Biology Commons^™

Development Of A Rapid Small-Scale Purification Method For The Quantitation Of Heparin-Like Glycosaminoglycans From Cell Culture Media, Marina Danielle Infantado

Biological Sciences

Heparin is an anticoagulant medicinally used to inhibit blood clotting. It is commonly administered to patients requiring surgery or kidney dialysis. Presently, it is produced from animal tissues, but a recent contamination crisis pointed to the need for a safer source of the drug. Our project seeks to develop a rapid, inexpensive, high-throughput assay to quantitate the production of heparin and other glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) from cultured mammalian cells. In order to quantitate heparin from cell culture media, a purification method is needed to separate GAGs from interfering constituents in the media. We developed a purification protocol that absorbs Pluronic and …

One-Step Cellular Micro-Rna Detection With Programmable Dna Nanoswitches, Molly F. Macisaac

Biological Sciences

MicroRNAs play important roles in gene regulation. Additionally, differential expression of specific microRNAs have been correlated with a wide range of diseases. Sensitive and selective detection of microRNAs is thus important for enabling their use as biomarkers, drugs, or drug targets. Current detection techniques such as northern blotting and quantitative real-time PCR require skilled personnel and expensive equipment to execute complex and time consuming assays. Here we develop and validate a one-step, non-enzymatic microRNA detection assay using DNA nanoswitches programmed to recognize and bind a specific microRNA. Binding induces a loop in the structure, allowing the target microRNA to be …

Effects Of Zinc On Cognition, Anthony Piche

Biological Sciences

Insulin resistance is the defining symptom of type 2 diabetes and a key risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Work from our lab and others has shown that insulin is a key component of brain pathways mediating cognition; specifically, mechanisms that transduce hippocampal memory processing. In the hippocampus, insulin regulates glucose metabolism through translocation of the glucose transporter GluT4 and modulates several other molecular cascades. Studies where insulin is studied as a cognitive modulator have generally used a formulation that contains zinc to stabilize insulin. However, zinc itself modulates molecular signaling pathways including AKT and GSK3β, which are both downstream of …

The Effects Of Intrahippocampal Estradiol Administration On Spatial Memory And Protein Expression In Rats Fed A High Fat Diet, Lauren M. Maitner

Biological Sciences

Estradiol acts throughout the body; one key target that expresses large numbers of estradiol receptors is the brain, and specifically the hippocampus. Estradiol can exhibit neuroprotective effects in the brain. However, the set of pathways through which this occurs is not well understood. In vitro work has shown that administration of estradiol to hippocampal neurons inactivates caspase 3, a protease involved in apoptosis and the cleavage of tau. Cleavage of tau results in the formation of neurofibrillary tangles. Together with formation of amyloid-beta plaques, this is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. We tested the hypothesis that administration of …

Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Is A Potential Therapeutic Target In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells, Abdul Manan Sanni-Adam

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Lessons On Evolution From The Study Of Edaphic Specialization, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

Plants adapted to special soil types are ideal for investigating evolutionary processes, including maintenance of intraspecific variation, adaptation, reproductive isolation, ecotypic differentiation, and the tempo and mode of speciation. Common garden and reciprocal transplant approaches show that both local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity contribute to edaphic (soil-related) specialization. Edaphic specialists evolve rapidly and repeatedly in some lineages, offering opportunities to investigate parallel evolution, a process less commonly documented in plants than in animals. Adaptations to soil features are often under the control of major genes and they frequently have direct or indirect effects on genes that contribute to reproductive isolation. …

Effect Of The Specific Carbohydrate Diet On The Microbiome Of A Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis And Ulcerative Colitis Patient, Alanna Dubrovsky, Christopher Kitts

Biological Sciences

A 20-year-old female was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) at age 14 and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) at age 16. The PSC was successfully treated with high doses of oral vancomycin; however, the UC was more difficult to manage. After many drug treatments failed to treat the UC, the patient began following the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD). This report documents fecal microbiome changes resulting from following the SCD for two weeks. The DNA extracted from fecal samples was subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing to quantify bacterial species abundance. Not only were substantial changes in the fecal bacterial composition detectable …

