Bacteria play many important roles in their environment; they can be found in the human gut microbiota, or as disease-causing pathogens, while other times they can be involved in bio waste remediation. Regardless, bacteria are always in constant communication with their surroundings. A specific class of enzymes in bacteria, named GGDEF for their conserved amino acid sequence, has been long known to produce the signaling molecule cyclic-di-GMP. This molecule acts as a messenger in bacteria and can effect changes in cell motility and biofilm formation upon environmental stimuli. Recent work has revealed a subclass of promiscuous GGDEFs in Geobacter sulfurreducens that can also produce the molecule 3’,3’-cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP), which has been linked to extracellular electron transfer in Geobacter. Further, preliminary data on divergent GGDDF enzymes in Geobacter, where glutamate is replaced by an aspartate, have led us to hypothesize that these enzymes might harbor catalytic activity. To test the importance of this signature amino acid, I will design different GGDDF protein constructs based on known cGAMP– or c-di-GMP–producing GGDEF enzymes. Enzymatic activity will be analyzed via in vivo flow cytometry in the presence of an RNA biosensor that fluorescently responds to cGAMP or c-di-GMP. Altogether, this work could shed light on the functionality of conserved GGDEF domains in bacterial signaling molecule pathways.

Ongoing depletion of petroleum based fuel sources and environmental concerns has promoted biofuels as an alternative source of energy. Biofuels are a renewable fuel source that releases less carbon dioxide than fossil fuels when burned. Understanding how a variety of oils behave when made into biofuel is necessary for the use and application of such fuel sources. Biofuels are produced by base-catalyzed transesterification with methanol to produce methyl esters. The composition of each biofuel varies depending upon the variety of fatty acids present in the oil it was made from. Gas chromatography will be used in this study to determine the individual components of each type of fuel, which will aid in the understanding of the performance of different types of biofuels. The most studied biofuels are made from rapeseed oil and corn oil. In order to expand upon previous research, this study will focus on synthesis and performance of biofuels from a variety of oils, including palm, canola (a variety of rapeseed), soybean, coconut, sunflower, olive, peanut, hemp, and avocado. Each fuel created will be combusted, and the amount of energy released will be compared to that of fossil fuels.

Plant-derived natural products were extracted from the plant species Medicago lupulina, commonly referred to as black medic, and the crude-plant extract was tested against Escherichia coli and Triple Negative Breast Cancer cells. Two different methods of extraction, steam distillation and Soxhlet extraction using methanol were utilized, and the resulting natural product composition compared using GC-MS. Preliminary results indicate that the crude-plant extract induced up to 44% inhibition of E. coli growth.