Life Sciences Commons^™

Table Of Contents

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Responses And Implications To Coastal Wetlands And The Surrounding Regions Under Sea Level Rise, Karim Alizad, Scott C. Hagen, Stephen C. Medeiros, Matthew V. Bilskie, James T. Morris, Len Balthis, Christine A. Buckel

Faculty Publications

Two distinct microtidal estuarine systems were assessed to advance the understanding of the coastal dynamics of sea level rise in salt marshes. A coupled hydrodynamic-marsh model (Hydro-MEM) was applied to both a marine-dominated (Grand Bay, Mississippi) and a mixed fluvial/marine (Weeks Bay, Alabama) system to compute marsh productivity, marsh migration, and potential tidal inundation from the year 2000 to 2100 under four sea level rise scenarios. Characteristics of the estuaries such as geometry, sediment availability, and topography, were compared to understand their role in the dynamic response to sea level rise. The results show that the low sea level rise …

Resveratrol Attenuates Allergic Asthma And Associated Inflammation In The Lungs Through Regulation Of Mirna-34a That Targets Foxp3 In Mice, Esraah Alharris, Hasan Alghetaa, Ratanesh K. Seth, Saurabh Chatterjee, Narendra P. Singh, Mitzi Nagarkatti, Prakash Nagarkatti

Faculty Publications

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of airways mediated by T-helper 2 (Th2) cells involving complex signaling pathways. Although resveratrol has previously been shown to attenuate allergic asthma, the role of miRNA in this process has not been studied. We investigated the effect of resveratrol on ovalbumin-induced experimental allergic asthma in mice. To that end, BALB/c mice were immunized with ovalbumin (OVA) intraperitoneally followed by oral gavage of vehicle (OVA-veh) or resveratrol (100 mg/kg body) (OVA-res). On day 7, the experimental groups received intranasal challenge of OVA followed by 7 days of additional oral gavage of vehicle or resveratrol. At …

Macromolecular-Clustered Facial Amphiphilic Antimicrobials, Md Anisur Rahman, Marpe Bam, Edgar Luat, Moumita Sharmin Jui, Mitra S. Ganewatta, Tinom Shokfai, Mitzi Nagarkatti, Alan W. Decho

Faculty Publications

Bacterial infections and antibiotic resistance, particularly by Gram-negative pathogens, have become a global healthcare crisis. We report the design of a class of cationic antimicrobial polymers that cluster local facial amphiphilicity from repeating units to enhance interactions with bacterial membranes without requiring a globally conformational arrangement associated with highly unfavorable entropic loss. This concept of macromolecular architectures is demonstrated with a series of multicyclic natural product-based cationic polymers. We have shown that cholic acid derivatives with three charged head groups are more potent and selective than lithocholic and deoxycholic counterparts, particularly against Gram-negative bacteria. This is ascribed to the formation …

Metallo-Polyelectrolytes As A Class Of Ionic Macromolecules For Functional Materials, Tianyu Zhu, Ye Sha, Jing Yan, Parasmani Pageni, Md Anisur Rahman, Yi Yan, Chuanbing Tang

Faculty Publications

The fields of soft polymers and macromolecular sciences have enjoyed a unique combination of metals and organic frameworks in the name of metallopolymers or organometallic polymers. When metallopolymers carry charged groups, they form a class of metal-containing polyelectrolytes or metallo-polyelectrolytes. This review identifies the unique properties and functions of metallo-polyelectrolytes compared with conventional organo-polyelectrolytes, in the hope of shedding light on the formation of functional materials with intriguing applications and potential benefits. It concludes with a critical perspective on the challenges and hurdles for metallo-polyelectrolytes, especially experimental quantitative analysis and theoretical modeling of ionic binding.

Evidence That A Respiratory Shield In Escherichia Coli Protects A Low-Molecular-Mass Fe-Ii Pool From O2-Dependent Oxidation, Joshua D. Wofford, Naimah Bolaji, Nathaniel Dziuba, Franklin Wayne Outten, Paul A. Lindahl

Faculty Publications

Iron is critical for virtually all organisms, yet major questions remain regarding the systems' level understanding of iron in whole cells. Here, we obtained Mössbauer and EPR spectra of Escherichia coli cells prepared under different nutrient iron concentrations, carbon sources, growth phases, and O₂ concentrations to better understand their global iron content. We investigated wild-type cells and those lacking Fur, FtnA, Bfr, and Dps proteins. The coarse-grain iron content of exponentially growing cells consisted of iron-sulfur clusters, variable amounts of nonheme high-spin Fe^II species, and an unassigned residual quadrupole doublet. The iron in stationary-phase cells was dominated by …

