Life Sciences Commons^™

A Revision Of Dyscolotaxia Horn, 1890 (Coleoptera: Eucnemidae: Macraulacinae: Macraulacini), With The Description Of Amazotaxia New Genus From South America, Robert L. Otto

Insecta Mundi

Abstract

The Neotropical eucnemid genus, Dyscolotaxia Horn, is revised following the examination of specimens from five collections, examination of the published original description of Plesiofornax tetratoma Chassain, and from images provided by Fernanda Salazar-Buenaño (QCAZI). Dyscolotaxia championi Horn is redescribed with included descriptions of the male genitalia and a female specimen. Three new species of false click beetles (Coleoptera: Eucnemidae) are described from the Neotropical region. These new species are: Dyscolotaxia chiriquiensis (Panama), Dyscolotaxia hispaniolensis (Dominican Republic), and Dyscolotaxia picea (Ecuador). Amazotaxia new genus is described from South America for Plesiofornax tetratoma Chassain, creating Amazotaxia tetratoma (Chassain) new combination. Morphology …

Melittological Notes From Guatemala (Hymenoptera: Anthophila), 1. New Country Records For Centris Fabricius (Apidae) And Zikanapis Moure (Colletidae), Silas Bossert, José Monzón-Sierra, Richard S. Zack, Ana Cristina García, Elizabeth A. Murray

Insecta Mundi

Abstract

Three species of bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Colletidae) are newly recorded for Guatemala: Centris obscurior Michener, Centris vidua Mocsáry, and Zikanapis inbio (Michener, Engel and Ayala). We discuss aspects of their biology and circumstances of the collecting events and provide information on their presently known distribution.

Resumen

Se registran por primera vez tres especies de abejas (HymenopteraN: Apidae, Colletidae) para Guatemala: Centris obscurior Michener, Centris vidua Mocsáry, y Zikanapis inbio (Michener, Engel y Ayala). Discutimos aspectos de su biología, circunstancias bajo las cuáles fueron colectadas y se provee información en la distribución conocida actualmente.

One-Participant 401(K): Saving For Retirement And Reducing Taxes, Jessica Groskopf, Cory Walters, Doug Nelson

Center for Agricultural Profitability

The adage that farmers and ranchers are often asset-rich and cash poor does indeed appear to be true! According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), just forty percent of farmers contribute to a retirement plan. And because many farmers and ranchers invest profits in their business rather than take a high salary, they show little income on their tax returns. This means they will have paid less into Social Security and their benefits will be lower when they retire. This can create cash flow challenges, especially for an older generation of farm and ranch families wanting to bring …

One-Participant 401(K) As A Tool For Farmers And Ranchers, Jessica Groskopf, Cory Walters, Doug Nelson

Center for Agricultural Profitability

According to USDA, only 40% of farm households participate in some type of retirement account. For self-employed farmers and ranchers without full-time employees, the opportunity to invest in a One-Participant 401(k) plan is a way to (1) save money for retirement, (2) reduce taxable income, and (3) provide the potential option to borrow from the plan. This series of articles will review these features.

What is a One-Participant 401(k)?

The One-Participant 401(k)is a qualified retirement plan designed specifically for business owners with no full-time employees other than the business owners and their spouses. Visit with your financial planner and tax …

Genomic Analysis Reveals New Species And Subspecies Of Butterflies, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Large-scale genomic sequencing of butterfly taxa reveals new findings that are presented here. While we focus on detecting species by comparative genomics and define subspecies as groups of populations genetically differentiated from each other but not as strongly as species (that is, subspecies as species in the making), we report other adjustments to butterfly classification. As a result, 4 subgenera, 11 species, and 6 subspecies are proposed as new. New subgenera are: Rapis Grishin, subgen. n. (type species Papilio rapae Linnaeus, 1758, genus Pieris Schrank, 1801) in Pieridae Swainson, 1820 and Callitera Grishin, subgen. n. (type species Eurygona? pulcherrima …

What Happens To Your Farm Or Ranch If You Become Disabled?, Jessica Groskopf

Center for Agricultural Profitability

Estate and transition planning often focuses on what happens to the farm or ranch at the death of a key person. However, a good estate and transition plan should also include contingencies for disability. Planning for a disability is not an easy task because the severity and duration of the disability are unknown. This article offers some key items to have in place to protect you and your operation from disability.

