Biology Commons^™

The Tall Fescue Turf Grass Class I Chitinase Gene Fachit1 Is Activated By Fungal Elicitors, Dehydration, Ethylene, And Mechanical Wounding, Jian Wang, Na Tian, Xuan Huang, Li Yu Chen, Michael Schläppi, Zi Qin Xu

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The cDNA, genomic DNA, and promoter sequence of FaChit1, a class I chitinase gene from Festuca arundinacea, were isolated and characterized in the present work. The deduced amino acid sequence of FaChit1 contains the chitin binding, catalytic, and proline and glycine-rich domains characteristic for most class I chitinases, but no C-terminal extension region. FaChit1 is induced effectively by fungal elicitors, dehydration, and ethylene, but only slightly by mechanical wounding. To identify potential stress-related cis-acting elements, 5′ sequences 935, 651, and 233 bp upstream of the FaChit1 start codon were fused to the GUS reporter gene and analyzed …

Fatty Acid Oxidation And Meiotic Resumption In Mouse Oocytes, Stephen M. Downs, Jessica Odette, John Klinger

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

We have examined the potential role of fatty acid oxidation (FAO) in AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-induced meiotic maturation. Etomoxir and malonyl CoA, two inhibitors of carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 (CPT1), and thus FAO, blocked meiotic induction in dbcAMP-arrested cumulus cell-enclosed oocytes (CEO) and denuded oocytes (DO) by the AMPK activator, AICAR. C75, an activator of CPT1 and FAO, stimulated meiotic resumption in CEO and DO. This effect was insensitive to the AMPK inhibitor, compound C, indicating an action downstream of AMPK. Palmitic acid or carnitine also promoted meiotic resumption in DO in the presence of AICAR. Since C75 also suppresses the …

Defective Gut Function In Drop-Dead Mutant Drosophila, Cassandra R. Peller, Elizabeth M. Bacon, Julie A. Bucheger, Edward M. Blumenthal

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Mutation of the gene drop-dead (drd ) causes adult Drosophila to die within 2 weeks of eclosion and is associated with reduced rates of defecation and increased volumes of crop contents. In the current study, we demonstrate that flies carrying the strong allele drd^lwf display a reduction in the transfer of ingested food from the crop to the midgut, as measured both as a change in the steady-state distribution of food within the gut and also in the rates of crop emptying and midgut filling following a single meal. Mutant flies have abnormal triglyceride (TG) and glycogen stores …

Cdna Cloning, Expression And Fibrin(Ogen)Olytic Activity Of Two Low-Molecular Weight Snake Venom Metalloproteinases, Ying Jia, Sara E. Lucena, Esteban Cantu, Elda E. Sánchez, John C. Perez

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Two cDNA clones, AplVMP1 and AplVMP2, were isolated from a snake (Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma) venom gland cDNA library. The full-length cDNA sequence of AplVMP1 with a calculated molecular mass of 46.61 kDa is 1,233 bp in length. AplVMP1 encodes PI class metalloproteinase with an open reading frame of 411 amino acid residues that includes signal peptide, pro-domain and metalloproteinase domains. The full-length cDNA of the AplVMP2 (1,371bp) has a calculated molecular mass of 51.16 kDa and encodes PII class metalloproteinase. The open reading frame of AplVMP2 with a 457 amino acid residues is composed of signal peptide, pro-domain, …

The Multipurpose 15-Protofilament Microtubules In C. Elegans Have Specific Roles In Mechanosensation, Alexander Bounoutas, Robert O'Hagan, Martin Chalfie

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Because microtubules perform many essential functions in neurons, delineating unique roles attributable to these organelles presents a formidable challenge. Microtubules endow neurons with shape and structure and are required for developmental processes including neurite outgrowth [1], intracellular transport [2], and synapse formation and plasticity [3, 4]; microtubules in sensory neurons may be required for the above processes in addition to a specific sensory function. In Caenorhabditis elegans, six touch receptor neurons (TRNs) sense gentle touch [5] and uniquely contain 15-protofilament microtubules [6]. Disruption of these microtubules by loss of either the MEC-7 β-tubulin [7] or MEC-12 α-tubulin [8] or by …

In Vivo Analysis Of The Notch Receptor S1 Cleavage, Robert J. Lake, Lisa M. Grimm, Alexey Veraksa, Spyros Artavanis-Tsakonas

