Honors Program Theses
Award/Availability
Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
First Advisor
Jim Demastes
Abstract
This thesis project focused on the characterization of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) minicircles of the chewing louse Neotrichodectes mephiditis, a parasite of the striped skunk. The goal of this research was to gain a deeper understanding of the N. mephitiditis mitochondrial genome and compare its genome arrangement and evolutionary relationships with those of other louse species. Using laboratory techniques such as polymerase chain reactions (PCR), cloning, and sequencing, I identified 9 of the 12 circular mitochondrial minichromosomes that constitute this louse species’ mitochondrial genome. Each identified minicircle was analyzed for its unique features and compared with those of previously characterized mammalian chewing lice to assess gene and tRNA conservation. Patterns of gene rearrangement among minicircles provided insight into the evolutionary history of the N. mephitidis mitochondrial genome. Further research is needed to identify and analyze the remaining three minicircles to complete the mitochondrial genome map and refine our understanding of its evolution.
Year of Submission
2025
Department
Department of Biology
University Honors Designation
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the designation University Honors
Date Original
2025
Object Description
1 PDF file (29 pages)
Copyright
©2025 Morgan Mescher
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Mescher, Morgan, "Characterization of the mtDNA Minicircles in a Chewing Louse, Neotrichodectes mephitidis" (2025). Honors Program Theses. 1015.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/hpt/1015
