Theses and dissertations

This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students. 

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High-throughput screening and identification of synthetic peptides with Mycobacterium abscessus inhibitory activity

Description
The rise in the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, due in part to the widespread use of antibiotics, has spawned new technological approaches for identifying novel antimicrobials with narrow specificity. Current antibiotic treatment regimens and anti-tuberculosis drugs are not effective at treating Mycobacterium abscessus; therefore, antimicrobial peptides have gained prominence as…

The rise in the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, due in part to the widespread use of antibiotics, has spawned new technological approaches for identifying novel antimicrobials with narrow specificity. Current antibiotic treatment regimens and anti-tuberculosis drugs are not effective at treating Mycobacterium abscessus; therefore, antimicrobial peptides have gained prominence as alternative antimicrobials due to their specificity towards anionic bacterial membranes, rapid action, and inability for the bacteria to develop resistance by acting against the cell membrane. Our group has developed a high-density peptide microarray consisting of 125,000 random synthetic peptides for rapid screening of antimicrobial peptides against M. abscessus. From the array screening, the peptides that interacted with the mycobacterial cell surface were synthesized and subsequent inhibitory, bactericidal, and toxicity assays were performed. Additionally, minimum inhibitory concentration assays were performed with these peptides against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli in order to determine if inhibitory activity was observed against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Six peptides, out of the 125,000 peptides screened, had inhibitory activity against M. abscessus and low toxicity (< 10%) against human red blood cells. One peptide also exhibited inhibitory activity against S. aureus and E. coli. To determine combination effects, antimicrobial synergy assays will be performed with the six peptides and clarithromycin
ContributorsIannuzo, Natalie (Author) / Haydel, Shelley E. (Thesis director) / Diehnelt, Chris W. (Committee member) / Bean, Heather D. (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor, Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Genetic and Environmental Contributions to the Relation Between Parenting and Child Psychopathology

Description

Prior research has established a relation between parenting behaviors and symptoms of child psychopathology, and this association may be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Gene-environment correlation, or the influence of a child’s genes on the environment they receive, represents one possible mechanism through which genes and environment combine…

Prior research has established a relation between parenting behaviors and symptoms of child psychopathology, and this association may be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Gene-environment correlation, or the influence of a child’s genes on the environment they receive, represents one possible mechanism through which genes and environment combine to influence child outcomes. This study examined evocative gene-environment correlation in the relation between parenting and symptoms of child psychopathology in a sample of 676 twins (51.5% female, 58.5% Caucasian, 23.7% Hispanic/Latinx, primarily middle class, MAge=8.43, SD=.62) recruited from Arizona birth records. Using univariate ACE twin biometric models, genetic influences were found to moderately contribute to internalizing symptoms (A=.47, C=.25, E=.28), while externalizing (A=.86, E=.14) and ADHD (A=.84, E=.16) symptoms were found to be highly heritable. The genetic influences for positive (C=.54, E=.46) and negative (C=.44, E=.56) parenting were smaller and found to be nonsignificant. The correlations between parenting and types of psychopathology were examined and bivariate Cholesky decompositions were conducted for statistically significant correlations. Negative parenting was moderately positively correlated with externalizing and ADHD symptoms; the relation between externalizing symptoms and negative parenting was found to be due to shared genetics, whereas the relation between negative parenting and ADHD symptoms was due to the shared environment. The mixed results regarding the role of gene environment correlation in relations between parenting and child psychopathology indicate that further research on the mechanisms of this relation is needed.
ContributorsCarrizosa, Mya Grace (Author) / Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn (Thesis director) / Corbin, William (Committee member) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Oro, Veronica (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05