Biology Commons^™

Molecular Cloning Of Lipocalin-2 Into A Eukaryotic Vector And Its Expression Inbovine Mammary Epithelial Cells As A Potential Treatment For Bovine Mastitis, Neelesh Sharma, Simrinder Singh Sodhi, Jeong Hyun Kim, Mrinmoy Ghosh, Jiao Jiao Zhang, Deog Bon Koo, Man Jong Kang, Dong Kee Jeong

Turkish Journal of Biology

Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) is a 25-kDa protein in the lipocalin family that shows antibacterial activity. The aim of this study was to clone human LCN2 into the mammalian-specific pIRES2-AcGFP1 vector and to determine the antibacterial activity of the recombinant pIRES2-AcGFP1-hLCN2 plasmid against major bacterial pathogens that cause bovine mastitis. The amplified hLCN2 was successfully cloned into the vector, and the plasmid was transfected into bovine mammary epithelial stem cells using nucleofection. Immunochemistry, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and ELISA were used to monitor and quantify hLCN2 expression in the cells. After 1 day of incubation, the concentration of hLCN2 secreted by …

Overexpression Of An H+-Ppase Gene From Arabidopsis In Sugarcane Improvesdrought Tolerance, Plant Growth, And Photosynthetic Responses, Ghulam Raza, Kazim Ali, Muhammad Yasin Ashraf, Shahid Mansoor, Muhammad Javid, Shaheen Asad

Turkish Journal of Biology

This study investigated the integration of Arabidopsis vacuolar H+-pyro-phosphatase (H+-PPase) (AVP1) transgene in transgenic sugarcane plants for drought tolerance. The gene integration was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blotting. Transgene expression was estimated by Western blotting. When sugarcane plants were grown on soil under 50% reduced water supply, the transgenic sugarcane overexpressing AVP1 produced higher shoot biomass based on cane height, number of millable canes, and Brix (%) compared with wild-type. The overexpression of AVP1 in transgenic sugarcane plants increased tolerance to drought stress, as demonstrated by increased relative water content (RWC) and leaf water (?w), osmotic …

Order-Wide In Silico Comparative Analysis And Identification Ofgrowth-Regulating Factor Proteins In Malpighiales, Murat Kemal Avci, Muavvi̇z Ayvaz, Hüseyi̇n Uysal, Emre Sevi̇ndi̇k, Seda Örenay Boyacioğlu, Çi̇ğdem Yamaner

Turkish Journal of Biology

Malpighiales, containing approximately 16,000 species, is one of the largest and most diverse angiosperm orders in plants. Growth-regulating factor (GRF) protein is a putative transcription factor and plays a regulatory role during plant growth and development processes such as stem elongation and cell expansion. The latest available protein data provide an opportunity to compare and understand the critical similarities and differentiation in GRF proteins among Malpighiales members. In the present study we conducted domain, two- and three-dimensional (2D, 3D) comparative, physicochemical, subcellular prediction, and sequence analysis of 87 putative GRF proteins belonging to 4 genera in Malpighiales using different bioinformatic …

Proteomics Comparison Of Aspartic Protease Enzyme In Insects, Samin Seddigh, Maryam Darabi

Turkish Journal of Biology

Aspartic proteases (APs; EC: 3.4.23) are a catalytic type of protease enzymes that use an activated water molecule, bound to one or more aspartate residues, for catalysis of their peptide substrates. In this study, bioinformatic analyses of APs enzymes were performed on insect protein sequences, including nineteen species of eleven different families. According to the conserved motifs obtained with MEME and MAST tools, three motifs were common to all insects. The structural and functional analyses of five selected insects from different orders were performed with ProtParam, SOPMA, SignalP 4.1, TMHMM 2.0, and ProDom tools in the ExPASy database. The tertiary …

The Cytotoxic Activity Of Sanguinarine In C32 Human Amelanotic Melanoma Cells, Sabina Ioana Cojocaru, Miruna Silvia Stan, Mihai Anton, Mihaela Rocsana Luca, Gogu Ghiorghita, Gheorghe Stoian, Anca Dinischiotu

