Biology Commons^™

Aquatic Plants And Their Application To Successful Floating Treatment Wetlands, Katherine May Mazanec

Masters Theses

“This research aims to mitigate eutrophication of freshwater habitats affected by urban stormwater runoff. Two highly impacted urban ponds near the Missouri S&T campus in Rolla were the focus of this research on the application of floating treatment wetlands (FTWs). An FTW consists of a man-made floating mat that is planted with emergent or floating macrophytes. The plants grow on the mat and their roots extend into the water column below the mat. Plant tissues, especially roots in direct contact with the water, take up nutrients, act as biofilm growth sites, and may facilitate precipitation of nutrients. With urbanization, ponds …

Evaluation Of The Symbiotic Relation Between Endophyte And Poplar Trees Exposed To Landfill Leachate, Catalina Vega Hurtado

Masters Theses

“The contamination of soil and groundwater from leachate leakage from landfill has turned, nowadays, into a global public issue. One of the main concerns about this pollutant is the potential threat to human and ecosystem health. The current research studied endophyte bacteria in association with poplar trees (Populus sp.), as a method of bioremediation of landfill leachates. The objective of the project was to identify treatment strategies that may improve plant performance (survival rates, plant fitness, and degradation efficacy) with the purpose of being implemented in phytoremediation plots, aimed to intercept and treat landfill leachate, before the contamination of watershed. …

Link Between Energy Investment In Biosynthesis And Cellular Resistance To Oxidative Insult: Test The Cost-Quality Hypothesis In Insects, Taiwo Bolanle Iromini

Masters Theses

“The metabolic cost of growth is the amount of energy invested to fuel the anabolic biochemical reactions of biosynthesis. It has been implicated in the efficiency of farm animals and fishes, thus, increased economic profit. The metabolic cost of growth in the cockroach nymph was reported to be 20-fold higher than that of the painted lady butterfly caterpillar. The cost-quality hypothesis was proposed to explain the extremely low biosynthesis energy cost in painted lady caterpillar when physiological and ecological processes the metabolic growth cost was attributed to could not. In this study, the cost-quality hypothesis was tested.

Midgut cells were …

Toward A Metabolic Theory Of Life History, Joseph Robert Burger, Chen Hou, James H. Brown

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

The life histories of animals reflect the allocation of metabolic energy to traits that determine fitness and the pace of living. Here, we extend metabolic theories to address how demography and mass-energy balance constrain allocation of biomass to survival, growth, and reproduction over a life cycle of one generation. We first present data for diverse kinds of animals showing empirical patterns of variation in life-history traits. These patterns are predicted by theory that highlights the effects of 2 fundamental biophysical constraints: demography on number and mortality of offspring; and mass-energy balance on allocation of energy to growth and reproduction. These …

Polyhistidine Facilitates Direct Membrane Translocation Of Cell-Penetrating Peptides Into Cells, Han-Jung Lee, Yue-Wern Huang, Shiow-Her Chiou, Robert Aronstam

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

The bovine lactoferricin L6 (RRWQWR) has been previously identified as a novel cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) that is able to efficiently internalize into human cells. L6 interacts with quantum dots (QDs) noncovalently to generate stable L6/QD complexes that enter cells by endocytosis. In this study, we demonstrate a modified L6 (HL6; CHHHHHRRWQWRHHHHHC), in which short polyhistidine peptides are introduced into both flanks of L6, has enhanced cell-penetrating ability in human bronchoalveolar carcinoma A549 cells. The mechanism of cellular uptake of HL6/QD complexes is primarily direct membrane translocation rather than endocytosis. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), but not pyrenebutyrate (PB), ethanol, oleic acid, or …

Sediment Respiration Pulses In Intermittent Rivers And Ephemeral Streams, D. Von Schiller, T. Daltry, Dev Niyogi

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES) may represent over half the global stream network, but their contribution to respiration and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions is largely undetermined. In particular, little is known about the variability and drivers of respiration in IRES sediments upon rewetting, which could result in large pulses of CO₂. We present a global study examining sediments from 200 dry IRES reaches spanning multiple biomes. Results from standardized assays show that mean respiration increased 32-fold to 66-fold upon sediment rewetting. Structural equation modeling indicates that this response was driven by sediment texture and organic …

