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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

A Multiplexed, Automated Evolution Pipeline Enables Scalable Discovery And Characterization Of Biosensors, Brent Townshend, Joy S. Xiang, Gabriel Manzanarez, Eric J. Hayden, Christina D. Smolke Mar 2021

A Multiplexed, Automated Evolution Pipeline Enables Scalable Discovery And Characterization Of Biosensors, Brent Townshend, Joy S. Xiang, Gabriel Manzanarez, Eric J. Hayden, Christina D. Smolke

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Biosensors are key components in engineered biological systems, providing a means of measuring and acting upon the large biochemical space in living cells. However, generating small molecule sensing elements and integrating them into in vivo biosensors have been challenging. Here, using aptamer-coupled ribozyme libraries and a ribozyme regeneration method, de novo rapid in vitro evolution of RNA biosensors (DRIVER) enables multiplexed discovery of biosensors. With DRIVER and high-throughput characterization (CleaveSeq) fully automated on liquid-handling systems, we identify and validate biosensors against six small molecules, including five for which no aptamers were previously found. DRIVER-evolved biosensors are applied directly to regulate …


Macrophages Expedite Cell Proliferation Of Prostate Intraepithelial Neoplasia Through Their Downstream Target Erk, Mikalah U. Thomas, Justin K. Messex, Tu Dang, Sarki A. Abdulkadir, Cheryl L. Jorcyk, Geou-Yarh Liou Mar 2021

Macrophages Expedite Cell Proliferation Of Prostate Intraepithelial Neoplasia Through Their Downstream Target Erk, Mikalah U. Thomas, Justin K. Messex, Tu Dang, Sarki A. Abdulkadir, Cheryl L. Jorcyk, Geou-Yarh Liou

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The risk factors for prostate cancer include a high-fat diet and obesity, both of which are associated with an altered cell environment including increased inflammation. It has been shown that chronic inflammation due to a high-fat diet or bacterial infection has the potential to accelerate prostate cancer as well as its precursor, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN), development. However, the underlying mechanism of how chronic inflammation promotes prostate cancer development, especially PIN, remains unclear. In this study, we showed that more macrophages were present in PIN areas as compared to the normal areas of human prostate. When co-culturing PIN cells with …


Noise Distracts Foraging Bats, Louise C. Allen, Nickolay I. Hristov, Juliette J. Rubin, Joseph T. Lightsey, Jesse R. Barber Feb 2021

Noise Distracts Foraging Bats, Louise C. Allen, Nickolay I. Hristov, Juliette J. Rubin, Joseph T. Lightsey, Jesse R. Barber

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Predators frequently must detect and localize their prey in challenging environments. Noisy environments have been prevalent across the evolutionary history of predator–prey relationships, but now with increasing anthropogenic activities noise is becoming a more prominent feature of many landscapes. Here, we use the gleaning pallid bat, Antrozous pallidus, to investigate the mechanism by which noise disrupts hunting behaviour. Noise can primarily function to mask—obscure by spectrally overlapping a cue of interest, or distract—occupy an animal's attentional or other cognitive resources. Using band-limited white noise treatments that either overlapped the frequencies of a prey cue or did not …


G2pminer: A Genome To Phenome Literature Review Approach, John M.A. Wojahn, Stephanie J. Galla, Anthony E. Melton, Sven Buerki Feb 2021

G2pminer: A Genome To Phenome Literature Review Approach, John M.A. Wojahn, Stephanie J. Galla, Anthony E. Melton, Sven Buerki

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is a gap in the conceptual framework linking genes to phenotypes (G2P) for non-model organisms, as most non-model organisms do not yet have genomic resources readily available. To address this, researchers often perform literature reviews to understand G2P linkages by curating a list of likely gene candidates, hinging upon other studies already conducted in closely related systems. Sifting through hundreds to thousands of articles is a cumbersome task that slows down the scientific process and may introduce bias into a study. To fill this gap, we created G2PMineR, a free and open source literature mining tool developed specifically for …


Artificial Nightlight Alters The Predator–Prey Dynamics Of An Apex Carnivore, Jesse R. Barber Feb 2021

Artificial Nightlight Alters The Predator–Prey Dynamics Of An Apex Carnivore, Jesse R. Barber

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Artificial nightlight is increasingly recognized as an important environmental disturbance that influences the habitats and fitness of numerous species. However, its effects on wide‐ranging vertebrates and their interactions remain unclear. Light pollution has the potential to amplify land‐use change, and as such, answering the question of how this sensory stimulant affects behavior and habitat use of species valued for their ecological roles and economic impacts is critical for conservation and land‐use planning. Here, we combined satellite‐derived estimates of light pollution, with GPS‐data from cougars Puma concolor (n = 56), mule deer Odocoileus hemionus (n = 263) and locations of cougar‐killed …


