Biotechnology Commons^™

Characterization Of The Bacterial Microbiome Of Exotic Tick Species Collected From Migratory Birds, Raima Sen

Master's Theses

Migratory birds often serve as natural/accidental hosts to ectoparasites like ticks (predominantly immature stages) and are known reservoirs of several pathogens transmitted by ticks. Parasitizing these birds, exotic tick species often hitch rides to non-native ecological niches, bringing along tick-borne pathogens. This study aims to profile the bacteriome of exotic tick species flying in and out of the US from the Neo-tropical South. A total of 421 tick samples comprised of several different tick species were collected off migratory songbirds at sites north of the Gulf of Mexico (Louisiana State). A 16S rRNA metagenomic multiplexed sequencing approach was used to …

A Neuroprotective Role For Mir-1017, A Non-Canonical Mirna, Matthew De Cruz

Master's Theses

miRNAs are post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, with numerous being involved in neurobiology. Within the human genome a quarter of the identified miRNA loci derive from a class of miRNAs termed tailed mirtrons. Despite the identification of this large population of miRNA, no functional studies have been conducted to identify their role. In this study we examined the highly expressed and deeply conserved Drosophila 3’ tail mirtron, miR-1017, as a candidate to elucidate tailed mirtron functionality. We identified acetylcholine receptor transcripts, Da5 and Da2, as bona fide targets for miR-1017. Interestingly, Da2 is also the host transcript for miR-1017. We …

Self-Assembled Gold Nanoplexes For Cancer-Targeted Sirna Delivery, Yongliang Shi

Master's Theses

Through layer-by-layer method, the authors have constructed three Au nanoplexes: AuPEI/RNA/PEI, AuPEI/RNA/PEI-mPEG, and AuPEI/NA/PEI-PEG-FA. All the nanoplexes are characterized by UV-vis spectrometry, DLS, and zeta potential. The surface density of the first layer PEI and second layer RNA were also determined. Moreover, the Au nanoplexes can protect siRNA from RNase degradation and are stable in cell culture medium.

siGLuc-ppp, ssRNA₈₀, and siF17 were delivered by the assembled Au nanoplexes, and the results were analyzed by GLuc assay, TB assay, and Luciferase assay. In terms of RNA delivery, the Au nanoplexes AuPEI/RNA/PEI exhibited excellent gene silencing efficiency (or causing …