Biology Commons^™

The Inside Scoop: Elucidating The Three-Way Relationship Between Schistosoma Mansoni, The Gut, And Vaccines, Mariam A. Mhanna

Biomedical Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that affects over 250 million people worldwide. This blood fluke infection burdens communities and areas with limited to no access to clean fresh water. When a host is exposed to cercariae, the infectious agent, in a body of water, it matures in the host’s circulation into adult female and male worms. Copulated adult worms migrate to the mesentery, in the case of Schistosoma mansoni, and produce eggs that can cross the intestinal barrier and get excreted in the feces to continue the lifecycle. The effects of S. mansoni infection on the host …

Utilizing The Combinatory Power Of Chemotherapeutic Compounds In Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells, Matthew I. Hyder

Biology Summer Fellows

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide and the second most common cause of cancer deaths in women in the United States. Genetic variants that increase the risk of breast cancer include mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility genes 1 and 2 (BRCA1 and BRCA2). Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a natural process that helps the body remove aged cells. However, in cancer, deregulated apoptotic signaling—especially the activation of anti-apoptotic mechanisms—enables cancer cells to evade this process, leading to uncontrolled proliferation, tumor survival, therapeutic resistance, and cancer recurrence. Most anti-cancer drugs function as chemotherapeutic …

Bridging Prairie Restoration And Regenerative Agriculture With Compost Tea, April Hersey

2025 Symposium

Inland Pacific Northwest prairie is an endangered ecosystem that has been reduced by conversion to agriculture. There is growing interest in the role of soil microorganisms in prairie ecosystems, which may be crucial for restoration of the plant community through interspecies interactions within the soil near plant roots. One method for improving soil microorganism community composition is compost tea: enriched liquid compost extract. Compost tea is used in regenerative agriculture to improve crop yields and protect against pathogens, ostensibly through the activity of the added compost microbes. While research has supported compost tea application in regenerative agriculture, it has not …

Abstract 2587 Recombinant Expression And Purification Of A. Vinelandii Cown In E. Coli, Julie Takei, Cedric P. Owens, Katie Sanders, Neeraja Gajendran

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The goal of this project is to study the protein CowN in the diazotroph Azotobacter vinelandii (Av) in comparison to CowN in Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus (Gd). Nitrogenase is an enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of nitrogen gas into ammonia in diazotrophic bacteria. In many diazotrophs, the protein CowN prevents nitrogenase inhibition from the environmental gas carbon monoxide (CO). Previous work studied CowN in the diazotroph G. diazotrophicus. In G. diazotrophicus, CowN binds to nitrogenase and weakens CO binding to its active site. The mechanism of CowN has only been investigated in G. diazotrophicus. Thus, we are interested in determining if CowN's …

Evaluation Of Nature-Based Engineering Stream Restoration Of Plaster Creek Through Leisure Creek Condominium Association, Julie Wildschut, Rebecca Evenhouse, Andrea Lubberts, Dave Warners, Haley Weesies

Faculty and Professional Research

When land that was once covered with vegetation and soil becomes dominated by impervious concrete and rooftops, the amount of water infiltrated by the ground plumets. As a result, most suburban areas contribute to the impairment of streams by adding excess water, nutrients, and pollutants to nearby waterways each time it rains. One harmful result of this is the erosion of stream banks. The rapid influx of water that occurs after rain events can destabilize and erode stream banks, resulting in excess sediment in the water. One location where this happened very prominently was a section of Plaster Creek which …

From Epidemics To Experimental Treatments: Amphibian Mass Mortality Events And A Potential Treatment For Chytridiomycosis, Daniel Callahan

Graduate Masters Theses

Worldwide, amphibian populations have experienced dramatic declines due to a variety of threats. Among them, disease has been particularly deleterious and continues to impact populations. In the United States and Canada, the three leading causes of amphibian mass mortality events are ranavirosis, chytridiomycosis, and severe perkinsea infection, all caused by infectious pathogens. While research and policy have helped populations recover from these diseases, more work needs to be done to develop practical and efficient treatments for these infections. Of these three diseases, chytridiomycosis has had the most devastating effects on amphibian populations globally. Caused by the chytrid fungi Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis …

