Biology Commons^™

Isolation And Characterization Of Galactinol Synthases From Hybrid Poplar, Faride Unda, Thomas Canam, Lindsay Preston, Shawn Mansfield

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The raffinose family of oligosaccharides (RFOs) serve as transport carbohydrates in the phloem, storage compounds in sink tissues, and putative biological agents to combat both abiotic and biotic stress in several plant species. To investigate further the functional roles of this class of compounds in trees, two cDNAs encoding galactinol synthase (GolS, EC 2.4.1.123), which catalyses the first step in the biosynthesis of RFOs, were identified and cloned from hybrid poplar (Populus alba3grandidentata). Phylogenetic analyses of the Populus GolS isoforms with other known GolS proteins suggested a putative role for these enzymes during biotic or abiotic stress in hybrid poplar. …

Seed Biology Of Physaria Ludoviciana (Silvery Bladderpod; Brassicaceae ), An Endangered Species In Sand Prairies Of The Midwest, Marissa Grant, Ann Claerbout, Janice Coons, Henry Owen

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Physaria ludoviciana (Nuttal) O'Kane & Al-Shehbaz (silvery bladderpod) is a state endangered species in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin, the eastern edge of its range. Our goal was to investigate its seed biology (production, dispersal, seed bank longevity, afterripening, seed longevity after storage using germination and emergence, and seedling establishment). This information will be useful for conservation efforts of this endangered species. Over a ten-year period, various seed biology parameters were measured. Infructescences were counted to estimate seed production with 110–744 seeds per reproductive plant. Soil samples were collected at various distances to estimate dispersal where seeds dispersed less than a …

Size Assortment In Mixed-Species Groups Of Juvenile-Phase Striped Parrotfish (Scarus Iserti) In The Bahamas, Paul Switzer, Daniel Quinn

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Striped parrotfish (Scarus iserti) often form heterospecific groups with other reef fishes. In this study, we examined the species and body size composition of these groups on reefs in The Bahamas. Groups averaged approximately 4 S. iserti and 2 associated species, with surgeonfish (Acanthurus chirurgus and A. bahianus), slippery dick (Halichoeres bivittatus), and bluehead wrasse (Thalassoma bifasciatum) as the most common associates. Fewer groups than expected had only 1 associate; groups with 3 or more associates were more common than expected. Both the S. iserti and associated species tended to be closely sizematched within a group, perhaps due to benefits …

Current Theories On The Human Sex Ratio, Yisroel Cofsky

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

The human sex ratio is skewed toward males, and this is the subject of much research. A review of some of the theories currently available was conducted, searching and analyzing the current scientific literature. Suggestions to explain the ratio include unequal proportions of X and Y sperm, the effect of maternal diet, maternal testosterone levels, and the natural fluctuations in the consistency of the cervical mucus. Although the difference in X/Y sperm proportions does not adequately explain all the data, the other theories do seem to explain the greater percentage of male births. However, there is still not enough information …

New Metrics For Managing And Sustaining The Ocean’S Bounty, Heather Tallis, Sarah E. Lester, Mary Ruckelshaus, Mark Plummer, Karen Mcleod, Anne Guerry, Sandy Andelman, Margaret R. Caldwell, Marc Conte, Stephen Copps, David Fox, Rod Fujita, Steven D. Gaines, Guy Gelfenbaum, Barry Gold, Peter Kareiva, Choong-Ki Kim, Kai Lee, Michael Papenfus, Scott Redman, Brian Silliman, Lisa Wainger, Crow White

Biological Sciences

Policies are arising around the world, most recently in the United States, that mandate the implementation of marine spatial planning as a practical pathway towards ecosystem-based management. In the new United States ocean policy, and several other cases around the globe, ecosystem services are at the core of marine spatial planning, but there is little guidance on how ecosystem services should be measured, making it hard to implement this new approach. A new framework is shown here for practical, rigorous ecosystem service measurement that highlights contributions from both natural and social systems. The novel three-step framework addresses traditional shortcomings of …

Mycorrhizal Colonization Of Hypericum Perforatum L. (Hypericaceae) From Serpentine And Granite Outcrops On The Deer Isles, Maine, Naveed Davoodian, Jason Bosworth, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