Turkish Journal of Biology

Sanguinarine, an alkaloid present in various medicinal plants, has been associated with detrimental effects on different types of cancer cells. The aim of our study was to analyze the cytotoxic effects of sanguinarine on C32 human amelanotic melanoma cells. The cells were exposed to various concentrations of sanguinarine (0.5, 1, and 2 μM) for 24 h and displayed a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability; the sanguinarine-induced oxidative stress in C32 cells affected the activity of antioxidant enzymes and generated lipid peroxidation. Moreover, we observed an enhanced expression of heat shock proteins 60, 70, and 90 in response to the stress …

Genotoxic Potential Of Cynanchum Sarcomedium Meve & Liede Coupled With Its Modulatory Action On Oxidative-Stress?Mediatedgenotoxicity By Hydrogen Peroxideneethu Kannan Bhagyanathan*, John Ernest Thoppilcell And Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department Of Botany, University Of Calicut, Kerala, India, Neethu Kannan Bhagyanathan, John Ernest Thoppil

Turkish Journal of Biology

The present study evaluated the genotoxic effect of aqueous extract of C. sarcomedium Meve and Liede and its protective role in chromosomal aberrations induced by 2% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on Allium cepa root meristem. Our results showed that the C. sarcomedium extract induced major chromosomal aberrations, viz., nuclear lesions, chromosome breaks, chromosome laggards, vagrance, stickiness, and bridges. These are irreversible in nature and indicate that the plant is a potent clastogen. Total chromosome aberrations were more frequent with increase in exposure time and concentrations of plant extract. For antigenotoxic screening, three different modes of treatment were used: pretreatment, posttreatment, and …

Overexpression Of A Fusion Defensin Gene From Radish And Fenugreek Improvesresistance Against Leaf Spot Diseases Caused By Cercospora Arachidicola And Phaeoisariopsis Personata In Peanut, Madhu Bala, Thankappan Radhakrishnan, Abhay Kumar, Gyan Prakash Mishra, Jentilal Ramjibhai Dobraia, Pulugurtha Bharadwaja Kirti

Turkish Journal of Biology

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the important oilseed crops of the Indian subcontinent and fungal diseases like early leaf spot (ELS) and late leaf spot (LLS) caused by Cercospora arachidicola and Phaeoisariopsis personata, respectively, are major peanut cultivation constraints. Defensins are basically antimicrobial peptides that have been implicated in plant defense against various microbial attacks. Transgenic peanut plants, developed through Agrobacterium mediated transformation of de-embryonated cotyledons and overexpressing a synthetic defensin fusion gene from fenugreek (Tfgd2) and radish (RsAFP2) linked by a linker peptide, were found to have enhanced resistance to the ELS and LLS infection over the …

Control Of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus Disease By Enterobacter Asburiaebq9 As A Result Of Priming Plant Resistance In Tomatoes, Hongwei Li, Xueling Ding, Chao Wang, Hongjiao Ke, Zhou Wu, Yupeng Wang, Hongxia Liu, Jianhua Guo

Turkish Journal of Biology

Enterobacter asburiae BQ9, a plant-growth-promoting rhizobacterium, was shown to promote tomato plant growth and induce resistance to Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) under greenhouse conditions. Compared with mock-treated tomato plants, plants that were pretreated with BQ9 had increased fresh mass and significantly reduced disease severity and 52% biocontrol efficacy was achieved 30 days after inoculation. The expression of defense-related genes PR1a and PR1b and the H2O2 burst were quickly induced in BQ9 pretreated plants. Antioxidase activity analysis showed that the activities of phenylalanine ammonia lyase, peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase increased significantly in BQ9 pretreated plants. Our results suggest …

Analysis Of Protein Expression Changes In The Blood Plasma Of Cows During The Last Month Before Parturition And 2 Months After Calving, Anna Katarzyna Kurpinska, Agnieszka Jarosz, Malgorzata Ozgo, Wieslaw Franciszek Skrzypczak

Turkish Journal of Biology

The organism undergoes tremendous changes at the end of pregnancy and beginning of lactation. The aim of the study was to analyze the physiological changes in cows during the last month of a first pregnancy and the first 2 months of lactation, based on the protein expression in peripheral blood plasma. Changes were observed in the expression of proteins involved in lipid metabolism (apolipoprotein A-I, apolipoprotein E, apolipoprotein J, and apolipoprotein A-IV); immune defense (complement C4 protein and mannose-binding protein C); blood clotting (fibrinogen alpha chain, fibrinogen gamma B-chain, and fibrinogen-like protein 1); as well as reconstruction, regeneration, and defense …

