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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Cry1 Expression During Postnatal Development Is Critical For The Establishment Of Normal Circadian Period, Aaron Schirmer, Vivek Kumar, Andrew Schook, Eun Joo Song, Michael S. Marshall, Joseph S. Takahashi Jun 2023

Cry1 Expression During Postnatal Development Is Critical For The Establishment Of Normal Circadian Period, Aaron Schirmer, Vivek Kumar, Andrew Schook, Eun Joo Song, Michael S. Marshall, Joseph S. Takahashi

Biology Faculty Publications

The mammalian circadian system generates an approximate 24-h rhythm through a complex autoregulatory feedback loop. Four genes, Period1 (Per1), Period2 (Per2), Cryptochrome1 (Cry1), and Cryptochrome2 (Cry2), regulate the negative feedback within this loop. Although these proteins have distinct roles within the core circadian mechanism, their individual functions are poorly understood. Here, we used a tetracycline trans-activator system (tTA) to examine the role of transcriptional oscillations in Cry1 and Cry2 in the persistence of circadian activity rhythms. We demonstrate that rhythmic Cry1 expression is an important regulator of circadian period. We then define a critical period from birth to postnatal day …


Sex-Related Differences In Aging Rate Are Associated With Sex Chromosome System In Amphibians, Hugo Cayuela, Beth Reinke, 48 Other Co-Authors Feb 2022

Sex-Related Differences In Aging Rate Are Associated With Sex Chromosome System In Amphibians, Hugo Cayuela, Beth Reinke, 48 Other Co-Authors

Biology Faculty Publications

Sex-related differences in mortality are widespread in the animal kingdom. Although studies have shown that sex determination systems might drive lifespan evolution, sex chromosome influence on aging rates have not been investigated so far, likely due to an apparent lack of demographic data from clades including both XY (with heterogametic males) and ZW (heterogametic females) systems. Taking advantage of a unique collection of capture–recapture datasets in amphibians, a vertebrate group where XY and ZW systems have repeatedly evolved over the past 200 million years, we examined whether sex heterogamy can predict sex differences in aging rates and lifespans. We showed …


The Drosophila Mutagen-Sensitivity Gene Mus109 Encodes Dmdna2, Chandani Mitchell, Vada Becker, Jordan Deloach, Erica Nestore, Elyse Bolterstein, Kathryn P. Kohl Jan 2022

The Drosophila Mutagen-Sensitivity Gene Mus109 Encodes Dmdna2, Chandani Mitchell, Vada Becker, Jordan Deloach, Erica Nestore, Elyse Bolterstein, Kathryn P. Kohl

Biology Faculty Publications

The development of gene mapping techniques has a long and storied history in the Drosophila melanogaster model system (reviewed in [1]), beginning with Alfred Sturtevant’s fundamental publication of the first genetic map in 1913 [2]. In this work, Sturtevant showed that genes are arranged in a linear order along chromosomes and that the recombination frequency between two genes could be used as a measure of the distance between them. This discovery created the foundation for other key advances in Drosophila gene mapping, including the generation of detailed polytene chromosome cytogenetic maps [3,4], the development of deletion kits covering the genome …


People-Powered Research And Experiential Learning: Unravelling Hidden Biodiversity, Melanie Pivarski, Matt Von Konrat, Tom Campbell, Numerous Other Co-Authors Jan 2022

People-Powered Research And Experiential Learning: Unravelling Hidden Biodiversity, Melanie Pivarski, Matt Von Konrat, Tom Campbell, Numerous Other Co-Authors

Biology Faculty Publications

Globally, thousands of institutions house nearly three billion scientific collections offering unparallelled resources that contribute to both science and society. For herbaria alone - facilities housing dried plant collections - there are over 3,000 herbaria worldwide with an estimated 350 million specimens that have been collected over the past four centuries. Digitisation has greatly enhanced the use of herbarium data in scientific research, impacting diverse research areas, including biodiversity informatics, global climate change, analyses using next-generation sequencing technologies and many others. Despite the entrance of herbaria into a new era with enhanced scientific, educational and societal relevance, museum specimens remain …


