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2016

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Articles 1741 - 1770 of 1869

Full-Text Articles in Biology

Human Embryonic Stem Cell N-Glycan Features Relevant To Pluripotency, Sabi̇re Karaçali Jan 2016

Human Embryonic Stem Cell N-Glycan Features Relevant To Pluripotency, Sabi̇re Karaçali

Turkish Journal of Biology

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and reprogrammed human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) proliferate indefinitely in the undifferentiated state (self-renewal) and differentiate into the three germ layers (and ultimately into all cell types) (pluripotency). Branching in the N-glycan core of hESCs/hiPSCs is limited. hESCs/hiPSCs have high mannose-type and biantennary complex-type core structures, indicating immature stages of N-glycoproteins. The two branches on the core consist of type 2 N-acetyllactosamine (LacNAc), completed mainly with α 2,6-linked sialic acid. Complex terminal fucosylation, particularly α 1,2-linked fucosylation, is another characteristic N-glycosylation feature of hESCs/hiPSCs. All of these structural features are probably associated with the …

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Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency: Special Focus On Tracking Limbal Stem Cells, Santhosh Kacham, Bhaskar Birru, Sreenivasa Rao Parcha, Ramaraju Baadhe Jan 2016

Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency: Special Focus On Tracking Limbal Stem Cells, Santhosh Kacham, Bhaskar Birru, Sreenivasa Rao Parcha, Ramaraju Baadhe

Turkish Journal of Biology

The cornea, the transparent part of the eye that helps in the formation of images, has multiple layers. Among them, the superficial epithelial layer is protected and maintained homeostatically by the limbus, located in the periphery of the cornea. Limbal stem cells are located at the basal layer of the limbus and the loss of these cells is called limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). LSCD is characterized by corneal vascularization, inflammation, and conjunctivalization, which ultimately lead to blindness. Several clinical transplantation procedures used for the treatment of LSCD are cultivated limbal epithelial transplantation, simple limbal epithelial transplantation, and cultured oral …

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Comparison Of The Osteogenic Differentiation Capacity Of Adipose Tissuederived Mesenchymal Stem Cells From Humans And Rats, Seçi̇l Erden Tayhan, Şeyma Taşdemi̇r, Sai̇me İsmet Deli̇loğlu Gürhan, Erol Mi̇r Jan 2016

Comparison Of The Osteogenic Differentiation Capacity Of Adipose Tissuederived Mesenchymal Stem Cells From Humans And Rats, Seçi̇l Erden Tayhan, Şeyma Taşdemi̇r, Sai̇me İsmet Deli̇loğlu Gürhan, Erol Mi̇r

Turkish Journal of Biology

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be found in many types of adult tissues such as the bone marrow, adipose, placenta, liver, and periosteum. Recently, adipose tissue-derived MSCs (ADMSCs) have become one the most preferred MSC types because of their fast proliferation rate, abundance, and high plasticity for variable cell types. It is known that ADMSCs are able to differentiate into various cells, including osteoblasts, so they are quite promising for orthopedic clinical trials. The present study aimed to compare the osteogenic differentiation conditions of MSCs from human adipose tissue (hADMSC) and those of MSCs from rat adipose tissue (rADMSC). Therefore, …

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Analysis Of Global Micrornaome Profiles Of Caenorhabditis Elegans Oocytes And Early Embryos, Selen Güçlü Durgun, Ahmet Raşi̇t Öztürk, Arzu Atalay Jan 2016

Analysis Of Global Micrornaome Profiles Of Caenorhabditis Elegans Oocytes And Early Embryos, Selen Güçlü Durgun, Ahmet Raşi̇t Öztürk, Arzu Atalay

Turkish Journal of Biology

One of the most complex cell transformations in biology is the remodeling of a fertilized oocyte into a totipotent zygote. There is no transcription during this event, and therefore mRNAs and proteins accumulated in the oocyte during oogenesis are utilized until zygotic genome activation. In order to differentiate into somatic cells, the embryo must erase the totipotency signature coming from the oocyte cytoplasm in the somatic blastomeres. In this study, the microRNAome profiles of oocytes and early embryos before and after zygotic genome activation were identified. By using next-generation high-throughput pyrosequencing and miRNA microarray techniques, miRNAome profiles of Caenorhabditis elegans …