Impacts Of Natural And Anthropogenic Colonized Habitats On The Range Shifting Mangrove Tree Crab (Aratus Pisonii), Zachary John Cannizzo

Theses and Dissertations

Mis-matches in climate-mediated shifting rates cause the ranges of some species to become decoupled from their historic ecosystem, leading to the colonization of ecosystems they have not previously inhabited. When this occurs, the shifting species may experience suboptimal conditions which challenge its ability to persist and expand into the novel ecosystem. However, within the colonized ecosystem, shifting species may encounter artificial habitat analogues: artificial habitats that more closely resemble the species’ historic ecosystem than the surrounding habitat and which mitigate some of the negative impacts experienced elsewhere in the novel ecosystem. Despite their importance to the ecology, life history, and …

Neighborhood Socioeconomic Environment And Its Influence On Cardiorespiratory Fitness And Physical Activity In Youth, Morgan N. Clennin

Theses and Dissertations

Among youth, inadequate cardiorespiratory fitness and physical inactivity are powerful markers of health associated with numerous health outcomes across the lifespan. Unfortunately, a majority of U.S. youth have inadequate cardiorespiratory fitness levels and do not meet physical activity guidelines. While previous research has identified several individual-level factors associated with youth cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity, environmental factors have been increasingly recognized. Of particular interest is the neighborhood socioeconomic environment, which has been consistently associated with several health outcomes among adults. However, little is known regarding the relationship between the neighborhood socioeconomic environment, cardiorespiratory fitness, and physical activity among younger populations. …

Targeted Insertion Of The Mping Transposable Element, Ashley E. Strother, Stephanie S. Diaz, Mary E. Baker, C. Nathan Hancock

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Class II DNA Transposable Elements (TEs) are moved from one location to another in the genome by the action of transposase proteins that bind to repeat sequences at the ends of the elements. Although the location TE insertion is mostly random, the addition of DNA binding domains to the transposase proteins has allowed for targeted insertion of some elements. In this study, the Gal4 binding domain was added to the transposase proteins, ORF1 and TPase, which mobilize the mPing element from rice. The Gal4:TPase construct was capable of increasing the number of mPing insertions into the Gal2 and Gal4 promoter …

Barriers And Facilitators To Compliance With A State Healthy Eating Policy In Early Care And Education Centers, Daniel A. Zaltz, Russell R. Pate, Jennifer R. O'Neill, Brian Neelon, Sara E. Benjamin-Neelon

Faculty Publications

Background: Early care and education (ECE) policies can improve childhood obesity risk factors. We evaluated barriers and facilitators to implementing mandatory nutrition standards for foods provided in South Carolina ECE centers serving lowincome children, comparing centers participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) with non-CACFP centers.

Methods: We mailed 261 surveys (demographics, policies and practices, barriers and facilitators) to center directors after new state nutrition standards were implemented in South Carolina. We conducted univariate and bivariate analyses to explore relationships between barriers, facilitators, and center-level characteristics, by CACFP status.

Results: We received 163 surveys (62% response rate). …

Influenza Virus Infectivity Is Retained In Aerosols And Droplets Independent Of Relative Humidity, Karen A. Kormuth, Kaisen Lin, Aaron J. Prussin, Eric P. Vejerano, Andrea J. Tiwari, Steve S. Cox, Micheal M. Myerburg, Seema S. Lakdawala, Linsey C. Marr

Faculty Publications

Pandemic and seasonal influenza viruses can be transmitted through aerosols and droplets, in which viruses must remain stable and infectious across a wide range of environmental conditions. Using humidity-controlled chambers, we studied the impact of relative humidity on the stability of 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus in suspended aerosols and stationary droplets. Contrary to the prevailing paradigm that humidity modulates the stability of respiratory viruses in aerosols, we found that viruses supplemented with material from the apical surface of differentiated primary human airway epithelial cells remained equally infectious for 1 hour at all relative humidities tested. This sustained infectivity was …

Determining The First Intermediate Host To Parasites Glossocercus Caribaensis And Cyclustera Ibisae That Are Found In Fundulus Heteroclitus In The North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Emiley Masloski, Marlee B. Marsh

