Biology Commons^™

Identifying And Characterizing Transgenic Lines That Drive Gene Expression In The Adult Fat Body Of The Drosophila Melanogaster, Michael Edward Meyerink

Theses and Dissertations

Adult Drosophila Melanogaster is a powerful model organism in genetic studies and has high tissue and gene homology to humans. Like humans, Drosophila tissues communicate in order to respond to physiological stimuli, such as diet, aging, and disease. The fat body, homologous to human adipocytes and hepatocytes, functions as both an endocrine and energy storage organ; and has been shown to play a critical role in many metabolic processes. The aim of this study is to characterize differences in fat body gene expression to ultimately identify if there are subpopulations of adipocytes with different functions related to fat body communication …

Natural Product Berbamine Enhances The Efficacy Of Doxorubicin Treatment For Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Jake Tyler

Theses and Dissertations

According to breast cancer statistics, 279,100 new cases are expected in the United States in 2020 (Siegel et al., 2020). Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer with a significantly shorter median overall survival compared to other subtypes of breast cancer. Unlike hormone-positive or HER2-positve breast cancers with effective hormonal or targeted therapies available, there has been very little clinical success from targeted therapies for TNBC. Doxorubicin (Dox) is one of the most used chemotherapy drugs. The only limitation of Dox treatment is its cytotoxicity. Berbamine dihydrochloride (BBM) is a natural benzylisoquinoline alkaloid that …

Morphological Changes In The Visual Sensory System Of Congeneric Fishes Inhabiting Clear And Turbid Aquatic Environments, Habeeb Mohsin Hammadi Alsudani

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the histological aspects of the visual system of six species of fish. Menidia extensa and Fundulus waccamensis are found in Lake Waccamaw, which is a unique aquatic environment of the Atlantic coastal plain characterized by low turbidity, higher pH and clarity. Menidia beryllina, Menidia menidia, Fundulus diaphanus and Fundulus heteroclitus are found in the Waccamaw River, which is characterized by high turbidity. These species have undergone morphological changes likely related to inhabiting two ecological systems that differ in their environmental characteristics. We tested the hypothesis that fish modify their visual system to adapt to various environments.

The …

Recombination And Gene Loss Occur Simultaneously During Bacterial Horizontal Gene Transfer, Bert Ely

Faculty Publications

Bacteria can acquire new genes by incorporating environmental DNA into their genomes, yet genome sizes stay relatively constant. In nature, gene acquisition is a rare event so it is difficult to observe. However, the Caulobacter crescentus CB2A genome contains 114 insertions of genetic material from the closely-related NA1000 strain, providing a unique opportunity to analyze the horizontal transfer of genetic material. Analyses of these insertions led to a new model that involves preferential recombination at non-homologous regions that are flanked by regions of homology and does not involve any mutational processes. The net result is the replacement of segments of …

An Artificial Habitat Increases The Reproductive Fitness Of A Range-Shifting Species Within A Newly Colonized Ecosystem, Zachary J. Cannizzo, Susan Q. Lang, Bryan Benitez-Nelson, Blaine D. Griffen

Faculty Publications

When a range-shifting species colonizes an ecosystem it has not previously inhabited, it may experience suboptimal conditions that challenge its continued persistence and expansion. Some impacts may be partially mitigated by artificial habitat analogues: artificial habitats that more closely resemble a species' historic ecosystem than the surrounding habitat. If conditions provided by such habitats increase reproductive success, they could be vital to the expansion and persistence of range-shifting species. We investigated the reproduction of the mangrove tree crab Aratus pisonii in its historic mangrove habitat, the suboptimal colonized salt marsh ecosystem, and on docks within the marsh, an artificial mangrove …

The Bioethical Significance Of “The Origin Of Man’S Ethical Behavior” (October 1941, Unpublished) By Ernest Everett Just And Hedwig Anna Schnetzler Just, Theodore Walker Jr.

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Abstract –

E. E. Just (1883-1941) is an acknowledged “pioneer” in cell biology, and he is perhaps the pioneer in study of egg cell fertilization. Here we discover that Just also made pioneering contributions to general biology and evolutionary bioethics.