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Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Differentiation Into Epidermal Cells And Interaction With Human Keratinocytes In Coculture, Alexandra Gaspar, Daniel Constantin, Ana-Maria Seciu, Lucia Moldovan, Oana Craciunescu, Elena Ganea Jan 2016

Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Differentiation Into Epidermal Cells And Interaction With Human Keratinocytes In Coculture, Alexandra Gaspar, Daniel Constantin, Ana-Maria Seciu, Lucia Moldovan, Oana Craciunescu, Elena Ganea

Turkish Journal of Biology

Current procedures used for skin injury reepithelization have yet to improve. At present, stem cell-based therapies provide great potential in repairing different damaged tissues due to the multipotent character of these cells. This study aimed to investigate the in vitro differentiation capacity of human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) into epidermal cells and to evaluate their interaction with HaCaT keratinocytes in coculture experimental models that mimicked the living environment of human skin. The mesenchymal phenotype of isolated stem cells was indicated by their spindle-shaped morphology and the expression of specific surface markers CD73, CD90, and CD105. After 21 days of cultivation …

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Baculoviral Vector Loaded Mesenchymal Stem Cells As Efficient Gene Therapy Tools For Cancer Treatment, Sedef Hande Aktaş, Hakan Akbulut, Ayşe Eser Elçi̇n, Mahmut Parmaksiz, Arzu Keski̇n Aktan, Arzu Çöleri̇ Ci̇han, Yaşar Murat Elçi̇n, Fi̇kri̇ İçli̇ Jan 2016

Baculoviral Vector Loaded Mesenchymal Stem Cells As Efficient Gene Therapy Tools For Cancer Treatment, Sedef Hande Aktaş, Hakan Akbulut, Ayşe Eser Elçi̇n, Mahmut Parmaksiz, Arzu Keski̇n Aktan, Arzu Çöleri̇ Ci̇han, Yaşar Murat Elçi̇n, Fi̇kri̇ İçli̇

Turkish Journal of Biology

Insufficient targeting of the therapeutic genes to tumor cells is one of the major reasons for failure in cancer gene therapy. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) seem to be a good candidate as a carrier for gene therapy because of its selective tumor tissue-homing properties. In the current study, we constructed baculoviral vectors (BVs) carrying cytosine deaminase (CD) (BV-CD) or green fluorescence protein (GFP) genes (BV-GFP) and tested the transduction efficiency of the vectors in tumor and mesenchymal stem cells. We also tested the in vivo efficacy of the BV-CD vector in a colon cancer model. Our results showed that the …

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Weighing The Relative Potential Impacts Of Climate Change And Land-Use Change On An Endangered Bird, Betsy A. Bancroft, Joshua J. Lawler, Nathan H. Schumaker Jan 2016

Weighing The Relative Potential Impacts Of Climate Change And Land-Use Change On An Endangered Bird, Betsy A. Bancroft, Joshua J. Lawler, Nathan H. Schumaker

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Climate change and land-use change are projected to be the two greatest drivers of biodiversity loss over the coming century. Land-use change has resulted in extensive habitat loss for many species. Likewise, climate change has affected many species resulting in range shifts, changes in phenology, and altered interactions. We used a spatially explicit, individual-based model to explore the effects of land-use change and climate change on a population of the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker (RCW; Picoides borealis). We modeled the effects of land-use change using multiple scenarios representing different spatial arrangements of new training areas for troops across Fort Benning. …

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Rt-Qpcr Demonstrates Light-Dependent Atrbcs1a And Atrbcs3b Mrna Expressions In Arabidopsis Thaliana Leaves, Ming-Mei Chang, Anna Li, Robert Feissner, Talal Ahmad Jan 2016

