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- Creator:
- Ferrell, Abigail
- Description:
- The purpose of this project was to determine the role and impact of farm facilities, specifically the greenhouse, at Calaveras High School. Two objectives were created to for this study. The first objective sought to determine if student, parent, and community support for revitalizing the school farm existed. The second objective sought to determine potential impact of a school farm. A researcher developed needs assessment determined student, parent and community support exists to improve the school farm, and more specifically, improve the greenhouse. Additionally, it determined that Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) projects would improve with development of the school farm.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Agriculture
- Creator:
- Ammon, Elizabeth
- Description:
- To allow students to reach the full potential of the three-ring agriculture education model, students must excel in all three categories: FFA (formally Future Farmers of America), Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) and the classroom/laboratory. SAE experience begins at the local level. Students in the Lassen High School agriculture program volunteer at local veterinary clinics for their SAE and compete in the veterinary science career development event in FFA. To tie these two to the classroom/laboratory component, the current companion animal care curriculum required addition of veterinary science standards. These standards were embedded into the existing curriculum to provide a model agriculture program. Adding this curriculum allows students to develop knowledge about veterinary sciences. Students will be well prepared for the veterinary science contest, volunteering at the local veterinary clinics and to further their education at the university level.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Agriculture
- Creator:
- Peterson, Carolyn
- Description:
- For many community college students, maneuvering through their education to a degree completion is difficult and often requires more than the traditional two years. While academic and financial supports are critical to the completion of a degree, success is also dependent on effective study habits and dedication to coursework. This paper reviews the evidence of the need for highly structured programs. Students must be given specific pathways that guide them towards the receipt of a degree or program certificate. Without this structure, research has shown that students fail to make decisions optimal for success. Thirty-five students enrolled in an introductory animal science course at Woodland Community College were surveyed to identify the following: demographic characteristics; discover student funding of educational expenses; describe their educational and career goals/expectations; and determine student study habits. Students were found to finance their education through either Board of Governors fee waivers or financial support from employment or family members. Students overwhelmingly believe grades were extremely important and intended to complete their coursework at Woodland Community College and attend four-year universities. However, responses showed that most had not met with a counselor, developed an educational plan, and did not devote the appropriate amount of time to the course. The study suggests the agriculture department must implement specific policies to improve student success. The department must require students to meet with a counselor, as well as discuss with students necessary practices they must apply to succeed in college. Ideally, specific pathways must be established in order to insure that students are able to complete their coursework towards a degree in a reasonable amount of time.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Agriculture
- Creator:
- Wells, Karin
- Description:
- In order to assess variation in oral health, hygiene, and diet within the Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center pauper cemetery, pathological conditions of the teeth and jaws were analyzed by ancestry group. Utilizing a biocultural approach for analyzing pathological conditions, this study aims at understanding the interactions of sociocultural constructs and biology in a late 19th and early 20th century pauper cemetery. A total of 40 individuals from the Valley Medical Center (VMC) collection was analyzed for carious lesions, alveolar abscesses, dental attrition, and antemortem tooth loss. These individuals were separated into ancestry groups using dental morphological methods of ancestry estimation. As this skeletal collection is very poorly preserved, it was hypothesized that dental morphology would be a more reliable method of ancestry estimation than previously employed cranial methods. Analysis of the ancestry estimation results indicate that all of the previously indeterminate individuals were able to be estimated using dental morphology, though to what degree of accuracy is unknown. It was hypothesized that there would be variation in the frequency and type of dental pathology between the estimated ancestry groups. It was predicted that the greatest frequency of pathological conditions of the dentition would be seen among the non-white ancestry groups due to differences in access to healthcare and overall diet. Results of these data indicate that there is a significant difference in the number of carious lesions between white and non-white groups; however, the prediction was not supported. More significant dental pathology was observed among the white ancestry group, possibly indicating a lack of access to proper nutrition and healthcare, or diets more reliant on refined sugars. This project highlights the limitations of using dental pathology for indications of social status when working with a small sample size, as well as the inherent difficulty in estimating ancestry from skeletal remains.
