Biology Commons^™

A Transdisciplinary Approach To The Initial Validation Of A Single Cell Protein As An Alternative Protein Source For Use In Aquafeeds, Michael Tlusty, Andrew L. Rhyne, Joseph T. Szczebak, Bradford D. Bourque, Jennifer L. Bowen, Gary Burr, Christopher J. Marx, Lawrence Feinberg

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

The human population is growing and, globally, we must meet the challenge of increased protein needs required to feed this population. Single cell proteins (SCP), when coupled to aquaculture production, offer a means to ensure future protein needs can be met without direct competition with food for people. To demonstrate a given type of SCP has potential as a protein source for use in aquaculture feed, a number of steps need to be validated including demonstrating that the SCP is accepted by the species in question, leads to equivalent survival and growth, does not result in illness or other maladies, …

Synaptic Up-Scaling Preserves Motor Circuit Output After Chronic, Natural Inactivity, Joseph Michael Santin, Mauricio Vallejo, Lynn K. Hartzler

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Neural systems use homeostatic plasticity to maintain normal brain functions and to prevent abnormal activity. Surprisingly, homeostatic mechanisms that regulate circuit output have mainly been demonstrated during artificial and/or pathological perturbations. Natural, physiological scenarios that activate these stabilizing mechanisms in neural networks of mature animals remain elusive. To establish the extent to which a naturally inactive circuit engages mechanisms of homeostatic plasticity, we utilized the respiratory motor circuit in bullfrogs that normally remains inactive for several months during the winter. We found that inactive respiratory motoneurons exhibit a classic form of homeostatic plasticity, up-scaling of AMPA-glutamate receptors. Up-scaling increased the …

Stretch Activated Channels In Proprioceptive Organs Of Crab And Crayfish Are Sensitive To Gadolinium But Not Amiloride, Ruthenium Red Or Low Ph, Viresh Dayaram, Cole A. Malloy, Sarah Martha, Brenda Alvarez, Ikenna Chukwudolue, Nadera Dabbain, Dlovan D.Mahmood, Slavina Goleva, Tori Hickey, Angel Ho, Molly King, Paige Kington, Matthew Mattingly, Samuel Potter, Landon Simpson, Amanda Spence, Henry Uradu, Jacob Van Doorn, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

The type of stretch activated receptors (SARs) in the chordotonal organs in the crab walking leg and of the muscle receptor organ (MRO) in the crayfish abdomen have not yet been classified as to their molecular or pharmacological profile. The purpose of this study is to examine the pharmacological profile of SARs in the proprioceptive neurons in the crab and crayfish models. Since many SARs share the pharmacological profile of displaying low pH or being proton sensitive (i.e. being more active) or blocked by the diuretic amiloride or ruthenium red as well as being blocked by the broad stretch activated …

Prescribing Change For Minority Students: Diagnosing Inequalities In Science Education In The Clark County School District, Brianna K. Cotter

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

Promoting entry of underrepresented minority groups into the allied health professions is paramount to developing a balanced workforce that reflects the needs of an evolving populace. Currently, significant underrepresentation of racial minority groups in health and science related fields correlates with data showing an overrepresentation of black and Latino students in Title 1 (at-risk and low-income) schools. Data suggest that students who are exposed to “higher quality” science education, such as “hands on” experiences, have increased interest in pursuing a health or science related career. These findings prompt the hypothesis that Title 1 schools face inequalities in their science education …

Energy Budget For The African Cichlid, Tropheus Duboisi, Cortney Kay Morris

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Herbivorous fish living in Lake Tanganyika rely on algae as their main source of food and are constantly feeding on low quality (low energy) food. The lake is warming leading to fewer nutrient upwelling’s that are likely limiting the amount of energy available to fish. I calculated an energy budget to compare energy intake against energy expenditure of the African cichlid, Tropheus duboisi, by measuring metabolic rates at rest, while feeding, digesting and being aggressive as well as the caloric content of food, feces, and urine. Fish fed a low quality diet of algae contaminated with sediments had lower growth …