Rt-Qpcr Demonstrates Light-Dependent Atrbcs1a And Atrbcs3b Mrna Expressions In Arabidopsis Thaliana Leaves, Ming-Mei Chang, Anna Li, Robert Feissner, Talal Ahmad

Biology

Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is widely used in diagnosis and research to determine specific mRNA expressions in cells. As RT-qPCR applications increase, it’s necessary to provide undergraduates hands-on experience of this modern technique. Here, we report a 3-week laboratory exercise using RT-qPCR to demonstrate the light-dependent expressions of AtRBCS1A and AtRBCS3B genes encoding two Arabidopsis thaliana small subunits of the ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/ oxygenase (Rubisco). In the first week, students purified and quantified total RNA from leaves of A. thaliana pretreated in the dark for 96 hr and untreated controls. In the second week, RNA samples were …

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Expression And Function Of A Putative Cox-Like Gene In D. Melanogaster, Michelle S. Batchu Jan 2016

Expression And Function Of A Putative Cox-Like Gene In D. Melanogaster, Michelle S. Batchu

Dissertations and Theses

Cyclooxygenases (COX) are the enzymes that catalyze the conversion of arachidonic acid into prostaglandins. In mammals, isoform COX-1 is constitutively expressed, whereas the isoform COX-2 gene expression is induced, primarily at sites of inflammation. While eicosanoids play a major role in inflammation in insects, their existence in fruit flies has not been reported. Recent computational analyses by Qi and Singh (2014) have identified putative COX-like enzymes in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Here we compare the expression patterns of these enzymes and the effects of their knockdown in immune cells of D. melanogaster third instar larvae. Because of high genetic …

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"Molecular Analysis Of Virulence Factors Unique To Leptopilina Heterotoma-A Parasitic Wasp Of Drosophila Spp.", Noelle Dziedzic Jan 2016

"Molecular Analysis Of Virulence Factors Unique To Leptopilina Heterotoma-A Parasitic Wasp Of Drosophila Spp.", Noelle Dziedzic

Dissertations and Theses

Endoparasitioid wasps of Drosophila spp. frequently avoid or overcome the immune defense mechanisms of their fly hosts. Leptopilina heterotoma (Lh) is a generalist wasp species, successful on many Drosophila spp. world-wide. During oviposition, the female wasp introduces venom proteins and virus-like particles (VLPs) into developing fly larvae. VLPs are endocytosed by plasmatocytes, a macrophage-like blood cell that is the most abundant hemocyte present in the circulating hemolymph. Once internalized, VLPs destroy plasmatocytes by programmed cell death. To understand the contributions of VLP proteins in VLP trafficking within host cells, we took advantage of proteomic data from purified Lh VLPs. Two …

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Revised Distributional Estimates For The Recently Discovered Olinguito (Bassaricyon Neblina), Using Museum And Science Records, Beth E. Gerstner Jan 2016

Revised Distributional Estimates For The Recently Discovered Olinguito (Bassaricyon Neblina), Using Museum And Science Records, Beth E. Gerstner

Dissertations and Theses

In the context of global change, a necessary first step for the conservation of species is gaining a good understanding of their distributional limits. This is especially important for biodiversity hotspots with high endemism such as the Northern Andes. The olinguito (Procyonidae: Bassaricyon neblina) is a recently described, medium-sized carnivoran found in Northern Andean cloud forests. A preliminary distributional model was published along with the original description, and I here provide revised distributional estimates using updated locality records and more current ENM methods. I build ecological niche models in Maxent using occurrence data (georeferenced museum records and citizen science-derived photo-vouchers) …

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Evaluating The Evolutionary And Genetic Relationships Of The Andean Orchids Of Northwestern Ecuador, Kylie Bucalo Jan 2016

Evaluating The Evolutionary And Genetic Relationships Of The Andean Orchids Of Northwestern Ecuador, Kylie Bucalo

