronomy and Horticulture, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, Purwokerto. A randomized block design was used, consisting of eight treatments and four replications. The treatments included control (H0); weeding (H1); paraquat (H2); glyphosate (H3); paraquat, atrazine, mesotrione (H4); glyphosate, atrazine, mesotrione (H5); paraquat, atrazine, mesotrione, nicosulfuron (H6); and glyphosate, …

Effect Of Meta-Topolin And Kinetin At Various Concentrations On Shoot Multiplication In White Turmeric (Curcuma Zedoaria Rosc.), Murgayanti, Annisa Nanda Nur Azizah, Anne Nuraini, Erni Suminar, Syariful Mubarok

Jurnal Kultivasi

White turmeric is a medicinal plant widely used to treat various diseases. The limited availability of white turmeric seedlings is influenced by the scarcity of quality seeds due to the long dormancy of the rhizomes and the high incidence of pathogen attacks. Tissue culture techniques are one alternative to address the problem of white turmeric seedling availability. This study aims to determine the best concentrations of meta-topolin and kinetin for in vitro shoot multiplication of white turmeric. The research was conducted from January to June 2022 at the tissue culture laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Padjadjaran. This study used a …

The Interaction Of Nitrogen And Potassium Nutrients In Increasing Growth, Yield, And Quality Of Sweet Corn Products, Risqa Naila Khusna Syarifah, Purwanto, Agus Sarjito, Hana Hanifa, Lafi Na'imatul Bayyinah

Jurnal Kultivasi

Fertilizer application is a strategy that can be used to increase sweet corn production and maintain environmental balance. This research aims (i) to determine the optimal dose of nitrogen and potassium fertilizers for sweet corn production; (ii) to study the agronomic and physiological responses of sweet corn plants at different nitrogen and potassium dose; and (iii) to determine the nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) nutrient uptake and efficiency by sweet corn at different fertilizer doses and their interactions on yield and yield quality. The research was conducted from March to November 2022 in the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman. …

Benchmarking Large Language Models For Biomedical Natural Language Processing Applications And Recommendations, Qingyu Chen, Yan Hu, Xueqing Peng, Qianqian Xie, Qiao Jin, Aidan Gilson, Maxwell B Singer, Xuguang Ai, Po-Ting Lai, Zhizheng Wang, Vipina K Keloth, Kalpana Raja, Jimin Huang, Huan He, Fongci Lin, Jingcheng Du, Rui Zhang, W Jim Zheng, Ron A Adelman, Zhiyong Lu, Hua Xu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The rapid growth of biomedical literature poses challenges for manual knowledge curation and synthesis. Biomedical Natural Language Processing (BioNLP) automates the process. While Large Language Models (LLMs) have shown promise in general domains, their effectiveness in BioNLP tasks remains unclear due to limited benchmarks and practical guidelines. We perform a systematic evaluation of four LLMs-GPT and LLaMA representatives-on 12 BioNLP benchmarks across six applications. We compare their zero-shot, few-shot, and fine-tuning performance with the traditional fine-tuning of BERT or BART models. We examine inconsistencies, missing information, hallucinations, and perform cost analysis. Here, we show that traditional fine-tuning outperforms zero- or …

Tobacco Smoke Exposure Is A Driver Of Altered Oxidative Stress Response And Immunity In Head And Neck Cancer, Yang Li, Pedram Yadollahi, Fonma N Essien, Vasanta Putluri, Chandra Shekar R Ambati, Karthik Reddy Kami Reddy, Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal, Nagireddy Putluri, Lama M Abdurrahman, Maria E Ruiz Echartea, Keenan J Ernste, Akshar J Trivedi, Jonathan Vazquez-Perez, William H Hudson, William K Decker, Rutulkumar Patel, Abdullah A Osman, Farrah Kheradmand, Stephen Y Lai, Jeffrey N Myers, Heath D Skinner, Cristian Coarfa, Kwangwon Lee, Antrix Jain, Anna Malovannaya, Mitchell J Frederick, Vlad C Sandulache

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Exposomes are critical drivers of carcinogenesis. However, how they modulate tumor behavior remains unclear. Extensive clinical data show cigarette smoke to be a key exposome that promotes aggressive tumors, higher rates of metastasis, reduced response to chemoradiotherapy, and suppressed anti-tumor immunity. We sought to determine whether smoke itself can modulate aggressive tumor behavior in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) through reprogramming of the cellular reductive state.

