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Recent Advances In Basic Neurosciences And Brain Disease: From Synapses To Behavior, Guo-Qiang Bi, Vadim Bolshakov, Guojun Bu, Catherine M. Cahill, Zhou-Feng Chen, Graham L. Collingridge, Robin L. Cooper, Jens R. Coorssen, Alaa El-Husseini, Vasco Galhardo, Wen-Biao Gan, Jianguo Gu, Kazuhide Inoue, John Isaac, Koichi Iwata, Zhengping Jia, Bong-Kiun Kaang, Mikito Kawamata, Satoshi Kida, Eric Klann, Tatsuro Kohno, Min Li, Xiao-Jiang Li, John F. Macdonald, Karim Nader, Peter V. Nguyen, Uhtaek Oh, Ke Ren, John C. Roder, Michael W. Salter, Weihong Song, Shuzo Sugita, Shao-Jun Tang, Yuanxiang Tao, Yu Tian Wang, Newton Woo, Melanie A. Woodin, Zhen Yan, Megumu Yoshimura, Ming Xu, Zao C. Xu, Xia Zhang, Mei Zhen, Min Zhuo

Biology Faculty Publications

Understanding basic neuronal mechanisms hold the hope for future treatment of brain disease. The 1st international conference on synapse, memory, drug addiction and pain was held in beautiful downtown Toronto, Canada on August 21-23, 2006. Unlike other traditional conferences, this new meeting focused on three major aims: (1) to promote new and cutting edge research in neuroscience; (2) to encourage international information exchange and scientific collaborations; and (3) to provide a platform for active scientists to discuss new findings. Up to 64 investigators presented their recent discoveries, from basic synaptic mechanisms to genes related to human brain disease. This meeting …

The Plant Structure Ontology, A Unified Vocabulary Of Anatomy And Morphology Of A Flowering Plant, Katica Ilic, Elizabeth Kellogg, Pankaj Jaiswal, Felipe Zapata, Peter Stevens, Leszek Vincent, Shulamit Avraham, Leonore Reiser, Anuradha Pujar, Martin Sachs, Noah Whitman, Susan Mccouch, Mary Schaeffer, Doreen Ware, Lincoln Stein, Seung Rhee

Biology Department Faculty Works

Formal description of plant phenotypes and standardized annotation of gene expression and protein localization data require uniform terminology that accurately describes plant anatomy and morphology. This facilitates cross species comparative studies and quantitative comparison of phenotypes and expression patterns. A major drawback is variable terminology that is used to describe plant anatomy and morphology in publications and genomic databases for different species. The same terms are sometimes applied to different plant structures in different taxonomic groups. Conversely, similar structures are named by their species-specific terms. To address this problem, we created the Plant Structure Ontology (PSO), the first generic ontological …

Spatial Variation In The Chemical Composition Of Natal Otholiths From A Reef Fish In The Galápagos Islands, Benjamin I. Ruttenberg, Robert R. Warner

Biological Sciences

Over the past decade, researchers have used variation in the chemical composition of fish otoliths (earstones) to address a number of ecological questions, such as stock assessment and assessing rates of movement of individuals among habitats or life-history stages. However, these methods have yet to be applied successfully to the study of larval connectivity, a major unanswered question in marine ecology. Accomplishing this task requires a reference collection of pre-pelagic natal otoliths and accurate measurement of the chemical signatures of otoliths cores of recruits. We analyzed the chemical composition of natal otoliths from near-term benthic eggs of a damselfish (Stegastes …

Caenorhabditis Briggsae Methods, Scott Everet Baird, Helen M. Chamberlin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Caenorhabditis briggsae is being developed in parallel to C. elegans as a model system, primarily for the study of evolution. Like C. elegans, C. briggsae is a protandrous hermaphrodite and like C. elegans, its genome has been sequenced. From this point, these two model systems diverge. The development, behavior, and physiology of C. elegans have been characterized through tens of thousands of genetic and molecular studies. Genetic and molecular characterizations of C. briggsae are relatively few. Experimental resources in C. elegans include a high density recombination map that is well integrated with the genome sequence. The C. briggsae …

Amyloid-Β-Induced Pathological Behaviors Are Suppressed By Ginkgo Biloba Extract Egb 761 And Ginkgolides In Transgenic Caenorhabditis Elegans, Yanjue Wu, Zhixin Wu, Peter Butko, Yves Christen, Mary P. Lambert, William L. Klein, Christopher D. Link, Yuan Luo

