Genetics Commons^™

The Role Of Ecdysone Signaling In Fat-Body Tissue Remodeling And Pupal Metabolism, Nichole Dinell Bond

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Holometabolous insects undergo an astonishing transition during their development. During metamorphosis, the larva dramatically changes form and becomes an adult fly. During this process obsolete larval tissues must be eliminated, while tissues required for further development are retained and often remodeled to meet the needs of the adult fly. Tissue remodeling is characterized by morphological changes of the cells in a tissue mass. In many cases, remodeling is characterized by dissociation of the tissue mass, releasing cells to move freely around the body cavity. This process is also common in wound healing and is a key feature of human disease …

Functional Characterization Of Mat1-1-Specific Mating-Type Genes In The Homothallic Ascomycete Sordaria Macrospora Provides New Insights Into Essential And Nonessential Sexual Regulators, V. Klix, M. Nowrousian, C. Ringelberg, J. J. Loros

Dartmouth Scholarship

Mating-type genes in fungi encode regulators of mating and sexual development. Heterothallic ascomycete species require different sets of mating-type genes to control nonself-recognition and mating of compatible partners of different mating types. Homothallic (self-fertile) species also carry mating-type genes in their genome that are essential for sexual development. To analyze the molecular basis of homothallism and the role of mating-type genes during fruiting-body development, we deleted each of the three genes, SmtA-1 (MAT1-1-1), SmtA-2 (MAT1-1-2), and SmtA-3 (MAT1-1-3), contained in the MAT1-1 part of the mating-type locus of the homothallic ascomycete species Sordaria macrospora. Phenotypic analysis of deletion mutants revealed …

The Rho Family Gtpase: Determining Gef Specificity Through Recombinant Expression, Farrah Steinke

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

An Economic Analysis Of Title I Of The Genetic Nondis, Elizabeth Cozzi '10

Honor Scholar Theses

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Transcription In Stationary Phase Mutagenesis In Bacillus Subtilis, Holly Anne Martin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Stationary phase mutagenesis, also known as stress-induced or adaptive mutagenesis, is defined as the accumulation of mutations during conditions of no net growth or conditions of stress. This process has been implicated in acquiring antibiotic resistance and evasion of host immune responses in microbial pathogens and in the generation of mutations that lead to neoplasia in animal cells. Previous work has shown that defects in DNA synthesis and repair systems contribute to the formation of adaptive mutations; however the role of transcription in the accumulation of mutations is still being examined. It is speculated that transcriptional derepression leads to an …

Genetic And Molecular Characterization Of A Cryptochrome From The Filamentous Fungus Neurospora Crassa, Allan C. Froehlich, Chen-Hui Chen, William J. Belden, Cornelia Madeti

Dartmouth Scholarship

In plants and animals, cryptochromes function as either photoreceptors or circadian clock components. We have examined the cryptochrome from the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa and demonstrate that Neurospora cry encodes a DASH-type cryptochrome that appears capable of binding flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and methenyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF). The cry transcript and CRY protein levels are strongly induced by blue light in a wc-1-dependent manner, and cry transcript is circadianly regulated, with a peak abundance opposite in phase to frq. Neither deletion nor overexpression of cry appears to perturb the free-running circadian clock. However, cry disruption knockout mutants show a small phase delay …

Electrically Mediated Delivery Of Plasmid Dna To The Skin, Using A Multielectrode Array, Richard Heller, Yolmari Criz, Loree C. Heller, Richard A. Gilbert, Mark J. Jaroszeski

Bioelectrics Publications

The easy accessibility of skin makes it an excellent target for gene transfer protocols. To take full advantage of skin as a target for gene transfer, it is important to establish an efficient and reproducible delivery system. Electroporation is a strong candidate to meet this delivery criterion. Electroporation of the skin is a simple, direct, in vivo method to deliver genes for therapy. Previously, delivery to the skin was performed by means of applicators with relatively large distances between electrodes, resulting in significant muscle stimulation and pain. These applicators also had limitations in controlling the directionality of the applied field. …

Gender Moderates The Association Between 5-Httlpr And Decision-Making Under Ambiguity But Not Under Risk, Scott F. Stoltenberg, Joanna M. Vandever

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Decisions made under ambiguity may involve a different genetic architecture than those made under risk. Because gender moderates the effect of genetic polymorphisms on serotonin function and because there are gender differences in decision-making, the present study examined potential gender moderation of associations between polymorphisms in important serotonin system candidate genes (serotonin transporter [SLC6A4] and tryptophan hydroxylase-2 [TPH2]) and performance on a decision-making task (Iowa Gambling Task, IGT) in healthy, adults (N = 188; 62% women). Subjects were genotyped for the well-studied SLC6A4 promoter variant 5-HTTLPR and a TPH2 single nucleotide polymorphism in intron-8 (rs1386438). Genotype at rs1386438was not …