Methods: Using established human and murine HNSCC cell lines and syngeneic mouse models, we utilized conventional western blotting, steady state and flux metabolomics, RNA sequencing, quantitative proteomics and flow cytometry to …

Anticancer Activity Of Allium Cepa Through The Inactivation Of Nf-Κb Pathway: A Literature-Based Study, Sharmita Ghosh Situ, Md. Sakib Al Hasan, Emon Mia, Md. Nasimul Haque Shipon, Md. Faisal Amin, Asmaul Husna Bristy, Yasin Emon

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Allium cepa (onion) is a bulbous herb renowned for its diverse health benefits. This study aims to summarize the anticancer potential of A. cepa through the inactivation of the Nuclear Factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) pathway by reviewing experimental findings across various cancer models. A thorough examination of the literature was carried out using databases like Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect. The findings revealed that phytochemicals such as stigmasterol, fisetin, quercetin, isorhamnetin, morin, kaempferol, luteolin, β-carotene, and β-sitosterol exhibit strong anticancer properties against various cancers, including breast, bladder, colon, colorectal, cervical, lung, liver, oral, pancreatic, …

Assessing The One Health (Ecosystem, Animal And Human Health) Impacts Of Current Dietary Patterns Based On Farm-To-Fork Life Cycle Assessment In The Republic Of Ireland, Daniel Tymko Burke, Paul Hynds, Anushree Priyadarshini

Articles

Food production and dietary patterns play a central role in the myriad interactions among human, animal, and environmental health, emphasising the need for a One Health approach, and this study aims to evaluate dietary patterns within this framework. A cross-sectional dietary survey of adults was undertaken (2021) with a sample size of 957 respondents, representative of the population of Ireland. Subsequently, a farm-to-fork life cycle assessment (LCA) was employed to assess nine human health and environmental impacts (fine particulate matter formation, freshwater and marine ecotoxicity and eutrophication, human carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic toxicity and terrestrial acidification and ecotoxicity) across thirteen distinct …

Does Body Mass Index Affect Postural Control In Adults?, Taylor Kruse, Andrew Shim, Ian Bonder

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 18(7): 394-403, 2025. Obese adults are faced with greater challenges to maintaining balance compared to their healthy-weight counterparts. Due in part to the ongoing national and global obesity epidemic, it’s imperative to identify if body mass index (BMI) could negatively affect postural control and balance. The purpose of this study was to determine if CoP scores displayed a significant relationship with BMI in healthy adults. Cross-sectional, archival data from 225 adults (40 males; 185 females; age 29.6 + 14.25 years; weight 77.95 + 21.33 kilograms [kg]; height 168.43 + 0.66 centimeters [cm]; BMI 27.52 + …

17 - Mapping The Spatial Distribution Of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Using Commercial Satellite Imagery, Brandon Watson

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Seagrass in the Chesapeake Bay has seen an increase due to restoration efforts since the 90s, but with the extreme change of climate, we are unsure if the seagrass will thrive or perish, and where it will occur in the bay. Seagrass stabilizes coastal sediments, reducing erosion and protecting shorelines. It provides crucial habitats and nursery grounds for a diverse range of marine species, supporting both biodiversity and fisheries. Additionally, they play a significant role in carbon sequestration, which mitigates the effects of climate change. This study specifically looked at the area from the mouth of the Rappahannock River up …

05 - Freeze Severity And Black Mangrove Growth: Influence Of Plant Origin On Side Shoot Development, Kathryn Bourlier, Katelyn Overstreet, Erik Yando

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Despite a reduction in freeze events and subsequent expansion in the southeastern US, freeze impacts still play a critical role in mangrove morphology and local range limits. Freeze events can impair growth, limit survival, and commonly prompts side shoot development. This study examines the relationship between plant origin, freeze severity, and side shoot development in black mangroves. Our findings show that plants from each location exhibited distinct morphological responses, with similarities more closely linked to environmental conditions rather than geographic proximity. Our work offers insights into thermal tolerance thresholds and implications for mangrove stature in coastal wetlands.

02 - Habitat Preference Of Ambrosia Beetles (Curculionidae) Using Bottle Traps In Southeastern Virginia, Sajrim Chowdhury, Morgan Harrison, Deborah A. Waller, Umme Akter

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Ambrosia beetles attack host trees by boring into the stem and infecting the tree with a symbiotic fungus. Infected trees suffer damage to the vascular system which often results in tree mortality. We examined whether different species of native and invasive ambrosia beetles prefer different habitats by placing bottle traps in riparian areas near streams and in forested habitats in several locations in southeastern Virginia. Numerous ambrosia beetles were collected in the traps, and we related ambrosia beetle species to the habitat in which it was collected.

