Digital Commons Network^™

Atypical Activation Of The G Protein Gα By The Oncogenic Mutation Q209p, Marcin Maziarz, Anthony Leyme, Arthur Marivin, Alex Luebbers, Prachi P. Patel, Zhe Chen, Stephen R. Sprang, Mikel Garcia-Marcos

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The causative role of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) pathway mutations in uveal melanoma (UM) has been well-established. Nearly all UMs bear an activating mutation in a GPCR pathway mediated by G proteins of the G family, driving tumor initiation and possibly metastatic progression. Thus, targeting this pathway holds therapeutic promise for managing UM. However, direct targeting of oncogenic Gα mutants, present in ∼90% of UMs, is complicated by the belief that these mutants structurally resemble active Gα WT. This notion is solidly founded on previous studies characterizing Gα mutants in which a conserved catalytic glutamine (Gln-209 in Gα) is replaced …

Lakeshore Modification Reduces Secondary Production Of Macroinvertebrates In Littoral But Not Deeper Zones, Marlene Pätzig, Yvonne Vadeboncoeur, Mario Brauns

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Littoral macroinvertebrates are an integral component of lake food webs, but their productivity may be affected by shoreline alteration. We hypothesized that human modification of lake shores simplifies habitat diversity, which, in turn, affects littoral macroinvertebrate production and patterns of depth–production relationships. Furthermore, we expected that lakeshore modification would favor nonnative species, potentially compensating for negative effects of lakeshore modification on production of native taxa. To test these ideas, we estimated benthic macroinvertebrate production in the upper littoral, middle littoral, and profundal zones of a large lowland lake (Lake Scharmützelsee) in Northeast Germany. We collected samples between April and November …

High-Frequency Temperature Variability Mirrors Fixed Differences In Thermal Limits Of The Massive Coral Porites Lobata, Daniel J. Barshis, Charles Birkeland, Robert J. Toonen, Ruth D. Gates, Jonathon H. Stillman

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Spatial heterogeneity in environmental characteristics can drive adaptive differentiation when contrasting environments exert divergent selection pressures. This environmental and genetic heterogeneity can substantially influence population and community resilience to disturbance events. Here, we investigated corals from the highly variable back-reef habitats of Ofu Island in American Samoa that thrive in thermal conditions known to elicit widespread bleaching and mortality elsewhere. To investigate the relative importance of acclimation versus site of origin in shaping previously observed differences in coral tolerance limits at Ofu Island, specimens of the common Indo-Pacific coral Porites lobata from locations with differing levels of thermal variability were …

Anti-Apoptotic Effects Of Human Placental Hydrolysate Against Hepatocyte Toxicity In Vivo And In Vitro, Dong Ho Bak, Jungtae Na, Mi Ji Choi, Byung Chul Lee, Chang Taek Oh, Jeom Yong Kim, Hae Jung Han, Moo Joong Kim, Tae Ho Kim, Beom Joon Kim

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Apoptosis and oxidative stress are essential for the pathogenesis of acute liver failure and fulminant hepatic failure. Human placental hydrolysate (hPH) has been reported to possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In the present study, the protective effects of hPH against D-galactosamine (D-GalN)- and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced hepatocyte apoptosis were investigated in vivo. In addition, the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-apoptotic activities of hPH against D-GalN-induced cell death in vitro were examined. Male Sprague-D awley rats were injected with D-GaIN/LPS with or without the administration of hPH. Rats were sacrificed 24 h after D-GaIN/LPS intraperitoneal injection, and the blood and liver samples …

Genetic And Environmental Influences On Stomates Of Big Bluestem (Andropogon Gerardii), Nick A. Varvel, Christina J. Hilt, Loretta C. Johnson, Matthew Galliart, Sara G. Baer, Brian R. Maricle Ph.D.