Theses and Dissertations

DNA barcoding is a molecular based technique used to separate and identify individual species. Here we establish a DNA Barcode library for the orchid flora of an Andean cloud forest in Northwestern Ecuador. The library contains 135 matK and 136 rbcL DNA Barcodes representing over 33 Orchidaceae genera. Sequence analysis shows percent species resolution was higher for matK (98.8%) than rbcL (70.24%), with a large portion of the unresolved species for the rbcL loci coming from taxonomically complex genera in the subtribe Pleurothallidinae. Neighbor Joining (NJ) trees revealed that the orchid flora of Siempre Verde is divided taxonomically into …

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No Cortex, No Cry, Vladimir Dinets Jan 2016

No Cortex, No Cry, Vladimir Dinets

Animal Sentience

In his target article, Key (2016) argues that since fish don’t have a frontal cortex (part of the brain known to be important for feeling of pain in humans and rodents), they cannot feel pain or other noxious stimuli. I comment on the logic used in this extrapolation and other arguments presented in the paper.

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Response Of Soil Microbial Communities To Saltwater Intrusion In Tidal Freshwater Wetlands, Chansotheary Dang Jan 2016

Response Of Soil Microbial Communities To Saltwater Intrusion In Tidal Freshwater Wetlands, Chansotheary Dang

Theses and Dissertations

Saltwater intrusion due to global change is expected to have a detrimental effect on the biogeochemistry of tidal freshwater wetlands. Of particular concern is that fact that salinization can alter the role of these ecosystems in the global carbon cycling by causing shifts in microbial metabolism that alter greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon mineralization rates. However, our understanding of how wetland microbial community dynamics will respond to saltwater intrusion is limited. To address this knowledge gap and increase our understanding of how microbial communities in tidal freshwater wetlands change over time (1, 3, 12, and 49 weeks) under elevated …

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Stains Induce Apoptosis And Autophagy In Primary And Transformed Mast Cells, Patrick A. Paez Jan 2016

Stains Induce Apoptosis And Autophagy In Primary And Transformed Mast Cells, Patrick A. Paez

Theses and Dissertations

Statin drugs are widely employed in the clinic to reduce serum low density lipoproteins (LDLs) in patients with hypocholesteremia. In addition to their cholesterol-lowering effects through HMG CoA reductase antagonism, isoprenyl lipids necessary for membrane anchorage and signaling of small G-proteins are abrogated. We previously found that statins suppress mast cell activation in murine and human cells, suggesting these drugs might be useful in treating allergic disease. While mast cell function is critical to allergic inflammation, mast cell hyperplasia and survival also impact these diseases, and were not studied in our previous work. In this study, we describe Fluvastatin-mediated apoptosis …

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Independent Origination Of Floral Zygomorphy, A Predicted Adaptive Response To Pollinators: Developmental And Genetic Mechanisms, Ghadeer Bukhari, Wenheng Zhang Jan 2016

Independent Origination Of Floral Zygomorphy, A Predicted Adaptive Response To Pollinators: Developmental And Genetic Mechanisms, Ghadeer Bukhari, Wenheng Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Observations of floral development indicate that floral organ initiation in pentapetalous flowers more commonly results in a medially positioned abaxial petal (MAB) than in a medially positioned adaxial petal (MAD), where the medial plane is defined by the stem and the bract during early floral development. It was proposed that the dominant MAB petal initiation might impose a developmental constraint that leads to the evolution of limited patterns of floral zygomorphy in Asteridae, a family in which the floral zygomorphy develops along the medial plane and results in a central ventral (CV) petal in mature flowers. Here, I investigate whether …

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Functional Significance Of Mtdna Cytosine Modification Tested By Genome Editing, Jason M. Robinson Jan 2016

Functional Significance Of Mtdna Cytosine Modification Tested By Genome Editing, Jason M. Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

The field of epigenetics is gaining popularity and speed, due in part to its capability to answer lingering questions about the root cause of certain diseases. Epigenetics plays a crucial role in regulation of the cell and cell survival, particularly by cytosine methylation. It remains controversial if DNMT’s which facilitate methylation are present in mammalian mitochondria and what the functional significance they may have on modification of mitochondrial DNA. CRISPR-Cas9 technology enabled genome editing to remove the MTS (mitochondrial targeting sequence) from DNMT1 of HCT116 cells, purposefully minimizing effects on nuclear cytosine methylation, while exclusively impacting mitochondrial modification. Removal of …

