Biology Commons^™

Development, Characterization, And Technical Applications Of An Atlantic Killifish Ahr-2 Specific Monoclonal Antibody (Mab 5b6), Josephine Wojdylo

All Theses

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) functions as a ligand-activated transcription factor normally found in the cytoplasmic compartment of cells held by chaperones and immunophilin-like proteins. Ligand binding dissociates the AhR/ligand from chaperone proteins, allowing translocation to the nucleus with subsequent transcription of a suite of responsive genes, most notably Phase I, II, and III drug metabolism genes. Select environmental contaminants such as co-planar PCBs, planar polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (HAHs) are potent AhR agonists, with 2,3,7,8 -tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD) being one of the most potent. Adverse effects of exposure to these potent environmental AhR ligands include immune suppression, …

Investigating Heavy Metal Accumulation And Oxidative Stress Tolerance Of Non-Accumulators And Hyperaccumulators In The Brassicaceae Plant Family, Fritzie Joy Into

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Physiological and enzymatic analysis indicated that the non-accumulator A. thaliana showed an oxidative stress response in all assays except for protein carbonylation. Other non-accumulator plant species showed a significant difference in oxidative stress response in the TBARS assay; however, for some assays no stress response was evident. The hyperaccumulator plant species showed no significant difference in oxidative stress as indicated by the all of the assays with the exception of T. montanum var. montanum which showed an oxidative stress response in the SOD assay. Basal catalase enzyme activity was notably higher in the hyperaccumulators T. montanum var. montanum and T. …

Microsatellite Development, Population Structure And Demographic Histories For Two Species Of Amazonian Peacock Bass Cichla Temensis And Cichla Monoculus (Perciformes: Cichlidae)., Jason C. Macrander

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Neotropics of South America represent one of the most diverse assemblages of freshwater organisms in the world. The geologic and ecological changes that have occurred throughout the Amazon and Orinoco River basins have resulted in the two most diverse rivers in the world producing very heterogeneous environments potentially influencing current population structure of Neotropical species. To investigate specific ecological and geological events influencing populations in these regions, I explore population structure and demographic histories of two species from the genus Cichla with wide distributions among the Amazon and Orinoco. First, I describe the methods used to isolate and characterize …

Structure And Expression Of Two Nuclear Receptor Genes In Marsupials: Insights Into The Evolution Of The Antisense Overlap Between The Α-Thyroid Hormone Receptor And Rev-Erbα, Brandon C. Rindfleisch, M. Scott Brown, John L. Vandeberg, Stephen Munroe

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Background: Alternative processing of α-thyroid hormone receptor (TRα, NR1A1) mRNAs gives rise to two functionally antagonistic nuclear receptors: TRα1, the α-type receptor, and TRα2, a non-hormone binding variant that is found only in mammals. TRα2 shares an unusual antisense coding overlap with mRNA for Rev-erbα (NR1D1), another nuclear receptor protein. In this study we examine the structure and expression of these genes in the gray short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica, in comparison with that of eutherian mammals and three other marsupial species, Didelphis virginiana, Potorous tridactylus and Macropus eugenii, in order to understand the evolution and regulatory …

Nf-Κb Translocation In Response To Different Lps Chemotypes In Murine Macrophages, Elizabeth L. Carles

Biology ETDs

Nuclear Factor κB (NF-κB) proteins make up a large family of eukaryotic transcription factors that regulate many important cellular functions, including cell signaling, cell growth, development, cell death by apoptosis, and immune and inflammatory responses, and has been shown to be involved in multiple human diseases. NF-κB proteins are subject to careful regulation in the cell, and are regulated at multiple levels. A family of inhibitory proteins exist (called IκB proteins) which bind to NF-κB and cause it to be localized in the cytoplasm. There are multiple signal transduction pathways that can lead to the activation of NF-κB. These signal …

The Spatial Ecology Of Galapagos Tortoises And New Mexico's Reptiles, Jacek Tomasz Giermakowski