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) is a dominant C4 prairie grass that has wide distribution and several genetically distinct ecotypes. Many of the ecotypic adaptations are related to water availability in the native environment. Stomates facilitate photosynthetic gas exchange and regulate water loss from the plant. As such, stomatal size and density represent possible adaptations to conserve water. We hypothesized drought-tolerant ecotypes of big bluestem would have fewer or smaller stomates compared to more mesic ecotypes. Five ecotypes of big bluestem were planted in four common gardens from western Kansas to southern Illinois, USA to determine genetic and environmental influences on …

Mass-Length Relationships For 3 Bee Species In Northwest Ohio, Justin D. Burdine, Erin Plummer, Melissa Seidel, Kevin E. Mccluney

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The ability to accurately estimate bee mass through measurements of intertegular distance (ITD) is an important tool for field biologists. ITD is the distance between the bases of the 2 wing tegulae on the bee’s thorax. However, the relationship between ITD and bee mass can vary based on species and sampling region. A collection of 92 bees—representing 3 species—was examined to assess the accuracy of ITD in estimating dry mass for bees in northwest Ohio. The focus was on 3 species: silky striped sweat bees (Agapostemon sericeus), honey bees (Apis mellifera), and common eastern bumble bees (Bombus impatiens). Overall, there …

The Learning Loss Effect In Genetics: What Ideas Do Students Retain Or Lose After Instruction?, Amber Todd, William L. Romine

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Modern genetics is a relatively new domain, but it is increasingly important for students to have a firm grasp on the content, because genetic technologies are becoming more commonplace. In a previous study, we used the Learning Progression-based Assessment of Modern Genetics to assess high school students’ knowledge of genetics concepts after an intensive inquiry-based genetics instructional period. Given that this type of intensive inquiry-based instruction is unique, we are now investigating how students’ knowledge of genetics changes after instruction (i.e., learning loss effect). Using a six-measure longitudinal design, we found that students retained significant gains in five of the …

Genetics Of A De Novo Origin Of Undifferentiated Multicellularity, Matthew D. Herron, William C. Ratcliff, Jacob Boswell, Frank Rosenzweig

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The evolution of multicellularity was a major transition in evolution and set the stage for unprecedented increases in complexity, especially in land plants and animals. Here, we explore the genetics underlying a de novo origin of multicellularity in a microbial evolution experiment carried out on the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We show that large-scale changes in gene expression underlie the transition to a multicellular life cycle. Among these, changes to genes involved in cell cycle and reproductive processes were overrepresented, as were changes to C. reinhardtii-specific and volvocine-specific genes. These results suggest that the genetic basis for the experimental evolution …

Human Umbilical Cord Blood Mesenchymal Stem Cells Engineered To Overexpress Growth Factors Accelerate Outcomes In Hair Growth, Dong Ho Bak, Mi Ji Choi, Soon Re Kim, Byung Chul Lee, Jae Min Kim, Eun Su Jeon, Wonil Oh, Ee Seok Lim, Byung Cheol Park, Moo Joong Kim, Jungtae Na, Beom Joon Kim

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) are used in tissue repair and regeneration; however, the mechanisms involved are not well understood. We investigated the hair growth-promoting effects of hUCB-MSCs treatment to determine whether hUCB-MSCs enhance the promotion of hair growth. Furthermore, we attempted to identify the factors responsible for hair growth. The effects of hUCB-MSCs on hair growth were investigated in vivo, and hUCB-MSCs advanced anagen onset and hair follicle neogeneration. We found that hUCB-MSCs co-culture increased the viability and up-regulated hair induction-related proteins of human dermal papilla cells (hDPCs) in vitro. A growth factor antibody array revealed …

Topical Administration Of Egf Suppresses Immune Response And Protects Skin Barrier In Dncb-Induced Atopic Dermatitis In Nc/Nga Mice, Young Je Kim, Mi Ji Choi, Dong Ho Bak, Byung Chul Lee, Eun Jung Ko, Ga Ram Ahn, Seung Won Ahn, Moo Joong Kim, Jungtae Na, Beom Joon Kim

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disease characterized by a complex, heterogeneous pathogenesis including skin barrier dysfunction, immunology, and pruritus. Although epidermal growth factor (EGF) is essential for epithelial homeostasis and wound healing, the effect of EGF on AD remains to be explored. To develop a new therapy for AD, the anti-AD potential of EGF was investigated by inducing AD-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice using 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB). EGF was administrated to NC/Nga mice to evaluate its therapeutic effect on DNCB-induced AD. EGF treatment improved dermatitis score, ear thickness, epidermal hyperplasia, serum total immunoglobulin E level, and transepidermal …

