Microbiology Commons^™

Induction And Evasion Of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps By Campylobacter Jejuni And Its Implication In Disease, Sean M. Callahan

Doctoral Dissertations

Campylobacteriosis, the foodborne disease caused by Campylobacter spp., infects one out of 10 individuals every year. C. jejuni accounts for 90% of these infections resulting in numerous postinfectious disorders including the development of colorectal cancer, Guillain-Barré syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and reactive arthritis. Despite its large impact on human health, the host immune response to the bacterium is largely uncharacterized. Chapter two of this dissertation addresses the development of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) within human and ferret campylobacteriosis. We observed NET-associated proteins increase in the feces of C. jejuni-infected patients and that in vitro C. jejuni induces NETs, which …

Antibiotic Resistance Crisis Spurring Phage Therapy Research, Cameron Miguel Perry

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

The Full Genome Sequence Of An Antarctic Microbe Constructed Using A Rapid, Portable Sequencer And A Hybrid Assembly, Bruce Wyatt Boles

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

Microbial genomes contain combinations of nucleotides that code for genes which subsequently determines the function of the cell. This information provides significant insight into the unique niche of microbes from extreme environments. Here we use two sequencing technologies, the Oxford Nanopore MinION with accompanying software and Illumina HiSeq, to generate a hybrid genome for a Shewanella strain isolated from an Antarctic glacier. Bioinformatic programs, Albacore and SPAdes, allowed us to decrease the time of genome assembly while also obtaining a large quantity of information related to the Shewanella sp. Our combined approach yielded a high quality genome assembly 5.3 …

Synechococcus As An Hooh-Consuming Helper For Prochlorococcus, Abigail Mcgettigan Jarratt

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

The marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is an abundant and globally important microbe that contributes an estimated 40% of bacterial production in the oligotrophic ocean. The success of this photosynthetic bacterium is largely a consequence of its small cell size and streamlined genome, which are advantageous in nutrient-limited environments. However, this genomic streamlining has also led to the loss of the gene (katG) encoding catalase, an enzyme that is essential for the degradation and detoxification of the reactive oxygen species hydrogen peroxide (HOOH). HOOH is naturally present in the illuminated waters of the ocean, and in the absence of catalase, Prochlorococcus is …

Isolation And Identification Of A Chloromethane-Degrading Bacterium From A Strictly Anaerobic Mixed Culture, Samiha Sadruddin

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Design And Synthesis Of Analogs Of Myo-Inositol, Serine, And Cysteine To Enable Chemical Biology Studies, Tanei J. Ricks

Doctoral Dissertations

Phosphorylated myo-inositol compounds including inositol phosphates (InsPs) as well as the phosphatidylinositol polyphosphate lipids (PIP_ns) are critical biomolecules that regulate many of the most important biological processes and pathways. They are aberrant in many disease states due to their regulatory function. The same is true of the phospholipid phosphatidylserine (PS) which can serve as a marker to begin apoptosis. However, the full scope of activities of these structures is not clear, particularly since techniques that enable global detection and analysis of the production of these compounds spatially and temporally are lacking. With all of these obstacles in …

Exploring Enrichment Cultures Of Denitrifying Microorganisms From El Yunque National Forest, Samiha Ahsan, Jenny Onley, Frank Loeffler

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Isolation And Characterization Of Microbial Communities From Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids, Sheridan S. Brewer 6284984

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Molecular Epidemiology, Genotyping, And Mat Testing Of Toxoplasma Gondii, Jack Kang

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Fty720 (Fingolimod) Provides Insight Into The Molecular Mechanisms Of Multiple Sclerosis, Madelyn Elizabeth Crawford

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a prolonged immune- mediated inflammatory response that targets myelin. Nearly all of the drugs approved for the treatment of MS are general immunosuppressants or only function in symptom management. The oral medication fingolimod, however, is reported to have direct therapeutic effects on cells of the central nervous system in addition to immunomodulatory functions. Fingolimod is known to interact with sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptors, and the most widely- accepted theory for its mechanism of action is functional antagonism of the receptor. This review examines significant neuromodulatory effects achieved by functional antagonism of the …

