Festival of Scholars

Student Abstracts

Solving the Structure of NIS Synthetase DesD Variant R306Q

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Desferrioxamine D (DesD), from Streptomyces coelicolor, is a member of the NIS Synthetase family. DesD synthesizes siderophores which help microorganisms survive by effectively scavenging ferric iron from the environment. DesD is a possible drug target due to being an essential enzyme in certain virulent bacteria. The DesD variant R306Q has had Arginine (R) replaced with Glutamine (Q) at amino acid residue 306. The purpose of this research was to solve the structure of NIS Synthetase DesD variant R306Q in order to analyze the structure with substrates, ATP and DfoG, bound. Previously collected x-ray diffraction data of DesD variant R306Q was imported into the program CCP4i2. In CCP4i2, each unique chain was checked for gross errors between the electron density map and the known amino acid sequence. Next, various molecules were generated, un-modelled density blobs were modeled, and the structure was refined. After solving the structure in CCP4i2, the data was imported into PyMol where the solved structure was translated into alpha helices, beta strands, and floppy loops exposing interfaces, channels, and other features of the protein’s structure. The protein was crystallized with ATP and DfoG, however none were ordered in this solved structure. Overall completeness was 98.3%, R Factor was reduced from 0.30 to 0.26, and R Free was reduced from 0.34 to 0.30. Over 1300 water molecules, a few glycerol molecules, and multiple magnesium and chlorine ions were added. It was found that the presence or absence of thumb alpha helix 1 drives dimerization.

Student(s):
Raquel Barnard

Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Katherine Hoffmann

How many Sprint Trials is Enough? Avoiding Bias when Estimating Maximum Sprint Performance in Western Fence Lizards

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The objective of my research is to contribute to the understanding of whole-organism performance in the Western Fence Lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis. Whole-organism performance traits include any quantitative measures of how an organism performs at an ecologically relevant task. I have focused on the locomotor performance of sprinting in S. occidentalis because it is a key measure of whole-organism performance in this species. Knowing when an individual uses their maximal performance provides insight into what selective pressures are acting on that specific trait because an organism is expected only to use its maximal performance capacity for survival or reproductive success. Thus, maximal sprint performance is often studied in S. occidentalis and many other species. However, laboratory sprint measurements have been found to be consistent underestimations of an organism’s true maximal speed because of the lack of consideration of intra-individual variation. To contribute further to these findings, I conducted maximal sprint trials on a population of 27 S. occidentalis. Each lizard was sprinted between 1-11 trials and the fastest speed was recorded as the individual’s maximum. I hypothesized that individuals with a greater number of sprint trials will have an average maximal speed that is faster than those with fewer trials. My results supported my hypothesis, showing the average sprint speed of the population increased as the number of trials increased. Variance started at +/-0.56 for 1 trial and decreased until 3 trials, staying relatively constant at +/-0.31 thereafter, meaning the measurements of accuracy for average m/s are precise.

Schedule of Events

Science Showcase: Poster Session

Student Abstracts

Solving the Structure of NIS Synthetase DesD Variant R306Q

How many Sprint Trials is Enough? Avoiding Bias when Estimating Maximum Sprint Performance in Western Fence Lizards

Comparision of Female and Male Golf Swing Kinetics and Force Production

Investigating the Genetic and Developmental Basis of the Racing Stripe Phenotype in Drosophila melanogaster

The Effects of Heel Strike Loading Magnitude on Hip and Lumbar Spine Bone Mineral Density in Male Distance Runners

Postfire Succession in Ventura, California: Vegetation Monitoring Over a Thirteen-Month Period

Quantification of Microfibers in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Loligo opalescens

Quantification of Microfibers in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Loligo opalescens

Can a High Dietary Nitrate Intake Attenuate the Harmful Effects of Chronic Alcohol Consumption on the Vasculature?

The Effect of Hesperidin on a Rotenone-Induced Model of Parkinson's Disease in Lymnaea stagnalis

Solving the Structure of E467A DesD from Streptomyces coelicolor

Impact of Police Unionization on FBI Dataset Participation

Classifying Infrared Emission Line Stars Using Optical Spectroscopy

THE INFLUENCE OF JUMPING RATE OF FORCE DEVELOPMENT ON BONE MINERAL DENSITY IN RUNNERS

Study of QCD Background of VBF Higgs at CMS in CERN

Crybaby Induction by Genetic Elements in the extra eye Strain of Drosophila melanogaster

Review of Spirocyclic Compounds and an Organic Chemistry Textbook

A Generalization of the Hardy Distribution for Golf Hole Scores

STEM Research: CLU Newsletter and Graduate Program Database

Catalysis Mechanism Proposal for DesD

The Comparison of Microfibers in Sand Sediment in Southern California Beaches, Harbors, and Bays

A Screen for Inducible Epigenetic Variation in Natural Populations of Drosophila melanogaster

Artificial Neural Network Platform Development for Chemical Toxicity Model Assessment

Analysis of Microfibers Found in Sardina pilchardus and Rastrelliger kanagurta

Improved Optimization and Chemical Characterization for Urinary Metabolite Screening

NIS synthetases Structure Review of IucA and IucC

Fasting and Cerebral Dynamics: A Systematic Review

Using Recombination to Separate Genetic Components of the extra eye Mutation in Drosophila melanogaster

Are Robots Responsible? Extended and Shared Moral Responsbility

STEM Research Newsletter and Organic Chemistry Textbook

A Screen for Cryptic Epigenetic Variation in Natural Populations of Drosophila melanogaster

Study of Drell-Yan Z Boson Decay Background in Context of the Search for VBF Higgs at CMS (CERN)