Searching For The Genetic Components Responsible For Salt-Induced Flowering In The Extremophyte Schrenkiella Parvula, John Johnson

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Physiological And Morphological Traits Governing High Water Use Efficiency In Alfalfa, Krishna Ghimire

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alfalfa is an important forage crop worldwide. Being deep-rooted, N2-fixing and high yielding, alfalfa has great economic, ecological and nutritional benefits. While alfalfa is a high yielding crop, its high productivity depends on irrigation water in many areas and consumes the greatest amount of water among all the major crops. With a growing demand for water resources due to an increase in human population and industrial water use, plus frequent drought due to climate change, irrigation water has become increasingly scarce and expensive. To sustain high production of alfalfa with limited water resource, alfalfa cultivars with improved water use efficiency …

Elucidation Of Abscisic Acid In Stress Resistance Of Mnium Cuspidatum Through Salt Exposure And Chlorophyll Content Analysis, Kurt Corsbie

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Upon exposure to stresses, a battery of reactions occurs within the model moss Physcomitrella patens that induces the expression of defense-related genes. One of these reactions results in the production of abscisic acid (ABA), a plant hormone that helps a plant resist desiccation by inducing the activation of defense genes which results in protective physiological reactions. In this study, experiments were conducted on the moss species Mnium cuspidatum to see if it responds similarly to P. patens. This comparison was investigated as sample groups of M. cuspidatum and P. patens were pre-treated with 0µM, 50µM, or 500µM ABA to …

Dreadlocks (Dock) Is Necessary To Regulate Growth Of The Germline Ring Canals In The Developing Drosophila Melanogaster Egg Chamber, Olivia Crowe

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Infertility is a prevalent issue in the United States, impacting 1.5 million women (1). A possible cause of infertility is defects in gametogenesis, or the formation of sperm and egg. Therefore, understanding the basic mechanisms that promote normal gamete formation could impact our understanding of infertility. The Drosophila melanogaster egg develops from an organ-like structure called an egg chamber. The egg chamber is composed of a central cluster of 16 germ cells that are connected to one another by intercellular bridges, called ring canals. These ring canals are composed of filamentous actin and allow the transfer of materials from supporting …

Avoiding Proteolysis During Protein Purification, Barry J. Ryan, Gary T. Henehan

Books/Book Chapters/ Proceedings

All cells contain proteases which hydrolyze the peptide bonds between amino acids in a protein backbone. Typically, proteases are prevented from nonspecific proteolysis by regulation and by their physical separation into different subcellular compartments; however, this segregation is not retained during cell lysis, which is the initial step in any protein isolation procedure. Prevention of proteolysis during protein purification often takes the form of a two-pronged approach; firstly inhibition of proteolysis in situ, followed by the early separation of the protease from the protein of interest via chromatographical purification. Protease inhibitors are routinely used to limit the effect of the …

Natural History Of The Peaks Of Otter Salamander (Plethodon Hubrichti) Along An Elevational Gradient, Timothy Brophy, Norman Reichenbach

Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Peaks of Otter salamander, Plethodon hubrichti, is a montane species found at elevations above 442 m within a 117 km2 area of the Blue Ridge Mountains in central Virginia, USA. In areas of this species’ range where the Eastern Red-backed salamander Plethodon cinereus, a potential competitor, is absent, surface-active salamander density was hypothesised to decrease at lower elevations due to increased temperatures and lower humidities, which may adversely affect salamander reproductive output and survival rates. Eggs/female, % gravid females, surface-active salamander density, temperature and relative humidity were recorded from nine sites ranging in elevation from 488 to 1143 m. …

The Cytotoxicity Of Essential Oils On Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cells, Desalyn Johnson, Shaylee Green

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Synaptotagmin C2b Ca2+-Binding Loops Impose Distinct Exocytosis Phenotypes, Michael W. Schmidtke

Wayne State University Theses

Regulated exocytosis from chromaffin cells in the adrenal medulla plays a critical role in maintaining organismal homeostasis. In the absence of stress, these cells release physiologically relevant substances into the blood stream only in limited quantities, whereas stressful conditions result in a rapid deluge of signaling molecules used, for example, to increase heart rate and pain tolerance. Although the cellular mechanisms governing the switch from low-level to stress-induced secretion are not well understood, recent evidence has implicated the exocytotic Ca2+-sensing protein Synaptotagmin (Syt) in this role.

