Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Increased Coding Potential Of Bovine Herpesvirus 1, Victoria Jefferson

Theses and Dissertations

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) costs the cattle industry millions of dollars in costs in treatment and loss every year in the United States. A significant pathogen often contributes to BRD is Bovine Herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1), a double stranded DNA virus with the ability to establish latency in the trigeminal ganglia and neurons. Primary infection with BoHV-1 results in immunosuppression that increases the risk of secondary bacterial infection and pneumonia. Because herpesviruses infect their hosts for life and can be reactivated in times of stress, BoHV-1 can present a recurring risk of BRD. The following research aims to expand the knowledge …

Identification And Characterization Of Geotrichum Candidum Isolates From Peach With Reduced Sensitivity To Propiconazole, Sara Price

All Theses

Geotrichum candidum Link (1809) is a yeast-like fungus that causes sour rot of stone fruits, including peach (Prunus persica). The disease caused damage between 2021 and 2023 to the peach crop kept in cold storage at a commercial farm in South Carolina despite preharvest and postharvest applications of fungicides. Isolates from 41 symptomatic fruit, from a South Carolina (SC) commercial packing house, as well as other isolates obtained from South Carolina were identified to be G. candidum based on species-specific PCR amplifications of the β tubulin gene. Commonly used postharvest fungicide fludioxonil had no effect on G. candidum mycelial growth …

On The Origin And Evolution Of The Mosquito Male-Determining Factor Nix, James K. Biedler, Azedah Aryan, Yumin Qi, Aihua Wang, Ellen O. Martinson, Daniel A. Hartman, Fan Yang, Atashi Sharma, Katherine S. Morton, Mark Potters, Chujia Chen, Stephen L. Dobson, Gregory D. Ebel, Rebekah C. Kadling, Sally Paulson, Rui-De Xue, Michael R. Strand, Zhijian Tu

Entomology Faculty Publications

The mosquito family Culicidae is divided into 2 subfamilies named the Culicinae and Anophelinae. Nix, the dominant male-determining factor, has only been found in the culicines Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, 2 important arboviral vectors that belong to the subgenus Stegomyia. Here we performed sex-specific whole-genome sequencing and RNAseq of divergent mosquito species and explored additional male-inclusive datasets to investigate the distribution of Nix. Except for the Culex genus, Nix homologs were found in all species surveyed from the Culicinae subfamily, including 12 additional species from 3 highly divergent tribes comprising 4 genera, suggesting Nix originated at least 133 to …

Design And Characterization Of A Novel Eef2k Degrader With Potent Therapeutic Efficacy Against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Changxin Zhong, Rongfeng Zhu, Ting Jiang, Sheng Tian, Xiaobao Zhao, Xiaoya Wan, Shilong Jiang, Zonglin Chen, Rong Gong, Linhao He, Jin-Ming Yang, Na Ye, Yan Cheng

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Dysregulated eEF2K expression is implicated in the pathogenesis of many human cancers, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), making it a plausible therapeutic target. However, specific eEF2K inhibitors with potent anti-cancer activity have not been available so far. Targeted protein degradation has emerged as a new strategy for drug discovery. In this study, a novel small molecule chemical is designed and synthesized, named as compound C1, which shows potent activity in degrading eEF2K. C1 selectively binds to F8, L10, R144, C146, E229, and Y236 of the eEF2K protein and promotes its proteasomal degradation by increasing the interaction between eEF2K and the …

Effect Of Plant Genotype On Plant-Microbe Interactions And Multi-Generation Ecosystem Selection Of Microbial Communities Associated With Plant Biomass In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Nachiket Shankar

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The microbiome's role in shaping host phenotypes is a critical area of investigation, with implications for ecology, evolution, and host health. Dynamic plant-microbe interactions are influenced by factors like soil type, environment, and genotype. Understanding their impact on microbial communities is key for tailored plant benefits. An artificial ecosystem selection experiment was done for eight generations with Arabidopsis thaliana Ler and Cvi. This revealed distinct microbial communities shaped by genotypes and biomass treatments. Initially, environment dominated, but over time, genotype and biomass gained influence, explaining ~40% of the variation. Moreover, genotype-specific rhizobacterial associations were observed, enhancing understanding of community dynamics …