Biology Faculty Publication Series

A ligand-independent cleavage (S1) in the extracellular domain of the mammalian Notch receptor results in what is considered to be the canonical heterodimeric form of Notch on the cell surface. The in vivo consequences and significance of this cleavage on Drosophila Notch signaling remain unclear and contradictory. We determined the cleavage site in Drosophila and examined its in vivo function by a transgenic analysis of receptors that cannot be cleaved. Our results demonstrate a correlation between loss of cleavage and loss of in vivo function of the Notch receptor, supporting the notion that S1 cleavage is an in vivo mechanism …

Manipulating Testosterone To Assess Links Between Behavior, Morphology, And Performance In The Brown Anole Anolis Sagrei, Robert M. Cox, Derek S. Stenquist, Justin P. Henningsen, Ryan Calsbeek

Dartmouth Scholarship

Survival and reproductive success are determined by the complex interplay between behavior, physiology, morphology, and performance. When optimal trait combinations along these various phenotypic axes differ between sexes or across seasons, regulatory mechanisms such as sex steroids can often facilitate sex‐specific and/or seasonal trait expression. In this study, we used surgical castration and replacement of exogenous testosterone in adult male brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) to simultaneously examine the effects of testosterone on a suite of morphological (dewlap area, body size), physiological (immune function), behavioral (dewlap, head bob, and push‐up displays), and performance (stamina, sprint speed, bite force) traits. …

The Effects Of Fluorescent Tracking Powder On Oxygen Consumption In Salamanders Using Either Cutaneous Or Bimodal Respiration, Sarah A. Orlofske, Kristine L. Grayson, William A. Hopkins

Biology Faculty Publications

Fluorescent powder is gaining attention as an effective method for tracking terrestrial amphibian movements, particularly for species that are too small for conventional tracking equipment. The technique requires coating portions of an animal with fluorescent powder, releasing the animal, and following the trail of powder as it is progressively lost during movement. Recent studies have shown that fluorescent powder has no negative effects on survival or growth. However, a substance that coats the skin, a major respiratory organ in most amphibians, may have sublethal effects on performance and consequently behavior. We tested the effect of fluorescent powder application on the …

Bridging Functional Genomics And Toxicogenomics Through Dna Microarrays In A Fish Model, Shuzhao Li

Dissertations

In a case study of finding gene expression signatures for environmental stressors in Cyprinodon variegatus, this dissertation examines several important issues of applying DNA microarray technology to fish toxicogenomics. The most relevant disciplines, fish toxicogenomics and computational systems biology are reviewed in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 reviews major aspects of DNA microarray technology.

On DNA microarrays, even for probes that target the same transcript, large variations are seen in the probe signals. These variations are partly dependent and partly independent on probe sequences. Chapter 3 estimates the sequence independent variation by combining experimental and computational approaches. Chapter 4 and …

Characterization Of Γ-Butyrolactone Autoregulatory Signaling Gene Homologs In The Angucyclinone Polyketide Ws5995b Producer Streptomyces Acidiscabies, Frank G. Healy, Kevin P. Eaton, Prajit Limsirichai, Joel F. Aldrich, Alaina K. Plowman, Russell R. King

Biology Faculty Research

Organisms belonging to the genus Streptomyces produce numerous important secondary metabolites and undergo a sophisticated morphological differentiation program. In many instances these processes are under the control of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) autoregulatory systems. Streptomyces acidiscabies strain 84.104 produces the secondary metabolite aromatic angucyclinone polyketide WS5995B. In order to explore the role of GBL regulatory circuitry in WS5995B production and morphogenesis in S. acidiscabies, a gene cluster encoding GBL autoregulatory signaling homologs was identified and characterized. Two GBL receptor homologs, sabR and sabS, were found flanking a GBL synthase homolog sabA. Strains carrying mutations in sabS produced elevated levels …

A Proposed Syntax For Minimotif Semantics, Version 1., Jay Vyas, Ronald J. Nowling, Mark W. Maciejewski, Sanguthevar Rajasekaran, Michael R. Gryk, Martin R. Schiller

Life Sciences Faculty Research

BACKGROUND:

One of the most important developments in bioinformatics over the past few decades has been the observation that short linear peptide sequences (minimotifs) mediate many classes of cellular functions such as protein-protein interactions, molecular trafficking and post-translational modifications. As both the creators and curators of a database which catalogues minimotifs, Minimotif Miner, the authors have a unique perspective on the commonalities of the many functional roles of minimotifs. There is an obvious usefulness in standardizing functional annotations both in allowing for the facile exchange of data between various bioinformatics resources, as well as the internal clustering of sets of …

