Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Characterization Of Cytidylyltransferase Enzyme Activity Through High Performance Liquid Chromatography, James Brault

Theses and Dissertations

The cytidylyltransferases are a family of enzymes that utilize cytidine 5â?? triphosphate (CTP) to synthesize molecules that are precursors to membrane phospholipids. There are four well known enzymes: CTP: phosphoethanolamine cytidylyltransferase (ECT), CTP: glycerol-3-phosphate cytidylyltransferase (GCT), 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate cytidylyltransferase synthetase (CMS), and CTP: phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (CCT). Previously, a radioisotope tagging method was employed to study cytidylyltransferase catalysis. Using CCT as a model, a method utilizing high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed to replace the radioisotope scintillation technique. The development of this new HPLC method is cheaper, more efficient, and more accurate than the previously established method.

The targets of separation …

Using An Agent-Based Model To Study The Effect Of Reproductive Skew On Mongoose Populations, Stacy Lee Mowry

Theses and Dissertations

Reproductive skew is the name given to the unequal partitioning of breeding

within social groups. Within these groups a mating hierarchy emerges wherein one dominant mating pair holds an unproportional majority of the group's reproductive benefit, while other members mate infrequently, yet allocate energy and resources toward the offspring of the dominant group members. In this paper, we use an agent-based model, which mimics dwarf and banded mongoose populations, to investigate how reproductive skew aftects the speed natural selection, and thus how reproductive skew affects fitness. The results of the model show that due to the geometric structure of skewed …

An Approach To An Agave Problem: The Bioremediation Of Agricultural Waste By Yeast Fermentations, Joshua Michael Jarodsky

Theses and Dissertations

The agricultural waste products created by industries, such as the Tequila manufacturing industry, create thousands of tons of waste material every year. This agricultural waste often becomes an environmental and ecological problem for fields and surrounding areas. The purpose of this study is to determine the potential of using the yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus 7-1 and Kluyveromyces marxianus 8-1 to ferment the leaf waste from the harvesting of the Agave tequilana as a form of bioremediation. Fermentations (anaerobic, under constant shaking, and at room temperature) were monitored for colony forming units, pH of fermentation broth, concentration of reducing sugars, and protein …

Investigating Seed Dispersal Distances And Long Distance Dispersal Mechanisms Of The Invasive Plant, Alliaria Petiolata, Christopher Loebach

Theses and Dissertations

Alliaria petiolata, an herbaceous plant, has aggressively invaded North American woodlands. It has been extensively studied to understand why it is a successful invader, but certain aspects of its biology have been understudied such as seed dispersal distances and long distance dispersal mechanisms (LDDM). My thesis experimentally measured A. petiolata seed dispersal distances and determined if epizoochory (external animal transport) is a LDDM. To measure dispersal distances, seed traps were placed around three A. petiolata seed point sources to capture dispersed seeds at increasing distances away from the point sources. Eight mathematical functions that describe dispersal distances were fitted to …

Functional Expression And Characterization Of A Truncated Candida Antarctica Lipase B In Yeast, Samantha Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Candida antarctica lipase B is an enzyme capable of hydrolyzing ester bonds in a lipid-water interface with potential to become a useful biocatalyst for production of biodiesel fuel. Enzymatically catalyzing the transesterification of triacylglycerides to produce fatty acid alkyl esters (biodiesel) is an environmentally cleaner alternative to the current process which utilizes chemical reagents as catalysts. Optimization and development of strains to express highly active, stable, large quantities of these biocatalysts is essential for inexpensive production of biodiesel. Additionally, lipase enzymes can be immobilized onto a resin, eliminating the need to recover the catalyst from the product and allowing multiple …