2017 Graduate Research Colloquium

s | 11 Poster Abstracts Advances in Biology, Biochemistry and Biomechanics Synthesis of Oligodeoxynucleotides Containing Electrophilic Groups Shahien Shahsavari, Xi Lin, Jinsen Chen, Nathanael Green, Deepti Goyal, Shiyue Fang 1. Department of Chemistry, Michigan Tech, Houghton, MI Oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) containing electrophilic groups are useful in many studies including antisense drug development and DNA/protein interaction. Due to the use of strong nucleophiles for cleavage and deprotection, traditional ODN synthesis methods are not suitable for their preparation. To solve this problem, a new ODN synthesis technology using the 1,3-dithiane-2-yl-methoxycarbonyl (Dmoc) function as protecting groups and linker has been developed. The Dmoc function is stable under all ODN synthesis conditions using the phosphoramidite chemistry. Upon oxidation of the sulfides in them, because of the drastically increased acidity of H-2, the groups and linker are readily cleaved under nearly non-nucleophilic conditions. Five ODNs including one with a thioester group and another with an α-chloroamide function were successfully synthesized using the strategy. It is predicted that the technique could be adaptable for the synthesis of ODNs containing other electrophiles. Investigation of Mir396-Grfs Module on Tomato Plant Development and Productivity Haiping Liu, Guiliang Tang 1. Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Tech, Houghton, MI MiR396 is highly conserved among plant species and targets growth-regulating factors (GRFs) which are plant-specific transcription factors. According to PlantTFDB (plant transcription factor database), there are 13 GRFs in tomato, and 9 of them are mediated by miR396 from computational prediction. Blocking miR396 produces larger organs all over the plant. We applied short tandem target mimic (STTM) to down-regulate miR396 and resulted in larger plant stature, including longer hypocotyl, bigger leaves, flowers and fruits. These observations are highly correlated with crop productivity. Additionally, highthroughput RNA-sequencing was performed to detect transcriptome changes with the down-regulation of miR396. Five of the predicted GRFs were concomitantly increased in their expression, which contributed to the higher accumulation of two cell cycle associated genes, CyclinD3;3 and Cyclin B2. Another typical phenotype of miR396 down-regulation is shoot apical dominance which might be resulted from dis-regulation of Auxin-signaling pathways. Shoot apical dominance was accompanied with less axillary buds outgrowth and led to lower fruit number of each plant. With the information from RNA-seq results, fungiresistance essay will also be performed in the near future. Our studies agree with the conserved functions of miR396 among plant species, and our findings provide important references on improving this crop productivity. Development of an Upper-Body Eccentric Arm Ergometer for Wheelchair Users Matthew A. Kilgas, Jennifer L. Dannenbring, Lydia M. Lytle, Michael C. Morley, Steven J. Elmer 1. Department of Kinesiology and Integrate Physiology, Michigan Tech, Houghton, MI 2. Department of Physical Therapy, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 3. Innovation and Industry Engagement, Michigan Tech, Houghton, MI Engaging in physical activity is a top priority for wheelchair users. Two barriers