Assessment Of The Endangered Species Podarcis Carbonelli On A Microgeographic Scale: A Molecular, Morphological And Physiological Approach, Maria Clara Figueirinhas Do Amaral

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The lizard Podarcis carbonelli is an endangered species endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. One location where this species occurs is at the Berlengas Natural Preserve, an Atlantic archipelago off the coast of Portugal. These island populations are geographically separated from nearby mainland populations. The fundamental question is, are these insular individuals distinct from the mainland populations? Four localities were chose for comparison: two island populations and two nearby coastal populations. We assessed this question using three distinct approaches: molecular, morphological and physiological approach. We sequenced the 12S RNA, the mtDNA Control Region and the 7th intron of the !-fibrinogen gene …

On The Prediction Of Extreme Ecological Events, Mark W. Denny, Luke J. H. Hunt, Luke P. Miller, Christopher D. G. Harley

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Ecological studies often focus on average effects of environmental factors, but ecological dynamics may depend as much upon environmental extremes. Ecology would therefore benefit from the ability to predict the frequency and severity of extreme environmental events. Some extreme events (e.g., earthquakes) are simple events: either they happen or they don't, and they are generally difficult to predict. In contrast, extreme ecological events are often compound events, resulting from the chance coincidence of run-of-the-mill factors. Here we present an environmental bootstrap method for resampling short-term environmental data (rolling the environmental dice) to calculate an ensemble of hypothetical time series that …

Nesfatin-1 Exerts Cardiovascular Actions In Brain: Possible Interaction With The Central Melanocortin System, Gina L.C. Yosten, Willis K. Samson

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Nesfatin-1 is a recently discovered hypothalamic peptide that was shown to suppress food intake through a melanocortin-3/4 receptor-dependent mechanism. Since nesfatin-1 mRNA is detected in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, and because many peptides that alter food intake also influence cardiovascular function, we tested the ability of centrally administered nesfatin-1 to affect mean arterial pressure (MAP) in conscious, freely moving rats. Significant increases in MAP were observed following intracerebroventricular administration of nesfatin-1. Pretreatment with either the melanocortin-3/4 receptor antagonist, SHU9119 (intracerebroventricular), or the α-adrenergic antagonist, phentolamine (intra-arterial), abrogated the rise in MAP induced by nesfatin-1, indicating that nesfatin-1 may …

Phospholipase Dα1 And Phosphatidic Acid Regulate Nadph Oxidase Activity And Production Of Reactive Oxygen Species In Aba-Mediated Stomatal Closure In Arabidopsis, Xuemin Wang, Yanyan Zhang, Huiying Zhu, Qun Zhang, Maoyin Li, Min Yan, Rong Wang, Liling Wang, Ruth Welti, Wenhua Zhang

Biology Department Faculty Works

We determined the role of Phospholipase Dα1 (PLDα1) and its lipid product phosphatidic acid (PA) in abscisic acid (ABA)-induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in Arabidopsis thaliana guard cells. The pldα1 mutant failed to produce ROS in guard cells in response to ABA. ABA stimulated NADPH oxidase activity in wild-type guard cells but not in pldα1 cells, whereas PA stimulated NADPH oxidase activity in both genotypes. PA bound to recombinant Arabidopsis NADPH oxidase RbohD (respiratory burst oxidase homolog D) and RbohF. The PA binding motifs were identified, and mutation of the Arg residues 149, 150, 156, and 157 in …

Fisheries Management Paper No.245 - Aquaculture Of Coral, Live Rocks And Associated Products. Aquaculture Policy, Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia

Fisheries Management Papers

Aquarium enthusiasts use corals, live rock and associated products (e.g. live sand) for display and to maintain healthy water quality conditions in their marine aquariums. There is a large and growing market for these products. While the wild harvest fisheries for aquarium products in Western Australia are sustainably managed, output is capped, so increased product is needed to meet the market demand. With a trend towards the capping of wild harvest and additional pressures, such as the introduction of Marine Parks and other marine protected areas, the aquaculture of these products is set for industry development and expansion.

