Biology Commons^™

Mutating Lysine 336 In Msh6 Does Not Appear To Affect Dna Mismatch Repair In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Anthony Thompson, Daniel Reese, Noa Bennafield, Kalila Daveron, Christopher Bolden, Joanna E. Haye-Bertolozzi

XULAneXUS

Defects in the DNA mismatch repair process results in the accumulation of mutations and disease. Mutations in MSH6 and MSH2, encoding for the subunits of the MutSα complex, are often responsible for Constitutional Mismatch Repair Deficiency (CMMRD) and Lynch Syndrome (LS), respectively. This work focused on DNA mismatch repair through analysis of the MSH6 missense variant msh6-K336T. The mutation examined in this study is msh6-K336T in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is equivalent to msh6-K431T in humans. The mutation results in the replacement of lysine with threonine, an amino acid with different properties. It was therefore hypothesized that the mutation …

An Investigation Of Cyanobacteria, Cyanotoxins And Environmental Variables In Selected Drinking Water Treatment Plants In New Jersey, Tsung Ta David Hsu, Yaritza Acosta Caraballo, Meiyin Wu

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) have the potential to impact human health primarily through their possible cyanotoxins production. While conventional water treatments can result in the removal of unlysed cyanobacterial cells and low levels of cyanotoxins, during severe HAB events, cyanotoxins can break through and can be present in the treated water due to a lack of adequate toxin treatment. The objectives of this study were to assess the HAB conditions in drinking water sources in New Jersey and investigate relationships between environmental variables and cyanobacterial communities in these drinking water sources. Source water samples were collected monthly from May to …

Investigating The Regulation Of The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Interrenal Axis In Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser Oxyrinchus) Following An Acute Stressor, Liam Doherty

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

This study investigated the response to acute stress in Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) and HPI axis regulation of glucocorticoid production during stress by examining the expression of key genes― corticotropin-releasing hormone (crh), corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor (crhr), proopiomelanocortin (pomca/pomcb), melanocortin 2 receptor (mc2r), and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (star)―that are associated with hypothalamus/pituitary/interrenal (HPI) axis of bony fishes. Additionally, tyrosine hydrogenase (th1 and th2) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (pepck), found in catecholamine-producing cells in the head kidney of the sturgeon, were investigated …

Assessment Of Georgia’S Royal Catchfly (Silene Regia) Along A Forest-Edge Gradient In A Remnant Prairie Community, Megan Brooks

Master's Theses

Royal catchfly (Silene regia) is a perennial prairie forb known to grow in rocky, alkaline soils within tallgrass prairies of the eastern United States. S. regia is recorded from twelve states, including Georgia, and is now confined to fragmented habitats due to the loss of 95% of its natural environment. The species is now listed as critically imperiled in the state of Georgia. Attempts at reintroduction via outplanting have only shown limited success, necessitating more research on the environmental conditions in which this plant survives in its southern-most distribution. This study investigated the local ecological factors influencing the …

Current And Future Environmental Suitability For Bats Hosting Potential Zoonotic Pathogens In Rural Kenya, Ruut Uusitalo, Reilly T. Jackson, Tamika J. Lunn, Essi M. Kohonen, Joseph G. Ogala, Paul W. Wabala, Tarja A. Sironen, Kristian M. Forbes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Synanthropic bats live in close proximity to humans and domestic animals, creating opportunities for potential pathogen spillover. We explored environmental correlates of occurrence for a widely distributed synanthropic African bat, Mops pumilus—a species associated with potential zoonotic viruses—and estimated current and future environmental suitability in the Taita Hills region and surrounding plains in Taita–Taveta County in southeast Kenya. To project future environmental suitability, we used four Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 general circulation models that capture temperature and precipitation changes for East Africa. The models were parameterized with empirical capture data of M. pumilus collected …

Heterogeneous Resources In Infrastructures Of The Edge Network Paradigm: A Comprehensive Review, Qusay S. Alsaffar, Leila Ben Ayed

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The late 1990s saw the rise of the edge computing network paradigm, as well as an increase in the number of IoT de-vices. This concept is viewed as a link between cloud servers and end-devices, bringing processing and storage re-sources closer to clients. As a result of its low latency and high performance, researchers and developers have expressed interest in it. However, this paradigm confronts a number of obstacles and restrictions, including restricted and hetero-geneous resources at network edges. In this paper, we provide a detailed review of heterogeneous resources in edge network infrastructures using a three-dimensional method. These three …

