Matching Items (4)
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- All Subjects: Biomass
- Creators: Mason, Hugh
- Creators: Harahap, Indira Saridewi
- Status: Published
Description
Overexpression of AVP1 (Arabidopsis vacuolar pyrophosphatase), a type I H+ pyrophosphatase, results in greater biomass, possibly due to a function in sucrose transport within the phloem. Overexpression of the phloem lipid-associated family protein (PLAFP) was shown to increase the number of vascular bundles in Arabidopsis. Could these two phenotypes complement one another additively? In this work, double mutants overexpressing both AVP1 and PLAFP were characterized. These double mutants have enhanced biomass, greater leaf area, and a larger number of vascular bundles than the single mutant lines. Overexpression of PLAFP does not result in any increase in rhizosphere acidification capacity.
ContributorsWilson, Sean (Co-author) / Furstenau, Tara (Co-author) / Gaxiola, Roberto (Thesis director) / Mason, Hugh (Committee member) / Wojciechowski, Martin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Dengue virus infects millions of people every year. Yet there is still no vaccine available to prevent it. Here we use a neutralizing epitope determinant on the dengue envelope (E) protein as an immunogen to be vectored by a measles virus (MV) vaccine. However the domain III (DIII) of the dengue 2 E protein is too small to be immunogenic by itself. In order for it to be displayed on a larger particle, it was inserted into the amino terminus of small hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg, S) coding sequence. To generate the recombinant MV vector and verify the efficiency of this concept, a reverse genetics system was used where the MV vectors express one or two additional transcription units to direct the assembly of hybrid HBsAg particles. Two types of recombinant measles virus were produced: pB(+)MVvac2(DIII-S,S)P and pB(+)MVvac2(DIII-S)N. Virus recovered from pB(+)MVvac2(DIII-S,S)P was viable. An ELISA assay was performed to demonstrate the expression and secretion of HBsAg. Supernatant from MVvac2(DIII-S,S)P infected cells confirmed that hybrid HBsAg-domain III particles with a density similar to traditional HBsAg particles were released. Characteristics of the subviral particle have been analyzed for the successful incorporation of domain III. The replication fitness of the recombinant MV was evaluated using multi-step growth kinetics and showed reduced replication fitness when compared to the parental strain MVvac2. This demonstrates that viral replication is hindered by the addition of the two inserts into MV genome. Further analysis of MVvac2(DIII-S)N is needed to justify immune response studies in a small animal model using both of the generated recombinant vectors.
ContributorsHarahap, Indira Saridewi (Author) / Reyes del Valle, Jorge (Thesis director) / Hogue, Brenda (Committee member) / Misra, Rajeev (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Climate change has the potential to reduce the amount of land that is suitable for crop growth. Such changes may cause food shortages, which would most likely disproportionately affect the poorest regions of the world. While GMO crops showed potential to increase crop yield and agricultural efficiency, significant public pushback has led to a search for alternative methods to generate similar results. Compounds produced by bacteria, such as 2,3-butanediol, offer a potential way to change the phenotypes of plants without the deliberate genomic changes involved in the development of GMOs which are often the subject of great controversy. These compounds influence how plants grow and function. Through precise application, the compounds could be used to improve crop yield and stress tolerance. While these effects are not completely understood, they may be due to changes in transcription and translation of certain proteins, the microbiome surrounding the plants and its interactions with the compounds, or other unknown factors. The compound 2,3-butanediol appears to increase biomass, lead to larger root systems and more root hairs, and increase germination rates in a variety of plants. All these traits are favorable for producing higher yields and enduring stress conditions. The phenotypes induced by this compound are similar to plants engineered to over express a type I proton pyrophosphatase. Plants treated with 2,3-butanediol offer a potential option to achieve the benefits of GMO crops without the attached social stigma.
ContributorsOlson, Erik Jon (Co-author) / Olson, Erik (Co-author) / Gaxiola, Roberto (Thesis director) / Mason, Hugh (Committee member) / Riley, James (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
Plant-made virus-like particles (VLPs), composed of HIV-1 Gag and deconstructed gp41 proteins, have been shown to be safe and immunogenic in mice. Here, we report the successful production of HIV-1 Gag/dgp41 VLPs in Nicotiana benthamiana, using an enhanced geminivirus-based expression vector. This novel vector results in unique expression kinetics, with peak protein accumulation and minimal necrosis achieved on day 4 post-infiltration. In comparing various purification strategies, it was determined that a 20% ammonium sulfate precipitation is an effective and efficient method for removing plant proteins and purifying the recombinant VLPs of interest. If further purification is required, this may be achieved through ultracentrifugation. VLPs are a useful platform for a variety of biomedical applications and developing the technology to efficiently produce VLPs in the plant expression system is of critical importance.
ContributorsFleming, Claire (Author) / Mor, Tsafrir (Thesis director) / Mason, Hugh (Committee member) / Kamzina, Aigerim (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Physics (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2022-05