Life Sciences Commons^™

Two Honeysuckles: A Tale Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

There are about 180 species of Lonicera (honeysuckles) widely distributed in the north temperate zone. These are mostly shrubby plants, but in Virginia, we have two species that are woody vines (lianas). These two lianous honeysuckles should be familiar to all Virginia Native Plant Society members. One is this year’s VNPS Wildflower of the Year, Lonicera sempervirens (coral honeysuckle), and the other is Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle), widely and deservedly reviled as one of our most aggressive invasive exotic species. Together, these two plants make an odd pair, a sort of botanical Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. What is it, …

A Dichotomous Key For The Identification Of Nine Salmonids Of The Inland Northwest Using Six Diagnostic Skull Bones : And Associated Equations To Estimate Total Length And Weight From Bones Ingested By Piscivores Or Found In Archeological Sites, Aaron G. Stroud, Allan T. Scholz, Fisheries Research Center (Cheney, Wash.)

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Colonic Mirna Expression/Secretion, Regulated By Intestinal Epithelial Pept1, Plays An Important Role In Cell-To-Cell Communication During Colitis, Saravanan Ayyadurai, Moiz A. Charania, Bo Xiao, Emilie Viennois, Yuchen Zhang, Didieer Merlin

Biology Faculty Publications

PepT1 is a member of the proton-oligopeptide cotransporter family SLC15, which mediates the transport of di/tripeptides from intestinal lumen into epithelial cells. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a small noncoding RNAs (21–23 nucleotides), posttranscriptionally regulate gene expression by binding to the 39-untranslated regions (UTRs) of their target mRNAs. Although the role of most miRNAs remains elusive, they have been implicated in vital cellular functions such as intestinal epithelial cells differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. In the present study, we investigated the effect of intestinal epithelial PepT1 expression on microRNA (miRNA) expression/secretion in the colons of control mice and in mice with experimentally induced colonic …

Deletion Of Aif1 But Not Of Yca1/Mca1 Protects Saccharomyces Cerevisiae And Candida Albicans Cells From Caspofungin-Induced Programmed Cell Death, Nicanor Austriaco, Christopher Chin, Faith Donaghey, Kathrine Helming, Morgan Mccarthy, Stephen Rogers

Biology Faculty Publications

Caspofungin was the first member of a new class of antifungals called echinocandins to be approved by a drug regulatory authority. Like the other echinocandins, caspofungin blocks the synthesis of β(1,3)-D-glucan of the fungal cell wall by inhibiting the enzyme, β(1,3)-D-glucan synthase. Loss of β(1,3)-D-glucan leads to osmotic instability and cell death. However, the precise mechanism of cell death associated with the cytotoxicity of caspofungin was unclear. We now provide evidence that Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells cultured in media containing caspofungin manifest the classical hallmarks of programmed cell death (PCD) in yeast, including the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the …

Perennial Grasslands Enhance Biodiversity And Multiple Ecosystem Services In Bioenergy Landscapes, Ben P. Werling, Timothy L. Dickson, Rufus Isaacs, Hannah Gaines, Claudio Gratton, Katherine L. Gross, Heidi Liere, Carolyn M. Malmstrom, Timothy D. Meehan, Leilei Ruan, Bruce A. Robertson, G. Philip Robertson, Thomas M. Schmidt, Abbie C. Schrotenboer, Tracy K. Teal, Julianna K. Wilson, Douglas A. Landis

Biology Faculty Publications

Agriculture is being challenged to provide food, and increasingly fuel, for an expanding global population. Producing bioenergy crops on marginal lands—farmland suboptimal for food crops—could help meet energy goals while minimizing competition with food production. However, the ecological costs and benefits of growing bioenergy feedstocks—primarily annual grain crops—on marginal lands have been questioned. Here we show that perennial bioenergy crops provide an alternative to annual grains that increases biodiversity of multiple taxa and sustain a variety of ecosystem functions, promoting the creation of multifunctional agricultural landscapes. We found that switchgrass and prairie plantings harbored significantly greater plant, methanotrophic bacteria, arthropod, …