Two isoforms of Syt are expressed in chromaffin cells (Syt-1 and Syt-7), and each …

Factors Influencing Mountain Lion Kill Rates Across Three Ecosystems In The Americas, Steven Cross

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Kill rate, defined as the number of prey killed per predator per unit time, is a key component to understanding predator-prey dynamics. A multitude of factors may affect kill rates, including, variation in age, sex, weight, or presence of offspring of either predator or prey species (intraspecific variation) and events such as the theft of a kill made by another animal (kleptoparasitism). These factors may influence the time a predator spends locating prey (search time) and the pursuing, killing, and consumption of prey (handling time). The sum of search time and handling time may be measured as the time between …

Past Freeze-Thaw Events On Pinus Seeds Increase Seedling Herbivory, Brian M. Connolly, Peter W. Guiden, John L. Orrock

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Seed and seedling survival are key components of plant population persistence. Although freeze–thaw events are experienced by many dispersed seeds in temperate ecosystems, it is unclear whether freeze–thaw stresses experienced by seeds can alter seedling susceptibility to herbivores during the growing season. We evaluated how freezing stress (temperature at −6°C for 6 h) experienced by seeds of two conifer species (Pinus resinosa and Pinus strobus) affects seedling herbivory by a generalist herbivore (Spodoptera exigua). For both Pinus species, herbivores consumed twofold more seedling biomass from freeze–thaw-treated plants than seedlings from the constant temperature treatment. Herbivores grew …

Induced Defences In Plants Reduce Herbivory By Increasing Cannibalism, John L. Orrock, Brian M. Connolly, Anthony Kitchen

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Plants are attacked by myriad herbivores, and many plants exhibit anti-herbivore defences. We tested the hypothesis that induced defences benefit tomato plants by encouraging insects to eat other members of their species. We found that defences that promote cannibalism benefit tomatoes in two ways: cannibalism directly reduces herbivore abundance, and cannibals eat significantly less plant material. This previously unknown means of defence may alter plant-herbivore dynamics, plant evolution and pathogen transmission.

Detection Of Intestinal Pathogens In River, Shore, And Drinking Water In Lima, Peru, David Grothen, Sydney J. Zach, Paul H. Davis

Biology Faculty Publications

Water quality management is an ongoing struggle for many locations worldwide. Current testing of water supplies can be time-consuming, expensive, and lack sensitivity. This study describes an alternative, easy-to-use, and inexpensive method to water sampling and testing at remote locations. This method was employed to detect a number of intestinal pathogens in various locations of Lima, Peru. A total of 34 PCR primer pairs were tested for specificity and high-yield amplification for 12 different pathogens using known DNA templates. Select primers for each pathogen were then tested for minimum detection limits of DNA. Water samples were collected from 22 locations. …

Predicting Hiv Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Efficacy For Women Using A Preclinical Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic In Vivo Model, Angela Wahl, Phong T. Ho, Paul W. Denton, Katy L. Garrett, Michael G. Hudgens, Glenn Swartz, Cynthia O'Neill, Fulvia Veronese, Angela D. Kashuba, J. Victor Garcia

Biology Faculty Publications

The efficacy of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) relies on adherence and may also depend on the route of HIV acquisition. Clinical studies of systemic tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) PrEP revealed reduced efficacy in women compared to men with similar degrees of adherence. To select the most effective PrEP strategies, preclinical studies are critically needed to establish correlations between drug concentrations (pharmacokinetics [PK]) and protective efficacy (pharmacodynamics [PD]). We utilized an in vivo preclinical model to perform a PK-PD analysis of systemic TDF PrEP for vaginal HIV acquisition. TDF PrEP prevented vaginal HIV acquisition in a dose-dependent manner. PK-PD modeling of …