Expression And Function Of Nesfatin-1 Are Altered By Stage Of The Estrous Cycle, Alicia T. Pate, Abigayle L. Schnell, Teresa A. Ennis, Willis K. Samson, Gina L.C. Yosten

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Nesfatin-1 is a peptide derived from the nucleo-bindin 2 (Nucb2) precursor protein that has been shown to exert potent effects on appetite and cardiovascular function in male animals. Sex hormones modulate the expression of Nucb2 in several species, including goldfish, mouse, and rat, and human studies have revealed differential expression based on male or female sex. We therefore hypothesized that the ability of nesfatin-1 to increase mean arterial pressure (MAP) would be influenced by stage of the estrous cycle. Indeed, we found that in cycling female Sprague-Dawley rats, nesfa-tin-1 induced an increase in MAP on diestrus, when both estrogen and …

Bioprinting With Human Stem Cell-Laden Alginate-Gelatin Bioink And Bioactive Glass For Tissue Engineering, Krishna C. R. Kolan, Julie A. Semon, Bradley Bromet, D. E. Day, Ming-Chuan Leu

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technologies have shown great potential in the fabrication of 3D models for different human tissues. Stem cells are an attractive cell source in tissue engineering as they can be directed by material and environmental cues to differentiate into multiple cell types for tissue repair and regeneration. In this study, we investigate the viability of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) in alginate-gelatin (Alg-Gel) hydrogel bioprinted with or without bioactive glass. Highly angiogenic borate bioactive glass (13-93B3) in 50 wt% is added to polycaprolactone (PCL) to fabricate scaffolds using a solvent-based extrusion 3D bioprinting technique. The fabricated scaffolds …

Whole-Genome Analysis Of Halomonas Sp. Soap Lake #7 Reveals It Possesses Putative Mrp Antiporter Operon Groups 1 And 2, Melanie R. Mormile, Tiffany Edwards, Ronald L. Frank, Zachery Geurin, Julie Haendiges, Maria Hoffmann, Jesse Miller

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

The genus Halomonas possesses bacteria that are halophilic or halotolerant and exhibit a wide range of pH tolerance. The genome of Halomonas sp. Soap Lake #7 was sequenced to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms for salt and pH tolerance in this genus. The bacterium's genome was found to possess two complete multiple resistance and pH antiporter systems, Group 1 and Group 2. This is the first report of both multiple resistance and pH antiporter Groups 1 and 2 in the genome of a haloalkaliphilic bacterium.

Geometric Effects Of Open Hollow Hydroxyapatite Microspheres Influence Bone Repair And Regeneration In Sprague Dawley Rats, Youqu Shen, M. N. Rahaman, Yongxian Liu, Yue-Wern Huang

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Effective regeneration of bone defects caused by trauma or chronic diseases is a significant clinical challenge. Bone deficiency is overcome using treatments that rely on bone regeneration and augmentation. While various treatments have been investigated with encouraging results, complete and predictable bone reconstruction is often difficult [1]. Synthetic bone grafts have advantages such as consistent quality, safety, and good tissue tolerance. They usually function as inert or osteoconductive implants. Encouraging results from synthetic grafts have been reported. For instance, hollow hydroxyapatite (HA) microspheres showed the ability to facilitate bone repair in rats with non-healing calvarial defects [2,3]. However, new bone …

Ccr5 Is A Required Signaling Receptor For Macrophage Expression Of Inflammatory Genes In Response To Viral Double-Stranded Rna, Zachary R. Shaheen, Benjamin S. Christmann, Joshua D. Stafford, Jason M. Moran, R. Mark L. Buller, John A. Corbett

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Invasion Genetics Of The Mummichog (Fundulus Heteroclitus): Recent Anthropogenic Introduction In Iberia, Teofilo Morim, Grant R. Bigg, Pedro M. Madeira, Jorge Palma, David D. Duvernell, Enric Gisbert, Regina L. Cunha, Rita Castilho

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Human activities such as trade and transport have increased considerably in the last decades, greatly facilitating the introduction and spread of non-native species at a global level. In the Iberian Peninsula, Fundulus heteroclitus, a small euryhaline coastal fish with short dispersal, was found for the first time in the mid-1970s. Since then, F. heteroclitus has undergone range expansions, colonizing the southern region of Portugal, southwestern coast of Spain and the Ebro Delta in the Mediterranean Sea. Cytochrome b sequences were used to elucidate the species invasion pathway in Iberia. Three Iberian locations (Faro, Cádiz and Ebro Delta) and 13 …

