Biology Commons^™

Green Tea Polyphenols : Potential Antibiotic Synergistic Agents For Combatting Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Siti Ayuni Mohamed Yussof

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The rise in antibiotic resistant cases has caused a global concern and researchers around the world are trying to find a novel alternative to combat this issue. Green tea with its many health benefits, including antibacterial and antiviral activity, has shown to be one of the most promising candidates to be used as an agent to solve this problem. Green tea commonly found throughout Asia is made from the unfermented leaves of Camellia sinensis and the polyphenols extracted from it can be divided into two categories: (1): Crude, which includes green tea polyphenols (GTP) and lipophilic green tea polyphenols (LTP), …

Characterization Of The Interaction Between Asic And Bk Channels In Glioma Derived Cell Lines, Michael Young

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Glioma are the most common form of brain tumor and carry a particularly poor prognosis that has remained unchanged over the past two decades. Increased activity of large conductance voltage gated and calcium activated potassium channels (BK channels) have been associated with the characteristic invasiveness and proliferation of the disease. Previous work has shown that these channels are inhibited by acid-sensing ion channels (ASIC) at physiological pH (7.4) and that this inhibition is relieved at acidic pH (6.0) commonly found in tumors (Petroff et al. 2008, Petroff et al. 2012). Previous work in our lab has shown that that this …

Caenorhabditis Elegans Paraoxonase-Like Proteins Control The Functional Expression Of Deg/Enac Mechanosensory Proteins, Yushu Chen, Shashank Bharill, Zeynep Altun, Robert O'Hagan, Brian Coblitz, Ehud Y. Isacoff, Martin Chalfie

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Caenorhabditis elegans senses gentle touch via a mechanotransduction channel formed from the DEG/ENaC proteins MEC-4 and MEC-10. An additional protein, the paraoxonase-like protein MEC-6, is essential for transduction, and previous work suggested that MEC-6 was part of the transduction complex. We found that MEC-6 and a similar protein, POML-1, reside primarily in the endoplasmic reticulum and do not colocalize with MEC-4 on the plasma membrane in vivo. As with MEC-6, POML-1 is needed for touch sensitivity, the neurodegeneration caused by the mec-4(d) mutation, and the expression and distribution of MEC-4 in vivo. Both proteins are likely needed for the proper …

Population Structure Of Colonizing And Invasive Staphylococcus Aureus Strains In Northern Vietnam, Bich Ngoc Thi Vu, Alexander J. Jafari, Matthew Aardema, Huong Kieu Thi Tran, Diep Ngoc Thi Nguyen, Trinh Tuyet Dao, Trung Vu Nguyen, Toan Khanh Tran, Chuc Kim Thi Nguyen, Annette Fox, Anne Laure Bañuls, Guy Thwaites, Kinh Van Nguyen, Heiman F.L. Wertheim

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Staphylococcus aureus is an important global health problem worldwide. There is still scarce information on the population structure of S. aureus strains in Asia, where the majority of the world population lives. This study characterized the diversity of S. aureus strains in northern Vietnam through multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Eighty-five carriage isolates from the community and 77 invasive isolates from the clinical setting were selected and tested for meticillin resistance and the presence of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL). MLST was performed on these isolates, of which CC59 (25.4 %), CC188 (17.3 %) and CC45 (16.7 %) were the predominant clonal complexes …

Effects Of Researcher-Induced Disturbance On American Kestrels Breeding In Nest Boxes In Northwestern New Jersey, John Smallwood

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Nest boxes for American Kestrels Falco sparverius may alleviate local nest site limitation, but there is concern that periodically opening nest boxes or handling adults may negatively affect nesting success. I monitored 536 kestrel breeding attempts ≥1 egg laid in about 100 nest boxes in northwestern New Jersey, 1995-2012. To study return rates, I opportunistically captured adults in nest boxes and marked them with U.S.G.S. leg bands and patagial tags. To examine possible effects of this disturbance, I compared nesting success ≥1 nestling surviving to banding age of marked and unmarked adults. Nesting success was 67% for 270 unmarked pairs, …

Mec-10 And Mec-19 Reduce The Neurotoxicity Of The Mec-4(D) Deg/Enac Channel In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Yushu Chen, Shashank Bharill, Robert O'Hagan, Ehud Y. Isacoff, Martin Chalfie

