Biology Commons^™

Alzheimer's And Patient Caregiver Burnout: A Review Of The Literature, Madeline Hekeler

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

The term “silent epidemic” is fitting for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), as its negative impact is widely felt but rarely discussed. Burnout among AD caregivers has become an epidemic of its own as caregivers experience an increase in health risks, stress, and financial burden. This literature review focuses on caregiver burnout and how imperative it is that caregivers are better supported in their role. Researchers have developed instruments to assess and intervene in caregiver burnout that have shown effectiveness among caregivers and their families.Nevertheless, further longitudinal research is warranted regarding more effective interventions, including stress management and social support mechanisms.

Genetic Variation Of The Mitochondrial Dna Control Region Across Plains Bison Herds In Usa And Canada, Gaimi Davies, Blake Mccann, Lee Jones, Stefano Liccioli, Maria Cecilia Penedo, Igor V. Ovtchinnikov

Biology Faculty Publications

Once numbering in the tens of millions, bison (Bison bison) have faced a broad range of challenges over the past century, including genetic impacts from the population bottleneck in the 1800s, and significant loss and fragmentation of habitat resulting in little opportunity for population growth on remaining small, geographically isolated reserves. To identify best practices for bison stewardship against this backdrop, managers must understand the genetic composition of existing conservation herds. This study characterized 14 plains bison (Bison bison bison) herds managed by the U.S. Department of Interior and Parks Canada Agency based on complete mtDNA …

Characterization Of SccMec Instability In Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Affecting Adjacent Chromosomal Regions, Including The Gene For Staphylococcal Protein A (Spa), Isabella A. Tickler, Fred C. Tenover, C. R. Scharn, R. V. Goering

Biology Faculty Publications

Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) represents a sequence of clear clinical and diagnostic importance in staphylococci. At a minimum the chromosomal cassette contains the mecA gene encoding PBP2a but frequently also includes additional antibiotic resistance genes (e.g., ermA and aadC; macrolide and aminoglycoside resistance, respectively). Certain regions within SCCmec elements are hot spots for sequence instability due to cassette-specific recombinases and a variety of internal mobile elements. SCCmec changes may affect not only cassette stability but the integrity of adjacent chromosomal sequences (e.g., the staphylococcal protein A gene; spa). We investigated SCCmec stability …

Salicylic Acid And N-Hydroxypipecolic Acid At The Fulcrum Of The Plant Immunity-Growth Equilibrium, Alyssa Shields, Vanessa Shivnauth, Christian Danve M. Castroverde

Biology Faculty Publications

Salicylic acid (SA) and N-hydroxypipecolic acid (NHP) are two central plant immune signals involved in both resistance at local sites of pathogen infection (basal resistance) and at distal uninfected sites after primary infection (systemic acquired resistance). Major discoveries and advances have led to deeper understanding of their biosynthesis and signaling during plant defense responses. In addition to their well-defined roles in immunity, recent research is emerging on their direct mechanistic impacts on plant growth and development. In this review, we will first provide an overview of how SA and NHP regulate local and systemic immune responses in plants. We …

Carbapenemase-Producing Pseudomonas Aeruginosa – An Emerging Challenge, Fred C. Tenover, David P. Nicolau, Christian M. Gill

Biology Faculty Publications

Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CR-PA) is a major healthcare-associated pathogen worldwide. In the United States, 10–30% of P. aeruginosa isolates are carbapenem-resistant, while globally the percentage varies considerably. A subset of carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa isolates harbour carbapenemases, although due in part to limited screening for these enzymes in clinical laboratories, the actual percentage is unknown. Carbapenemase-mediated carbapenem resistance in P. aeruginosa is a significant concern as it greatly limits the choice of anti-infective strategies, although detecting carbapenemase-producing P. aeruginosa in the clinical laboratory can be challenging. Such organisms also have been associated with nosocomial spread requiring infection prevention interventions. The carbapenemases …

Phylogenomic Discordance Suggests Polytomies Along The Backbone Of The Large Genus Solanum, Edeline Gagnon, Rebeccca Hilgenhof, Andrés Orejuela, Angela J. Mcdonnell, Gaurav Sablok, Xavier Aubriot, Leandro Giacomin, Yuri Gouvêa, Thamyris Bragionis, João Renato Stehmann, Lynn Bohs, Steven Dodsworth, Christopher T. Martine, Péter Poczai, Sandra Knapp, Tiina Särkinen

Faculty Journal Articles

Premise of the study

Evolutionary studies require solid phylogenetic frameworks, but increased volumes of phylogenomic data have revealed incongruent topologies among gene trees in many organisms both between and within genomes. Some of these incongruences indicate polytomies that may remain impossible to resolve. Here we investigate the degree of gene-tree discordance in Solanum, one of the largest flowering plant genera that includes the cultivated potato, tomato, and eggplant, as well as 24 minor crop plants.