Amplification Of Gc-Rich Adamts-2 And Urg4/Urgcp Promoter Regions With Optimized Combination Of Pcr Enhancers, Meltem Alper, Esra Tokay, Feray Köçkar

Turkish Journal of Biology

PCR is an effective and widely used method for the amplification of target DNA fragments in vitro. The templates that have high guanine-cytosine (GC) content, complex secondary structures, or short tandem repeats are difficult to amplify by the conventional PCR methods. Human genome regulatory regions such as promoters are rich in terms of GC base compositions. To amplify these regions some special modifications or additives are required. Using different PCR strategies such as hot-start/touchdown PCR or the utilization of various additives into the reaction mixture such as organic molecules can improve PCR yield. In the present study we optimized the …

Cloning And Functional Characterization Of Porcine Sox6, Wanxue Wen, Xiaoling Chen, Daiwen Chen, Bing Yu, Junqiu Luo, Zhiqing Huang

Turkish Journal of Biology

Sox6, a fast myofiber-enriched repressor of slow muscle gene expression, plays an important role in the control of skeletal muscle fiber-type transition. Mammalian Sox6 has been isolated and characterized from mice, rats, and humans. In this study, the porcine Sox6 (pSox6) cDNA was cloned by degenerate PCR. The entire open reading frame (ORF) of pSox6 is 2406 bp. The predicted protein is composed of 801 amino acids and contains the HMG box, leucine-zipper motif, and glutamine-rich Q-box. The amino acid similarities between the Sox6 from pig and other mammals range from 90% to 95%. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis indicated that …

Identification And Characterisation Of Mlo Genes In Pea (Pisum Sativum L.)Vis-À-Vis Validation Of Mlo Gene-Specific Markers, Chinmayee Mohapatra, Ramesh Chand, Vinay Kumar Singh, Anil Kumar Singh, Chanda Kushwaha

Turkish Journal of Biology

Pea is infected by a number of pathogens, and among them powdery mildew (PM) caused by Erysiphe pisi is an important fungal disease. This work was undertaken in silico to characterise the identified PM resistant genes of pea and design specific primers to be used in marker-assisted selection (MAS) of resistant and susceptible pea genotypes. Mlo gene sequences of A. thaliana and O. sativa were retrieved from different databases and used for a homology search of P. sativum EST databases. Each identified gene was used for a similarity search and phylogenetic classification with different crops. Four gene-specific primers were designed …

Production Of Recombinant Human Dipeptidyl Peptidase Iv From Sf9cells In Microbial Fermenters, Özlem Ayteki̇n, Sai̇me İsmet Gürhan, Kayoko Ohura, Teruko Imai, Gaye Öngen

Turkish Journal of Biology

The human dipeptidyl peptidase IV (hDPPIV/CD26) is expressed as an immune response in some cancer cells as well as intestine and incretin metabolism, and deficiency of the enzyme leads to metabolic disorders. In the present study, recombinant hDPPIV/CD26 genes were expressed in baculovirus-insect cell systems in a 5-L stirred-tank fermenter. Because of the shear sensitivity of the insect cell line, production from insect cells should be performed in new-generation type bioreactors, which are commonly more expensive than microbial fermenters. To optimize the process, hydrodynamic parameters and oxygen consumption of Sf9 cells at 1.5 L and 3 L were monitored, and …

Histopathological And Biochemical Changes In The Liver, Kidney, And Bloodof Amphibians Intoxicated With Cadmium, Marcela Fátima Medina, Maria Elina González, Sandra Maria Roxana Klyver, Iris Maria Aybar Odstrcil

Turkish Journal of Biology

The worldwide decline in amphibian populations has made heavy metal pollution a subject of interest. The aim of this work was to analyze the effect of sublethal doses of cadmium (Cd) on the liver, kidney, and blood of Rhinella arenarum specimens. Serum markers indicative of hepatic injury (gamma glutamyltransferase, alkaline phosphatase, pseudo cholinesterase, and total cholesterol) and markers of renal dysfunction (blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, calcium, and glucose) showed variation in animals treated with a 0.5 mg/kg dose compared to controls. Histopathological images revealed alterations in the liver (hepatocyte ballooning and hyperplasia of Kupffer cells) and kidney (renal tubular …

Phylogenetic Relationships Between Oxytropis Dc. And Astragalus L.Species Native To An Old World Diversity Center Inferred From Nuclear Ribosomal Its And Plastid Matk Gene Sequences, Ayten Tekpinar, Seher Karaman Erkul, Zeki̇ Aytaç, Zeki̇ Kaya

