Biochemistry Honors Theses and Research Papers
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Biochemistry is the basic science which has as its goal an explanation of life processes in physical and chemical terms. Founded in 1883, today's Department of Biochemistry emphasizes cellular regulation, molecular genetics, protein structure, hormone action, virology, and developmental biology. The undergraduate biochemistry major fits the needs of both the student who wishes to terminate training at the B.S. level, and the student planning on graduate or professional school study. It serves as an excellent background for medical or veterinary school, and for graduate study in such fields as biochemistry, biology, bacteriology, genetics, molecular biology and oncology.
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Recent Submissions
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Functional changes in gut microbiota across the hibernation cycle of Ictidomys tridecemlineatus examined by stable isotope-assisted labeling
(2018-06-12)The hibernation cycle of the 13-lined ground squirrel, which includes fasting during winter months, drives changes in taxonomic composition of the gut microbiota. This study employs stable isotope-assisted labeling (SlAL) ... -
Effects of Manganese on (p)ppGpp Homeostasis in Bacillus subtilis
(2018-06-12)The bacterial nucleotide signal (p )ppGpp is an important signal for stress survival, antibiotic tolerance, and virulence in common pathogens. In addition, the group 7 metal manganese has been implicated in having critical ... -
Neuronal Ensemble Reactivation in the CA3 Hippocampal Region in Memory Formation due to Pattern Completion
(2017-06-13)The hippocampus functions in many memory processes; not only is it essential to the storage of new memories, but the retrieval of associated memories as well. A postulate of memory recollection called pattern completion, ... -
Predicting and Interpreting the Hofmeister Effects of Different Salts with Nucleic Bases and Aromatic Compounds Using Solubility Assay
(2017-06-13)The interaction between salts and nucleic acid bases or aromatic compounds plays an important role in noncovalent biopolymer assembly processes such as DNA and RNA helix formation and protein-nucleic acid interactions. The ... -
Fine mapping for domestication traits using recombinant chromosome nearly isogenic lines
(2017-06-13)In past work the Doebley Lab used maize-teosinte hybrid recombinant inbred lines (RILs) to find various quantitative trait loci (QTL) for ear size in order to study the process of domestication. Of particular interest was ... -
Investigation of Angiogenic Mechanisms Involved in Omentum Transplantation
(2017-06-13)The omentum is an intra-abdominal fat pad. It is a well-vascularized structure that is sometimes referred to as the "policeman of the abdomen" for its proclivity to adhere to sites of intra-abdominal inflammation or injury. ... -
A Targeted RNAi Screen Identifies Novel Regulators of Synapse Formation and Function
(2015)An intricate knowledge of synapse formation and regulation is crucial to understanding how neurons develop, interact, and grow. In an attempt to gain a deeper comprehension of synapse development, we performed a three-part ... -
Roles for the ESCRT Machinery and the Septin Complex in Membrane Abscission During Cytokinesis
(2015)Abscission occurs during the final phase of cytokinesis, effectively partitioning a mother cell into two separate daughter cells. The process involves the scission of the membranous intracellular bridge, resulting in the ... -
Impact of flanking residue modifications on binding specificity of H3K9 methylation reader; Dppa3
(2015-05-06)Somatic cells can be converted to an embryonic stem cell-like state by transcription factor-mediated reprogramming. These induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), like ESCs, have the ability to divide indefinitely and ... -
Investigation of plant translation initiation factor modulation by Triticum mosaic virus
(2015-05-15)Viruses have evolved unique strategies to take over the cellular protein synthesis machinery of their host for efficient infection. Although viruses cause serious economic damage to agricultural crops, little is known ... -
Effects of Withaferin A on Mouse Models of Alexander Disease
(2015-05-06)Alexander disease is a rare neurodegenerative disorder which is caused by the accumulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GF AP) resulting in aggregates termed Rosenthal Fibers (RFs) in the central nervous system. TAR ... -
Development of TOXGFP Assay to Measure Transmembrane Interactions
(2015)Association of transmembrane alpha-helices is a fundamental part of membrane protein structure. The development of an assay (TOXGFP) allows for the efficient study of transmembrane helix oligomerization in live cells. The ... -
Measurement of The ADCK3 Transmembrane Helix Self-Association In Escherichia Coli Via the TOXCAT Assay
(2014)The interaction of a-helices in the transmembrane region of certain proteins is important for the function of these proteins. The goal of our project is to study the self-association propensity of the transmembrane region ... -
Evaluating Nonstructural Carbohydrates in Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) Cultivars and their Role in Fruiting
(2014)Carbohydrate competition within cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) uprights has been suggested to explain biennial bearing. Although, comparisons across cultivars during critical phenological stages are limited. The ... -
Characterizing the nucleotide-binding domain of Escherichia coli HscA, a specialized Hsp70 chaperone in Fe-S cluster biogenesis
(2014-05)Proteins from the ISC operon of E. coli constitute the machinery used for the synthesis of iron-sulfur clusters and their delivery to recipient apo-proteins. [2Fe-2S] cluster transfer from the holo-scaffold protein lscU ... -
Purification and Characterization of Human ISDll
(2014-11)Iron-Sulfur clusters, a class of cofactor used in all domains of life, play crucial roles in several physiological processes. Although many proteins of the human isc Fe-5 biosynthesis pathway have been identified, many of ... -
Investigating the inhibitory mechanism of aketoglutarate analogues towards human collagen prolyl 4-hydroxylase
(2014)Collagen is a structural protein essential in wound healing and the formation of connective tissues in humans. Despite its importance, overproduction of collagen can be a potential threat to human life. Production of ... -
The RecA-dependent endonuclease Ref: characterization of DNA binding, nuclease activity, and use for in vivo genome editing in Escherichia coli
(2014)Bacteriophage Ref protein is an HNH class, RecA-dependent endonuclease. RecA-bound oligonucleotides complementary to a region on circular dsDNA will catalyze RecA strand-invasion, creating a displacement loop (D-loop). ... -
Synthesis of substrates for the galactofuranosyl transferase GlfT2
(2011)The galactan, a polymer of galactofuranose (Galf), is a key component of the hydrophobic cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterial species that is responsible for tuberculosis. Much remains unknown about the ... -
Functional differences between the yeast Hsp70 molecular chaperones Ssbl and Ssb2
(2011)Protein folding is a complex process that is mediated in the cell by molecular chaperones. Errors in protein folding can lead to aggregation of rnisfolded proteins, causing diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and ...
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