Methods

A densely sampled species-level phylogeny of Solanum is built using unpublished and publicly available Sanger sequences comprising 60% of all accepted species (742 spp.) …

Detection Of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infections Using Molecular Methods, Fred C. Tenover, Isabella A. Tickler

Biology Faculty Publications

The application of molecular detection methods for bacterial pathogens has dramatically improved the outcomes of septic patients, including those with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. Molecular methods can be applied to a variety of clinical specimens including nasal swabs, growth in blood culture bottles, and wounds. While data show that the overall accuracy of molecular tests for MRSA is high, results can be confounded by the presence of multiple staphylococcal species in a specimen, insertions and deletions of DNA in and around the Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec (SCCmec) element, and point mutations in mecA. Herein, we explore the complexities of …

Novel Strategies For Glutamate Clearance In The Glia-Deprived Synaptic Hub Of C. Elegans, Joyce Chan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

As the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain, Glutamate (Glu) is critical for normal neuronal physiology. Disruption in Glu clearance results in hyper-stimulation of glutamatergic circuits, potentially leading to excitotoxic neurodegeneration. The canonical model of brain connectivity describes glutamatergic synapses as well insulated and enveloped by glia. These glia express Glu Transporters (GluTs) which work to clear Glu following synaptic activity. However, critical areas of the brain such as the mammalian hippocampus display poor synaptic isolation, which may result in Glu spillover between adjacent synapses and subsequent loss of circuit specificity. How accurate signal transmission is achieved in these …

Three Complete Mitochondrial Genomes Of Shortfin Mako Sharks, Isurus Oxyrinchus, From The Atlantic And Pacific Oceans, Marissa Mehlrose, Andrea Bernard, Kimberly A. Finnegan, Lauren E. Krausfeldt, Jose V. Lopez, Mahmood Shivji

Biology Faculty Articles

We present complete mitogenome sequences of three shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) sampled from the western Pacific, and eastern and western Atlantic oceans. Mitogenome sequence lengths ranged between 16,699 bp and 16,702 bp, and all three mitogenomes contained one non-coding control region, two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and 13 protein-coding genes. Comparative assessment of five mitogenomes from globally distributed shortfin makos (the current three and two previously published mitogenomes) yielded 98.4% identity, with the protein-coding genes ATP8, ATP6, and ND5 as the most variable regions (sequence identities of 96.4%, 96.5%, and 97.6%, respectively). These mitogenome sequences contribute resources …

The Earth Biogenome Project 2020: Starting The Clock, Harris A. Lewin, Stephen Richards, Erez Lieberman Aiden, Miguel L. Allende, John M. Archibald, Katharine B. Baker, Bridget Baumgartner, Katherine Belov, Giorgio Bertorelle, Mark L. Blaxter, Jing Cai, Nicolette D. Caperello, Keith Carlson, Juan Carlos Castilla-Rubio, Shu-Miaw Chaw, Lei Chen, Anna K. Childers, Jonathan A. Coddington, Dalia A. Conde, Montserrat Corominas, Keith A. Crandall, Andrew J. Crawford, Federica Dipalma, Richard Durbin, Thankgod E. Ebenezer, Scott V. Edwards, Olivier Fedrigo, Paul Flicek, Giulio Formenti, Richard A. Gibbs, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Melissa M. Goldstein, Jennifer Marshall Graves, Henry T. Greely, Igor V. Grigoriev, Kevin J. Hackett, Neil Hall, David Haussler, Kristofer M. Helgen, Carolyn J. Hogg, Sachiko Isobe, Kjetill Sigurd Jakobson, Axel Janke, Erich D. Jarvis, Warren E. Johnson, Steven J. M. Jones, Elinor K. Karlsson, Paul J. Kersey, Jin-Hyoung Kim, W. John Kress, Shigehiro Kuraku, Mara K. N. Lawniczak, James H. Leebens-Mack, Xueyan Li, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Xin Liu, Jose V. Lopez, Tomas Marques-Bonet, Sophie Mazard, Jonna A. K. Mazet, Camila J. Mazzoni, Eugene W. Myers, Rachel J. O'Neill, Sadye Paez, Hyun Park, Gene E. Robinson, Cristina Roquet, Oliver A. Ryder, Jamal S. M. Sabir, H. Bradley Shaffer, Timothy M. Shank, Jacob S. Sherkow, Pamela S. Soltis, Boping Tang, Leho Tedersoo, Marcela Uliano-Silva, Kun Wang, Xiaofeng Wei, Regina Wetzer, Julia L. Wilson, Xun Xu, Huanming Yang, Anne D. Yoder, Guojie Zhang

