A major component of adaptive immunity is B cells, which produce antibodies. Fc Receptor-like 1 (FCRL1) is a receptor protein on B cells that interacts with the protein SHIP-1, but the details of this interaction are not well understood. SHIP-1 has 3 important domains: SH2, phosphatase, and proline-rich region. We seek to determine more about […]
C69: Engineering CRISPR-Cas For Rapid, Sensitive, and Selective Analytical Sensing
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the importance of diagnostics in detecting and containing infectious diseases. Recently, a new class of CRISPR-Cas enzymes, known as Cas12, has been discovered and utilized as a biosensor to detect nearly any genetic biomarker of interest. Cas12 is similar to other CRISPR-Cas proteins, in that it forms an […]
C70: Transposition of Mutator Transposons Increases Recombination Frequency in Maize
Meiotic recombination is an important phenomenon that results in genetic diversity and accurate segregation of homologous chromosomes. Mishaps in meiotic recombination can have severe consequences in humans, including pregnancy loss, congenital disorders, and other genetic diseases. In all eukaryotes, meiotic recombination is initiated by double-stranded breaks (DSBs) and is finished by the repair of those […]
C71: Investigating the Effects of Sex on Meiotic Recombination in Maize Hybrids
Meiotic recombination ensures the accurate segregation of homologous chromosomes and reshuffles genetic information to generate new combinations of alleles. The rate of meiotic recombination differs between species and is even different between male and female meiosis of the same species. Sex differences have important consequences for population differentiation, sex chromosome evolution, adaptation, and speciation. While […]
C73: Viral Bacteriophage Lysis Protein: An Investigation of Structure and Dynamics
This project falls under the research topics of protein structure, dynamics, function, and biophysical chemistry.The main focus of this project is to elucidate the secondary structure of a viral bacteriophage protein from the ΦKT podoviridae that infects E.coli bacteria. The protein of interest is the gp28 endolysin protein that most likely functions to break the […]
C75: Why Does Reducing fmr1 Expression Cause Males, but Not Females, to Succumb to an Immune Challenge?
Dysfunction of the Fragile X mental retardation (FMR1) gene results in the genetic disorder Fragile X syndrome (FXS), a primary cause of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). FXS patients exhibit developmental delays and learning disabilities. Although researchers have also reported immune dysregulation in FXS patients, and the fruit fly Drosophila, the role FMR1 plays in immune […]
C77: Alcohol Intake and Antibiotic Use: Intended and Unintended Consequences among College Students
In the U.S., excessive alcohol consumption is very common and can cause many negative effects, and is a threat to public health. Alcohol consumption is linked to negative consequences. Examples of these harmful behaviors include assault, injury, car accidents, risky decision making, etc (White & Hingson, 2014). Additionally, it is very common to get ill […]
C76: Population Analysis of Petitioned Hymenocallis Henryae
Hymenocallis henryae is a perennial flowering plant species found only in a few counties on the Florida panhandle. It lives on the edges of wetlands in these areas. The species has been formally petitioned to be protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act. Counts of this species have been […]