A Record Of Vapour Pressure Deficit Preserved In Wood And Soil Across Biomes, Adrian Broz, Gregory J. Retallack, Toby M. Maxwell, Lucas C.R. Silva Jan 2021

A Record Of Vapour Pressure Deficit Preserved In Wood And Soil Across Biomes, Adrian Broz, Gregory J. Retallack, Toby M. Maxwell, Lucas C.R. Silva

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The drying power of air, or vapour pressure deficit (VPD), is an important measurement of potential plant stress and productivity. Estimates of VPD values of the past are integral for understanding the link between rising modern atmospheric carbon dioxide (pCO2) and global water balance. A geological record of VPD is needed for paleoclimate studies of past greenhouse spikes which attempt to constrain future climate, but at present there are few quantitative atmospheric moisture proxies that can be applied to fossil material. Here we show that VPD leaves a permanent record in the slope (S) of least-squares …


Monitoring Tropical Forest Succession At Landscape Scales Despite Uncertainty In Landsat Time Series, T. Trevor Caughlin, Cristina Barber, Gregory P. Asner, Nancy F. Glenn, Stephanie A. Bohlaman, Chris H. Wilson Jan 2021

Monitoring Tropical Forest Succession At Landscape Scales Despite Uncertainty In Landsat Time Series, T. Trevor Caughlin, Cristina Barber, Gregory P. Asner, Nancy F. Glenn, Stephanie A. Bohlaman, Chris H. Wilson

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Forecasting rates of forest succession at landscape scales will aid global efforts to restore tree cover to millions of hectares of degraded land. While optical satellite remote sensing can detect regional land cover change, quantifying forest structural change is challenging. We developed a state-space modeling framework that applies Landsat satellite data to estimate variability in rates of natural regeneration between sites in a tropical landscape. Our models work by disentangling measurement error in Landsat-derived spectral reflectance from process error related to successional variability.We applied our modeling framework to rank rates of forest succession between 10 naturally regenerating sites in Southwestern …


Does Experimentally Quieting Traffic Noise Benefit People And Birds?, Mitchell J. Levenhagen, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Jesse R. Barber Jan 2021

Does Experimentally Quieting Traffic Noise Benefit People And Birds?, Mitchell J. Levenhagen, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Jesse R. Barber

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Protected natural areas are not free from noise, especially noise generated by traffic within park boundaries. Natural soundscapes are important for maintaining community structure, providing positive visitor experiences, and increasing visitor support for management actions that reduce impacts on natural resources. To test experimental quieting as a strategy to increase both wildlife habitat quality and visitor experience, we enforced decreased speed limits and presented educational signage to reduce sound levels along a road system in an alternating, on–off block design within Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA. We continuously recorded background sound levels while conducting bird space use assessments and …


Gateway Scholarships In Biological Sciences: Year 4 Annual Report, Vicki Stieha, Julia Oxford, Amy Ulappa, Brittnee Earl, Jennifer Forbey, Laura Bond, Kevin Feris, Jocelyn Cullers, Caleb Hartman Jan 2021

Gateway Scholarships In Biological Sciences: Year 4 Annual Report, Vicki Stieha, Julia Oxford, Amy Ulappa, Brittnee Earl, Jennifer Forbey, Laura Bond, Kevin Feris, Jocelyn Cullers, Caleb Hartman

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report summarizes grant activities, progress toward goals, and broader impacts of the Gateway Scholars Program in the Boise State Department of Biological Sciences during the 2020-21 academic year.


A Repeated Triple Lysine Motif Anchors Complexes Containing Bone Sialoprotein And The Type Xi Collagen A1 Chain Involved In Bone Mineralization, Jeff P. Gorski, Nichole T. Franz, Daniel Pernoud, Andrew Keightley, David R. Eyre, Julia Thom Oxford Jan 2021

A Repeated Triple Lysine Motif Anchors Complexes Containing Bone Sialoprotein And The Type Xi Collagen A1 Chain Involved In Bone Mineralization, Jeff P. Gorski, Nichole T. Franz, Daniel Pernoud, Andrew Keightley, David R. Eyre, Julia Thom Oxford

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

While details remain unclear, initiation of woven bone mineralization is believed to be mediated by collagen and potentially nucleated by bone sialoprotein (BSP). Interestingly, our recent publication showed that BSP and type XI collagen form complexes in mineralizing osteoblastic cultures. To learn more, we examined the protein composition of extracellular sites of de novo hydroxyapatite deposition which were enriched in BSP and Col11a1 containing an alternatively spliced “6b” exonal sequence. An alternate splice variant “6a” sequence was not similarly co-localized. BSP and Col11a1 co-purify upon ion-exchange chromatography or immunoprecipitation. Binding of the Col11a1 “6b” exonal sequence to bone sialoprotein was …