Single-Cell Multiomics Of The Human Retina Reveals Hierarchical Transcription Factor Collaboration In Mediating Cell Type-Specific Effects Of Genetic Variants On Gene Regulation, Jun Wang, Xuesen Cheng, Qingnan Liang, Leah A Owen, Jiaxiong Lu, Yiqiao Zheng, Meng Wang, Shiming Chen, Margaret M Deangelis, Yumei Li, Rui Chen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Systematic characterization of how genetic variation modulates gene regulation in a cell type-specific context is essential for understanding complex traits. To address this question, we profile gene expression and chromatin accessibility in cells from healthy retinae of 20 human donors through single-cell multiomics and genomic sequencing.

RESULTS: We map eQTL, caQTL, allelic-specific expression, and allelic-specific chromatin accessibility in major retinal cell types. By integrating these results, we identify and characterize regulatory elements and genetic variants effective on gene regulation in individual cell types. The majority of identified sc-eQTLs and sc-caQTLs display cell type-specific effects, while the cis-elements containing genetic …

Association Of Elevated Serum Aldosterone Concentrations In Pregnancy With Hypertension, Robin C. Shoemaker, Marko Poglitsch, Dolph Lewis Davis Iii, Hong Huang, Aric Schadler, Neil Patel, Katherine Vignes, Aarthi Srinivasan, Cynthia Cockerham-Morris, John Anthony Bauer, John M. O’Brien

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Emerging evidence indicates a previously unrecognized, clinically relevant spectrum of abnormal aldosterone secretion associated with hypertension severity. It is not known whether excess aldosterone secretion contributes to hypertension during pregnancy. We quantified aldosterone concentrations and angiotensin peptides in serum (using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry) in a cohort of 128 pregnant women recruited from a high-risk obstetrics clinic and followed prospectively for the development of gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, superimposed pre-eclampsia, chronic hypertension, or remaining normotensive. The cohort was grouped by quartile of aldosterone concentration in serum measured in the first trimester, and blood pressure, angiotensin peptides, and hypertension outcomes …

Human Schwann Cells In Vitro I. Nerve Tissue Processing, Pre-Degeneration, Isolation, And Culturing Of Primary Cells, Gabriela I. Aparicio, Paula V. Monje

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

This paper presents versatile protocols to prepare primary human Schwann cell (hSC) cultures from mature peripheral nervous system tissues, including fascicles from long spinal nerves, nerve roots, and ganglia. This protocol starts with a description of nerve tissue procurement, handling, and dissection to obtain tissue sections suitable for hSC isolation and culturing. A description follows on how to disintegrate the nerve tissue by delayed enzymatic dissociation, plate the initial cell suspensions on a two-dimensional substrate, and culture the primary hSCs. Each section contains detailed procedures, technical notes, and background information to aid investigators in understanding and managing all steps. Some …

Phosphorylation Of Ahr By Plk1 Promotes Metastasis Of Luad Via Dio2-Th Signaling, Chaohao Li, Derek B. Allison, Daheng He, Fengyi Mao, Xinyi Wang, Piotr G. Rychahou, Ibrahim A. Imam, Yifan Kong, Qiongsi Zhang, Yanquan Zhang, Jinghui Liu, Ruixin Wang, Xiongjian Rao, Sai Wu, B. Mark Evers, Qing Shao, Chi Wang, Zhiguo Li, Xiaoqi Liu

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a major cause of death in patients. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), an important transcription factor, is involved in the initiation and progression of lung cancer. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), a serine/threonine kinase, acts as an oncogene promoting the malignancy of multiple cancer types. However, the interaction between these two factors and their significance in lung cancer remain to be determined. In this study, we demonstrate that PLK1 phosphorylates AHR at S489 in LUAD, leading to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastatic events. RNA-seq analyses reveal that type 2 deiodinase (DIO2) is responsible for EMT and …

