Biological Sciences thesis and dissertation collection
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Recent Submissions
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Investigation of host red blood cell receptors essential for rosetting in severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-23)Plasmodium falciparum malaria kills almost half a million people every year, many of whom are children living in Africa. Rosetting is a pathological phenomenon which is associated with all types of severe malaria and ... -
Identifying genotypic risk factors for grain skinning in malting barley
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-23)Barley grains have a protective outer husk which is firmly adhered to the caryopsis at maturity. Mechanical processing can cause husk loss, leaving the caryopsis exposed. This is known as grain skinning. The malting industry ... -
Breeding phenology and its effects on reproductive success in seabirds
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-23)The timing of reproduction is important for fitness, and has been used to measure the effect of widespread environmental change across ecosystems globally. Across trophic levels, species occupying higher levels of a food ... -
Exploring the interactome of the Drosophila SUMO E3 ligase PIAS
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-23)Drosophila Protein Inhibitor of Activated STAT (PIAS) is required for chromatin organisation. PIAS proteins are SUMO E3 ligases that provide target specificity for the addition of small ubiquitin like modifiers (SUMO) ... -
BMP signalling via Id proteins in mesoderm progenitor cell differentiation
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-23)Historically the three germ layer of the body: endoderm, ectoderm, and mesoderm, were considered to diverge early in development with the derivatives of each to progress along differentiation routes independent of one ... -
Automation-aided high-throughput technologies for synthetic biology
(The University of Edinburgh, 2011-11-23)Synthetic biology is a research discipline which harnesses technological progress in de novo DNA synthesis as well as combining expertise of biological sciences and engineering research fields to facilitate construction ... -
Genomic studies on floral and vegetative development in the Genus Streptocarpus (Gesneriaceae)
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-23)The genus Streptocarpus consists of around 180 species with diverse morphologies. At least three main types of vegetative growth forms can be distinguished: caulescent, rosulate (acaulescents with multiple leaves), and ... -
Redox regulation of Salicylic acid biosynthesis by S-nitrosylation
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-23)A general outcome of plant-pathogen interactions is the oxidative and nitrosative burst, characterized for the accumulation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNA) which coordinate signalling cascades. Among ... -
Reconstituting the spindle assembly checkpoint and the signalling roles of Mad1
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-23)Cell division allows the passage of genetic information to a new cell. During this process, maintaining chromosome transmission fidelity is important in preventing diseases such as cancer and Down’s syndrome. To ensure ... -
Role of the chromatin remodeller LSH in oligodendrocyte differentiation and CNS myelination
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-23)Previous work in embryonic cell lines has implicated LSH in the deposition of DNA methylation, a key regulatory epigenetic modification during mammalian development. We have generated a conditionally reversible knock-out ... -
Targeting nuclear size for therapeutic intervention in cancer
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-23)Nuclear size normally scales with cell size and is maintained throughout the cell cycle, but in cancer this karyoplasmic ratio, the ratio between the cytoplasm and the nucleoplasm, is disrupted, particularly in certain ... -
Growth influences the single cell variability of the DNA damage response in Escherichia coli
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-06)The resilience of bacteria depends upon their capacity to proliferate and survive under different conditions, including in the human body where some bacterial infections can be fatal. Many antibiotics used to treat ... -
Genomics of divergence and hybridisation in the genus Antirrhinum L.
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-06)Plant’s sessile habit and extreme variation in ploidy level, mating system and dispersal provide excellent opportunities for the study of speciation. However substantial challenges remain in elucidating the role of ... -
Establishment and maintenance of DNA methylation in absence of the chromatin remodeller LSH
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-06)DNA methylation at cytosine (5meC) is essential for central cellular mechanisms, such as genomic imprinting, tissue-specific gene expression, silencing of retroviral elements and inactivation of the X chromosome in female. ... -
Development of novel disposable metal/coliform biosensor device for simultaneous monitoring of chemical and microbial quality of drinking water and urine
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-06)The main sources of human exposure to heavy metals are water and food. Metals play significant roles in the growth and development of living organisms. However, they can be lethal at elevated concentrations due to their ... -
Synthetic biology approach towards engineering of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 for microbial fuel cell technologies
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-06)In the past decade the emerging field of microbial electrochemical technologies (METs) has gained increased attention due to its potential for bioenergy production and bioremediation. By utilizing pollutants or waste as ... -
Novel component of the fission yeast memory-based polarity landmark
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-06)Polarised cells have spatial differences in their shape, structure or function. Polarisation is essential for many cellular processes, including directional growth. This occurs at specific sites within the cell determined ... -
Investigating the linkage between Trypanosoma brucei pleomorphism and antigen switch frequency
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-06)African trypanosome infections are characterised by antigenic variation to avoid host immunity and by the production of transmission stages to promote disease spread. Laboratory-adapted (‘monomorphic’) lines of Trypanosoma ... -
Viruses and antiviral responses of an invasive fruit pest, Drosophila suzukii
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-06)Drosophila suzukii (Matsamura) is an invasive dipteran pest of soft fruit crops. Native to Japan and SE Asia it was first detected in the Mediterranean growing regions of Europe and the western states of the USA in 2008. ... -
Mechanisms of cohesin protection and removal during meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-06)Meiosis is a specialised form of cell division which results in the formation of haploid cells from a diploid progenitor, and thus meiosis halves the chromosome content of the parental cell. A tightly controlled sequence ...
