Ubiquitous fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposures significantly impact global public health, yet little is known about the mechanisms causing these known adverse health effects. Oxidative stress due to PM2.5 associated chemical constituents, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), is a proposed possible mechanism for PM2.5 mediated health effects. Variations in...
As part of the Botswana Global Learning Internship Program, a qualitative study was conducted regarding the current staffing conditions at the local village health clinic in Maunatlala, Botswana. This was a month-long project conducted over the summer of 2018. Students from Oregon State University lived in the village of Maunatlala...
Seeds are an essential component of plant life histories, and seed endophytes have the potential to influence germination, seedling establishment and development. That said, seed endophytes are a relatively new area of study, both in the factors that influence which taxa are present and how these microbes alter plant function....
An estimated total of 30.3 million people have diabetes in the United States, a disease characterized by chronic elevation in blood glucose which over time, can lead to a host of health problems. Currently the most common types of diabetes are type 1, type 2, and gestational. The principal hormone...
Soil water repellency is one cause of rill soil erosion and overland flow that results in the loss of fertile topsoil. Previous research suggests that since microbial growth depends on temperature/moisture and follows diurnal and seasonal cycles, a biological mechanism would be able to explain the observed seasonality and climate...
Soil water repellency may be influenced by microbes whereby they produce aliphatic constituents (non-wetting materials) that coat the soil particles when they are subjected to desiccation stress.
Pactamycin, produced by the soil bacterium Streptomyces pactum, is a cytotoxic antibiotic that belongs to the aminocyclitol family of natural products. This antibiotic has shown various forms of biological activity, including antibacterial, antifungal, antimalarial, and antitumor activities. Despite its outstanding biological activity, the mode of formation of its pharmacophore (the...
Anthopleura elegantissima (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) is an emerging model organism for studying the endosymbiotic relationship between dinoflagellate (genus Symbiodinium) and the cnidarian host. To be developed as a model organism, more genetic resources, like integrated genome and linkage map, are needed. An important validation for developing genomic resources is chromosome number....
This thesis project has the following specific objectives: (i) Determine pathogenicity of Globodera ellingtonae to potato utilizing two trials conducted over a 16 week period, (ii) Elucidate the host range of G. ellingtonae using a variety of different Solanum weed species and crop species, and (iii) Characterize population decline of...
Antimicrobial agents are being increasingly used in consumer soaps and detergents, despite a lack of data demonstrating their efficacy in such products. This study investigated the nature of the interaction between different crystalline structures of titanium dioxide nanoparticles and BTC, and explore which structure, if any, could be best used...
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNA molecules that are at least 200 nucleotides long and do not encode proteins. lncRNAs have roles in gene regulation, chromatin epigenetics, and molecular scaffolding. In light of mounting evidence implicating species-specific noncoding RNAs and gene regulatory mechanisms in species adaptations, it is reasonable to...
Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are one of the most important global plant pathogens. Recent innovations in molecular techniques have allowed increased study of this important pest, including the ability to investigate associated microbiomes. This study used 16S rDNA metagenomic sequencing to characterize the microbiome of Meloidogyne hapla, the northern root-knot...
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. Recently it has been shown that microbiota play a role in some types of cancer. Therefore, to understand whether microbes contribute in any way to the development and progress of cervical cancer, we investigated the cervical microbiome via analysis...
Solarization could be an alternative to chemical controls for soil pathogens and weeds, and it may also influence plant growth factors. Biomass, shoot length, and AMF colonization were examined in red oak (Quercus rubra), Mazzard cherry (Prunus avium), and hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) at J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. nursery...
Cytochrome P450 1B1 (Cyp1B1) is a xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme, responsible for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) oxidative metabolism. CYP1B1 metabolically activates several species of environmentally relevant procarcinogenic PAHs to reactive carcinogens. PAHs are aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists, leading to CYP1B1 upregulation. Though CYP1B1 is highly conserved across species, wild type...
While monocytes are vital for host defense against pathogens, in cases of non-resolving inflammation, monocytes and their differentiated progeny can secrete tissue-damaging factors, present auto-antigens, and promote the inflammatory response. In this study, a systems biology approach was used to map human monocyte gene regulatory regions by integrating expression quantitative...
Current protein immobilization techniques lack defined control over protein orientation. Protein orientation is important for making biosensors and biomaterials that are sensitive and efficient and can be crucial for designing some devices such as immunosensors or direct electron transferring biocells. A new method of protein immobilization is proposed that takes...
While monocytes are vital for host defense against pathogens, in cases of non-resolving inflammation, monocytes and their differentiated progeny can secrete tissue-damaging factors, present auto-antigens, and promote the inflammatory response. In this study, a systems biology approach was used to map human monocyte gene regulatory regions by integrating expression quantitative...
Spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, is a recently introduced, invasive pest in Oregon. It oviposits in near-mature and mature fruit, and thus is an important concern for the small fruit industry. A crop consultant observed that mature raspberry fruit with D. suzukii larvae do not show symptoms of molds as...