Impacts Of Land Development On Soil Microdiversity And Antibiotic Production, Dennis Guillen Castro, Robert Garcia, Jonathan Castro, Davida Smyth

Masters Theses (Archived)

The impact of land development on soil microbial diversity and antibiotic production is critical due to industrial expansion and the scarcity of effective antibiotics. Low Impact Development (LID) aims to preserve ecosystems, but its effectiveness in maintaining microbial diversity is uncertain. This study compares soil samples from nine sites: undisturbed (UD), residential (RD), and Madla Greenway (GW) within the VIDA development area and Texas A&M University-San Antonio campus. Isolated microbes were screened for antibiotic production and genetically characterized. Preliminary findings indicate that UD sites harbor greater microbial abundance, and a higher proportion of antibiotic-producing microbes compared to GW and RD …

Microbial Community Contribution To Oxidative Stress Defense In High-Biomass Forming Cyanobacteria Harmful Algal Blooms (Chabs), Chelsea Donovan

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) occur globally, excluding Antarctica, and often involve toxin-producing species such as Microcystis aeruginosa. These blooms threaten both ecosystems and public health, making it essential to understand their underlying drivers. Cyanobacteria generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) during photosynthesis, which can cause cellular damage unless neutralized. Some, like M. aeruginosa, lack the genetic capacity to detoxify ROS and rely on associated bacterioplankton for protection. To investigate the role of phycosphere bacteria in mitigating ROS stress, we conducted an incubation experiment using samples collected throughout the 2023 Lake Erie bloom season. Samples were treated with 10 …

Investigation Into The Microbiome Of Blow Fly Eggs Using Microseqtm Id, Samantha S. Davis, Drusilla Sheridan, Jennifer Rosati

Undergraduate Research

There is little published research characterizing the microbiome associated with blow fly eggs and how they may affect the colonization behaviors of certain blow fly species. Once deposited, blow fly eggs are rapidly introduced to a diverse range of microorganisms, which can vary depending on the species of blow fly, the environment, and the decomposition stage of the substrate (Junqueira et al., 2017). Since blow flies are among the first insects to colonize decomposing remains, the microbial communities present on their eggs could serve as key indicators of the decomposition stage at the time of egg-laying, thus providing a potential …

Impact Of Temperature And Microbial Infection On The Honey Bee Hemocytes, Michael E. Oeth

Master's Theses

Introduction

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) rely on hemocytes for immunity, wound healing, and hemolymph homeostasis. While 32°C reflects optimal hive conditions, suboptimal temperatures (22°C) and stressors like pathogens (Varroa destructor, bacteria) or pesticides impair hemocyte function. Using clodronate liposomes (CLD) to deplete hemocytes, we assessed how immune suppression interacts with these stressors.

Methods

Newly emerged (5-day-old) and older (15-day-old) bees were assigned to: CLD, control liposomes (LP), PBS, injection wound, or no treatment. Cohorts were exposed to 32°C (optimal) or 22°C (stressful for non-immunosuppressed bees). Fifteen-day-old bees were challenged with Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus. Survival, hemolymph volume, and hemocyte …

Differential Progression Of Pancreatic Premalignancy In Geographically Distant Murine Transgenic Cohorts Uncovers Key Role Of Microbial Metabolites, Rian M. Howell

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Despite recent advances in diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive cancer that remains highly lethal. Efforts have been made to increase the understanding of the underlying mechanisms driving early stages of tumor development, when the cancer is most susceptible to intervention. To this end, genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) have been developed with the mutations most commonly seen in the patient population. Expression of these mutations in select cellular compartments has resulted in the ability to recapitulate characteristics of human pancreatic cancer such as the development of …

Bibliometric Analysis Of Research Trends Related To Human Immunodeficiency Virus., Madyson E. Johnson, Kaitlyn R. Coffman, Valerie Rivas, Elizabeth Barrett