Pollination And Seed Production Of Lavandula Angustifolia Mill. (Lamiaceae), Sam S. Ingram, Tyler M. Wilson, Joseph S. Wilson, Emma A. Ziebarth, Makenna C. Johnson, Jacob G. Young, Richard E. Carlson

Biology Faculty Publications

Lavandula angustifolia Mill., lavender, is an aromatic plant in the Lamiaceae family. Lavender is an important economic plant that is cultivated throughout the world. Previous studies have shown that the primary pollinators of lavender in Europe and North Africa are bee species, specifically Bombus spp. However, similar studies have not been previously performed in North America. The current study, on cultivated population lavender (grown from seed) in Utah (USA), found a diverse community of bees visiting lavender over a 4-week sequential and successive blooming period. The observed and identified bees were distinguished across 8 genera and 12 species, of which …

Neuroinflammation And Gut Barrier Function Post Traumatic Brain Injury, Anne Sullivan

Master's Theses

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality that afflicts millions of people in the United States annually. TBI mice had significantly increased expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and decreased expression of tight junction proteins CLDN5, CLDN12, and OCLD in brain lesion tissue. TBI mice exhibited a significant accumulation of FITC in the middle and distal part of the small intestine compared to sham mice. TBI mice exhibited an increase in pathogenic bacteria Enterobacteriaceae and a decrease in beneficial bacteria lactobacillus. TBI mice exhibited a trend toward an increase in permeability compared to no treatment. These …

Winter Gps Tagging Reveals Home Ranges During The Breeding Season For A Borealnesting Migrant Songbird, The Goldencrowned Sparrow, Autumn R. Iverson, Diana L. Humple, Renée L. Cromier, Thomas P. Hahn, Theadora A. Block, Daizaburo Shizuka, Bruce E. Lyon, Alexis S. Chaine, Emily J. Hudson, Elisha M. Hull

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Determining space use for species is fundamental to understanding their ecology, and tracking animals can reveal insights into their spatial ecology on home ranges and territories. Recent technological advances have led to GPS-tracking devices light enough for birds as small as ~30 g, creating novel opportunities to remotely monitor fine-scale movements and space use for these smaller species. We tested whether miniaturized GPS tags can allow us to understand space use of migratory birds away from their capture sites and sought to understand both pre-breeding space use as well as territory and habitat use on the breeding grounds. We used …

The Aquatic Microbial Environment Shapes The Gut Microbiota, Brain, And Behavior Of Larval Amphibians, Kyle Emerson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microbial communities comprising bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protists live within and on the surfaces of animal hosts. These microbial communities exist in symbiosis with the host, and heavily influence host physiology, development, health, and fitness. Gut-dwelling microbes (i.e., gut microbiota) contribute to host neurodevelopment through a bidirectional Microbiota-Gut-Brain (MGB) axis. Evidence of the MGB axis has been primarily derived from studies that use germ-free (GF) models, which commonly display altered neurophysiology and behavior compared to conventionally raised counterparts. Almost all studies of the MGB axis have used mammalian models in a biomedical framework, leaving a knowledge gap regarding the role …

Slime Molds (Myxomycetes) Causing A “Disease” In Crop Plants And Cultivated Mushrooms, Zhaojuan Zhang, Chao Zhi, Yu Li, Steven L. Stephenson, Pu Liu

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds) are eukaryotic protist predators that are associated with wood, leaf litter, and soil in forests, where they feed on bacteria, protozoans, and (to a more limited extent) fungi. The health of crop plants is essential because they represent a primary food source for humans. However, when myxomycetes produce numerous fruiting bodies on the stems and leaves of crop plants, which is herein referred to as a myxomycete colonization, this has the potential of interfering with plant photosynthesis, transpiration and respiration by blocking out light and covering stomata. Myxomycetes are not pathogens, but their occurrence on plants …

Designing Of Human Serum Albumin Nanoparticles For Drug Delivery: A Potential Use Of Anticancer Treatment, Ali Al-Ani, Rasha Alsahlanee