Winter Is Changing: Trophic Interactions Under Altered Snow Regimes, Rachel M. Penczykowski, Brian M. Connolly, Brandon T. Barton

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Shifts in abiotic conditions can strongly influence not only the demography, ecology, and evolution of individual species, but also the networks of interactions that structure communities and ecosystems. Though many studies have addressed how changes in mean temperature or rainfall patterns will affect ecosystems, there has been far less attention on the impact of changing snow regimes. As climate change alters the abundance and persistence of snowpack in temperate and polar regions of the globe, novel reductions or accumulations of snow may dramatically impact the nature of interactions between organisms in these ecosystems. In this review, we focus on four …

The Isolation And Characterization Of The First Auxin Conjugate Amido-Hydrolase From Physcomitrella Patens, Richard Sylvester Skibitski

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Auxin is arguably the most important phytohormone found in the plant kingdom. The hormone is required for a multitude of growth control functions, including gravitropism and phototropism. Auxin homeostatic control is achieved in plants by a process of conjugation in which auxin is inactivated by being bound to another molecule, such as an amino acid or sugar. Auxin can be kept in a large, inactive pool by this method of chemical '‘conjugation” and the amide or ester bonds hydrolyzed as needed to provide “free” active hormone to the plant. The IAR3 gene family is highly conserved in Plantae and function …

Predicting Genome Terminus Sequences Of Bacillus Cereus-Group Bacteriophage Using Next Generation Sequencing Data, Cheng-Han Chung, Michael H. Walter, Luobin Yang, Shu-Chuan (Grace) Chen, Vern Winston, Michael A. Thomas

Faculty Work

Background: Most tailed bacteriophages (phages) feature linear dsDNA genomes. Characterizing novel phages requires an understanding of complete genome sequences, including the definition of genome physical ends.

Result: We sequenced 48 Bacillus cereus phage isolates and analyzed Next-generation sequencing (NGS) data to resolve the genome configuration of these novel phages. Most assembled contigs featured reads that mapped to both contig ends and formed circularized contigs. Independent assemblies of 31 nearly identical I48-like Bacillus phage isolates allowed us to observe that the assembly programs tended to produce random cleavage on circularized contigs. However, currently available assemblers were not capable of …

Lncrna Ak001796 Is Essential For The Survival Of Aggressive Breast Cancer Cells, Sumayya Adib Al-Chalabi

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract:

Biomarkers And Metabolic Mechanisms Of Tobacco Smoke-Induced Lung Disease, Matthew Alan Hartog

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The overall goal of the research conducted in this dissertation is to determine the role of cytochrome (CYP) P450-mediated xenobiotic bioactivation in the development of tobacco smoke-induced lung toxicity. The central hypothesis of this work is that CYP-mediated bioactivation of specific tobacco smoke constituents is an important contributor to the generation of tobacco smoke-induced lung inflammation and injury. The specific aims are 1) to demonstrate that CYP-mediated metabolism contributes to the onset of lung inflammation following tobacco smoke inhalation; 2) to demonstrate that specific tobacco smoke constituents undergo CYP-mediated bioactivation in vivo; 3) to demonstrate that CYP-mediated bioactivation of tobacco …

A Tale Of Two Regulators : Characterization Of The Novel Transcription Factor Abmr And The Small Non-Coding Rna Mcr11 In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Roxanne Candice Girardin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Genes of unknown function make up nearly one third of Mtb’s genome (Cole,

Protein Aggregation As Hallmark Of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Viktoriia Stroilo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Prion Diseases tend to have similar cellular and molecular mechanisms of protein aggregation and inclusion body formation. These processes suggest common mechanisms of pathogenesis. Similarities in structure, mechanism of formation and physiological effects of protein aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases may lead to development of common preventative or therapeutic strategies.

