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2013

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Articles 91 - 120 of 413

Full-Text Articles in Microbiology

A Study Of Analytical Reasoning Skills: What Are The Cognitive Dimensions? What Byu Courses Successfully Promote Them?, Jennifer Nelson, Dr. William Bradshaw Sep 2013

A Study Of Analytical Reasoning Skills: What Are The Cognitive Dimensions? What Byu Courses Successfully Promote Them?, Jennifer Nelson, Dr. William Bradshaw

Journal of Undergraduate Research

It is crucial that science education place more emphasis on helping students learn to think rather than requiring them to memorize endless lists of facts. A vital tool in ascertaining student learning is assessment. Teachers typically assess either student performance (by measuring understanding of facts, concepts, theories, etc.) or affect (student attitudes, self-efficacy, interests, etc.). In my work with Drs. Bradshaw and Bell over the last year, I have helped to develop and test a novel assessment, the Student Mobility Profile (SMP), that addresses the question of epistemology. It allows a teacher to tell if participation in the course enabled …

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The P17 Protein As An Activator Of The Coll11a2 Gene, William Wittwer, Dr. Laura Bridgewater Sep 2013

The P17 Protein As An Activator Of The Coll11a2 Gene, William Wittwer, Dr. Laura Bridgewater

Journal of Undergraduate Research

One of the main things that I have learned over the course of this project is that things work better in theory than in practice. I spent two semesters attempting to builda plasmid containing the the p17 cDNA sequence in order to test the ability of p17 as an activator of the Coll11a2 gene. Unfortunately, I was not able to produce the plasmid given to me.

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Thymidine Kinase-1 Activity Of Uv Induced B Lymphocytes, Geoffrey G. Wood, Dr. Kim L. O'Neill Sep 2013

Thymidine Kinase-1 Activity Of Uv Induced B Lymphocytes, Geoffrey G. Wood, Dr. Kim L. O'Neill

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The normal life of a eukaryotic cell involves a dynamic struggle between survival and death. When a cell is no longer capable of living, certain pathways are initiated for natural cell death. These “programmed cell deaths” transpire in predictable patterns, and are regulated by many proteins and signals that either activate or inactivate the cell death pathways. Changes in the various homeostatic molecules initiate the apoptotic pathway. However, there are other agents within the cell that regulate these apoptotic triggers. Tumors can arise when these regulatory proteins are mutated, inactivated, or ignored, resulting in the aggressive replicating nature of tumor …

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Mononuclear Leukocyte And Breast Cancer Cell Interaction Affects Angiogenic Activity, Philip Maximilian Scherer, Dr. Kim L. O'Neill Sep 2013

Mononuclear Leukocyte And Breast Cancer Cell Interaction Affects Angiogenic Activity, Philip Maximilian Scherer, Dr. Kim L. O'Neill

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In 2005, the National Cancer Society estimated that about 211,240 new cases of invasive breast cancer in the United States will be diagnosed. Overall, an estimated 1,372,910 new cases of cancer and 570,280 cancer deaths in the United States are predicted for 2005. The National Institutes of Health estimated that the overall costs for cancer in 2004 were $189.9 billion. Cancer is thus a growing health concern. While past research has investigated genes in order to find a cure to cancer, current research now emphasizes a study of the microenvironment surrounding the cancer. The purpose of this research was to …

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Investigating Why Luminescence Genes Have Been Evolutionarily Preserved In Photorhabdus Luminescens, Dana Blackburn, Dr. Byron J. Adams Sep 2013

Investigating Why Luminescence Genes Have Been Evolutionarily Preserved In Photorhabdus Luminescens, Dana Blackburn, Dr. Byron J. Adams

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Photorhabdus luminescens is a gram-negative bacterial endosymbiont of the insect pathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophera. After the nematode infects an insect it releases bacteria from its gut into the insect. The bacteria then produce a toxin that kills the insect providing a nutrient rich environment for the nematode to grow and reproduce. When all of the nutrients are gone the nematode reassociates itself with the bacteria and moves on to the next insect.

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Characterization Of A Dna Helicase Gene That Targets Sub-Cellular Organelles In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Logan Hazard, Dr. Brent Nielsen Sep 2013

Characterization Of A Dna Helicase Gene That Targets Sub-Cellular Organelles In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Logan Hazard, Dr. Brent Nielsen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

DNA helicases are essential to the development of all living organisms. The function of these proteins is to temporarily separate duplex DNA, allowing for transcription, replication, recombination, and repair to take place. The Pif1p subfamily of helicases found in yeast specifically targets sub-cellular organelles, notably the mitochondria.