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Fundulus heteroclitus serves as a host to many parasites, providing a model system to investigate questions regarding evolution and ecology of host-parasite interactions in natural populations. Previous research from the North Inlet Estuary at Belle W. Baruch shows that F. heteroclitus serve as second intermediate hosts to cestodes, Glossocercus caribaensis and Cyclustera ibisae. Finding larval parasites in the first intermediate host will complete gaps in the knowledge about these parasites’ life cycles. In the experiment, 27 fish were collected from the North Inlet Estuary and were dissected and examined for parasites around the gastrointestinal tract. Parasites collected were sent …

Nickel Exposure Reduces Enterobactin Production In Escherichia Coli, Clorissa L. Washington-Hughes, Geoffrey T. Ford, Alsten D. Jones, Kimberly Mcrae, Franklin Wayne Outten

Faculty Publications

Escherichia coli is a well- studied bacterium that can be found in many niches, such as industrial wastewater, where the concentration of nickel can rise to low- millimolar levels. Recent studies show that nickel exposure can repress pyochelin or induce pyo-verdine siderophore production in Pseudomonas aueroginosa. Understanding the mo-lecular cross- talk between siderophore production, metal homeostasis, and metal toxicity in microorganisms is critical for designing bioremediation strategies for metal- contaminated sites. Here, we show that high- nickel exposure prolongs lag phase duration as a result of low- intracellular iron levels in E. coli. Although E. coli cells respond to low- …

Identification Of Coliphages In The Aviary At Brookgreen Gardens And The Factors That Might Influence Coliphage Population Dynamics In This Cypress Swamp Environment, Olivia Shirley, Lisa Pieterse, Paul E. Richardson

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

It has been understood that the presence of coliphages (bacteriophages specific for E. coli) in water is an indirect measurement of fecal contamination. Bacteriophages have been suggested to hold an important role in regulating the bacterial population. This pilot study analyzes the relationship between the presence of coliphages in the water in the aviary at Brookgreen Gardens and how environmental factors such as temperature, pH, and turbidity affect the presence of these viruses over the time period of three months (June 2017 through August 2017). Coliphages found in volary water sources were speculated to be deposited directly by birds that …

An Investigation Of The Order Of Applying An Emollient With A Topical Steroid In The Treatment Of Atopic Dermatitis, Andrea Conner, Ashlee Tietje

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

In 2007, the prevalence of Atopic Dermatitis had increased two to three-fold within the last three decades and affected 15-20% of young children (Buys, 2007). Current treatment includes the use of both steroid and emollient creams. Current suggestions for the order of application are contradictory. This study aims to examine the role of the order of application of treatments for Atopic Dermatitis (AD). Hairless mice (SKH-1) were induced to a mild AD flare-up using 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) and treated with either 1% hydrocortisone (Maximum Strength Cortizone 10 cream) alone, 1% hydrocortisone followed by Cetaphil (emollient), or Cetaphil followed by 1% hydrocortisone. …

Evolving Paradigms In Biological Carbon Cycling In The Ocean, Chuanlun Zhang, Hongyue Dang, Farooq Azam, Ronald Benner, Louis Legendre, Uta Passow, Luca Polimene, Carol Robinson, Curtis A. Suttle, Nianzhi Jiao

Faculty Publications

Carbon is a keystone element in global biogeochemical cycles. It plays a fundamental role in biotic and abiotic processes in the ocean, which intertwine to mediate the chemistry and redox status of carbon in the ocean and the atmosphere. The interactions between abiotic and biogenic carbon (e.g. CO₂, CaCO₃, organic matter) in the ocean are complex, and there is a half-century-old enigma about the existence of a huge reservoir of recalcitrant dissolved organic carbon (RDOC) that equates to the magnitude of the pool of atmospheric CO₂. The concepts of the biological carbon pump (BCP) …

Investigating The Lytic Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteriophage Reservoir Amongst A South Carolina University Population: Discovery, Characterization, And Identification Of A Potential Bacteriophage Treatment For Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Lisa Pieterse, Amy Powers, Derek Pride, Lisha Van Onselen, Giovanna E. Leone, Paul E. Richardson

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Bacteriophages are viruses that only infect bacterial cells and can be used to treat antibiotic resistant bacterial infections. This study focused on the isolation and characterization of bacteriophages lytic to Staphylococcus aureus at Coastal Carolina University (CCU) in Conway, South Carolina, as a means to isolate bacteriophages that can potentially be used to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an antibiotic-resistant S. aureus variant. From 2014 to 2018, collection of ear and nose samples from 225 randomly selected CCU volunteers was conducted. Filter sterilization, amplification, microbial tests, and PCR analyses were performed in order to identify and characterize bacteriophages. Coliphage populations …