Arthropod Transcriptional Activator Protein-1 (Ap-1) Aids Tick-Rickettsial Pathogen Survival In The Cold, Supreet Khanal, Vikas Taank, John F. Anderson, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ixodes scapularis ticks transmit several pathogens to humans including rickettsial bacterium, Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Here, we report that A. phagocytophilum uses tick transcriptional activator protein-1 (AP-1) as a molecular switch in the regulation of arthropod antifreeze gene, iafgp. RNAi-mediated silencing of ap-1 expression significantly affected iafgp gene expression and A. phagocytophilum burden in ticks upon acquisition from the murine host. Gel shift assays provide evidence that both the bacterium and AP-1 influences iafgp promoter and expression. The luciferase assays revealed that a region of approximately 700 bp upstream of the antifreeze gene is sufficient for AP-1 binding to promote …

Sex-Based Differences In Anti-Predator Response Of Crickets To Chemical Cues Of A Mammalian Predator, Brian P. Tanis, Bradley Bott, Brian J. Gaston

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Anti-predator behaviors like vigilance or hiding come at the expense of other fitness increasing behaviors such as foraging. To compensate for this trade-off, prey assess predation risk and modify the frequency of anti-predator behaviors according to the likelihood of the threat. In this study, we tested the ability of house crickets (Acheta domesticus) to indirectly assess predation risk via odors from a mammalian predator, Elliot's short-tailed shrew (Blarina hylophaga). As natural differences in encounter rates and predation risk differs between sexes, we tested if male and female crickets perceive similar rates of predation risk from the presence of shrew odor …

Streamlined Preparation Of Genomic Dna In Agarose Plugs For Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis, Linda D. Hicks, Charlotte M. Van Der Graaf, Jacob Childress, Emily Cook, Karen Schmidt, Frank Rosenzweig, Eugene Kroll

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Genome analysis using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) has been used in applications ranging from typing bacterial strains to radiobiology to cancer research. While methods for running PFGE have been significantly improved since its invention, the method for preparing chromosomal DNA itself has remained essentially unchanged. This limits the applicability of PFGE, especially when analyses require many samples. We have streamlined sample preparation for routine applications of PFGE through the use of deep-well 48-well plates. Besides saving time, our protocol has the added advantage of reducing the volume of expensive reagents. Our improved protocol enables us to reduce throughput time and …

Analysis Of Motility In Multicellular Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Evolved Under Predation, Margrethe Boyd, Frank Rosenzweig, Matthew D. Herron

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The advent of multicellularity was a watershed event in the history of life, yet the transition from unicellularity to multicellularity is not well understood. Multicellularity opens up opportunities for innovations in intercellular communication, cooperation, and specialization, which can provide selective advantages under certain ecological conditions. The unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has never had a multicellular ancestor yet it is closely related to the volvocine algae, a clade containing taxa that range from simple unicells to large, specialized multicellular colonies. Simple multicellular structures have been observed to evolve in C. reinhardtii in response to predation or to settling rate-based selection. Structures …

A Closer Look At The Items Within Three Measures Of Evolution Acceptance: Analysis Of The Mate, I-Sea, And Gaene As A Single Corpus Of Items, William L. Romine, Amber Todd, Emily M. Walter

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Current direct Likert measures for evolution acceptance include the MATE, GAENE, and I-SEA. Pros and cons of each of these instruments have been debated, and yet there is a dearth of research teasing out their similarities and differences when they are used together in a single context beyond the fact that their measures tend to be highly correlated. We administered these to 452 college students in non-major biology classes at two research-intensive universities from the Midwestern and Western United States to investigate the measurement properties of the items within these instruments when combined as a single corpus.

Results

Factor …

Water Availability Influences Arthropod Water Demand, Hydration And Community Composition On Urban Trees, Kevin E. Mccluney, Thomas George, Steven D. Frank

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The drive for animals to regulate their water content can have significant consequences for food webs in xeric ecosystems. But the importance of animal water balance (gains vs losses) for mesic food webs has not been explored. Impervious surfaces in cities absorb and re-radiate solar radiation, raising local temperatures. Higher temperatures lead to greater rates of organismal water loss. Thus, urbanization of mesic regions may lead to greater likelihood of desiccation, with consequences for food webs. We tested the effects of animal water balance on a mesic urban food web by supplementing animal-available water (but not plant) within trees in …