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The Caenorhabditis elegans DEG/ENaC proteins MEC-4 and MEC-10 transduce gentle touch in the six touch receptor neurons . Gain-of-function mutations of mec-4 and mec-4(d) result in a hyperactive channel and neurodegeneration in vivo. Loss of MEC-6, a putative DEG/ENaC-specific chaperone, and of the similar protein POML-1 suppresses the neurodegeneration caused by a mec-4(d) mutation. We find that mutation of two genes, mec-10 and a new gene mec-19 (previously named C49G9.1), prevents this action of POML-1, allowing the touch receptor neurons to die in poml-1 mec-4(d) animals. The proteins encoded by these genes normally inhibit mec-4(d) neurotoxicity through different mechanisms. MEC-10, …

Leech Host Specificity And Its Effect On Rates Of Parasitism In Two Pond Turtle Species, Sternotherus Odoratus And Chrysemys Picta, Linda Valentina Araya

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Appropriate host selection by parasites is critical for ensuring offspring survival, optimal feeding location, and protection from predators. Leeches (Placobdella spp.) are known to parasitize bottom-dwelling turtle species more frequently than basking turtle species, but it is not known whether this bias is evolutionarily advantageous. I tested two potential factors that could influence host selection by leeches: differential chance of encounter due to habitat usage, and chemosensory bias of leeches toward bottom-dwelling species. I first confirmed that Chrysemys picta (Eastern painted turtle, a basking species) and Sternotherus odoratus (common musk turtle, a bottom-dwelling species) in Lake Wapalanne in Sussex County, …

Drifting Communities : Relationships Between Soil Chemistry, Plant And Microbial Communities Along An Urban Watershed, Carolyn Haines-Klaube

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The goal of this study was to investigate plant and soil communities along a riparian corridor at four sites in the Toms River Watershed of Ocean County, NJ. This research assessed how these communities differ between the upland and floodplain habitats by examining both biotic and abiotic factors. To accomplish this, plant communities were assessed upon tree basal area, woody shrub cover, herbaceous cover and presence/absence of “all-vegetation”. Soil microbial community composition was also measured at the same four sites. At each of the four sites, I surveyed three transects that were parallel, perpendicular and upland from the river. These …

Environmental Salinity Preference Of Rana Palustris, Stephanie Lee Zilinskis

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Amphibians face many daily challenges in their natural habitats, ranging from escaping predators to finding suitable mates. In addition, they may also find themselves facing anthropogenic challenges, such as crossing busy highways and coping with polluted water. This study focuses on the impacts that water polluted with road salt may have on roadside amphibian populations, utilizing outdoor and laboratory experiments. Both experiments tested water salinity preference for the pickerel frog (Rana palustris), and found that R. palustris did not show preference for either low or high salinity in short-term choice trials. Therefore, it is possible that R. palustris are not …

Antagonistic Interactions Between Aquatic Turtles And Territorial Sunfish, Tara Jane Snyder

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

When sunfish (Lepomis spp.) breed, parents defend nest sites and are highly aggressive and territorial against conspecifics and other fish and invertebrate species. However, little is known of their possible effects on sympatric turtle species. In this study I examined the relationship between the musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus), painted turtle (Chrysemys picta), pumpkinseed sunfish (.Lepomis gibbosus), and bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) within Lake Wapalanne, Sandyston, New Jersey. My hypotheses were: presence of musk and painted turtle individuals would diminish within the sunfish nest habitats during the breeding period and would revert back to normal numbers of captures post-sunfish breeding; musk …

Developing A System To Arrest Transformation Using A Zebrafish Model For Melanomagenesis, Cory Haluska

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The recent emergence of RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system adapted from the natural defense mechanism found in bacteria and archaea has made the manipulation of genetic loci more feasible than ever. Using this technique we attempted to eliminate a target sequence of about 20 nucleotides from the promoter of the protein ICER (Inducible cAMP Early Repressor) located just upstream of the start sequence. ICER is a small transcription factor and supposed tumor suppressor protein that comes from the CREM (cAMP Responsive Element) gene. ICER has been found to be absent in tumor cells, marked for degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasomal pathway. …

Dynamic Proteomic Characteristics And Network Integration Revealing Key Proteins For Two Kernel Tissue Developments In Popcorn, Yongbin Dong, Qilei Wang, Long Zhang, Chunguang Du, Wenwei Xiong, Xinjian Chen, Fei Deng, Zhiyan Ma, Dahe Qiao, Chunhui Hu, Yangliu Ren, Yuling Li

