The Effects of Phorbol Esters on Cotton Tail Rabbit Papillomas

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Cory Funk and Dr. Richard Robison, Microbiology Papillomas are virus-induced benign tumors or lesions of the skin and mucous membranes, more commonly known as warts. Most everyone has personally experienced a papilloma virus infection at some point in his or her life. We normally do not think of warts as a health concern because they […]

Identifying Protein-Binding Sites in the Enhancer Region of the Col11A2 Gene

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Trevor Ellison and Dr. Laura C. Bridgewater, Zoology An enhancer is a DNA sequence that regulates a gene’s expression. It is the binding of proteins to a gene’s enhancer region (at its protein-binding sites) that regulates that gene’s expression in the cell. The Col11a2 gene is activated almost solely in chondrocytes (cartilage cells) (Lui et […]

Follicular Dendritic Cells (FDCs) and Sparing of CD4+ T cells from HIV/CD62L Triggered Apoptosis

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Devon C. Cole and Dr. Greg Burton, Microbiology Both B and T lymphocytes intimately interact with follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) in lymphoid follicles of secondary lymphoid tissue (e.g., spleen, lymph node, and tonsils). FDCs trap and retain antigens needed to induce and maintain potent memory antibody responses. FDCs contribute both antigen dependent and independent signals […]

Phylogeny and Evolution of the Freshwater Crayfish Family Parastacidae (Crustacea decapoda)

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Michael Jonathan Carlson and Dr. Keith A. Crandall, Zoology Introduction Freshwater crayfish of the family Parastacidae consist of 14 genera distributed in the Southern Hemisphere: nine are endemic to Australia, one to Madagascar, one to New Zealand, and three to South America (southern Chile and Brazil). Although this family has been studied for several years […]

Analysis of Microvesicles to Determine Susceptibility to the Enzyme Phospholipase A2

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Brent Brimhall and Joseph Callister with Dr. John Bell, Zoology Microvesicles are small membrane-bound spheres released from certain cells undergoing the decay process. Little is known today about their properties and function at the cellular level. It is hypothesized that microvesicles play a role in cancer metastasis through the action of metalloproteinases enclosed within these […]

The Specific Binding of Protein’s to the ABC, FG, and DE Enhancer Elements of the Col11a2 Gene

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Kristopher Bennion and Dr. Laura Bridgewater, Zoology Gene therapy is extensively being studied in many labs for the potential treatment of such disorders as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and other such disabling diseases. Researchers in Dr. Bridgewater’s lab have been studying the Col11a2 gene in hopes of future treatment of such disorders as cleft palate, dwarfism, […]

DPPG Susceptibility to Human Group X Phospholipase A2

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Katrina Behling and Dr. John D. Bell, Zoology Introduction There are eight known isoforms of the mammalian secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2). One of these, the recently discovered human group X sPLA2 (hGX), when added to adherent cells, has the ability to cleave the second fatty acid side chain of phospholipids, thereby producing arachidonic acid. Other […]

Ecological Restoration of Degraded Plant Communities: Initiation of Field Studies on Weed Re-Invasion into Native Plant Communities

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Suzanne Bart and Dr. Phil S. Allen, Agronomy and Horticulture Introduction The invasion of plant communities by non-native species is a global issue with serious economical and environmental costs. Aggressive weeds have displaced millions of acres of native vegetation and can dramatically alter the nutrient cycling, hydrology, wildfire potential, and structure of native ecosystems. In […]

Characterization of a Male-Specific Marker in Atriplex garrettii

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Josh Andersen and Dr. Daniel Fairbanks, Botany and Range Science While much is known of the genetic mechanism of sex determination in mammals, very little is known of similar mechanisms in plants. Sex determination in plants may be either environmental or genetic. Dioecious plant species, such as Atriplex Garrettii (Chenopodiaceae), offer researchers an ideal situation […]

Linguistics and Law: An Assessment of Linguistic Contributions in the Courtroom

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Jordan Toone and Dr. Cynthia Hallen, Linguistics Linguistics has provided critical and clarifying evidence in the courtroom for decades. Not only have linguists and linguistic theory assisted the upholding of U.S. law but both have provided professional expertise in disputes throughout the world. The exciting correlation between linguistics and law has long been developing, while […]