A novel approach for screening metagenomic libraries by merging both metagenomic and microarray platforms was developed and optimized. This high-throughput screening strategy termed "metagenomic microarrays" involved the construction of two Arctic soil large-insert libraries and the high density arraying of the clone plasmid DNA (~50 kb) onto glass slides. A standard alkaline lysis technique used for the purification of plasmid DNA was adapted and optimized to function efficiently in a 96-well format, providing an economically viable means of producing sufficient high-quality plasmid DNA for direct printing onto microarrays. The amounts of printed material and probe, required for maximal clone detection, were optimized. To examine catabolic clone detection libraries were first screened by PCR for catabolic genes of interest. Two PCR-positive clones were printed onto microarrays, and detection of these specific clones in the printed libraries was achieved using labeled probes produced from PCR fragments of known sequence. Also, hybridizations were performed using labeled PCR fragments derived from the amplification of a catabolic gene from the total community DNA. The ability of selected probes to specifically target clones of interest was demonstrated. This merger of metagenomics and microarray technologies has shown great promise as a tool for screening the natural microbial community for catabolic potential and could also be used to profile microbial diversity in different environments.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--Carleton University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 95-99). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--Carleton University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 52-61). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Carleton University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p.103-107 ). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science, Department of Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 97 p.; also includes graphics. Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-97). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 129-159).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Full text release at OhioLINK's ETD Center delayed at author's request

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-05T18:29:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2015-01-29. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2016-02-05T18:33:41Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000854236.pdf: 3500858 bytes, checksum: 0816f15b9343c3e3ecc9d4ad9291ee5e (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / O carcinoma de células escamosas de laringe (CCEL) é um dos mais comuns que acometem a região da cabeça e pescoço, representando aproximadamente 25% dos tumores malignos desta localização anatômica. Os fatores de risco associados ao desenvolvimento deste tumor são o consumo de tabaco e álcool, história familiar e a infecção pelo vírus do papiloma humano (HPV) em uma parcela dos casos. A ocorrência de segundos tumores primários e metástases é frequentemente relatada nos CCEL. Entretanto, até o momento, não há marcadores moleculares úteis na prática clínica que sejam capazes de predizer a progressão e a evolução clínica da doença. Neste contexto, as plataformas de microarranjos de oligonucleotídeos (microarrays), têm possibilitado uma análise mais ampla na busca por marcadores de detecção precoce, progressão, resposta e risco de recorrência e metástase. Foram incluídos neste estudo 88amostras de CCEL de pacientes não tratados. O grupo teste foi composto por 35 CCEL avaliados previamente para expressão gênica global (8x60K, Agilent Technologies) e 33 para a expressão de miRNAs (plataforma Array 8x60K, Agilent Technologies). O grupo de validação foi formado por 33amostras fixadas em formalina e em blocos de parafina (FFPE) e 19 amostras de tumor a fresco. O grupo teste foi avaliado para genotipagem para o HPV (LINEAR ARRAY HPV Genotyping Test, Roche), resultando em dois casos positivos para HPV16. A análise de expressão de transcritos revelou 1.680 genes diferencialmente expressos comparados aos tecidos normais de laringe (necrópsias). A análise de expressão global de miRNAs revelou 89 miRNAs diferencialmente expressos na comparação entre tecido normal e tumoral. A integração entre os dados de transcritos codificadores e de miRNAs (correlação negativa r<0) revelou alterações recorrentes em um subgrupo de genes associados com a degradação de componentes da matriz extracelular... / Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is one of the most common head and neck malignancies representing approximately 25% of the tumors located in this region. Risk factors associated to development of LSCCs include alcohol and tobacco consumption, family history of cancer and human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. Second primary tumors and metastasis are frequently observed in patients with LSCC. To date, no useful molecular markers have been described that can successfully predict disease progression and clinical outcome. In this context, large scale molecular studies enable a global analysis of tumor molecular alterations aiming to reveal biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognosis and response to therapy. LSCC samples were obtained from 88 untreated patients. Global gene (Array plataform 8x60K, Agilent Technologies) and miRNA expression (Array platform 8x60K, Agilent Technologies) profiles were evaluated in 35 and 33 samples, respectively (Test group, N=36). An independent group of samples (N=33, validation group) was included, being 33 formalin fixed and paraffin embedded tissue samples and 19 fresh frozen tissues. HPV genotyping using LINEAR ARRAY HPV Genotyping Test (Roche) was performed in tumor samples from test group. Only two cases were HPV16-positive. The expression analysis revealed 1,680 differentially expressed genes in tumors compared to normal tissue (pool of normal laryngeal samples from necropsies). The miRNA analysis revealed 89 miRNAs differentially expressed. Integrative transcriptome and miRNAs analysis data (negative correlation r<0) revealed a subset of altered genes associated with the degradation of extracellular matrix components (MMP3, MMP9, MMP10, MMP13, COL10A1 and COL3A1) and neoplastic processes (CAV1, ERBB4, HLF,HMGA2, HOXB6, KLF2, PDCD4, PPP1R3 and TOP2), as well as their putative miRNA regulators (hsa-miR-199b-5p, hsa-miR-218-5p, hsa-miR-29c-3p, hsa-miR-21-5p, hsa-miR-204-5p, hsa-miR-125b-5p, hsa-miR- ...