Reassessment Of Amblyscirtes Hegon (Hesperiidae) As A Complex Of Four Distinct Species Revealed By Genomic Analysis, Harry Pavulaan, Ricky Patterson, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

After the discovery of a unique phenotype in the southern United States with a different ventral ground color than nominotypical Amblyscirtes hegon (Scudder, 1863), which occurs in the northeastern United States, genomic analysis revealed that A. hegon is a species complex. Phenotypic, genitalic, and genomic differences of the complex are presented here. Four species are identified: A. hegon; A. nemoris (W. H. Edwards, 1864), stat. rest.; A. matheri Patterson, Pavulaan & Grishin, sp. n. (TL: USA, Mississippi, Warren County); and A. gelidus Grishin, Patterson & Pavulaan, sp. n. (TL: USA, Michigan, Van Buren County).

Recognizing Power And Control When Planning Your Estate, Allan Vyhnalek

Cornhusker Economics

The older generations have spent their entire professional lives using the power and control that they accumulated through hard work and their long tenures. Having them retire and give up that control and power is difficult for some in those generations. Overall, it is challenging for them to give up control or power.

What Did Higher Profit Cow-Calf Producers Do To Be More Profitable?, Randy Saner

Center for Agricultural Profitability

Cow-calf producers are always looking at ways to cut costs and improve profits. Looking at recent data from the University of Minnesota Center for Financial Management, FINBIN Livestock Analysis for 2022 representing cow-calf operations from Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota can provide producers with some ideas on ways to improve profitability.

Resolution Of The Tetrabothrius Jagerskioeldi Cryptic Species Complex Among Holarctic Alcidae (Charadriiformes): Cestodes Among Fraterculinae—Exploring Marine Diversity, Host Range, And Dynamic Oceanography In The Greater North Pacific, Eric P. Hoberg, Kaylen Marie Soudachanh, Svetlana K. Bondarenko

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

In the biosphere, limits for diversity among species, communities, and biomes are revealed through intensive and extensive field-based inventory and assembly of voucher specimens and associated informatics examined in a phylogenetic, historical, ecological, and biogeographic arena. Archival resources for specimens and information contribute to a cumulative view of faunal structure and assembly under a comparative umbrella. Ultimately, species definitions, and inclusive partitions among populations and lineages, are fundamental in articulating hypotheses that examine interactions about evolution, the nature of organisms, and the condition of environments across space and time. We conclude our proposals establishing species limits for tapeworms of the …

Convolutional Neural Network-Based Gene Prediction Using Buffalograss As A Model System, Michael Morikone

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The task of gene prediction has been largely stagnant in algorithmic improvements compared to when algorithms were first developed for predicting genes thirty years ago. Rather than iteratively improving the underlying algorithms in gene prediction tools by utilizing better performing models, most current approaches update existing tools through incorporating increasing amounts of extrinsic data to improve gene prediction performance. The traditional method of predicting genes is done using Hidden Markov Models (HMMs). These HMMs are constrained by having strict assumptions made about the independence of genes that do not always hold true. To address this, a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) …

Factors Affecting Forage Quality And The Subsequent Response In Production And Energy Metabolism In Lactating Jersey Cows, Kassidy Kate Buse

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Forage quality is the potential of a forage to produce a production response in animals. Because of how essential they are in dairy cattle rations, forages can have major influence on the behavior and production of dairy cattle. In experiment 1, the effect of forage fragility on the rumen environment and digestibility was evaluated. Increasing the inclusion of a less fragile forage led to greater rumen retention time, which resulted in lower rumen pH and greater NDF digestibility. Experiment 2 evaluated the effects of diets high in either corn silage or alfalfa haylage supplemented with either corn- or soybased protein …

Characterization Of Adipocyte Mechanical Properties And Stretch Control Of Mechanosignaling In Adipocytes, Tasneem Bouzid