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The formation and development of maize kernel is a complex dynamic physiological and biochemical process that involves the temporal and spatial expression of many proteins and the regulation of metabolic pathways. In this study, the protein profiles of the endosperm and pericarp at three important developmental stages were analyzed by isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) labeling coupled with LC-MS/MS in popcorn inbred N04. Comparative quantitative proteomic analyses among developmental stages and between tissues were performed, and the protein networks were integrated. A total of 6,876 proteins were identified, of which 1,396 were nonredundant. Specific proteins and different …

Microbial Source Tracking Of Nonpoint Source Pollution In New Jersey Rivers, Matthew John Newton

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The bodies of water of New Jersey serve many different purposes from recreational to agricultural and drinking to waste water treatment. Due to the vast diversity of usage and the many people that rely on these water bodies for everyday life it is essential that the health and quality of the water bodies is monitored and maintained regularly. Sources of pollution that affect the health of rivers, lakes and streams include biological, microbial, physical and chemical contaminants. All of these pollutions can impact the health of the water body, the organisms living in it and those who come into contact …

A Study Of Ret Dependent Transcriptional Changes Of Cell Signaling Proteins In Neuroblastoma Cells, Elizabeth Yvonne Flores

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The ret proto-oncogene codes for a receptor tyrosine kinase involved in the pathogenesis of numerous developmental defects, particularly those in neural crest-derived structures leading to the regulation of cell proliferation, migration, differentiation and survival during embryogenesis. Constitutive activation or inactivation of the RET receptor results in the cancer syndrome Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia or Hirschsprung's disease, respectively. The importance of RET in these disease states has been well established. However, while many proteins associated with the RET signaling pathway have been identified, the transcriptional changes induced by the wild type receptor, particularly with respect to these signaling proteins in neuroblastoma cells, …

The Effects Of Crude And Pure Green Tea Polyphenols On Bacteria Biofilm Formation And Endospore Germination, Hassan Tahir

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Over the past couple of decades humans have been combating the problem of multi-drug resistant microorganisms. Multi-drug resistant strains o f microorganisms have been causing not only problems for medical settings, but the world as well. Because of the continuous use of antibiotics within our time and age, there has been a huge increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria. In addition to the rise in multi-drug resistant bacteria over time, endospore cells have been causing increased levels of food-bourne illnesses. Thus, there is a need for novel antimicrobial agents from nature derived products as an alternative way to treat and control …

Assessment Of Behavior, Home Range, Population Size, And Intermixing Among The Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops Truncatus, In New Jersey, Colleen Marie Talty

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are known to exhibit a range of different social structures and habitat use profiles. To investigate the structure of the population off Cape May, NJ, photo identification techniques were employed. Between April 2013 and November 2014, 209 survey days with 989 individual sightings were observed from a platform of opportunity, the whale watching vessel the American Star. The primary goals of this study were to assess the population size in this area; determine whether or not the inshore ecotype were mixing with the offshore ecotype; determine home range size for dolphins sighted multiple times; and to …

Characterization Of Ubiquitination Site Of Inducible Camp Early Repressor, Fanaye Woldeamanuel

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Inducible cAMP Early Repressor (ICER) is a negative transcriptional regulator found in eukaryotic cells. ICER has a tumor suppressive activity and is absent in several human cancers. Cancer cells get rid of ICER by a post-translational modification known as ubiquitination. Ubiquitin molecules, which are very small regulatory proteins, attach to lysine residues of a target protein to induce either a proteolytic or a non-proteolytic pathway. Both pathways target ICER levels inside the nucleus. In the case of the proteolytic pathway, ICER gets sent to the proteasome where it gets degraded and in the non-proteolytic pathway, ICER gets sent to the …

In Vitro Synergistic Antiviral Activity Of Black Tea Theaflavins And Acyclovir On Herpes Simplex Virus Types 1 And 2 In A549 Cells, Cody James Berkefeld

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is responsible for one of the most common infections within the population. The primary antiviral used against HSV infections are nucleoside analog drugs such as acyclovir and its deviates. However, in recent years the number of cases of drug resistant HSV has increased, resulting in interest for new novel treatments. Promising antiviral agents are theaflavins found within black tea derived from Camellia sinensis. These theaflavins include theaflavin (TF1), theaflavin-3-monogallate (TF2A), theaflavin-3’-monogallate (TF2B), and theaflavin-3-3’-digallate (TF3). Previous studies have supported that theaflavins from black tea, specifically TF3, inhibit the process of viral absorption. Due to this mode …

Generation And Characterization Ovarian Specific Promoter Sequences Of A Transgenic Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Riham Makhoul

