cdkelly's blog

After looking over three different posters, I have identified some factors that influence quality; both in positive and negative ways. One of the most important component of a poster in the inclusion of relevant imagery. Many people consider themselves to be visual learners and it is much easier to follow the logic when it is presented in a visual form rather than a large block of text. Going off that, excessive text on a poster makes it much harder for the audience to digest. It can be very difficult to retain information when it is presented only as text. However, text is an important factor in a well-made poster. Of the three posters I viewed, each had more visuals compared to text. These visuals included graphs to display relevant data collected, and images that help to demystify the mechanics of the experiment. But, these posters all had text that would add the necessary details for the researchers to convey their findings. The key thing is to find a good balance of images and text.

Considering the sheer quantity of base pairs that need to be copied during replication, its amazing how accurate the cell can be. In addition, the assembly of the chromosomes via histones is incredible because of how much order there is to it and how much information they contain. 

If cells were still able to replicate DNA, there would be too much DNA in the nucleus. This could lead to a number of issues with the cell, including cell death, or possibly even mutations if the overly copied DNA is able to make it into a fully formed cell. Perhaps this is a way that trisomy can occur. 

This mechanism is crucial for the proper function of all cells in the body. If a cell was allowed to enter the M phase without having all of the nucleotides present, there would be missing genes. Therefore, certain proteins would be mutant or absent and the cell would not be able to function properly. This is the case for many genetic disorders and will almost always result in mutant cells. 

Typically in a positive feedback loop the molecule that is upregulated is the one that results in the deactivation of the pathway. For example, in the hypothalamic pituitary axis, the hypothalamus stimulates the release of cortisol from the adrenal cortex, and the levels of cortisol dictate the amount of CRH released by the hypothalamus. CRH is the precursor in the pathway to the release of cortisol, and its levels are reduced when the levels of cortisol are high.  

I did not realize that M-Cdk performed this function in the process of cellular replication. But, It makes a lot of sense. The phosphorylation of the lamin proteins must lead to a conformational shift that causes the depolymerization of the proteins and the degradation of the nuclear envelope. Its fascinating that the CDKs do so much of the work during M-phase. 

I wonder if the delay is a result of the numerous kinases and pathway members required to activate the Cdc20-APC complex. If they are all in the cytosol or freely floating around, it will take time to transmit the signal. Also if there are a large number of members to the pathway, this could increase the amount of time to activate the complex. Furthermore, there could be a limiting reagent involved as the mechanism of delay. 

This is a great example of a positive feedback loop. The Cdc20-APC complex is activated by the M-Cdks which are activated by the M-cyclins. Since the complex is activated by M-Cdks, the deactivation via ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis is done by the complex which then deactivates its activator. This must occur at a certain level of saturation or something like that because the M-cdks need to be active for a portion of the cell cycle. 

I am contacting you to express my strong interest in joining your laboratory as a graduate student in the Neuroscience and Behavior masters program.Your work with zebra fish and optogenetics is extremely fascinating and cutting edge. Understanding locomotion at the molecular level is something that has massive implications in the clinical world, and I would love to be a part of the team that elucidates it. Your recent work detailing the eight present GABA receptors in the developing central nervous system of zebrafish was a captivating read and the implications of your findings could result in large strides in the field of neuroscience. Of all of the other research opportunities on campus, yours stuck out to me because it’s focus is closely aligned with my own interests. I’ve been a student at this university for three years now, and have always desired to contribute towards some of the fantastic research conducted here, to which I believe yours is at the forefront.     

The groups of three spiders in their enclosures will then be put in their respective temperature environments. 3 enclosures containing spiders will be placed inside in a room temperature environment. These spiders will be in a styrofoam box kept at 20°C for the duration of the project. 3 other enclosures will be placed in the cooler environment. A layer of ice below the enclosures will maintain a cold temperature for the styrofoam box used for the cool condition. A thin, flat layer of cardboard will separate the enclosures from the ice below them. A hole in this layer of cardboard will serve as a place to periodically add more ice to maintain a constant temperature. The previous ice will melt and drain out the bottom via a small hole. The last 3 enclosures will be heated by a heat lamp at roughly 25°C. Each enclosure housing for the three conditions will be comprised of the same styrofoam box for insulation purposes and fixed with a thermometer to ensure a consistent temperature of the course of the five days. All 9 spiders will be allowed to make webs during this period of time. The spiders will be given food/water and the ice will be switched as needed. After 5 days, each plastic cup will be weighed.

