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Experimental projects for BSc programmes

Eligible students on BSc programmes (read the module description to find out more about eligibility) are offered an opportunity to develop a specific topic within the biological sciences. To do this, they:

  • carry out a search of the literature
  • prepare a literature review
  • carry out experimental work in a laboratory or in the field
  • prepare oral and written project reports.

Relevant courses


Past projects

Screening touch preparations from chorionic villi from pregnancy losses for common aneuploidies using multiplex FISH

  • Ahinora Dimitrova with Dr Ann Jackson (at Great Ormond Street Hospital) and Dr Richard Rayne
  • Chromosomal abnormalities are a common cause of pregnancy loss. Diagnosis of such abnormalities is obtained by cytogenetic analysis (including karyotyping) of cultured foetal cells from placental samples. However, the quality of these placental tissue samples may be poor, given that they have possibly been retained in the uterus for several weeks following embryonic demise. This means that tissue culturing may fail and no karyotype can be produced. This project tests an alternative method that detects numerical chromosomal changes without the need for cell culture: solid tissues from spontaneous abortions are used to produce ‘touch preparations’ which are then analysed using fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH). To identify common aneuploidies, alpha satellite probes for chromosomes 16, 18, X and Y and unique sequence probes for chromosomes 9, 13, 21 and 22 were used. Twenty-five cases from chorionic villi samples were studied. In total 21 out of 25 samples gave results by FISH and 8 of 25 failed to grow in culture. Six aneuploidies (two trisomies 21, three trisomies 16 and one monosomy X) were detected with the chosen probe set; five of these samples were successfully cultured and the FISH result was confirmed by G-banding analysis. The study demonstrates that aneuploidy screening can be carried out effectively on touch preparations from solid tissue samples that subsequently fail to grow in culture.

Encystment in Acanthamoeba divionensis

  • Michelle Gorry with Dr Naveed Khan
  • Acanthamoeba is a protozoan pathogen that can cause blinding keratitis, particularly in contact lens wearers. A difficulty in treating this infection arises due to the ability of Acanthamoeba to undergo a phenotypic switch from an infective trophozoite stage to a dormant encysted stage that is resistant to antimicrobial agents. Progress toward more effective therapies is hampered by our poor knowledge of the mechanisms involved in Acanthamoeba encystment. In this study, we developed an in vitro assay for Acanthamoeba encystment. Using an osmolarity trigger (glucose at 444 mOs), over 50% of trophozoites underwent encystment within 48h. Moreover, we observed that A. divionensis encystment depends on protein tyrosine kinase/phosphatase pathways. Application of sodium orthovanadate, a protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor prevented glucose-triggered encystment in a concentration-dependent manner. This suggests that phosphatases are involved in making A. divionensis encyst. To determine the ability of A. divionensis cysts to bind to the host cells, adhesion assays were performed using human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC). In this assay, cells that did not bind to the HCEC were washed away leaving only bound organisms to be quantified. Results revealed that up to 80% of trophozoites originally applied were bound to HCEC after washing while less than 5% of the cysts were bound. This is consistent with the lack of infectivity of the encysted stage observed in other studies.

Mortality and immune responses in Locusta migratoria adults injected with blastospores of the biocontrol agent Metarhizium anisopliae

  • Elizabeth Goulding with Dr Graham Goldsworthy
  • The entomopathogenic deuteromycete fungus Metarhzium anisopliae, which is highly infectious to acridid orthopterans, has been developed as a biocontrol agent against locusts. Although many infected hosts will die from the infection, locusts nonetheless are capable of mounting an immune response to this organism. In this study, blastospores of a non-pathogenic M. anisopliae strain were produced in liquid culture and a range of doses injected into adult Locusta migratoria males. To assess the immune response of the insects we monitored mortality, phenoloxidase activity in the haemolymph, and nodule formation. Responses to co-injection of adipokinetic hormone (AKH) with either blastospores or laminarin was also investigated. Mortality was found to increase in a dose-dependent manner when increasing numbers of blastospores were injected. Co-application of AKH produced no clear effect on mortality. The phenoloxidase (PO) response at 3h to laminarin was increased in the presence of AKH. When blastospores were coinjected with AKH, a PO response was initiated, but additional experiments are required to determine the significance of this response. Although nodules were formed in those insects injected with fungal blastospores, the numbers of nodules, their size distribution, and their location within the body cavity were highly variable.