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Human serum albumin (HSA) nanoparticles have been widely used as versatile drug delivery systems for improving the efficiency and pharmaceutical properties of drugs. The present study aimed to design HSA nanoparticle encapsulated with the hydrophobic anticancer pyridine derivative (2-((2-([1,1'-biphenyl]-4-yl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidin-3-yl)methylene)hydrazine-1-carbothioamide (BIPHC)). The synthesis of HSA-BIPHC nanoparticles was achieved using a desolvation process. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis showed the average size of HSA-BIPHC nanoparticles was 80.21 nm. The percentages of entrapment efficacy, loading capacity and production yield were 98.11%, 9.77% and 91.29%, respectively. An In vitro release study revealed that HSA-BIPHC nanoparticles displayed fast dissolution at pH 7.4 compared to pH …

Modified Toulmin's Argumentation Model Based On Prior Experiences, Ali Hadi Hasan, Mohamad Ab. Saleh, Ahmed T. Sadiq

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Our work focuses on the usefulness of previously stored correct extracted results, which form a sort of stored knowledge got from previous experiences, from enhancing Toulmin's argument model that deals with drug conflict problems in therapeutic diagnostics. New patients are entered using friendly user interface to store in files and then they are matched with the records of previous results, patients’ symptoms and histories datasets which also contain the correct best drugs extracted results. If the new entered record of a patient is matching with any previous record then the correct result of drug will be found immediately and displayed. …

Germination And Seedling Growth Of Native Uae Plant Species: The Combined Effects Of Elevated Co2 And Temperature, Nour Elhouda Debouza

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

The dissertation offers an extensive analysis of the physiological adaptations and coping strategies of native plant species in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and temperature, within the broader context of human-induced climate change. Given the arid climate of the UAE, understanding how native species respond to environmental stressors is critical for the preservation of biodiversity and the development of sustainable agricultural practices. This study focuses specifically on the germination and early growth stages of three crucial native species—Senna italica, Prosopis cineraria, and Tephrosia nubica—under controlled conditions that simulate future climatic scenarios. …

A Study Assessing Stress Induction Methods And Regulation Genes, As Well As Cellular Ultrastructure And Automated Image Analysis In Synechocystis Sp. Pcc 6803, Rebekah White

Theses and Dissertations

In the world of microorganisms, cyanobacteria are a uniquely skilled powerhouse. They participate in global nutrient and carbon cycling. They can photosynthesize, which allows them to use sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce cellular energy. However, photosynthesis involves a lot of molecular interactions where environmental stresses can interfere, increasing the chances of oxidative stress and nutrient imbalances that can amplify deleterious effects. One such stress, iron limitation, is well-studied and its responses in the cell are known. This study assesses the differences between responses when induced by two different iron limitation methods. Then, a specific stress response regulator DspA, also …

Looking For The Oldest Diatoms, Karolina Brylka, Sylvain Richoz, Andrew J. Alverson, David J. Conley

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Paleontological observations of ancient flora and fauna provide powerful insights into past diversity and relationship dynamics between organisms and their environments. Diatoms are globally distributed protists that influence major biogeochemical cycles and sustain oceanic food webs. The fossil diatom record extends 120 million years back to the Early Cretaceous where rare deposits were discovered worldwide and are occasionally represented by diverse communities. However scarce, the taxonomic richness and geographical spread of these diatom communities suggest prior evolutionary events and therefore earlier deposits. To complement the existing fossil information and to discover diatom deposits predating 120 Ma, we examined 33 study …

The Anticancer Activity Of Novel 8-Hydroxyquinoline Derivatives Against 5-Fluorouracil Resistant Colorectal Cancer Cells, Mazoun Talal Al Azzani

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Cancer is a global health crisis for which 20 million new cases were diagnosed in 2022 alone, with 9.3 million cancer-related deaths. Nearly 900,000 deaths were due to colorectal cancer (CRC), which is the third leading cause of cancer related mortality. In the United Arab Emirates, 550 new cases of CRC were reported in 2022. A major clinical challenge with CRC treatment is the development of resistance to 5-fluorouracil (5FU)-based chemotherapy regimens, which are the standard treatment for CRC. In the present study, the anticancer activity of two novel 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) derivatives AS45 and AS47 was examined against 5FU-sensitive (HCT116) …