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Nuclear Localization Of Gdf5 Is Mediated By A Bipartite Nuclear Localization Signal, J. Daniel Jensen, Dr. Laura Bridgewater Sep 2013

Nuclear Localization Of Gdf5 Is Mediated By A Bipartite Nuclear Localization Signal, J. Daniel Jensen, Dr. Laura Bridgewater

Journal of Undergraduate Research

GDF5, also known as cartilage-derived morphogenetic protein-1 (CDMP1), is a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) protein superfamily. TGFβ proteins play an integral role in cell proliferation and differentiation, matrix synthesis, and apoptosis. First identified in 1981, highly-conserved TGFβ protein homologues have since been identified in a wide range of animal species, a compelling indication of their importance in biological function.

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Hormonal Effects On Antibody-Secreting Cell Migration, Brad Hyatt, Dr. Eric Wilson Sep 2013

Hormonal Effects On Antibody-Secreting Cell Migration, Brad Hyatt, Dr. Eric Wilson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I started by following the injection protocol established by Weisz-Carrington , et al., administering 5 mg of progesterone and 4 µg of estrogen daily for 21 days, followed by 7 days of 2 mg of prolactin. Since progesterone and estrogen are lipid-soluble, olive oil was used as a solvent; unfortunately, even with heat and time, the lipid solvent never fully dissolved the hormones that we bought in powder form. Consequently, I was injecting more of a suspension than a solution, and I was never sure that all the hormone was delivered, or how much had been delivered in a form …

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Characterizing The Receptor Profile Of Distinct Migrating Iga Antibody Secreting Cell Populations, Erick Christensen, Dr. Eric Wilson Sep 2013

Characterizing The Receptor Profile Of Distinct Migrating Iga Antibody Secreting Cell Populations, Erick Christensen, Dr. Eric Wilson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Cells of the immune system must be precisely positioned to facilitate appropriate lymphocyte function. Immune system cells use a multi-step process, which allows them to home to specific areas of the body and perform different tasks. Cells traveling through the blood stream will bind to specific vascular adhesion molecules and begin to slow down and roll along the blood vessel. Circulating white blood cells express chemokine receptors that bind chemokines floating in the blood and chemokines expressed on the membrane of other cells. When the proper chemokine is bound it triggers the white blood cell to firmly adhere to the …

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Experiment Three, - - Sep 2013

Experiment Three, - -

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In order to demonstrate the presence of hydrocarbon biodegradation in a hypersaline aqueous environment an isotopic method of analysis was employed. The relative 13C abundance of Great Salt Lake’s HCO3- in equilibrium with atmosphere and fossil hydrocarbon are quite different. By creating microcosms using the sediment of Rozel Point and allowing the microbial activity to occur over a 12 week timeframe, data were collected regarding the change of CO2 concentration and the isotopic signature of the 13C in HCO3- of the microcosm water. A shift in the isotopic signature from the 13C levels of the HCO3- in equilibrium with atmosphere …

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Microbial Diversity Associated With Different Sediment Types At Rozel Point, Sheena Deus, Dr. Donald Breakwell Sep 2013

Microbial Diversity Associated With Different Sediment Types At Rozel Point, Sheena Deus, Dr. Donald Breakwell

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The initial focus of this project was to examine possible differences in microbial populations between clay and sand sediments at Rozel Point in Great Salt Lake by comparing 16S ribosomal RNA sequences obtained from each sediment type.

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Preparation For Sequencing The Plasmid Pjp4, In Alcaligenes Eutrophus Jmp134, Nadine R. Wing, Dr. Alan R. Harker Sep 2013

Preparation For Sequencing The Plasmid Pjp4, In Alcaligenes Eutrophus Jmp134, Nadine R. Wing, Dr. Alan R. Harker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Within the last fifty years a new herbicide, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) was introduced into the environment. Despite the novelty of the compound, several bacteria have the ability to degrade 2,4-D. In the bacteria there is a plasmid, pJP4, that contains genes, in the tfd region, which code for proteins that degrade 2,4-D. More information on this new metabolic pathway can be found once the tfd region is completely sequenced. Through sequencing and analysis, information concerning the evolution of the tfd pathway, the use of transposons or recombination for gene insertion, and the presence of repeated genes will be found.