Given the paucity of literature on plant-fungal interactions on serpentine soils and limited investigation of serpentine geoecology in eastern North America, we examined mycorrhizal colonization of Hypericum perforatum from adjacent serpentine and granite outcrops on the Deer Isles, ME to determine whether plants were differentially colonized based on substrate. We coincided our sampling with three phenologic stages of H. perforatum (preflowering, flowering, postflowering) to determine possible differences in colonization based on plant phenology. The levels of mycorrhizal colonization in H. perforatum were not significantly different between serpentine and granite sites, while levels of colonization in postflowering plants were significantly higher …

A Collaborative Approach To Investigate Site Fidelity, Home Range, And Homing Behavior Of Cabezon (Scorpaenichthys Marmoratus), Carlos Mireles, Royden Nakamura, Dean Wendt

Biological Sciences

Understanding the area use requirements of species targeted for protection by marine protected areas (MPAs) is critical to the future conservation efforts of economically important fish species. Knowledge of home range size and site fidelity is essential in determining whether species will benefit from the protection offered by a MPA, the size of the area needed to protect individuals, and the extent to which surrounding unprotected areas may be supplemented through post-recruitment movement or “spillover”. We utilized a traditional mark and recapture approach, along with GIS spatial analysis to investigate the site fidelity, home range, and homing behavior of the …

Receptor Chimeras Demonstrate That The C-Terminal Domain Of The Human Cytomegalovirus Us27 Gene Product Is Necessary And Sufficient For Intracellular Receptor Localization, Lance K. Stapleton, Kathleen L. Arnolds, Angela P. Lares, Tori M. Devito, Juliet V. Spencer

Biology Faculty Publications

Background

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is ubiquitous in the population but generally causes only mild or asymptomatic infection except in immune suppressed individuals. HCMV employs numerous strategies for manipulating infected cells, including mimicry of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). The HCMV US27 gene product is a putative GPCR, yet no ligand or signaling has been identified for this receptor. In the present study, immunofluorescence microscopy was used to examine the cellular distribution of wild type US27, as well as US27 deletion mutants and chimeric receptors.

Results

In transiently transfected cells, wild type US27 was found primarily in intracellular compartments, in striking contrast …

Direct Infusion Mass Spectrometry Of Oxylipin-Containing Arabidopsis Membrane Lipids Reveals Varied Patterns In Different Stress Responses, Xuemin Wang, Hieu Sy Vu, Pamela Tamura, Nadezhda Galeva, Ratnesh Chaturvedi, Mary Roth, Todd Williams, Jyoti Shah, Ruth Welti

Biology Department Faculty Works

Direct infusion electrospray ionization triple quadrupole precursor scanning for three oxidized fatty acyl anions revealed 86 mass spectral peaks representing polar membrane lipids in extracts from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) infected with Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000 expressing AvrRpt2 (PstAvr). Quadrupole time-of-flight and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry provided evidence for the presence of membrane lipids containing one or more oxidized acyl chains. The membrane lipids included molecular species of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, digalactosyldiacylglycerol, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, and acylated monogalactosyldiacylglycerol. The oxidized chains were identified at the level of chemical formula and included C(18)H(27)O(3) (abbreviated 18:4-O, to indicate four double bond …

Activity And Diet Of Bats In Apple Orchards Of Southern Michigan, Brenna Lynn Smith

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

I studied activity and diet of bats in apple orchards in southern Michigan. There was no difference between organic and conventional orchards in number and composition of insects captured with light traps, number of bats captured with mist nets, or number of acoustic files of bat activity that were recorded. The majority of insects captured were Coleptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, and Trichoptera. Only two species of bats were caught: big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) and eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis). Most calls were produced by big brown bats, followed by hoary bats (L. cinereus), red …

Effects Of Curcumin On Stem-Like Cells In Human Esophageal Squamous Carcinoma Cell Lines, Michael Eric Geusz, Taghreed N. Almanaa, Roudabeh J. Jamasbi