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Inducible cAMP early repressor or, ICER, acts as a tumor suppressor with ovarian specific properties and moderates cAMP anti-proliferative actions. In this study, CYP19A1 was selected out of the four previously cloned ovarian specific promoters (CYP19A1, FSH, ZP3 and GDF9). The purpose of this experiment was to test whether a -500 bp fragment of the CYP19A1 can function in the ovaries as a specific promoter that can be used to express transgenes in the ovaries. For this study, we generated transgenic Zebrafish that expressed Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) with the CYP19A1 promoter and proceeded to characterize by four different methods …

Varying Influences Of Selection And Demography In Host-Adapted Populations Of The Tick-Transmitted Bacterium, Anaplasma Phagocytophilum Speciation And Evolutionary Genetics, Matthew Aardema, Friederike D. Von Loewenich

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Background: The host range of a pathogenic bacterial strain likely influences its effective population size, which in turn affects the efficacy of selection. Transmission between competent hosts may occur more frequently for host generalists than for specialists. This could allow higher bacterial population densities to persist within an ecological community and increase the efficacy of selection in these populations. Conversely, specialist strains may be better adapted to their hosts and consequently achieve greater within-host population densities, with corresponding increases in selection efficacy. To assess these different hypotheses, we examined the effective population sizes of three strains of the bacterium Anaplasma …

Ultraviolet Coloration In Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies (Papilio Glaucus Group, Papilionidae) With A Method For Objectively Quantifying Adult Butterfly Wing Wear, Matthew Aardema, J. Mark Scriber

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Tiger swallowtail butterflies in the genus Papilio have an ability to visually distinguish between a large array of colors including those in the ultraviolet spectrum (UV). However, very little is known about UV reflectance patterns in these butterflies. Using a combination of UV photography and spectral analysis, we here show that several areas on the wings of tiger swallowtails reflect UV light including areas of blue scaling and the anterobasal region of the hind wings. We also discuss how a low level of UV reflectance from the wing membrane itself may be combined with UV photography to quantify wing wear. …

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Alters Fine Root Bacterial Abundance And Mycorrhizal Associations In Eastern Hemlock, Justin F. Vendettuoli, David A. Orwig, Jennifer Adams Krumins, Matthew D. Waterhouse, Evan L. Preisser

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

While the impact of aboveground herbivores on plant biomass and fitness has received considerable attention, there has been far less research on the corresponding belowground impacts. The belowground effects of aboveground feeding may be particularly noticeable for invasive and/or outbreaking herbivore species that reach high densities and can cause major damage and sometimes death. The hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae, is an invasive pest on the eastern seaboard of the United States that feeds on a native shade-tolerant conifer, the eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis. Trees rapidly decline and die following infestation, and the invasion of this insect has devastated hemlock …

Generation And Partial Characterization Of Testes Specific Promotor Sequences In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Rohini Rajendran

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The cAMP response element modulator (CREM) regulates cAMP- responsive genes and is an important component of the cAMP mediated signal transduction in spermatogenesis. CREM has a regulatory relationship with Inducible cAMP early repressor (ICER) which acts as a tumor suppressor and is a dominant negative transcriptional repressor with gonadal specific properties. ICER is also known to moderate cAMP antiproliferative actions and has been targeted in the past for expression in the ovaries of transgenic mouse models to generate higher levels of ovulation. Earlier studies on mice lacking the CREM gene have shown severe impairment in spermatogenesis.

Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein …

10 Years Later: Revisiting Priorities For Science And Society A Decade After The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Christian Mulder, Elena M. Bennett, David A. Bohan, Michael Bonkowski, Stephen R. Carpenter, Rachel Chalmers, Wolfgang Cramer, Isabelle Durance, Nico Eisenhauer, Colin Fontaine, Alison J. Haughton, Jean Paul Hettelingh, Jes Hines, Sébastien Ibanez, Erik Jeppesen, Jennifer Adams Krumins, Athen Ma, Giorgio Mancinelli, François Massol, Órla Mclaughlin, Shahid Naeem, Unai Pascual, Josep Peñuelas, Nathalie Pettorelli, Michael J.O. Pocock, Dave Raffaelli, Jes J. Rasmussen, Graciela M. Rusch, Christoph Scherber, Heikki Setälä, William J. Sutherland, Corinne Vacher

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The study of ecological services (ESs) is fast becoming a cornerstone of mainstream ecology, largely because they provide a useful means of linking functioning to societal benefits in complex systems by connecting different organizational levels. In order to identify the main challenges facing current and future ES research, we analyzed the effects of the publication of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, 2005) on different disciplines. Within a set of topics framed around concepts embedded within the MEA, each co-author identified five key research challenges and, where feasible, suggested possible solutions. Concepts included those related to specific service types (i.e. provisioning, …