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Peters, Mallory
- Description:
- Understanding how culture shapes skeletal development, maintenance, and decomposition is critical to bioarchaeological studies that depend on skeletal assemblages to make conclusions about past populations. Few studies have thus far focused on how socioeconomic status has impacted bone mineral density and skeletal preservation. To address this, the current study compares bone mineral density in different skeletal collections and taphonomic damage within a single historic Californian skeletal collection. It was hypothesized that (1) cultural factors would impact bone mineral density, (2) that the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) population’s mean bone mineral density is impacted because of its marginalized status, (3) within the SCVMC sample the hospital patients will have lower density than non-patients, and (4) individuals within the SCVMC sample with lower density will have higher rates of taphonomic damage. These hypotheses were tested using second metacarpal radiogrammetry to assess bone mineral density levels in four samples and compare these values across populations. The results indicate that the populations examined in this study do not have significantly different bone mineral density levels but the SCVMC collection’s density is lower than the modern and contemporaneous historic populations examined. Additionally, within the SCVMC collection there was no significant difference in density levels between patients and non-patients. The one hypothesis that was supported was that individuals in the SCVMC collection with lower density levels incurred greater amounts of taphonomic damage than those with higher density levels. This line of study would benefit from using larger and more diverse samples with greater demographic information. It supports previous literature which identifies bone mineral density as a key component in susceptibility to taphonomic processes but does not suggest that culture is a predominantly driving force in determining density levels for populations.
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- McMahon, Claire E.
- Description:
- In 1956, members of the University of California Survey, Baumhoff, Bennyhoff, Elasser, and Kranz, excavated Payne’s Cave (CA-TEH-193), a site associated with Southern Yana territory. The artifact assemblage indicated a clear pre- and protohistoric occupation. At the time, Baumhoff determined the seasonality of occupation as the winter season, given the elevation of the site at 1,600 feet. Baumhoff also developed a culture chronology, and stated the cave was likely occupied during what he called the “Period of Hiding,” lasting from about 1850-1875 AD. This study uses models from Human Behavioral Ecology to examine the faunal data from the Payne’s Cave assemblage to refine our understanding of the impact of Euro-American contact for the Yana. Aspects of resource depression and mobility are analyzed to uncover the unique method of resistance-survival used by the Yana during contact era. Also, cementum increment analysis is conducted on mule deer teeth from the assemblage to confirm Baumhoff’s original seasonality determination. Results include provisional support data indicating resource depression at the time of culture contact, while faunal data in tangent with historic data show strong support for high Yana mobility at this time. Cementum increment results support Baumhoff’s determination, and provide a higher resolution of site use.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Maxey, Tamara
- Description:
- The events of September 11, 2001 caused emotional trauma across the United States and elicited myriad reactions within the Nation that effected the lives of every American to some degree. In the months and years following the attacks, there was an enthusiastic drive to memorialize the lives that were lost on that day, as well as to acknowledge the actions of the first responders who died in the line of duty. Many small, civic memorials now dot the Country and educate the public about the events and significance of 9/11. This thesis considers civic 9/11 memorials from a museological perspective and aims to determine what initiated the civic memorialization process, how World Trade Center artifacts are used in the memorials, and what the installations contribute to the collective understanding of the attacks. In formant interviews and site surveys were used to gather data on the design and construction process of the memorials, as well as the various objects and words featured at each location. The influence of object curation and organization on the creation of collective historical memory is explored, as well as the significance of social and material capital in facilitating access to public expression. Additionally, this study looks at what is missing from the memorial sites; what parts of the 9/11 story are left out and how these omissions contribute to the particular historical message that memorial visitors encounter. This study observes that some civic 9/11 memorials, through the careful curation of objects and ideas, as well as the application of social and material capital, offer a framing of 9/11 which encourages a historically disconnected understanding of the event and glosses over some of the more unflattering aspects of the Nation’s response to the tragedy.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Hart, Kelsie Mae
- Description:
- The identification of autopsy and dissection on human skeletal remains is challenged by a lack of formal diagnostic criteria for distinguishing between various anatomization activities. The Point San Jose assemblage consists of commingled, fragmentary human skeletal remains dating to the late-nineteenth century. Cut and saw marks observed on the bones suggest that these individuals were subjected to autopsy or dissection. This thesis aims to identify the activities that contributed to the formation of the Point San Jose assemblage and uses this site as a case study to explore the challenges for the identification of autopsy and dissection on human skeletal remains. The interpretation of the Point San Jose assemblage was approached through a review of the bioarchaeology literature and the formation of diagnostic criteria for the identification of various anatomization activities. The cut marks on the Point San Jose assemblage were recorded using the zonation method of Knüsel and Outram (2004). The evidence indicates dissection as the best explanation for the cut marks observed on the Point San Jose assemblage. Statistical analyses reveal that the cut mark data from Point San Jose is most similar to the data from Holden Chapel. These results suggest that the Point San Jose assemblage represents a “cleanup” event of unwanted or leftover skeletal elements following dissection and specimen preparation. This thesis makes a tentative argument for structural violence in the formation of the Point San Jose skeletal assemblage based on the higher representation of Asian and Hispanic ancestries, which may suggest the targeting of marginalized populations for dissection.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Curry, Jessica N.
