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An Efficient Microinjection Method To Generate Human Anaplasmosis Agent Anaplasma Phagocytophilum-Infected Ticks, Vikas Taank, Ellango Ramasamy, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ticks are important vectors that transmit several pathogens including human anaplasmosis agent, Anaplasma phagocytophilum. This bacterium is an obligate intracellular rickettsial pathogen. An infected reservoir animal host is often required for maintenance of this bacterial colony and as a source for blood to perform needle inoculations in naïve animals for tick feeding studies. In this study, we report an efficient microinjection method to generate A. phagocytophilum-infected ticks in laboratory conditions. The dense-core (DC) form of A. phagocytophilum was isolated from in vitro cultures and injected into the anal pore of unfed uninfected Ixodes scapularis nymphal ticks. These ticks …

Getting Lost: The Fungal Hijacking Of Ant Foraging Behavior In Space And Time, Thienthanh Trinh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Many parasites have evolved strategies to exploit host behavior such that it benefits parasite transmission. Ophiocordyceps manipulations of carpenter ant behavior represent an evident example. Manipulated ants are coerced to ascend vegetation and clamp down their mandibles in a stereotypical "death-grip" bite. The fungus then kills the ant, sprouts a stalk and releases infective spores. Research has focused on this ultimate manipulation, leaving the subtler behavioral changes pre-biting largely unexplored. Field and transcriptome data found that the host circadian clocks, olfaction, and communication may be disrupted, suggesting that the fungus is affecting ant foraging activity and effectivity. To test these …

Molecular Detection Of Intestinal Helminths And Protozoa Among Young Children In Dosso Region, Niger, Kristen Aiemjoy, Ahmed M. Arzika, Catherine Cook, Elodie Lebas, Nils Pilotte, Jessica R. Grant, Steven A. Williams, Thomas M. Lietman, Jeremy D. Keenan

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Eukaryotic parasites are significant contributors to childhood illness in Niger. While helminthiases have received national attention through mass deworming efforts, the epidemiology of intestinal protozoa in Niger remains underexamined. This study employed real-time PCR diagnostics to describe the prevalence of two schistosomes, four soil-transmitted helminths, and one protozoan parasite in Boboye Department, Dosso Region. Prevalence was assessed using bulk stool specimens collected from a population-based sample of 86 children residing in 9 communities. Anthropometric measurements were used to calculate child growth z-scores and stool consistency was graded. Helminths were absent from the study population, with the exception of a single …

The Wisdom Of A Crowd Of Near-Best Fits: Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis In The United States, Ellie Mainou, Gwen Spencer, Dylan Shepardson, Robert Dorit

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis (TB) strains pose a major challenge to TB eradication. Existing US epidemiological models have not fully incorporated the impact of antibiotic-resistance. To develop a more realistic model of US TB dynamics, we formulated a compartmental model integrating single-and multi-drug resistance. We fit twenty-seven parameters to twenty-two years of historical data using a genetic algorithm to minimize a non-differentiable error function. Since counts for several compartments are not available, many parameter combinations achieve very low error. We demonstrate that a crowd of near-best fits can provide compelling new evidence about the ranges of key parameters. While available data is …

Essential Concepts And Learning Outcomes For Cell And Molecular Biology, Laura L. Newcomb Phd, Mike Chao Phd, Dan Nickerson Phd, Paul Orwin Phd, Jeremy Dodsworth Phd, David Rhoads Phd

Q2S Enhancing Pedagogy

In the new, transformed Biology BS program for conversion from quarter to semester, multiple faculty will teach varied courses under the “Cell and Molecular” requirement for our program. Our old program required multiple core courses, leading to bottlenecks as students could not get seats in needed classes. We have designed our new program to provide students with options under core categories, providing students more flexibility which should improve time to graduation. Students must take at least ONE of the courses, although students who chose to focus on Cell and Molecular Biology should be able to learn new material in ALL …

Trypanosomatids Detected In The Invasive Avian Parasite Philornis Downsi (Diptera: Muscidae) In The Galapagos Islands, Patricia Parker, Courtney Pike, María Piedad Lincango, Charlotte Causton