Plant Productivity, Ectomycorrhizae, And Metal Contamination In Urban Brownfield Soils, Jessica M. Evans, Adam Parker, Frank Gallagher, Jennifer Adams Krumins

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The soil contamination legacy of postindustrial sites has become an issue of increasing ecological and public health concern. This study examines the ectomycorrhizal and above-ground plant relationships in the metaliferous soil of an urban brownfield. Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) were microscopically identified by physical morphotyping followed by sequencing of ribosomal DNA. Plant productivity was assessed through Leaf Area Index (LAI) measurements taken fromMay through July 2012 and 2013. Results indicate that therewere significant changes in EMF community composition and plant productivity based on their position along a total soil metal load gradient. Cenococcum geophilum was the dominant species in the soilswhere …

Model-To-Data Comparisons Reveal Influence Of Jellyfish Interactions On Plankton Community Dynamics, Kevin P. Crum, Heidi L. Fuchs, Paul Bologna, John Gaynor

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Taxonomic shifts can alter predator feeding preference and modify ecosystem dynamics through top-down control. In Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor Estuary (New Jersey, USA), sea nettle Chrysaora quinquecirrha abundances have increased in the northern portions of the estuary. We evaluated the geographical variation in top-down influence of C. quinquecirrha on plankton community dynamics. We simulated a range of jellyfish- to copepod-dominated ecosystems using a size-resolved nutrient-phytoplankton-zooplankton (NPZ) model. Zooplankton feeding was parameterized as a community average based on predator-prey size ratios and breadth of prey sizes of dominant species. We compared model outputs to data collected in the estuary during 2 …

Plant–Soil Feedbacks Of Exotic Plant Species Across Life Forms: A Meta-Analysis, Annelein Meisner, W. H. Gera Hol, Wietse De Boer, Jennifer Adams Krumins, David A. Wardle, Wim H. Van Der Putten

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Invasive exotic plant species effects on soil biota and processes in their new range can promote or counteract invasions via changed plant–soil feedback interactions to themselves or to native plant species. Recent meta-analyses reveale that soil influenced by native and exotic plant species is affecting growth and performance of natives more strongly than exotics. However, the question is how uniform these responses are across contrasting life forms. Here, we test the hypothesis that life form matters for effects on soil and plant–soil feedback. In a meta-analysis we show that exotics enhanced C cycling, numbers of meso-invertebrates and nematodes, while having …

Habitat Characteristics Of Wildlife Crossing Hotspots In Northern New Jersey, Kelly M. Triece

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Habitat fragmentation results when a landscape is broken apart due to urbanization. Fragmentation can result in a decrease in habitat size, and an increase in habitat patches which can then become increasingly isolated. Fragmentation may also be caused by human roadway and vehicle traffic, which degrades surrounding habitats, barricades wildlife movement, reduces the viability of wildlife populations and changes animal population networks. Fragmentation caused by roads often results in wildlife road mortality as animals traverse the roadway to obtain food, to mate or seek other resources. In order for conservation of wildlife populations to take place, it is essential to …

Crispr/Cas9 As A Gene Editing Tool To Delete The Transcriptional Repressor Inducible Camp Early Repressor From The Zebrafish Genome, Madhumalini Gnanasekar

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Genome editing has become an important tool in identifying the specific function and role of a gene in an organism. With the advent of genome editing using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/ CRISPR-associated (Cas) systems, editing a gene has become much easier and less expensive. This CRISPR/Cas9 system uses a small 20 nucleotide long guided RNA (gRNA), which along with Cas9 will bind to the target site and cleave it. In this research, CRISPR/Cas9 system was used to knock out the inducible cAMP early repressor (ICER) promoter sequence in zebra fish. ICER has anti-proliferative activity and acts as …

Are New Jersey Birds Involved In The Enzootic Cycle Of Lyme Disease?, Heather Kopsco

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Birds are well-established in cycles of zoonotic diseases, generally as hosts of an infected arthropod vector such as a mosquito or tick. Since the 1980s, research in both the United States and Europe has focused on their role in the ecology of Lyme disease and its causative agent, Borrelia burgdorferi, since they are fed upon by larval and nymphal ticks and can transport them and their associated diseases geographically during migrations. Further, research has shown that a number of avian species exhibit reservoir competency for B. burgdorferi which demonstrates that birds are involved in the enzootic cycles of the disease …