Measurement Of Hydrodynamic Force Generation By Swimming Dolphins Using Bubble Dpiv, Frank E. Fish, Paul Legac, Terrie M. Williams, Timothy Wei

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Targeted Cytotoxic Therapy Kills Persisting Hiv Infected Cells During Art, Paul W. Denton, Julie M. Long, Stephen W. Wietgrefe, Craig Sykes, Rae Ann Spagnuolo, Olivia D. Snyder, Katherine Perkey, Nancie M. Archin, Shailesh K. Choudhary, Kuo Yang, Michael G. Hudgens, Ira Pastan, Ashley T. Haase, Angela D. Kashuba, Edward A. Berger, David M. Margolis, J. Victor Garcia

Biology Faculty Publications

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) can reduce HIV levels in plasma to undetectable levels, but rather little is known about the effects of ART outside of the peripheral blood regarding persistent virus production in tissue reservoirs. Understanding the dynamics of ART-induced reductions in viral RNA (vRNA) levels throughout the body is important for the development of strategies to eradicate infectious HIV from patients. Essential to a successful eradication therapy is a component capable of killing persisting HIV infected cells during ART. Therefore, we determined the in vivo efficacy of a targeted cytotoxic therapy to kill infected cells that persist despite long-term ART. …

Diffuse Brain Injury Induces Acute Post-Traumatic Sleep, Rachel K. Rowe, Martin Striz, Adam D. Bachstetter, Linda J. Van Eldik, Kevin D. Donohue, Bruce F. O'Hara, Jonathan Lifshitz

Biology Faculty Publications

Objective

Clinical observations report excessive sleepiness immediately following traumatic brain injury (TBI); however, there is a lack of experimental evidence to support or refute the benefit of sleep following a brain injury. The aim of this study is to investigate acute post-traumatic sleep.

Methods

Sham, mild or moderate diffuse TBI was induced by midline fluid percussion injury (mFPI) in male C57BL/6J mice at 9:00 or 21:00 to evaluate injury-induced sleep behavior at sleep and wake onset, respectively. Sleep profiles were measured post-injury using a non-invasive, piezoelectric cage system. In separate cohorts of mice, inflammatory cytokines in the neocortex were quantified …

Assessing Perceived And Documented Crop Damage In A Tanzanian Village Impacted By Human-Elephant Conflict (Hec), Rebekah R. Hoffmeier-Karimi, Bruce A. Schulte

Biology Faculty Publications

In sub-Saharan Africa human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is a growing conservation issue and human-elephant conflict (HEC) is of special concern. Crop loss to wildlife comprises a main component of HWC. Deterrent methods for crop loss are numerous and such schemes could be more effective by an improved understanding of how farmers’ perceptions align with actual causes of crop loss. Our objective was to compare the perception by farmers of the causes and extent of crop damage to the measured crop damage in fields of maize (Zea mays) using different deterrent methods. We interviewed agriculturalists in the farming village of Miti Mirefu …

Impacts Of Environmental Pressures On The Reproductive Physiology Of Subpopulations Of Black Rhinoceros (Diceros Bicornis Bicornis) In Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa, Elizabeth Freeman, Jordana Meyer, Jed Bird, John Adendorff, Bruce A. Schulte, Rachel Santymire

Biology Faculty Publications

Black rhinoceros are an icon for international conservation, yet little is known about their physiology due to their secretive nature. To overcome these challenges, non-invasive methods were used to monitor rhinoceros in two sections of Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa, namely Addo and Nyathi. These sections were separated by a public road, and the numbers of elephants, predators and tourists were higher in Addo. Faecal samples (n = 231) were collected (from July 2007 to November 2010) from known individuals and analysed for progestagen and androgen metabolite (FPM and FAM, respectively) concentrations. As biotic factors could impact reproduction, …

