UNT Theses and Dissertations - 33 Matching Results

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Presence of Wolbachia, A Potential Biocontrol Agent: Screening for Vertebrate Blood Meal Source and West Nile Virus in Mosquitoes in the North Texas Region

Description: West Nile virus (WNV) is a geographically endemic mosquito-borne flavivirus that has spread across the United States infecting birds, mosquitos, humans, horses and other mammals. The wide spread nature of this virus is due to the ability of the mosquito vector to persist in broad, ecological diverse environments across the United States. In this study, mosquito populations in North Texas region were sampled for detection of Wolbachia, blood meal source, and WNV. The ultimate goal of this study … more
Date: August 2016
Creator: Adiji, Olubu Adeoye
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Transient Expression of BABY BOOM, WUSCHEL, and SHOOT MERISTEMLESS from Virus-Based Vectors in Cotton Explants: Can We Accelerate Somatic Embryogenesis to Improve Transformation Efficiency?

Description: Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is the world's most prominent fiber crop. Cotton transformation is labor intensive and time consuming, taking 12 to 18 months for rooted T0 plants. One rate limiting step is the necessary production of somatic embryos. In other recalcitrant species, ectopic expression of three genes were shown to promote somatic embryogenesis: WUSCHEL (WUS), SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM), and BABY BOOM (BBM). WUS is responsible for maintaining stem-cell fate in shoot and floral … more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Alejos, Marcos
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Genetic Analysis of Medicago truncatula Plants with a Defective MtIRE Gene

Description: Leguminous plants are able to fix nitrogen by establishing a symbiotic relationship with soil dwelling bacteria, called rhizobia. The model plant Medicago truncatula forms a partnership with Sinorhizobium meliloti whereby the plant gains bioavailable nitrogen and in exchange the bacteria gains carbohydrates. This process occurs within nodules, which are structures produced on the roots of the plants within which nitrogen is fixed. M. truncatula incomplete root elongation (MtIRE) was localized t… more
Date: August 2015
Creator: Alexis, Naudin
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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The Role of the Actin Cytoskeleton in Asymmetric Cell Division in Maize

Description: Stomata are specialized plant structures required for gaseous exchange with the outer environment. During stomata formation, the cytoskeleton plays an important role in controlling the division of the individual cells leading to the generation of the stomata complex. Two mutants that affect microfilament and microtubule organization in subsidiary mother cells include brk1 and dcd1. While only 20% of the subsidiary cells in the brk1 and dcd1 single mutants are abnormally shaped, it was reported… more
Date: August 2014
Creator: Alhassan, Hassan Hamdan
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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The Generation of Recombinant Zea mays Spastin and Katanin Proteins for In Vitro Analysis

Description: Plant microtubules play essential roles in cell processes such as cell division, cell elongation, and organelle organization. Microtubules are arranged in highly dynamic and ordered arrays, but unlike animal cells, plant cells lack centrosomes. Therefore, microtubule nucleation and organization are governed by microtubule-associated proteins, including a microtubule-severing protein, katanin. Mutant analysis and in vitro characterization has shown that the highly conserved katanin is needed fo… more
Date: December 2017
Creator: Alodailah, Sattam Sonitan
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries

Quantifying the Effects of Single Nucleotide Changes in the TATA Box of the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S Promoter on Gene Expression in Arabidopsis thaliana

Description: Synthetic biology is a rapidly growing field that aims to treat cellular biological networks in an analogous way to electrical circuits. However, the field of plant synthetic biology has not grown at the same pace as bacterial and yeast synthetic biology, leaving a dearth of characterized tools for the community. Due to the need for tools for the synthetic plant biologist, I have endeavored to create a library of well-characterized TATA box variants in the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S pr… more
Date: December 2021
Creator: Amack, Stephanie Carolina
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries

Developing a Generalizable Two-Input Genetic AND Logic Gate in Arabidopsis thaliana for Multi-Signal Processing

Description: With effective engineering using synthetic biology approaches, plant-based platforms could conceivably be designed to minimize the production costs and wastes of high-value products such as medicines, biofuels, and chemical feedstocks that would otherwise be uneconomical. Additionally, modern agricultural crops could be engineered to be more productive, resilient, or restorative in different or rapidly changing environments and climates. To achieve these complex goals, information-processing ge… more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Anderson, Charles Edgar
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Role of GPR17 in Thrombocyte Aggregation in Adult Zebrafish

Description: GPR17, a uracil nucleotide cysteinyl leukotriene receptor, belongs to the GPCR (G protein coupled receptor) family. It has been shown recently that inhibiting this protein in the nervous system in mice can lead to blockage of oligodendrocyte maturation, which supports myelin repair. Interestingly, our laboratory found GPR17 in thrombocytes. However, we do not know whether it has any function in thrombocyte aggregation or the nature of the ligand. In this paper, we studied the role of GPR17 in h… more
Date: December 2015
Creator: Bohassan, Maruah Hejey
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Analysis of N-Acylethanolamines in the Oilseed Crop Camelina sativa