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Many cancers contain cell subpopulations that display characteristics of stem cells. Because these cancer stem cells (CSCs) appear to provide resistance to chemo-radiation therapy, development of therapeutic agents that target CSCs is essential. Curcumin is a phytochemical agent that is currently used in clinical trials to test its effectiveness against cancer. However, the effect of curcumin on CSCs is not well established. The current study evaluated curcumin-induced cell death in six cancer cell lines derived from human esophageal squamous cell carcinomas. Moreover, these cell lines and the ones established from cells that survived curcumin treatments were characterized.Methods: Cell loss …

Post-Speleogenetic Biogenic Modification Of Gomantong Caves, Sabah, Borneo, Joyce Lundberg, Donald A. Mcfarlane

WM Keck Science Faculty Papers

The Gomantong cave system of eastern Sabah, Malaysia, is well-known as an important site for harvesting edible bird-nests and, more recently, as a tourist attraction. Although the biology of the Gomantong system has been repeatedly studied, very little attention has been given to the geomorphology. Here, we report on the impact of geobiological modification in the development of the modern aspect of the cave, an important but little recognized feature of tropical caves. Basic modeling of the metabolic outputs from bats and birds (CO₂, H₂O, heat) reveals that post-speleogenetic biogenic corrosion can erode bedrock by between …

Nutraceutical Antioxidants And Their Therapeutic Potential In Neurodegeneration, Erika Kristine Ross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neuromuscular disease that affects motor neurons of the brain and spinal cord. Many studies indicate that mitochondrial oxidative stress (MOS) is a principal mechanism underlying the pathophysiology of this and other devastating neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we investigated a unique whey protein supplement (Immunocal®) to determine its neuroprotective efficacy in several in vitro models of MOS and in an in vivo mouse model of ALS. This non-denatured whey supplement contains cystine which is an oxidized form of cysteine, an essential precursor for synthesis of the endogenous antioxidant, glutathione (GSH). In primary cultured rat cerebellar …

Characterization Of The Expression Patterns Of Cellulose Synthase-Like A (Csla) Genes In Arabidopsis Thaliana Using Reporter Promoter-Fusions And Immunolocalization, Mary Skinner

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Plant cell walls are the most abundant source of renewable biomass on Earth. Cell wall carbohydrates have many practical applications (e.g., forage, building materials, biofuels, textiles, paper, etc.), and within plants they contribute to structure, provide defense, and facilitate cellular communication. This study is focused on the CELLULOSE SYNTHASELIKE A (CSLA) family, members of which have been implicated in the synthesis of the backbone of mannan polysaccharides in plant cell walls. The Arabidopsis genome contains nine CSLA genes and we hypothesize that there is some degree of functional redundancy among these genes. A detailed investigation of transgenic Arabidopsis plants harboring …

An At Mutational Bias In The Tiny Gc-Rich Endosymbiont Genome Of Hodgkinia, James T. Van Leuven, John Mccutcheon

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The fractional guanine + cytosine (GC) contents of sequenced bacterial genomes range from 13% to 75%. Despite several decades of research aimed at understanding this wide variation, the forces controlling GC content are not well understood. Recent work has suggested that a universal adenine + thymine (AT) mutational bias exists in all bacteria and that the elevated GC contents found in some bacterial genomes is due to genome-wide selection for increased GC content. These results are generally consistent with the low GC contents observed in most strict endosymbiotic bacterial genomes, where the loss of DNA repair mechanisms combined with the …

A New Forest Fire Paradigm: The Need For High-Severity Fires, Monica L. Bond, Rodney B. Siegel, Richard L. Hutto, Victoria A. Saab, Stephen A. Shunk

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Forest fires, particularly those that burn at mixed and high severity (collectively called ‘severe’), have been traditionally perceived as catastrophic events, directing public attention and immense forest management budgets toward fire prevention and suppression. These fires may indeed be catastrophic when measured by losses of human lives and property. However, severe fires in wildland areas are both natural and necessary to maintain the integrity of dynamic, disturbance-adapted forest systems. We propose a change in the current paradigm—which holds that severe forest fires are always harmful—to a new one that embraces their ecological necessity.

