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Student Research in the Biology DepartmentThe PC biology faculty is quick to point out that a good education is not limited to the classroom.There are educational research projects and journeys available. Click on the links/pictures below to view a PDF presentation about recent student researches. (You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader™ to view the documents)
 Summer Research 2004 (Laurel Hickman & Erica Raheja) - Freshwater Mussel Ecotoxicology
Honors Project (Laurel L. Delaney & Mary Douglass Hayne) - A Floral Analysis of the Pleistocene Camelot Fauna Click here to view Laurel's and Mary Douglass's research proposal (Word document) November 30, 2003. The Pleistocene spanned from 1.8 million to 11,000 years ago and was characterized by drastic environmental changes and the expansion of the polar icecaps. Animal remains such as the Glyptodont, Mammoth, and Giant Beaver have been found and examined from a site near Harleyville, SC called “Camelot.” However, the floral remains have not yet been studied. Layers of carbonized plant remains have been found, including pollen, seeds, leaves, twigs and nuts. The first part of the study will use dissecting and light microscopes to study the stems, leaves, and reproductive portions of the plants found at the site. The second part of the study will examine the pollen using the scanning electron microscope, comparing it to contemporary pollen. Honors Project (Matt Madden) - Analysis of the GPR50 Gene’s Involvement in X-Linked Mental Retardation in Chromosomal Region Xq28 Click here to view Matt's research proposal (Word document)February 2, 2003. Analysis of the GPR50 Gene’s Involvement in X-Linked Mental Retardation in Chromosomal Region Xq28. X-linkage in mental retardation (MR) was first suspected during the 1970s with the identification of fragile X and predictions now estimate that as many as 200 X-Linked MR genes may exist The purpose of this research then is to explore GPR50, a gene located in chromosomal region Xq28, for its possible involvement in X-Linked Mental Retardation (XLMR). GPR50, which consists of only two coding exons, encodes for H9, a novel member of the G protein-coupled melatonin receptor family thought to be involved in neurological signal transduction. An attempt to locate mutations within the GPR50 gene was then made using a pool of approximately 550 males with mental retardation of unknown etiology. In exon 1, a nested PCR was first performed to amplify the region followed by amplicon sequencing using a MegaBACE sequencer. Exon 2 still awaits investigation. To date, around 300 of the 550 male genetic samples have been examined for variations within exon 1. Variations indicating the possibility of a mutation have been found in 9 of the 300 individuals including suspected base pair substitutions and insertions. These variations now await further confirmation through both restriction endonuclease digest results and more complete MegaBACE sequencing results using both a forward and reverse primer. Clearly, much more analysis is needed to ascertain whether these potential variations point to a role of GPR50 in XLMR.
January 23, 2003. Senior Biology Majors Christina Ball and Beth Bailey
are isolating fish chromosomes from the Sunfish family, Centrarchidae, in
order to compare the different banding patterns in an effort to compare
the evolution of the different genera. Kidney cells will be cultured and
slides will be viewed using a technique called q banding with fluorescent
microscopy to identify banding patterns of the chromosomes. Although these
fish have had their phylogeny described by hybridization experiments as
well as morphological characteristics, chromosome rearrangements and their
role in |
Honors
project (Christina Ball and Beth Bailey) - Isolating fish chromosomes
from the Sunfish family, Centrarchidae
Honors project (Dawn Oxner & Amanda Brinson) - Isolation and Characterization of Antibiotics from Chitin Amended Soils