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Some of the material in is restricted to members of the community. By logging in, you may be able to gain additional access to certain collections or items. If you have questions about access or logging in, please use the form on the Contact Page.
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have significantly contributed to the identification of genetic variants by leveraging thousands of loci associated with complex traits and diseases, leading to breakthroughs in human genetics...
The precise regulation of cellular and hormonal signaling pathways is required for proper development in metazoan organisms. The Drosophila imaginal wing disc is the ideal model system for the study of cellular signaling regulating...
Three troponin T (TnT) mutants that cause hypertrophic, restrictive, and dilated cardiomyopathy (I79N, ΔE96, and ΔK210, respectively), were examined using the thin-filament extraction/reconstitution technique. Effects of Ca(2+), ATP, ...
Chromatin structure plays a critical role in the regulation of the human genome. An understanding of the role of chromatin structure and its relationship to gene regulation is critical to developing new strategies to prevent and treat...
DNA replication in mammalian cells occurs in a defined temporal order during S phase, known as the replication timing (RT) programme. Replication timing is developmentally regulated and correlated with chromatin conformation and local...
The tendency to seek stimulating activities and intense sensations define excitement-seeking, a personality trait akin to some aspects of sensation-seeking. This trait is a central feature of extraversion and is a component of the...
The relationship between major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) remains controversial. Previous research has reported differences and similarities in risk factors for MDD and BD, such as predisposing personality traits...
In the rapidly evolving world of molecular biology, genetics and epigenetics have taken crucial roles in unraveling the complex origins of diseases. Through gene expression, genes govern the synthesis of proteins, the fundamental...
The human cardiac troponin I (hcTnI) mutation R145W has been associated with restrictive cardiomyopathy. In this study, simultaneous measurements of ATPase activity and force in skinned papillary fibers from hcTnI R145W transgenic mice ...
Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is an important crop worldwide, known as the main flavoring ingredient in beer. The diversifying brewing industry demands variation in flavors, superior process properties, and sustainable agronomics, which are...
Human longevity and personality traits are both heritable and are consistently linked at the phenotypic level. We test the hypothesis that candidate genes influencing longevity in lower organisms are associated with variance in the five...
Plants regulate gene expression at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels to produce a variety of functionally diverse cells and tissues that ensure normal growth, development, and environmental response. Although distinct...
Plants are often subjected to extreme environmental conditions and must adapt rapidly. The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) accumulates under abiotic stress conditions, signaling transcriptional changes that trigger physiological...
The eukaryotic genome is encased by a double membrane structure, the nuclear envelope (NE), forming the outer structure of the nucleus. The NE is highly dynamic and separates the nucleoplasm from the cytoplasm. The NE is involved in...
The North American gray treefrog complex (Hyla versicolor sensu lato), defined here as encompassing the diploid species Hyla chrysoscelis and Hyla avivoca, and the tetraploid Hyla versicolor, has long been used as a model system in a...
The Pine Barrens treefrog (Hyla andersonii) is restricted to three isolated (disjunct) regions in the eastern United States: New Jersey, North and South Carolina, and the Florida panhandle and southern Alabama. It is a seepage bog...
Self-sustaining oscillators regulate diverse aspects of physiology in mammals such as insulin secretion, cell cycle regulation, and circadian rhythmicity. The circadian clock is based upon several interacting feedback loops, which affect...
From Shelf to Shelf: Assessing Historical and Contemporary Genetic Differentiation and Connectivity across the Gulf of Mexico in Gag, Mycteroperca microlepis
Describing patterns of connectivity among populations of species with widespread distributions is particularly important in understanding the ecology and evolution of marine species. In this study, we examined patterns of population...
CONTEXT: Recent studies have shown an association between cigarettes per day (CPD) and a nonsynonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism in CHRNA5, rs16969968. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the association between rs16969968 and smoking...
The primary goal of this project was to produce a molecular phylogeny for the sub-family of goby fish Oxudercinae, known as mudskippers. Molecular study of this group, combined with morphological data, could help develop an analogous...
Chromatin profiling in single cells has been extremely challenging and almost exclusively limited to histone proteins. In cases where single cell methods have shown promise, many require highly specialized equipment or cell type specific...
Over the past decade, the technologies used to obtain sequencing data from biological tissues have significantly improved. This has resulted in a marked increase in the ability of biological researchers to collect unprecedented...
D4Z4 is a subtelomeric macrosatellite repeat on chromosome 4q that codes for DUX4, a gene that is causal to the muscle wasting disease Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). DUX4 expression is influenced by a number of genetic...
During S-phase, the mammalian genome replicates in a defined temporal order called the DNA Replication Timing (RT) program. This program is developmentally regulated and is perturbed in diseased cell states, such as cancers and progeria....