- Description:
- Commingling provides a unique challenge in the identification of human remains. The ability to accurately sort the skeletal elements of two or more individuals is vitally important in mass disasters or in other situations in which the bones of one individual become intermixed with those of another individual. Most methods utilized in reconciling commingling rely on visual observations and pair matching undertaken by the lead anthropologist or principle investigator. As such, these methods rely on the experience and expertise of the person performing the analysis. These subjective methods of reconciling commingling can certainly be useful in these cases. However, developing an objective, statistically-based method of analysis that can be utilized in cases where visual matching may not be possible is of utmost importance. This thesis investigates the use of x-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology as a means of sorting remains and reconciling commingling in cases where the remains have been taphonomically altered. Further, this thesis seeks to address the influence of different depositional environments on the chemical composition of bone. To evaluate this method, XRF analyses were conducted on a sample of 40 individuals from the Valley Medical Center (VMC) pauper cemetery (1871-1937) in Santa Clara County, California, and on 20 individuals from the California State University, Chico (CSU, Chico) donated forensic collection. The 40 individuals from the VMC collection originate from the same depositional environment while the 20 individuals form the CSU, Chico collection originate from different depositional environments. This thesis tests the hypothesis that inter-skeletal differences in x-ray fluorescence chemical elemental signatures will be observed between individual skeletons from the VMC collection. In addition, this thesis also tests the hypothesis that no statistically significant differences in intra-skeletal XRF signatures will be observed within individual skeletons in the VMC collection. If these hypotheses are supported, this would demonstrate that diagenesis did not significantly alter chemical signatures in the skeletal remains, indicating that the method has utility for sorting commingled remains in historic burials. If these hypotheses are not supported, the results would indicate that diagenesis obscured in vivo chemical signatures, negating the use of the method on sorting archaeological human remains. Results suggest that variation in certain chemical elemental ratios between individuals is significantly different while the variation in other chemical elemental ratios within individual burials is not significantly different. This lack of statistical significance within burials allows for skeletal elements to be accurately associated with additional skeletal elements from the same burial. Further, the presence of a significant differences between individuals allows for burials to be accurately isolated from one another, greatly enhancing our ability to reconcile commingling when other methods are unable to do so.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Kerkhove-Peltier, Jacques
- Description:
- The purpose of this study is to review and garner a better understanding of archaeological law and site protection as implemented by government agencies and affiliates in northern California. In recent years, a 67-year-old man was sentenced to three years of probation after he was caught stealing Maidu artifacts from Lake Oroville Recreation Area. Such disreputable behavior often goes unnoticed, and in the case of this man, it went unnoticed for more than 20 years. When local sites are vandalized it is often considered a matter of lesser importance. In my view, this is quite possibly related to an affinity people in the United States have towards more impressive archaeological sites. In Steven Newcomb’s view, it might be related to a site’s specific context (i.e., Christian versus non-Chrisitian) . The Lake Oroville Recreation Area, the Belfast Petroglyph site, and Tommy Tucker Cave are just some of the most recent examples of vandalism at archaeological sites in northeastern California. In order to shed light on such localized examples, this research pertains to archaeology as it is practiced by agency archaeologists in northern California. Places of investigation include the following: Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Eagle Lake (Susanville), Redding, and Bishop field offices; and Caltrans Stockton Field Office. Additionally, the study involves a review of archaeological law, site looters, and those who are interested in cultural resources. Based on the results of this data, a model to identify sites considered most at risk for vandalism and looting is proposed.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Martin, Heather C.