Turkish Journal of Biology

Oxytropis and Astragalus represent one of the largest angiosperm genera complexes. Although phylogenetic studies of this complex exist, the evolutionary relationships among Astragalus and Oxytropis species sharing similar habitats in the Old World have not been studied in detail. The phylogenetic relationships among 13 Oxytropis and 56 Astragalus species native to Turkey were inferred from nucleotide sequence variations in the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and chloroplast maturase-like protein (matK) gene regions. In addition to our samples, 36 Oxytropis ITS and 6 Oxytropis matK sequences were retrieved from GenBank and included in the analysis. Phylogenies derived from a maximum …

Identification Of Small Molecule Binding Pocket For Inhibition Of Crimean?Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Otu Protease, Fati̇h Kocabaş, Enes Kemal Ergi̇n

Turkish Journal of Biology

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a deadly tick-borne virus with high mortality rates. Current antivirals lack specificity, making them susceptible to off-target effects and cytotoxicity. There is an utmost need for the identification of active compounds for anti-CCHFV therapies. Inhibition of CCHFV ovarian tumor (OTU) protease by small molecules is an exciting potential antiviral therapy. In this study, computational approaches based on residue homology, the binding coordinates of ligands, and correlation analysis with in vitro data identified the pocket of Y89-W99 as the inhibition site of CCHFV OTU protease. In silico screening of more than 600,000 compounds against this …

Sex-Bias In Lupus-Prone (Nzbxnzw)F1 Mice: The Interplay Of Gr1+Cd11b+ Cells, Testosterone And Genetics, Abhishek Trigunaite

ETD Archive

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypic systemic autoimmune disorder predominantly (9:1) targeting females. Currently, there is no cure for SLE and also there is a lack of disease predicting biomarkers. The major aim of my research is to determine the cellular basis of the sex bias in SLE and subsequently facilitate the development of better therapeutics and biomarkers for the disease. In (NZBxNZW) F1 mice a similar female bias is observed as in humans and testosterone is shown to be protective against lupus-like disease development, but the mechanism is not well understood.

We found higher levels of Gr1hiCD11b+ myeloid …

Rna-Protein Interactions In The U12-Dependent Spliceosome, Jagjit Singh

ETD Archive

Nuclear precursor messenger RNA (Pre-mRNA) splicing is an important regulatory step in metazoan gene expression. More than 99% of nuclear pre-mRNA introns are U2-type that are spliced by U2-dependent spliceosome containing U1, U2, U4, U5 and U6 snRNAs. Only less than 1% of the introns are U12-type and spliced by U11, U12, U4atac, U5 and U6atac snRNAs. U12 and U6atac snRNAs play a central role in the splicing of U12-dependent introns. Our previous work demonstrated that the conserved 3' stem-loop region of U6atac snRNA contains a U12-dependent spliceosome-specific targeting activity, however any potential molecular mechanism was unclear. We discovered that …

Using Discussion To Promote Learning In Undergraduate Biology, Ariana E. Sutton-Grier, Emily S.J. Rauschert, Jennifer Momsen

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Summary and Comments from Workshop 40: “Looks Who's Talking! Using Discussion as an Effective Learning Tool” presented at the 100th Ecological Society of America Meeting

Orally Active And Selective Tubulin Inhibitors As Anti-Trypanosome Agents, Vishal Nanavaty, Rati Lama, Ranjodh Sandhu, Bo Zhong, Daniel Kulman, Viharika Bobba, Anran Zhao, Bibo Li, Bin Su

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Objectives: There is an urgent need to develop a safe, effective, orally active, and inexpensive therapy for African trypanosomiasis due to the drawbacks of current drugs. Selective tubulin inhibitors have the potential to be promising drug candidates for the treatment of this disease, which is based on the tubulin protein structural difference between mammalian and trypanosome cells. We propose to identify novel tubulin inhibitors from a compound library developed based on the lead compounds that selectively target trypanosomiasis. Methods: We used Trypanosoma brucei brucei as the parasite model, and human normal kidney cells and mouse microphage cells as the host …

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 …

Electromyography Study Of Muscle Fatigue During Isometric Exercises In Swimmers And Non-Swimmers, Tiffany Aeling