Templated Macroporous Polyethylene Glycol Hydrogels For Spheroid And Aggregate Cell Culture, Mozhdeh Imaninezhad, Lindsay Hill, Grant Kolar, Kyle Vogt, Silviya Petrova Zustiak

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Macroporous cell-laden hydrogels have recently gained recognition for a wide range of biomedical and bioengineering applications. There are various approaches to create porosity in hydrogels, including lyophilization or foam formation. However, many do not allow a precise control over pore size or are not compatible with in situ cell encapsulation. Here, we developed novel templated macroporous hydrogels by encapsulating uniform degradable hydrogel microspheres produced via microfluidics into a hydrogel slab. The microspheres degraded completely leaving macropores behind. Microsphere degradation was dependent on the incubation medium, microsphere size, microsphere confinement in the hydrogel as well as cell encapsulation. Uniquely, the degradable …

Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Receptor 1 Activation In Astrocytes Contributes To Neuropathic Pain, Zhoumou Chen, Timothy M. Doyle, Livio Luongo, Tally M. Largent-Milnes, Luigino Antonio Giancotti, Grant Kolar, Silvia Squillace, Serena Boccella, John K. Walker, Alexander Pendleton, Sarah Spiegel, William L. Neumann, Todd W. Vanderah, Daniela Salvemini

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Neuropathic pain afflicts millions of individuals and represents a major health problem for which there is limited effective and safe therapy. Emerging literature links altered sphingolipid metabolism to nociceptive processing. However, the neuropharmacology of sphingolipid signaling in the central nervous system in the context of chronic pain remains largely unexplored and controversial. We now provide evidence that sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) generated in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord in response to nerve injury drives neuropathic pain by selectively activating the S1P receptor subtype 1 (S1PR1) in astrocytes. Accordingly, genetic and pharmacological inhibition of S1PR1 with multiple antagonists in distinct chemical …

Editors’ Picks For 2018 Demonstrate The Diversity Of Research In Regulatory, Integrative, And Comparative Physiology, Willis K. Samson, Roger G. Evans, Wolfgang Langhans, Gina L.C. Yosten

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Near-Field Electrospinning Of A Polymer/Bioactive Glass Composite To Fabricate 3d Biomimetic Structures, Krishna C. R. Kolan, Jie Li, Sonya Roberts, Julie A. Semon, Jonghyun Park, D. E. Day, Ming-Chuan Leu

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Bioactive glasses have recently gained attention in tissue engineering and three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting because of their ability to enhance angiogenesis. Some challenges for developing biological tissues with bioactive glasses include incorporation of glass particles and achieving a 3D architecture mimicking natural tissues. In this study, we investigate the fabrication of scaffolds with a polymer/bioactive glass composite using near-field electrospinning (NFES). An overall controlled 3D scaffold with pores, containing random fibers, is created and aimed to provide superior cell proliferation. Highly angiogenic borate bioactive glass (13-93B3) in 20 wt.% is added to polycaprolactone (PCL) to fabricate scaffolds using the NFES technique. …

The Correlation Between Sleep And Lifespan In Drosophila Melanogaster, Joshua Randall Lisse

Masters Theses

”Adequate sleep is associated with an individual’s health. Too little sleep is associated with many health problems, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, and a general increase in all-cause mortality. Yet the molecular changes that link poor sleep and changes in health are still not well understood. Individuals have a unique daily need for sleep, and deviations from the animal’s regular sleeping patterns can be indicative of, or result in, underlying changes in its health. Therefore, we hypothesize that changes in the sleep architecture in Drosophila melanogaster reflect changes in the fly’s health.

