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Articles 1 - 8 of 8
Full-Text Articles in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology
Predicted Structure And Analysis Of The Glycoprotein From Sars-Cov-2 Variants Of Interest, Boris Shabaltiy
Predicted Structure And Analysis Of The Glycoprotein From Sars-Cov-2 Variants Of Interest, Boris Shabaltiy
Honors Theses
SARS-CoV-2 has had a devastating effect on the world, and while the public concern and severity of the diseased caused by it have decreased, it is still crucial to monitor the virus for mutations so we can rapidly identify new variants of concern, and then rapidly prepare new vaccines and treatments. The SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein from the first isolates of the virus (root variant) was structurally characterized in early 2021. The spike protein structure, designated 7CZW, was uploaded to RCSB Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB). All subsequent mutations the S protein has accumulated are based on the amino acid …
Construction And Analysis Of Three Multi-Partite Synthetic Microbial Communities, Alexander J. Lazzara, Jacob K. Fanning
Construction And Analysis Of Three Multi-Partite Synthetic Microbial Communities, Alexander J. Lazzara, Jacob K. Fanning
Honors Theses
Microbial Communities are of interest to molecular biologists hoping to understand the nature of metabolic interactions between co-existing, or possibly mutualistic, organisms. These interactions are ubiquitous in nature, but understanding the molecular mechanisms involved remains challenging and not well understood. Here, we design three tri-partite microbial circuits based on possible interactions among involved microbes, which are discussed and may suggest mutualistic interactions. Carbon and nitrogen molecular pathways and the intracellular metabolism of each microbe is discussed. We present minimal growth media that will ensure that organisms utilize available resources, which may originate from metabolic processes in neighboring microbes, simulating a …
Haloferax Volcanii For Carotenoid Production, Erika Smith
Haloferax Volcanii For Carotenoid Production, Erika Smith
Honors Theses
Carotenoids are used as natural colorants and have been shown to have numerous health benefits, making these molecules highly desirable in the aquaculture, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical markets. There is increasing consumer demand for the natural synthesis of carotenoids, but current methods are limited by the cost and difficulty of extraction from organisms. The halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii is amenable to extraction and has an endogenous carotenoid biosynthetic pathway that culminates in the accumulation of the carotenoid bacterioruberin; however, H. volcanii also synthesizes important precursors that can be converted into more highly-desired carotenoids, such as β-carotene and astaxanthin, in the presence …
Testing Bacterial Antibiotic Production Under Carbohydrate And Protein Starvation, Briley Baird
Testing Bacterial Antibiotic Production Under Carbohydrate And Protein Starvation, Briley Baird
Honors Theses
Bacteria produce antibiotics when they are under stress, including starvation stress. Bacteria were tested under carbohydrate and protein starvation against Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli (due to the respective Gram positivity and negativity), in order to check for antibiotic production. The bacteria being tested were isolated by past Microbiology classes and stored in a -80°C freezer in the basement of Jones Science Center at Ouachita Baptist University. These test bacteria were grown on tryptic soy agar (TSA) to produce isolated bacterial colonies. Samples of isolated test colonies were then grown under conditions of carbohydrate starvation (M9 salts agar with 0.1 …
Elucidating The Interplay Between Sodium Selenite On The Tick Amblyomma Maculatum Selenoprotein Gene Expression, Afnan M. Beauti
Elucidating The Interplay Between Sodium Selenite On The Tick Amblyomma Maculatum Selenoprotein Gene Expression, Afnan M. Beauti
Honors Theses
Selenium (Se) is an element recognized as an essential micronutrient in eukaryote organisms. Selenoproteins contain selenium as selenocysteine, the 21st amino acid. Selenium plays a role in cell growth and functioning. At low concentrations, it can induce growth and at high concentrations, it can cause a cell to stop growing and potentially have toxic effects on the cell and organism. When selenium levels are high, oxidative stress results by the production of reactive oxidative species. Selenoproteins, however, can aid the antioxidant response in the cell. Ticks are arthropods of interest, as they are one of few that contain many selenogenes, …
Discovering New Antibiotics: Bacterial Extracts Separated By Thin-Layer Chromatography Inhibit The Growth Of Staphylococcus, Heidi Hughes
Discovering New Antibiotics: Bacterial Extracts Separated By Thin-Layer Chromatography Inhibit The Growth Of Staphylococcus, Heidi Hughes
Honors Theses
Many bacteria have become resistant to commonly used antibiotics because of antibiotic use in people and animals. Therefore, new antibiotics are needed that will inhibit these resistant bacteria. Bacteria found in soil are a likely source for new antibiotics because of the limited available nutrients found in the soil. We isolated soil bacteria and screened them for antibiotic production against Staphylococcus epidermidids. Methanol extracts were made from entire agar plates of the soil bacteria that inhibited S. epidermidis. These extracts were spotted on a lawn of Staphylococcus aureus; growth inhibition was measured to comfirm that the extracts contained the …
Identification Of Bacterial Species Using Colony Pcr, Kaiti Walker
Identification Of Bacterial Species Using Colony Pcr, Kaiti Walker
Honors Theses
My research consisted of two separate parts, both involving the PCR methods. In part one I was trying to identify bacteria isolated from a chicken coop. In part two I was trying to identify bacteria isolated from the bluff. In both parts, I used a technique called colony PCR. This concept uses a single colony of bacteria to complete the PCR reaction. One pipet tip from a single colony is selected from the plate and mixed into a tube containing ultrapure water. A small amount of this bacterial mixture is then added into the PCR reaction. In the first part …
Molecular Evolution Of Insecticidal Spore-Forming Bacteria, John Pool
Molecular Evolution Of Insecticidal Spore-Forming Bacteria, John Pool
Honors Theses
Molecular methods are increasingly being used to determine the phylogeny of microorganisms. This research was intended to determine phylogenetic relationships for bacteria of the species Bacillus thuringiensis and other members of the Bacillus cereus group. Each strain was analyzed by its sasp-B gene sequence to determine its species classification and relation to other strains studied. Results of this study indicated that according to the sasp-B gene tree, the species Bacillus thuringiensis is a paraphyletic with respect to both Bacillus cereus and Bacillus anthracis. Some unexpected results and implications for species designations are also discussed.