An Innate Immune Response To Adeno-Associated Virus Genomes Decreases Cortical Dendritic Complexity And Disrupts Synaptic Transmission, Christos M. Suriano, Neerav Kumar, Jessica L. Verpeut, Jie Ma, Caroline Jung, Connor E. Dunn, Brigett V. Carvajal, Ai Vy Nguyen, Lisa M. Boulanger

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Recombinant adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) allow rapid and efficient gene delivery to the nervous system, are widely used in neuroscience research, and are the basis of FDA-approved neuron-targeting gene therapies. Here we find that an innate immune response to the AAV genome reduces dendritic length and complexity and disrupts synaptic transmission in mouse somatosensory cortex. Dendritic loss is apparent 3 weeks after injection of experimentally relevant viral titers, is not restricted to a particular capsid serotype, transgene, promoter, or production facility, and cannot be explained by responses to surgery or transgene expression. AAV-associated dendritic loss is accompanied by a decrease in …

Effects Of Light Intensity And Predator Chemical Cues On Juvenile And Adult Daphnia Magna Diel Vertical Migration, Mira Johnson

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Many species of zooplankton exhibit the predator avoidance behavior called diel vertical migration (DVM). During typical DVM, zooplankton ascend to surface waters during the night and descend to deeper water during the day where predation by visual predators is reduced due to lower light levels (Goldman and Horne 1983; Wetzel 1983). DVM is highly variable and the degree to which it is induced can fluctuate based on factors such as zooplankton size, changes in light intensity, and predator chemical cues (Van Gool and Ringelberg 1995, cited in Weber and Noordwijk 2002). Although DVM has been well studied using the genus …

Draft Genome Assembly Of Lactobacillus Johnsonii Umb3423 From A Voided Urine Sample, Natalie Stegman, Maria Steiling, Briana Jackson, Cerena Sedano, Catherine Putonti

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

While the urogenital microbiota of asymptomatic females is often dominated by species of Lactobacillus, Lactobacillus johnsonii is not a common member. It is more frequently found in the gastrointestinal tract. Here, we present the draft genome sequence of L. johnsonii UMB3423, which was isolated from a voided urine sample.

The Role Of Micrornas In Lung Inflammation After Alcohol And Burn Injury, Connor O'Neal Guzior

Master's Theses

Acute lung injury (ALI) and the subsequent development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are among the leading causes of post-burn morbidity and mortality. MiRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules that are known to regulate gene expression and help regulate lung homeostasis. In this study, we profiled four anti-inflammatory miRNAs (miR-146a, miR-150, miR-194, and miR-671) in lung tissue following an alcohol and burn injury. We found that miR-146a and miR-671 were significantly downregulated in lungs one day after combined injury, leading to increased lung inflammation and pathology. Biological sex did not have an effect on this pathophysiological process. We also …

Functional Characterization Of Potato Arp1 Gene Encoding Auxin- Repressed Protein In Arabidopsis Thaliana Under Salinity Stress Conditions, Sara Ali Alneyadi

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Auxin-repressed proteins (ARPs) are conserved in higher plants and are involved in plant growth anddevelopment by controlling gene expression. ARP1 has been studied for its role in biotic stress response, but its role in abiotic stress response remains unclear. In this study, transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing potato ARP1 were evaluated for their salinity stress response. By gradually increasing NaCl concentrations from 0 to 200mM, plants were subjected to high salinity stress. As compared to wild-type (WT) control plants under stressed conditions, the ARP1 transgenic plants demonstrated improved height and root length and higher chlorophyll content. Under NaCl-induced salinity stress, the …

Tetr Family Regulator, Farr, Influences Rot-Mediated Control Of Virulence Factor Expression In Staphylococcus Aureus, Julia C. Schumacher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Point-mutation variants of the TetR family regulator, FarR, have emerged across Staphylococcus aureus sequence types as conferring antibiotic and fatty acid resistance, particularly in Hospital-Associated Methicillin Resistant S. aureus (HA-MRSA) strains. FarR also exhibits an additional largely uncharacterized relationship to virulence factor production, seemingly through the global repressor of toxins—Rot, which functions to regulate S. aureus’ ability to colonize and persist in the host via a complex cascade of signaling. While Rot protein is post-transcriptionally regulated by the highly characterized Agr system, there is little known about its transcriptional regulation. Herein, we explored these dynamics by initially characterizing virulence phenotypes …