Understanding The Transition From Benthic Egg To Dispersive Larvae: Observations On The Intra-Capsular Growth And Development Of A Marine Snail (Kelletia Kelletii), Megan N. Wilson

Biological Sciences

It has long been understood that the larval life stage is responsible for the dispersion of many marine organisms across their biogeographic range. Such organisms have a bipartite life cycle, existing in the water column and subject to oceanographic processes as planktonic larvae before settling to suitable habitat along the benthos where they grow and mature. Previous studies have demonstrated that larval growth rate and behavior in the water column can alter larval position in relation to ocean currents and affects their dispersal pathway. However, there is a paucity of information regarding the growth rate of the earliest larval stage …

Heavy Metals In Seaweeds From A Polluted Estuary In Coastal Maine, Ian D. Medeiros, Arthur C. Mathieson, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

Seaweeds (macroalgae) accumulate heavy metals from seawater and can therefore serve as biological monitors of marine pollution. In this paper, we present data on the tissue chemistry of seaweeds from the area of Callahan Mine, an intertidal copper and zinc mine in Brooksville, ME, USA, abandoned in the 1970s and now designated as a Superfund site. The mine is located on the Goose Pond estuary, which drains into the ocean via a tidal waterfall at Goose Falls. Seaweed tissue samples from this estuary had the same relative concentrations of metals as had been reported previously in water samples from this …

Peromyscus Boylii And Peromysus Californicus Differ In Physical Characteristic Measurements, Puja M. Kasondra

Biological Sciences

I provide a comparison of physical characteristics between Peromyscus boylii and Peromyscus californicus. All mice compared were captured in the dominant regions of the Los Padres National Forest during three different years – 2005, 2011, and 2014. The dominant regions of the Los Padres National Forest include Riparian, Woodlands, and Chaparral. All characteristics, ear (from notch), head and body, hind foot, tail, and weights, were compared between males of each species and then between females of each species. All data were analyzed in JMP 12. Out of all the characteristics, tail and weight had the greatest difference between the …

Linking Large Scale Ocean-Atmospheric Patterns With Recruitment In Kellet’S Whelk (Kelletia Kelletii), Katherine N. Rodriguez

Biological Sciences

Global warming influences the biogeography of many marine and terrestrial species. Understanding species range shifts is ecologically and socioeconomically important when guiding management decisions for ecosystems exposed to a rapidly changing climate. In this natural experiment, I follow Danielle Zacherl’s methods (Zacherl et al. 2003) to study the effects of large-scale ocean-atmospheric patterns on recruitment of a marine snail, Kellet’s whelk (Kelletia kelletii); these organisms recently expanded their range North past the geographic barrier of Point Conception to Monterey, CA, USA. I use shell length data collected at 32 subtidal rocky reef kelp forest sites in 2015 (before …

Chronic Arsenic Exposure In Nanomolar Concentrations Accelerates Senescent Phenotypes In Vitro, Heather M. Sabo

Biological Sciences

Arsenic is recognized as an environmental carcinogen, in which over 100 million individuals worldwide experience chronic exposure through contaminated drinking water. Arsenic exposure is linked to several health conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, skin lesions, immune dysfunction, and cardiovascular disease. Here we test the hypothesis that toxicants, such as arsenic, accelerate the program of senescence. Human (IMR-90) primary diploid fibroblasts were chronically exposed to arsenic at nanomolar concentrations and the impact on the expression of senescent-associated mRNAs was evaluated. IMR-90 cells were exposed either to untreated media or exposed to 130nM and 330nM AsCl3 supplemented media. RNA samples were extracted …

Exploration Of The Interactions Between Amyloid-Beta Protein And Insulin In Various Ionic Conditions, Quade Goldenberg

Biological Sciences

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by tau tangles and amyloid - β (Aβ) peptide aggregates amyloids in the brain, specifically in the hippocampus. Aβ plaques are known to form primarily in the extracellular space aroun d neuronal cells, interfering with synaptic transmission. The aggregation of Aβ in the hippocampus is associated with a decline in hippocampally - mediated cognitive abilities, which is a symptom of AD. AD has a strong correlation to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which is defined by hyperinsulinemia and dysregulated glucose metabolism. It has been shown that insulin plays a role in both memory and learning …

