Biology Commons^™

Analyzing The Interactions Of Kdm5/Lid And Sin3 In Drosophila Melanogaster, Ambikai Gajan

Wayne State University Dissertations

SIN3, the scaffold protein of a histone modifying complex is conserved from yeast to mammals. Drosophila SIN3 associates with both a histone deactylase RPD3 and a histone demethylase dKDM5/LID. Immunopurification of dKDM5/LID verifies a previously observed interaction with SIN3 and RPD3. Furthermore, deficiency of dKDM5/LID phenocopies deficiency of SIN3 in many cellular and developmental processes. Knockdown of both Sin3A and lid hinder cell proliferation in Drosophila cultured cells and developing flies. Knockdown of these genes also results in a curved wing phenotype implicating a role in wing development. Analysis of underlying gene expression changes upon decreased expression of SIN3, dKDM5/LID …

Dual Functions For Insulinoma-Associated 1 In Retinal Development, Marie A. Forbes-Osborne

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Proper visual system function requires tightly controlled proliferation of a pool of relatively homogeneous retinal progenitor cells, followed by the stepwise specification and differentiation of multiple distinct cell types. These retinal cells, both neuronal and glial, must be generated in the correct numbers, and the correct laminar location to permit the formation of synaptic connections between individual cell types. After synapses are made, constant signaling is required as part of normal retinal function, and to maintain cellular identity and connectivity. These processes rely on both extrinsic and intrinsic signaling, with regulation of gene expression by cascades of transcription factors having …

Refinement Of Feedforward Projections, Neuronal Density, And Characterization Of Synapsesin Layer 4 Of Ferret Primary Visual Cortex, Violeta Contreras Ramirez

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

The Ontogeny Of Whistle Production In Infant Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) During The First Thirty Days Of Life, Brittany Leigh Jones

Master's Theses

The manner in which dolphin calves acquire their whistle repertoire is largely unknown. This paper focuses on whistle development in four bottlenose dolphin calves during the first thirty days of life in order to increase our understanding of the early emergence of whistles and whistle-like vocalizations. The acoustic parameters of whistle-type vocalizations (i.e., whistles and whistlesquawks) that coincided with a bubblestream emission from the focal calf and/or its mother were analyzed, as were the behavioral states of the mother-calf pair during the emission of such vocals. Mother and calf whistle rates are inversely related, with the mother whistling more often …

The Neotropical Genus Austrolebias: An Emerging Model Of Annual Killifishes, Nibia Berois, María J. Arezo, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Annual fishes are found in both Africa and South America occupying ephemeral ponds that dried seasonally. Neotropical annual fishes are members of the family Rivulidae that consist of both annual and non-annual fishes. Annual species are characterized by a prolonged embryonic development and a relatively short adult life.

Males and females show striking sexual dimorphisms, complex courtship, and mating behaviors. The prolonged embryonic stage has several traits including embryos that are resistant to desiccation and undergo up to three reversible developmental arrests until hatching. These unique developmental adaptations are closely related to the annual fish life cycle and are the …

Cochlear Development And Auditory Function In The Absence Of Thyroid Hormone Transporters Mct8 And Oatp1c1, Richard Sinn

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Thyroid hormone (TH) is essential for the development and maturation of the nervous system. The thyroid gland secretes an active form of TH, triiodothyronine, and a prohormone, thyroxine, into the blood. TH is charged, which prevents it from passively diffusing across cell membranes and thus requires cell membrane transporters to facilitate its movement into and out of cells. However, whether TH transporters are required for TH-mediated developmental events, including the auditory system, is largely unknown.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate two specific TH transporters, monocarboxylate transporter 8 (Mct8) and organic anion transporting polypeptide 1c1 (Oatp1c1), and …

Autism As The Early Closure Of A Neuroplastic Critical Period Normally Seen In Adolescence, Julia Marie Berger, Troy T. Rohn, Julia Thom Oxford

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The most severe cases of autism are diagnosed by extreme social dysfunction and other behavioral abnormalities. A number of genetic studies have been conducted to correlate behavioral phenotypes to genetic dysfunctions, but no “autism gene” has yet been discovered. In addition, environmental factors have been found to influence the development of autistic traits with high probability. This review will examine the role of a shortened period of neuroplasticity as a unifying feature of the autistic phenotype. The neuroplastic period of interest normally extends into adolescence, allowing for neural integration and the development of language and social skills. Early closure of …

Confocal Microscopy Study Of The Embryonic Development Of The Viviparous Nemertean Prosorhochmus Americanus Reveals Larval Features Supporting Indirect Development In Hoplonemerteans, S Tyler Spindle

Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies of hoplonenemertean planuliform larvae have clarified their development and provided insight into larval evolution within the phylum. However, an assessment of viviparous development using modern techniques is lacking. To help facilitate a comprehensive comparative evaluation of developmental diversity within hoplonemerteans, we have conducted a confocal laser scanning microscopy investigation of the development in Prosorhochmus americanus, one of the few viviparous hoplonemertean species. Phalloidin staining provides evidence of a modified transitory larval epidermis, and reveals that the foregut, midgut, proboscis, central nervous system, and body wall musculature form early in development, consistent with observations for planktonic and encapsulated hoplonemertean …

The Importance Of Epigenetic Phenomena In Regulating Activity Of The Genetic Material, Sin Chan

Senior Honors Projects

Genetics has taught us that genes are represented as discrete sequences within a larger DNA molecule found embedded within the chromosomes of a living cell. Collectively these chromosomes and their associated genes carry all of the instructions for life. Until recently, the prevailing thought has been that genes are destiny in the life of an individual since the genes carry the information that determines the general traits and characteristics associated with that individual. The relatively recent understanding of mechanisms that underlie epigenetic phenomena has led to a rethinking of this concept. Epigenetics describes cellular mechanisms that explain how two individuals …

Alternations Of Nmda And Gabab Receptor Function In Development: A Potential Animal Model Of Schizophrenia, Monica Bolton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental disorder that affects up to 3% of the world population. The behavioral symptoms are categorized into positive and negative symptoms, which appear during late adolescence/early adulthood. Unfortunately, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of the disease are poorly understood. Several hypotheses exist to explain mechanisms contributing to these behavioral alterations. One model proposes that a reduced function of the NMDA glutamate receptor on specific GABAergic interneurons may be responsible for deficits in schizophrenia. Post-mortem investigations provide evidence of reductions in both glutamate and GABA-related proteins in patients with schizophrenia. Further, GABAergic interneurons that are activated …

Effects Of Experimentally Elevated Traffic Noise On Nestling White-Crowned Sparrow Stress Physiology, Immune Function And Life History, Ondi L. Crino, Erin E. Johnson, Jessica L. Blickley, Gail L. Patricelli, Creagh W. Breuner

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Roads have been associated with behavioral and physiological changes in wildlife. In birds, roads decrease reproductive success and biodiversity and increase physiological stress. Although the consequences of roads on individuals and communities have been well described, the mechanisms through which roads affect birds remain largely unexplored. Here, we examine one mechanism through which roads could affect birds: traffic noise. We exposed nestling mountain white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys oriantha) to experimentally elevated traffic noise for 5 days during the nestling period. Following exposure to traffic noise we measured nestling stress physiology, immune function, body size, condition and survival. Based …

The Pea Aphid Uses A Version Of The Terminal System During Oviparous, But Not Viviparous, Development, Ryan D. Bickel, Hillary C. Cleveland, Joanna Barkas, Caitlin C. Jeschke, Amelie A. Raz, David L. Stern, Gregory K. Davis

Biology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Background: In most species of aphid, female nymphs develop into either sexual or asexual adults depending on the length of the photoperiod to which their mothers were exposed. The progeny of these sexual and asexual females, in turn, develop in dramatically different ways. The fertilized oocytes of sexual females begin embryogenesis after being deposited on leaves (oviparous development) while the oocytes of asexual females complete embryogenesis within the mother (viviparous development). Compared with oviparous development, viviparous development involves a smaller transient oocyte surrounded by fewer somatic epithelial cells and a smaller early embryo that comprises fewer cells. To investigate …

Arsenic Affects Muscle Development And Structure In Fundulus Heteroclitus, Angela D'Amico

All Theses

Arsenic is a naturally occurring metalloid that can enter rivers and ground water. Epidemiological studies have correlated arsenic exposure with adverse developmental outcomes such as low birth weight, delays in the use of musculature, and altered locomotor activity. Previously in our lab, embryonically exposed killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) were found to have changes in muscle development. Microarray analysis showed several genes involved in muscle development and formation altered and histological analysis showed an increase in small muscle fiber size. In this study, killifish were used to help understand if changes in muscle formation and fiber density after embryonic exposure persist, are …

Identification Of The Wings Apart Transcriptional Unit In Drosophila Melanogaster, Ginny R. Morriss

Biology ETDs

Muscle development is an evolutionarily conserved process. Mechanisms that govern the development of specific muscles in invertebrates can inform our understanding of how vertebrate muscles form. Understanding these processes allows us to translate developmental mechanisms to disease pathogenesis, as similar genes and developmental processes are affected by these diseases. In this dissertation, CG14614 is identified as the gene responsible for the wings apart phenotype in Drosophila melanogaster. This mutation leads to a loss of the adult jump muscle (TDT) in most cases and a greater than 60% reduction in muscle fibers in its least severe form. wap mutants fail to …

The Role Of A And B Vitamins During Orofacial Development Of Xenopus Laevis, Allyson Kennedy

