Changes in the Morphology and Nutrient Content of the Marsh Grass Collected from Different Saline Conditions Nishtha Kumar 1 , Mayavan Subramani 2 , Ph.D., Venugopal (Kal) Kalavacharla 2 , Ph.D. 1 Orange County School of the Arts, Santa Ana, CA, 2 Delaware State University, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dover, DE Marsh grass (Sporobolus alterniflorus) is essential to marshland formation as it holds sediment in place and provides habitat for a variety of aquatic species. However, removing them from marshlands would cause negative trophic cascades. Additionally, they can also thrive in salinity conditions ranging from high to low. Runoff from farms and other sources of fertilizer pollution is polluting water bodies and causing soil and water concentrations of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus to increase. How do salinity and nutrients affect the morphology and nutrient content of marsh grass? To answer this question, we collected saltmarsh grass (Sporobolus alterniflorus). from higher,

Changes in the Morphology and Nutrient Content of the Marsh Grass Collected from Different Saline Conditions

Comparative Analysis of Chromatin Immunoprecipitation in Common Bean and Salt Marsh Grass Vishal Thamaraikannan1, Vasudevan Ayyappan2, Ph.D. and Venu (Kal) Kalavacharla2, Ph.D. 1John P. Stevens High School, Edison, NJ. 2Delaware State University, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dover, DE Chromatin immunoprecipitation is a technique used to examine interactions occurring within the cell between DNA and its binding proteins. Chromatin is a condensed form of DNA found inside the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. In order to access chromatin, it must be extracted using chromatin isolation. We conducted an experiment with two plants, common bean and salt marsh grass, to compare the reactions of the plants when their chromatin was isolated and how the two genomes differ when studied using gel electrophoresis. Beforehand, samples of each plant were stored in -20OC to slow cell metabolism and keep the cells alive until used. The leaves were ground using liquid nitrogen and mixed with 2mL of nuclear isolation buffer to begin isolation. 1.7mL of 2M glycine was added to halt the cross-linking reaction. After filtration, the tubes were centrifuged at 4000rpm at 4oC for 10 minutes. The resulting DNA pellets were dissolved in a cold nuclear isolation buffer and transferred to 1.5mL tubes with 300µL of 15% Percoll solution and centrifuged again at the same settings. 600µL of nuclear lysis buffer was added and sonication was used to lyse the nuclear envelope. 20µL of the samples collected before sonification and 20µL of the samples after were inserted into a small gel casting for electrophoresis. After centrifuging twice, the marsh grass pellet was larger than the common bean pellet, meaning more DNA sank down because of its greater density in the marsh grass sample. The marsh grass DNA fragments were also more visible than the common bean fragments in the electrophoresis scan. Since the DNA of marsh grass was denser and more visible in electrophoresis than the DNA of the common bean, it is proven that the DNA of the salt marsh grass is larger. Keywords: Chromatin Immunoprecipitation, Chromatin, Eukaryotic Cells, Gel Electrophoresis, Centrifuge, Sonication, Density Acknowledgements: We acknowledge USDA NIFA Capacity Building Grant Awards# 2016-06642 and 2016-06476 for funding my internship and the project as part of the student experiential learning goal and the Project Director, Dr. Gulnihal Ozbay for providing this internship opportunity.

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Changes in the Morphology and Nutrient Content of the Marsh Grass Collected from Different Saline Conditions

Comparative Analysis of Chromatin Immunoprecipitation in Common Bean and Salt Marsh Grass

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