- Description:
- The Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology at California State University, Chico, has a permanent collection that comprises over 2,000 ethnographic objects from around the world. The museum’s limited space results in the majority of the permanent collection remaining off-exhibit and inaccessible to the public. The growing momentum of the new museum theory has encouraged museums to address issues of accessibility in their museums. Facing criticism of collections growing stagnant in storage rooms, unavailable to the public and researchers alike, there is a growing trend in creating online databases to increase access to collections. The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate that new museum theory can be a framework that supports the effort to engage with the community through the production of an online database. This thesis details the process of creating an online database of the North American basketry collection at the Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology. New museum theory was applied through collaboration with the local Native American community to create a database the makes the museum’s collections more accessible to the public. The project contributes to the field of anthropology and museum studies by facilitating anthropological research, using extant museum collections, and serves as an example for other small museums that are interested in making the best use of their collections.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Barrera, Lisa
- Description:
- The California State Indian Museum (SIM) in Sacramento, California has a collection of over 12,000 objects in storage, about one third of which are basketry. This basketry collection was not known to me until I started to work there as a graduate student assistant in 2011 at which time I realized that access was very limited. In this thesis, I investigated three other repositories as my case studies that successfully incorporated programs, which increased access to their collections in storage. These museums are the Indian Arts Research Center (IARC) at the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the C. Hart Merriam Collection at the University of California at Davis, and the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology. Many of the programs discussed not only increased access, but also made their collections relevant to their respective communities by utilizing the New Museum Theory of inclusivity and collaboration. Many museums are starting to come around to the fact that they are not the sole authority over the objects in their collections any longer. If they do not start to relinquish the controls a little, they might risk becoming irrelevant to the people they are supposed to serve.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Anthropology
- Creator:
- Lona, Irene
- Description:
- Walnut (Juglans) and wingnut (Pterocarya) trees have been declining in response to Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD). The TCD pathogen, Geosmithia morbida, is vectored by a phloeophagous bark beetle, the walnut twig beetle (Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman). To understand P. juglandis host selection, the following were investigated at two orchards in Northern California: 1) The susceptibility of two walnut species (Juglans californica and J . major) native to the western USA by comparing P. juglandis flight and landing responses to unbaited branch sections and 2) The relationship between English walnut (Juglans regia) tree health, represented by several levels of plant water stress, and P. juglandis colonization success. P. juglandis preferred to land on J. californica over J. major. With J. regia, there was no significant difference in P. juglandis activity between branches from trees in high water stress and low water stress groups (both baited with P. juglandis aggregation pheromone). No P. juglandis colonization activity was observed in unbaited branches from the negative control group (unbaited). Activity by P. juglandis was found primarily on 4 cm diameter branches. Other invasive bark and ambrosia beetles such as Hypothenemus eruditus and Xyleborinus saxeseni; and an invasive longhorned beetle, Nathrius brevipennis preferred to land on J. major over J. californica. Collections of H. eruditus and an invasive ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus affinis, in Butte County reflect the northernmost records of these species in California. No significant relationships were found in J. regia between water stress and activity by N. brevipennis and a parasitoid Gildoria sp; however, activity by N. brevipennis and Gildoria sp. was found primarily on secondary 1 cm diameter branches (twigs). In conjunction with this study, significant flight responses of N. brevipennis and X. saxeseni to ethanol were recorded in a J. regia orchard. Overall, this study demonstrated that volatile cues from Juglans may influence host selection by P. juglandis and associated insects.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Bianchini, Elizabeth A.