Increasing Glutathione Levels By A Novel Posttranslational Mechanism Inhibits Neuronal Hyperexcitability, Ashwini Sri Hari, Rajeswari Banerji, Li-Ping Liang, Ruth E Fulton, Christopher Quoc Huynh, Timothy Fabisiak, Pallavi Bhuyan Mcelroy, James R Roede, Manisha Patel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Glutathione (GSH) depletion, and impaired redox homeostasis have been observed in experimental animal models and patients with epilepsy. Pleiotropic strategies that elevate GSH levels via transcriptional regulation have been shown to significantly decrease oxidative stress and seizure frequency, increase seizure threshold, and rescue certain cognitive deficits. Whether elevation of GSH per se alters neuronal hyperexcitability remains unanswered. We previously showed that thiols such as dimercaprol (DMP) elevate GSH via post-translational activation of glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL), the rate limiting GSH biosynthetic enzyme. Here, we asked if elevation of cellular GSH by DMP altered neuronal hyperexcitability in-vitro and in-vivo. Treatment of …

Yeast Crf1p: An Activator In Need Is An Activator Indeed, Sanjay Kumar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Ribosome biogenesis is an energetically costly process, and tight regulation is required for stoichiometric balance between components. This requires coordination of RNA polymerases I, II, and III. Lack of nutrients or the presence of stress leads to downregulation of ribosome biogenesis, a process for which mechanistic target of rapamycin complex I (mTORC1) is key. mTORC1 activity is communicated by means of specific transcription factors, and in yeast, which is a primary model system in which transcriptional coordination has been delineated, transcription factors involved in regulation of ribosomal protein genes include Fhl1p and its cofactors, Ifh1p and Crf1p. Ifh1p is an …

Copy Number Variation That Influences The Ionizing Radiation Sensitivity Of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Tadahide Izumi, Piotr G. Rychahou, Li Chen, Molly H. Smith, Joseph Valentino

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Genome instability in cancer cells causes not only point mutations but also structural variations of the genome, including copy number variations (CNVs). It has recently been proposed that CNVs arise in cancer to adapt to a given microenvironment to survive. However, how CNV influences cellular resistance against ionizing radiation remains unknown. PRMT5 (protein arginine methyltransferase 5) and APE1 (apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1), which enhance repair of DNA double-strand breaks and oxidative DNA damage, are closely localized in the chromosome 14 of the human genome. In this study, the genomics data for the PRMT5 and APE1 genes, including their expression, CNVs, and …

Determination Of Hfe C282y Mutation And Its Association With The Iron Status And Viral Load In Hiv Patients From Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Juan Carlos Hernández, Marisol Rosas Díaz, Esperanza Milagros García Oropesa, Santos Graciela Montemayor Beltrán, Juana Díaz García, Imelda Ramírez Puente

Research Symposium

Background: The HFE protein has a fundamental role in iron homeostasis, the HFE C282Y mutation prevents the specific function of the protein, causing greater intestinal absorption of iron and intracellular accumulation. The HIV virus causes a disease that attacks the cells of the immune system, mainly CD 4 T lymphocytes inducing their destruction and immunosuppression of the patient. Some viruses have the ability to disrupt cellular metabolic processes during their own replication, such is the case of HIV-1, which is involved in alteration of iron metabolism resulting in an overload of iron.

Methods: An exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional and prolective study …

Modeling Nonsegmented Negative-Strand Rna Virus (Nnsv) Transcription With Ejective Polymerase Collisions And Biased Diffusion, Felipe-Andres Piedra

Research Symposium

Background: The textbook model of NNSV transcription predicts a gene expression gradient. However, multiple studies show non-gradient gene expression patterns or data inconsistent with a simple gradient. Regarding the latter, several studies show a dramatic decrease in gene expression over the last two genes of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) genome (a highly studied NNSV). The textbook model cannot explain these phenomena.

Methods: Computational models of RSV and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV – another highly studied NNSV) transcription were written in the Python programming language using the Scientific Python Development Environment. The model code is freely available on GitHub: …

Challenges In Genetic Counseling In Hereditary Cancer Syndromes In A Mexican Oncologic Center, Diana Cristina Perez-Ibave, Diana Cristina De Lourdes Perez Ibave, María Fernanda Noriega-Iriondo, Omar Alejandro Zayas-Villanueva, Fernando Alcorta-Nuñez, Juan Francisco González-Guerrero, Adelina Alcorta-Garza, David Hernandez-Barajas, Oscar Vidal-Gutierrez, Carlos Horacio Burciaga-Flores

Research Symposium

Background: In Mexico, hereditary cancer is underdiagnosed, medical geneticists give genetic counseling, but the access is limited due to the socio-economic characteristics of the population. The CUCC (Centro Universitario Contra el Cáncer) Early Cancer Detection Clinic (CECIL) created a model in which patients without cancer are enrolled in a prevention cancer screening program.

