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Full-Text Articles in Biology
Investigating X Chromosome Non-Disjunction In Drosophila Melanogaster Su(Var)3-9 Mutants, Camerun C. Washington, Kathryn Kohl
Investigating X Chromosome Non-Disjunction In Drosophila Melanogaster Su(Var)3-9 Mutants, Camerun C. Washington, Kathryn Kohl
The Winthrop McNair Research Bulletin
Meiotic recombination is a highly regulated process necessary for promoting proper chromosome disjunction during the first meiotic division. Notably, reduced levels of meiotic recombination are observed in heterochromatic regions of the chromosome. This study seeks to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying this observation by examining the effects of reduced heterochromatin on non-disjunction rates in Drosophila melanogaster. To accomplish this, we measured non-disjunction in wild-type and reduced heterochromatin mutant su(var)3-9 flies. To begin, we confirmed the presence of a mutation within su(var)3-9 via Sanger sequencing. Next, we created allele-specific primers and designed a PCR protocol to more accurately identify mutant …
Targeted Mutagenesis Of Fox0 Transcripts Using The Model Organism Ciona Intestinalis Utilizing The Crispr/Cas9 System, Nicole Mcmullen, Heather J. Evans-Anderson
Targeted Mutagenesis Of Fox0 Transcripts Using The Model Organism Ciona Intestinalis Utilizing The Crispr/Cas9 System, Nicole Mcmullen, Heather J. Evans-Anderson
The Winthrop McNair Research Bulletin
The chordate, Ciona intestinalis, has become an excellent model organism for the study of cardiac development. C. intestinalis is a member of the phylum Tunicata, which is the sister phylum to vertebrates. Since both phyla share a common ancestor, an orthologous gene has been identified in C. intestinalis and vertebrates, the FOX0 transcript. Multiple reasons makes Ciona intestinalis an interesting model organism. For instance, ease of access to the animal, close relation to vertebrates, and mapping of the genetic code of Ciona intestinalis makes this an excellent model organism. The FOX0 family of transcripts plays an important role in …
Controlling Oct4 Expression Levels Using Invitrogen’S Geneswitch™ System, Autumn S. Leggins, Nick Grossoehme, Matthew M. Stern
Controlling Oct4 Expression Levels Using Invitrogen’S Geneswitch™ System, Autumn S. Leggins, Nick Grossoehme, Matthew M. Stern
The Winthrop McNair Research Bulletin
Oct4 is a protein that is involved in the retention of pluripotency in adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs). Despite this knowledge, Oct4’s exact role in the complex system used in maintaining pluripotency is not known. One approach to explore Oct4’s role would be through the use of cellular assays to control the expression of Oct4. This can possibly be accomplished by introducing a biological switch and the gene of interest into ADSCs. In this project, the GeneSwitch™ System is used to ultimately induce Oct4 expression. Before the GeneSwitch™ System can be used, the Oct4 gene is extracted from murine embryonic …
Creating A Microcosm To Examine Salinity Tolerance Of Escherichia Coli In Beach Sand, Leigha Stahl, Victoria Frost, Matthew Heard
Creating A Microcosm To Examine Salinity Tolerance Of Escherichia Coli In Beach Sand, Leigha Stahl, Victoria Frost, Matthew Heard
The Winthrop McNair Research Bulletin
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a gram-negative bacteria species that thrives in a variety of environments around the world. Due to its widespread prevalence, it is commonly used as an indicator for fecal pollution and other pathogens. One place where it is not often looked for is oceanic beaches because E. coli is inhibited by salt. However, recent research has shown that E. coli often thrives in sand at many oceanic beaches. To determine how it persists in sand, we created a microcosm simulating the intertidal zone of an oceanic beach. Using this microcosm, we examined how varying levels of …
Expression, Purification, And Crystallization Of An Endoxylanase From Bacteroides Vulgatus, Jesslyn Park, Jason Hurlbert
Expression, Purification, And Crystallization Of An Endoxylanase From Bacteroides Vulgatus, Jesslyn Park, Jason Hurlbert
The Winthrop McNair Research Bulletin
Sustainable sources of energy are growing in demand as fossil fuels are rapidly expended. One such energy source is fuel ethanol generated from the fermentation of plant biomass by engineered bacterial biocatalysts. The creation of a biocatalyst capable of converting nearly any plant matter to fuel ethanol requires the identification of novel enzymes capable of degrading specific carbohydrate polymers and cloning these enzymes into a bacterial host. This study seeks to structurally characterize a novel xylanase of glycosyl hydrolase family 30 (GH30) from Bacteroides vulgatus, a bacterium found in the human gut microbiome, via x-ray crystallography. The gene for …
Determination Of Phylo-Group Diversity Of Escherichia Coli In Environmental Sand Samples Collected From A South Carolina Beach, Savannah A. Moritzky, Victoria Frost, Matthew Heard
Determination Of Phylo-Group Diversity Of Escherichia Coli In Environmental Sand Samples Collected From A South Carolina Beach, Savannah A. Moritzky, Victoria Frost, Matthew Heard
The Winthrop McNair Research Bulletin
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a common bacterial species that can persist in many environments found around the world. One environment where it can be found that is of particular concern is an oceanic beach, where it can serve as an indicator of both fecal and microbial pollution. While the majority of strains of E. coli are non-pathogenic to humans, some phylo-groups are associated with virulent strains and could cause disease. Therefore, it is of critical concern that we determine where this E. coli is coming from and whether it is potentially harmful to human health and well-being. In this …
Interactions Of A Captive Maturing Female Hamadryas Baboon, Jordyn Kessler, Janice L. Chism Ph.D.