The study of adaptive molecular evolution in natural populations has been severely limited by the difficulty of linking genetic variation to phenotypic variation to fitness effects. Most studies connecting genotype, phenotype, and...
Mating incurs costs to lifespan across species. Given that mating is a necessity for survival of most species, but yet has health costs, a method of modulating reproductive strategies under various environmental conditions to give...
When the two sexes maximize their fitness in different ways, a sexual conflict emerges, in which traits favored in one sex are not favored in the other (Parker 1979, Arnqvist and Rowe 2005). Under interlocus sexual conflict, a type of...
Regular emergence and re-emergence of viral pathogens emphasizes the importance of understanding viral biogeography and migration. Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses are among the least understood groups of microbial pathogens, yet the...
In the North Pacific, seamounts are important ecological hotspots for deep-sea species found below 200 m. Connectivity of deep-sea fauna in this area is of great interest to fisheries and conservation management for possible restoration...
Understanding the neural and genetic basis of complex behaviors is a major outstanding question in neurobiology. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, displays innate, complex reproductive behaviors. These behaviors are regulated by...
Lemogne and colleagues offer an interesting extension to their previous work on visual perspective and depression: Individuals at-risk for depression (defined as higher scores on Harm Avoidance), without a history of mood disorders, ...
BACKGROUND: Independent of temporal circumstances, some individuals have greater susceptibility to depressive affects, such as feelings of guilt, sadness, hopelessness, and loneliness. Identifying the genetic variants that contribute to...
Investigating Biologic Repeatability at Different Biological Levels: The Genomic and Phenotypic Response to Parallel Phenotypic Artificial Selection in Drosophila Melanogaster and D. Simulans
Repeated evolution in biology is widespread among morphologic forms but also recognized at essentially all biological levels. Organisms achieving the same functional goal is reported at the level of simple biochemical pathways, complex...
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis, and BDNF plasma and serum levels have been associated with depression, Alzheimer's disease, and other psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders....
Economic variables such as income, education, and occupation are known to affect mortality and morbidity, such as cardiovascular disease, and have also been shown to be partly heritable. However, very little is known about which genes...
Because cancer is such a prevalent problem in modern society, efforts are constantly being made to learn about the mechanisms that drive it, and for that Drosophila melanogaster has proved a perfect genetic model, with many genes and...
The spindle pole body (SPB) is the functional equivalent of the mammalian centrosome in budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and is important for chromosome segregation and cell division. Paralleling how chromosome duplication and...
There is growing evidence that personality traits are affected by many genes, all of which have very small effects. As an alternative to the largely unsuccessful search for individual polymorphisms associated with personality traits, the...
Comparing patterns of spatial genetic structure across co-distributed species is critical to making inferences about the factors influencing population divergence, persistence, and change over time. The fields of phylogenetics and...
The therapeutic properties offered by venom-derived toxins have led to the development of many life-saving medications. As this medicinal library continues to grow, so does the need to fully understand these toxins and their potential...
The process of adaptive evolution is complex, determined in part by the set of beneficial mutations available to adapting populations, the distribution of their effects, and the extents to which pleiotropy and epistasis impact the...
The polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene promoter region (5-HTTLPR) is by far the most studied variant hypothesized to influence Neuroticism-related personality traits. The results of previous studies have been mixed and appear...
Mutations in TNNT2, encoding cardiac troponin T, commonly shows early onset, aggressive dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). This observation may influence the decision of whether to undertake clinical genetic testing for TNNT2 in later onset...
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates synaptic plasticity and neurotransmission, and has been linked to neuroticism, a major risk factor for psychiatric disorders. A recent genome-wide association (GWA) scan, however, found...
The cis-regulatory elements encoded by the genome and the epigenetic regulation that influences their function are necessary for defining organismal phenotype. However, a gap exists in our understanding of the role that epigenetic...
A Tale of Two Drosophila Centrosome Proteins: The Regulation of Cilium Functions by Rootletin, and the Conversion of Sperm Mitochondria into Microtubule-Organizing Centers by CnnT
Using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism, this dissertation dissects molecular and biological functions of three proteins: Rootletin (Root), testis-specific Centrosomin (CnnT) and Spermitin (Sprn). Centrosomes are...
One of the central goals of evolutionary biology is to understand the evolutionary relationships among organisms by constructing phylogenetic estimates, commonly known as evolutionary trees. The accuracy of phylogenetic estimates can be...
Some of the material in is restricted to members of the community. By logging in, you may be able to gain additional access to certain collections or items. If you have questions about access or logging in, please use the form on the Contact Page.