Biology Department Faculty Works

Alien insect species may present a multifaceted threat to ecosystems into which they are introduced. In addition to the direct damage they may cause, they may also bring novel diseases and parasites and/or have the capacity to vector microorganisms that are already established in the ecosystem and are causing harm. Damage caused by ectoparasitic larvae of the invasive fly, Philornis downsi (Dodge and Aitken) to nestlings of endemic birds in the Galapagos Islands is well documented, but nothing is known about whether this fly is itself associated with parasites or pathogens. In this study, diagnostic molecular methods indicated the presence …

Potentials Of Plant-Based Substance To Inhabit And Probable Cure For The Covid-19, Israt Jahan, Ahmet Onay

Turkish Journal of Biology

COVID-19 has been the most devastating pandemic in human history. Despite the highest scientific efforts and investments, a reliable and certified medication has yet to be developed regarding to immune or cure this virus. However, while synthetic medications are gaining the focus of attentions, it appears from a significant number of recent studies that plant-based substances could also be potential candidates for developing effective and secure remedies against this novel disease. Citing such recent works, this review primarily demonstrates the antiviral potentials of medicinal plants for inhibiting human coronaviruses. It also shows the importance of antiviral plants substances, particularly in …

Biocide Resistance As A Result Of Exposure To Biocides Used In Hydraulic Fracturing, Lindsey Schenten

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Microbial resistance to antimicrobials is an important topic to investigate not only for our health but for the environment. There is a growing concern about expanding microbial resistance to both antibiotics and other antimicrobials such as biocides. We wanted to know how bacteria previously exposed to hydraulic fracturing fluids, including biocides, would react to biocide exposure and what the mechanism of resistance looked like. In order to test this hypothesis bacterial isolates were obtained from water and sediment from a stream that had been previously exposed to a spill of hydraulic fracturing water. Thirty bacterial isolates were obtained from these …

High-Throughput Two-Stage Dereplication Of Cave Bacteria To Discover Novel Antibiotic Compounds, Alexander Archey

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Since their discovery over a century ago, antibiotics have been a staple of combating infectious diseases. However, bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics through a variety of mechanisms. Efforts to identify new antibiotics often fail by discovering already-known antibiotics, or failing to synthesize new antibiotics that are safe for clinical use. The aim of this research was to dereplicate bacteria- to screen for antibiotic production in- normally isolated in cave ecosystems. Using two new technologies, the Antibiotic Resistance Platform (ARP) and a data acquisition and bioinformatics technique (IDBac), my dereplicating method allowed high throughput of bacterial screening for antibiotics. In this …

Identification Of Imiquimod As A Potential Combination For Anti-Cd47 Antibodies In Cancer Therapy, Nicole Brittaney Pang

Scripps Senior Theses

The avenues of targeted immunotherapy offers a promise of less toxic treatment options for those battling different forms of cancer. Specifically, the process of hijacking a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer from within versus using external treatments like chemotherapy which is extremely damaging to the patient. One such avenue includes the usage of monoclonal antibodies as an effective modality for immunotherapy. Cluster of Differentiation 47 (CD47), also known as the ‘don’t eat me signal’, aids in cell proliferation and evasion of phagocytosis and has been found to be a target for stopping tumorigenesis. Previous research has been successful …

Biological Pathways Associated With Wild And Domestic Animals, Cayla Steemer, Laura Carson, Jim Hu, Gloria Regisford

Pursue: Undergraduate Research Journal

Background: Zoonotic diseases are problematic, in that, they impact both wild and domestic animals alike. Thus, there is a need to investigate the genomes of wild and domestic. Gene ontology (GO) is a major bioinformatics initiative, whereby descriptions of gene products across the database are developed and unified to describe all species. This process is performed by biocurators, who gather, annotate, and validate information on the databases, consequently affording easy access to accurate and updated data. In this study, we investigated the biocuration of two biological processes, DNA integration, which is used for DNA coding, and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) …

Genome-Wide Identification Of Chiari Malformation Type I Associated Candidate Genes And Chromosomal Variations, Ti̇muçi̇n Avşar, Şeyma Çaliş, Baran Yilmaz, Gülden Demi̇rci̇ Otluoğlu, Can Holyavki̇n, Türker Kiliç