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Resolution Of Inflammation Rescues Axon Initial Segment Disruption, Nicholas M. George Jan 2016

Resolution Of Inflammation Rescues Axon Initial Segment Disruption, Nicholas M. George

Theses and Dissertations

Axonal domains are required for proper neuron function. These domains are unstable and degenerate concurrent with the inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) and the inflammatory disease models experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced inflammation. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that the axon initial segment (AIS) is maintained independently of the presence of myelin, but that AIS disruption is seen in MS as well as EAE and LPS-mediated inflammation. AIS loss can be interrupted in the early stage of EAE using the anti-inflammatory drug Didox. However, the potential for Didox directed repair of the AIS in later …

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Pasture Management, The Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis Invicta) And Dung Beetle Mediated Ecosystem Services, Christen Steele Jan 2016

Pasture Management, The Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis Invicta) And Dung Beetle Mediated Ecosystem Services, Christen Steele

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Grazing animals in Florida deposit over 20 million metric tons of dung per year, making dung a significant non-point source of pollution (extrapolated from Fincher, 1981). Degradation of this dung occurs naturally, primarily due to a diverse group of beetles (Order Coleoptera) primarily in the families Scarabaeidae and Geotrupidae(hereafter dung beetles). Dung that is not degraded becomes a non-point source of pollutants and may be leached into water bodies. Additionally, dung provides an incubation site for the pests and parasites of both humans and livestock. Thus, as dung beetles consume and degrade dung, they provide a multitude of ecosystem services …

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Habitat Distribution And Abundance Of Crayfishes In Two Florida Spring-Fed Rivers, Tiffani Manteuffel Jan 2016

Habitat Distribution And Abundance Of Crayfishes In Two Florida Spring-Fed Rivers, Tiffani Manteuffel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Crayfish are an economically and ecologically important invertebrate, however, research on crayfish in native habitats is patchy at best, including in Florida, even though the Southeastern U.S. is one of the most speciose areas globally. This study investigated patterns of abundance and habitat distribution of two crayfishes (Procambarus paeninsulanus and P. fallax) in two Florida spring-fed rivers (Wakulla River and Silver River, respectively). Study sites were surveyed once each season from April 2015 to March 2016 with baited minnow traps checked every other day, four times each survey. Habitat and environmental parameters evaluated included dominant vegetation or bottom type, percent …

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From Pet To Pest? The Potential Global Range And Food Web Effects Of A Generalist Carnivore, Hannah Bevan Jan 2016

From Pet To Pest? The Potential Global Range And Food Web Effects Of A Generalist Carnivore, Hannah Bevan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Nile monitor lizard [Varanus niloticus (Linnaeus, 1766)] is a generalist carnivore, native to Sub-Saharan Africa and the Nile River but now established in North America as a result of the pet trade. Once introduced, they are a potential invasive threat to native wildlife. Here, I create ensemble species distribution models (SDMs) to predict the global distribution of this generalist carnivore given current and future climate conditions. I then quantify the monitor's potential effects on 85 food webs representing >900 different species within the projected regions based on stomach content data. Climate, vegetation, and elevation data are used for 507 …

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Role Of Kruppel-Like Factor 8 (Klf8) In Cancer And Cardiomyopathy, Satadru Lahiri Jan 2016

Role Of Kruppel-Like Factor 8 (Klf8) In Cancer And Cardiomyopathy, Satadru Lahiri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cancer and cardiovascular diseases are two most fatal diseases causing innumerable death each year. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these diseases is critical for developing proper therapeutic approach. Kruppel-like factor 8 (KLF8) is a member of Kruppel-like family transcription factors that is overexpressed in many types of cancers. There is no report on role of KLF8 in cardiovascular diseases to date. KLF8 transcriptionally activates or represses a host of target genes to promote cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial to mesenchymal transition during tumor progression. Studies proposed in this thesis identified a novel posttranslational modification of KLF8 essential for its …