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Obesity has reached global epidemic levels in recent decades and is the leading risk factor for type-2 diabetes (T2D). Adipose tissue behaves as a link between obesity and T2D, with dysfunctional extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, adipokine secretion and lipid metabolism leading to insulin resistance. The extracellular mechanophysical milieus is understood to regulate adipocyte differentiation and function through activation of mechanosensory machinery and related pathways. Therefore, exploring the adipocytic response to mechanical loading can provide great pathophysiological insight into obesity and T2D. Adipose tissue is exposed to various compound forces due to weight-bearing and movement, and adipocyte stiffness influences stress distribution …

Examination Of The Prevalence And Behaviors Of Pathogenic And Spoilage Bacteria At Multiple Stages In The Meat Processing Chain, Samuel C. Watson

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

As long as there is food, there will also be bacteria that are capable of compromising the quality and safety of food. This dissertation aims to study bacteria capable of spoiling meat, causing illness, or both. The literature review summarizes the understanding of several bacterial pathogens, current issues in combating those pathogens in the food supply, and how spoilage Pseudomonas behave in the meat supply. Chapter 2 explored the impact of organic acid treatments on the spoilage microbiome of raw beef during extended storage. While Pseudomonas and Yersinia were both present in significant levels, Lactococcus was determined to be the …

Tame The Flame: Inflammation Is A Targetable Physiological Mechanism Underlying Poor Outcomes Of Heat Stress In Finishing Sheep, Pablo C. Grijalva

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This research focused on health management through the identification of suitable interventions in stressed livestock. For this investigation, we conducted two experiments. First, we determined whether administration of dexamethasone or fish oil to heat-stressed livestock to reduce systemic inflammation would mitigate metabolic deficits, enhance nutrient utilization, and improve health. We found that these interventions helped to reduce circulating inflammatory cytokines and improve respiration, muscle glucose metabolism, lipid homeostasis, cardiovascular function, and organ pathology in lambs exposed to 30 days of heat stress. In our second experiment, we performed transcriptomic analyses to identify the underlying mechanisms affecting young offspring following prenatal …

Mycorrhizal Feedbacks Influence Global Forest Structure And Diversity, Camille S. Delavaux, Joseph A. Lamanna, Jonathan A. Myers, Richard P. Phillips, Salomón Aguilar, David Allen, Alfonso Alonso, Kristina J. Anderson-Teixeira, Matthew E. Baker, Jennifer L. Baltzer, Pulchérie Bissiengou, Mariana Bonfim, Norman A. Bourg, Warren Y. Brockelman, David F.R.P. Burslem, Li Wan Chang, Yang Chen, Jyh Min Chiang, Chengjin Chu, Keith Clay, Susan Cordell, Mary Cortese, Jan Den Ouden, Christopher Dick, Sisira Ediriweera, Erle C. Ellis, Anna Feistner, Amy L. Freestone, Thomas Giambelluca, Christian P. Giardina, Gregory S. Gilbert, Fangliang He, Jan Holík, Robert W. Howe, Walter Huaraca Huasca, Stephen P. Hubbell, Faith Inman, Patrick A. Jansen, Daniel J. Johnson, Kamil Kral, Sabrina E. Russo, Et Al.

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

One mechanism proposed to explain high species diversity in tropical systems is strong negative conspecific density dependence (CDD), which reduces recruitment of juveniles in proximity to conspecific adult plants. Although evidence shows that plant-specific soil pathogens can drive negative CDD, trees also form key mutualisms with mycorrhizal fungi, which may counteract these effects. Across 43 large-scale forest plots worldwide, we tested whether ectomycorrhizal tree species exhibit weaker negative CDD than arbuscular mycorrhizal tree species. We further tested for conmycorrhizal density dependence (CMDD) to test for benefit from shared mutualists. We found that the strength of CDD varies systematically with mycorrhizal …

Forages And Technology Management In Growing And Finishing Beef Cattle Systems, Kelton Adair