Highly Regenerable Magnetic Sulfonated Chitosan Crosslinked With Glutaraldehyde Composite Beads (Iron Sand/Naso3-Chi-G) For Aqueous Mercury Removal, Fathurrahmi Fathurrahmi, Rahmi Rahmi, Lelifajri Lelifajri, Anggun Sixthia Wulan Ayu, Muhammad Iqhrammullah

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

We developed a novel adsorbent from sulfonated, glutaraldehyde-crosslinked chitosan embedded with magnetic iron sand. The adsorbent was synthesized through a two-step process: (1) sulfonation with N(SO₃Na)₃ to introduce sulfonate groups, and (2) crosslinking with glutaraldehyde to enhance structural stability. The optimal formulation, containing 43.5% iron sand and crosslinked with 0.17 M glutaraldehyde, exhibited the highest Hg²⁺ adsorption capacity (30.74 mg/g) at pH 3. The adsorbents were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopic (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Adsorption equilibrium was achieved within 60 minutes, and isotherm modeling showed that the process followed the Freundlich model …

Enhancing State-Of-The-Art Motor Imagery Classification With Reinforcement Learning, Anton Shepelev

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the key obstacles to the rapid adoption of non-invasive Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) for Motor Imagery (MI) is the low signal-to-noise ratio, and the substantial data requirements which can be mentally taxing for users. EEGNet, a compact Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), has long been considered the state-of-the-art (SOTA) for MI classification, demonstrating strong performance even with limited data. However, recent studies advocate for integrating Deep Reinforcement Learning (RL) to further enhance classification accuracy by dynamically optimizing feature extraction and decision-making processes. Despite this potential, practical implementations remain scarce due to challenges in stabilizing RL training and adapting it to …

The Lingering Effects Of The Asian Longhorned Beetle: Impact On The Changing Composition Of A New England Campus Arboretum, Elizabeth J. Silver, Russell M. Cleary, Kelly Wolfe-Bellin

Biology Department Student Scholarship

First presented at:

Ecological Society of America (ESA), Mid-Atlantic Chapter, 2025 Annual Conference April 4-6, 2025

Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

Atlantic Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon Terraenovae) Jaw, Nicholas Burchett, David Kerstetter, Derek Burkholder

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Antioxidant Activity Of Pamam Dendrimer Stabilized Ascorbic Acid, Gabriella Srikureja

Honors Theses

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is an essential micronutrient for human health. It acts as an enzymatic cofactor in anabolic biochemical pathways such as the synthesis of collagen, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Unfortunately, this versatility comes at the cost of a high degradation rate both in and outside of the food matrix. Previous research exploring stabilizing aqueous ascorbic acid through Poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers found success in reducing the rate of degradation.

To confirm the antioxidant activity of ascorbic acid in its stabilized dendrimer complex, 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays examined via Cary 5000 UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer found that performing the DPPH assay under aqueous conditions …

Does A Waiting Room Increase Same-Day Treatment For Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Pregnant Women? A Quality Improvement Study At South African Primary Healthcare Facilities, Ranjana M. Gigi, Mandisa M. Mdingi, Lukas Bütikofer, Chibuzor M. Babalola, Jeffrey D. Klausner, Andrew Medina-Marino, Christina A. Muzny, Christopher M. Taylor, Janneke H. Van De Wijgert, Remco P. Peters, Nicola Low

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Same-day testing and treatment of curable sexually transmitted infections (STI) is a strategy to reduce infection duration and onward transmission. South African primary healthcare facilities often lack sufficient waiting spaces. This study aimed to assess the proportion of, and factors influencing, pregnant women waiting for on-site STI test results before and after the installation of clinic-based waiting rooms. METHODS: We conducted an observational quality improvement study at 5 public primary healthcare facilities in South Africa from March 2021 to May 2023. The intervention was the installation of a waiting room in two clinics. Three clinics were used as comparators: …

A Phase Ii Trial Of Sitravatinib + Nivolumab After Progression On Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor In Patients With Metastatic Clear Cell Rcc, Andrew W Hahn, Nabil Adra, Ulka Vaishampayan, Lianchun Xiao, Nazli Dizman, Ying Yuan, Sagar S Mukhida, Matthew T Campbell, Jianjun Gao, Amado J Zurita, Eric Jonasch, Nizar M Tannir, Amishi Y Shah, Pavlos Msaouel