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Transforming The Aquatic Urban Landscape: Nutrient Status And Management Of Stormwater Basins, Lindsay Skovira Jan 2016

Transforming The Aquatic Urban Landscape: Nutrient Status And Management Of Stormwater Basins, Lindsay Skovira

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization is a largely irreversible anthropogenic change that degrades environmental quality, including aquatic ecosystems. Stormwater ponds are a popular best management practice (BMP) to mitigate the effects of urban land use on downstream water bodies and contribute significantly to the total area of aquatic ecosystems in some urban watersheds. My research investigated the distribution of stormwater ponds and examined how different urban land uses influenced biophysicochemical conditions and management of those ponds in a rapidly developing suburban watershed in the Econlockhatchee River basin in Florida, USA. I evaluated limnological and ecological parameters in randomly-selected ponds distributed among three urban land-use …

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Pyroglutamylated Amyloid Beta Peptides Enhance Non-Fibrillogenic Aggregation Of The Unmodified Peptide, Gregory Goldblatt Jan 2016

Pyroglutamylated Amyloid Beta Peptides Enhance Non-Fibrillogenic Aggregation Of The Unmodified Peptide, Gregory Goldblatt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is accompanied by abnormal extracellular deposition of amyloid b (Ab) peptide. This has led to the amyloid cascade hypothesis, causatively relating Ab with AD. While Ab deposits assume a fibrillar cross-b structure, prefibrillar oligomers of Ab have been identified as the main cytotoxic agents in AD. Pyroglutamylated amyloid beta (AbpE) peptides are N-terminally truncated and pyroglutamylated (at Glu3 or Glu11) Ab molecules that display enhanced cytotoxicity and represent up to 50% of total Ab in AD brains. AbpE significantly enhances the toxicity of unmodified Ab by an unknown mechanism. Although in situ Ab populations are heterogeneous, the …

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Fibronectin Contributes To Notochord Intercalation In The Invertebrate Chordate, Ciona Intestinalis, F. Segade, C. Cota, A. Famiglietti, A. Cha, Bradley Justin Davidson , '91 Jan 2016

Fibronectin Contributes To Notochord Intercalation In The Invertebrate Chordate, Ciona Intestinalis, F. Segade, C. Cota, A. Famiglietti, A. Cha, Bradley Justin Davidson , '91

Biology Faculty Works

Background: Genomic analysis has upended chordate phylogeny, placing the tunicates as the sister group to the vertebrates. This taxonomic rearrangement raises questions about the emergence of a tunicate/vertebrate ancestor. Results: Characterization of developmental genes uniquely shared by tunicates and vertebrates is one promising approach for deciphering developmental shifts underlying acquisition of novel, ancestral traits. The matrix glycoprotein Fibronectin (FN) has long been considered a vertebrate-specific gene, playing a major instructive role in vertebrate embryonic development. However, the recent computational prediction of an orthologous “vertebrate-like” Fn gene in the genome of a tunicate, Ciona savignyi, challenges this viewpoint suggesting that Fn …

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Cardiolipin Is Required For Optimal Acetyl-Coa Metabolism, Vaishnavi Raja Jan 2016

Cardiolipin Is Required For Optimal Acetyl-Coa Metabolism, Vaishnavi Raja

Wayne State University Dissertations

The phospholipid cardiolipin (CL) is crucial for many cellular functions and signaling pathways, both inside and outside of mitochondria. My thesis focuses on the role of CL in energy metabolism. Many reactions of electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation, the transport of metabolites needed for these processes, and the stabilization of electron transport chain supercomplexes, require CL. Recent studies indicate that CL is required for the synthesis of iron-sulfur (Fe-S) co-factors, which are essential for numerous metabolic pathways. Activation of carnitine-acetylcarnitine translocase, which transports acetyl-CoA into the mitochondria, is CL dependent. The presence of substantial amounts of CL in the peroxisomal …

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A “Rule-Of-Five” Framework For Models And Modeling To Unify Mathematicians And Biologists And Improve Student Learning, Kam D. Dahlquist Jan 2016