Faculty Publications

Amyloid-β (Aβ) toxicity has been postulated to initiate synaptic loss and subsequent neuronal degeneration seen in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We previously demonstrated that the standardized Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761, commonly used to enhance memory and by AD patients for dementia, inhibits Aβ-induced apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells. In this study, we use EGb 761 and its single constituents to associate Aβ species with Aβ-induced pathological behaviors in a model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans. We report that EGb 761 and one of its components, ginkgolide A, alleviates Aβ-induced pathological behaviors, including paralysis, and reduces chemotaxis behavior and 5-HT hypersensitivity in a transgenic …

Standard-Level Herbivory In An Old-Growth Conifer Forest Canopy, David C. Shaw, Kristina A. Ernest, H. Bruce Rinker, Margaret D. Lowman

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Herbivory is an important ecological process in forest canopies but is difficult to measure, especially for whole stands. We used the Wind River Canopy Crane in Washington State to access 101 randomly-located sample points throughout the forest canopy. This provided a relatively quick and convenient way to estimate herbivory for a whole stand. The overall level of herbivory was estimated at 1.6% of leaf area. The distribution was strongly skewed to the lower canopy where broad-leafed species experienced higher levels of herbivory. Herbivory averaged 0.3% in conifers and 13.5% in broad-leafed species. Fully half of the sample points had no …

Improved Monitoring Of Habs Using Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (Auv), Ian C. Robbins, G. J. Kirkpatrick, Shelley M. Blackwell, J. Hillier, Charles A. Knight, Mark A. Moline

Biological Sciences

Blooms of toxic algae are increasing in magnitude and frequency around the globe, causing extensive economic and environmental impacts. On the west coast of Florida, blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis (Davis) have been documented annually for the last 30 years causing respiratory irritation in humans, fish kills, and toxin bioaccumulation in shellfish beds. As a result, methods need to be established to monitor and predict bloom formation and transport to mitigate their harmful effects on the surrounding ecosystems and local communities. In the past, monitoring and mitigation efforts have relied on visual confirmation of water discoloration, fish kills, …

Outcomes Of The Wetline Review. The Minister For Fisheries Proposed Decision For The Future Management Of The West Coast And Gascoyne Commercial 'Wetline' Fisheries, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia.

Fisheries management papers

This document details my proposed decisions regarding the new management arrangements for the West Coast and Gascoyne commercial “wetline” fisheries. Before finalising my position on the new management arrangements for these fisheries I invite any final comments on the proposed arrangements set out in this document. Although specific issues have been identified, your views are sought on any or all of the matters in the document of significance to you and/or your group.

Evidence Of Influenza A Virus Rna In Siberian Lake Ice, Scott O. Rogers, Gang Zhang, Dany Shoham, David Gilchinsky, Sergei Davydov, John D. Castello

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Influenza A virus infects a large proportion of the human population annually, sometimes leading to the deaths of millions. The biotic cycles of infection are well characterized in the literature, including in studies of populations of humans, poultry, swine, and migratory waterfowl. However, there are few studies of abiotic reservoirs for this virus. Here, we report the preservation of influenza A virus genes in ice and water from high-latitude lakes that are visited by large numbers of migratory birds. The lakes are along the migratory flight paths of birds flying into Asia, North America, Europe, and Africa. The data suggest …

Signaling Through The Trail Receptor Dr5/Fadd Pathway Plays A Role In The Apoptosis Associated With Skeletal Myoblast Differentiation, J. O'Flaherty, Y. Mei, M. Freer, C. M. Weyman

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Apoptosis rather than differentiation is a physiological process during myogenesis and muscle regeneration. When cultured myoblasts were induced to differentiate, we detected an increase in caspase 8 activity. Pharmacological inhibition of caspase 8 activity decreased apoptosis. Expression of a dominant-negative mutant of the adapter protein FADD also abrogated apoptosis, implicating a death ligand pathway. Treatment with TRAIL, but not Fas, induced apoptosis in these myoblasts. Accordingly, treatment with a soluble TRAIL decoy receptor or expression of a dominant-negative mutant of the TRAIL receptor DR5 abrogated apoptosis. While TRAIL expression levels remained unaltered in apoptotic myoblasts, DR5 expression levels increased. Finally, …

Three Perspectives On Neutrality And Drift In Molecular Evolution, Michael Dietrich

Dartmouth Scholarship

This article offers three contrasting cases of the use of neutrality and drift in molecular evolution. In the first, neutrality is assumed as a simplest case for modeling. In the second and third, concepts of drift and neutrality are developed within the context of population genetics testing and the development and application of the molecular clock.