Table Of Contents

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Nine-Banded Armadillo (Dasypus Novemcinctus) In Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Jonathan J. Storm

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

The distribution range of the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) has been expanding northward across the eastern and central United States over the past several decades. It is thought that armadillos first reached South Carolina in the mid-1980s in the southwestern portion of the state. Armadillo sightings are rare in the Upstate region of South Carolina. Here, we report of an armadillo photographed in southern Spartanburg County on 30 May, 2017. This individual was spotted in mixed deciduous forest along the Tyger River. Our data add further support to the notion that armadillos have expanded their breeding range into …

Aerosol Microdroplets Exhibit A Stable Ph Gradient, Haoran Wei, Eric P. Vejerano, Weinan Leng, Qishen Haung, Marjorie R. Willner, Linsey C. Marr, Peter J. Vikesland

Faculty Publications

Suspended aqueous aerosol droplets (<50 μm) are microreactors for many important atmospheric reactions. In droplets and other aquatic environments, pH is arguably the key parameter dictating chemical and biological processes. The nature of the droplet air/ water interface has the potential to significantly alter droplet pH relative to bulk water. Historically, it has been challenging to measure the pH of individual droplets because of their inaccessibility to conventional pH probes. In this study, we scanned droplets containing 4-mercaptobenzoic acid–functionalized gold nanoparticle pH nanoprobes by 2D and 3D laser confocal Raman microscopy. Using surface-enhanced Raman scattering, we acquired the pH distribution inside approximately 20-μm-diameter phosphate-buffered aerosol droplets and found that the pH in the core of a droplet is higher than that of bulk solution by up to 3.6 pH units. This finding suggests the accumulation of protons at the air/water interface and is consistent with recent thermodynamic model results. The existence of this pH shift was corroborated by the observation that a catalytic reaction that occurs only under basic conditions (i.e., dimerization of 4-aminothiophenol to produce dimercaptoazobenzene) occurs within the high pH core of a droplet, but not in bulk solution. Our nanoparticle probe enables pH quantification through the cross-section of an aerosol droplet, revealing a spatial gradient that has implications for acid-base–catalyzed atmospheric chemistry.

Building Soft Nanomachines From Polydiacetylene Liposomes, Timothy W. Hanks

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Note On Suspected Brown Recluse Spiders (Araneae: Sicariidae) In South Carolina, Robert J. Wolff

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

High Circulatory Leptin Mediated Nox-2-Peroxynitrite-Mir21 Axis Activate Mesangial Cells And Promotes Renal Inflammatory Pathology In Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Firas Alhasson, Ratanesh K. Seth, Sutapa Sarkar, Diana A. Kimono, Muayad S. Albadrani, Diptadip Dattaroy, Varun Chandrashekaran, Geoffry Scott, Samir Raychoudhury, Mitzi Nagarkatti, Prakash Nagarkatti, Anna Mae Diehl, Saurabh Chatterjee

Faculty Publications

High circulatory insulin and leptin followed by underlying inflammation are often ascribed to the ectopic manifestations in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) but the exact molecular pathways remain unclear. We have shown previously that CYP2E1-mediated oxidative stress and circulating leptin in NAFLD is associated with renal disease severity. Extending the studies, we hypothesized that high circulatory leptin in NAFLD causes renal mesangial cell activation and tubular inflammation via a NOX2 dependent pathway that upregulates proinflammatory miR21. High-fat diet (60% kcal) was used to induce fatty liver phenotype with parallel insulin and leptin resistance. The kidneys were probed for mesangial cell …

Facially Amphiphilic Polyionene Biocidal Polymers Derived From Lithocholic Acid, Mitra S. Ganewatta, Md Anisur Rahman, Louis Mercado, Tinom Shokfai, Alan W. Decho, Theresa M. Reineke, Chuanbing Tang

Faculty Publications

Bacterial infections have become a global issue that requires urgent attention, particularly regarding to emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria. We developed quaternary amine-containing antimicrobial poly(bile acid)s that contain a hydrophobic core of lithocholic acid in the main-chain. Interestingly, by choosing appropriate monomers, these cationic polymers can form core-shell micelles. These polymers exhibited biocidal activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial species. It is demonstrated that the micelles can deliver hydrophobic antibiotics that functionally have dual antimicrobial activities. Cytotoxicity assays against HeLa cells showed dosage-dependent toxicity for polymers with longer linkers.