Within Just’s published contributions to observational cell biology, there are substantial fragments of his theory of ethical behavior, a theory with roots in cell biology. In addition to such previously available fragments, Just’s fully developed theory is now available. This recently discovered unpublished book-length manuscript argues for the biological origins of ethical behavior (evolving from cells to humans, within a …

Importance Of Refractory Ligands And Their Photodegradation For Iron Oceanic Inventories And Cycling, Christel Hassler, Damien Cabanes, Sonia Blanco-Ameijeiras, Sylvia G. Sander, Ronald Benner

Faculty Publications

Iron is an essential micronutrient that limits primary production in up to 40% of the surface ocean and influences carbon dioxide uptake and climate change. Dissolved iron is mostly associated with loosely characterised organic molecules, called ligands, which define key aspects of the iron cycle such as its residence time, distribution and bioavailability to plankton. Models based on in situ ligand distributions and the behaviour of purified compounds include long-lived ligands in the deep ocean, bioreactive ligands in the surface ocean and photochemical processes as important components of the iron cycle. Herein, we further characterise biologically refractory ligands in dissolved …

Testing Predictability Of Disease Outbreaks With A Simple Model Of Pathogen Biogeography, Tad Dallas, Colin J. Carlson, Timothée Poisot

Faculty Publications

Predicting disease emergence and outbreak events is a critical task for public health professionals and epidemiologists. Advances in global disease surveillance are increasingly generating datasets that are worth more than their component parts for prediction-oriented work. Here, we use a trait-free approach which leverages information on the global community of human infectious diseases to predict the biogeography of pathogens through time. Our approach takes pairwise dissimilarities between countries’ pathogen communities and pathogens’ geographical distributions and uses these to predict country–pathogen associations. We compare the success rates of our model for predicting pathogen outbreak, emergence and re-emergence potential as a function …

Core–Shell Nanospheres Behind The Blue Eyes Of The Bay Scallop Argopecten Irradians, Olivia K. Harris, Alexandra C.N. Kingston, Caitlin S. Wolfe, Soumitra Ghoshroy, Sönke Johnsen, Daniel Isaac Speiser

Faculty Publications

The bay scallop Argopecten irradians (Mollusca: Bivalvia) has dozens of iridescent blue eyes that focus light using mirror-based optics. Here, we test the hypothesis that these eyes appear blue because of photonic nanostructures that preferentially scatter short-wavelength light. Using transmission electron microscopy, we found that the epithelial cells covering the eyes of A. irradians have three distinct layers: an outer layer of microvilli, a middle layer of random close-packed nanospheres and an inner layer of pigment granules. The nanospheres are approximately 180 nm in diameter and consist of electron-dense cores approximately 140 nm in diameter surrounded by less electron-dense shells …

Distribution And Abundance Of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus In Surficial Estuarine Sediment From North Inlet, Sc, Usa, India Briana Gartmon

Theses and Dissertations

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a ubiquitous coastal organism that causes gastroenteritis (vibriosis) after ingestion of mishandled or undercooked seafood. Cases of vibriosis have increased rapidly in the past decade. V. parahaemolyticus densities have historically been associated with an increase in sea surface water temperatures, but recent shellfish bed closures in fall and winter months in cooler regions (the Baltic Sea, the Pacific NW, and New England) suggest that there may be additional environmental parameters that affect densities of V. parahaemolyticus. The vertical distribution of V. parahaemolyticus was assessed in the pristine North Inlet Estuary (SC, USA). The goal of this …

Evidence For P53-Mediated Induction Of Wrap53a In Response To Dna Damage, Anne Shelton Hucks

Theses and Dissertations

p53 is a powerful tumor suppressor mutated in approximately half of all cancers. Its mRNA is stabilized post-transcriptionally via complementary base pairing with the transcript of its antisense gene, WRAP53α; without this interaction, p53 protein cannot accumulate enough to carry out its many functions related to apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and DNA damage repair. Previous studies have shown that WRAP53α is induced in response to DNA damage. The purpose of this study was to determine which transcription factors might be responsible for this induction. After identifying three putative p53 binding sites on the WRAP53α promoter, we used chromatin immunoprecipitation …

Assessing The Competitive Advantage Of Carbonic Anhydrase In Estuarine Microalgae Through Removed Enzymatic Activity, Eilea R. Knotts

Theses and Dissertations

Carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) are used by photoautotrophs to overcome possible limitations in carbon acquisition but the competitive strategies and efficiencies of these mechanisms among photosynthesizers can be variable. The diversity in carbon acquisition abilities establishes the potential for alterations in community structure with shifting carbon concentrations. Given the role of phytoplankton and benthic microalgae (BMA) in the trophodynamics of estuaries, understanding the mechanisms of carbon acquisition in these systems is important in predicting how primary productivity and nutrient cycling might change in response to increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2. Our approach to investigate whether induced carbon limitation would show …