We aim to observe the effect of temperature on the production of webs for cellar spiders. Across the three temperature groups of our experiment, we want to know how the difference in temperature will affect the size of spider webs. From this, we aim to deduce the ideal temperature for web production in cellar spiders. Previous research has demonstrated that at lower temperatures, spider web production is greatly reduced. In addition, our enclosure design is based on a previous method. We plan to acquire 9 cellar spiders of the same species and place them each in their own enclosure. We will weigh the enclosure with a laboratory-grade scale immediately after the spider is placed inside. Each enclosure will have small air holes at the top, and a slightly larger hole for depositing food without disturbing the spider. Groups of 3 spiders and their enclosures will be placed into one of the three possible styrofoam boxes corresponding to a specific temperature condition. One box will be kept at room temperature, another will be kept below room temperature with the assistance of ice, and the third will be kept above room temperature by a heat lamp. The ice will be changed periodically to ensure a constant temperature over the course of the experiment. Furthermore, fruit flies will be placed into each enclosure at a predetermined interval of twelve hours. The experiment will take place over five days time. The the end of the five days, each enclosure will be weighed again and the weights from the beginning and end will be compared. Our research concerns the effect of temperature on web production and can be related to the global shift in temperature. Global warming is altering the climate and resulting in temperatures that would be considered abnormal in the past. As a result, the behavior and localization of organisms will change. We plan to apply this to cellar spiders to observe how global temperature change will alter their behavior, specifically web production.

 

We aim to observe the effect of temperature on the production of webs for cellar spiders. Across the three temperature groups of our experiment, we want to know how the difference in temperature will affect the size of spider webs. From this, we aim to deduce the ideal temperature for web production in cellar spiders. Previous research has demonstrated that at lower temperatures, spider web production is reduced. In addition, our design for the enclosure is based on a previous method. We plan to acquire 9 cellar spiders of the same species and place them each in their own enclosure. We will weigh the enclosure immediately after the spider is placed inside. Each enclosure will have small air holes at the top, and a slightly larger hole for depositing food without disturbing the spider. Groups of 3 spiders and their enclosures will be placed into one of the three styrofoam boxes corresponding to a specific temperature condition. One box will be kept at room temperature, another will be kept below room temperature with the assistance of ice, and the third will be kept above room temperature by a heat lamp. The ice will be changed periodically to ensure a constant temperature over the course of the experiment. Furthermore, food will be placed into each enclosure at a predetermined interval of twelve hours. The experiment will take place over five days time. The the end of the five days, each enclosure will be weighed again and the weights from the beginning and end will be compared. Our research concerns the effect of temperature on web production and can be related to the global shift in temperature. Global warming is altering the climate and resulting in temperatures that would be considered abnormal in the past. As a result, the behavior and localization of organisms will change. We plan to apply this to cellar spiders to observe how global temperature change will alter their behavior, specifically web production.

Because p53 and RB are so crucial to tumor suppression, their failure can be fatal. If either protein sustains a loss of function mutation, then errors in the DNA can make it past checkpoints. These errors can then lead to malfunctioning cells that cannot regulate their processes and become cancerous. Thus, both proteins are tumor suppressors.

For this scenario, a cell would need to receive a signal to divide. Since it is cloning itself for the replacement of a damaged cell, there must be a mechanism that releases division signals into the body. Perhaps this could be a signal released by the damaged cell itself or maybe another companion cell. What's important is that the replacement cell gets a signal to divide.

How does the cell accumulate extra cellular material to prepare for duplication? If it is increasing the rate of protein synthesis and doubling the cellular genome, where does it acquire all of the extra amino acids, nucleic acid, and other various cellular material?