ATU Scholars Symposium

Human immunodeficiency virus poses major health burden across the globe including the United States of America and has its zoonotic origin from the Simian Immunodeficiency viruses of sooty mangabey monkey and chimpanzee in Africa. Epidemiological trends indicate that even though the mortality rates for HIV are falling globally, the rates of new cases have been rising since 2010 in several countries including the USA. An estimated 0.5% of the human population is currently infected with the virus with countries like USA, India, Nigeria and South Africa carrying the highest burden of the disease. Host receptors such as CD4 and coreceptors …

Life After Death: Investigating The Resistance And Recovery Of Fungal Communities To Foundation Tree Mortality, Jessie F. Marlenee

Biology ETDs

Tree mortality can have cascading effects on the composition and resilience of interacting fungal communities. Yet, little is known about the impact tree mortality, distinct from abiotic drivers (i.e., drought), has on these communities. This dissertation focuses on the resilience of fungal communities to experimental tree mortality in a piñon-juniper woodland. In chapter one, I found that piñon mortality reduced piñon fine root biomass and piñon mycorrhizal fungal diversity, whereas juniper mycorrhizal fungi were unaffected by juniper mortality. In chapter two, I revealed that piñon mortality altered the composition and spatial structure of mycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi in the soil, …

From Microplastic Impacts To Biodegradation Solutions: Investigating Microplastic Contamination, Microbial Responses, And Efficacy Of Synthetic Microbial Consortia In Plastic Degradation, Rener Sahot De Jesus

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Plastics, including microplastics, pose significant environmental threats due to their widespread presence and harmful ecological effects. This dissertation present three distinct, yet interconnected studies. First, a study on microplastic contamination in urban recreational parks was conducted in Al Ain, UAE. Results showed that low-density microplastics were present in 87% of soil samples, with FTIR analysis identifying synthetic polymers such as PE and PP. Additionally, these microplastics were found to negatively affect soil pH and moisture levels, emphasizing the need for enhanced monitoring and management strategies. Second, the effects of ground microplastics on Photobacterium leiognathi spp., a marine luminous bacterium, were …

Biology Department Publications: 2024, Sam Lindgren

Biology Department Bibliographies

This document is a non-comprehensive list of publications made by graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty members in the Biology Department in 2024. It indexes those publications available through PubMed, and serves as an archival record of the Department's robust scholarly contributions.

Pseudomonas Parafulva Confirmed To Have Antifungal Properties When Grown In Conjunction With Botrytis Cinerea, Caden Dupee, Kylee Eldredge, Zachary Elmer, Joshua Hartvigsen

Student Research Symposium

Widespread antibiotic use has led to antibiotic resistance of infectious bacteria. (Young, 2017) As part of the TinyEarth Program, the lab group collected and tested local soil samples for bacteria with hopes of finding novel antibiotic properties. From the soil samples, a bacteria was isolated, subsequently sequenced, and determined to be Pseudomonas parafulva. P. parafulva is a Gram-negative bacterium that has been known to frequent rice paddies of eastern Asian countries and has been collected in select regions of North America, including that of Cache Valley. P. parafulva has been linked to anti-fungal activities on plants. (Lui et …

Identifying Compensatory Mutations In The Envelope Protein Of Japanese Encephalitis Virus That Restore Neurovirulence, Nathan Taylor, Jiyoun Kim

Student Research Symposium

• Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) is a positive sense, single stranded Enveloped virus

Distributor-Specific Variability In Balb/C Mouse Mortality Following Sars-Cov-2-Ma10 Infection, Taylor Kerr

Student Research Symposium

In recent years SARS-COV-2 has become a rapidly expanding area of research. To model human infections, this virus was adapted to mice enabling valuable insight into these processes.² Mice are often an effective research model due to their low cost, short reproduction time, and ability to adapt to a wide variety of viruses. Research into these immunological responses is crucial in developing vaccines, treatments, and furthering our understanding of this virus' behavior.¹ However, genetic variability in mouse models may be confounding previous and on-going research.