Distribution And Dispersal Potential Of The Endemic Tree Loblolly Bay (Gordonia Lasianthus) In The Southeastern United States Coastal Plain And Implications For Conservation In The Context Of Forecast Climate Scenarios., Herrick Hermann Klaus Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Plant communities in the Southeastern United States Coastal Plain constitute a rich assemblage of species from neighboring floristic provinces and include over 1,000 species endemic to the region. Conservation of these unique landscapes requires a better understanding of potential impacts from human activity and a changing climate. As a model species, the endemic tree Loblolly Bay (Gordonia lasianthus) is representative of Carolina Bays, pocosins, and isolated wetland habitats that accentuate Longleaf Pine ecosystems which dominate the focus area. Seed-dispersal events in Loblolly Bay are limited to periods of relatively low humidity primarily during the months of October to December, and …

Population And Kin Structure Of Hawksbill Turtles: Insights On Natal Homing Precision, Time To Maturity And The Male Component Of The Breeding Population, Kathryn Erin Levasseur

Theses and Dissertations

Marine turtles have long endured population declines and face a growing number of contemporary threats, highlighting the need for population assessments and conservation action. Research on these species, however, remains a challenge due to complex and extensive oceanic life cycles that hinder direct observation. The pelagic, post-hatchling life stage is particularly difficult to track, preventing empirical research of fundamental behavior and life history traits such as natal homing precision and time to sexual maturity. Also, much of our current knowledge of marine turtles comes from nesting females and hatchlings, stages of the life cycle that are easy to observe. Far …

Multilevel Analysis In Rural Cancer Control: A Conceptual Framework And Methodological Implications, Tine Verreet, Cory J. Weaver, Hiromu Hino, Masahiko Hibi, Fabienne E. Poulain

Faculty Publications

Mitochondria are abundantly detected at the growth cone, the dynamic distal tip of developing axons that directs growth and guidance. It is, however, poorly understood how mitochondrial dynamics relate to growth cone behavior in vivo, and which mechanisms are responsible for anchoring mitochondria at the growth cone during axon pathfinding. Here, we show that in retinal axons elongating along the optic tract in zebrafish, mitochondria accumulate in the central area of the growth cone and are occasionally observed in filopodia extending from the growth cone periphery. Mitochondrial behavior at the growth cone in vivo is dynamic, with mitochondrial positioning …

The Effect Of Combination Birth Control Pills On Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, Body Weight And Body Temperature, Scarlett E. Leigh, Marlee B. Marsh

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Birth control pills are the most popular method of birth control for women. In the United States of America, roughly 10.2 million women use some type of birth control pills. The two main types of birth control pills available to women are combination pills, which contain both estrogen and progestin, and progestin-only birth control pills that do not contain any estrogen. Numerous biological research studies have been performed studying the effects of combination birth control pills on blood pressure and body weight. However, few studies have examined blood pressure combined with both heart rate, body temperature, and body weight to …

Identification Of Bacterial Isolates Originating From The Human Hand, Leisa M. Rauch, Annette M. Golonka, Eran S. Kilpatrick

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

The human body provides habitat for a diversity of bacterial species that are part of the normal human microbiota. Identification of various members of the normal microbiota to the species level requires a combination of biological staining procedures, biochemical tests, and molecular techniques. In this experiment, ten bacterial isolates originating from the hands of nine students and one faculty member at USC Salkehatchie were identified. Classification to a general taxonomic group was accomplished with standard staining and biochemical tests. Sequences for the 16S ribosomal RNA section of DNA for each isolate were analyzed with BLAST to generate a list of …

Table Of Contents

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Lung Function Values Among A Scuba Diver Population And In Comparison To A Non-Diver Population, Gabriel C. Hutson, Jeremy D. Rentsch, Erin M. Eaton

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible correlations between lung function values (PEF, IRV, ERV, and FVC) among a diver population, as well as in comparison to a non-diver population. Independent variables for both populations were biological sex, age, and weekly physical activity. Independent variables for the diver population were dive tenure, number of logged dives, certification level, and gas mixture used. A spirometry test was conducted to collect lung function values of both populations. Data from this study suggest a statistically significant relationship between diver and non-diver sex and FVC, diver age and ERV, diver sex and …