Investigating Car T Cell Persistence, Functional Phenotype, And The Associations With Clinical Response In Cd19 Car T Cell Treated Patients, Oliwia Bochnacka

Master's Theses

CAR T cell therapy is the adoptive transfer of autologous T cells genetically engineered to express an artificial T cell receptor. In the clinic, CAR T cells have been most effective in treating hematological malignancies and there have been many efforts to continue improving both the safety and efficacy of CAR T cells. Using patient blood samples from the Loyola CD19 CAR T clinical trial, we studied CD19 CAR T persistence and the cell surface phenotype to identify how CD19 CAR T cells change over time in the blood of treated patients and determine whether there were trends associated with …

Capture Rates Of Eptesicus Fuscus Increase Following White-Nose Syndrome Across The Eastern Us, Molly C. Simonis, Lynn K. Hartzler, Gregory G. Turner, Michael R. Scafini, Joseph S. Johnson, Megan A. Rúa

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Emerging infectious diseases threaten wildlife globally. While the effects of infectious diseases on hosts with severe infections and high mortality rates often receive considerable attention, effects on hosts that persist despite infection are less frequently studied. To understand how persisting host populations change in the face of disease, we quantified changes to the capture rates of Eptesicus fuscus (big brown bats), a persisting species susceptible to infection by the invasive fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd; causative agent for white-nose syndrome), across the eastern US using a 30-year dataset. Capture rates of male and female E. fuscus increased from preinvasion to …

Evolution And Adaptation To Temperature In Thermotogota, Anne Amelia Farrell

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Life thrives across incredibly diverse environmental conditions, yet most organisms are restricted to growing within a narrow range around their optimum growth temperature (OGT). The evolutionary events leading to changes in OGT are poorly understood, and it is uncertain if specific genes are required to thrive at a particular temperature. The bacterial phylum Thermotogota is an excellent model for the evolution of OGT. It comprises mesophilic, thermophilic, and hyperthermophilic members that collectively grow between 20°C and 90°C.

In this work, I analyze the history of OGT in the Thermotogota phylum and show how horizontal gene transfer contributes to the evolution …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Donna Giberson

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

Fisheries Occasional Publication No.147 - Aquaculture Development Zones – Policy Position Relating To Permitted Alternative Species, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

The purpose of this policy is to set out considerations relevant to the assessment of aquaculture proposals within Aquaculture Development Zones (ADZ) for species distinct from the group of species for which the ADZ was initially established (Alternative Species).

Population-Level Immunologic Variation In Wild Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus Aculeatus), Anika M. Wohlleben, Javier F. Tabima, Néva P. Meyer, Natalie C. Steinel

Biology

Wild organisms are regularly exposed to a wide range of parasites, requiring the management of an effective immune response while avoiding immunopathology. Currently, our knowledge of immunoparasitology primarily derives from controlled laboratory studies, neglecting the genetic and environmental diversity that contribute to immune phenotypes observed in wild populations. To gain insight into the immunologic variability in natural settings, we examined differences in immune gene expression of two Alaskan stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations with varying susceptibility to infection by the cestode Schistocephalus solidus. Between these two populations, we found distinct immune gene expression patterns at the population level in response to …

Tango2 Deficiency Disease Is Predominantly Caused By A Lipid Imbalance, Michael Sacher, Jay Deloriea, Mahsa Mehranfar, Cody Casey, Aaliya Naaz, Samuel J. Mackenzie, Chiara Gamberi

Biology

TANGO2 deficiency disease (TDD) is a rare genetic disorder estimated to affect ∼8000 individuals worldwide. It causes neurodegeneration often accompanied by potentially lethal metabolic crises that are triggered by diet or illness. Recent work has demonstrated distinct lipid imbalances in multiple model systems either depleted for or devoid of the TANGO2 protein, including human cells, fruit flies and zebrafish. Importantly, vitamin B5 supplementation has been shown to rescue TANGO2 deficiency-associated defects in flies and human cells. The notion that vitamin B5 is needed for synthesis of the lipid precursor coenzyme A (CoA) corroborates the hypothesis that key aspects of TDD …