A celebration of undergraduate research
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Disentangling the Effect of Two KO Genes and Increasing Sucrose Production in Cyanobacteria Jaylynn Jones, 3rd year |
This semester I will be participating in research at the Ducat lab in the DOE-plant research laboratories. My project will include exploring how cyanobacteria, specifically the stain synechococcous elongatus sp. PCC 7942 balances energy between its source and sink. Continue reading “Increasing Sucrose in Cyanobacteria”
Determining Behavioral Response of Goats To Physical Cues In Relation To Humans
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Anthony Tundo, 2nd year |
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Troy Todd, 2nd year |
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Julia Coffman, 1st year |
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Jade Lim, 2nd year |
Both humans and boer goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) process physical cues using the neurons plasticised by the FMR1 gene (Bretherick et al, 2020). The purpose of this study was to document the behavior of goats and humans after receiving physical cues in order to make a decision that would result in a reward, indicating the use of FMR1 as a homologous gene in both species.
Continue reading “Goats’ Responses in Relation to Humans”
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CRISPR/CAS9 Knockout of IFNα Receptor Mediated Antiviral Response in PBS-12SF Cell Line
Noah Lubben, 4th-year |
Abstract:
Viruses such influenza viruses and coronaviruses are some of the most widely spread infectious diseases in humans and animals. Many such diseases can be prevented through vaccination. Large-scale vaccination requires generation of massive quantities of vaccines both efficiently and rapidly. Cell lines offer a means to quickly generate large quantities of virus safely and provide an adaptable method for various viruses. Our lab has developed the PBS-12SF cell line that supports replication of many viruses, including avian and human influenza viruses. Viral infection of cells triggers the interferon (IFN) response carried out by type I IFNs via the IFN cell surface receptor and eliciting an antiviral response. Continue reading “Modifying the PBS12SF Cell Line for Vaccines”
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Characterization of sliding motility driven by exopolysaccharides amylovoran and levan in the fire blight pathogen Erwinia amylovora
Lauren Eldred, 4th-year |
Abstract:
Erwinia amylovora is a gram-negative plant pathogen that causes fire blight in rosaceous plants. This bacterium colonizes the flower stigma and utilizes a flagellum-dependent swimming motility to migrate from the stigma tip to the hypanthium, in which it enters the xylem through natural openings.
Continue reading “Novel Sliding Motility in Erwinia Amylovora”
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Intake of Big 8 Allergens by Young Children in a Michigan Cohort Natalie JaBaay, 4th year |
Over 5.6 million children in the United States are diagnosed with a food allergy and pediatric allergists are desperately searching for nutritional interventions and prevention strategies. As the recommendations for when to consume allergens change, it is unclear whether healthcare providers and parents are adapting to these changes.
Continue reading “Intake of Allergens in Michigan Children”
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Investigation of the reaction mechanism in the spectroscopy of neutron unbound isotopes by the MoNA Collaboration Jared Bloch, 1st year |
The MoNA Collaboration has been conducting experiments over the past two decades at the then National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) and is poised to expand its scientific program with the upcoming Facility for Rare Isotopes (FRIB), both located in East Lansing, MI.
Continue reading “Spectroscopy of Neutron Unbound Isotopes”
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Functional Analysis of Endothelin Ligand Genes in the Development of the Zebrafish Neural Crest Cell Population Cameron Bennett, 4th year |
Neural crest cells (NCC) are an embryonic cell population that differentiates into many tissues including e.g. heart, pigment cells, neurons, and craniofacial skeleton. Unique to the vertebrates like fish and humans, the neural crest forms along the dorsal neural tube before migrating throughout the embryonic body. The endothelin (Edn) signaling system is a key molecular regulator in cell fate determination, migration, and differentiation into different NCC derivatives.
Continue reading “Functional Analysis of Endothelin Genes”
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Using Single Molecule Live Cell Imaging to Investigate the Role of RNF169 in the DNA Damage Response
Aastha Bahl, 3rd-year
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Abstract:
Human ring finger protein 169 (RNF169) plays an important role in mediating the DNA damage response, specifically in the response to DNA double strand breaks (DSBs).
Continue reading “Investigating RNF169 in DNA Damage Response”
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Differentiating the Effects of Exposure versus Medical Education on Transphobia Among a Sample of Emergency Room Practitioners Ishaan Modi, 2nd year |
Transgender individuals are a marginalized population in the United States, facing systemic discrimination from housing to employment to education. However, an area of discrimination that is equally as omnipresent is in healthcare. Transgender individuals may often face microaggressions or explicit discrimination from providers or staff; when this occurs in the emergency room, this transphobia (prejudice against transgender people) could be deadly.
Continue reading “Education, Exposure & Transphobia in the ER”
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Temporal dynamics of social versus food investigation in C57BL/6 mice and Wistar rats Valerie Khaykin, 4th year |
We recently characterized the Social versus Food Preference Test, a behavioral paradigm designed for investigating competition between the choice to seek social interaction versus food, and examined how stimulus preference was modulated by social isolation and/or food deprivation using a 2×2 within-subjects design in C57BL/6 mice and Wistar rats.
Continue reading “Temporal Dynamics of Investigation in Rodents”