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The use of electromyography (EMG) techniques offer strong evaluation of musculature fatigue during activity in different exercises. Studies show that EMG can be used to monitor fatigue patterns in muscles composing the upper extremities and thoracic areas of the human body by analyzing median frequency values. Advances in muscle fatigue research have been critical for improving rehabilitation programs for patients with musculoskeletal conditions. Despite these developments, many collegiate athletes are still at high risk for muscle injury on and off the playing field. Therefore, in order to help reduce injury numbers, it is important that current research focus on the …

The Use Of Molecular Dynamics Simulations To Predict Thymine Dimer Formation In Histone Bound Dna, Emily Heinsen

CUP Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Can The Insertion Of An E. Coli Shine-Dalgarno Sequence Upstream Of M. Ruber Proa Of The Proba Operon Enhance Its Expression, As Measured By A Complementation Assay Using E. Coli Null Strains?, Matthew D. Murphy, Dr. Lori Scott

Meiothermus ruber Genome Analysis Project

The process by which the thermophilic bacteria Meiothermus ruber (M. ruber) synthesizes the amino acid proline is examined in this paper. In the well-studied E. coli system, proline biosynthesis involves three enzymes ProA, ProB and ProC; proA and proB form the proBA operon and both proA and proB possess an upstream Shine-Delgarno sequence; and ProB is functionally dependent on ProA as components of a ProBA complex. In previous studies in Dr. Scott’s lab, the putative M. ruber proA (locus tag Mrub1079), proB (Mrub1080) and proC (Mrub1345) genes were cloned into the pKt1 expression vector, transformed into the corresponding …

Detection Of Fecal Contamination Using Molecular Methods, Kristina K. Bowen

Independent Research Projects

This study explores the process of designing a molecular method to detect fecal contamination in the urban watersheds of Rock Island and Moline, Illinois. These urban watersheds are known to contain high ammonia levels and total dissolved solids based on previous studies. Additionally there is concern about the aging combined sewer and storm water system. Therefore, these watersheds are thought to have poor water quality including fecal contamination. Existing molecular methods used for detecting fecal contamination require a considerable amount of resources in the laboratory. Our goal was to design a molecular method that requires fewer resources and can continue …

Using Social Justice And Intersectionality To Improve Stakeholder Conflict In Conservation: A Transdisciplinary Solution, Ana V. Gomez

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The social sciences can help to further our causes and help limit conflict within conservation efforts.

Studying Macroinvertebrate Diversity In An Urbanized Watershed Of Rock Island, Illinois., Brittany A. Poynor

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Urban land-use covers millions of hectares in the United States. Rock Island is an urbanized city in Illinois, U.S.A. that currently has issues with their stormwater system due to being an urban area. For the past few years, the water quality of the streams in this watershed has been examined, but the biodiversity which can also contribute to water quality knowledge, has not been studied in depth.

The study proposed in this paper is based on the amount of biodiversity in the streams at ten sites in the Rock Island watershed and the water quality at those same sites. It …

Ex-Situ Conservation Programs: Worthwhile?, Nicolette Sliwa, Aaron Sieve

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The effectiveness of conservation programs was researched, specifically within zoos, and their attempts to repopulate areas with captive-born individuals of endangered species. There are major biological and economic concerns with these programs focused on, including potential genetic adaptation to captivity, effects of inbreeding, and if this is a truly worthwhile use of funds to restore a species. Looking at the black-footed ferret, the whooping crane, and other supposed successful captive-breeding programs, it is explored whether reintroduced individuals thrive in their new habitats sufficiently enough to contribute to the restoration of the species, and more broadly, their ecosystems.

Master Of Science In Biological Sciences Program Overview, Nova Southeastern University

Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Orchid Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossini) Of Cusuco National Park, State Of Cortés, Honduras, Kenneth W. Mccravy, Joseph Van Dyke, Thomas J. Creedy, David W. Roubik

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Orchid bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossini) are abundant and important pollinators of Neotropical forests, but orchid bee diversity is still poorly known in much of Mesoamerica, particularly in cloud forests. This paper presents results of a 2012 to 2013 survey of orchid bee diversity in Cusuco National Park, a cloud forest environment in northwest Honduras. Orchid bees were collected using insect nets at bait stations with chemical attractants. Bait stations were located at 68 sample sites throughout the park. We collected 4,293 orchid bees representing 24 species and 4 genera. One species, Euglossa imperialis Cockerell, accounted for 67.6% of the total …