Biology ETDs

The analysis of spatial processes and spatial heterogeneity is an important part of ecology because distribution of organisms in space partly defines ecology as a discipline. In addition, advances in analysis of DNA, geographical computing and the availability of vast amounts of environmental data obtained by satellites provide new opportunities for studying ecology at different spatial and phylogenetic scales. My research takes advantage of information gathered by satellites and adds modeling and data collected on the distribution of different reptiles to examine processes at various spatial and temporal scales. In Chapter 1 I describe how juvenile Galapagos tortoises change their …

The Isotopic Composition Of Light-Enhanced Dark Respiration (Ledr) In C3 And C4 Plants, Susan Christy Mirabal

Biology ETDs

Light-enhanced dark respiration (LEDR) has been studied in C3 plants as a method to elucidate the careful balance between photosynthesis and respiration yet little is known about the metabolic properties by which it occurs in C4 plants. Using a tunable diode laser gas exchange system, we analyzed transient isotopic shifts in leaf-respired CO2 associated with LEDR at 10Hz frequency from Populus deltoides (C3), Amaranthus hypochondriacus (C4 NAD-ME), and Zea mays (C4 NADP-ME). The results suggest that:

(1) Post-photosynthetic fractionations are different between C3 and C4 (and within C4) plants, where A. hypochondriacus exhibited an unexpected LEDR response (Fig. 3, Table …

Biogeography Of Alien Vertebrates In The Galapagos Islands: Patterns, Processes, And Conservation Implications, Reese Brand Phillips

Biology ETDs

Alien species are one of the principal threats to global biodiversity. Insular ecosystems have proven exceptionally susceptible to invasion by aliens and vulnerable to their negative effects. Some of the most destructive alien species are vertebrates, in part due to their having been introduced to islands worldwide. Rodents (Rattus spp. and Mus musculus) are among the most widespread and devastating invasive species for insular flora and fauna. In this research I investigate the biogeographic patterns and processes of alien vertebrates in the Galapagos Islands, focusing on the mechanisms that influence their dispersal and colonization within the archipelago. In the first …

Excision Dynamics Of Vibrio Pathogenicity Island-2 From Vibrio Cholerae: Role Of A Recombination Directionality Factor Vefa, Salvador Almagro-Moreno, Michael G. Napolitano, E. Fidelma Boyd

Dartmouth Scholarship

Vibrio Pathogenicity Island-2 (VPI-2) is a 57 kb region present in choleragenic V. cholerae isolates that is required for growth on sialic acid as a sole carbon source. V. cholerae non-O1/O139 pathogenic strains also contain VPI-2, which in addition to sialic acid catabolism genes also encodes a type 3 secretion system in these strains. VPI-2 integrates into chromosome 1 at a tRNA-serine site and encodes an integrase intV2 (VC1758) that belongs to the tyrosine recombinase family. ntV2 is required for VPI-2 excision from chromosome 1, which occurs at very low levels, and formation of a non-replicative circular intermediate.

Antimicrobial And Anticancer Activity Of Essential Oils From Guatemalan Medicinal Plants, Andrew B. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Guatemalan medicinal plants were collected and screened for the presence of essential oils using steam distillation. Oil was found in 63 species from 24 families and was tested in tube dilution assays for activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Candida albicans. Several essential oils were highly active with 20 instances of oils inhibiting the microbes at an MIC of 0.31 µl/ml. Oils were also tested against cancerous and established cell lines using a 15% (v/v) agar-media which was developed to improve essential oil solubility. Assays were performed against three cancer lines: …

Muscle Receptor Organs In The Crayfish Abdomen: A Student Laboratory Exercise In Proprioception, Bonnie Leksrisawat, Ann S. Cooper, Allison B. Gilberts, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

The primary purpose of this experiment is to demonstrate primary sensory neurons conveying information of joint movements and positions as proprioceptive information for an animal. An additional objective of this experiment is to learn anatomy of the preparation by staining, dissection and viewing of neurons and sensory structures under a dissecting microscope. This is performed by using basic neurophysiological equipment to record the electrical activity from a joint receptor organ and staining techniques. The muscle receptor organ (MRO) system in the crayfish is analogous to the intrafusal muscle spindle in mammals, which aids in serving as a comparative model that …