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Chemical Analysis Of Synthetic Dimerizer Ap20187, Jad Mills, Dr. Sandra Burnett Sep 2013

Chemical Analysis Of Synthetic Dimerizer Ap20187, Jad Mills, Dr. Sandra Burnett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The synthetic dimerizer AP20187 initiates targeted dimerization of mutant FK506 binding proteins (FKBP) to study cell functions, cell signaling pathways, and protein functions. In Macrophage Fas-Induced Apoptosis (Mafia) transgenic mice, AP20187 is used to initiate Macrophage apoptosis . To determine the mechanism behind some depletion variability in Mafia mice, AP20187 was characterized and degradation was monitored using hydrogen and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (1H- and 13C-NMR), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), electro spray mass spectrometry (ESMS), polarimetry, and spectrophotometry.

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Cloning Bovine Ccl28, Melissa Hughes, Dr. Eric Wilson Sep 2013

Cloning Bovine Ccl28, Melissa Hughes, Dr. Eric Wilson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I have successfully completed my project of cloning CCL28. CCL28 (MEC) is a protein that acts as a chemical signal in the body to attract antibody-secreting IgA cells that expresses a receptor called CCR10 to the mucosal tissue and to the mammary gland (1). CCL28 plays a vital role in allowing the maternal antibody secreting cells to home to the mammary gland and to pass antibodies to the breast-feeding infant, giving the infant passive immunity. This provides the infant with antibodies to antigens found in the mother’s environment (which is consequently the infant’s environment as well) and decreases mortality rates. …

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Thymidine Kinase 1 Immunostaining For Marking The Progression Of Skin Cancer, Kendal Jensen, Dr. Kim O'Neill Sep 2013

Thymidine Kinase 1 Immunostaining For Marking The Progression Of Skin Cancer, Kendal Jensen, Dr. Kim O'Neill

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Each year in the United States there are over one million cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer. Detection of metastatic skin cancer requires skill and careful consideration of clinical and histologic features. An accurate and specific stain for early, definitive diagnosis of metastatic skin cancer would be a useful tool for clinicians. Investigations using antibodies against tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) as prognostic indicators in cancer are ongoing. A novel TSA, Thymidine Kinase 1 (TK1) has been discovered for a variety of solid tumors. This last year in Kim O’Neill’s lab I investigated the use of an antibody against TK1 for use in …

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Feup Importance In The Symbiotic Infection In Sinorhizobium Melliloti, Rebecca Carlyon, Dr. Joel Griffitts Sep 2013

Feup Importance In The Symbiotic Infection In Sinorhizobium Melliloti, Rebecca Carlyon, Dr. Joel Griffitts

Journal of Undergraduate Research

How does infection work? How do bacteria know where they are to function within a host? These processes are vital for understanding both disease-causing and beneficial bacteria. For example, infection in alfalfa by a bacterium called Sinorhizobium meliloti is advantageous for the legume. Rhizobia infects special plant organs called root nodules where they function to fix nitrogen—a vital mechanism for the plants’ survival. This is a crucial agricultural process, yet remains a under researched subject. An important aspect of infection is that in order for it to occur, there must exist communication between the bacteria and the plant.

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The Role Of Specific Estrogen-Responsive Genes In Breast Cancer Development, Laura Castillo, Dr. Chin-Yo Lin Sep 2013

The Role Of Specific Estrogen-Responsive Genes In Breast Cancer Development, Laura Castillo, Dr. Chin-Yo Lin

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Estrogen plays a role in the reproductive maturation of females, including breast development. It is also known that estrogen affects the development of malignant breast tumors. Estrogen works by binding to specific estrogen receptors found in the cytoplasm or near the nuclear membrane. Once bound to estrogen, these receptors diffuse into the nucleus where they bind to specific DNA sequences called estrogen-response elements. They then regulate the expression of specific genes. There are two types of estrogen receptors (ER): ERα and ERβ. Only ERα has been observed to play a role in breast cancer development. Dr. Chin-Yo Lin and associates …

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Molecular Mechanism Of Host Specificity In A Permissive Infectious Process, Joshua Sterling Bently, Dr. Joel S. Griffitts Sep 2013

Molecular Mechanism Of Host Specificity In A Permissive Infectious Process, Joshua Sterling Bently, Dr. Joel S. Griffitts

Journal of Undergraduate Research

vUnderstanding the molecular mechanism permitting symbiosis is not completely understood. A more confounding question is why do closely related bacteria demonstrate variable specificity? In my project we attempted to answer this very question by attempting to identify the gene or genes responsible for the variability.