Biology Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Standards Recommendations For The Earth Biogenome Project, Mara K. Lawniczak, Richard Durbin, Paul Flicek, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Xiaofeng Wei, John M. Archibald, William J. Baker, Katherine Belov, Mark L. Blaxter, Tomas Marques-Bonet, Anna K. Childers, Jonathan A. Coddington, Keith A. Crandall, Andrew J. Crawford, Robert P. Davey, Federica Di Palma, Qi Fang, Wilfried Haerty, Neil Hall, Katherine J. Hoff, Kerstin Howe, Erich D. Jarvis, Warren E. Johnson, Rebecca N. Johnson, Paul J. Kersey, Xin Liu, Jose V. Lopez, Eugene W. Myers, Olga Vinnere Pettersson, Adam M. Phillippy, Monica F. Poelchau, Kim D. Pruitt, Arang Rhie, Juan Carlos Castilla-Rubio, Sunil Kumar Sahu, Nicholas A. Salmon, Pamela S. Soltis, David Swarbreck, Françoise Thibaud-Nissen, Sibo Wang, Jill L. Wegrzyn, Guojie Zhang, He Zhang, Harris A. Lewin, Stephen Richards

Biology Faculty Articles

A global international initiative, such as the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), requires both agreement and coordination on standards to ensure that the collective effort generates rapid progress toward its goals. To this end, the EBP initiated five technical standards committees comprising volunteer members from the global genomics scientific community: Sample Collection and Processing, Sequencing and Assembly, Annotation, Analysis, and IT and Informatics. The current versions of the resulting standards documents are available on the EBP website, with the recognition that opportunities, technologies, and challenges may improve or change in the future, requiring flexibility for the EBP to meet its goals. …

Why Sequence All Eukaryotes?, Mark Blaxter, John M. Archibald, Anna K. Childers, Jonathan A. Coddington, Keith A. Crandall, Federica Di Palma, Richard Durbin, Scott V. Edwards, Jennifer A.M. Graves, Kevin J. Hackett, Neil Hall, Erich D. Jarvis, Rebecca N. Johnson, Elinor K. Karlsson, W. John Kress, Shigehiro Kuraku, Mara K. N. Lawniczak, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Jose V. Lopez, Nancy A. Moran, Gene E. Robinson, Oliver A. Ryder, Beth Shapiro, Pamela S. Soltis, Tandy Warnow, Guojie Zhang, Harris A. Lewin

Biology Faculty Articles

Life on Earth has evolved from initial simplicity to the astounding complexity we experience today. Bacteria and archaea have largely excelled in metabolic diversification, but eukaryotes additionally display abundant morphological innovation. How have these innovations come about and what constraints are there on the origins of novelty and the continuing maintenance of biodiversity on Earth? The history of life and the code for the working parts of cells and systems are written in the genome. The Earth BioGenome Project has proposed that the genomes of all extant, named eukaryotes—about 2 million species—should be sequenced to high quality to produce a …

Data-Driven Modeling Predicts Gene Regulatory Network Dynamics During The Differentiation Of Multipotential Hematopoietic Progenitors, Joanna Handzlik, Manu