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Sitravatinib, an oral multi-kinase inhibitor targeting VEGFR, TAM, and MET, has been shown to resensitize the tumor microenvironment to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) by reducing immune-suppressive myeloid cells in metastatic clear cell RCC (ccRCC). ICI is the standard first-line (1L) treatment of metastatic ccRCC, and there is unmet need for improved treatment outcomes after progression on ICI. We hypothesized that sitravatinib plus nivolumab would revert an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) to improve clinical outcomes.

Methods: In this investigator-initiated, phase II, multicenter trial (NCT04904302), patients with progressive metastatic ccRCC after 1-2 lines of treatment were enrolled into 3 …

Assessing A Possible Effect Of Males' Pheromones In The Phonotaxis Of Female Acheta Domesticus, Addy Rodriguez Velasco

Honors Theses

Acoustic communication in crickets is crucial for reproduction. Females respond phonotactically to the male's call. Prior research evaluating the selectivity of phonotaxis in these females, has focused on females that have been isolated from males from day 1 after metamorphosis. However, assessing phonotaxis in females raised in the presence of males, remains to be done. This study aims to investigate the phonotactic response of female Acheta domesticus that were housed with males prior to testing.

Results indicate that on average, male-exposed females respond phonotactically to a wider range of calls that those females in the control group. These results rule …

Resistant & Persistent Bacterial Cells, Jean-Louis Bru

Open Educational Resources

An activity on the difference between resistant & persistent bacterial cells. This activity aims to build on the pre-lecture materials about resistant bacterial cells, so that students can make a connection toward persistent cells. In both cases, they make antibiotics less effective.

Learning Objectives

Recognize the importance of antibiotics in fighting bacterial infections. Understand how bacterial species become antibiotic resistant. Determine the difference between resistant and persistent bacterial cells.

Social and Collaborative

Students work together on this in-class activity in groups of 2-4 (3, ideally). Each student will have one of the following roles: encourager, recorded, investigator, and time keeper. …

Understanding Strain-Level Dynamics In Gut Commensal-Pathogen-Host Interactions, Anna Louise Deveaux

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The human gut microbiome is a consortium of trillions of bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses that colonizes the gastrointestinal tract and promotes health under homeostatic conditions. This microbial community trains the immune system, modulates inflammation and anticancer immunity, promotes cardiometabolic health, enables nutrient extraction, and prevents pathogen overgrowth. The latter function manifests through colonization resistance, in which microbes occupy spatial and nutritional niches thereby excluding pathogens from the community entirely, and through limiting pathogen population growth if colonization occurs. These roles are facilitated by complex host-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions that underlie differences in susceptibility to microbiome-mediated infectious diseases. The strain-level …

Effects Of Treatment With Af38469 On Localization Of Lysosomal Proteins In Batten Disease In Vitro Models, Ainslie Robinson, Mitchell Rechtzigel, Hannah Leppert, Joelle Anderson, Jon Brudvig, Jill Weimer

Celebration of Research

Batten disease is a rare, pediatric, neurological disorder that is the result of a mutation in one of 13 CLN genes. Batten disease has an incidence rate of 1 out of 100,000 births worldwide with CLN3 being the most common form. Being a genetic disorder, gene therapy is an ideal treatment approach for Batten disease. Diagnosis of disease, however, typically does not occur until disease has progressed, when the ideal therapeutic window for gene therapy has already passed. Additionally, the durability of viral-delivered gene therapy over time is poorly understood. AF38469, a small molecule inhibitor of sortilin, was developed for …

Genetic Screen To Understand Phage Gene Function​, Laura F. Nelsen, Olivia E. Anderson, Ryan C. Dodds, Lauren N. Fisk, Taylor Rentschler-Lorenzen, Ainslie K. Robinson, Sydney Rehmke, Shayler O. Van Gelder, Julia S. Vandenberg, Jacie Vander Waal, Elizabeth Y. Heeg, Sara S. Tolsma

Celebration of Research

For years, healthcare providers have raised concerns regarding the use of antibiotics to treat bacterial infections. Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, are a promising alternative to the use of antibiotics. Phages target specific bacteria and kill them. Using phages to treat bacterial infections is phage therapy. To use phages in phage therapy we need to understand phage biology fully. To advance this objective we are using a genetic screen to identify genes in phages Island3, Sbash, and EagleEye that interfere with host cell growth (cytotoxicity) and genes that protect the host from infection by another phage (defense). So far, we …