Mulitmodal Molecular Mechanisms Control Germline Stem Cell Differentiation In Drosophila, Mohamad Nasrallah

Biological Sciences

Stem cells have the intrinsic ability to divide to form a stem cell daughter, while also retaining the ability to self - renew. These qualities are critical , as improper stem cell maintenance is implicit in aging and provokes diseases such as cancer. We previously revealed that during Drosophila oogenesis, transcriptional silencing mediated by polar granule component (pgc) alters the germ line cell cycle to promote germ line stem cell (GSC) differentiation. O ur work with pgc suggested that cell cycle regulation might be an important general mecha nism to facilitate division GSCs into daughter stem cells (or cystoblast, CBs), …

Bhlhe40-As1 A Long-Noncoding Rna Regulates Dec1 On Breast Cancer Progression, Denisse Duran-Reyes

Biological Sciences

Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS) is a precursor to breast cancer where abnormal cells have been found in the mammary duct but have not become invasive and spread into surrounding tissue. There has been an increase in early diagnosis of DCIS, but only around 40% of the cases ever progress to an invasive stage, and thus detection can lead to unnecessary surgeries. To identify which of these 40% progress, long noncoding RNAs were used. Through RNA sequencing of DCIS and invasive cells from real patient samples, BHLHE40 - AS1 was discovered, a long - noncoding R NA, to be highly …

Controllable And Sequential Activation Of Cancer Nanotherapy For Enhanced Synergistic Effec, Vincent E. Lamantia

Biological Sciences

The treatment of numerous disease states has become increasingly more complex and challenging, even as we come out with new pharmacological and technological advancements. It is well known that cancer is not one disease, but many diseases that progress and present new challenges with each patient. With this we present a novel design which uses biorthogonal chemistry and magnetic nanoparticles (MNP’s) to create a drug delivery system with the capability to deliver two drugs that are released at two different time points under the direction of a single trigger. This innovative combination of multiple advancements will allow for the treatment …

Transcriptional Regulation Of Dksa P3 Promoter In Escherichia Coli, Chibuokem Ikwuazom

Biological Sciences

DksA, a global gene regulator, binds to RNA po lymerase to regulate transcription initiation in Escherichia coli . It negatively regulates transcription of some genes, such as those for ribosomal RNAs and fis , and positively regulates transcription of other genes, including genes involved in amino acid biosynthesis. Little is known about how DksA itself is regulated. Current work in our lab has shown three major promoters, a σ 70 dependent P 1 promoter and two σ 38 (RpoS) - dependent promoters (P 2 and P 3 ), regulate the transcription of dksA . More is current ly known about …

The Alpine Vascular Plants Of Baxter State Park, Maine, Usa, Abigail J. Urban, Glen H. Mittelhauser, Matthew Dickinson, N. Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

We conducted 12 days of field surveys on five mountains over 1100 m in elevation (Katahdin, North Brother, South Brother, Mount Coe, and The Owl) in Baxter State Park (BSP), Maine during the summers of 2013–14. In addition, we examined historic manuscripts, unpublished data, and herbarium records for plant records from the five mountains. Katahdin, the largest and tallest of the five mountains, has a rich history of botanical exploration and we documented 1559 herbarium vouchers that were collected from the mountain, primarily before the mid-1900s. Combining all data sources, we documented 38 families, 87 genera, and 131 taxa of …

Role Of Woody Biochar And Fungal-Bacterial Co-Inoculation On Enzyme Activity And Metal Immobilization In Serpentine Soil, Tharanga Bandara, Indika Herath, Prasanna Kumarathilaka, Mihiri Seneviratne, Gamini Seneviratne, Nishanta Rajakaruna, Meththika Vithanage, Yong Sik Ok

Biological Sciences

Purpose

In this study, we investigated the effect of biochar (BC) and fungal bacterial co-inoculation (FB) on soil enzymatic activity and immobilization of heavy metals in serpentine soil in Sri Lanka.