Biology Faculty Publications

Cellular differentiation during hematopoiesis is guided by gene regulatory networks (GRNs) comprising transcription factors (TFs) and the effectors of cytokine signaling. Based largely on analyses conducted at steady state, these GRNs are thought to be organized as a hierarchy of bistable switches, with antagonism between Gata1 and PU.1 driving red- and white-blood cell differentiation. Here, we utilize transient gene expression patterns to infer the genetic architecture—the type and strength of regulatory interconnections—and dynamics of a twelve-gene GRN including key TFs and cytokine receptors. We trained gene circuits, dynamical models that learn genetic architecture, on high temporal-resolution gene-expression data from the …

Clinical Performance Of The Xpert® Ct/Ng Test For Detection Of Chlamydia Trachomatis And Neisseria Gonorrhoeae: A Multicenter Evaluation In Chinese Urban Hospitals, Fred C. Tenover, Yan Han, Mei-Qin Shi, Qing-Ping Jiang, Wen-Jing Le, Xiao-Lin Qin, Han-Zhen Xiong, He-Ping Zheng, Yi-Wei Tang, Yue-Ping Yin

Biology Faculty Publications

Background: We aimed to evaluate the clinical performance of the GeneXpert® (Xpert) CT/NG assay for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) using urine and cervical swabs collected from patients in China.

Methods: This study was conducted from September 2016 to September 2018 in three Chinese urban hospitals. The results from the Xpert CT/NG test were compared to those from the Roche cobas® 4800 CT/NG test. Discordant results were confirmed by DNA sequence analysis.

Results: In this study, 619 first void urine (FVU) specimens and 1,042 cervical swab specimens were included in the final dataset. There were …

Design Of A Synthetic Temperature-Activated Epigenetic Biocontainment System, Owen Rivers Page

Theses and Dissertations

The need for an internal control to govern engineered strain survival is becoming apparent when considering the biosafety and ethics within biotechnological research. Using understudied regulatory elements known as RNA thermometers (RNATs) that can modulate protein translation based on temperature changes and a Type II restriction modification system, we posit the creation of a synthetic temperature-activated epigenetic biocontainment system, termed the ‘sentinel switch’. We have mined a wide variety of bacteria from Yersinia pestis to Synechocystis sp. looking for novel RNATs. A complementary synthetic biology approach based on library generation and screening of chimeric RNATs (ChRNATs) was also conducted. RNATs …

Cbp60-Db: An Alphafold-Predicted Plant Kingdom-Wide Database Of The Calmodulin-Binding Protein 60 (Cbp60) Protein Family With A Novel Structural Clustering Algorithm, Keaun Amani, Vanessa Shivnauth, Christian Castroverde

Biology Faculty Publications

Molecular genetic analyses in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana have demonstrated the major roles of different CAM-BINDING PROTEIN 60 (CBP60) proteins in growth, stress signaling, and immune responses. Prominently, CBP60g and SARD1 are paralogous CBP60 transcription factors that regulate numerous components of the immune system, such as cell surface and intracellular immune receptors, MAP kinases, WRKY transcription factors, and biosynthetic enzymes for immunity-activating metabolites salicylic acid (SA) and N-hydroxypipecolic acid (NHP). However, their function, regulation and diversification in most species remain unclear. Here we have created CBP60-DB, a structural and bioinformatic database that comprehensively characterized 1052 CBP60 gene homologs …

Whole Exome Sequencing Identifies A Novel Mutation In Aspm And Ultra-Rare Mutation In Cdk5rap2 Causing Primary Microcephaly In Consanguineous Pakistani Families, Ehtisham Ul Haq Makhdoom, Haseeb Anwar, Shahid Mahmood Baig, Ghulam Hussain

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background & objectives: Primary Microcephaly (MCPH) is a rare neurogenetic disease, manifesting congenitally reduced head circumference and non-progressive intellectual disability (ID). To date, twenty-eight genes with biallelic mutations have been reported for this disorder. The study aimed for molecular genetic characterization of Pakistani families segregating MCPH.
Methods: We studied two unrelated consanguineous families (family A and B) presenting >2 patients with diagnostic symptoms of MCPH, born to asymptomatic parents. We employed whole-exome sequencing (WES) of probands to find putative causal mutations. The candidate variants were further confirmed and analyzed for co-segregation by Sanger sequencing of all available members of each …

Exploring The Functionality Of Putative Bop3 Post-Translational Modifications, Liliya Tkachuk, Rebecca Adams Phd