A “Rule-Of-Five” Framework For Models And Modeling To Unify Mathematicians And Biologists And Improve Student Learning, Kam D. Dahlquist

Biology Faculty Works

Despite widespread calls for the incorporation of mathematical modeling into the undergraduate biology curriculum, there is lack of a common understanding around the definition of modeling, which inhibits progress. In this paper, we extend the “Rule-of-Four,” initially used in calculus reform efforts, to a “Rule-of-Five” framework for models and modeling that is inclusive of varying disciplinary definitions of each. This unifying framework allows us to both build on strengths that each discipline and its students bring, but also identify gaps in modeling activities practiced by each discipline. We also discuss benefits to student learning and interdisciplinary collaboration.

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Bolstered Physical Defences Under Nutrient-Enriched Conditions May Facilitate A Secondary Foundational Algal Species In The South Pacific, Sarah Joy Bittick Jan 2016

Bolstered Physical Defences Under Nutrient-Enriched Conditions May Facilitate A Secondary Foundational Algal Species In The South Pacific, Sarah Joy Bittick

Biology Faculty Works

Humans have a long history of changing species' ranges and habitat distributions, making studies of the ecological processes that may facilitate these changes of key importance, particularly in cases where a primary foundation species is replaced by another, less desirable species. We investigated the impact of nutrients and herbivory on Turbinaria ornata, a secondary foundational macroalga that depends on and likely competes with coral, the primary foundational community. T. ornata is also rapidly expanding in range and habitat across the South Pacific. We conducted (i) a mesocosm experiment assessing relative nutrient limitation, (ii) a field experiment comparing importance of nutrients …

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Nutrients Induce And Herbivores Maintain Thallus Toughness, A Structural Antiherbivory Defense In Turbinaria Ornata, Sarah Joy Bittick Jan 2016

Nutrients Induce And Herbivores Maintain Thallus Toughness, A Structural Antiherbivory Defense In Turbinaria Ornata, Sarah Joy Bittick

Biology Faculty Works

The loss of coral cover, frequently driven by anthropogenic disturbances, can result in a phase shift to dominance by fleshy macroalgae, many of which contain anti-herbivore defenses. Using field surveys, a mesocosm experiment, and field experiments, we evaluate whether 2 human impacts-nutrient enrichment and reduction in herbivory-affected production and maintenance of thallus toughness, a physical defense of the brown macroalgae Turbinari ornata that has recently expanded across the South Pacific. In contrast to our expectations, there was a weak negative relationship between herbivorous fish abundance and thallus toughness This relationship was driven by greater toughness in algae collected at the …

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Twenty-Five Year Response Of The Herbaceous Layer Of A Temperate Hardwood Forest To Elevated Nitrogen Deposition, Frank S. Gilliam, Nicole Turrill Welch, Anne Hockenberry Phillips, Jake H. Billmyer, William T. Peterjohn, Zachariah K. Fowler, Christopher A. Walter, Mark B. Burnham, Jeffrey D. May, Mary Beth Adams Jan 2016

Twenty-Five Year Response Of The Herbaceous Layer Of A Temperate Hardwood Forest To Elevated Nitrogen Deposition, Frank S. Gilliam, Nicole Turrill Welch, Anne Hockenberry Phillips, Jake H. Billmyer, William T. Peterjohn, Zachariah K. Fowler, Christopher A. Walter, Mark B. Burnham, Jeffrey D. May, Mary Beth Adams

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Increasing rates of atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) present a novel threat to the biodiversity of terrestrial ecosystems. Many forests are particularly susceptible to excess N given their proximity to sources of anthropogenic N emissions. This study summarizes results of a 25-yr treatment of an entire central Appalachian hardwood forest watershed via aerial applications of N with a focus on effects of added N on the cover, species richness, and composition of the herbaceous layer. Research was carried out on two watersheds of the Fernow Experimental Forest (FEF), West Virginia. The long-term reference watershed at FEF (WS4) was used as …

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