Methods: From 2016 to 2021, 3014 patients were enrolled in the prevention program. Patients were evaluated with a hereditary cancer risk survey before a consultation. Those with at least one familial hereditary risk positive answer were assessed in a consultation. We also included patients with cancer diagnoses …

Rna World And The Development Of Rna Protocells, Benjamin C. Mayfield

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

Origins of life research, also known as pre-biotic chemistry or astrobiology, aims to unravel the mystery of the first cell’s origin on Earth. This interdisciplinary field encompasses biology, chemistry, and physics, with the primary goal of understanding the conditions necessary for life to emerge from abiotic environments. The RNA world hypothesis suggests that early life initially used RNA instead of DNA to store genomic information and for enzymatic functions. Protocells, membrane-bound entities with metabolic processes and self-replication capabilities, likely preceded the emergence of true cells. The challenges associated with RNA world is currently an active field of research. Advancements in …

Protocol For Optimizing Production And Quality Control Of Infective Ecohiv Virions, Hammodah Rawhi Hammodah Alfar, Daphne N. Pariser, Harry Chanzu, Smita Joshi, Daniёlle M. Coenen, Joshua Lykins, Kanakanagavalli Shravani Prakhya, Mary Jane Potash, Wei Chao, Jennifer Kelschenbach, David J. Volsky, Kelly Metcalf-Pate

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

EcoHIV is a model of HIV infection that recapitulates aspects of HIV-1 pathology in mice. However, there are limited published protocols to guide EcoHIV virion production. Here, we present a protocol for producing infective EcoHIV virions and essential quality controls. We describe steps for viral purification, titering, and multiple techniques to analyze infection efficacy. This protocol produces high infectivity in C57BL/6 mice which will aid investigators in generating preclinical data.

Characterization Of Pathological Tau Mutants, Charles J. Mcdonald

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Tau is a protein expressed exclusively in glia and neurons in the central nervous system and implicated in several neurogenerative diseases called “tauopathies”. Among all the tauopathies, one third is characterized by the presence of genetic mutations leading to the synthesis of tau proteins with single amino acid substitutions at specific locations and affecting protein function. While most of the initial studies have emphasize the functional role of tau as modulator of the axonal cytoskeleton, it has recently been well accepted that tau is also an intrinsically disordered protein that tends to form membraneless organelles called coacervates, due to a …

Bacteroides Fragilis In The Gut Microbiomes Of Alzheimer’S Disease Activates Microglia And Triggers Pathogenesis In Neuronal C/Ebpβ Transgenic Mice, Yiyuan Xia, Yifan Xiao, Zi-Hao Wang, Ashfaqul M. Alam, John P. Haran, Beth A. Mccormick, Xiji Shu, Xiaochuan Wang, Keqiang Ye

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Gut dysbiosis contributes to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis, and Bacteroides strains are selectively elevated in AD gut microbiota. However, it remains unknown which Bacteroides species and how their metabolites trigger AD pathologies. Here we show that Bacteroides fragilis and their metabolites 12-hydroxy-heptadecatrienoic acid (12-HHTrE) and Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) activate microglia and induce AD pathogenesis in neuronal C/EBPβ transgenic mice. Recolonization of antibiotics cocktail-pretreated Thy1-C/EBPβ transgenic mice with AD patient fecal samples elicits AD pathologies, associated with C/EBPβ/Asparaginyl endopeptidase (AEP) pathway upregulation, microglia activation, and cognitive disorders compared to mice receiving healthy donors’ fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Microbial 16S rRNA sequencing …

Dynamics Of Site Search Process And Formation Of Synaptosome Assembly Characterized By Single Molecule Approaches, Sridhar Vemulapalli