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

All eukaryotic cells require that transcribed mRNAs undergo export form the nucleus to the cytoplasm where they can be translated into proteins. This process requires a host of proteins which are conserved between the unicellular budding yeast, S. cerevisiae, and humans. During this process, Mex67 and other associated proteins facilitate the mRNA to travel across the nuclear pore complex (NPC), doorways embedded in the nuclear envelope. Upon the exit of mRNA, Mex67 is released and recycled back into the nucleus to provide the export of more mRNA. This release occurs through the action of Dbp5, whose activity is regulated …

Modeling Jadera Haematoloma’S Phenotypic Variation In The Context Of Its Developmental Plasticity, Michael C. Yorsz

Honors Theses

Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of an organism to integrate information from environmental cues to inform the development of its phenotype and remains understudied in biology. Models of plasticity are needed because evolution in the presence of plasticity is poorly understood. Jadera haematoloma, a hemimetabolous true bug, is an excellent animal model of plasticity, exhibiting a non-linear plastic response to juvenile nutrition that biases adult development into groups with differences in flight capability, wing shape, and fecundity. However, there is a lack of literature consensus regarding the range of developmental outcomes in the species. Some publications report the presence …

Efficacy Of Non-Lethal Molecular Methods In Elucidating Distribution Of Gray Treefrog Complex (Hyla Chrysoscelis/Versicolor) In Kansas, Nora K. Lazerus

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Globally, amphibians are the most imperiled vertebrate taxa in part because they rely on both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Specifically, their permeable skin makes them uniquely susceptible to habitat degradation and alteration. Cope’s Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis) and the Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor) are a diploid-tetraploid, morphologically indistinguishable sister pair of cryptic anurans native to Kansas. Since 1987, the distribution of gray treefrogs in Kanas has extended west but the status of each species in the complex in Kansas is not known beyond its documented combined western expansion. Currently, species identification cannot be determined by nonlethal …

Rickettsial Pathogen Perturbs Tick Circadian Gene To Infect The Vertebrate Host, Supreet Khanal, Vikas Taank, John F. Anderson, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ixodes scapularis is a medically important tick that transmits several microbes to humans, including rickettsial pathogen Anaplasma phagocytophilum. In nature, these ticks encounter several abiotic factors including changes in temperature, humidity, and light. Many organisms use endogenously generated circadian pathways to encounter abiotic factors. In this study, we provide evidence for the first time to show that A. phagocytophilum modulates the arthropod circadian gene for its transmission to the vertebrate host. We noted a circadian oscillation in the expression of arthropod clock, bmal1, period and timeless genes when ticks or tick cells were exposed to alternate 12 h …

Cpf1-Based Crispr Genome Editing In The Cyanobacterium N. Punctiforme, Soohan Woo

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

CRISPR systems have been growing in their utility and their application throughout the biological field as researchers continue to grow in their understanding of the relatively novel genome editing technology. However, despite the potential of CRISPR as a genome editing tool, the complexity of applying this technology to a specific organism calls for custom modifications to the system to improve its success rate. In this project, a CRISPR-Cpf1 system that can be effectively employed in the cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme was designed, with a focus on the hormogonium development of this species. Multiple plasmids containing the CRISPR system and targeting different …

A Tool For Biometric Interpretation Of Forensic Str Dna Profiles, Ahmad Jamal Baroudi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Rapid DNA biometric identification applications are becoming more essential and widely used in human identity validation processes. Despite their powerful identification capabilities, processing a sample to generate a forensic DNA profile still takes longer compared with other rapid biometric technologies. Methods used to speed up the analysis could lead to signal artifacts similar to those arising from low copy or degraded DNA samples, making the electropherogram unsuitable for forensic interpretation and analysis. The goal of this research effort is to apply biometrics and mathematical approaches to forensic STR (Short Tandem Repeat) profiles. To accomplish this goal, a multi-function software tool …

Getting To The Root Cause: The Genetic Underpinnings Of Root System Architecture And Rhizodeposition In Sorghum, Farren Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Plants are some of the most diverse organisms on earth, consisting of more than 350,000 different species. To understand the underlying processes that contributed to plant diversification, it is fundamental to identify the genetic and genomic components that facilitated various adaptations over evolutionary history. Most studies to date have focused on the underlying controls of above-ground traits such as grain and vegetation; however, little is known about the “hidden half” of plants. Root systems comprise half of the total plant structure and provide vital functions such as anchorage, resource acquisition, and storage of energy reserves. The execution of these key …