Nel Positively Regulates The Genesis Of Retinal Ganglion Cells By Promoting Their Differentiation And Survival During Development, Chizu Nakamoto, Soh-Leh Kuan, Amy Findlay, Elaine Durward, Zhufeng Ouyang, Masaru Nakamoto, Ewa Zakrewska, Takuma Endo

Biology Faculty Publications

For correct functioning of the nervous system, the appropriate number and complement of neuronal cell types must be produced during development. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate the production of individual classes of neurons are poorly understood. In this study, we investigate the function of the thrombospondin-1–like glycoprotein, Nel (neural epidermal growth factor [EGF]-like), in the generation of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in chicks. During eye development, Nel is strongly expressed in the presumptive retinal pigment epithelium and RGCs. Nel overexpression in the developing retina by in ovo electroporation increases the number of RGCs, whereas the number of displaced amacrine …

Energetic Demands Of Immature Sea Otters From Birth To Weaning: Implications For Maternal Costs, Reproductive Behavior And Population-Level Trends, Nicole Thometz, M. T. Tinker, M. M. Staedler, K. A. Mayer, T. M. Williams

Biology Faculty Publications

Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) have the highest mass-specific metabolic rate of any marine mammal, which is superimposed on the inherently high costs of reproduction and lactation in adult females. These combined energetic demands have been implicated in the poor body condition and increased mortality of female sea otters nearing the end of lactation along the central California coast. However, the cost of lactation is unknown and currently cannot be directly measured for this marine species in the wild. Here, we quantified the energetic demands of immature sea otters across five developmental stages as a means of assessing the …

Inducing Task-Relevant Responses To Speech In The Sleeping Brain, Sid Kouider, Thomas Andrillon, Leonardo S. Barbosa, Louise Goupil, Tristan A. Bekinschtein

Biology Faculty Publications

Falling asleep leads to a loss of sensory awareness and to the inability to interact with the environment [1]. While this was traditionally thought as a consequence of the brain shutting down to external inputs, it is now acknowledged that incoming stimuli can still be processed, at least to some extent, during sleep [2]. For instance, sleeping participants can create novel sensory associations between tones and odors [3] or reactivate existing semantic associations, as evidenced by event-related potentials [4; 5; 6 ; 7]. Yet, the extent to which the brain …

Fishes Of Eastern Washington: A Natural History, Volume 4, Allan T. Scholz, Josh Smith, Amanda Maifeld, Judy Mcmillan, Larry Conboy, Eastern Washington University. Department Of Biology., Eastern Washington University. University Graphics.

Biology Faculty Publications

Volume 4 of 4.

CHAPTER 6: KEY TO FAMILIES OF EASTERN WASHINGTON FISHES (REVISED), CHAPTER 18: FAMILY PERCOPSIDAE: TROUT-PERCHES, CHAPTER 19: FAMILY GADIDAE: CODS, CHAPTER 20: FAMILY POECILIIDAE: LIVEBEARERS, CHAPTER 21: FAMILY GASTEROSTEIDAE: STICKLEBACKS, CHAPTER 22: FAMILY COTTIDAE: SCULPINS, CHAPTER 23: FAMILY CENTRARCHIDAE: SUNFISHES, CHAPTER 24: FAMILY PERCIDAE: PERCH, CHAPTER 25: FISH WITH RARE OR UNCERTAIN STATUS IN EASTERN WASHINGTON, CHAPTER 26: LIMINOLOGY, WATER QUALITY, AND FISH HABITAT

