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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
A08-T: Using X-ray Fluorescence to Develop a Soil Chronosequence for the Four Mile Creek Floodplain, Ohio
A soil chronosequence is useful for describing landscapes by quantifying soil development across geomorphic surfaces of varying ages that formed under similar conditions. A chronosequence can be constructed with data from stream terraces because these landscapes have soil profiles that developed under similar soil forming factors (parent material, relief, organisms, as well as climate if […]
B42-P: Changing Ecosystem Dynamics: Identifying potential impacts of marine invasion
During the Late Ordovician (Katian) in the Cincinnati Series of North America, shallow marine ecosystems flourished and remained stable for several million years. Previously isolated ocean basins in the surrounding regions connected due to a sea level rise, leading to an influx of non-native species termed the Richmondian Invasion (RI). The Cincinnati Series thus preserves […]
C42-P: Transcriptomic Analysis for the Whole Lens of PTEN Knockout Mice
Phosphatase and tensin homolog (Pten) is a tumor suppressor gene that is knocked out or mutated in many cancers. Additionally, knocking out this gene in mice causes cataracts and other developmental issues with the lens. This project involves analyzing differential gene expression in the form of RNAseq data encompassing the entire transcriptome of the lens […]
C07-T: Effective Communicative Styles when Presenting Research to a Specific Audience
Students in a First Year Research Experience [FYRE] class, conducted group projects focussed on “Communicating Research to public audiences”. Specifically, the projects examine how research opportunities have been impacted by the pandemic, and how to best leverage the currently predominant online instructional environment. Our group examined the communicative interactions between disciplinary groups throughout the Miami […]