We determined sleep architecture in wild-type male flies over …

Characterization Of Chromosomal Translocations In A Group Of Killifish Species By Using Genome-Wide High-Density Snp Mapping Approach, Naznin Sultana Remex

Masters Theses

"The role of chromosomal rearrangements in reproductive isolation and introgression between species is poorly understood. In heterozygous form, rearrangements may directly interrupt meiotic progression leading to partial sterility/subfertility (underdominance) or may suppress local meiotic segregation (recombination suppression). Such unbalanced meiotic segregation may also result in reproductive isolation and play roles as a driving force of speciation. The objective of this study was to gain insight into the pattern of chromosomal rearrangements in two closely related killifish species in the genus Fundulus (F. notatus, and F. olivaceus) by constructing genetic linkage maps using high-resolution single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) …

Revised Guidelines To Enhance The Rigor And Reproducibility Of Research Published In American Physiological Society Journals, Gina L.C. Yosten, Josephine C. Adams, Christina N. Bennett, Nigel W. Bunnett, Rita Scheman, Curt D. Sigmund, Bill J. Yates, Irving H. Zucker, Willis K. Samson

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Trex1 Is Expressed By Microglia In Normal Human Brain And Increases In Regions Affected By Ischemia, Parul H. Kothari, Grant R. Kolar, Joanna C. Jen, Rula Hajj-Ali, Paula Bertram, Robert E. Schmidt, John P. Atkinson

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: Mutations in the three-prime repair exonuclease 1 (TREX1) gene have been associated with neurological diseases, including Retinal Vasculopathy with Cerebral Leukoencephalopathy (RVCL). However, the endogenous expression of TREX1 in human brain has not been studied. Methods: We produced a rabbit polyclonal antibody (pAb) to TREX1 to characterize TREX1 by Western blotting (WB) of cell lysates from normal controls and subjects carrying an RVCL frame-shift mutation. Dual staining was performed to determine cell types expressing TREX1 in human brain tissue. TREX1 distribution in human brain was further evaluated by immunohistochemical analyses of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples from normal controls and patients …

Complete Genome Sequence Of Salinisphaera Sp. Strain Lb1, A Moderately Halo-Acidophilic Bacterium Isolated From Lake Brown, Western Australia, Kaela B. O'Dell, E. Anne Hatmaker, Adam M. Guss, Melanie R. Mormile

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Salinisphaera sp. strain LB1 was isolated from Lake Brown, Western Australia, surface water enriched at pH 4.0 and with 5% (wt/vol) NaCl. The complete genome sequence is presented in this report.

The Acyl-Coa Synthetase, Pudgy, Promotes Sleep And Is Required For The Homeostatic Response To Sleep Deprivation, Matthew S. Thimgan, Natlie Kress, John Lisse, Courtney Fiebelman, Thomas Hilderbrand

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

The regulation of sleep and the response to sleep deprivation rely on multiple biochemical pathways. A critical connection is the link between sleep and metabolism. Metabolic changes can disrupt sleep, and conversely decreased sleep can alter the metabolic environment. There is building evidence that lipid metabolism, in particular, is a critical part of mounting the homeostatic response to sleep deprivation. We have evaluated an acyl-CoA synthetase, pudgy (pdgy), for its role in sleep and response to sleep deprivation. When pdgytranscript levels are decreased through transposable element disruption of the gene, mutant flies showed lower total sleep times …

New Horizons For Future Research – Critical Issues To Consider For Maximizing Research Excellence And Impact, Wolfgang Langhans, Rogerio Adams, Myrtha Arnold, William A. Banks, J. Patrick Card, Megan J. Dailey, Derek Daniels, Annette D. De Kloet, Guillaume De Lartigue, Suzanne Dickson, Shahana Fedele, Harvey J. Grill, John-Olov Jansson, Sharon Kaufman, Grant Kolar, Eric Krause, Shin J. Lee, Christelle Le Foll, Barry E. Levin, Thomas A. Lutz, Abdelhak Mansouri, Timothy H. Moran, Gustava Pacheco-Lopez, Deepti Ramachandran, Helen Raybould, Linda Rinaman, Willis K. Samson, Graciela Sanchez-Watts, Randy J. Seeley, Karolina P. Skibicka, Dana Small, Alan C. Spector, Kellie L. Tamashiro, Brian Templeton, Stefan Trapp, Patrick Tso, Alan G. Watts, Nadja Weissfeld, Diana Williams, Christian Wolfrum, Gina Yosten, Stephen C. Woods

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Interrogating The Central Melanocortin System: Choosing The “Right” Model, Gina L.C. Yosten

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

The Zinc Transporter Zipt-7.1 Regulates Sperm Activation In Nematodes, Yanmei Zhao, Chieh Hsiang Tan, Amber Krauchunas, Andrea Scharf, Nicholas Dietrich, Kurt Warnhoff, Zhiheng Yuan, Marina Druzhinina, Sam Guoping Gu, Long Miao, Andrew Singson, Ronald E. Ellis, Kerry Kornfeld