A Comprehensive Evaluation Of Predictive Performance Of 33 Species Distribution Models At Species And Community Levels, Anna Norberg, Nerea Abrego, F. Guillaume Blanchet, Frederick R. Adler, Barbara J. Anderson, Jani Anttila, Miguel B. Araújo, Tad Dallas, David Dunson, Jane Elith, Scott D. Foster, Richard Fox, Janet Franklin, William Godsoe, Antoine Guisan, Bob O'Hara, Nicole A. Hill, Robert D. Holt, Francis K.C. Hui, Magne Husby, John Atle Kålås, Aleksi Lehikoinen, Miska Luoto, Heidi K. Mod, Graeme Newell, Ian Renner, Tomas Roslin, Janne Soininen, Wilfried Thuiller, Jarno Vanhatalo, David Warton, Matt White, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Dominque Gravel, Otso Ovaskainen

Faculty Publications

A large array of species distribution model (SDM) approaches has been developed for explaining and predicting the occurrences of individual species or species assemblages. Given the wealth of existing models, it is unclear which models perform best for interpolation or extrapolation of existing data sets, particularly when one is concerned with species assemblages. We compared the predictive performance of 33 variants of 15 widely applied and recently emerged SDMs in the context of multispecies data, including both joint SDMs that model multiple species together, and stacked SDMs that model each species individually combining the predictions afterward. We offer a comprehensive …

Novel Salicylic Acid Analogs Induce A Potent Defense Response In Arabidopsis, Ian Arthur Palmer, Huan Chen, Jian Chen, Ming Chang, Min Li, Fengquan Liu, Zheng Qing Fu

Faculty Publications

The master regulator of salicylic acid (SA)-mediated plant defense, NPR1 (NONEXPRESSER OF PR GENES 1) and its paralogs NPR3 and NPR4, act as SA receptors. After the perception of a pathogen, plant cells produce SA in the chloroplast. In the presence of SA, NPR1 protein is reduced from oligomers to monomers, and translocated into the nucleus. There, NPR1 binds to TGA, TCP, and WRKY transcription factors to induce expression of plant defense genes. A list of compounds structurally similar to SA was generated using ChemMine Tools and its Clustering Toolbox. Several of these analogs can induce SA-mediated defense and inhibit …

The Role Of The Gut Microbiome In Tumor Development And Response To 5-Fluorouracil In The Apc^Min/+ Mouse, Kristen Michele Hogan

Theses and Dissertations

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most frequent cancer and the second leading cause of cancer related deaths. While CRC is initiated by mutations in critical tumor suppressor genes, its development and progression to malignancy is aided by host derived cells that are recruited to the tumor microenvironment (TME) and by cancer-associated microbiota that constitute the gut microbiome. Components of the gut microbiota have been shown to alter immune cell infiltration into tumors and influence response to therapy, disease stage, and patient survival. In previous studies, we found that ApcMin/+ mice, a model of early colon carcinogenesis, had reduced tumor …

Proteomic And Genomic Evolution Of Phicbkviruses, Kiesha Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

It is estimated that there are 10³¹ phages in the global population. They continue to maintain their populations by undergoing 10²⁴ infections per second. Every time these phages replicate, there is potential for genetic exchange and mutations. Because of this potential, it has been assumed that phage evolution is heavily influenced by mosaicism. However, it is now clear that phage evolution varies by host type and phage type. Here, we use genomic and proteomic analyses to study the evolution of phages that infect Caulobacter crescentus. The study began by comparing six bacteriophage genomes that were larger than …

Regulation Of Arabidopsis Floral Organ Development By The Transcription Factor Aintegumenta-Like6, Jorman Heflin

Theses and Dissertations

Flowers, and the fruits and seeds they produce, are of great agricultural and economic importance. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that mediate the identity, size and arrangement of floral organs within the flower may allow us to tune these elements for increased crop productivity. I examine several potential regulatory targets of the Arabidopsis AINTEGUMENTA-LIKE6 (AIL6) transcription factor that is involved in these processes and I identify protein-protein interactions that may mediate its activity in flowers. As described by the ABCE model, unique floral organ identities are specified in each whorl of the flower by different combinations of homeotic gene activities. Two …

The Persistent Maladaptation Of Pieris Macdunnoughii: Constraints On Adaptation To An Evolutionary Trap, Rachel A. Steward

Theses and Dissertations

Evolutionary traps arise when organisms use novel, low-quality or even lethal resources based on previously reliable cues. Persistence of such maladaptive interactions depends not only on how individuals locate important resources, such as host plants, but also the mechanisms underlying poor performance. Pieris macdunnoughii (Remington) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) lays eggs on a non-native mustard, Thlaspi arvense (L.) (Brassicaceae), which is lethal to its larvae. However, in the 150 years since T. arvense invaded this butterfly continues to recognize and oviposit on the invasive mustard.