- Description:
- Recent human infections with avian influenza viruses (AIV) highlight the need for continued surveillance of AIV in waterfowl. California’s Sacramento Valley is an important wintering site for waterfowl from which avian influenza viruses may be isolated. To determine host correlates of AIV infection and better understand the risk posed by AIV circulating in California, we collected cloacal swabs from 2,066 hunter-killed ducks across four hunting seasons at different locations in the Sacramento Valley. We determined that Northern shovelers have a higher AIV infection rate than other waterfowl species from which we commonly sampled and that the relationship between sex and AIV infection is a poorly understood factor that needs to be investigated on a species level. Additionally, we detected three viruses of the subtype H7N3. Whole genome sequencing of these viruses revealed genetic markers that have been correlated with increased pathogenesis in mammals. All three H7N3 viruses were capable of replication in mammalian cells at levels similar to a human seasonal H1N1 virus. Additionally, at least one of these H7N3 viruses is able to cause disease in mice similarly to a human seasonal H1N1 virus. These results provide insights into host factors of AIV susceptibility that can help guide future surveillance efforts as well as evidence of novel subtype H7N3 with mammalian adaptations that could pose a risk to public health and therefore should be monitored closely.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Stompe, Dylan K.
- Description:
- This study examined the diets of two predatory fish species, the native Sacramento Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus grandis) and the introduced Striped Bass (Morone saxitilis), within the Sacramento River, CA, USA. Sampling occurred between March and December 2017 and was comprised of two primary components. The northern survey component was done via hook and line sampling, on a 35 kilometer reach near Chico, CA, and the southern survey component was done via seven fyke traps located near Sacramento, CA. Stomach contents were collected via non-lethal gastric lavage and were later processed using visual, gravimetric, and genetic techniques. Relative abundance of Sacramento Pikeminnow was significantly higher at man-made structure sites and Striped Bass relative abundance was positively correlated with water temperature. Diets of Sacramento Pikeminnow and Striped Bass captured near Chico, CA were not different, and Striped Bass captured near Chico, CA had significantly different diets to those captured near Sacramento, CA as determined by PERMANOVA analysis.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Rich, Shannon
- Description:
- Flammulated owls (Psiloscops flammeolus) are small nocturnal owls that are thought to migrate long distances every year from summer breeding grounds in the western United States and southern Canada to winter habitat in Mexico. They are cryptic and elusive cavity nesters and little is known about their migratory patterns or winter habitat. They have been named a Species of Concern by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service be cause of potential habitat destruction. The goal of this research was to track the movements of these owls during their migratory season and over the winter using light-level geolocators, which records ambient light levels that correspond to sunrise and sunset times to determine specific bird locations. During 2012-2013, 60 geolocators were attached to male and female flammulated owls in breeding sites in Washington, Colorado, Utah, and California. In 2013-2014, 16 of these geolocators were recovered from birds in California, Utah, and Colorado. The migratory routes of these birds were analyzed using GIS and further analysis was performed to determine habitat characteristics of their winter home ranges in Mexico. Consistencies in migratory routes and wintering areas between owls from different breeding locations contributed to greater knowledge about the migratory ecology of this owl. Novel results for the migratory behavior of a mated pair from California who used comparable routes and wintering areas before returning to breed together the following year, as well as a female owl from Utah with multiple years of data that showed her using a very similar route and wintering area between years also provided new information that was not yet confirmed about female flammulated owls. This geolocator analysis along with additional research on habitat preferences of flammulated owls in California is the first step in assessing the current status of this species with the goal of a broader western U.S. effort in the future.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Hanson, Tina
- Description:
- 95% of the cases of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) are caused by a chromosomal translocation linking the breakpoint cluster region (BCR) gene to the Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene-1 (ABL1). Downstream of BCR-ABL is growth receptor bound protein-2 (GRB2), which binds to BCR-ABL via its src-homology-2 (SH2) domain. This binding constitutively activates growth pathways while down regulating apoptosis leading to an over proliferation of immature and dysfunctional myeloid cells. Four novel SH2 antagonists were developed with three of the four showing a significant reduction in proliferation of a BCR-ABL+ leukemia cell line. To elucidate the mechanism of action, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assay, and a cellulose nitrate (CN) filter assay were performed. These assays indicated that one of the three effective molecules, NHD2-15, antagonized the SH2 domain of GRB2 with a Kd value of 119 ± 2 μM, bringing us closer to developing a new treatment for CML.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Belmonte, Rebecca