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The Role Of Ypo 2169 In Flea Transmission Of Plague, Paul Henry Beeston, Dr. David Erickson Sep 2013

The Role Of Ypo 2169 In Flea Transmission Of Plague, Paul Henry Beeston, Dr. David Erickson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Yersinia pestis is the gram negative bacteria responsible for the disease known as the plague. It is transmitted to hosts primarily through fleas such as the Oriental rat flea North American ground squirrel flea. Y. pestis is mainly a disease that affects small mammal populations such as rats and squirrels. The environment of the rat flea and other fleas, however, is very different from small mammal hosts or human hosts. Fleas maintain a body temperature considerably lower than mammals. Fleas also have unique physiologies that greatly differ from mammals.

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Finding A Correlation Between Aggressivity Of Cancer And Dna Repair Capacity, Kristie I. Aamodt, Dr. Kim L. O'Neill Sep 2013

Finding A Correlation Between Aggressivity Of Cancer And Dna Repair Capacity, Kristie I. Aamodt, Dr. Kim L. O'Neill

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The initial proposal for this project outlined the study of the link between DNA damage and aggressiveness of cancer cells. A major portion of the project involved developing a more time-efficient method of measuring DNA repair using a fluorescent staining technique that quantifies the amount of DNA that is damaged in each sample. The staining process involves using terminal deoxytransferase (tDt), an enzyme which adds nucleotides to DNA at the 3′ end of single-strand breaks. By incubating the samples with fluorescein-conjugated dUTP in addition to the enzyme, one fluorescent molecule is incorporated for each single-strand break. The amount of fluorescence …

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Estrogen And Breast Cancer: Understanding The Complex Interaction One Gene At A Time, Victoria Harris, Dr. Chin-Yo Lin Sep 2013

Estrogen And Breast Cancer: Understanding The Complex Interaction One Gene At A Time, Victoria Harris, Dr. Chin-Yo Lin

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Estrogen is a steroid hormone that acts in the body in both beneficial and detrimental ways. It plays a crucial role in many human processes including coagulation, bone formation, and development of sexual organs. However, estrogen is also associated with the proliferation of breast cancer. Estrogen activates the estrogen receptor (ER), a ligand-dependent transcription factor that regulates gene expression by binding to specific DNA elements and promoting or repressing transcription.

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Identifying The Mechanisms Of Estrogen Receptors In Human Breast Cancer Cells Through Study Of Direct Target Gene Expression, Megan Lundell, Dr. Chin-Yo Lin Sep 2013

Identifying The Mechanisms Of Estrogen Receptors In Human Breast Cancer Cells Through Study Of Direct Target Gene Expression, Megan Lundell, Dr. Chin-Yo Lin

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Estrogens, including estrodial (E2), are known to play a significant role in a number of developmental and physiological processes including the genesis and progression of breast cancer. The action of estrogens is mediated by estrogen receptors (ERs), which function as ligand-dependent transcription factors. Upon ligand binding, ERs interact with cis-regulatory elements of target genes either directly by binding to estrogen response elements or indirectly through interaction with transcription factor complexes and their respective binding sites.1 The primary objective of this project involved the knockdown, or reduction, of NCor, a co-repressor protein known to associate with ER in the presence of …

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Melanoma And Metastasis In A Mafia Mouse Model, Keith Wells, Dr. Kim O'Neill Sep 2013

Melanoma And Metastasis In A Mafia Mouse Model, Keith Wells, Dr. Kim O'Neill

Journal of Undergraduate Research

It has been estimated that over 560, 000 Americans will die of cancer this year, over 1,500 a day. Currently, there is much research performed to understand how cancer works, how to prevent it, and how to treat it. Cancer encompasses a multitude of diseases coming from nearly all tissue types in the body and from all age groups. It is a problem which plagues all countries and cultures.

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Culture And Identification Of Bone Marrow Hematopoietic Cells, Joshua Hauser, Dr. Sandra Burnett Sep 2013

Culture And Identification Of Bone Marrow Hematopoietic Cells, Joshua Hauser, Dr. Sandra Burnett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Successfully culturing and identifying bone marrow cells is a critical skill when doing stem cell, or hematopoietic research. This skill was especially important in Dr. Sandra Burnett’s research lab, with whom I conducted this research. Since the proper culture and identification of the cells was a vital part of any results or conclusions that were made in the lab, we deemed it imperative to determine whether or not we would be able to develop training protocols that would result in better and more consistent results. I strongly believed that this project would immediately impact our current and future research using …

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Gene Expression Of Down-Regulated Estrogen Receptor Target Genes In Human Breast Cancer Cells Following Drug Rreatment, Ben Newman, Dr. Chin-Yo Lin Sep 2013

Gene Expression Of Down-Regulated Estrogen Receptor Target Genes In Human Breast Cancer Cells Following Drug Rreatment, Ben Newman, Dr. Chin-Yo Lin

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer found in women and the majority of such cancers are estrogen receptor (ER) positive. This means the cancer is dependent on estrogen for growth. In such cancers, ER acts as a ligand-dependent transcription factor, changing gene expression when bound to estrogen. The altered expression of ER target genes in breast cancer is a likely cause of the uncontrolled cell growth.