Developing an animal model to study mechanisms associated with E. coli meningitis

  • Peter Goulding with Dr Naveed Khan
  • E. coli K1 infection is a major cause of infant mortality or permanent disability. Several virulence factors have been identified which contribute to the organism's ability to cross the blood brain barrier (BBB), so causing neonatal meningitis. This project used locusts, Locusta migratoria, as an in vivo model to investigate the mechanisms associated with E. coli K1 pathogenicity and to identify factors contributing to bacterial virulence. Groups of locusts were infected with E. coli K1 (an invasive strain, isolated from a meningitis patient) and locust mortality recorded at 24 h intervals over a 7-day period. Up to 100% mortality was observed within 48 h. Moreover, we demonstrated that E. coli K1 transmigrates the blood-brain barrier to gain entry into the central nervous system, which may be an important contributor in locust death. Several isogenic mutants of E. coli K1 including Δlps, ΔfimH, Δcnf1 (virulence determinants) lack the ability to produce locust death. In contrast, ΔompA exhibited no significant difference in locust mortality in comparison to its parent strain, K1. In conclusion, we have for the first time:
    • developed a non-mammalian animal model to study E. coli K1 pathogenesis and
    • identified several virulence factors associated with E. coli K1–mediated locust death

Taxa and growth series in assemblages of Palaeozoic Temnospondyl Amphibians

  • Krystyna Reckzo with Dr Andrew Milner
  • Stereospondyl fossils from the Lower Permian were deposited over 270 million years ago and are rare. Here I have described a group of twenty-eight stem-Stereospondyl specimens from the genus Cheliderpeton of the family Intasuchidae and the genus Sclerocephalus of the family Actinodontidae. These fossils came from the Autunian Klauswald lacustrine/fluvial horizon in the Saar-Nahe Basin in South West Germany. They were probably deposited in mass death anoxic events and should describe a wide range of ages. It is noted that despite the sudden death nature of the lagerstätten the specimens examined may not have attained maximum length and that consequently juveniles may have been over-represented in the sample. Comparisons were hampered by similarities between the two genera in the juvenile and larval stages. The specimens were well preserved but were all prepared to be visible in dorsal view. Only the dorsal skull morphology of the specimens could be studied. A straight mapping of the skull lengths indicated intraspecific, maybe sexual, dimorphism. Relationships between skull length and ratios showed evidence of positive allometry between the skull table and snout of the Cheliderpetons and growth series that indicated the presence of the two genera.

Surfactants, Biosurfactant and the Molecular Basis of Surfactin Biosynthesis

  • Ginat Toren with Dr Simon Baker
  • Various microorganisms, including bacteria, produce amphipathic organic compounds referred to as ‘biosurfactants’, so-called owing to biological origin and their surface-active chemical nature. Surfactin, a biosurfactant synthesised by B. subtilis, is an extremely strong biosurfactant that others have shown to maintain biological activity at very low concentrations and have antibiotic, antiviral and antitumor properties. Because of the many properties of surfactin, industrial enterprises are in a constant search for surfactin producing strains of B. subtilis.
  • Many studies have shown that the final step in surfactin biosynthesis depends on the protein product of the sfp gene and strains of B. subtilis that do not express this gene and its product are unable to produce surfactin. In my project I attempted to determine whether B. subtilis strain 8A is capable of producing surfactin by determining whether this strain has the sfp gene. Genomic DNA was isolated from this strain and subjected to PCR using primers designed to identify and amplify the sfp gene. A single PCR product of the expected size was obtained and this was ligated into pCR 2.1 vector (Invitrogen) followed by cloning into E. coli using the TA cloning® kit. After sequencing and running a BLAST search, the sequence of the 609bp gene isolated from B. subtilis strain 8A showed a high degree of identity (over 99%) to the sfp gene characterised by other investigators implying that B. subtilis strain 8A is likely to produce surfactin in the same way that other, previously characterised strains, do.

Phylogeny of Tulipa L. (Liliaceae) inferred from four chloroplast DNA sequences and one nuclear DNA sequence

  • Anne Tuomisto with Dr Martin Ingrouille
  • Tulipa (the tulips), a genus of small geophytes comprises approx. 50-60 species and has a distribution ranging from Asia to Europe. I investigated the phylogenetic relationships within the genus using DNA sequences from four chloroplast regions (trnL -trnF , rpl16 intron, rpS12-rpL20 intergenic spacer and matK ) and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the nuclear ribosomal DNA. Sequences were obtained from 24 species of Tulipa representing all the sections in the two currently recognised subgenera, Tulipa and Eriostemones. In the combined maximum parsimony analysis Tulipa was strongly supported as monophyletic and four clearly defined clades within the genus could be recognised although the relationships between them were not clear. In support of previous molecular studies the results suggest that the section Clusianae should be excluded from the subgenus Tulipa and raised to subgeneric rank. The subgenus Eriostemones and the remaining subgenus Tulipa were strongly supported as monophyletic. Tulipasprengeri which has traditionally been placed in the subgenus Tulipa is shown to be a member of Eriostemones. The subgenus Orithryia which in this study is represented by Tulipauniflora formed the fourth group.