Evolutionary History Of Plant Hosts And Fungal Symbionts Predicts The Strength Of Mycorrhizal Mutualism, Jason D. Hoeksema, James D. Beaver, Sounak Chakraborty, V. Bala Chaudhary, Monique Gardes, Catherine A. Gehring, Miranda M. Hart, Elizabeth Ann Housworth, Wittaya Kaonongbua, John N. Klironomos, Marc J. Lajeunesse, James Meadow, Brook G. Milligan, Bridget J. Piculell, Anne Pringle, Megan A. Rúa, James Umbanhowar, Wolfgang Viechtbauer, Yen-Wen Wang, Gail W.T. Wilson, Peter C. Zee

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Most plants engage in symbioses with mycorrhizal fungi in soils and net consequences for plants vary widely from mutualism to parasitism. However, we lack a synthetic understanding of the evolutionary and ecological forces driving such variation for this or any other nutritional symbiosis. We used meta-analysis across 646 combinations of plants and fungi to show that evolutionary history explains substantially more variation in plant responses to mycorrhizal fungi than the ecological factors included in this study, such as nutrient fertilization and additional microbes. Evolutionary history also has a different influence on outcomes of ectomycorrhizal versus arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses; the former …

Preliminary Understanding Of Complexities In Swimming Performance Of Common Minnow (Cyprinidae) Taxa, Crystal Nichols, Austin Smith, Stephen Huelsman, Cara Schemmel, Jason C. Doll, Stephen J. Jacquemin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding swimming performance of native freshwater fishes has implications for ecology, conservation, and management. In particular, this type of information has practical importance for improving the understanding of fish dispersal, occurrence, migration, and invasive potential. The objective of this study was to characterize swimming performance of 2 taxa from the comparatively understudied minnow family (Cyprinidae) and test for potential drivers as a function of total length, sex, habitat, morphology, or some combination. The study assessed Spotfin Shiner (Cyprinella spiloptera; n = 66) and Bluntnose Minnow (Pimephales notatus; n = 24) populations from an ontogenic range of male and …

Changes In Water Quality Of Grand Lake St. Marys Watershed Following Implementation Of A Distressed Watershed Rules Package, Stephen J. Jacquemin, Laura T. Johnson, Theresa A. Dirksen, Gregory J. Mcglinch

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Grand Lake St. Marys watershed has drawn attention over the past decade as water quality issues resulting from nutrient loading have come to the forefront of public opinion, political concern, and scientific study. The objective of this study was to assess long-term changes in water quality (nutrient and sediment concentrations) following the distressed watershed rules package instituted in 2011. Since that time, a variety of rules (e.g., winter manure ban) and best management practices (cover crops, manure storage or transfers, buffers, etc.) have been implemented. We used a general linear model to assess variation in total suspended solids, particulate phosphorus, …

Deciphering The Origin, Evolution, And Physiological Function Of The Subtelomeric Arylalcohol Dehydrogenase Gene Family In The Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Dong Dong Yang, Gustavo M. De Billerbeck, Jin Jing Zhang, Frank Rosenzweig, Jean Marie Francois

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Homology searches indicate that Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain BY4741 contains seven redundant genes that encode putative aryl-alcohol dehydrogenases (AAD). Yeast AAD genes are located in subtelomeric regions of different chromosomes, and their functional role(s) remain enigmatic. Here, we show that two of these genes, AAD4 and AAD14, encode functional enzymes that reduce aliphatic and aryl-aldehydes concomitant with the oxidation of cofactor NADPH, and that Aad4p and Aad14p exhibit different substrate preference patterns. Other yeast AAD genes are undergoing pseudogenization. The 5' sequence of AAD15 has been deleted from the genome. Repair of an AAD3 missense mutation at the catalytically essential Tyr73 …

Identification Of Novel Mites (Miniature Inverted-Repeat Transposable Elements) In Coxiella Burnetii: Implications For Protein And Small Rna Evolution, Shaun Wachter, Rahul Raghavan, Jenny Wachter, Michael F. Minnick

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Coxiella burnetii is a Gram-negative gammaproteobacterium and zoonotic agent of Q fever. C. burnetii’s genome contains an abundance of pseudogenes and numerous selfish genetic elements. MITEs (miniature invertedrepeat transposable elements) are non-autonomous transposons that occur in all domains of life and are thought to be insertion sequences (ISs) that have lost their transposase function. Like most transposable elements (TEs), MITEs are thought to play an active role in evolution by altering gene function and expression through insertion and deletion activities. However, information regarding bacterial MITEs is limited.