Implications Of The Plastid Genome Sequence Of Typha (Typhaceae, Poales) For Understanding Genome Evolution In Poaceae, Mary M. Guisinger, Timothy W. Chumley, Jennifer V. Kuehl, Jeffrey L. Boore, Robert K. Jansen

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Plastid genomes of the grasses (Poaceae) are unusual in their organization and rates of sequence evolution. There has been a recent surge in the availability of grass plastid genome sequences, but a comprehensive comparative analysis of genome evolution has not been performed that includes any related families in the Poales. We report on the plastid genome of Typha latifolia, the first non-grass Poales sequenced to date, and we present comparisons of genome organization and sequence evolution within Poales. Our results confirm that grass plastid genomes exhibit acceleration in both genomic rearrangements and nucleotide substitutions. Poaceae have multiple structural rearrangements, including …

Meiotic Dna Re-Replication And The Recombination Checkpoint, Nicole Ann Najor

Wayne State University Dissertations

Progression through meiosis occurs through a strict sequence of events, so that one round of DNA replication precedes programmed recombination and two nuclear divisions. Cyclin dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) is required for meiosis, and any disruption in its activity leads to meiotic defects. The Cdk1 inhibitor, Sic1, regulates the G1-S transition in the mitotic cell cycle and the analogous transition in meiosis. We have employed a form of Sic1, Sic1deltaP^HA, that is mutated at multiple phosphorylation sites and resistant to degradation. Meiosis specific expression of Sic1deltaP^HA disrupts Cdk1 activity and leads to significant accumulation of over replicated …

Plasmid Injection And Application Of Electric Pulses Alter Endogenous Mrna And Protein Expression In B16.F10 Mouse Melanomas, L. C. Heller, Y. L. Cruz, B. Ferraro, H. Yang, R. Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

The application of electric pulses to tissues causes cell membrane destabilization, allowing exogenous molecules to enter the cells. This delivery technique can be used for plasmid gene therapy. Reporter gene expression after plasmid delivery with eight representative published protocols was compared in B16.F10 mouse melanoma tumors. This expression varied significantly based on the pulse parameters utilized for delivery. To observe the possible influence of plasmid injection and/or pulse application on endogenous gene expression, levels of stress-related mRNAs 4 and 24 h after delivery were determined by PCR array. Increases in mRNA levels for several inflammatory chemokines and cytokines were observed …

Electroporation-Mediated Delivery Of A Naked Dna Plasmid Expressing Vegf To The Porcine Heart Enhances Protein Expression, W. G. Marshall Jr., B. A. Boone, J. D. Burgos, S. I. Gografe, M. K. Baldwin, M. L. Danielson, M. J. Larson, D. R. Caretto, Y. Cruz, B. Ferraro, L. C. Heller, K. E. Ugen, M. J. Jaroszeski, R. Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

Gene therapy is an attractive method for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. However, using current strategies, induction of gene expression at therapeutic levels is often inefficient. In this study, we show a novel electroporation (EP) method to enhance the delivery of a plasmid expressing an angiogenic growth factor (vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF), which is a molecule previously documented to stimulate revascularization in coronary artery disease. DNA expression plasmids were delivered in vivo to the porcine heart with or without coadministered EP to determine the potential effect of electrically mediated delivery. The results showed that plasmid delivery through EP significantly …

The Differential Roles Of D-Pax2 Variants In Regulating Drosophila Eye And Bristle Development, Colin J. O’Shea

Honors Theses

The ability to appropriately interact with the environment is crucial to an organism’s survival. The establishment of functional sensory systems, such as the bristles and eyes in Drosophila, is a critical event during the development of the organism. The transcription factor D Pax2 is involved in the differentiation of the shaft and glial cells in the developing bristle (Kavaler et al., Dev, 126:2261-2272, 1999) and of the cone and primary pigment cells in the developing eye (Fu and Noll, Genes Dev, 11:389-405, 1997). How D-Pax2 contributes to distinct differentiative pathways in different cell types is not known. Recent work by …

Web-Based, Participant-Driven Studies Yield Novel Genetic Associations For Common Traits, Nicholas Eriksson, J. Michael Macpherson, Joyce Y. Tung, Lawrence S. Hon, Brian Naughton, Serge Saxonov, Linda Avey, Anne Wojcicki, Itsik Pe'er, Joanna Mountain