Vaccine Stabilization With Spider Silk, Mallory Wootton

Student Research Symposium

Most vaccines must be stored between 2 - 8°C to maintain their efficacy, with some vaccines requiring temperatures as low as -70°C for long-term storage. These temperature requirements pose issues for vaccine distribution, notably to remote/rural areas, in hotter climates, and low- and middle-income countries which are largely dependent on vaccine imports. [1]

Gastric Survivability Of Streptomyces Narbonensis, Laramie Johnson, Laurel Hilterbrand, Ephraim Mohr, Eliza Lewis

Student Research Symposium

Human sciences and medicine have continually been advancing, and taken off in the last few centuries. This has included the development of many new medicines, antibiotics, and disinfectants. Antibiotics have to be able to survive and perform its duty within the human body, despite the changes in pH that occur naturally within the body in response to stimuli (Cotter, 2003). If a bacteria is unable to adapt to the pH environment of the human body in which it is placed, it will not be able to survive and continue to reproduce. The bacteria may be able to adapt via membrane …

Peribacillus Simplex Does Not Exhibit Antimicrobial Properties Against Staphylococcus, Dallin Thomas, Jordan Wheeler, Natalie Yoho

Student Research Symposium

Antibiotics are powerful drugs that combat previously fatal diseases. These miracle drugs have saved countless lives, but have the tendency to be misused. They are used incorrectly to treat patients who don't need them, and given to animals for non therapeutic use. Antibiotics are also known to pollute soils and groundwater all around the world (3). As antibiotics are found more readily in the environment, they encourage evolution, recombination, and dissemination of antibiotic resistant bacteria (5). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (6) antibiotic resistance kills at least 1.27 million people worldwide for diseases that used to …

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. …

Life Line Spring 2025, Otterbein Biology And Earth Science Department

Life Line - The Biology Department Newsletter

In this issue:

Greetings and Farewell!; COSI 2024; Ketchup, Culture, and an Unforgettable Conference; Alumna Earns PhD; Tortoises, Butterflies, and Cockroaches, Oh My!; Licking River Roundup 2024; Aquarium Students Explore Coral Restoration in Fiji; The Galapagos Islands: Geology, Ecology, Conservation, and Culture; Dr. Svitana Presents on Otterbein Lake Well Field; Cell Bio Pilots Unique Approach to Learning; Hoggarth to Retire, June 2025; AED is BACK on Campus!; The Greenhouse Gets a Lifeline; Acoustic Rabies Identification (ARID): A Sound-Based Approach to Rabies Testing

College Of Natural Sciences Newsletter, Spring 2025, College Of Natural Sciences

College of Natural Sciences Newsletters and Reports

Page 1 Dean's Message from Dr. Sen Subramanian
Page 2 Student Spotlights
Page 3 Kaushik honored, Three-Minute Thesis, & Ice Cores revealed
Page 4 Alumni Spotlight
Page 5 Day of Scholars
Page 6 Cyanide research, Record Research Expenditures, Adhikari awarded Miller Research Award
Page 8 Hanson Receives NSF Grant
Page 9 Snow Lab Research Team
Page 10 Faculty Awards
Page 11 Drone Day
Page 13 Khalaf Awarded Presidential Award

Induced Mutagenesis In West Nile Virus Non-Structural Protein 3 With A Discussion Of The Mutation's Effects On Viral Properties, Caden Connealy

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

West Nile Virus (WNV), a member of the Flaviviridae family and introduced to the Western hemisphere in 1999, presents a unique and emerging threat to human health. Infection in humans is often mild but can occasionally result in severe neurological impairment and even death. West Nile Virus non-structural protein 3 (NS3) plays an important role in the process of viral genome amplification. More specifically, the C-terminal domain of the protein folds into a helicase enzyme, which is responsible for the “unwinding” of double-stranded RNA intermediates and RNA secondary structure on the WNV genome. This is a vitally important step in …

College Of Natural Sciences 2024 Year-End Publication, College Of Natural Sciences

