Biological Sciences thesis and dissertation collection
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Recent Submissions
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Influence of rhizobial symbiosis on chickpea root system architecture
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Since most soil resources are heterogeneously distributed, root distribution, termed root system architecture (RSA), is critical for plant nutrition. Rhizobia are bacteria that establish symbioses with legume roots, where ... -
Evolution of remarkable chromosome dynamics in two insect families with paternal genome elimination
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)During meiosis in diploid organisms, Mendel’s laws suggest that homologous chromosomes should recombine and be randomly distributed to gametes. This is true for meiosis in most organisms, however, in some cases, chromosome ... -
Dynamic modelling of monogastric gut microbiota
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)The porcine gut microbiota is composed of a considerable number of microbial species with several levels of interaction with its host, including the production of energy from sources, otherwise not digested by the ... -
Systematic analysis of small RNA function in respiratory virus infection
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza virus (PIV) are among the most common causes of respiratory infections worldwide, causing morbidity and mortality especially in young children but also elderly or ... -
Structure and distribution of homologous recombination intermediates formed during Escherichia coli DNA double-strand break repair
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Accurate repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is crucial for both cell survival and genome integrity. In Escherichia coli, these breaks are repaired by the homologous recombination (HR) pathway, normally using an ... -
Regulation of polarised growth in fission yeast by the Stress-Activated Protein Kinase pathway
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Cell polarity is a critical feature of cells and refers to the spatial differences in their shape, structure, and function. Most cells are polarised, with structurally and functionally distinct regions. This polarisation ... -
Praziquantel drug modulation of human immune responses: a tool for schistosome vaccine discovery and immunotherapy
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Schistosomiasis is a devastating parasitic disease caused by infection with flatworms from the genus Schistosoma. Schistosoma haematobium is the most prevalent species in Africa and the Middle East and causes urogenital ... -
Proteolysis-dependent regulation of telomerase
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Eukaryotes maintain their genomes in the form of linear chromosomes. Because of the inability of the replication machinery to copy linear DNA molecules to the very end, the chromosomes were predicted to become shorter ... -
Making the best of a bad job: effects of state and social context on reproductive decisions in a burying beetle
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Animals must make strategic decisions about how to allocate their limited resources towards reproduction. These decisions can include who to mate with, how many eggs or offspring to produce, and how much to allocate ... -
Investigating disease tolerance using a human re-challenge model of Falciparum Malaria
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Malaria infection by P. falciparum is clinically heterogeneous, causing asymptomatic, mild and, in some cases, severe life-threatening disease. Despite continuous efforts, the mechanisms that drive severe disease still ... -
Causes and consequences of plasticity in parental and offspring behaviour in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Behavioural plasticity, the environmentally induced change in behaviour, is a reversible response that allows a rapid switch in activity to best match the environment. Behavioural plasticity is a widespread mechanism ... -
Establishing an anatomically and clinically relevant tissue engineered tendon-bone model of the flexor digitorum profundus insertion
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Avulsion of the flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) tendon from the distal phalanx (DP) in the finger is a common and distinct clinical injury of the hand (‘jersey finger’) with considerable functional morbidity. Multiple ... -
Soil matters: impacts of farming practices on natural regulation of root pests of field vegetables
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Agricultural intensification and over-reliance on pesticides have had serious detrimental effects on ecosystems. Agroecology research is attempting to restore healthier agroecosystems, capable of delivering a wide range ... -
Endogenous state of α-synuclein protein alters susceptibility to Lewy-like pathology
(The University of Edinburgh, 2020-11-30)Background and aims: Two human mutations affecting the α-synuclein protein confer the most clinical severity in Parkinson’s disease; endogenous αSyn over-expression due to gene multiplication and αSynG51D due to a missense ... -
Paediatric schistosomiasis: dynamics and consequences
(The University of Edinburgh, 2020-11-30)Urogenital schistosomiasis, caused by the parasite helminth Schistosoma haematobium, is one of the major parasitic diseases affecting millions of preschool-aged children (PSAC), i.e. aged 5 years and below, in sub-Saharan ... -
Genetics and conservation of the southern South American conifers
(The University of Edinburgh, 2020-11-30)Coniferous trees dominate many northern forests, and globally there are around 627 species of conifers, from eight families and 70 genera. Although the largest abundance of conifers is in the great boreal forests of Eurasia ... -
Investigating the role of interferon—γ signalling for malaria dyserythropoiesis
(The University of Edinburgh, 2020-11-30)In innate and adaptive immunity, the proinflammatory type 1 cytokine interferon gamma (IFN-γ), is well known for its protective role particularly against intracellular pathogens. However, this type 2 interferon has been ... -
Evolution of floral diversity in the genus Croton and related genera (Crotonoideae, Euphorbiaceae)
(The University of Edinburgh, 2020-11-30)Croton, a mega-diverse genus with about 1,200 species, has great variation in floral and inflorescence structures. Flowers of Croton are unisexual with great dimorphism between male and female flowers. Previous studies ... -
Evolutionary ecology of pine-mycorrhizal interactions in the Caledonian pinewoods of Scotland
(The University of Edinburgh, 2020-11-30)Mycorrhizal fungi are important mutualistic symbionts of most plant species, exchanging soilbound nutrients with their host plants in exchange for photosynthetically derived sugars. Although generally beneficial, not all ... -
Engineering synucleinopathy-resistant human dopaminergic neurons by CRISPR-mediated mutation of the SNCA gene
(The University of Edinburgh, 2020-07-22)An experimental treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD) involved the transplantation of fetal midbrain tissue, a source of midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) progenitors, into the striatum of patients to restore dopaminergic ...