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 …

First Report Of Satellite Males During Breeding In Leptodactylus Latrans (Amphibia, Anura), Gabriel Laufer, Noelia Gobel, José M. Mautone, María Galán, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Individual males can adopt alternative mating tactics. The occurrence of satellite males is a common behaviour across anuran taxa (e.g., Lithobates clamitans, Wells, 1977; Anaxyrus cognatus, Krupa, 1989; Dendropsophus ebraccatus, Miyamoto and Cane, 1980; Rhinella crucifer, Forester and Lynken, 1986). Satellite males take peripheral positions to calling males, and adopt alternate mating tactics in an attempt to intercept females that are attracted to calling males (Wells, 2007) to increase their own mating success. Satellite males could have an inexpensive form of mate-locating, avoiding predators, and saving energy (Arak, 1983). Furthermore, this strategy could play an important role in the genetic …

2014 Virginia Wildflower Of The Year: Coral Honeysuckle, Lonicera Sempervirens, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

The flashy red flowers of coral honeysuckle beckon hummingbirds to their sweet nectar. Coral honeysuckle is a twining woody vine, usually climbing on other vegetation but sometimes trailing along the ground; older stems have papery-brown exfoliating bark.

Between Two Fern Genomes, E. B. Sessa, J. A. Banks, M. S. Barker, J. P. Der, A. M. Duffy, S. W. Graham, M. Hasebe, J. Langdale, F. W. Li, D. B. Marchant, K. M. Pryer, C. J. Rothfels, S. J. Roux, M. L. Salmi, E. M. Sigel, D. E. Soltis, P. S. Soltis, D. W. Stevenson, Paul G. Wolf

Biology Faculty Publications

Ferns are the only major lineage of vascular plants not represented by a sequenced nuclear genome. This lack of genome sequence information significantly impedes our ability to understand and reconstruct genome evolution not only in ferns, but across all land plants. Azolla and Ceratopteris are ideal and complementary candidates to be the first ferns to have their nuclear genomes sequenced. They differ dramatically in genome size, life history, and habit, and thus represent the immense diversity of extant ferns. Together, this pair of genomes will facilitate myriad large-scale comparative analyses across ferns and all land plants. Here we review the …

A Samoan Hebeloma With Phylogenetic Ties To The Western Pacific, Bradley R. Kropp

Biology Faculty Publications

Hebeloma ifeleletorum is described as a new species from American Samoa. Based on analyses of ITS and combined nLSU-ITS datasets H. ifeleletorum clusters with but is distinct from described species that have been placed in the genus Anamika by some. The phylogenetic relationship of H. ifeleletorum to the genus Anamika from Asia and to other species from Australia and New Caledonia suggests that H. ifeleletorum has origins in the western Pacific.

Developmental Origins Of Pregnancy Loss In The Adult Female Common Marmoset Monkey (Callithrix Jacchus), J. N. Rutherford, V. A. Demartelly, D. G. Layne Colon, Corinna N. Ross, S. D. Tardif

Biology Faculty Publications

Background: The impact of the intrauterine environment on the developmental programming of adult female reproductive success is still poorly understood and potentially underestimated. Litter size variation in a nonhuman primate, the common marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus), allows us to model the effects of varying intrauterine environments (e.g. nutrient restriction, exposure to male womb-mates) on the risk of losing fetuses in adulthood. Our previous work has characterized the fetuses of triplet pregnancies as experiencing intrauterine nutritional restriction. Methodology/Principal Findings: We used over a decade of demographic data from the Southwest National Primate Research Center common marmoset colony. We evaluated differences between …

Fishes Of Eastern Washington: A Natural History, Volume 1, Allan T. Scholz, Tyler Basler, Josh Smith, Judy Mcmillan, Larry Conboy, Eastern Washington University. Department Of Biology., Eastern Washington University. University Graphics.

Biology Faculty Publications

Volume 1 of 4.

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION, CHAPTER 2: CHECKLISTS OF EXTANT AND FOSSIL FISHES FOUND IN EASTERN WASHINGTON, CHAPTER 3: THE DISCOVERERS, CHAPTER 4: GEOLOGY, CHAPTER 5: COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN HYDROLOGY AND FISH DISTRIBUTION IN EASTERN WASHINGTON

Fishes Of Eastern Washington: A Natural History, Volume 2, Allan T. Scholz, Tyler Basler, Josh Smith, Judy Mcmillan, Larry Conboy, Eastern Washington University. Department Of Biology., Eastern Washington University. University Graphics.

