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Genetics and Genomics Commons

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Biology

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Gene expression

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Full-Text Articles in Genetics and Genomics

Transcriptomic Regulation Of Alternative Phenotypic Trajectories In Embryos Of The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Amie L. Romney Nov 2017

Transcriptomic Regulation Of Alternative Phenotypic Trajectories In Embryos Of The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Amie L. Romney

Dissertations and Theses

The Annual Killifish, Austrofundulus limnaeus, survives the seasonal drying of their pond habitat in the form of embryos entering diapause midway through development. The diapause trajectory is one of two developmental phenotypes. Alternatively, individuals can "escape" entry into diapause and develop continuously until hatching. The alternative phenotypes of A. limnaeus are a form of developmental plasticity that provides this species with a physiological adaption for surviving stressful environments. The developmental trajectory of an embryo is not distinguishable morphologically upon fertilization and phenotype is believed to be influenced by maternal provisioning within the egg based on observations of offspring phenotype …


Investigating The Effects Of 17Α-Ethynylestradiol On Mitochondrial Genome Stability, Alicia M. Chivers May 2016

Investigating The Effects Of 17Α-Ethynylestradiol On Mitochondrial Genome Stability, Alicia M. Chivers

Dissertations and Theses

Environmental toxicants are ubiquitous throughout the environment as a result of human activity. Among these toxicants, environmental estrogens are a category of particular concern due to their environmental prevalence and potency in altering reproductive traits. While many studies have addressed the detrimental effects of environmental estrogens on both aquatic and terrestrial organisms, few have analyzed the potential for these compounds to alter mitochondrial function. Mitochondria are the primary energy-generating system for all eukaryotic life, supporting all aspects of development, metabolism, and growth. Each cell within the body contains many mitochondria which in turn contain multiple copies of their own DNA …


Developmental Mechanisms That Support Genome Stability And Embryonic Survival In Stress-Tolerant Embryos Of The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Josiah Tad Wagner Sep 2015

Developmental Mechanisms That Support Genome Stability And Embryonic Survival In Stress-Tolerant Embryos Of The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Josiah Tad Wagner

Dissertations and Theses

In order to complete their life cycles, vertebrates require oxygen and water. However, environments are not always forgiving when it comes to constantly providing these basic needs for vertebrate life. The annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus is possibly the most well described extremophile vertebrate and its embryos have been shown to tolerate extremes in oxygen, salinity, and water availability. This phenotype is likely a result of the annual killifish life history, which includes periods of temporary habitat desiccation and oxygen deprivation, and requires the production of stress-tolerant embryos that depress metabolism in a state of suspended animation, known as diapause. Over …