- Description:
- Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an excellent model organism for studying embryonic vertebrate development due to their conserved genome with humans, external development, and ease of observation under the microscope. The gene SON is found on the twenty-first chromosome of humans and is often overexpressed in patients with leukemias, particularly acute megakaryoblastic leukemia. Previously, we showed that mutations in the mRNA splicing co-factor gene SON cause malformations in human and zebrafish spines and brains. We performed these studies by knocking down the expression of the zebrafish homolog of SON in zebrafish at the single-cell developmental stage with specific morpholinos (MOs). In addition to the brain and spinal malformations we also observed abnormal blood cell levels with son knockdown. We then investigated how blood production was altered when levels of son were lowered. Decreased levels of SON resulted in impaired blood flow and lower amounts of red blood cells when visualized with hbaa:GFP transgenic fish. There was also a reduction in thrombocytes seen with cd41:GFP fish and verified with flow cytometry, and myeloid cells, as seen with mpx:GFP fish. We also saw a significant decrease in the quantity of T cells, visualized with lck:GFP fish. However, when we plated the hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from zebrafish with reduced levels of son, we saw no difference in colony forming capability. Further investigation of son and its effect on blood development should establish how misexpression of this gene negatively impacts human health.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Biological Sciences
19. Characterization of isthmin-1 (ISM-1) in vertebrate hematopoietic proliferation and differentiation
- Creator:
- Berrun, Arturo C.
- Description:
- Hematopoiesis is a highly regulated biological process that begins with a singular adult stem cell called the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC). HSCs are responsible for generation of trillions of cells a day, yet the pathways that instruct an HSC to self-renew and differentiate into mature blood cells are not fully known. To understand these molecular pathways, we investigated novel genes expressed in hematopoietic-supportive cell lines. We sequenced the transcriptome of three stromal cell lines derived from developing and mature zebrafish and identified 100 highly expressed transcripts. For our studies, we focused on ism-1 due to its shared synteny with humans. To characterize ism-1, we performed loss-of-function experiments to identify if mature blood cell production was disrupted. Myeloid, erythroid and lymphoid lineages were visualized and scored with transgenic zebrafish expressing lineage-specific markers. ism-1 knockdown led to reduced proliferation of neutrophils, macrophages, erythrocytes, and T cells. Analysis of methylcellulose plating with ism-1 morphants also showed a reduction in total hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) proliferation. Overall, we identified that ism-1 is required for normal proliferation and differentiation of HSPCs and their downstream progeny in zebrafish hematopoiesis. Further investigation into ism-1 and its associated signaling pathways may lead to the discovery of novel drug therapies for blood-based diseases and help expand HSPCs in vitro.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Diaz, Pablo Emiliano
- Description:
- Diabetes is a disease in which patients exhibit deficiencies in their ability to secrete or respond to insulin and is affecting both national and worldwide populations. There are two types of diabetes, type I and type II. In type II diabetes patients, tissues become insulin resistant, requiring pancreatic β-cells to produce more insulin. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small 21-23 nucleotide non-coding RNAs that target the 3’ untranslated region (UTR) of gene transcripts, inhibiting their expression. One miRNA, miR-375, appears in diabetic’s serum more than non-diabetic patients. In diabetic patients with elevated miR-375, β-cell numbers were reduced while pancreatic α-cells increased. In this thesis, I focus on the effects that miR-375 has on β-cell and α-cell proliferation. When inhibiting miR-375 I discovered that α-cells in culture proliferated about 20% less, as one might see in diabetics. Conversely, β-cells in culture proliferated about 20% more, again, as one might see in diabetics. I also focus on target genes of the miR-375: Rasd1 and Pdk1. Rasd1 is a negative regulator of cell proliferation in G coupled protein receptor signaling. Pdk1 is involved in the PI3/Akt pathway for promoting cell proliferation. I predicted that the negative regulator Rasd1 would be less abundant in α-cells compared to β-cells, and in fact this is what I discovered. Though inconclusive, knock down of miR-375 suggests Rasd1 is targeted in α-cells but not in β-cells. The results suggest that miR-375 is important for cell proliferation within α-cells but is inhibitory to β-cell.
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Chico
- Department:
- Biological Sciences