Phinding Phages, Mary Britten, Peyton Abraham, Gabriel Andres, Princess Bola-Lawal, Randi Childress, Abby Flanagan, Mallory Gramstad, Tark Griebel, Hayden Groos, Sharon Huffman, Korver Hupke, Corbin Kleis, Jenna Kluxdal, Ayda Maassen, Caden Meyer, Elsa Meyer, Logan Miller, Emma Steinhardt, Travis Sweeney, Alexa Trover, Sara S. Tolsma

Celebration of Research

Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem. Understanding the genetics of individual phages is important in discovering viable candidates for phage therapy. Research reveals their complexity. There is much to learn. We used bioinformatics to better understand four phages discovered by Northwestern College students: Exploradora, IndiRoo, Red Raider, and Frizzle. We published our results in GenBank. In this poster, we will discuss notable features of each phage. Our work contributes to the future of medicine by forming a more complete understanding of phage genomes.

Complete Genomic Annotation Of Bacteriophage Coveyb, Emma Steinhardt, Sara S. Tolsma

Celebration of Research

Antibiotic resistance is on the rise and has become a serious problem in recent decades. Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, can be used to help address antibiotic resistance through phage therapy. Phage therapy is a process that uses lytic bacteriophages to kill bacteria. Before a phage can be used for phage therapy, it's must be well understood. Annotation using bioinformatics accomplishes this. CoveyB is a bacteriophage that was found by a Northwestern student and was the phage that was used during this genomic annotation research. The work done on CoveyB will be a significant contribution to not only the phage …

Porcine Vs Human Hepatocyte Metabolic Characterization, Kallie Van Kley, Kip Cullinan, Sophie Swart, Zachary Varpness, Ryan Schulze

Celebration of Research

For patients with chronic liver disease, receiving a transplant is the only lasting option for treatment. However, few patients receive transplants from viable human donors due to limited availability. Additionally, various challenges are posed when conducting hepatocyte research, specifically in isolating quality human hepatocytes for reliable, consistent pharmaceutical testing.By developing a consistent, high-quality line of pig cells, Cytotheryx can provide an alternative option for pharmaceutical testing. In the future, the cloned pigs could serve as potential bio-incubators to support human liver cell expansion and regeneration. At this stage of research, the main objective is to determine metabolic consistency in Cytotheryx …

Anti-Proliferative Potential Of Plant Extracts: A Study Of Guarana, Apple Peel, Milk Thistle, Elderberry, And Barberry, Randi Childress, Lauren Fisk, Andrew Fleury, Khole Hester, Ty Hulshof, Laura Nelsen, Dane Schoenborn, Gershom Srinivasulu, Alexa Trover, Julia Vandenberg, Brianna Winford, Sara S. Tolsma

Celebration of Research

Plant-based compounds have garnered interest as alternative and adjunct cancer therapies due to their anti-proliferative properties. This study examines the effects of guarana (Paullinia cupana), apple peel (Malus domestica), milk thistle (Silybum marianum), elderberry (Sambucus nigra), and berberis (Berberis vulgaris) on HeLa cell proliferation. Using in vitro CyQuant assays, we assessed their impact at varying concentrations. Results indicate that guarana and apple peel extracts may exhibit anti-proliferative activity, with guarana acting synergistically with paclitaxel. We believe the extracts are likely acting through oxidative stress modulation, apoptosis induction, and cell cycle disruption (Cavalcanti et al., 2020; Hertz, 2015; Khan et al., …

B2h Interaction Assay: Exploring The Mechanism Of Interaction Between Phage Island3 And Host Mycobacterium Smegmatic, Julia Vandenberg, Sara S. Tolsma

Celebration of Research

Island3 is a bacteriophage that infects Mycobacterium smegmatis (M. smeg). In past years, Northwestern College students have annotated Island3 's genome, performed genetic screens, and performed interaction assays with it. Though extensive research has been done on this phage and its genome, there is still much that is not understood about the mechanisms through which it functions. To explore the mechanism of action for genes 35 and 36 (both known to be cytotoxic), I performed a bacterial-2-hybrid interaction assay with each of these genes, creating a plasmid containing hybrid gene with the target phage gene in place of the …