Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology Commons^™

Characterizing The Human Vaginal Microbiome Using High-Throughput Sequencing, Jean Megan E. Macklaim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The human vaginal microbiome undoubtedly has a significant role in reproductive health and for protection from infectious organisms. Recent efforts to characterize the bacterial species of the vagina using molecular techniques have uncovered an unexpected diversity. Using high-throughput sequencing I sought to describe the structure and function of the vaginal microbiome under different physiological states including healthy, bacterial vaginosis (BV), post-menopausal vaginal atrophy, and acute vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC).

Partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that healthy, asymptomatic women most often have vaginal biotas dominated by Lactobacillus iners or L. crispatus. In contrast, BV is a heterogeneous, highly diversified condition …

Acclimatization Of The Tropical Reef Coral Acropora Millepora To Hyperthermal Stress, Anthony John Bellantuono

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The demise of reef-building corals potentially lies on the horizon, given ongoing climate change amid other anthropogenic environmental stressors. If corals cannot acclimatize or adapt to changing conditions, dramatic declines in the extent and health of the living reefs are expected within the next half century. The primary and proximal global threat to corals is climate change. Reef-building corals are dependent upon a nutritional symbiosis with photosynthetic dinoflagellates belonging to the group Symbiodinium. The symbiosis between the cnidarian host and algal partner is a stress-sensitive relationship; temperatures just 1°C above normal thermal maxima can result in the breakdown of …

Defining The Requirements For Early Gene Expression In Bacteriophage Hk639, Amanda L. Seaton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Lambdoid phages suppress transcription termination to fully express their genes. Antitermination of early gene expression in most lambdoid phages is mediated by an interaction between the N protein and a number of host-encoded factors. Bacteriophage HK022 does not rely on a protein for antitermination. To promote full expression of early phage genes, the transcripts of the HK022 put sites interact directly with RNA polymerase to convert it to a termination resistant form. Bacteriophage HK639 also uses RNA-mediated antitermination. However, it only possesses a single put-like element in its left operon. Because most lambdoid phages, including HK022, have antiterminator elements in …

Transcriptional Regulation Of Sunscreen Biosynthesis In Cyanobacteria, Tanya Soule

Tanya Soule

No abstract provided.

The Global Response Of Nostoc Punctiforme Atcc 29133 To Uva Stress, Assessed In A Temporal Dna Microarray Study, Tanya Soule, Qunjie Gao, Valerie Stout, Ferran Garcia-Pichel

Tanya Soule

Cyanobacteria in nature are exposed not only to the visible spectrum of sunlight but also to its harmful ultraviolet components (UVA and UVB). We used Nostoc punctiforme ATCC 29133 as a model to study the UVA response by analyzing global gene expression patterns using genomic microarrays. UVA exposure resulted in the statistically detectable differential expression of 573 genes of the 6903 that were probed, compared with that of the control cultures. Of those genes, 473 were up-regulated, while only 100 were down-regulated. Many of the down-regulated genes were involved in photosynthetic pigment biosynthesis, indicating a significant shift in this metabolism. …

The Use Of Course Response Systems To Assess Student Learning In The Classroom, Tanya Soule, Jordan Marshall

Tanya Soule

No abstract provided.

Bloom-Forming Cyanobacteria And Other Phytoplankton In Northern New Jersey Freshwater Bodies, Tin-Chun Chu, Matthew Rienzo

Tin-Chun Chu, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Bacterial Microcompartments In The Fermentation Of D-Arabinose In Clostridium Phytofermentans, Megan A. Strough

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Bacterial microcompartments, or BMCs, are 80-200nm, enzyme-encompassing organelles composed of interlocking proteins that form cyclical hexamers with a small central pore. Clostridium phytofermentans or Cphy, is a Gram-positive, rod shaped, anaerobic soil microbe that has the ability to not only break down multiple polysaccharides simultaneously but also proceeds to ferment them into biofuels. The genome of Cphy contains 3 BMC loci. During growth on fucose and rhamnose, one of these loci is highly expressed and microcompartments can be viewed using TEM. Under these growth conditions, three products, ethanol, propanol and propionate, which could potentially be highly useful in the biofuel …

Preservation Of H2 Production Activity In Nanoporous Latex Coatings Of Rhodopseudomonas Palustris Cga009 During Dry Storage At Ambient Temperatures, Magdalena Piskorska, Tanya Soule, J Gosse, C Milliken, M Flickinger, G Smith, C Yeager

Tanya Soule

To assess the applicability of latex cell coatings as an ‘off-the-shelf’ biocatalyst, the effect of osmoprotectants, temperature, humidity and O2 on preservation of H2 production in Rhodopseudomonas palustris coatings was evaluated. Immediately following latex coating coalescence (24 h) and for up to 2 weeks of dry storage, rehydrated coatings containing different osmoprotectants displayed similar rates of H2 production. Beyond 2 weeks of storage, sorbitol-treated coatings lost all H2 production activity, whereas considerable H2 production was still detected in sucrose- and trehalose-stabilized coatings. The relative humidity level at which the coatings were stored had a significant impact on the recovery and …