The Curious Case Of Arenavirus Entry, And Its Inhibition, Jack H. Nunberg, Joanne York

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Arenaviruses comprise a diverse family of enveloped negative-strand RNA viruses that are endemic to specific rodent hosts worldwide. Several arenaviruses cause severe hemorrhagic fevers in humans, including Junin and Machupo viruses in South America and Lassa fever virus in western Africa. Arenavirus entry into the host cell is mediated by the envelope glycoprotein complex, GPC. The virion is endocytosed on binding to a cell-surface receptor, and membrane fusion is initiated in response to physiological acidification of the endosome. As with other class I virus fusion proteins, GPC-mediated membrane fusion is promoted through a regulated sequence of conformational changes leading to …

Consumption Of High Ω-3 Fatty Acid Diet Suppressed Prostate Tumorigenesis In C3(1) Tag Mice, Juliana A. Akinsete, Gabriela Ion, Theodore R. Witte, W. Elaine Hardman

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Prostate cancer incidence and mortality are high in the Western world and high ω-6/ω-3 PUFA in the Western diet may be a contributing factor. We investigated whether changing from a diet that approximates ω-6 fat content of the Western diet to a high ω-3 fat diet at adulthood might reduce prostate cancer risk. Female SV 129 mice that had consumed a high ω-6 diet containing corn oil for 2 weeks were bred with homozygous C3(1)Tag transgenic male mice. All male offspring were weaned to the corn oil diet (CO) until postpuberty when half of the male offspring were transferred to …

Ua94/6/10 Student / Alumni Personal Papers Wku Carl Ellis, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Scientific notebooks used by Carl Ellis during his years at WKU.

Species And Habitat Interactions Of The Gopher Tortoise: A Keystone Species?, Christopher Catano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Species-species and species-habitat interactions have been demonstrated to be important in influencing diversity across a variety of ecosystems. Despite generalities in the importance of these interactions, appropriate mechanisms to explain them are absent in many systems. In sandhill systems of the southeast U.S., gopher tortoises have been hypothesized to be a crucial species in the maintenance of diversity and function. However, the mechanisms and magnitude in which they influence their communities and habitats have rarely been empirically quantified. I examined how habitat structure influences tortoise abandonment of burrows and how tortoise densities influence nonvolant vertebrate community diversity. Tortoise burrow abandonment …

Determining The Impacts Of Beach Restoration On Loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) And Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) Nesting Patterns And Reproductive Success Along Florida's Atlantic Coast, Allison Whitney Hays

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Artificial beach nourishment, the most common method to mitigate coastal erosion in the United States, is also considered the most ecologically friendly alternative for shoreline stabilization. However, this habitat alteration has the potential to impact nesting marine turtles and developing hatchlings. The first objective of this study was to determine how nourishing beaches with two different design templates affects loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting success, the ratio of nests to the total number of nests and non-nesting emergences, and reproductive success, the ratio of hatched and emerged hatchlings to the total number of eggs deposited. Two …

Toxic Effects Of Copper, Cadmium, And Methoxychlor Shown By Neutral Red Retention Assay In Two Species Of Freshwater Molluscs, Nikolett Molnar, Peter Fong

Biology Faculty Publications

We used neutral red retention assay in lysosomes of digestive gland cells as an indicator for stress effects by the environmental contaminants Cu, Cd, and the pesticide methoxychlor in two freshwater molluscs, the unionid mussel, Elliptio complanata (Lightfoot) and the ramshorn snail Helisoma trivolvis (Say). Mussels and snails were exposed for 7 and 14 days to Cu and Cd each at nominal concentrations of 2.5 μg/L, 5.0 μg/L, and 10.0 μg/L, and to methoxychlor concentrations of 1.0 μg/L, 10.0μg/L, and 100.0 μg/L. Both mussels and snails exposed to Cu showed a significant increase in the percent of destabilized lysosomes compared …

Conserving Our Cultural Heritage: The Role Of Fungi In Biodeterioration, Hanna Szczepanowska, A. R. Cavaliere

Biology Faculty Publications

The objects of cultural heritage are composed of varied materials which can be affected by diverse microbial communities. The study of these complex and heterogeneous assemblies of materials and microorganisms require an inter- and multi-disciplinary approach. Development of a strategy towards prevention, mitigation of biodeterioration and removal of microorganisms, especially fungi begins with the understanding of the materials' fabric, assessment of causes behind the biodeterioration, and the context in which it occurs.

