Dissertation Defense Schedule
Academic Excellence
Sharing original dissertation research is a principle to which the University of Delaware is deeply committed. It is the single most important assignment our graduate students undertake and upon completion is met with great pride.
We invite you to celebrate this milestone by attending their dissertation defense. Please review the upcoming dissertation defense schedule below and join us!
PROGRAM | Bioinformatics & Systems Biology
Predicted Light-Regulated Mechanisms In Freshwater Microbacteriaceae
By: Priscilla Hempel Chair: Julia Maresca
ABSTRACT
Light is an environmental cue and the most abundant source of energy on Earth. Many organisms in surface environments use and rely on light for energy, orientation with respect to time of day, location, and regulation of physiological processes. Microbes can sense and use light in a wide variety of ways. Some microbes use light as a source of information, and multiple light-sensing proteins that regulate physiological processes have been identified. However, the conversion of light to information and the subsequent cellular response(s) has only been characterized in a few species. Freshwater Actinobacteria grow faster in the light than in the dark, although they lack functional photosystems. To understand how light enhances their growth, this dissertation identifies genes and biological pathways involved in light-enhanced growth using a bioinformatics approach. First, the genomes of the Actinobacteria strains, Aurantimicrobium photophilum, Aurantimicrobium sp. strain MWH-UGA1, and Microbacterium sp. strain 10M-3C3 were sequenced and annotated, resulting in the publication of three genome strains within the Microbacteriaceae family. Next, genome comparisons and phylogenetic profiling analyses were used to identify which genes may be related to the light-enhanced growth phenotype. Finally, the transcriptional responses through a 24-hour light/dark cycle of two species with light-enhanced growth, R. lacicola and A. photophilum, are characterized. In both species about 50% of genes are light-regulated. However, their transcriptional responses differed greatly between the two closely related species. These results indicate that different mechanism(s) may be responsible for the increased growth rates in the light and light-enhanced growth is more complex than previously understood. Overall, this progress in understanding light-enhanced growth of freshwater Actinobacteria lays the groundwork for experiments testing the effects of light on their physiological and biochemical properties, and identifying the cellular activities that correspond to light-induced transcriptional changes in these organisms.
The Process
Step-by-Step
Visit our “Step-by-Step Graduation Guide” to take you through the graduation process.From formatting your Dissertation to Doctoral Hooding procedures.
Dissertation Manual
Wondering how to set up the format for your paper. Refer to the “UD Thesis/Dissertation Manual” for formatting requirements and more.
Defense Submission Form
This form must be completed two weeks in advance of a dissertation defense to meet the University of Delaware Graduate and Professional Education’s requirements.