It's interesting that the mechanisms of proteolysis can occur during the process of the cell cycle. This means that the proteins that add ubiquitin to other proteins functions during this period. These ubiquitinated proteins are then directed to the proteasome, meaning that the proteasome also functions during this time. They are lysed in the proteasome and degraded.

Cancerous cells take advantage of the failure of checkpoints and as a result accumulate more and more mutations. This is why cancerous cells are so hard to eradicate. Drugs can target specific players in specific pathways and disable them to prevent propagation of signals for growth, avoidance of cell death, and motility. But due to the mutability, cancer is able to adapt and utilize a different pathway or player to accommodate its needs for growth and spread. This is known as oncogene addiction.

Retinoblastoma (Rb) is an extremely commonly mutated protein in cancerous cells. Since it acts as a controller of a transcription factor for proteins (E2F)involved in the S phase of the cell cycle, when it has loss of function mutation it is not able to inhibit this TF. That is why Rb is considered a tumor suppressor.

There needs to be an extremely diverse collection of immune system components on T cells and B cells because they have to be prepared to deal with the huge variety of foreign molecules that can get into the body. They recognize anything that is not "self" and mark them for destruction. The different immune system cells need to be trained to not target normally functioning cells within the body.

A new cutting-edge method for targeting cancer is to create an antibody based of the composure of the tumor and create a corresponding T cell receptor that targets it. This allows the immune system to continually target the tumor rather than using a drug to disable a specific part of a pathway. This method allows for oncogene addiction to be dealt with and furthers the likelihood of remission.

Recombinase has to take into account the DNA sequence of the invader and make a copy of it for the purpose of identification. These signal sequences must be extremely specific because if they are not, then the wrong molecules could be targeted by the immune system and lead to an autoimmune disorder. The immune system could target our own cells and cause a number of bad symptoms.

This makes sense because the sheer quantity of pathogens and foreign invader molecules that a given person can encounter is massive. Therefore, because the V(D)J recombination allows for so much variability in the antigen-binding region, all of these different possibilities can be taken care of by the immune system. Even the pathogens that mutate rapidly because it can respond to these changes.

Huskies are a breed that is most closely related to their ancestor and therefore would be the best choice for the repopulation. This is because it would allow for a similar genetic divergence overtime. After many years, the diversity of dog breeds that was available would have the potential to return to what it once was. I emphasize that this would take a very long time, but I firmly believe that Huskies would be an excellent place to start. Furthermore, Huskies are not only friendly dogs, but they also can serve a purpose. They traditionally are known as a working breed because they can pull sleds carrying goods and people in places that do not have roads. Running long distances is an easy feat for a Husky and gives them a purpose beyond being a loving companion. This demonstrates that they are a dependable and capable breed suitable for repopulation of domestic dogs.

 

Under the assumption that only one pregnant dog and her puppies of a specific breed can be saved from the retrovirus, the ideal candidate would be the Siberian Husky. A loyal and loving breed, that has the capacity for utility. As someone who studies biology and knows a good amount about canines, I believe Huskies are an excellent candidate.

Huskies are a breed that is most closely related to their ancestor and therefore would be the best choice for the repopulation. This is because it would allow for a similar genetic divergence overtime. After many years, the diversity of dog breeds that was available would have the potential to return to what it once was. Furthermore, Huskies are not only friendly dogs, but they also can serve a purpose. They traditionally are known as a working breed because they can pull sleds carrying goods and people in places that do not have roads. Running long distances is an easy feat for a Husky and gives them a purpose beyond being a loving companion. This shows that they are a dependable and capable breed.

Of all of the breeds of dogs that I have interacted with, Huskies have stood out to me. They are extremely well-mannered and reserved. They emit a sense of pride in the way that they hold themselves, yet display real affection for their owner. Since they are a dog that traditionally lives in a pack, they are well equipped to live with humans and become a member of their pack. In addition, their thick coat of fur allows for them to live in a wide variety of environments; many environments that other domesticated dogs could not survive in. With all of these things in mind, I believe that Huskies would be an excellent candidate to save from the devastating retrovirus.

Cite: https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/siberian-husky/