Semester

Fall

Date of Graduation

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Biology

Committee Chair

Jennifer Gallagher

Committee Co-Chair

Stephen DiFazio

Committee Member

Stephen DiFazio

Committee Member

Jennifer Hawkins

Committee Member

Timothy Driscoll

Committee Member

Daniel Panaccione

Abstract

Commercial formulations of glyphosate are among the most extensively used herbicides around the world. The active ingredient, glyphosate, targets the aromatic amino acid pathway. This pathway is absent in mammals, resulting in low toxicity. Different formulations contain varying adjuvants and surfactants, whose synergistic effects are yet to be extensively studied at the cellular level. In this study, I tested multiple commercial formulations that showed a variation in growth phenotype among different yeast strains. To gain a better understanding of response and resistance mechanisms at the genome and transcriptome level, I carried out an in-lab evolution study, along with a transcriptome analysis on exposure to a commercial formulation of glyphosate. Overall, my findings helped identify routes of transport of glyphosate in and out of the cell. The additives in these herbicides were found to have effects on the cell wall, cell cycle regulation, transposable elements, and mitochondrial function.

Embargo Reason

Publication Pending

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