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A systems study evaluated the effects of an implant [25.7 mg estradiol (Compudose; Elanco Animal Health)] at two rates of gain (LOW: 0.45 kg/d and HIGH: 0.9 kg/d) applied during the winter backgrounding phase in drylot and winter grazing systems and its effects on subsequent phases of production. HIGH supplementation with an implant during the winter backgrounding phase in the drylot system yielded the greatest ending body weight (EBW) during the summer backgrounding phase (P = 0.04). LOW supplementation, without an implant, improved summer backgrounding average daily gain (ADG; P = 0.05) while achieving similar carcass adjusted final body …

The Influence Of Invasive Species On Fishers’ Satisfactions, Caroline M. Laplante

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Invasives species are prevalent and widespread in North America. Outdoor recreational activities, such as fishing, introduce a point in which humans may interact with invasive species and have to adapt their own behaviors. Bigheaded carp in the Missouri River below Gavin’s Point Dam are a group of invasive fish species that were thought to be negatively relating to recreational fishers’ satisfactions. Using a content analysis and an importance-grid, we conclude that invasive species do not strongly relate to recreational paddlefish fishers’ satisfactions. Paddlefish fishers represent a small sub-set of recreational fishers in Nebraska and South Dakota. The content analysis revealed …

Understanding Avidities Of Recreational Activities For People Possessing Fishing Licenses And Residing In Urban Environments, Kyle F. Hansen

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Recreational fishing is one of the world's most popular pastimes, wherein participation is associated with sociodemographic factors. Even so, fishing license sales are declining in the USA in conjunction with a reduction in rural populations as people move to urban areas. Thus, urban areas are constantly growing in population size, population diversity, and geographic size suggesting a need to understand fishing participation in these growing areas. Natural resource managers often use participation to understand recreationists, yet avidity could provide a new way to understand recreationists. The goal of our study is to understand what sociodemographic factors influence the fishing avidity …

Assessing The Morphological And Physiological Traits Of Smooth Brome Pastures Under Long Term Grazing And Nutrient Enrichment In Eastern Nebraska, Hassan Shehab

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Climate change together with the increase in demands for food, feed, fuel, and fiber are becoming a threat to sustainability and resilience of agriculture and pasture lands. Bromus inermis (smooth bromegrass) dominates pastures for cattle grazing in Eastern Nebraska, US, where it is planted in monocultures, and is considered high quality forage because of its palatability and high nutritional value for cattle, especially under intensive management practices. Sustainable management of these pastures is key to long-term resilience. This study aims to assess the performance of smooth bromegrass pastures to the combined effects of long-term management practices (since 2005) of fertilization …

Human Dimensions Of Woody Encroachment Management In Nebraska, Emily Rowen

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Woody plant encroachment (WPE) is a social-ecological problem that will challenge conservation professionals and agricultural producers to adapt their management strategies. This research first examined WPE from the perspective of individual conservation professionals through an online survey. Conservation professionals’ attitudes about adaptation to vegetation transitions, such as WPE, were of interest because these attitudes are one measure of how prepared this group is to respond to WPE. Hypothesized predictors of adaptation attitude were tested through linear regression modeling. These predictors included ecological change, observation of WPE, or risk perception. It was found that risk perception was the strongest predictor of …

Development Of An Intact Mass Spectrometry Method For The Detection And Differentiation Of Major Bovine Milk Proteins, Emily F. Harley-Dowell

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The authentication of products with claims regarding protein sources or compositions is a challenge for traditional analytical methods, which generally lack the required specificity whole protein analysis can provide. For example, the establishment of milk as “A2” is achieved through genetic testing of cows before milk production, with no methods to authenticate milk products themselves. Establishment of A2 milk is completed through genetic testing of the cows before milk production, but with no methods to authenticate the milk products themselves. Intact protein mass spectrometry (MS) has the potential to directly authenticate protein products, including specific proteoform claims. The development of …