Outsiders As Innovators In The Life Sciences, Michael Dietrich

Dartmouth Scholarship

An introduction to the book Outsider Scientists: Routes to Innovation in Biology edited by Oren Harman and Michael Dietrich

Integration Without Unification: An Argument For Pluralism In The Biological Sciences, Sandra D. Mitchell, Michael R. Dietrich

Dartmouth Scholarship

In this article, we consider the tension between unification and pluralism in biological theory. We begin with a consideration of historical efforts to establish a unified understanding of evolution in the neo‐Darwinian synthesis. The fragmentation of the evolutionary synthesis by molecular evolution suggests the limitations of the general unificationist ideal for biology but not necessarily for integrating explanations. In the second half of this article, we defend a specific variety of pluralism that allows for the integration required for explanations of complex phenomena without unification on a large scale.

Desulfosporosinus Lacus Sp. Nov., A Sulfate-Reducing Bacterium Isolated From Pristine Freshwater Lake Sediments, S. Ramamoorthy, H. Sass, H. Langner, P. Schumann, R. M. Kroppenstedt, S. Spring, J. Overmann, R. Frank Rosenzweig

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

A novel sulfate-reducing bacterium was isolated from pristine sediments of Lake Stechlin, Germany. This strain, STP12 , was found to contain predominantly c-type cytochromes and to reduce sulfate, sulfite and thiosulfate using lactate as an electron donor. Although STP12 could not utilize elemental sulfur as an electron acceptor, it could support growth by dissimilatory Fe(III) reduction. In a comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences, STP12 was 96.7 % similar to Desulfosporosinus auripigmenti DSM 13351 , 96.5 % similar to Desulfosporosinus meridiei DSM 13257 and 96.4 % similar to Desulfosporosinus orientis DSM 765 . DNA-DNA hybridization experiments revealed that strain STP12 …

Patric: The Vbi Pathosystems Resource Integration Center, Gongxin Yu

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The PathoSystems Resource Integration Center (PATRIC) is one of eight Bioinformatics Resource Centers (BRCs) funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infection Diseases (NIAID) to create a data and analysis resource for selected NIAID priority pathogens, specifically proteobacteria of the genera Brucella, Rickettsia and Coxiella, and corona-, caliciand lyssaviruses and viruses associated with hepatitis A and E. The goal of the project is to provide a comprehensive bioinformatics resource for these pathogens, including consistently annotated genome, proteome and metabolic pathway data to facilitate research into counter-measures, including drugs, vaccines and diagnostics. The project’s curation strategy has three …

Frigida Like 2 Is A Functional Allele In Landsberg Erecta And Compensates For A Nonsense Allele Of Frigida Like 1, Michael Schläppi

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The Landsberg erecta (Ler) accession of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) has a weak allele of the floral inhibitor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). FLC-Ler is weakly up-regulated by the active San Feliu-2 (Sf2) allele of FRIGIDA (FRI-Sf2), resulting in a moderately late-flowering phenotype. By contrast, the Columbia (Col) allele of FLC is strongly up-regulated by FRI-Sf2, resulting in a very late-flowering phenotype. In Col, the FRI-related gene FRI LIKE 1 (FRL1) is required for FRI-mediated upregulation of FLC. It is shown here that in Ler …

The Distribution Of Lianas And Their Change In Abundance In Temperate Forests Over The Past 45 Years, Ronald A. Londre, Stefan A. Schnitzer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Lianas (woody vines) are an important and dynamic component of many forests throughout the world, and increases in CO₂, mean winter temperature, and forest fragmentation may promote their growth and proliferation in temperate forests. In this study, we used a 45‐year data set to test the hypothesis that lianas have increased in abundance and basal area in the interiors of 14 deciduous temperate forests in Wisconsin (USA) since 1959. We also censused woody plants along a gradient from the forest edge to the interior in seven of these forests to test the hypothesis that the abundance of lianas …

Characterizing The Polycation Receptor Of Paramecium, Eric D. Robinette, Heather G. Kuruvilla

Science and Mathematics Faculty Presentations

Unicellular eukaryotes are complex systems, performing all the tasks needed for survival within the context of a single cell. Protozoans, such as Tetrahymena and Paramecium, use chemosensory systems to detect food and to avoid predation.