Theses & Dissertations

Genome dynamics and integrity are the two crucial features defining the successful functioning of cells and their maintenance and evolution. The genetic processes in the cell require distant communications between the regulatory regions controlled by specific proteins. Mistakes in this interaction process will lead to termination of the genetic process may lead to the cell damage, disease development or the cell death. Similar distant regulatory process is required for numerous genome integration systems such as Variable Diversity Joining (V(D)J) recombination system resulting in the specificity of the immunoresponse, a defining property of the adaptive immune system. A common feature of …

Upland Cotton And Nematodes: An Analysis Of Historical Resistance, Upcoming Threats, And Co-Inoculation Effects, Amanda Gaudin

Theses and Dissertations

Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum ) is an important fiber crop grown throughout the southern United States. Plant-pathogenic nematodes are worm-like animals that feed on the roots of most agronomic crops, including cotton. The southern root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita, RKN) and the reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis, RN) cause significant yield losses in cotton every year. Current sources of resistance are effective but limited, therefore historical screenings of cotton accessions were revisited in search for novel resistance sources. None were identified but many of the screened accessions possessed markers of known root-knot nematode and reniform nematode resistance. …

Spatial Structure Formation By The Post-Transcriptional Gene Regulator Rsme In Pseudomonas Fluorescens Pf0-1, Anton Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microorganisms are often found in microbial communities we call biofilms. Organisms living in these crowded environments have significant evolutionary pressure to retain access to the resources necessary to sustain life. My research uses the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1 to study how organisms evolve strategies to solve this crowding problem as aging colonies repeatedly generate mutant patches. These mutants expand the reach of the colony resulting in decreased local density as they push themselves up to the resource rich surface. These spatial structures result from social interactions between the mutant and the parental cells mediated through extracellular secretions, resulting in the …

Co-Targeting Nucleus Accumbens Associate 1 And Nf-Κb Signaling Synergistically Inhibits Melanoma Growth, Lixiang Gu, Xingcong Ren, Chrispus Ngule, Xiaofang Xiong, Jianxun Song, Zhiguo Li, Jin-Ming Yang

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Nucleus-accumbens-associated protein-1 (NAC1) is a cancer-related transcriptional factor encoded by the NACC1 gene, which is amplified and overexpressed in various human cancers and has been appreciated as one of the top potential cancer driver genes. NAC1 has therefore been explored as a potential therapeutic target for managing malignant tumors. Here, we show that NAC1 is a negative regulator of NF-κB signaling, and NAC1 depletion enhances the level of the nuclear NF-κB in human melanoma. Furthermore, the inhibition of NF-κB signaling significantly potentiates the antineoplastic activity of the NAC1 inhibition in both the cultured melanoma cells and xenograft tumors. This study …

Metabolic Disruption Induced By Mtor Signaling Pathway Inhibition In Regulatory T-Cell Expansion For Clinical Application, Roberto Gedaly, Gabriel Orozco, Alexandre P. Ancheta, Mackenzie Donoho, Siddharth Desai, Fanny Chapelin, Aman Khurana, Lillie J. Lewis, Cuiping Zhang, Francesc Marti

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Background: Regulatory T cell (Treg) therapy is considered an alternative approach to induce tolerance in transplantation. If successful, this therapy may have implications on immunosuppression minimization/withdrawal to reduce drug-induced toxicity in patients. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of the mTORC1/C2 inhibitor, AZD8055, in the manufacturing of clinically competent Treg cells and compare the effects with those induced by rapamycin (RAPA), another mTOR inhibitor commonly used in Treg expansion protocols.

Methods: Primary human Treg cells were isolated from leukapheresis product. Cell viability, expansion rates, suppressive function, autophagy, mitochondrial unfolded protein response (mitoUPR), and cell metabolic profile …

The S1p Receptor 1 Antagonist Ponesimod Reduces Tlr4-Induced Neuroinflammation And Increases Aβ Clearance In 5xfad Mice, Zhihui Zhu, Liping Zhang, Ahmed Elsherbini, Simone M. Crivelli, Priyanka Tripathi, Carmen Harper, Zainuddin Quadri, Stefka D. Spassieva, Erhard Bieberich

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Background Previously, we showed that the sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) transporter spinster 2 (Spns2) mediates activation of microglia in response to amyloid β peptide (Aβ). Here, we investigated if Ponesimod, a functional S1P receptor 1 (S1PR1) antagonist, prevents Aβ-induced activation of glial cells and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology.