Theses and Dissertations

Orofacial anomalies make up about a third of the 120,000 birth defects each year in the United States. Children born with these abnormalities must undergo immense physical and emotional strain in order to correct the defects. In fact, about $697 million is spent every year surgically treating children with cleft lip and/or cleft palate (2011). In countries where surgery is not an option, this abnormality causes immense difficulties in eating, hearing, speech, and psychosocial development. The causes of cleft lip/palate are extremely complex. Genetics play a role in the anomaly; however, 95% of cleft palate cases are non-syndromic and likely …

Roles For Chd7 In Zebrafish Development With Implications For Human Disease, Nicole Lynn Mcdaniels

Biology - Dissertations

The Chromodomain Helicase DNA Binding Protein (CHD) family consists of a group of nine known proteins that function in controlling DNA dynamics and transcription. The CHD family member of interest in this work, Chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 7 (chd7), has been implicated in human CHARGE (coloboma of the eye, heart defects, atresia of the choanae, retardation of growth and/or development, genital and/or urinary abnormalities, and ear abnormalities and deafness) Syndrome and Idiopathic Scoliosis, however little is known about the roles this gene plays during development.

Using zebrafish as a model system, morpholino antisense technology, whole mount in situ hybridization …

Early Embryology Of The Insect Oligotoma Saundersii (Embiidina) Using Targeted Genes As Developmental Landmarks, Omar Doria

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Embiidina, or "webspinners", is a small, sexually dimorphic, polyneopterous insect order and is the only order to spin silk throughout their life cycle. Unique morphological features and the phylogenetic position of Embiidina make it an attractive subject for study of the evolution and development of the insect body plan and the origin of novel morphological features. Oligotoma saundersii is easily cultured and a viable laboratory organism. It has a fairly standard short-germ embryogenesis process requiring 453 hours at 28°C with progressive development beginning in the anterior region. Preliminary work on targeted developmental genes has yielded small portions of seven genes. …

Vincristine And Bortezomib Cause Axon Outgrowth And Behavioral Defects In Larval Zebrafish, Tahsin M. Khan, Nathan Benaich, Clare F. Malone, Rebecca L. Bernardos, Amy R. Russell, Gerald B. Downes, Michael J. Barresi, Lara D. Hutson

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Peripheral neuropathy is a common side effect of a number of pharmaceutical compounds, including several chemotherapy drugs. Among these are vincristine sulfate, a mitotic inhibitor used to treat a variety of leukemias, lymphomas, and other cancers, and bortezomib, a 26S proteasome inhibitor used primarily to treat relapsed multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. To gain insight into the mechanisms by which these compounds act, we tested their effects in zebrafish. Vincristine or bortezomib given during late embryonic development caused significant defects at both behavioral and cellular levels. Intriguingly, the effects of the two drugs appear to be distinct. Vincristine causes …

Predicting The Physiological Performance Of Ectotherms In Fluctuating Thermal Environments, Michael W. Sears, A C. Niehaus, M J. Angilletta, C E. Franklin, R S. Wilson

Publications

Physiological ecologists have long sought to understand the plasticity of organisms in environments that vary widely among years, seasons and even hours. This is now even more important because human-induced climate change is predicted to affect both the mean and variability of the thermal environment. Although environmental change occurs ubiquitously, relatively few researchers have studied the effects of fluctuating environments on the performance of developing organisms. Even fewer have tried to validate a framework for predicting performance in fluctuating environments. Here, we determined whether reaction norms based on performance at constant temperatures (18, 22, 26, 30 and 34°C) could be …

Glia-Mediated Neurodegeneration In The Drosophila Melanogaster Cns, Ivan J. Santiago

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Infectious Disease And The Worldwide Distribution Of Iq, Christopher Guiles Eppig

Biology ETDs

We show that infectious disease is a major contributor to the worldwide distribution of human cognitive ability, as measured by psychometric IQ. In areas where infectious disease is high, average human intelligence tends to be lower, and in areas where infectious disease is low, average human intelligence tends to be higher. In separate studies, we tested this across world nations (chapter 2) and across states of the USA (chapter 3). In efforts to disseminate our research to wider audiences, I reviewed the findings contained in chapters 2 and 3 using language that is accessible to non-biologists (chapter 4). Although it …

Lateralization Of The Developing Rat Hippocampal Formation, Amanda Lynn Gross

Biology ETDs

Differences between the left and right hemisphere of the brain have been observed in humans and rodents (Broca, 1861; Wernicke, 1881), including the hippocampal formation, a region of the brain that is necessary for some forms of learning and memory (Olton and Samuelson, 1976; deToledo-Morrell et al., 1988; Bernasconi-Guastalla et al., 1994; Tabibnia et al., 1994; Poe et al., 2000; Lister et al., 2006; Hanlon et al., 2005; Sommer et al., 2005; Moskal et al., 2006; Thompson et al., 2008; Klur et al., 2009). Although lateralization of the hippocampal formation has been studied in the adult, few have sought to …