Both Tetrahymena and Paramecium have been used as models for studying chemorepellents. Lysozyme, ATP, and GTP have been found to have chemorepellent activity in both ciliates. In Tetrahymena, several PACAP isoforms have been shown to bind to the same receptor as lysozyme, indicating that this receptor may be a more general “polycation receptor” (Keedy et al., 2003). The polycation receptor in Tetrahymena appears to be …

Review Of "Plant Exploration For Longwood Gardens" By T. Aniśko, Nicholas J. Kaplinsky

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Karyotypes Of Eight Species Of Leptodactylus (Anura, Leptodactylidae) With A Description Of A New Karyotype For The Genus, Renata Cecília Amaro-Ghilardi, Gabriel Skuk, Rafael O. De Sá, Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues, Yatiyo Yonenaga-Yassuda

Biology Faculty Publications

Karyotypes of eight species of Leptodactylus (Anura, Leptodactylidae) with a description of a new karyotype for the genus. Eight species of the Neotropical genus Leptodactylus were karyologically studied: seven of them (L. gracilis, L. mystacinus, L. petersii, L. pustulatus, L. macrosternum, L. ocellatus, L. labyrinthicus) presented 2n=22 and L. silvanimbus showed a distinctive karyotype with 2n=24. Nucleolar organizer regions (Ag-NORs) were detected in two different pairs of chromosomes: pair 4 at the proximal region of the long arm of one individual of L. mystacinus from São Paulo state and of L. petersii; and …

Genetic Resolution Of The Enigmatic Lesser Antillean Distribution Of The Frog Leptodactylus Validus (Anura, Leptodactylidae), Keneth Yanek, W. R. Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Leptodactylus validus has an unusual distribution, inhabiting Trinidad, Tobago, and the Lesser Antilles, but not the mainland of South America. This distribution is inconsistent with other distribution patterns observed for these islands. Although slight variation in adult morphology has been observed among the different island populations of L. validus, call data suggest the presence of a single species. Calls of L. pallidirostris from Venezuela and Brazil suggested that this taxon might be conspecific with L. validus. Sequence data from the 12S and 16S mt rDNA genes indicate that L. validus represents a single species throughout its distribution and is conspecific …

Linking Bacterioplankton Community Structures To Environmental State Variables And Phytoplankton Assemblages In Two South Carolina Salt Marsh Estuaries, Wes Johnson, Alan J. Lewitus, Madilyn Fletcher

Faculty Publications

Microorganisms are among the most important organisms to the ecology of salt marsh estuaries; however, fundamental questions regarding their distribution, environmental controls, and interactions with phytoplankton remain unanswered. We used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of bacterial rRNA genes and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of phytoplankton photopigments to characterize planktonic communities from the Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto (ACE) Basin and North Inlet (NI) estuaries on the South Carolina coast, USA. Multivariate comparisons of the planktonic community profiles revealed that the 2 estuaries supported distinct bacterial communities. Furthermore, bacterial communities in both systems were partitioned into separate particle-associated (PA) and …

Investigation Of De Novo Cholesterol Synthetic Capacity In The Gonads Of Goldfish (Carassius Auratus) Exposed To The Phytosterol Beta-Sitosterol, Rainie L. Sharpe, Melissa Drolet, Deborah L. Maclatchy

Biology Faculty Publications

Total and intra-mitochondrial gonadal cholesterol concentrations are decreased in fish exposed to the phytoestrogen beta-sitosterol (beta-sit). The present study examined the potential for beta-sit to disrupt de novo cholesterol synthesis in the gonads of goldfish exposed to 200 microgram/g beta-sit and 10 microgram/g 17beta-estradiol (E2; estrogenic control) by intra-peritoneal Silastic® implants for 21 days. The de novo cholesterol synthetic capacity was estimated by incubating gonadal tissue with 14C-acetate for a period of 18 hours, followed by chloroform/methanol lipid extraction and thin layer chromatography (TLC) lipid separation. Lipid classes were confirmed using infrared spectroscopy. Plasma testosterone (T) and total cholesterol concentration …

Artificially Induced Aggregation Of Fauna And Their Effects On Nutrient Regimes And Primary Producers In An Oligotrophic Subtropical Estuary, Bryan M. Dewsbury

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to investigate the role of faunal aggregations in concentrating nutrients in the oligotrophic landscape of Florida Bay, I manipulated faunal densities in Florida Bay sea grass beds by constructing artificial reefs. The effects of reefs and faunal aggregations on nutrient availability and benthic community structure were assessed.