Structural Basis For Light Control Of Cell Development Revealed By Crystal Structures Of A Myxobacterial Phytochrome, Nicole C. Woitowich, Andrei S. Halavaty, Patricia Waltz, Christopher Kupitz, Joseph Valera, Gregory Tracy, Kevin D. Gallagher, Elin Claesson, Takanori Nakane, Suraj Pandey, Garrett Nelson, Rie Tanaka, Eriko Nango, Eiichi Mizohata, Shigeki Owada, Kensure Tono, Yasumasa Joti, Angela C. Nugent, Hardik Patel, Ayesha Mapara, James Hopkins, Phu Duong, Dorina Bizhga, Svetlana E. Kovaleva, Rachel St. Peter, Cynthia N. Hernandez, Wesley B. Ozarowski, Shatabdi Roy-Chowdhuri, Jay-How Yang, Petra Edlund, Heikki Takala, Janne Ihalainen, Jennifer Brayshaw, Tyler Norwood, Ishwor Poudyal, Petra Fromme, John C.H. Spence, Keith Moffat, Sebastian Westenhoff, Marius Schmidt, Emina A. Stojkovic Sep 2018

Structural Basis For Light Control Of Cell Development Revealed By Crystal Structures Of A Myxobacterial Phytochrome, Nicole C. Woitowich, Andrei S. Halavaty, Patricia Waltz, Christopher Kupitz, Joseph Valera, Gregory Tracy, Kevin D. Gallagher, Elin Claesson, Takanori Nakane, Suraj Pandey, Garrett Nelson, Rie Tanaka, Eriko Nango, Eiichi Mizohata, Shigeki Owada, Kensure Tono, Yasumasa Joti, Angela C. Nugent, Hardik Patel, Ayesha Mapara, James Hopkins, Phu Duong, Dorina Bizhga, Svetlana E. Kovaleva, Rachel St. Peter, Cynthia N. Hernandez, Wesley B. Ozarowski, Shatabdi Roy-Chowdhuri, Jay-How Yang, Petra Edlund, Heikki Takala, Janne Ihalainen, Jennifer Brayshaw, Tyler Norwood, Ishwor Poudyal, Petra Fromme, John C.H. Spence, Keith Moffat, Sebastian Westenhoff, Marius Schmidt, Emina A. Stojkovic

Biology Faculty Publications

Phytochromes are red-light photoreceptors that were first characterized in plants, with homologs in photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic bacteria known as bacteriophytochromes (BphPs). Upon absorption of light, BphPs interconvert between two states denoted Pr and Pfr with distinct absorption spectra in the red and far-red. They have recently been engineered as enzymatic photoswitches for fluorescent-marker applications in non-invasive tissue imaging of mammals. This article presents cryo- and room-temperature crystal structures of the unusual phytochrome from the non-photosynthetic myxobacterium Stigmatella aurantiaca (SaBphP1) and reveals its role in the fruitingbody formation of this photomorphogenic bacterium. SaBphP1 lacks a conserved histidine (His) in the chromophore-binding …


Relationships Of Native And Exotic Strains Of Phragmites Australis To Wetland Ecosystem Properties, L. A. Volesky, S. Iqbal, J. J. Kelly, Pamela Geddes Jan 2018

Relationships Of Native And Exotic Strains Of Phragmites Australis To Wetland Ecosystem Properties, L. A. Volesky, S. Iqbal, J. J. Kelly, Pamela Geddes

Biology Faculty Publications

Invasions by exotic plant species like Phragmites australis can affect wetlands and the services they provide, including denitrification. Native and exotic Phragmites strains were genetically verified in 2002 but few studies have compared their ecosystem effects. We compared relationships between native and exotic Phragmites and environmental attributes, soil nutrient concentrations, and abundance and activity of soil denitrifying bacteria. There were no significant differences for any measured variables between sites with exotic and native strains. However, there were significant positive correlations between native Phragmites stem density and soil nutrient concentrations and denitrification rates. Furthermore, denitrifying bacterial abundance was positively correlated with …