Inquiry-Based Laboratory Experiences Using Ecosystem Microcosms, Roger Sauterer

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Self-sustaining ecosystem microcosms, called ecosystem jars, can easily be collected from local ponds, streams, or lakes. Sealed and exposed to sunlight, these miniature ecosystems can sustain themselves for a decade or more. Unlike Winogradsky columns, ecosystem jars are optimized for protist, animal, and plant observations and experiments, and are not altered by addition of sulfur, carbon, or cellulose sources, more accurately representing natural ecosystems. Ecosystem jars can support a variety of inquiry-based experiments, including student-designed projects, from middle school to college levels. Students, with instructor assistance, formulate hypotheses, design experiments, observe and catalog organisms by microscopy, then record their data …

Cloning, Expression, And Activity Analysis Of Human Cathepsin C In The Yeast Pichia Pastoris, Cenk Dağlioğlu

Turkish Journal of Biology

The yeast Pichia pastorisexpression system was investigated for the production of human cathepsin C (CatC) recombinant protein. The full-length CatC cDNA, corresponding to amino acids 12-475, was synthesized from interleukin-2 (IL-2) stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and subcloned in the pGEM-T cloning vector. After confirming the DNA sequence of the insert, the gene was cloned into the pPICZ\alphaA expression vector under the control of the methanol-inducible alcohol oxidase (AOX1) promoter and transformed to P. pastoris X-33 cells. The expressed protein was secreted into the culture medium through the alpha-factor mating signal sequence of the expression vector. Analysis of the …

Optimization, Purification, And Characterization Of An Extracellular Antifungal Protein From Serratia Marcescens Dt3 Isolated From Soil In Vietnam, Tuyen Thi Do, Thao Thi Nguyen, Thanh Sy Le Nguyen, Hoang Thanh Le

Turkish Journal of Biology

Gram-negative Serratia marcescens is a potential biological control agent of fungal plant diseases in many tropical regions. Its antifungal activity is due to the production of prodigiosin, protease, chitinase, and other substances that act to weaken the fungal cell wall and cause lysis. In the following investigation, a novel extracellular protein with antifungal activity against Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium oxysporum was optimally produced, purified, and characterized from a native Serratia marcescens DT3. Under optimal conditions (medium containing 1.25% peptone, 0.5% yeast extract; temperature of 28 °C; initial pH of 7; culture time of 28 h), the antifungal activity of the …

The Sca1+ Mesenchymal Stromal Subpopulation Promotesdendritic Cell Commitment In The Niche, Na Li, Dandan Yin, Huijie Zhang, Jinmei Xu, Fan Wen, Zheng Liu, Yaozhen Chen, Ning An, Jiajia Xin, Yazhou Wang, Wen Yin, Xingbin Hu

Turkish Journal of Biology

The hematopoietic microenvironment regulates self-renewal and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) contribute to the niche and participate in supporting dendritic cell (DC) commitment in vitro and in vivo. However, due to MSCs being heterogenic, it is necessary to understand the function of the MSC subpopulation in modulating the DC commitment. The current study showed that one of the bone-related Sca1+ MSCs enhanced bone marrow cell differentiation into DCs by direct cell-to-cell contact. Furthermore, the expression of STAT3 and STAT5 genes decreased in supernatant cells after Sca1+ MSCs were cocultured with bone marrow cells. In contrast, the …

Characterization And Pathogenicity Of Fusarium Proliferatum Andfusarium Verticillioides, Causal Agents Of Fusarium Ear Rot Of Corn, Nur Ain Izzati Mohd Zainudin, Farah Aqila Hamzah, Nor Azizah Kusai, Nur Syuhada Zambri, Suhaida Salleh

Turkish Journal of Biology

Fusarium ear rot is a significant disease of corn caused by several toxigenic Fusarium species including Fusarium proliferatum and Fusarium verticillioides. Forty-one Fusarium isolates were recovered from corn with Fusarium ear rot disease symptoms collected from Peninsular Malaysia. Isolates were classified into three described species known as F. proliferatum, F. verticillioides, and F. solani. Based on sexual compatibility test, four isolates from F. proliferatum (MATD-1) were crossed-fertile with tester isolate F. proliferatum D024853 (MATD-2), producing perithecia in the presence of ascospores. Meanwhile, the isolates from F. verticillioides (MATA-2) were crossed with tester isolate F. verticillioides A00149 (MATA-1), but were found …