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Despite the recent rapid growth in genome-wide data, much of human variation remains entirely unexplained. A significant challenge in the pursuit of the genetic basis for variation in common human traits is the efficient, coordinated collection of genotype and phenotype data. We have developed a novel research framework that facilitates the parallel study of a wide assortment of traits within a single cohort. The approach takes advantage of the interactivity of the Web both to gather data and to present genetic information to research participants, while taking care to correct for the population structure inherent to this study design. Here …

Group Ii Intron Dynamics In Heterologous Hosts, Venkata Raghavendra Aditya Chalamcharla

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Group II introns are ribozymes with an innate ability to self-splice. They are found predominantly in bacterial and bacterial-derived organellar genomes, but not in the nuclear genomes of eukaryotes. In bacteria, group II introns often behave as mobile retroelements, invading host DNA and exploiting its machinery to complete the retromobility process. The object of my studies is the group II intron found in the Lactococcus lactis relaxase gene. To determine the nature of the group II intron-host relationship, we performed a genetic screen and identified several host factors that affect group II intron retromobility in Escherichia coli, which provides a …

Stratifin Is Redundant In Cell Cycle Regulation But Essential For The Translational Control During Skin Development, Fang Liu

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Three phenotypically similar mouse mutations that cause severe defects in skin terminal differentiation have been identified in stratifin (Sfn, also known as 14-3-3σ), I-Kappa Kinase alpha (IKKα) and Interleukin regulatory factor 6 (Irf6). IKKα and Irf6 have been proposed to regulate skin differentiation at the level of transcription. Sfn has been studied intensively as a negative cell cycle regulator during DNA damage response; however, its role in skin development has not been fully characterized.

The Role Of Mitochondria In The Radiation-Induced Bystander Effect In Human Lymphoblastoid Cells, Sountharia Rajendran

Wayne State University Theses

This work evaluated the radiation-induced bystander effect in mitochondrial mutant cells and in normal cells treated with mitochondrial inhibitors. Although much research has been performed on the bystander effect, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Cells without intact mitochondrial DNA have been shown to lack the bystander effect, which is an energy-dependent process. Based on these findings, cells harboring mutations in the mitochondrial genes responsible for ATP synthesis, and normal cells treated with mitochondrial inhibitors, were hypothesized to show a decreased bystander effect when compared to normal cells that were not treated with the mitochondrial inhibitors.

Radiation-induced bystander effects …

Towards An Understanding Of The Etiology Of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Identification Of Genes Implicated In Aaa Risk And Development, John Hunt Lillvis

Wayne State University Dissertations

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common disease for which mechanisms of formation are still not well understood. Despite a strong genetic component to AAA risk, specific risk alleles are still largely unidentified. AAA is also a localized disease with a majority occurring in the infrarenal abdominal aorta and is six times more common than aneurysms of the thoracic aorta. To determine whether risk alleles are present in functional positional candidate genes. we: 1. performed a genetic association study using DNA from AAA cases and controls in ten candidate genes and 2. performed exon sequencing on three genes with evidence …

Genotype And Allele Frequencies Of Nine Str Loci In Sikhs From Malaysia., Tan Chin Teck

Student Works (2010-2019)

Allele frequencies for nine short tandem repeats (STRs) gene loci (CSF1PO, TPOX,TH01, F13A01, FESFPS, vWA, D16S539, D7S820, D13S317) were obtained from analyses of saliva DNA from 109 unrelated healthy Sikh individuals residing in Malaysia. DNA was extracted using phenol/chloroform/isoamly alcohol method. 2ng of DNA for each sample was amplified following the instruction in GenePrint® STR Systems (Promega Corporation) CTT, FFv and SilverSTR III Multiplex kits. PCR products were separated in denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver stained using Promega DNA Silver Staining System. The results were then calculated and processed to establish a statistical database for Sikh community. Chi-square test …

Isolation And Development Of Microsatellite Markers Of Channa Striata., Faiza Omar

Student Works (2010-2019)

Channa striata, locally known as haruan has long been regarded as a valuable edible fish and it is also consumed for its putative effects on wound healing. The main objective of the project was to develop microsatellite markers for use in the study of genetic diversity of the wild Channa striata populations in Malaysia. In this study, seven new microsatellite loci were isolated from Channa striata using a Random Amplified Microsatellite (RAMs) based technique which was an efficient and reliable method. Ten primers were used in population genetic studies of Channa striata.Sixty sets of microsatellite primer pairs were used in …