Physiological Recordings Of High And Low Output Nmjs On The Crayfish Leg Extensor Muscle, Wenhui Wu, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

We explain in detail how to expose and conduct electrophysiological recordings of synaptic responses for high (phasic) and low (tonic) output motor neurons innervating the extensor muscle in the walking leg of a crayfish. Distinct differences are present in the physiology and morphology of the phasic and tonic nerve terminals. The tonic axon contains many more mitochondria, enabling it to take a vital stain more intensely than the phasic axon. The tonic terminals have varicosities, and the phasic terminal is filiform. The tonic terminals are low in synaptic efficacy but show dramatic facilitated responses. In contrast, the phasic terminals are …

Drosophila Vitelline Membrane Assembly: A Critical Role For An Evolutionarily Conserved Cysteine In The “Vm Domain” Of Sv23, T. Wu, Anita L. Manogaran, J. M. Beauchamp, Gail L. Waring

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The vitelline membrane (VM), the oocyte proximal layer of the Drosophila eggshell, contains four major proteins (VMPs) that possess a highly conserved “VM domain” which includes three precisely spaced, evolutionarily conserved, cysteines (CX⁷CX⁸C). Focusing on sV23, this study showed that the three cysteines are not functionally equivalent. While substitution mutations at the first (C123S) or third (C140S) cysteines were tolerated, females with a substitution at the second position (C131S) were sterile. Fractionation studies showed that sV23 incorporates into a large disulfide linked network well after its secretion ceases, suggesting that post-depositional mechanisms are in place to …

Investigating The Spectrum Of Biological Activity Of Ring-Substituted Salicylanilides And Carbamoylphenylcarbamates, Jiahui Guo, Aidan Coffey, Et. Al.

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

In this study, a series of twelve ring-substituted salicylanilides and carbamoylphenylcarbamates were prepared and characterized. The compounds were analyzed using RP-HPLC to determine lipophilicity. They were tested for their activity related to the inhibition of photosynthetic electron transport (PET) in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) chloroplasts. Moreover, their site of action in the photosynthetic apparatus was determined. Primary in vitro screening of the synthesized compounds was also performed against mycobacterial, bacterial and fungal strains. Several compounds showed biological activity comparable with or higher than the standards 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea, isoniazid, penicillin G, ciprofloxacin or fluconazole. The most active compounds showed minimal anti-proliferative activity …

Micrornas Reveal The Interrelationships Of Hagfish, Lampreys, And Gnathostomes And The Nature Of The Ancestral Vertebrate, Alysha M. Heimberg, Richard Cowper-Sal{Middle Dot}Lari, Marie Semon, Philip C. J. Donoghue, Kevin J. Peterson

Dartmouth Scholarship

Hagfish and lampreys are the only living representatives of the jawless vertebrates (agnathans), and compared with jawed vertebrates (gnathostomes), they provide insight into the embryology, genomics, and body plan of the ancestral vertebrate. However, this insight has been obscured by controversy over their interrelationships. Morphological cladistic analyses have identified lampreys and gnathostomes as closest relatives, whereas molecular phylogenetic studies recover a monophyletic Cyclostomata (hagfish and lampreys as closest relatives). Here, we show through deep sequencing of small RNA libraries, coupled with genomic surveys, that Cyclostomata is monophyletic: hagfish and lampreys share 4 unique microRNA families, 15 unique paralogues of more …

Diatoms As Indicators Of Water-Level Change In Freshwater Lakes, Julie A. Wolin, Jeffrey R. Stone

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Water-level changes result from a variety of geological, biological, and/or climatic processes. Many of these changes occur over long periods; others may be rapid or result from catastrophic events. In aquatic environments, diatoms are highly sensitive indicator organisms and their microfossils, deposited in lake sediments, can be used to infer environmental changes (Smol, 2008). Unambiguous diatom signals can be reconstructed from lakes isolated from marine or brackish waters (e.g. Fritz et al., this volume; Horton & Sawai, this volume). However, in freshwater systems lake-level changes are often recorded as increases in planktonic (free-floating) diatoms – although as discussed below, interpretation …