A Global-Temporal Analysis On Phytophthora Sojae Resistance-Gene Efficacy, Austin G. Mccoy, Richard R. Belanger, Carl A. Bradley, Daniel G. Cerritos-Garcia, Vinicius C. Garnica, Loren Giesler, Pablo E. Grijalba, Eduardo Guillin, Maria A. Henriquez, Yong Min Kim, Dean K. Malvick, Rashelle L. Matthiesen, Santiago X. Mideros, Zachary A. Noel, Alison E. Robertson, Mitchell G. Roth, Clarice L. Schmidt, Damon L. Smith, Adam H. Sparks, Darcy E.P. Telenko, Vanessa Tremblay, Owen Wally, Martin I. Chilvers

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Plant disease resistance genes are widely used in agriculture to reduce disease outbreaks and epidemics and ensure global food security. In soybean, Rps (Resistance to Phytophthora sojae) genes are used to manage Phytophthora sojae, a major oomycete pathogen that causes Phytophthora stem and root rot (PRR) worldwide. This study aims to identify temporal changes in P. sojae pathotype complexity, diversity, and Rps gene efficacy. Pathotype data was collected from 5121 isolates of P. sojae, derived from 29 surveys conducted between 1990 and 2019 across the United States, Argentina, Canada, and China. This systematic review shows a loss of efficacy of …

First Draft Genome Of Thecaphora Frezii, Causal Agent Of Peanut Smut Disease, Renee S. Arias, Cinthia Conforto, Valerie A. Orner, Edgardo J. Carloni, Juan H. Soave, Alicia N. Massa, Marshall C. Lamb, Nelson Bernardi-Lima, Alejandro M. Rago

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Objectives: The fungal pathogen Thecaphora frezii Carranza & Lindquist causes peanut smut, a severe disease currently endemic in Argentina. To study the ecology of T. frezii and to understand the mechanisms of smut resistance in peanut plants, it is crucial to know the genetics of this pathogen. The objective of this work was to isolate the pathogen and generate the first draft genome of T. frezii that will be the basis for analyzing its potential genetic diversity and its interaction with peanut cultivars. Our research group is working to identify peanut germplasm with smut resistance and to understand the genetics …

Increasing Maternity Leave And Decreasing Attrition Rates Of U.S. Active Duty Women In The Prenatal And Immediate Postpartum Period, Minette S.R. Herrick, Weiwen Chai

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Introduction:The USA currently does not have a national parental leave policy. In 2016, the Secretary of Defense increased the allotted maternity leave for active duty U.S. military members from 6 to 12 weeks. The purpose of this study was to understand the potential impact of this change on attrition rates of active duty women in the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines from their initial prenatal visit through the first year postpartum.

Methods: All active duty women who had a confirmed pregnancy in the electronic health record from 2011 to 2019 were included for consideration in the study. …

2020-2021 Field Seasons Of Maize Gxe Project Within The Genomes To Fields Initiative, Dayane Cristina Lima, Alejandro Castro Aviles, Ryan Timothy Alpers, Alden Perkins, Dylan L. Schoemaker, Martin Costa, Kathryn J. Michel, Shawn Kaeppler, David Ertl, Maria Cinta Romay, Joseph L. Gage, James Holland, Timothy Beissinger, Martin Bohn, Edward Buckler, Jode Edwards, Sherry Flint-Garcia, Michael A. Gore, Candice N. Hirsch, Joseph E. Knoll, John Mckay, Richard Minyo, Seth C. Murray, James Schnable, Rajandeep S. Sekhon, Maninder P. Singh, Erin E. Sparks, Peter Thomison, Addie Thompson, Mitchell Tuinstra, Jason Wallace, Jacob D. Washburn, Teclemariam Weldekidan, Wenwei Xu, Natalia De Leon

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Objectives: This release note describes the Maize GxE project datasets within the Genomes to Fields (G2F) Initiative. The Maize GxE project aims to understand genotype by environment (GxE) interactions and use the information collected to improve resource allocation efficiency and increase genotype predictability and stability, particularly in scenarios of variable environmental patterns. Hybrids and inbreds are evaluated across multiple environments and phenotypic, genotypic, environmental, and metadata information are made publicly available. Data description: The datasets include phenotypic data of the hybrids and inbreds evaluated in 30 locations across the US and one location in Germany in 2020 and 2021, soil …

Aksakidion Odontokeras (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae: Eumolpini), A New Genus And Species In An Old Collection From Paraguay, Wills Flowers

Insecta Mundi

Aksakidion odontokeras, new genus and new species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae: Eumolpini), is described from four specimens in the Bowditch Collection at Harvard University. It is dis­tinguished from all other genera in the Eumolpinae by an elongate, seta-bearing, tusk-like projection on the dorsal side of each mandible. Although locality data only mention Paraguay as the country of origin, information about the collector indicates it was collected in the late 19th century in the vicinity of Asunción.

