Biology and Health Science Research
Biology and Health Science Research
May 2022 - May 2023
巨噬细胞对不同B群链球菌感染的死亡分析
米歇尔•汤普森
B群链球菌(GBS)是早产、死胎和新生儿的主要原因 sepsis and meningitis worldwide [1–3]. It is a common resident of the genitourinary tract in approximately 40% of pregnant women and is a risk factor for preterm birth and neonatal disease [1–3]. In order to develop effective treatment and diagnostic 因此，迫切需要了解GBS如何与人体组织相互作用 to induce inflammation, invade the extraplacental membranes, and harm the fetus or 新生儿. Macrophages are a key immune system cell type that play critical roles at 怀孕期间的母胎界面以及新生儿免疫系统 婴儿. Our lab and others have previously identified differences in macrophage cell death in response to different GBS strains of varying virulence [4-5]. 一个关键 这个项目的目标是探索正在被诱导的细胞死亡的类型 在这些巨噬细胞感染GBS后这些不同的菌株和探索 some of the macrophage signaling pathways that regulate these responses.
教师 Advisor: Dr. 丽贝卡费海提
Funded by: Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Grant
花楸属花粉孔径数对萌发及花粉管长度的影响
dasycarpum, an in vivo study with fluorescence microscopy
悉尼申克
我们将继续过去的研究来评估花粉孔径的影响 种子萌发率、萌发时间和花粉管长度的影响; a wind-pollinated 物种. Using plants cultivated within the 十大赌博正规平台在线 greenhouse, 我们计划开发荧光显微镜观察花粉萌发的方法 in vivo and to optimize our in vitro pollen-germination method for this 物种. We 还将调查以下平行问题:污名化的影响是什么 pollen load on pollen germination rate? How reliable are standard methods in determining actual pollen loads (i.e., how much pollen is lost in processing?)? 给定时间和 方法学成功后，我们将考虑花粉负荷对相对的影响 success of different pollen aperture morphs.
2021年5月- 2022年5月
Understanding the Role of the PI3K-Akt Pathway in the Macrophage Response to Group
B Streptococcus (GBS)
Yadira DeLeon-Lopez
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) can be part of a healthy individuals' microbial flora. 然而，当感染了GBS的母亲怀孕时，问题就出现了. As the fetus develops within the colonized mother, severe GBS infections may occur due to the limited capabilities of the developing fetal immune response. 这可能 导致胎儿患上脑膜炎，肺炎或败血症，这可能导致 死. The goal of this project is to understand how GBS manipulates cell signaling within macrophages in order to survive and cause disease. Specifically, we will investigate PI3K/Akt通路是否在巨噬细胞反应的三个关键方面发挥作用 对GBS感染. Our first aim will investigate why certain strains of GBS are engulfed by macrophages more rapidly than others. Next, we will evaluate how certain GBS strains survive more successfully within macrophages following phagocytosis. 最后，我们将 compare the rate of survival of the macrophages themselves following infection with the different GBS strains. Our primary methods of analysis will include Western Blotting, fluorescence microscopy, and colony counting assays. This research may provide new insights for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic tools to combat GBS.
教师 Advisor: 丽贝卡费海提
Funded by: Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Grant
孔数对海芋花粉粒活力和萌发的影响
dasycarpum
凝花Bouyac
花粉异型性，存在多种类型的可育花粉粒 一个种群的所有个体，在开花植物属中普遍存在. 我们的目的是研究影响花粉粒孔径数的选择制度 and whether this pattern differs among 物种/modes of pollination. 我们将观察 测定花粉离体萌发孔数变化及时间和可能性 一种风媒传粉的植物，撒利特兰 dasycarpum. Comparing our results to previous work on the insect-pollinated T. thalictroides, will bring us closer to both a universal understanding of the influence of aperture 花粉粒适合度的数量以及这种关系是如何被进化改变的 in the mode of pollen transmission. Further, this study will provide insight into the evolution and maintenance of pollen 多晶现象.