College of Natural Sciences Newsletters and Reports

Page 2 Dean's Message
Page 3 Department Highlights
Page 4 One Day for State
Page 5 New Students in Wecota
Page 6-8 Faculty Excellence
Page 9 SDSU Physics Students Recognized
Page 9 Prairie Doc Watch Party
Page 10-11 Student Excellence
Page 11 Connections Abroad
Page 12-13 CNS’s Research Centers
Page 14 Connections Abroad
Page 14 Dean Wolf-Hall Retired
Page 15 Outreach Program
Page 15 Events and Traditions
Page 16 Student Spotlight
Page 17 Alumni Spotlight
Page 18-19 SDSU Alum at Paris Paralympics
Page 20 Work Anniversaries & Programs

The Design, Construction, And Testing Of Mrna Vaccine Against Equine Herpes Virus, Bhawana Devkota

LSU Master's Theses

Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV 1) is a worldwide significant pathogen that causes respiratory illness, abortion, and neurological disorders in equine. Current vaccines, including live attenuated, inactivated, and subunit platforms, do not prevent viral latency, mucosal shedding, or cross-strain immunity, requiring alternative approaches. To address these gaps, this project explores the design, synthesis, and in vitro testing of an mRNA vaccine targeting immunogenic EHV 1 glycoprotein (gB, gC, gD, gG, and gM). Epitopes were computationally predicted using the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB), codon-optimized for Bos taurus, and cloned into pUCIDT vectors using SP6/T7 promoters. In vitro transcription (IVT) used nucleotide modifications …

Screening For Penicillin G Acylase (Pga)-Producing Bacteria And Gene Cloning Using Degenerate Oligonucleotide Primed-Pcr, Masdalifah Masdalifah, Sri Rezeki Wulandari, Gabriela Christy Sabbathini, Maria Ulfah, Dini Achnafani, Ahmad Wibisana, Feronika Heppy Sriherfyna, Is Helianti, Niknik Nurhayati

Makara Journal of Science

The growing concern over antibiotic resistance has driven global efforts to explore innovative solutions, including the use of Penicillin G acylase (PGA) to produce semisynthetic β-lactam antibiotics. This study screened four potential in-tracellular PGA-producing bacteria: Alcaligenes faecalis InaCC B444 (AfPGA), Kluyvera cryocrescens InaCC B850 (KcPGA), Providencia rettgeri InaCC B25 (Pr25PGA), and P. rettgeri InaCC B466 (Pr466PGA). Penicillin G Acylase encoding genes (pgas) were isolated from them using a Degenerate Oligonucleotide Primed-PCR (DOP-PCR) approach and sequenced. Microbiological assays confirmed all tested crude extracts to exhibit inhibitory effects. Penicillin G was used for evaluating hydrolytic activity and 6-Amino Penicillanic Acid (6-APA) coupled …

Trpv1 And Its Co‑Expressed Genes Are Associated With The Progression Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Bhuvnesh P. Sharma, Himanshu N. Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Deepak Verma, Deepak Parashar, Murali M. Yallapu, Everardo Cobos, Subhash C. Chauhan, Vivek K. Kashyap

Research Symposium

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is a nonselective Ca²⁺ channel protein widely expressed and plays a significant role in cancer initiation and progression. However, the biological significance of TRPV1 in HCC has not been systematically and comprehensively investigated. This study used deep data mining and transcriptomics analyses to describe the significance of TRPV1 expression and its association with HCC prognosis.

Methods: Download the RNA expression of TRPV1 from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Genotype Tissue Expression Atlas (GTEx), Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER), and the UALCAN …

Characterization Of Legionella Pneumophila Effector Protein Ceg10, Emmanuella Ofoka

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, utilizes a Type IV secretion system (T4SS) to transport effector proteins into host cells. This bacterium is said to have over 300 effector proteins. Among these, the Ceg10 effector protein had remained uncharacterized, despite evidence suggesting the importance of bacterial effector proteins in the host-pathogen interaction. This study aimed to perform a structural and functional characterization of Ceg10 through transcriptomic, bioinformatics, and molecular analyses. Transcriptomic profiling of HEK 293T cells expressing Ceg10 revealed significant differential gene expression, with approximately 20 upregulated genes, including leucine-rich repeat, as well as other downregulated genes. …