Biology Faculty Publications

Volume 2 of 4.

CHAPTER 6: KEY TO FAMILIES OF EASTERN WASHINGTON FISHES, CHAPTER 7: FAMILY PETROMYZONTIDAE: LAMPREYS, CHAPTER 8: FAMILY ACIPENSERIDAE: STURGEON, CHAPTER 9: FAMILY CLUPEIDAE: HERRINGS, CHAPTER 10: FAMILY CYPRINIDAE: CARPS AND MINNOWS, CHAPTER 11: Family Catostomidae: Suckers, CHAPTER 12: FAMILY ICTALURIDAE: BULLHEAD CATFISHES, CHAPTER 13: Family Esocidae: Pikes

Fishes Of Eastern Washington: A Natural History, Volume 3, Allan T. Scholz, Josh Smith, Amanda Maifeld, Judy Mcmillan, Larry Conboy, Eastern Washington University. Department Of Biology., Eastern Washington University. University Graphics.

Biology Faculty Publications

Volume 3 of 4.

CHAPTER 14: FAMILY SALMONIDAE: SALMON, TROUT, CHARR, WHITEFISH AND GRAYLINGS, CHAPTER 15: FAMILY SALMONIDAE (SUBFAMILY COREGONINAE): WHITEFISH, CHAPTER 16: FAMILY SALMONIDAE (SUBFAMILY MONINAE): SALMON, TROUT AND CHARR, CHAPTER 17: FAMILY SALMONIDAE (SUBFAMILY THYMALLINAE): GRAYLINGS

Dopaminergic Tone Persistently Regulates Voltage-Gated Ion Current Densities Through The D1r-Pka Axis, Rna Polymerase Ii Transcription, Rnai, Mtorc1, And Translation, Wulf-Dieter C. Krenz, Anna R. Parker, Edmund William Rodgers, Deborah J. Baro

Biology Faculty Publications

Long-term intrinsic and synaptic plasticity must be coordinated to ensure stability and flexibility in neuronal circuits. Coordination might be achieved through shared transduction components. Dopamine (DA) is a well-established participant in many forms of long-term synaptic plasticity. Recent work indicates that DA is also involved in both activity-dependent and -independent forms of long-term intrinsic plasticity. We previously examined DA-enabled long-term intrinsic plasticity in a single identified neuron. The lateral pyloric (LP) neuron is a component of the pyloric network in the crustacean stomatogastric nervous system (STNS). LP expresses type 1 DA receptors (D1Rs). A 1 h bath application of 5 …

Dopamine Signaling In C. Elegans Is Mediated In Part By Hlh-17-Dependent Regulation Of Extracellular Dopamine Levels, Chaquettea M. Felton, Casonya Matese Johnson

Biology Faculty Publications

In Caenorhabditis elegans, the dopamine transporter DAT-1 regulates synaptic dopamine (DA) signaling by controlling extracellular DA levels. In dat-1(ok157) animals, DA is not taken back up presynaptically but instead reaches extrasynpatic sites, where it activates the dopamine receptor DOP-3 on choligeneric motor neurons and causes animals to become paralyzed in water. This phenotype is called swimming-induced paralysis (SWIP) and is dependent on dat-1 and dop-3. Upstream regulators of dat-1 and dop-3 have yet to be described in C. elegans. In our previous studies, we defined a role for HLH-17 during dopamine response through its regulation of the dopamine receptors. Here …

New Vaccines Against Influenza Virus, Young-Tae Lee, Ki-Hye Kim, Eun-Ju Ko, Yu-Na Lee, Min-Chul Kim, Young-Man Kwon, Yinghua Tang, Min-Kyoung Cho, Youn-Jeong Lee, Sang-Moon Kang