Over a year-long sampling period, artificial reefs had an average population of 50 fishes and crustaceans of various species. Faunal aggregation resulted in significant sediment organic matter decreases and sediment phosphorus increases. Plots with high fauna populations also had shorter seagrass blades presumably due to the effects of grazing. Chlorophyll-a concentrations …

Identification Of Micrornas And Other Small Rnas From The Adult Newt Eye, Evgeny Makarev, Jason R. Spence, Katia Del Rio-Tsonis, Panagiotis A. Tsonis

Biology Faculty Publications

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are capable of controlling gene expression by targeting complimentary sequences in many mRNAs. Thus, a small number of miRNAs are capable of regulating expression of many different genes. miRNAs have been found in all animals from Drosophila to human and they are highly conserved. This work was undertaken in order to identify such RNAs in the newt eye.

Patterns In Belowground Primary Productivity And Belowground Biomass In Marshes Of The Everglades' Oligohaline Ecotone, Gregory M. Juszli

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study quantified and assessed patterns in belowground primary productivity (BPP) and belowground biomass in Cladium jamaicense marshes of the oligohaline ecotone, a transition zone between the two dominant ecosystems (freshwater marsh and mangrove forest) in the Everglades. A 2x2x2 factorial design was used with transect (Shark River Slough/Taylor Slough), site (estuarine/freshwater), and season (dry/wet) as factors. BPP and belowground biomass were measured using root ingrowth and soil cores, respectively. Across all sites, BPP was significantly greater in the dry season. BPP peaked in Taylor Slough from April-July, the decrease likely due to oxygen saturation in the soil during marsh …

Determining The Physiological Response Of A Subtropical Seagrass, Thalassia Testudinum, To Salinity Stress Using Pulse Amplitude Modulated (Pam) Fluorometry, Dorothy A. Byron

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I investigated how photosynthetic performance of Thalassia testudinum changed along a naturally occurring salinity gradient in Florida Bay, and to laboratory controlled hyper and hypo-osmotic stress. I found significant differences between sites in Florida Bay for yield ratios (Y and F_v/F_m); however, this difference does not seem to be based on the salinity regime, since sites with the greatest salinity range were not significantly different from the site with the lowest salinity range. Laboratory results showed declines in the minimum and maximum fluorescence values after a gradual ramping-up of salinity and after long-term exposure to a …

The Lasthenia Californica Story: It Started With Flavonoids, Bruce A. Bohm, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

Our laboratory's study of Lasthenia (Asteraceae) began with an examination of flavonoid profiles of all species of the genus. The finding of two distinct flavonoid races within the L. californica complex led us to investigate environmental factors that might have been responsible for selection of these particular forms. Data were gathered on soil chemistry, allozyme variation, breeding biology, the effect of water stress on plant growth, and ion uptake physiology. In conjunction with workers at other institutions, DNA studies were undertaken to determine evolutionary relationships between the two races. These studies led to the recognition that racial differences had arisen …

A Quantitative Study Of Styles And Achenes Of Terminal And Basal Flowers Of Schoenoplectus Hallii (Cyperaceae), A Rare Plant Species Of Transient Wetland Habitats, Marian Smith, Sara Ammann, Nancy Parker, Paige Mettler-Cherry

Faculty Scholarship

Schoenoplectus hallii (A. Gray) S.G. Smith (Cyperaceae), a rare plant restricted to wetland habitats, is of conservation concern throughout its range. Taxonomy of the species recently has been clarified; however, quantitative descriptions of achene and flower morphology are incomplete and life history information is lacking. Because of its scarcity and the transient nature of populations, any large-scale study of the species will require the recovery of achenes from bulk soil samples and the identification and separation of the dimorphic achenes. The objectives of this study were to separate, identify and photograph the two achene types; to quantify the size and …

Target Dna Structure Plays A Critical Role In Rag Transposition, Jennifer E. Posey, Malgorzata J. Pytios, Richard R. Sinden, David B. Roth

Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Faculty Publications

Antigen receptor gene rearrangements are initiated by the RAG1/2 protein complex, which recognizes specific DNA sequences termed RSS (recombination signal sequences). The RAG recombinase can also catalyze transposition: integration of a DNA segment bounded by RSS into an unrelated DNA target. For reasons that remain poorly understood, such events occur readily in vitro, but are rarely detected in vivo. Previous work showed that non-B DNA structures, particularly hairpins, stimulate transposition. Here we show that the sequence of the four nucleotides at a hairpin tip modulates transposition efficiency over a surprisingly wide (>100-fold) range. Some hairpin targets stimulate extraordinarily efficient …