教师 Advisor: 丽贝卡·汉弗莱
Funded by: Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Grant
May 2020 - May 2021
Influence of pollination mode on stigmatic pollen loads in Thalictrum
Teegan Galdeen
Each pollen grain is a multicellular individual upon which environmental selective 压力可能起作用. One environment experienced by all pollen grains is the size of 柱头花粉负荷，它被认为在风媒和昆虫授粉之间是不同的 物种. 确定授粉方式与所经历的选择压力之间的关系 by individual grains, we will analyze previously collected data on pollen loads in wind- and insect-pollinated Thalictrum 物种. Specifically, we will test the hypothesis that stigmatic pollen loads in insect-pollinated 物种 are significantly higher than in wind-pollinated Thalictrum 物种. 我们计划 to write a manuscript about this project for submission to a peer-reviewed publication. We will also be studying R 编程，光和荧光显微镜技术，和体内花粉染色 协议.
教师 Advisor: Dr. 丽贝卡·汉弗莱
Funded by: Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Grant
珊瑚-鞭毛藻共生的研究-文献综述(如果能获得的话)
to lab, we will use the Aiptasia model system)
卢卡斯Topie
我们将回顾现有的文献，以确定可能参与的蛋白质 在珊瑚-鞭毛藻共生中，特别关注先天免疫受体 expressed by the coral host. We will focus on cnidarian host proteins that may mediate recognition and/or uptake of the dinoflagellate by the coral host. 如果我们有权限 夏天晚些时候到实验室，我们计划分离出感兴趣的蛋白质的cDNA编码 将这些基因克隆到合适的表达载体上. 我们将写一篇关于识别和吸收鞭毛藻的研究综述 by the coral host with a focus on work published since the 2012 review by Davy et al "Cell Biology of Cnidarian-Dinoflagellate Symbiosis"
指导教师:Larry Robert Peters PhD
Funded by: Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Grant
May 2019 - May 2020
构建工具研究先天免疫受体(Nod1)在造血中的作用
stem cell development
Svetlana Djirackor and 卢卡斯Topie
我们将对斑马鱼的显性负Nod1等位基因进行亚克隆. 这些 subcloned alleles will be used by our collaborators to advance hematopoietic 干细胞研究. The zebrafish model was chosen due to its ease of use in large-scale applications, chemical screens and in vivo imaging.
指导教师:L. 罗伯•彼得斯
Funded by: Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Grant
Relationship between pollen aperture number and germination in Thalictrum
斯宾塞·格雷厄姆
花粉异型性是中国某些植物的特征 which an individual produces multiple types of fertile pollen grains. 这是可能的 that certain pollen morphs are inherently more viable than others. 我们愿意 在离体条件下观察花粉萌发，以测定其形态变化 efficiency of germination within and among individuals of multiple populations and 物种 of Thalictrum. This study will provide insight into the evolution of pollen 多晶现象.
教师 Advisor: Rebecca Penny Humphrey
Funded by: Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Grant
The Dessication Tolerance of Craterostigma plantagineum
迈克尔Kalinowski
研究了车前草(Craterostigma plantagineum)耐脱水的遗传基础。 a small plant from South Africa. We utilized RNA-seq to trace RNA expression of the 叶和根组织随着植物的干燥循环而重新水化. 这项工作主要是探索性的，因为这种植物以前从未被研究过 以这种方式.
教师 Advisor: Robert VanBuren, Michigan State University
Funded by: NSF-funded
2018年5月- 2019年5月
Bringing Biodiversity to Restored Grasslands
Dana VanHuis
Our project focuses on grassland management. We are looking at five different grasslands (four at PCCI and one in Grand Rapids). Each grassland is either being burned, mowed, 或者放任不管. We are then studying the biodiversity indexes of birds, insects, 以及每一块地的植被来决定哪种管理技术可以培育 the greatest levels of biodiversity. Hopefully through this study, a model can be 为其他组织和土地所有者制作，可以用来移动恢复的草原 from tallgrass monocultures to diverse and thriving grasslands.
教师 Advisor: Dr. Rob Keys, Cornerstone University
Funded by: Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
Abiotic factors affecting prevalence of Rosa multiflora in Southwest Michigan
Alyssa Wilson and Stephanie Clark
Rosa multiflora, or multiflora rose, is an invasive plant 物种 in the northeast and midwest United States. We are interested in quantifying the abiotic factors--such 土壤的pH值和湿度，距离小路的距离，以及阳光的可用性——这些都有影响 to the ability of multiflora rose to proliferate in some areas over others.