The large …

Adding Upstream Sequence And A Downstream Reporter To The Bile Acid Inducible Promoter Of Clostridium Scindens Vpi 12708, Bryan Patrick Mason

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Bile acids in the small intestines of animals serve to breakdown fats and fatsoluble vitamins. Most of the bile acids are reabsorbed into the enterohepatic circulation, but approximately five percent of these bile acids pass into the large intestine. These bile acids are swiftly deconjugated by the bacterial population, and then subjected to further intestinal bacterial chemical modifications. The most significant of these modifications are 7α-dehydroxylations which form secondary bile acids (deoxycholate and lithocholate). Much research has illuminated the 7α-dehydroxylation pathway: of particular interest is the bile acid inducible operon, for which Clostridium scindens VPI 12708 serves as the model …

Ecological Impact Of Epigeal Termitaria On Vertebrates In The Tsavo Region Of Southeast Kenya, Margaret M. Mahan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Termites ecologically engineer their environment by producing termitaria (mounds) used by many other species as dens, lookouts or food sources. The role of termite mounds in biological communities is relatively unknown, despite their ubiquitous nature. I investigated their impact on vertebrates in the Tsavo region of Kenya. Through the characterization of mounds, trapping, direct observation, and collecting microclimate data, I was able to determine the importance of mounds to vertebrates. I found uniform dispersion of mounds, that soil type is correlated with the size of mounds, and that vertebrate activity increases with mound size. I also found no significant differences …

Pestilence, Persistence And Pathogenicity: Infection Strategies Of Bartonella, Michael F. Minnick, James M. Battisti

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

It has been nearly two decades since the discovery of Bartonella as an agent of bacillary angiomatosis in AIDS patients and persistent bacteremia and 'nonculturable' endocarditis in homeless people. Since that time, the number of Bartonella species identified has increased from one to 24, and 10 of these bacteria are associated with human disease. Although Bartonella is the only genus that infects human erythrocytes and triggers pathological angiogenesis in the vascular bed, the group remains understudied compared with most other bacterial pathogens. Numerous questions regarding Bartonella's molecular pathogenesis and epidemiology remain unanswered. Virtually every mammal harbors one or more Bartonella …

Tri-Trophic Linkages In Disease: Pathogen Transmission To Rainbow Trout Through Stonefly Prey, Sandra M. Adams, Aaron S. Adams, William E. Holben

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

ABSTRACT Relationships between macroinvertebrates and microorganisms in aquatic environments are only poorly understood despite the fact that many aquatic macroinvertebrates feed on microbial biofilms during some life stage. Better understanding of trophic interactions between microbial biofims, macroinvertebrates, and fish may also help control fish diseases and loss of natural resources. It has also been suggested that pollution, habitat fragmentation, and poor water quality may contribute to increased pathogenesis and mortality in fish. Increased disease incidence is difficult to assess, however, in part because of the complexity of pathogen transmission dynamics. Several environmental pathogens exist whose reservoir(s) and means of transmission …

Assessment Of Invasive Plants Along The Upper Passaic River, Susan Marie Jankovic

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The distribution of invasive plants was determined along the floodplain of the Passaic River in three protected park regions. Specifically, Lord Stirling Park, Hatfield Swamp, and Great Piece Meadows were assessed to determine whether or not the top 29 invasive plants as identified by Snyder and Kaufman (2004) were present. Two of the three areas are strongly affected by urbanization which may be a contributing factor to the increase of invasive plants within them. Eleven out of the top twenty nine invasive plants in New Jersey were recorded: Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), Lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria), Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), …

Purification And Thermodynamic Analysis Of The Stability Of Hiv-1 Reverse Transcriptase In The Presence Of Efavirenz, Chantal A. Sanmiguel

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Exposure To Ultraviolet Radiation Causes Proteomic Changes In Embryos Of The Purple Sea Urchin, Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus, Joseph Paul Campanale

Master's Theses

The amount of solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR, 290-400 nm) reaching Earth’s surface is increasing due to ozone depletion and global climate change. Embryos of the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, provide an ideal system for examining how UVR affects developing marine organisms and cells in general. To model the protein-mediated cell cycle response to UV-irradiation, six batches of S. purpuratus embryos were exposed to UVR, monitored for delays in the first mitotic division and examined for global proteomic changes. Embryos from each batch were exposed to or protected from artificial UVR for 25 or 60 min. Embryos treated with …

Rapid Evolution Of Sex-Pheromone-Producing Enzyme In Drosophila, Troy R. Shirangi, Héloïse D. Dufour, Thomas M. Williams, Sean B. Carroll

Biology Faculty Publications

A wide range of organisms use sex pheromones to communicate with each other and to identify appropriate mating partners. While the evolution of chemical communication has been suggested to cause sexual isolation and speciation, the mechanisms that govern evolutionary transitions in sex pheromone production are poorly understood. Here, we decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying the rapid evolution in the expression of a gene involved in sex pheromone production in Drosophilid flies. Long-chain cuticular hydrocarbons (e.g., dienes) are produced female-specifically, notably via the activity of the desaturase DESAT-F, and are potent pheromones for male courtship behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. We …