Turkish Journal of Biology

Chiari malformation type I (CMI) is a brain malformation that is characterized by herniation of the cerebellum into the spinal canal. Chiari malformation type I is highly heterogeneous; therefore, an accurate explanation of the pathogenesis of the disease is often not possible. Although some studies showed the role of genetics in CMI, the involvement of genetic variations in CMI pathogenesis has not been thoroughly elucidated. Therefore, in the current study we aim to reveal CMI-associated genomic variations in familial cases. Four CMI patients and 7 unaffected healthy members of two distinct families were analyzed. A microarray analysis of the affected …

An Insight Into The Epitope-Based Peptide Vaccine Design Strategy And Studies Against Covid-19, Murat Topuzoğullari, Tayfun Acar, Peli̇n Peli̇t Arayici, Burcu Uçar, Erennur Uğurel, Emrah Şefi̇k Abamor, Tüli̇n Arasoğlu, Di̇lek Balik, Serap Derman

Turkish Journal of Biology

SARS-CoV-2 is a new member of the coronavirus family and caused the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in 2020. It is crucial to design and produce an effective vaccine for the prevention of rapid transmission and possible deaths wcaused by the disease. Although intensive work and research are being carried out all over the world to develop a vaccine, an effective and approved formulation that can prevent the infection and limit the outbreak has not been announced yet. Among all types of vaccines, epitope-based peptide vaccines outshine with their low-cost production, easy modification in the structure, and safety. In …

Examining Traumatic Bone Fracture Healing Versus Surgical Osteotomies In Canines And Resulting Rates Of Infection, Grace Gsellman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The development of osteomyelitis after surgical osteotomies and fracture repair in canines can propose serious health risks, ultimately leading to additional intervention from veterinarians that can become costly for pet owners and effect prognosis for the patient. Preventive measures are currently implemented during surgery and postoperatively. However, infection rates still range from 3.0% to 7.9% (Clark et al., 2018). By examining traumatic bone fracture healing versus surgical osteotomies in canines through the collection of both clinical and radiographic medical records, our primary objective was to further understand the physiological mechanism by which osteomyelitis develops. Limitations related to the collection of …

The Role Of Influenza Infection On Cell Metabolism, Megha Mokkapati

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In this particular study global metabolomics LCMS data was analyzed to determine the effect of influenza infection on host metabolic processes. Specifically, wild-type male and female mouse lung samples from mice infected with PR8 (H1N1) or both PR8 and a reinfection of X31 (H3N2) were analyzed. The LC/MS(liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) based global metabolomics will be performed on the samples using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography to separate polar analytes from the tissues (Dettmer, Aronov, 2007). Metabolites impacted by influenza infection in all samples will be analyzed to compare male and female mice, as well as differences between PR8 infection and X31 …

Host Relationships And Geographic Distribution Of Species Of Blanchard, 1848 (Onchoproteocephalidea, Onchobothriidae) In Elasmobranchs: A Metadata Analysis, Francisco Zaragoza-Tapia, Griselda Pulido-Flores, Scott L. Gardner, Scott Monks

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Species of Acanthobothrium have been documented as parasites of the spiral intestine of elasmobranchs. Results of a metadata analysis indicate that 114 species of elasmobranchs have been reported as hosts of 200 species of Acanthobothrium. The metadata analysis revealed that 3.7% of species of sharks and 14.9% of species of rays that have been reported as hosts to date; some species are parasitized by more than one species of Acanthobothrium. This work provides a Category designation, as proposed by Ghoshroy and Caira (2001), for each species of Acanthobothrium. These Category designations are a tool to facilitate comparisons …

Obituary: Sydney Anderson (1927–2018), Scott Lyell Gardner, Robert M. Timm, Nancy Olds, Hugh H. Genoways

Scott L. Gardner Publications

On August 12, 2018, the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) lost one of its giants of the latter half of the 20th century when Sydney Anderson quietly passed away at his home in Birmingham, Alabama, at the age of 91. “Syd,” to his many friends and colleagues, was born on January 11, 1927 in Topeka, Kansas, to Robert Grant and Evelyn Fern (Hunt) Anderson.