Ontogeny Of Postcranial Morphology And Locomotor Behavior In Propithecus Verreauxi Coquereli And Lemur Catta, Stephanie Ann Wolf

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Despite living under the same environmental pressures and sympatrically in many cases, Propithecus verreauxi and Lemur catta have evolved very different strategies for survival in stochastic environmental conditions. P. verreauxi show slow somatic growth, low maternal investment, and rapid dental growth while L. catta show faster somatic growth, high maternal investment, and slower dental growth. P. v. coquereli are highly specialized for vertical clinging and leaping (VCL) among lemurs, while L. catta, the most terrestrial of lemurs, use a wider variety of locomotor types including quadrupedalism, climbing, and leaping. P. v. coquereli have unusually long legs and muscular thighs while …

Anatomical Identification Of Primary Auditory Cortex In The Developing Gerbil, Luis Pendola

Dissertations and Theses

Cortical development is an active field of study. The gerbil provides an excellent model for research because at the moment of birth its brain is rather immature, anatomically and functionally. Furthermore, the gerbil auditory cortex is particularly amenable to investigation in that the gerbil's onset of hearing occurs approximately after 14 days of postnatal life. Despite these advantages of the gerbil for auditory cortex development not much is known about the anatomy of the postnatal gerbil auditory cortex. For example, where is the gerbil auditory cortex? Prior to the onset of hearing, sounds cannot be used to localize auditory cortex. …

The Development Of Hearing In Rats; Reliability Of Wave 1 As A Determinant Of Auditory Maturation And Contributions Of Peripheral Structure Progression, Aminat Saliu

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Unfurling Fern Biology In The Genomics Age, M. S. Barker, Paul G. Wolf

Biology Faculty Publications

Twenty-first century technology is addressing many of the questions posed by 20th-century biology. Although the new approaches, especially those involving genomic data and bioinformatic tools, were first applied to model organisms, they are now stretching across the tree of life. Here, we review some recent revelations in the ferns. We first examine how DNA sequence data have contributed to our understanding of fern phylogeny. We then address evolution of the fern plastid genome, including reports of high levels of RNA editing. Recent studies are also shedding light on the evolution of fern nuclear genomes. Initial analyses of genomic data suggest …

Integrating Development And Evolution In Psychology: Looking Back, Moving Forward, David S. Moore

Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research

This work is the editorial for a special edition of New Ideas in Psychology titled Integrating Development and Evolution in Psychology.

Phenotypic Plasticity And The Post-Modern Synthesis: Integrating Evo-Devo And Quantitative Genetics In Theoretical And Empirical Studies, Alison G. Scoville

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mainstream evolutionary biology lacks a mature theory of phenotype. Following from the Modern Synthesis, researchers tend to assume an unrealistically simple mapping of genotype to phenotype, or else trust that the complexities of developmental architecture can be adequately captured by measuring trait variances and covariances. In contrast, the growing field of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) explicitly examines the relationship between developmental architecture and evolutionary change, but lacks a rigorous quantitative and predictive framework. In my dissertation, I strive to integrate quantitative genetics and evo-devo, using both theoretical and empirical studies of plasticity. My first paper explores the effect of realistic …

Systematics And Floral Evolution In The Plant Genus Garcinia (Clusiaceae), Patrick Wayne Sweeney

Dissertations

The pantropical genus Garcinia (Clusiaceae), a group comprised of more than 250 species of dioecious, trees and shrubs, is a common component of lowland tropical forests and is best known by the highly prized fruit of mangosteen (G. mangostana). The genus exhibits as extreme diversity of floral form as is found anywhere in angiosperms and there are many unresolved taxonomic issues surrounding the genus. To understand patterns of floral evolution within the group and to evaluate morphology-based classification schemes involving Garcinia and its relatives, relationships among a broad sample of Garcinia and close relatives were inferred by conducting Bayesian, parsimony, …

The Exploration Of Novel Symbiotic Bacteria That May Have Influential Roles In Sponge Life History, Brittany E. West

Honors Theses

Sponges produce an impressive variety of secondary metabolites that perform a variety of ecological functions. Many marine sponges even harbor diverse carotenoid compounds, an unusual class of secondary metabolites that animals are incapable of producing. Furthermore, sponges serve as hosts to an astonishingly diverse microbial community that can occupy up to sixty percent of a sponge's biomass. Our research ultimately hopes to link microbial species to the production of secondary compounds, like carotenoids, and to assess the ecological role of such compounds and their effect on sponge life history strategy. This study describes the ecological distribution of two species of …