Using Critical-Thinking Skills To Substantiate Or Challenge Controversial Claims Endorsing A Myriad Of Weight-Loss Products, Teresa F. Degolier

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

This exercise engages students in critically evaluating weight-loss products and programs. Specific objectives are to investigate, analyze, and substantiate claims made by the weight-loss industry and interpret how these claims may be fraudulent, misleading, or perhaps even truthful.

Optimising Maternal Sources Of Breastfeeding During The First Six Weeks Of Postpartum, Roslyn Tarrant, Katherine Younger, Margaret Sheridan-Pereira, John M. Kearney

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Variation In Nutrient Resorption By Desert Shrubs, Rebecca E. Drenovsky, Jeremy J. James, James H. Richards

Biology

Plant nutrient resorption prior to leaf senescence is an important nutrient conservation mechanism for aridland plant species. However, little is known regarding the phylogenetic and environmental factors influencing this trait. Our objective was to compare nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) resorption in a suite of species in the Asteraceae and Chenopodiaceae and assess the impact of soil salinity on nitrogen resorption. Although asters and chenopods did not differ in N resorption proficiency, chenopods were more proficient than asters at resorbing P. Plant responses to salinity gradients were species-specific and likely related to different salt-tolerances of the species. During the three …

Hidden Consequences Of Living In A Wormy World: Nematode-Induced Immune Suppression Facilitates Tuberculosis Invasion In African Buffalo, Vanessa O. Ezenwa, Rampal S. Etienne, Gordon Luikart

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Most hosts are infected with multiple parasites, and responses of the immune system to co occurring parasites may influence disease spread. Helminth infection can bias the host immune response toward a T-helper type 2 Th2) over a type 1 Th1) response, impairing the host's ability to control concurrent intracellular microparasite infections and potentially modifying disease dynamics. In humans, immune-mediated interactions between helminths and microparasites can alter host susceptibility to diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis TB), and malaria. However, the extent to which similar processes operate in natural animal populations and influence disease spread remains unknown. We used cross-sectional, experimental, and …

Discovery And Analysis Of 4h-Pyridopyrimidines, A Class Of Selective Bacterial Protein Synthesis Inhibitors, Wendy Ribble, Walter E. Hill, Urs A. Ochsner, Thale C. Jarvis, Joseph W. Guiles, Nebojsa Janjic, James M. Bullard

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Bacterial protein synthesis is the target for numerous natural and synthetic antibacterial agents. We have developed a poly(U) mRNA-directed aminoacylation/translation protein synthesis system composed of phenyl-tRNA synthetases, ribosomes, and ribosomal factors from Escherichia coli. This system, utilizing purified components, has been used for high-throughput screening of a small-molecule chemical library. We have identified a series of compounds that inhibit protein synthesis with 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC(50)s) ranging from 3 to 14 mu M. This series of compounds all contained the same central scaffold composed of tetrahydropyrido[4,3-d] pyrimidin-4-ol (e.g., 4H-pyridopyrimidine). All analogs contained an ortho pyridine ring attached to the central …

Disappearing Plants: Why They Hide And How They Return, Jennifer R. Gremer, Anna Sala, Elizabeth E. Crone

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Prolonged dormancy is a life-history stage in which mature plants fail to resprout for one or more growing seasons and instead remain alive belowground. Prolonged dormancy is relatively common, but the proximate causes and consequences of this intriguing strategy have remained elusive. In this study we tested whether stored resources are associated with remaining belowground, and investigated the resource costs of remaining belowground during the growing season. We measured stored resources at the beginning and end of the growing season in Astragalus scaphoides, an herbaceous perennial in southwest Montana, USA. At the beginning of the growing season, dormant plants …