Anderson began his professional career at the University of Kansas, where for four years (1955–1959) he served as Assistant Curator in charge of mammals in the Museum of Natural History, and Instructor in the Department of …

Tick-Borne Flavivirus Inhibits Sphingomyelinase (Issmase), A Venomous Spider Ortholog To Increase Sphingomyelin Lipid Levels For Its Survival In Ixodes Scapularis Ticks, Pravesh Regmi, Supreet Khanal, Girish Neelakanta, Hameda Sultana

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Our previous study showed that cells from medically important arthropods, such as ticks, secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs) including exosomes that mediate transmission of flavivirus RNA and proteins to the human cells. Understanding the molecular determinants and mechanism(s) of arthropod-borne flavivirus transmission via exosome biogenesis is very important. In this current study, we showed that in the presence of tick-borne Langat Virus (LGTV; a member of tick-borne encephalitis virus complex), the expression of arthropod IsSMase, a sphingomyelinase D (SMase D) that catalyzes the hydrolytic cleavage of substrates like sphingomyelin (SM) lipids, was significantly reduced in both Ixodes scapularis ticks (in vivo) …

Discovery Of Exosomes From Tick Saliva And Salivary Glands Reveals Therapeutic Roles For Cxcl12 And Il-8 In Wound Healing At The Tick-Human Skin Interface, Wenshuo Zhou, Faizan Tahir, Joseph Che-Yen Wang, Michael Woodson, Michael B. Sherman, Shahid Karim, Girish Neelakanta, Hameeda Sultana

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ticks secrete various anti-coagulatory, anti-vasoconstrictory, anti-inflammatory, and anti-platelet aggregation factors in their saliva at the bite site during feeding to evade host immunological surveillance and responses. For the first time, we report successful isolation of exosomes (small membrane-bound extracellular signaling vesicles) from saliva and salivary glands of partially fed or unfed ixodid ticks. Our data showed a novel role of these in vivo exosomes in the inhibition of wound healing via downregulation of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) and upregulation of interleukin-8 (IL-8). Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) analysis revealed that tick saliva and salivary glands are composed of heterogeneous populations …

A Simple, Inexpensive Method For Mark-Recapture Of Ixodid Ticks, Alexis White, Robin Minch, Lindsey Bidder, Holly Gaff

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Mark-recapture techniques have been widely used and specialized to study organisms throughout the field of biology. To mark-recapture ticks (Ixodida), we have created a simple method to mark ticks using nail polish applied with an insect pin secured in a pencil that allows for a variety of questions to be answered. For measuring tick control efficacy, estimating population estimates, or measuring movement of ticks, this inexpensive mark-recapture method has been easily applied in the field and in the lab to provide useful data to answer a variety of questions about ticks.

Adaptations Of Interferon Regulatory Factor 3 With Transition From Terrestrial To Aquatic Life, Monica Angeletti, Wan-Ling Nicole Hsu, Nashaat Majo, Hideaki Moriyama, Etsuko Moriyama, Luwen Zhang

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and IRF7 are closely related IRF members and the major factors for the induction of interferons, a key component in vertebrate innate immunity. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the evolution and adaptation of those IRFs to the environments. Two unique motifs in IRF3 and 7 were identified. One motif, GASSL, is highly conserved throughout the evolution of IRF3 and 7 and located in the signal response domain. Another motif, DPHK, is in the DNA-binding domain. The ancestral protein of IRF3 and 7 seemed to possess the DPHK motif. In the ray-finned fish lineage, while …

Elucidating The Regulatory Mechanisms For The Cholesterol Catabolic Pathway Transcriptional Repressor Kstr Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Chenoa D. Arico

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is a bacterium that has been able to establish itself throughout evolution and is currently still an ever present threat resulting in approximately 2 million deaths per year worldwide. The ability for Mtb to utilize cholesterol as a carbon source is maintained through transcriptional regulation mechanisms not fully understood. The Rv3574 gene codes for the self-regulated TetR-like transcriptional repressor KstR that controls the expression of large clusters of cholesterol catabolic genes in Mtb. This study aims to provide insights on the regulatory mechanisms of cholesterol catabolism, which could be used as therapeutic target to treat and control …