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Sperm activation is a fascinating example of cell differentiation, in which immotile spermatids undergo a rapid and dramatic transition to become mature, motile sperm. Because the sperm nucleus is transcriptionally silent, this transition does not involve transcriptional changes. Although Caenorhabditis elegans is a leading model for studies of sperm activation, the mechanisms by which signaling pathways induce this transformation remain poorly characterized. Here we show that a conserved transmembrane zinc transporter, ZIPT-7.1, regulates the induction of sperm activation in Caenorhabditis nematodes. The zipt-7.1 mutant hermaphrodites cannot self-fertilize, and males reproduce poorly, because mutant spermatids are defective in responding to activating …

Heterogeneous Activity Causes A Nonlinear Increase In The Group Energy Use Of Ant Workers Isolated From Queen And Brood, Nolan Ferral, Kyara Holloway, Mingzhong Li, Zhaozheng Yin, Chen Hou

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Increasing evidence has shown that the energy use of ant colonies increases sublinearly with colony size so that large colonies consume less per capita energy than small colonies. It has been postulated that social environment (e.g., in the presence of queen and brood) is critical for the sublinear group energetics, and a few studies of ant workers isolated from queens and brood observed linear relationships between group energetics and size. In this paper, we hypothesize that the sublinear energetics arise from the heterogeneity of activity in ant groups, that is, large groups have relatively more inactive members than small groups. …

Novel Regulator Of Vasopressin Secretion: Phoenixin, Silvia Gasparini, Lauren M. Stein, Spencer P. Loewen, Christopher J. Haddock, Jasmine Soo, Alastair V. Ferguson, Grant R. Kolar, Gina L.C. Yosten, Willis K. Samson

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

The newly described hypothalamic peptide, phoenixin, is produced in the hypothalamus and adenohypophysis, where it acts to control reproductive hormone secretion. Both phoenixin and its receptor GPR173 are expressed in the hypothalamic supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei, suggesting additional, nonreproductive effects of the peptide to control vasopressin (AVP) or oxytocin (OT) secretion. Hypothalamo-neurohypophysial explants released AVP but not OT in response to phoenixin. Intracerebroventricular administration of phoenixin into conscious, unrestrained male and female rats significantly increased circulating AVP, but not OT, levels in plasma, and it increased immediate early gene expression in the supraoptic nuclei of male rats. Bath …

Introducing The Jmbe Themed Issue On Science Communication, Dennis F. Mangan, Emily T. Cloyd, Jesus A. Romo, David R. Wessner, David J. Westenberg, For Full List Of Authors, See Publisher's Website.

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

2-Chlorofatty Acids: Lipid Mediators Of Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation, Elisa N.D. Palladino, Lalage A. Katunga, Grant R. Kolar, David A. Ford

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Neutrophils form neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which have been implicated in microcirculatory plugging. NET formation (NETosis) involves the fusion of granule and nuclear contents, which are then released in the extracellular space. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) plays a major role in NETosis leading to the dissociation of DNA from histones. During neutrophil activation, MPO is released and activated to convert hydrogen peroxide and chloride to hypochlorous acid (HOCl). HOCl targets plasmalogens leading to the production of the chlorinated lipids, 2-chlorofatty aldehyde and 2-chlorofatty acid (2-ClFA). Here, we tested the hypothesis that 2-ClFAs are important lipid mediators of NETosis. Human neutrophils treated with …

2-Chlorofatty Acids: Lipid Mediators Of Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation, Elisa N.D. Palladino, Lalage A. Katunga, Grant R. Kolar, David A. Ford

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Neutrophils form neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which have been implicated in microcirculatory plugging. NET formation (NETosis) involves the fusion of granule and nuclear contents, which are then released in the extracellular space. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) plays a major role in NETosis leading to the dissociation of DNA from histones. During neutrophil activation, MPO is released and activated to convert hydrogen peroxide and chloride to hypochlorous acid (HOCl). HOCl targets plasmalogens leading to the production of the chlorinated lipids, 2-chlorofatty aldehyde and 2-chlorofatty acid (2-ClFA). Here, we tested the hypothesis that 2-ClFAs are important lipid mediators of NETosis. Human neutrophils treated with …