During a recent visit to the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University (MCZ) to study type mate­rial of Neotropical Chrysomelidae, a short series …

Accelerated Evolution Of Sars-Cov-2 In Free-Ranging White-Tailed Deer, Dillon S. Mcbride, Sofya K. Garushyants, John Franks, Andrew F. Magee, Steven H. Overend, Devra Huey, Amanda M. Williams, Seth A. Faith, Ahmed Kandeil, Sanja Trifkovic, Lance Miller, Trushar Jeevan, Anami Patel, Jacqueline M. Nolting, Michael J. Tonkovich, J. Tyler Genders, Andrew J. Montoney, Kevin Kasnyik, Timothy J. Linder, Sarah N. Bevins, Julianna B. Lenoch, Jeffrey C. Chandler, Thomas J. Deliberto, Eugene V. Koonin, Marc A. Suchard, Philippe Lemey, Richard J. Webby, Martha I. Nelson, Andrew S. Bowman

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The zoonotic origin of the COVID-19 pandemic virus highlights the need to fill the vast gaps in our knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 ecology and evolution in non-human hosts. Here, we detected that SARS-CoV-2 was introduced from humans into white-tailed deer more than 30 times in Ohio, USA during November 2021-March 2022. Subsequently, deer-to-deer transmission persisted for 2–8 months, disseminating across hundreds of kilometers. Newly developed Bayesian phylogenetic methods quantified how SARS-CoV-2 evolution is not only three-times faster in white-tailed deer compared to the rate observed in humans but also driven by different mutational biases and selection pressures. The long-term effect of …

Rapid Evolution Of A(H5n1) Influenza Viruses After Intercontinental Spread To North America, Ahmed Kandeil, Christopher Patton, Jeremy C. Jones, Trushar Jeevan, Walter N. Harrington, Sanja Trifkovic, Jon P. Seiler, Thomas Fabrizio, Karlie Woodard, Jasmine C. Turner, Jeri Carol Crumpton, Lance Miller, Adam Rubrum, Jennifer Debeauchamp, Charles J. Russell, Elena A. Govorkova, Peter Vogel, Mia Kim-Torchetti, Yohannes Berhane, David Stallknecht, Rebecca Poulson, Lisa Kercher, Richard J. Webby

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses of clade 2.3.4.4b underwent an explosive geographic expansion in 2021 among wild birds and domestic poultry across Asia, Europe, and Africa. By the end of 2021, 2.3.4.4b viruses were detected in North America, signifying further intercontinental spread. Here we show that the western movement of clade 2.3.4.4b was quickly followed by reassortment with viruses circulating in wild birds in North America, resulting in the acquisition of different combinations of ribonucleoprotein genes. These reassortant A(H5N1) viruses are genotypically and phenotypically diverse, with many causing severe disease with dramatic neurologic involvement in mammals. The proclivity of …

Cell Surface And Plasma Biomarkers Of Kaposi Sarcoma, Sara R. Privatt

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus is the etiological agent of several pathologies including Kaposi sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and multicentric Castleman’s disease. Here, we investigated both the tumor microenvironment (TME) in KS lesions as well as plasma from KSHV-infected individuals and how metabolic dysfunction and dysregulated cytokines might have a systemic effect on KS tumorigenesis. Based on previously published KS tumor transcriptomics, one aspect of our investigation involved characterizing cell surface glycoproteins with potential to serve as therapeutic targets against KSHV-infected cells or KS tumors or as biomarkers for disease. Expression patterns of such markers may also suggest the cellular origin of …