Threshold-Dependent Repression Of Spl Gene Expression By Mir156/Mir157 Controls Vegetative Phase Change In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Jia He, Mingli Xu, Matthew R. Willmann, Kevin Mccormick, Tieqiang Hu, Li Yang, Colby G. Starker, Daniel F. Voytas, Blake C. Meyers, R. Scott Poethig

Faculty Publications

Vegetative phase change is regulated by a decrease in the abundance of the miRNAs, miR156 and miR157, and the resulting increase in the expression of their targets, SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) transcription factors. To determine how miR156/miR157 specify the quantitative and qualitative changes in leaf morphology that occur during vegetative phase change, we measured their abundance in successive leaves and characterized the phenotype of mutations in different MIR156 and MIR157 genes. miR156/miR157 decline rapidly between leaf 1&2 and leaf 3 and decrease more slowly after this point. The amount of miR156/miR157 in leaves 1&2 greatly exceeds the …

Osteon Mimetic Scaffolding, Janay Clytus

Senior Theses

The purpose of this research is to provide an alternative to naturally derived bone grafts. There is a gap in the supply of donors and the demand of bone tissue. Artificial scaffold creation can work as an implant and decrease the shortage of bone grafts and increase the range of injuries that can be repaired. Current research focuses on optimizing mechanical properties such as porosity, improving vascularization using cells, and generating osteoconductivity. For osteodifferentiation, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can differentiate into mesodermal lineages such as chondrocytes, osteoblasts, adipocytes, and tenocytes by supplementing cultures with lineage-specific soluble factors (Marchetti). Co-culturing ECFCs …

Advancing Professional Development Strategies For Chemistry And Biochemistry Undergraduates, Christian A. Brown

Senior Theses

In the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of South Carolina (the Department), most curriculum-driven professional development is reserved for third- and fourth-year students. Classroom learning occurs at all levels, but the context comes late. Early exposure to career options and hands-on training is imperative for undergraduates to obtain maximum experiential learning. The purpose of this project is to advance the current professional development strategies of the Department, specifically targeting second- and third-year students. The study surveyed students' current involvement in professional development activities. The data on extracurricular experience and post-graduation interest was used to design a workshop …

Stimulating Canonical Wnt Signaling In Pituitary Progenitors Inhibits Differentiation Of Hormone Cell Types, Tanner F. Coleman

Senior Theses

The mouse pituitary gland secretes hormones that regulate many physiological processes including growth, stress response, and reproduction. The canonical WNT signaling pathway, activation of which results in nuclear accumulation of β-CATENIN and transcription of target genes including LEF1, is crucial for proper development of the pituitary gland. Pituitary progenitors that lack β-CATENIN at embryonic day of development 8.5 (E8.5) cannot form three of the six cell types of the anterior pituitary that produce growth hormone (GH), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and prolactin (PRL). Additionally, stimulating canonical WNT signaling through creation of degradation-resistant β-CATENIN at E9.5 causes pituitary tumors and results …

Andale Pittsburgh: Results Of A Promotoraled, Home-Based Intervention To Promote A Healthy Weight In Latino Preschool Children, Sharon E. Taverno Ross, Bethany Barone Gibbs, Patricia I. Documet, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

Background: Latino preschool children have higher rates of obesity than preschool children from other racial/ ethnic groups; however, few effective, culturally appropriate interventions exist targeting this group. The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of a 10-week, promotora-mediated, home-based intervention to promote a healthy weight in Latino preschool children.

Methods: Trained promotoras (community health workers) delivered 10, 90-min weekly interactive and tailored sessions to Latino families living in Allegheny County. Participants were recruited through promotoras’ own social networks and community gatherings, flyers, and word of mouth. Primary outcome measures included child body mass index (BMI) z-score and …

Spatial Extinction Date Estimation: A Novel Method For Reconstructing Spatiotemporal Patterns Of Extinction And Identifying Potential Zones Of Rediscovery, Colin J. Carlson, Kevin R. Burgio, Tad Dallas, Alexander L. Bond

Faculty Publications

1. The estimation of extinction dates from limited and incomplete sighting records

is a key challenge in conservation (when experts are uncertain whether a species has

gone extinct) and historical ecology (when the date and mechanism of extinction is

controversial).

2. We introduce a spatially-explicit method of interpolating extinction date estima8 tors, allowing users to estimate spatiotemporal surfaces of population persistence 9 from georeferenced sighting data of variable quality.

3. We present the R package spatExtinct, which produces spatially-explicit extinction date surfaces from geolocated sightings, including options for custom randomization schemes to improve accuracy with limited datasets. We use simulations …