The Pacific Treefrog (Pseudacris regilla) is commonly encountered throughout the Pacific Northwest and can be an indicator for ecosystem health. At each life stage P. regilla utilizes a different habitat and therefore it is important to understand habitat use at all life stages to properly manage the ecosystem, however, few...
Mycobacterium avium subspecies hominissuis (MAH) causes potentially lethal opportunistic infections in immunocompromised individuals. Lack of a good animal model system currently hinders in vivo study of MAH virulence. Here we applied the tractable organism Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), as a surrogate host to study the virulence of MAH. Worms were...
Presentation entitled : The Challenge of Finding Where SOD Gets Zinc: Identifying Novel Techniques to Recombinantly Express Metallothionein / by Nick B. West, Joseph Beckman and Daniel Sudakin
DNA segments in the fungus Fusarium graminearum were identified as possible genes encoding for chromodomain proteins (CDPs), and targeted for genetic manipulation. Targeted single-gene deletion strains, as wells as GFP-S tag fusion strains, were generated from wildtype F. graminearum protoplasts, and verified strains were screened for phenotypic differences, such as...
Firemaster 550 (FM550) is an additive flame retardant mixture used within polyurethane foam and is increasingly found in house dust and the environment due to leaching. In this study, we sought to investigate mono-substituted isopropylated triaryl phosphate (mITP), a major component of FM550, which has been shown to cause cardiotoxicity...
Flavonoids are a large family of compounds synthesized by plants that have a common chemical structure. It is believed that the health effects of fruits and vegetables are primarily due to dietary flavonoids content. Current research indicates that dietary flavonoids show promise for mitigating and/or preventing chronic conditions associated with...
Global atmospheric carbon levels are continuing to rise from pre-industrial revolution levels. One of the main regulators of global atmospheric carbon levels, and thus climate, is the world's oceans. Unicellular marine cyanobacteria account for a large percent of total marine carbon fixation. We measured chlorophyll-specific ¹⁴C uptake rates (P[superscript b])...
One of the first cognitive dysfunctions to arise with aging is memory loss, affecting an estimated 85% of elderly in the U.S. over the age of 80 with Age Associated Memory Impairment. A common feature in humans and animals experiencing memory loss with aging is the decline in N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)...
Natural products (secondary metabolites) are small organic molecules derived from plants, microbes, and marine organisms that have served as a diverse source of useful compounds pharmaceuticals. New biologically active natural products are critical as anti-infective and cancer drug leads. Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, produce diverse cytotoxic metabolites that represent potential...
DNA mismatch repair (MMR) plays an important role in preserving genomic stability and reducing cancer risk. Environmental exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are believed to contribute significantly to carcinogenesis. PAHs are found in food, air, water and soil and upon bioactivation can form diol epoxides which are electrophilic in...
Respiratory illnesses caused by both viral and bacterial infection are serious issues for global healthcare providers. With the emergence of new, drug-resistant forms of these diseases, innovative drugs and treatment therapies are needed. M tuberculosis is an infection that affects a large portion of the world’s population each year. Aerosol...
Endogenous circadian clock regulation is essential to normal rhythmicity, particularly the timing of hormone release in the brain. In the context of mammalian reproduction, a surge of a specific hormone, gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH), initiates a surge of luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland, which is required for ovulation in...
DNA mismatch repair (MMR) plays an important role in preserving genomic stability and reducing cancer risk. Environmental exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are believed to contribute significantly to carcinogenesis. PAHs are found in food, air, water and soil and upon bioactivation can form diol epoxides which are electrophilic in...
Natural disturbances and human activities can alter the benthic composition of coral reefs and other marine ecosystems. Reef fishes that associate with particular structures on the sea floor, such as coral heads, may be vulnerable to perturbations of those habitats. The spread of a newly discovered crustose alga (Ramicrusta sp.)...
Various flavonoid-rich plant extracts have shown efficacy in the treatment of diabetes. Although it is often assumed that dietary flavonoids exert biological antioxidant effects, it is possible that the observed effects work in carbohydrate metabolism. In this study we evaluated the effect of catechins and catechin containing extracts on α-amylase...
Farmers rely almost exclusively on the imported European honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) for fruit and vegetable crop pollination services. The recent decline in honeybee health has underscored he danger of relying on a single species to provide vital services. Increasing pollinator biodiversity with native bees may provide biological insurance against...
Mycoplasma haemolamae is associated with mild to marked anemia in stressed, immune-suppressed, and debilitated animals, and may be found in low numbers in healthy animals. The continued presence of the organism, detectable by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay, may be associated with an underlying problem, such as stress or immune-suppression...
Farmers rely almost exclusively on the imported European honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) for fruit and vegetable crop pollination services. The recent decline in honeybee health has underscored the danger of relying on a single species to provide vital services. Increasing pollinator biodiversity with native bees may provide biological insurance against...
The entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana are commercially available as microbial control agents for the black vine weevil, Otiorhynchus sulcatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), the key root-feeding insect pest in Pacific Northwest small fruits and ornamentals. Understanding habitat selection is critical to improve the efficacy, persistence and cost of...