Quantitative Depth Profile Of Prochlorococcus In The Pacific Ocean, Benjamin Carter Calfee

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

Prochlorococcus is a genus of extremely abundant marine cyanobacterium. This microbe is responsible for the majority of the primary production within marine environments and is thought to be the single most abundant photosynthetic organism. In addition to accounting for such a large portion of the world’s photosynthetic activity, Prochlorococcus functions with a genome much smaller than most other primary producers. Thus due to its general abundance and overall importance in oceanic ecosystems, an experiment was prompted to derive the spatial and numerical separation of the members of this genus across the Pacific Ocean through the use of quantitative polymerase chain …

Comparison Of Bacterial Communities Associated Spider Species Occupying Different Physical Environments, Jack Kang

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

No abstract provided.

Seroprevalence And Genetic Characterization Of Toxoplasma Gondii In Three Species Of Pet Birds In China, Wei Cong, Meng Qing-Feng, Hui-Qun Song, Dong-Hui Zhou, Si-Yang Huang, Ai-Dong Qian, Chunlei Su, Xing-Quan Zhu

Microbiology Publications and Other Works

Background

Toxoplasmosis, caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, is one of the most common zoonosis worldwide, affecting a wide range of warm-blooded mammals and birds worldwide. However, no information on T. gondii infection in pet birds in China is available. Therefore, this study was performed to determine the prevalence of T. gondii infection in pet birds in Gansu province, China.

Methods

A total of 687 blood samples were collected from pet birds (Carduelis spinus, Alauda gulgula, Cocothraustes migratorlus) in three representative administrative regions in Gansu province, northwest China between August 2011 and September 2012 T. gondii antibodies …

Wood Decomposition In A Warmer World, Emily Elizabeth Austin

Doctoral Dissertations

Climatic warming is altering species distributions and ecosystem functions across the globe. Wood is an important carbon pool and the fungal communities in wood are relatively simple compared to those in soil. These factors make decomposing wood an ideal system for exploring the influence of decomposer community on the response of decomposition to warming. My research has focused on the effects of warming wood decomposition rates and wood decomposing communities. Using field and lab- based manipulative experiments and field observations I explore the influence of tree species, wood decomposition stage, geography and warming on fungal community structure and activity. In …

Pollen Myosins And The Specific Role Of Xij, Whitnee Michelle Ferari

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Mechanisms Of Antimicrobial Peptide Resistance In Campylobacter, Ky Van Hoang

Doctoral Dissertations

Campylobacter is the major bacterial cause of human gastroenteritis in the United States and other developed countries. Poultry are considered a main source of human Campylobacter infections. Thus, reduction of Campylobacter load in poultry is significant in food safety and public health. However, no effective measure is commercially available to prevent Campylobacter colonization in poultry to date. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are short and bactericidal peptides widely present in intestine to limit bacterial infections. Recently, AMPs have been increasingly recognized as a novel class of antibiotics (peptide antibiotics) to control foodborne pathogens. Notably, several potent anti-Campylobacter bacteriocins, a group of AMPs …

Characterizing Cell-Cell And Cell-Surface Interactions In The Rhizobacterium Azospirillum Brasilense, Calvin Shay Green

Masters Theses

Microaerophilic and chemotaxic diazotrophs, azospirilla are found in close association with certain cereals such as durum wheat and maize and are active in enriching these ecological niches with the macronutrient nitrogen as ammonia. Regarded as highly pleomorphic, Azospirillum spp. are highly motile, using either a single polar flagellum when grown in liquid environments or peritrichous lateral flagella in viscous environments. Additionally, azospirilla are able to adhere onto surfaces as a biological film or aggregate cell-to-cell as nonproliferating flocculi, and these two processes having been suggested as positively affecting the survival and dispersal of the bacteria in the soil. Even though …