Materials and methods

A pot experiment was conducted with tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) at 1, 2.5, and 5 % (w/w) BC ratios. Polyphenol oxidase, catalase and dehydrogenase activities were determined by idometric, potassium permanganate oxidisable, and spectrophotometric methods, respectively. Heavy metal concentrations were assessed by 0.01 M CaCl₂ and sequential extraction methods.

Results and discussion

An increase in BC application reduced polyphenol oxidase, …

Drivers Of Redistribution Of Fishing And Non-Fishing Effort After The Implementation Of A Marine Protected Area Network, Reniel B. Cabral, Steven D. Gaines, Brett A. Johnson, Tom W. Bell, Crow White

Biological Sciences

Marine spatial planning (MSP) is increasingly utilized to sustainably manage ocean uses. Marine protected areas (MPAs), a form of spatial management in which parts of the ocean are regulated to fishing, are now a common tool in MSP for conserving marine biodiversity and managing fisheries. However, the use of MPAs in MSP often neglects, or simplifies, the redistribution of fishing and non-fishing activities inside and outside of MPAs following their implementation. This redistribution of effort can have important implications for effective MSP. Using long-term (14 yr) aerial surveys of boats at the California Channel Islands, we examined the spatial redistribution …

Plant Growth Promotion By Bradyrhizobium Japonicum Under Heavy Metal Stress, M. Seneviratne, S. Gunaratne, T. Bandara, L. Weerasundara, Nishanta Rajakaruna, G. Seneviratne, M. Vithanage

Biological Sciences

The increase in usage of heavy metals in different industrial activities causes their existence in effluents. Excessive concentrations of these heavy metals pollute soil and water. Heavy metals cause toxicities and other harmful effects not only in humans and animals but also in plants and soil microorganisms. Heavy metals disrupt many biochemical and physiological activities in bacteria, including growth, development, enzyme and hormone production. Indole acetic acid (IAA) is one of the most important hormones in plants, which is secreted by both bacteria and plants. The present study assessed the effects of Ni, Pb and Cu on the growth of …

Limestone Flora Of The Simonton Corner Quarry Preserve, Rockport, Maine, Usa, Margaret Stern, Ian D. Medeiros, Luka Negoita, N. Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

Limestone is a distinctive substrate that has significant effects on soils and plants. The present study characterizes the diversity of vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens at the Simonton Corner Quarry Preserve, an abandoned limestone quarry in Rockport, Maine, USA, which was in operation in the late 1800s. We document vascular plant diversity and associated edaphic features (i.e., soil pH and elemental chemistry) using 30 535 meter plots spread throughout the site. For vascular plants, 114 species in 96 genera and 50 families were observed; few of these species are known to prefer calcareous environments, and 38% are nonnative. Conversely, the …

Neuronal Glutamate Transporter Eaac1 Regulates Motor Activity And Anxiety In Mice, Kelsey Fleming

Biological Sciences

Obsessive Compulsive disorder (OCD) is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by the onset of recurrent thoughts, anxiety, and repetitive motor behaviors. The molecular basis of OCD remains elusive, but recent meta-analysis and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) suggest the existence of a genetic association between polymorphisms in the gene coding for excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1) and OCD. It is also known that the Cortico-Striatal-Thalamo-Cortical (CSTC) pathway shows patterned hyperactivity in patients with OCD. EAAC1 is the primary neuronal glutamate transporter in the brain and is abundantly expressed in the cortex and the striatum, two regions that are part of the …

Phenotypic Characterization Of Adipose-Specific Vdr Knockout Mice, Joseph D'Angelo

Biological Sciences

Breast cancer is a prominent and lethal disease that currently affects close to three million people in the United States. Each year displays close to 250,000 new cases of breast cancer and around 40,000 deaths in the United States alone. A geographic pattern of breast cancer suggests a higher incidence in more temperate regions. Research has suggested that low Vitamin D levels associated with reduced sun exposure might contribute to increased breast cancer incidence. In recent studies, Vitamin D has been shown to slow the proliferation of breast cancer cells, but the mechanisms involved in vivo are poorly defined. It …

The Essential Oil Of Lippia Alba Affects Drosophila Behavior And Physiology, Jibin Manimala