3.4 Million Real-World Learning Management System Logins Reveal The Majority Of Students Experience Social Jet Lag Correlated With Decreased Performance, Benjamin L. Smarr, Aaron E. Schirmer Jan 2018

3.4 Million Real-World Learning Management System Logins Reveal The Majority Of Students Experience Social Jet Lag Correlated With Decreased Performance, Benjamin L. Smarr, Aaron E. Schirmer

Biology Faculty Publications

Misalignments between endogenous circadian rhythms and the built environment (i.e., social jet lag, SJL) result in learning and attention deficits. Currently, there is no way to assess the impact of SJL on learning outcomes of large populations as a response to schedule choices, let alone to assess which individuals are most negatively impacted by these choices. We analyzed two years of learning management system login events for 14,894 Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) students to investigate the capacity of such systems as tools for mapping the impact of SJL over large populations while maintaining the ability to generate insights …


Effects Of Echinostoma Trivolvis Metacercariae Infection During Development And Metamorphosis Of The Wood Frog (Lithobates Sylvaticus), Sarah A. Orlofske, Lisa K. Belden, William A. Hopkins Aug 2016

Effects Of Echinostoma Trivolvis Metacercariae Infection During Development And Metamorphosis Of The Wood Frog (Lithobates Sylvaticus), Sarah A. Orlofske, Lisa K. Belden, William A. Hopkins

Biology Faculty Publications

Many organisms face energetic trade-offs between defense against parasites and other host processes that may determine overall consequences of infection. These trade-offs may be particularly evident during unfavorable environmental conditions or energetically demanding life history stages. Amphibian metamorphosis, an ecologically important developmental period, is associated with drastic morphological and physiological changes and substantial energetic costs. Effects of the trematode parasite Echinostoma trivolvis have been documented during early amphibian development, but effects during later development and metamorphosis are largely unknown. Using a laboratory experiment, we examined the energetic costs of late development and metamorphosis coupled with E. trivolvis infection in wood …


Circadian Rhythms Affect Electroretinogram, Compound Eye Color, Striking Behavior And Locomotion Of The Praying Mantis Hierodula Patellifera, Aaron E. Schirmer, Frederick R. Prete, Edgar S. Mantes, Andrew F. Urdiales, Wil Bogue Jan 2014

Circadian Rhythms Affect Electroretinogram, Compound Eye Color, Striking Behavior And Locomotion Of The Praying Mantis Hierodula Patellifera, Aaron E. Schirmer, Frederick R. Prete, Edgar S. Mantes, Andrew F. Urdiales, Wil Bogue

Biology Faculty Publications

Many behaviors and physiological processes oscillate with circadian rhythms that are synchronized to environmental cues (e.g. light onset), but persist with periods of ~24 h in the absence of such cues. We used a multilevel experimental approach to assess whether circadian rhythms modulate several aspects of the visual physiology and behavior of the praying mantis Hierodula patellifera. We used electroretinograms (ERGs) to assess compound eye sensitivity, colorimetric photographic analyses to assess compound eye color changes (screening pigment migration), behavioral assays of responsiveness to computer-generated prey-like visual stimuli and analyses of locomotor activity patterns on a modified treadmill apparatus. Our results …


The Diatom Flora Of Phosphorus-Enriched And Unenriched Sites In An Everglades Marsh, Jennifer E. Slate, R Jan Stevenson Jan 2007

The Diatom Flora Of Phosphorus-Enriched And Unenriched Sites In An Everglades Marsh, Jennifer E. Slate, R Jan Stevenson

Biology Faculty Publications

Diatoms are used as environmental indicators in the Florida Everglades, a large subtropical wetland highly impacted by phosphorus pollution. However, the taxonomy of the diatom flora, a mix of temperate and tropical diatoms, is understudied. Therefore, we analyzed the taxonomy of 71 diatom taxa collected in Water Conservation Area 2A (WCA-2A). Diatoms were analyzed from sediment cores and from floating algal mats collected in phosphorus-enriched northern WCA-2A and in relatively unenriched southern WCA-2A. In addition, diatoms were analyzed from experimental mesocosms in southern WCA- 2A dosed with 0-126 µgL-1 P-PO4. Total phosphorus optima were calculated for dominant …