Results: We describe two MITE families discovered during research on small non-coding …

Crystal Structure Of The Major Quadruplex Formed In The Promoter Region Of The Human C-Myc Oncogene, Sascha Stump, Tung-Chung Mou, Stephen R. Sprang, Nicholas R. Natale, Howard D. Beall

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The c-MYC oncogene mediates multiple tumor cell survival pathways and is dysregulated or overexpressed in the majority of human cancers. The NHE III1 region of the c-MYC promoter forms a DNA quadruplex. Stabilization of this structure with small molecules has been shown to reduce expression of c-MYC, and targeting the c-MYC quadruplex has become an emerging strategy for development of antitumor compounds. Previous solution NMR studies of the c-MYC quadruplex have assigned the major conformer and topology of this important target, however, regions outside the G-quartet core were not as well-defined. Here, we report a high-resolution crystal structure (2.35 Å) …

Adiposity And Fat Metabolism During Combined Fasting And Lactation In Elephant Seals, Melinda Fowler, Cory Champagne, Daniel Croker

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Animals that fast depend on mobilizing lipid stores to power metabolism. Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) incorporate extended fasting into several life-history stages: development, molting, breeding and lactation. The physiological processes enabling fasting and lactation are important in the context of the ecology and life history of elephant seals. The rare combination of fasting and lactation depends on the efficient mobilization of lipid from adipose stores and its direction into milk production. The mother elephant seal must ration her finite body stores to power maintenance metabolism, as well as to produce large quantities of lipid and protein rich …

Better Living Through Chemistry: Addressing Emerging Antibiotic Resistance, Nathan P. Coussens, Ashley L. Molinaro, Kayla J. Culbertson, Tyler Peryea, Gergely Zahoránszky-Köhalmi, Matthew D. Hall, Dayle A. Daines

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The increasing emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria is recognized as a major threat to human health worldwide. While the use of small molecule antibiotics has enabled many modern medical advances, it has also facilitated the development of resistant organisms. This minireview provides an overview of current small molecule drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in humans, the unintended consequences of antibiotic use, and the mechanisms that underlie the development of drug resistance. Promising new approaches and strategies to counter antibiotic-resistant bacteria with small molecules are highlighted. However, continued public investment in this area is critical …

Energy-Rich Mesopelagic Fishes Revealed As A Critical Prey Resource For A Deep-Diving Predator Using Quantitative Fatty Acid Signature Analysis, Chandra Goetsch, Melinda G. Conners, Suzanne M. Budge, Yoko Mitani, William A. Walker, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, Samantha E. Simmons, Colleen Reichmuth, Daniel P. Costa

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding the diet of deep-diving predators can provide essential insight to the trophic structure of the mesopelagic ecosystem. Comprehensive population-level diet estimates are exceptionally difficult to obtain for elusive marine predators due to the logistical challenges involved in observing their feeding behavior and collecting samples for traditional stomach content or fecal analyses. We used quantitative fatty acid signature analysis (QFASA) to estimate the diet composition of a wide-ranging mesopelagic predator, the northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris), across five years. To implement QFASA, we first compiled a library of prey fatty acid (FA) profiles from the mesopelagic eastern North Pacific. Given …

Natural History Of The Southern Bog Lemming In Southeastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The isolated subspecies of Southern Bog Lemming of southeastern Virginia, Synaptomys cooperi helaletes, has been studied extensively since its "rediscovery" in the Great Dismal Swamp in 1980. Multiple studies using pitfall traps, starting in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and then extending elsewhere in southeastern Virginia and adjacent northeastern North Carolina, have revealed lemmings to be much more widespread and often more common than previously believed, with their presence now confirmed as far west as Surry and Sussex counties, about 30 km east of Petersburg, Virginia. When present, lemmings often are among the most numerous members of …

Modelling The Effects Of Habitat And Hosts On Tick Invasions, Robyn M. Nadolny, Holly D. Gaff

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Many tick species are invading new areas because of anthropogenic changes in the landscape, shifting climatic variables and increasing populations of suitable host species and tick habitat. However, the relative influences of habitat and hosts in tick dispersal and tick population establishment remain in question. A spatially explicit agent-based model was developed to explore the spatio-temporal dynamics of a generic tick population in the years immediately following the introduction of ticks into a novel environment. The general model was then adapted to investigate a case study of two recent tick species invasions into the Mid-Atlantic United States. The recent simultaneous …