Methods We used primary cultures of glial cells and the 5XFAD mouse model to determine the effect of Aβ and Ponesimod on glial activation, Aβ phagocytosis, cytokine levels and pro-inflammatory signaling pathways, AD pathology, and cognitive performance.

Findings Aβ42 increased the levels of TLR4 and S1PR1, leading to their complex formation. Ponesimod prevented the …

Utilizing Crispr Cas9 To Visualize Dopamine Receptors In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Lauren Michelle Velasquez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Dopamine (DA) is a neurotransmitter with imperative implications in many functions including movement, reward, and cognition. Studying the pathways of dopaminergic neurons at multiple levels allows us to understand the ways in which these systems can go wrong. We study dopamine in a model system such as the worm Caenorhabditis elegans because of its relatively simple and well-characterized nervous system. DA is involved in regulating chemosensory behaviors in worms. The purpose of this research project is to definitively answer the following question: Are the dopamine receptors DOP-1 and DOP-4 expressed in chemosensory neurons? Previous reporter assays show that neither of …

Elucidating Acetate Metabolism: Identification Of Transporters And Enzymes Required For Acetate Utilization In The Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus Neoformans, Perry L. Kezh

All Dissertations

Cryptococcus neoformans is the leading cause of fungal meningitis world-wide. While exposure to this environmental sporophyte is common during childhood, those who are immune compromised are at risk of infection. Following inhalation, this basidiomycetous fungus subsequently colonizes other organs though hematogenous dissemination, eventually crossing the blood brain barrier and colonizing the brain where it causes as cryptococcal meningitis. Changes in the availability of carbon sources stemming from the movement from soil to the lungs induce changes in fungal metabolism. Specifically, alveolar macrophages, which present a first line of defense against infection, provide a glucose-/amino acid-poor environment. As such, the use …

Met Alterations In Glioblastoma: Characterization Of Patient-Derived Xenografts And Therapeutic Strategies, Anna Musket

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Glioblastoma is the most commonly diagnosed central nervous system primary malignancy and it is considered a terminal diagnosis with few treatment options available. Glioblastoma tumors frequently develop treatment resistance due in part to their highly heterogenic nature. The heterogeneity of glioblastoma is partially attributed to the presence of glioma stem-like cells (GSC), which are highly invasive and resistant to chemotherapy and irradiation treatments. Signaling of the receptor tyrosine kinase MET is a known regulator of GSC. Glioblastoma patients have an increasingly poor prognosis that corresponds with increasing MET expression. Both GSC and MET are known to contribute to treatment resistance …

Investigating Gene Looping In Yeast, Abbie Bangs, Justin Peters

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as brewer’s yeast, is the model organism we chose to interrogate a possible length dependence of gene looping. Gene looping occurs when the promoter and the terminator regions of a gene come together in a physical interaction to form a loop. RNA polymerase transcribes the gene at an amplified rate due to the gene loop (Figure 1), but little research exists as to what factors are important for this process, including the mechanics of the underlying DNA.

Structural Diversity And Stress Regulation Of The Plant Immunity-Associated Calmodulin-Binding Protein 60 (Cbp60) Family Of Transcription Factors In Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato), Vanessa Shivnauth, Sonya Pretheepkumar, Eric J. R. Marchetta, Christina A. M. Rossi, Keaun Amani, Christian Castroverde

Biology Faculty Publications

Cellular signaling generates calcium (Ca2+) ions, which are ubiquitous secondary messengers decoded by calcium-dependent protein kinases, calcineurins, calreticulin, calmodulins (CAMs), and CAM-binding proteins. Previous studies in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana have shown the critical roles of the CAM-BINDING PROTEIN 60 (CBP60) protein family in plant growth, stress responses, and immunity. Certain CBP60 factors can regulate plant immune responses, like pattern-triggered immunity, effector-triggered immunity, and synthesis of major plant immune-activating metabolites salicylic acid (SA) and N-hydroxypipecolic acid (NHP). Although homologous CBP60 sequences have been identified in the plant kingdom, their function and regulation in most species remain unclear. In …