Interactions Of A Captive Maturing Female Hamadryas Baboon, Jordyn Kessler, Janice L. Chism Ph.D.
The Winthrop McNair Research Bulletin
In the wild, hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas hamadryas) typically practice male philopatry, where females transfer out of natal units to avoid inbreeding (Swedell et al. 2011). However, little is known about hamadryas female transfer in captivity. In this study, we used focal animal sampling (Altmann 1974) to observe female transfer in a captive group comprised of two one-male units. The group includes a subadult female, whom we expected to transfer to the non-natal unit soon after reaching sexual maturity. We recorded the proximity between the subadult female and all other individuals, as well as affiliative and agonistic behavior …
Brain-Penetrating Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Rg2833: A Potential Malignant Melanoma Growth Suppressor, Lauren A. Green, Matthew M. Stern
Brain-Penetrating Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Rg2833: A Potential Malignant Melanoma Growth Suppressor, Lauren A. Green, Matthew M. Stern
The Winthrop McNair Research Bulletin
Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play an important role in the epigenetic control of gene expression in both normal and cancer cells. Previous studies have demonstrated that pharmaceutical inhibition of HDACs can kill and/or suppress the growth of cancer cells. RG2833 is a HDAC inhibitor that targets specific HDACs known to be active in cancer cells. Melanoma cells have previously been shown to respond to HDAC inhibitors that are structurally similar to RG2833. We hypothesized that the inhibition of HDAC activity by RG2833 would result in the reduced growth and/or death of cells from the malignant melanoma cell lines SK-MEL-5 and SK-MEL-28. …
The Circadian Fluctuation Of Melatonin In Stenostomum Virginianum, Ian D. Deas, Julian P. Smith Iii
The Circadian Fluctuation Of Melatonin In Stenostomum Virginianum, Ian D. Deas, Julian P. Smith Iii
The Winthrop McNair Research Bulletin
Much is known about melatonin and its role in the circadian regulation of vertebrate organisms. However, melatonin has not been studied extensively in more primitive bilaterians. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between melatonin and the circadian rhythm in the organism Stenostomum virginianum. Melatonin assay methods from previous research in the field were optimized for smaller tissue sampling of microscopic metazoans. The optimized assay methodology was then used to identify melatonin in Stenostomum virginianum using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Identification of photoreceptors was used to correlate the presence of melatonin to the circadian rhythm. …
Multimodal Imaging Trials With Zebrafish Specimens, Kendra Bufkin
Multimodal Imaging Trials With Zebrafish Specimens, Kendra Bufkin
The Winthrop McNair Research Bulletin
Biomedical imaging is an important technique that can be used for several applications such as cancer research and cardiology. A range of imaging technology, such as PET, SPECT, micro-CT and optical X-ray, is available for imaging. However, many research institutes use rats and mice for preclinical experiments. The purpose of this study was to determine if Zebrafish are compatible for use in pre-clinical imaging, and which modalities and probes work best. Different Zebrafish specimens were tested using five different modalities and four probes. In order to assess with two-dimensional modalities, both fluorescence and planar X-Ray were performed on the specimens. …