这项研究的目的是为土地管理者提供有关哪些方面的信息
特别是对多花玫瑰的入侵和建立最敏感的地区
in Southwest Michigan.
教师 Advisor: Dr. 丽贝卡·汉弗莱
Funded by: Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
Investigating the Antibacterial Properties of Natural Substances
吉娜Nowland
我们将研究天然抗菌物质和以前分离的土壤细菌. 以往对天然抗菌物质的研究表明，大蒜素是一种化合物 created from garlic when it is crushed, and eugenol, a compound from clove oil, are highly effective against bacteria such as Streptococcus 变形链球菌. 口腔细菌， S. 变形链球菌, is an organism that contributes to the formation of plaque and tooth decay. The growth and growth inhibition of S. 变形链球菌 on mitis salivarius (MS) agar is being studied under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.
这些条件是为了复制夜间口腔细菌的生长.
The mouth, being closed, may decrease the amount of oxygen present to the bacteria
making anaerobic conditions ideal to test how the growth of bacteria such as S. 变形链球菌
可能受到影响. Individual bacteria isolated from soil samples collected during
September 2017 will continue to be characterized and tested against ESKAPE pathogen
safe relatives in the search for new antibiotics. Many of these bacterial isolates
were previously found to be highly effective in inhibiting the growth of the ESKAPE
病原体.
2017年5月- 2018年5月
Utilizing the Gateway cloning technique for creation of Tol2 transposons containing
wild type and mutant zebrafish NOD1 alleles.
本杰明Arnson
NOD1 is an innate immune receptor involved in detecting cytosolic bacteria. 我们计划 将野生型(wt)和突变型(K202R)斑马鱼NOD1等位基因亚克隆到质粒中 pENTR1ADS. This will allow use of a Gateway cloning technique to make three different Tol2 transposons encoding the wt, K202R and L36Q NOD1 alleles, respectively. 这些 transposons will allow our collaborators to make transgenic zebrafish in which NOD1 function can be controlled in a tissue-specific manner. The transgenic zebrafish will then be used to study the role of NOD1 in hematopoiesis (i.e., the development of 血液细胞).
教师 Advisor: Dr. 罗伯•彼得斯
Funded by: Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Grant
Design of the Riparian Buffer along Coldbrook Creek at Brookby Estate
阿曼达罗斯
Riparian buffers are areas of vegetation along the edge of water bodies; they provide protection for water bodies and habitat for organisms. The goal of this research project is to create an aesthetically pleasing buffer along Coldbrook Creek at the Brookby 保护遗产的历史完整性，同时改善其环境 价值. This project involves researching wildflower 物种 that will thrive along the creek, growing these plants from seed, and installing them along the creek. 不同的 植物繁殖方法将进行调查，以确定最佳的建造方法 a riparian buffer from seed.
教师 Advisor: Dr. 丽贝卡·汉弗莱
Funded by: Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Grant
2016年5月- 2017年5月
教师 Advisor: Dr. 詹妮弗•赫斯
Funded by: Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Grant
The Characterization of Bacteria Contaminants in Vitamins and Supplements
艾弗里瓦格纳
A previous Mohler Thompson student found that a particular brand of garlic capsule
was contaminated while testing its antimicrobial effects against a common bacteria
found in dental plaque. We will attempt to characterize this contaminant through various
染色技术，选择性和差异培养基测试，以及一些分子生物学.
We will also test other vitamins and supplements for contaminants, including a new
batch of the same brand of garlic capsule that had contaminants four years ago.
教师 Advisor: 詹妮弗•赫斯
Funded by: Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Grant
Understanding the Endosymbiotic Relationship of Corals
Bridgette Degenhardt
This summer we will be studying the different genes involved in the endosymbiotic relationship between the anemone Aiptasia and the algae that live within it. 变量 such as temperature, bleaching, and pH can be manipulated so that we may attempt to explore the different genetic responses within Aiptasia using qPCR. 我们希望克隆 certain genes of interest into bacterial plasmids and eventually characterize their 以更好地了解珊瑚之间的分子和化学关系 and their endosymbionts.
教师 Advisor: LR Peters
Funded by: Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Grant