Here is a 5,000X scanning electron microscope photo of some of those Streptococcus mutans that Emily cultured:
Streptococcus mutans is a bacteria involved in tooth decay. Individual colonies on your teeth grow into a biofilm. Emily's research looked at a gene involved in the formation of the biofilm. I'll leave further explanation to Emily in the comments if she wishes. Emily's advisor is Dr. Grace Spatafora, who has done considerable research on S. mutans.Click here for this spring's list of senior thesis presentation titles in the biology department at Middlebury College (7 MB .doc file).
Congratulations, Emily! Well done! Good luck with the remaining parts of your senior thesis.
1 comment:
I looked at how the gcrR gene affects the architecture of the biofilm in S. mutans, the bacteria that cause cavities. I found that although the gene doesn't affect the overall cell density in the biofilm, it does impact how the cells are arranged. Cell arrangement within the biofilm has various implications for the ability of the bacteria to cause cavities. Additionally, previous research has showed that this gene is involved in quite a few other cell processes that important for cavity formation. This makes it a good gene to study, because if we can better understand how the bacteria cause cavities, maybe someday we can prevent them from causing cavities.
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