Increased Signal Complexity Is Associated With Increased Mating Success, Noori Choi, Matt Adams, Kasey Fowler-Finn, Elise Knowlton, Malcolm Rosenthal, Aaron Rundus, Roger D. Santer, Dustin J. Wilgers, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

The evolution of complex signals has often been explored by testing multiple functional hypotheses regarding how independent signal components provide selective benefits to offset the costs of their production. In the present study, we take a different approach by exploring the function of complexity per se. We test the hypothesis that increased vibratory signal complexity— based on both proportional and temporal patterning—provides selective benefits to courting male Schizocosa stridulans wolf spiders. In support of this hypothesis, all of our quantified metrics of vibratory signal complexity predicted the mating success of male S. stridulans. The rate of visual signalling, which is …

Description Of The Courtship And Copulation Behaviours Of The Wall Spider Oecobius Concinnus (Oecobiidae), Diego Solano-Brenes, Laura Segura-Hernández, Gilbert Barrantes

Eileen Hebets Publications

Courtship and copulation behaviours are yet scantily described in many spider families, and this lack of information limits our understanding of the evolution of such behaviours within and across families. Here, we provide a detailed description of both courtship and copulation behaviour for Oecobius concinnus Simon, 1893. A striking characteristic of the male courtship is the construction of a tubular web (mating web) in which most courtship and copulation occurs. This web likely functions to restrain the female in a reduced space and as a substrate for male pheromones. The courtship consists of a complex web of interactions between both …

Investigating The Genetic Diversity Of Immune Genes In Non-Native Populations Of American Bullfrogs (Rana Catesbeiana), Luisa Nereyda Segovia

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) is a highly invasive species that has successfully colonized habitats around the world. The genetic variability of immune genes within invasive populations, like that of bullfrogs, may contribute to how resistant a population is to pathogens. The objective of this project was to characterize the genetic diversity of an immune gene in invasive bullfrog populations in California to better understand how persistent these populations might be over time. To characterize immune gene variability, I isolated exon 2 of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Class II Beta chain gene and a neutral mitochondrial marker, …

Degradation And Nitrogen Cycling In The Context Of Biodiversity-Ecosystem Function Relationships In The Inquiline Bacterial Community Of Darlingtonia Californica, Megan Teigen

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Biodiversity-ecosystem function (BEF) research aims to explain how species and their environments interact with each other. Microbial communities engage in vital biogeochemical pathways in a variety of natural ecosystems, and yet there are large knowledge gaps about the specific metabolic pathways in which they are involved. Degradation specifically contributes to nitrogen cycling globally through the breakdown of large organic nitrogen compounds into small inorganic nitrogen that is necessary for the survival of many other organisms. In this study, I focused on the degradative function of the inquiline microbial communities found within the carnivorous pitcher plant, Darlingtonia californica. Darlingtonia grows in …

Screening Ocean Samples From Georgia For The Presence Of Msx And Dermo Using Pcr And Qpcr Methods, Olivia Michelle Williams

Honors Theses and Capstones

This Senior Thesis project aimed to be able to screen samples that came in from a PhD student in Georgia for the presence of two oyster diseases, MSX and Dermo. This study was done using PCR followed by visualizing on E-gels for initial presence of disease. These were then followed by qPCR and visualization on Criterion gels. These Criterion gels were able to be analyzed in order to calculate the pg/uL of MSX and Dermo in the original ocean samples. Since the samples were sent in over the course of February-August ‘21 the presence over time was also able to …

Crispr/Cas9 Whole-Genome Screens Identify Genes Critical For Neutral Lipid Metabolism In Macrophages, Rifat Sultana

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lipid-laden macrophages contribute to atherosclerotic plaque formation in atherosclerosisrelated heart diseases. Thus, understanding formation and degradation of lipid would help identify therapeutic targets for the treatment of atherosclerosis. In the first chapter of this dissertation, I have explained the current understanding of cholesterol metabolism in macrophages and how mTOR could play a potential role in this process. Additionally, I have described how CRISPR/Cas9 whole-genome screens present an effective tool to identify genes regulating cholesterol metabolism including positive and negative regulators of lipid droplet formation and lipid droplet degradation. In Chapter 2, I have described the results of the CRISPR/Cas9 whole-genome …