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Sinorhizobium Meliloti Adaptation In Alfalfa Bacterial Pathway Of Infection, Jacob Erickson, Dr. Joel Griffitts Sep 2013

Sinorhizobium Meliloti Adaptation In Alfalfa Bacterial Pathway Of Infection, Jacob Erickson, Dr. Joel Griffitts

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Bacterial infection has been fought against successfully since the discovery of penicillin, and since then other antibiotics. Despite this, bacterial strains continue to mutate and find resistance to commonly used antibiotics. Gaining an understanding the genetic process of infection within bacteria will aid in the fight of harmful bacteria and the use of symbiotic bacteria.

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Climate Change From Oxygen Isotopic Variation Of Pore Water From Sediments In Punderson Lake, Northeast Ohio, Rachel Daley, Fasong Yuan Sep 2013

Climate Change From Oxygen Isotopic Variation Of Pore Water From Sediments In Punderson Lake, Northeast Ohio, Rachel Daley, Fasong Yuan

Undergraduate Research Posters 2013

The environment in Ohio has changed over time. The hydroclimate, which is the climate of the water, shows changes from the Industrial Revolution to the present. Evidence for these changes can be found in levels of δ18O and δ2H isotopes in the layers of sediment and water in the lakes of Northeast Ohio. Mass spectrometry can be used to test the levels of δ18O and δ2H isotopes from pore water samples within sediment cores. In this study, surface soil and water samples were collected from cores in Punderson Lake at Punderson State Park in Newbury, Ohio. Pore water was extracted …

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Ongoing Development Of An Anti-Sporulation Media And The Methodology To Efficiently Quantify Spores, Jared Balaich, Dr. Richard Robison Sep 2013

Ongoing Development Of An Anti-Sporulation Media And The Methodology To Efficiently Quantify Spores, Jared Balaich, Dr. Richard Robison

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Spore forming bacteria are of great medical importance because of their ability to infect, and sustain infection in the human host. A spore consists of the bacterium’s DNA surrounded by thick membranes and is resistant to desiccation, disinfectants, radiation. The spore can then form a living bacterium after remaining dormant for thousands or even millions of years. Although much is now known about the structure and pathways involved in spore formation, much mystery remains around exactly what triggers spore formation to occur. The focus of this research project is to culture spore forming bacteria on medias of differing composition and …

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Endothelial Cell Stimulation Overcomes Restriction And Promotes Productive And Latent Hiv-1 Infection Of Resting Cd4+ T Cells, Anding Shen, Jacob J. Baker, Geoffrey L. Scott, Yelena P. Davis Sep 2013

Endothelial Cell Stimulation Overcomes Restriction And Promotes Productive And Latent Hiv-1 Infection Of Resting Cd4+ T Cells, Anding Shen, Jacob J. Baker, Geoffrey L. Scott, Yelena P. Davis

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is able to suppress human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) to undetectable levels in the majority of patients, but eradication has not been achieved because latent viral reservoirs persist, particularly in resting CD4+ T lymphocytes. It is generally understood that HIV-1 does not efficiently infect resting CD4+ T cells, and latent infection in those cells may arise when infected CD4+ T lymphoblasts return to resting state. In this study, we found that stimulation by endothelial cells can render resting CD4+ T cells permissible for direct HIV infection, includingboth productive and latent infection. These stimulated T …

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Isolation Of A Novel Francisella Sp. In Environmental Samples Using A Modified Selective Medium, David Drake, Dr. Richard Robison Sep 2013

Isolation Of A Novel Francisella Sp. In Environmental Samples Using A Modified Selective Medium, David Drake, Dr. Richard Robison

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Our initial goal was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a new selective medium for isolating Francisella species from environmental samples, including those from soil, feces, and ponds. We successfully developed the medium, CHAB-PACCVI, and used it to isolate a novel Francisella species from hot springs samples obtained in Salt Lake.

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