I evaluated two possible constraints on the evolution of decreased preference within an invaded population. First, an …

Tidal And Meteorological Influences On The Growth Of Invasive Spartina Alterniflora: Evidence From Uav Remote Sensing, Xudong Zhu, Lingxuan Meng, Yihui Zhang, Qihao Weng, James T. Morris

Faculty Publications

Rapid invasion of Spartina alterniflora into Chinese coastal wetlands has attracted much attention. Many field and remote sensing studies have examined the spatio-temporal dynamics of S. alterniflora invasion; however, spatially explicit quantitative analyses of S. alterniflora invasion and its underlying mechanisms at both patch and landscape scales are seldom reported. To fill this knowledge gap, we integrated multi-temporal unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery, light detection and ranging (LiDAR)-derived elevation data, and tidal and meteorological time series to explore the growth potential (lateral expansion rates and canopy greenness) of S. alterniflora over the intertidal zone in a subtropical coastal wetland (Zhangjiang …

Cellular Localization Of Rad51d Mutant Proteins And The Application Of Art To Increase Scientific Literacy In America, Claire L. Chabot

Senior Theses

Ovarian cancers are the leading cause of death from cancer of the female reproductive system. Approximately 50% of ovarian cancers have defects in the homologous recombination (HR) DNA repair pathway that is required for the repair of DNA double-stranded breaks. The status of HR genes, such as BRCA1, BRCA2, and the RAD51 family, contributes to ovarian cancer development as well as treatment decisions regarding chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy. The overarching goal of this project is to identify new insights into HR that can integrate with Precision Medicine Initiatives and align with the goals of the Cancer Moonshot 2020 Program. I …

Short-Term Effect Of Simulated Salt Marsh Restoration By Sand-Amendment On Sediment Bacterial Communities, François Thomas, James T. Morris, Cathleen Wigand, Stefan M. Sievert

Faculty Publications

Coastal climate adaptation strategies are needed to build salt marsh resiliency and maintain critical ecosystem services in response to impacts caused by climate change. Although resident microbial communities perform crucial biogeochemical cycles for salt marsh functioning, their response to restoration practices is still understudied. One promising restoration strategy is the placement of sand or sediment onto the marsh platform to increase marsh resiliency. A previous study examined the above- and below-ground structure, soil carbon dioxide emissions, and pore water constituents in Spartina alterniflora-vegetated natural marsh sediments and sand-amended sediments at varying inundation regimes. Here, we analyzed samples from the …

Ecological Mechanisms Can Modify Radiation Effects In A Key Forest Mammal Of Chernobyl, Tapio Mappes, Zbyszek Boratynski, Kati Kivisaari, Anton Lavrinienko, Anders P. Moller, Eugene Tukalenko, Phillip C. Watts

Faculty Publications

Nuclear accidents underpin the need to quantify the ecological mechanisms which determineinjury to ecosystems from chronic low-dose radiation. Here, we tested the hypothesis that ecological mech-anisms interact with ionizing radiation to affect natural populations in unexpected ways. We used large-scale replicated experiments and food manipulations in wild populations of the rodent, Myodes glareolus,inhabiting the region near the site of the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. We show linear decreases in breedingsuccess with increasing ambient radiation levels with no evidence of any threshold below which effects arenot seen. Food supplementation of experimental populations resulted in increased abundances but only inlocations where radioactive …

Anisotropy Vs Isotropy In Living Cell Indentation With Afm, Yuri M. Efremov, Mirian Velay-Lizancos, Cory J. Weaver, Ahmad I. Athamneh, Pablo D. Zavattieri, Daniel M. Suter, Arvind Raman

Faculty Publications

The measurement of local mechanical properties of living cells by nano/micro indentation relies on the foundational assumption of locally isotropic cellular deformation. As a consequence of assumed isotropy, the cell membrane and underlying cytoskeleton are expected to locally deform axisymmetrically when indented by a spherical tip. Here, we directly observe the local geometry of deformation of membrane and cytoskeleton of different living adherent cells during nanoindentation with the integrated Atomic Force (AFM) and spinning disk confocal (SDC) microscope. We show that the presence of the perinuclear actin cap (apical stress fibers), such as those encountered in cells subject to physiological …