Reverse Engineering Of Gene Regulatory Networks For Discovery Of Novel Interactions In Pathways Using Gene Expression Data, Tanwir Habib

Dissertations

A variety of chemicals in the environment have the potential to adversely affect the biological systems. We examined the responses of Rat (Rattus norvegicus) to the RDX exposure and female fathead minnows (FHM, Pimephales promelas) to a model aromatase inhibitor, fadrozole, using a transcriptional network inference approach. Rats were exposed to RDX and fish were exposed to 0 or 30mg/L fadrozole for 8 days. We analyzed gene expression changes using 8000 probes microarrays for rat experiment and 15,000 probe microarrays for fish. We used these changes to infer a transcriptional network. The central nervous system is remarkably plastic in its …

Predicting Leptodactylus (Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae) Distributions: Broad-Ranging Versus Patchily Distributed Species Using A Presence-Only Environmental Niche Modeling Technique, Miguel Fernández, Daniel Cole, W. R. Heyer, Stephen Reichle, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Locality data available for many, if not most, species of Neotropical frogs are based on written descriptions of the collecting sites, not on GPS device determined coordinate data. The pre-GPS device data are imprecise relative to GPS data. Niche modeling is a powerful technique for predicting geographic distributions that provides the best results when the locality data are precise. The purpose of this study is to determine whether imprecise historical locality data are sufficient such that niche modeling techniques can yield realistic new insights to species-level distributions. Two sets of frogs of the genus Leptodactylus that have known different kinds …

The Role Of Temperature And Desiccation Stress In Limiting The Local-Scale Distribution Of The Owl Limpet, Lottia Gigantea, Luke P. Miller, Christopher D. G. Harley, Mark W. Denny

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

1 Small-scale distributions of rocky intertidal organisms may be determined in part by temperature and desiccation stress during low tide and the ability of organisms to resist such stresses. Biophysical modelling techniques, coupled with data on the physiological tolerance of organisms can be used to predict the frequency and severity of abiotic stress events.

2 The limpet Lottia gigantea is a major competitor for primary space on rocky shores along the west coast of North America. The goal of this study was to quantify the thermal and desiccation tolerance of this species and to predict the frequency of stressful events …

Seasonal Differences In Leaf-Level Physiology Give Lianas A Competitive Advantage Over Trees In A Tropical Seasonal Forest, Zhi-Quan Cai, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Frans Bongers

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Lianas are an important component of most tropical forests, where they vary in abundance from high in seasonal forests to low in aseasonal forests. We tested the hypothesis that the physiological ability of lianas to fix carbon (and thus grow) during seasonal drought may confer a distinct advantage in seasonal tropical forests, which may explain pan-tropical liana distributions. We compared a range of leaf-level physiological attributes of 18 co-occurring liana and 16 tree species during the wet and dry seasons in a tropical seasonal forest in Xishuangbanna, China. We found that, during the wet season, lianas had significantly higher CO …

Assessing Threat Of Introduction Of The Parthenogenetic Marbled Crayfish Marmorkrebs Into North American Waters, Stephanie A. Jimenez, Zen Faulkes

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Background/Question/Methods

Marmorkrebs are parthogenetic crayfish in the genus Procambarus. Their provenance is unknown, but they were discovered in hobbyists' aquaria in Germany in the mid 1990s, and have since been introduced into the North American pet trade. Marmorkrebs are a potential invasive pest species. For example, they have already been introduced into Madagascar, where they may threaten endemic crayfish species. We are trying to estimate the risk, and possible consequences, of any accidental introduction of Marmorkrebs into North American waters. First, we conducted an online survey of hobbyists who keep Marmorkrebs as pets to estimate how widely, and how …

Fecal-Sac Ingestion By Spotted Towhees, Jenny E. Mckay, Michael T. Murphy, Sarah Bartos Smith, Jennifer K. Richardson

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Altricial nestlings encase excrement in fecal sacs that parents remove by either ingesting them or transporting them away from the nest. Ingestion may allow energetically or nutritionally deprived parents to recapture energy or nutrients that might be lost because of nestlings' inefficient digestion (the "parental-nutrition hypothesis"), but ingestion may also permit parents to avoid flights from the nest that interfere with parental care (e.g., brooding young; the "economic-disposal hypothesis"). We used a hypothetico-deductive approach to test the two hypotheses' ability to account for fecal-sac ingestion by the Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus). We confirmed the parental-nutrition hypothesis' predictions that …