Combating Obesity Through Gut Microbiome Targeted Bacteriophage Therapy

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Gongze Zhao, Dr. Laura Bridgewater, Micro & Molecular Biology Introduction The human gut consists of approximately 1.5 kg of bacteria, and 50% of the biomass in our fecal matter is bacterial cells (Nicholson, 2005). Diet is a major factor in shaping the composition of the gut microbiota, (Zhang, 2010) which in turn influences the body by […]

Chemokine Receptor CCBP2-V41A and its Role in Inflammation and Alzheimer’s Disease

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Allen Weinert and Scott Weber, Microbiology & Molecular Biology Introduction The leading cause of dementia in elderly patients is Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a degenerating and fatal neurodegenerative condition. AD is a proteopathic disease caused by extensive accumulation of amyloid beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. A recent genomewide association study analyzing 59 AD-associated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) […]

Guided Evolution to Expand the Host Range in Phages

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Jamison Walker and Sandra Hope, Microbiology & Molecular Biology My project proposal included the use of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection to determine if genetic mutations will arise in Bacteriophages that would allow them to infect related strains in a species of bacteria. Bacteriophages naturally have a target host range that they can […]

Determining the Role of CD5 in regulatory T Cell Function

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Charles Teames and Scott Weber, Microbiology & Molecular Biology Introduction Regulatory T cells (Tregs) inhibit the immune response and play a key role in preventing autoimmunity. Unfortunately, Tregs also often prevent an effective immunological response against cancer. CD5 is a T cell surface protein known to regulate the threshold for T cell activation. CD5 is […]

TK1 as a Biomarker of Chemosensitivity and Metastatic Potential in Breast Tumors

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Eric Olsen and Kim O’Neill, Microbiology and Molecular Biology Introduction Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women, accounting for 23% of total cancer cases and 14% of cancer deaths. Breast carcinoma is not a simple disease. It is comprised of many different biological forms with distinct phenotypes and prognoses. Hormone receptor […]

Effectiveness of Hospital Disinfectants against Clostridium Spores

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Bejamin Ogilvie and Richard Robinson Introduction: Clostridium is a genus of anaerobic spore-forming bacteria notable for causing human infections. C. difficile has an especially high impact, affecting roughly 453,000 individuals in the U.S. in 2011 (1). C. tetani and C. perfringens infections occur much less frequently, although they remain clinically important. Disinfecting objects contaminated with […]

Could TK1 Suppress the Immune System and Promote Tumor Development?

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Joshua Keller, Roman Kovtun, Kim O’Neill, Microbiology & Molecular Biology Cancer is a widespread disease that affects millions of people worldwide and in many cases is difficult to treat. In order to find new and better treatment, it is important to understand how this disease progresses. Thymidine Kinase 1 (TK1) is a recognized biomarker that is […]

Histone Post-Translational Modifications and Nucleosome Positioning: A New Layer in the Histone Code Hypothesis?

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Andrew Earl and Dr. Steven Johnson, Microbiology & Molecular Biology Introduction Nucleosomes are the fundamental unit of chromatin organization. They consist of an octamer of histone proteins (two of each H2A, H2B, H3, and H4) wrapped around by 147 base pairs of DNA. Their positioning and occupancy around important genetic elements such as enhancers and […]

CD5 Deficient Mice Exhibit Altered Cognitive Function in Behavioral Studies

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Tyler Cox, Work done in lab of Dr. Scott Weber, Microbiology and Molecular Biology Department Introduction The immune system plays a role in protecting and maintaining the central nervous system (CNS). 1Dysfunctions within the immune system can affect the CNS and it is associated with diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Having an […]