Description: To better understand the nature and function of N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) in Camelina sativa, we used mass spectrometry analysis to identify and quantify NAE types in developing seeds, desiccated seeds and seedlings. Developing seeds showed a differential increase in individual NAE species and an overall increase in NAE content with seed development and maturation. The NAE composition in mature, desiccated seeds mostly reflected the total fatty acid composition in the seed tissues, except fo… more
Date: August 2020
Creator: Corley, Chase D
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Analysis of Mature and Young Thrombocytes in Zebrafish

Description: Eukaryotic platelets are small cell fragments that are released into the bloodstream from megakaryocytes, and their production is initiated in the bone marrow. They are mainly involved in blood hemostasis and thrombus formation. The newly synthesized platelets are called reticulated platelets or young platelets. Zebrafish thrombocytes are equivalent to mammalian platelets and have similar characteristics and functions. Likewise, zebrafish has both young and mature thrombocytes. Only young throm… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Fallatah, Weam
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries

Studies on the Fibrinolytic Pathway in Zebrafish

Description: Fibrinolysis pathway is an important mechanism for dissolution of fibrin clot by the action of plasmin which is formed from plasminogen, a zymogen via the action of plasminogen activators, i.e. tissue plasminogen activator and urinary plasminogen activator. The regulation of fibrinolysis system in vivo is maintained by plasminogen activators and natural inhibitors i.e. α2-antiplasmin, α2-macroglobulin, Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 and … more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Gill, Jaspreet Kaur
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Alterations in Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (Faah) Transcript Levels and Activity Lead to Changes in the Abiotic Stress Susceptibility of Arabidopsis Thaliana

Description: N-Acylethanolamines (NAEs) are a class of bioactive lipids, and FAAH is one of the enzymes responsible for degrading NAEs in both plants and animals. in plants, FAAH appears to be closely associated with ABA, a phytohormone which has long been associated with plant stress responses, since the overexpression of FAAH in Arabidopsis results in ABA hypersensitivity. Therefore, it is reasonable to speculate that alterations in FAAH transcript levels will result in altered stress responses in plant… more
Date: May 2012
Creator: Gonzalez, Gabriel
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries

Investigation of Gene Functions in the Cyanotrophic Bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens NCIMB 11764

Description: Pseudomonas fluorescens NCIMB 11764 (Pf11764) is one of a group of bacteria known as cyanotrophs that exhibit the unique ability to grow on toxic cyanide as the sole nitrogen source. This ability has previously been genetically linked to a conserved cluster of seven genes (Nit1C), the signature gene (nitC) coding for a nitrilase enzyme. Nitrilases convert nitriles to ammonia and a carboxylic acid. Still, for the Pf11764 NitC enzyme (Nit11764), no in vivo substrate has been identified, and the… more
This item is restricted from view until June 1, 2027.
Date: May 2022
Creator: Gullapalli, Jaya Swetha
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Exploring Caffeyl-Lignin Biosynthesis in Cleome hassleriana and Polymerization of Caffeyl Alcohol in Arabidopsis thaliana

Description: C-lignin (caffeyl-lignin) is a novel linear lignin polymer found in the seed coats of several non-crop plants, notably Vanilla planifolia (Vanilla), Jatropha Curcas (Jatropha), and Cleome hassleriana (Cleome). C-lignin has several advantages over normal G/S-lignin, found in the majority of lignocellulosic biomass, for valorization in the context of bioprocessing: less cross-linking to cell wall polysaccharides (less recalcitrant biomass), ordered linkages between monomers (homogeneous polymer),… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Harkleroad, Aaron Djuanell
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Influence of a Human Lipodystrophy Gene Homologue on Neutral Lipid Accumulation in Arabidopsis Leaves

Description: CGI-58 is the defective gene in the human neutral lipid storage disease called Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome. This disorder causes intracellular lipid droplets to accumulate in nonadipose tissues, such as skin and blood cells. Here, disruption of the homologous CGI-58 gene in Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in the accumulation of neutral lipid droplets in mature leaves. Mass spectroscopy of isolated lipid droplets from cgi-58 loss-of-function mutants showed they contain triacylglycerols with common l… more
Date: August 2016
Creator: James, Christopher Neal
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Forward Genetic Characterization of Medicago truncatula Tnt1 Insertion Mutants Defective in Nodule Development and Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation

Description: Legumes are unique plants because they form special structures “nodules”, via symbiotic relationships with rhizobial bacteria present in the soil. Once rhizobia mature inside nodules, they fix atmospheric nitrogen providing a source of bioavailable nitrogen to the plant. To discover novel genetic components involved in the legume-rhizobia symbiosis by using forward genetic screening, we have isolated Medicago truncatula Tnt1 insertion mutants in the R108 ecotype, which are defective in nodule d… more
Date: May 2015
Creator: Kadel, Khem L.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries

Investigating the Molecular Framesworks of Phloem-Cap Fiber Development in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

Description: The current study focuses on the vascular cambium and the reiterative formation of phloem fiber bundles in cotton stems. The role of the TDIF-PXY-WOX pathway was examined in regulating cambial activity and the differentiation of phloem fibers. A study was conducted to identify and characterize the cotton WOX family genes, focusing on WOX4 and WOX14, aiming to identify and analyze their phylogenetic relationships, tissue-specific expression profiles, functional roles, and metabolic consequences… more
This item is restricted from view until January 1, 2026.
Date: December 2023
Creator: Kaur, Harmanpreet
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Comparison and Genetic Analysis of Host Specificity in Cluster BD1 Bacteriophages infecting Streptomyces

Description: Bacteriophages are viruses that specifically infect bacteria. When a phage infects a bacterium, it attaches itself to the surface of the bacteria and injects its DNA into the intracellular space. The phage DNA hijacks the cellular machinery of the bacteria and forces it to produce phage proteins. Eventually, the bacteria cell bursts or lyses, releasing new phage. The bacteria act as a host for phage reproduction. The ability for a phage to infect multiple bacterial species is known as host rang… more
Date: May 2019
Creator: Klug, Hannah
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Metabolic Engineering in Plants to Control Source/sink Relationship and Biomass Distribution

Description: Traditional methods like pruning and breeding have historically been used in crop production to divert photoassimilates to harvested organs, but molecular biotechnology is now poised to significantly increase yield by manipulating resource partitioning. It was hypothesized that metabolic engineering in targeted sink tissues can favor resource partitioning to increase harvest. Raffinose Family Oligosaccharides (RFOs) are naturally occurring oligosaccharides that are widespread in plants and are … more
Date: August 2013
Creator: Lahiri, Ipsita
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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brk1 and dcd1 Act Synergistically in Subsidiary Cell Formation in Zea mays

Description: Subsidiary mother cell (SMC) divisions during stomatal complex formation in Zea mays are asymmetric generating a small subsidiary cell (SC) and a larger epidermal cell. Mutants with a high number of abnormally shaped subsidiary cells include the brick1 (brk1) and discordia1 (dcd1) mutants. BRK1 is homologous to HSPC300, an ARP2/3 complex activator, and is involved in actin nucleation while DCD1 is a regulatory subunit of the PP2A phosphatase needed for microtubule generation (Frank and Smith, 2… more
Date: August 2014
Creator: Malhotra, Divya
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Exploration of Genome Length, Burst Time, and Burst Size of Streptomyces griseus Bacteriophages

Description: Since phages use the host resources to replicate themselves after infection, the different sizes of the phage genome should influence the replication rate. We, therefore, hypothesized that the smaller genomes should burst the cell faster than the larger ones. As well, the shorter genomes would have greater burst sizes because they should replicate faster. Here, we obtained 16 phages of various genome length. All phages were isolated on Streptomyces griseus and available in our phage bank at the… more
Date: May 2019
Creator: Maneekul, Jindanuch
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Homologs of Mammalian Lysosomal Lipase in Arabidopsis and Their Roles in Lipid Droplet Dynamics

Description: Lipid droplets (LDs) are organelles with many functions in cells and numerous protein interactors facilitate their biogenesis, maintenance, and turnover. The mammalian lipase responsible for LD turnover during lipophagy, LipA, has two candidate homologs in Arabidopsis: MPL1 and LIP1. One or both of these plant homologs may function in a similar manner to mammalian LipA, providing an LD breakdown pathway. To test this hypothesis, wild type (WT) Arabidopsis plants, MPL1 over-expressing (OE) muta… more
Date: December 2017
Creator: McClinchie, Elizabeth A
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Seeing in the Light: Using Expansion Microscopy to Achieve Super-Resolution in Transmitted Light

Description: Light microscopy is inherently limited in resolution by properties of light such as diffraction and interference to 170-250 nm. Expansion microscopy is a quickly-developing method which achieves super-resolution by using a swellable hydrogel to physically expand biological samples themselves, rather than depending on the properties of fluorophores. This thesis demonstrates that expansion microscopy is a feasible means for achieving super-resolution in transmitted light microscopy modes. Though … more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Migliore, Julia R.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Designing Tools to Probe the Calcium-dependent Function of Arabidopsis Tonneau2

Description: Plants possess unique features in many aspects of development. One of these features is seen in cell wall placement during cytokinesis, which is determined by the position of the preprophase band (PPB) and the subsequent expansion of the phragmoplast that deposits the new cell wall. During phragmoplast expansion, the phragmoplast tracks to the cortical division site, which was delineated by the PPB. Thus the position of the PPB determines the orientation of the division plane. In Arabidopsis … more
Date: December 2013
Creator: Oremade, Oladapo O.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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