Biological Sciences

Lippia alba (LA) is a flowering shrub native to Central and South America. Its essential oil has been used in herbal medicine as an anti-anxiety drug and in aquaculture; it is used to sedate fish during transport (Daniel 2014. Essential oils are derived from plants usually through steam distillation. They are labeled as “essential” because it contains the odor of the plant. Its physiological action is unknown. We use the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster to further define its behavioral actions and determine its underlying physiological effects. We first tested whether Lippia alba produced had an anesthetic effect on the fruitfly. We …

Trinucleotide Heterogeneity Expansions: In Vitro Molecule Amplification & Purification, Gennaro Dellicarpini

Biological Sciences

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are mutation-prone DNA tracts composed of tandem repetitions of relatively short motifs (Kashi & King, 2006). SSRs are found scattered throughout the human genome in both coding and non-coding regions. Present under the category of SSRs are Trinucleotide repeats, which may vary in number and, when expanded upon, provide the basis of at least nine neurodegenerative diseases. Large degrees of structural heterogeneity are found in CAG trinucleotide repeat DNA. DNA slippage leads these hetero-structures to form, since certain repeats slip out of the origin of replication and are carried into the next generation of replication. This …

Changes In Expression Of Innervation And Accompanying Epithelium Within Sjögren's Syndrome Nod/Shiltj Mouse Model, Nicholas Pagendarm

Biological Sciences

The salivary gland produces saliva that aids in digestion and in maintaining homeostasis in the oral cavity. Saliva production is disrupted in Sjögren’s Syndrome (SS), where the salivary gland is attacked by the immune system, leading to loss of function and hyposalivation. SS is thought to be accompanied by changes in the salivary epithelium, which are incompletely understood. In this study we have used the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse as a model for SS to study the changes in salivary gland epithelium, as these models present autoantibodies and other characteristics such as immune infiltrates similar to those found in SS …

Is The Effect Of Glucose On Hippocampal Memory Insulin-Dependent?, Roi Ankawa

Biological Sciences

Insulin is now established as a key regulator of brain mechanisms that include both glucose metabolism and synaptic plasticity, especially within the hippocampus. However, the complex set of signaling cascades mediating these effects is not yet understood. Recent studies, many from our lab, have established that insulin plays multiple roles in the brain: in addition to regulation of energy supply, metabolism, and feeding, our work has shown that hippocampal insulin is a key modulator of learning and memory. Exogneous insulin enhances, while pharmacological blockade of intrahippocampal insulin impairs, both metabolism and cognition. Moreover, when systemic insulin signalling is impaired, such …

Fluorescence Analysis Of Expanded Trinucleotide Repeat Heterogeneity After In Vitro Pcr Amplification, Kidane M. Tewolde

Biological Sciences

The expansion of trinucleotide repeats in human genomic DNA manifests into multiple neurodegenerative diseases (Amrane et al., 2005). At least nine human diseases stem from the expression of expanded trinucleotide repeats (Box, 2007). Simple sequences such as, 5’CAG/CTG’3 repeats, contain a potential pathogenicity once expanded past their original lengths; which is exemplified in Huntington’s Diseases and Myotonic Dystrophy. Once expanded CAG repeats are transcribed into RNA, these transcripts are translated, and the mal functioning proteins can lead to severe cell damage. Furthermore, the repeats can be passed down through generations, and in each germline, continuously expanding, gaining more repeated units …

Solidago Gigantea Plants From Nonnative Ranges Compensate More In Response To Damage Than Plants From The Native Range, Huixuan Liao, Priscila Gurgel, Robert Pal, Ragan Callaway

Biological Sciences

Resistance and tolerance are two ways that plants cope with herbivory. Tolerance, the ability of a plant to regrow or reproduce after being consumed, has been studied less than resistance, but this trait varies widely among species and has considerable potential to affect the ecology of plant species. One particular aspect of tolerance, compensatory responses, can evolve rapidly in plant species; providing insight into interactions between consumers and plants. However, compensation by invasive species has rarely been explored. We compared compensatory responses to the effects of simulated herbivory expressed by plants from seven Solidago gigantea populations from the native North …