Biology Faculty Publications

Vaccination is one of the most effective and cost-benefit interventions that prevent the mortality and reduce morbidity from infectious pathogens. However, the licensed influenza vaccine induces strain-specific immunity and must be updated annually based on predicted strains that will circulate in the upcoming season. Influenza virus still causes significant health problems worldwide due to the low vaccine efficacy from unexpected outbreaks of next epidemic strains or the emergence of pandemic viruses. Current influenza vaccines are based on immunity to the hemagglutinin antigen that is highly variable among different influenza viruses circulating in humans and animals. Several scientific advances have been …

Quantitative Multi-Parametric Evaluation Of Centrosome Declustering Drugs: Centrosome Amplification, Mitotic Phenotype, Cell Cycle And Death, Vaishali Pannu, Ritu Aneja, Angela Ogden, A. Cheng, Pcg Rida, R. Osan, Robert Clewley

Biology Faculty Publications

Unlike normal cells, cancer cells contain amplified centrosomes and rely on centrosome clustering mechanisms to form a pseudobipolar spindle that circumvents potentially fatal spindle multipolarity (MP). Centrosome clustering also promotes lowgrade chromosome missegregation, which can drive malignant transformation and tumor progression. Putative ‘centrosome declustering drugs’ represent a cancer cell-specific class of chemotherapeutics that produces a common phenotype of centrosome declustering and spindle MP. However, differences between individual agents in terms of efficacy and phenotypic nuances remain unexplored. Herein, we have developed a conceptual framework for the quantitative evaluation of centrosome declustering drugs by investigating their impact on centrosomes, clustering, spindle …

Macrophage Cgi-58 Deficiency Activates Ros-Inflammasome Pathway To Promote Insulin Resistance In Mice, Hongming Miao, Juanjuan Ou, Yinyan Ma, Feng Guo, Zhenggang Yang, Melvin Wiggins, Chaohong Liu, Wenxia Song, Xianlin Han, Miao Wang, Qiang Cao, Bik-Ho Florence Chung, Dan Yang, Houjie Liang, Bingzhong Xue, Hang Shi, Lixia Gan, Liqing Yu

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Crimson Conundrum: Heme Toxicity And Tolerance In Gas, Ankita J. Sachla, Yoann Le Breton, Fahmina Akhter, Kevin S. Mciver, Zehava Eichenbaum, Ankita J. Sachla

Biology Faculty Publications

The massive erythrocyte lysis caused by the Group A Streptococcus (GAS) suggests that the β-hemolytic pathogen is likely to encounter free heme during the course of infection. In this study, we investigated GAS mechanisms for heme sensing and tolerance. We compared the minimal inhibitory concentration of heme among several isolates and established that excess heme is bacteriostatic and exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of heme resulted in noticeable damage to membrane lipids and proteins. Pre-exposure of the bacteria to 0.1 μM heme shortened the extended lag period that is otherwise observed when naive cells are inoculated into heme-containing medium, implying that …

Centrosome-Declustering Drugs Mediate A Two-Pronged Attack On Interphase And Mitosis In Supercentrosomal Cancer Cells, Vaishali Pannu, Pcg Rida, Betul Celik, Ravi Turaga, Angela Ogden, Guilherme Cantuaria, Jay Gopalakrishnan, Ritu Aneja

Biology Faculty Publications

Classical anti-mitotic drugs have failed to translate their preclinical efficacy into clinical response in human trials. Their clinical failure has challenged the notion that tumor cells divide frequently at rates comparable to those of cancer cells in vitro and in xenograft models. Given the preponderance of interphase cells in clinical tumors, we asked whether targeting amplified centrosomes, which cancer cells carefully preserve in a tightly clustered conformation throughout interphase, presents a superior chemotherapeutic strategy that sabotages interphase-specific cellular activities, such as migration. Herein we have utilized supercentrosomal N1E-115 murine neuroblastoma cells as a test-bed to study interphase centrosome declustering induced …