Hidden Consequences Of Living In A Wormy World: Nematode‐Induced Immune Suppression Facilitates Tuberculosis Invasion In African Buffalo, Vanessa O. Ezenwa, Rampal S. Etienne, Gordon Luikart, Albano Beja-Pereira, Anna E. Jolles

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Most hosts are infected with multiple parasites, and responses of the immune system to co-occurring parasites may influence disease spread. Helminth infection can bias the host immune response toward a T-helper type 2 (Th2) over a type 1 (Th1) response, impairing the host’s ability to control concurrent intracellular microparasite infections and potentially modifying disease dynamics. In humans, immune-mediated interactions between helminths and microparasites can alter host susceptibility to diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria. However, the extent to which similar processes operate in natural animal populations and influence disease spread remains unknown.We used cross-sectional, experimental, and genetic studies …

Maple Syrup: A Sweet Springtime Lesson, Stephen G. Saupe, Sarah Gainey

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Caspases In Alzheimer's Disease; Potential Novel Therapeutic Opportunities, Troy T. Rohn

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although apoptosis plays a critical role in molding the CNS into its final appearance and function, inappropriate activation of this pathway in the aging brain may contribute to neurodegeneration. In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), an overwhelming body of evidence supports the activation of apoptosis in general, and caspases specifically as an early event that may not only contribute to neurodegeneration but also promote the underlying pathology associated with this disease. Therefore, caspase inhibitors may provide an effective strategy for treating AD. However, despite the compelling evidence indicating a role for caspases in disease progression, chronic treatment with caspase inhibitors in animal …

The Mathematics Of Animal Behavior: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue, Shandelle M. Henson, James L. Hayward

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Non-Native Salmonids Affect Amphibian Occupancy At Multiple Spatial Scales, David S. Pilliod, Blake R. Hossack, Peter F. Bahls, Evelyn L. Bull, Paul Stephen Corn, Grant Hokit, Bryce A. Maxell, James C. Munger, Aimee Wyrick

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Aim The introduction of non-native species into aquatic environments has been linked with local extinctions and altered distributions of native species. We investigated the effect of non-native salmonids on the occupancy of two native amphibians, the long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) and Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris), across three spatial scales: water bodies, small catchments and large catchments.

Location Mountain lakes at ≥ 1500 m elevation were surveyed across the northern Rocky Mountains, USA.

Methods We surveyed 2267 water bodies for amphibian occupancy (based on evidence of reproduction) and fish presence between 1986 and 2002 and modelled …

Regulation Of Integrin Αiibβ3 Ligand Binding And Signaling By The Metal Ion Binding Sites In The Β I Domain, Joel Raborn

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Structures Of Human Thymidylate Synthase R163k With Dump, Fdump And Glutathione Show Asymmetric Ligand Binding, Lydia M. Gibson, Lesa R. Celeste, Leslie L. Lovelace, Lukasz Lebioda

Faculty Publications

Thymidylate synthase (TS) is a well validated target in cancer chemotherapy. Here, a new crystal form of the R163K variant of human TS (hTS) with five subunits per asymmetric part of the unit cell, all with loop 181-197 in the active conformation, is reported. This form allows binding studies by soaking crystals in artificial mother liquors containing ligands that bind in the active site. Using this approach, crystal structures of hTS complexes with FdUMP and dUMP were obtained, indicating that this form should facilitate high-throughput analysis of hTS complexes with drug candidates. Crystal soaking experiments using oxidized glutathione revealed that …

Effects Of Sediment Removal Techniques On Avian Communities And Vegetational Attributes In Restored Prairie Pothole Wetlands, Alexander Galt

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

With the loss and degradation of wetlands in some areas of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) reaching 80-90%, it is critical that resource managers ensure that the habitat that is put back on the landscape is as high quality as possible. Resource managers have been excavating sediment and topsoil, to promote the “hemi-marsh” condition, during the wetland restoration process in the PPR for over 20 years. I refer to the commonly held perception that the hemi-marsh condition supports the most diverse avian communities in small prairie pothole wetlands as the hemi-marsh condition hypothesis. The literature currently does not address the …