Three aspects of biodeterioration of cultural heritage are discussed: 1) the multitude of bio-agents' on cultural heritage materials, 2) fungal interaction with substrates, and 3) prevention and conservation …

The Role Of Bcl-2 Family In Clinical Response Of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Sayer Rashed Alharbi

ETD Archive

The anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins regulate lymphocyte survival and are over-expressed in lymphoid malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The small molecule inhibitor ABT-737 binds with high affinity to Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, and Bcl-w but with low affinity to Mcl-1, Bfl-1, and Bcl-b. The active analog of ABT-737, navitoclax, has shown a high therapeutic index in lymphoid malignancies developing a predictive marker for it would be clinically valuable for patient selection or choice of drug combinations. We compared expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 genes that are known to be targeted by ABT-737. Our findings reveal that the relative ratio of Mcl-1 and Bfl-1 …

Study Of The L13a Residues Required For Ribosomal Function, Priyanka Das

ETD Archive

Ribosome biogenesis, a fundamental process, occurs in the nucleolus. It involves incorporation and association of ribosomal proteins (r-proteins) in the ribosomal subunit. Despite its obligatory and critical role in cellular function, the explicit mechanism of incorporation of different r-proteins into the pre-ribosome is not well understood. Using mammalian cell and r-protein L13a as our model, this study addresses the function and mechanism of r-protein incorporation during ribosome maturation. Published results from our laboratory showed the requirement of the release of L13a from the 60S ribosome to silence a cohort of inflammatory proteins directly at the level of translation thus showing …

Identification Of A Post-Transcriptional Mechanism Regulating Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, George S. Hussey

ETD Archive

No abstract provided.

Structural Basis Of Lman1 Cargo Capture In Er & Release In Ergic, Vaijayanti Das

ETD Archive

No abstract provided.

Inheritance Of Humeral Spotting In The Croaking Gourami (Osphronemidae: Trichopsis Vittatus), Jack Frankel, Lisa Alder-Golden, Andre Porter

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

The croaking gourami (Trichopsis vittatus) exhibits two phenotypes associated with humeral spotting. Fish possess a prominent, dark humeral patch or spot located behind the operculum or lack this spotting pattern. Segregation patterns observed from the progenies of eleven different crosses support the hypothesis that the inheritance of humeral spotting in T. vittatus is controlled by the action of a single autosomal locus, with complete dominance of the allele controlling the spotted phenotype.

Biophysical And Biochemical Factors In The Cellular Microenvironment; Effects On Cell Migration And Invasion, Shalini Menon

Wayne State University Dissertations

Cellular migration is a vital process central to many physiological events including development, immune surveillance and wound healing. However, migration and invasion are not unique to normal physiology, they are also key determinants in the progression of disease states such as cancer. Given the significance of migration it is important that we understand how the process is regulated intracellularly and the various stimuli that can promote it. Even though the role of biochemical factors in mediating migration has been studied extensively, the role of biophysical factors in modulating migration and invasion is less appreciation. The biochemical and biophysical components of …

Rotating Magnets Produce A Prompt Analgesia Effect In Rats, Zhong Chen, Hui Ye, Haiyun Xu, Shukang An, Anmin Jin, Chusong Zhou, Shaoan Yang

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The beneficial effects of chronic/repeated magnetic stimulation on humans have been examined in previous studies. Although pain relief effects have been reported several weeks after magnetic treatment, no report is available regarding the prompt effect of magnetic stimulations. In this study, a novel apparatus was developed to generate time-varying magnetic fields with rotating magnets. Adult, conscious rats were exposed to the rotating magnets in a posture in which their spines were parallel to the induced electric current. The magnetic field suppressed the paw withdrawal reflex in the anesthetized rats, and the suppression effect disappeared 5 minutes after magnets stopped rotating. …