Identification Of A Novel Single Amino Acid Substitution (V666g) Of Jak1 From A Patient With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Impairs Jak3 Mediated Il-2 Signaling, Alice Hernandez Grant

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Janus kinase (JAK) family, notably JAK1, JAK2 and JAK3 are recognized as oncogenic drivers in high risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). The bulk of activating JAK mutations are thought to occur within functional hot-spots across Janus Homology (JH) domains. The most frequently mutated regions is the JH2 pseudo-kinase, which provides a negative regulatory role to the adjacent catalytically active JH1 kinase domain. Despite the prevalence of JAK activating mutations and a need for new therapeutic inhibitors, there is a lack of understanding in the allosteric regulation of JAK kinases. Here we sought to identify mutations involved in driving ALL …

Isolation And Characterization Of Α-Gal-Containing Extracellular Vesicles (Evs) From Three Major Genotypes Of Trypanosoma Cruzi: Potential Biomarkers Of Chagas Disease, Nasim Karimi Hosseini

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Chagas disease (ChD) is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. It is transmitted by the insect-vector triatomine (popular known as kissing bug), blood transfusion, organ transplantation, congenitally, and contaminated foods and juices. T. cruzi has evolved several strategies to invade the host cells, including the release extracellular vesicles (EVs), which assist pathogen survival and its replication within the host. T. cruzi is covered with highly glycosylated surface molecules such as glycoproteins and glycolipids, which are shown to be involved in the interaction with host immune cells. These molecules are highly immunogenic and reactive with …

Molecular And Functional Characterization Of Α-Galactosyl Epitopes In Trypanosoma Cruzi, Uriel Ortega Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease (CD) currently affects 6-7 million people across the world. Currently, only two drugs, benznidazole and nifurtimox, are available for treatment of CD and they are highly toxic and less effective in the chronic stage of the disease. Specific biomarkers for diagnosis and follow-up of treatment do not exist in the clinical settings. following chemotherapy, patients take approximately 10-20 years to exhibit negative seroconversion with the conventional serology assays. Moreover, there is no vaccine available to prevent or treat CD. T. cruzi contains a complex cell surface consisting of several classes of glycoconjugates …

Identification Of Interkingdom Interactions Of Cryptococcus Neoformans In Pigeon Excreta Using Next Generation Sequencing, Marlynn Cadena

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated fungus with worldwide distribution and associated with pigeon excreta. C. neoformans causes pulmonary cryptococcosis in immunocompromised populations, which results in high mortality. C. neoformans main virulence factor is its polysaccharide capsule that confers the fungus with the ability to form biofilms. Interkingdom interactions can have a positive, neutral or negative effect on C. neoformans in relation to its virulence and/or pathogenicity. C. neoformans survival within polymicrobial and other challenging communities has been shown to affect the evolution of its virulence factors. For example, the size of C. neoformans polysaccharide capsule is modulated during interactions with …

Can The Carbon And Nitrogen Isotope Values Of Offspring Be Used As A Proxy For Their Mother's Diet? Using Foetal Physiology To Interpret Bulk Tissue And Amino Acid Δ15N Values, Nico Lübcker, John P. Whiteman, Seth D. Newsome, Robert P. Millar, P.J. Nico De Bruyn

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The measurement of bulk tissue nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) and carbon isotope values (δ¹³C) chronologically along biologically inert tissues sampled from offspring can provide a longitudinal record of their mothers' foraging habits. This study tested the important assumption that mother-offspring stable isotope values are positively and linearly correlated. In addition, any change in the mother-offspring bulk tissues and individual amino acids that occurred during gestation was investigated. Whiskers sampled from southern elephant seal pups (Mirounga leonina) and temporally overlapping whiskers from their mothers were analyzed. This included n = 1895 chronologically subsampled whisker segments for bulk …

School Of Biological Sciences News, 2020-2021, School Of Biological Sciences

School of Biological Sciences News

Alumni newsletter of Illinois State University's School of Biological Sciences.

Using Phytoglycogen-Based Nanoparticles To Enhance Inosine Monophsophate Delivery Using Rainbow Trout And Bovine Models, Kristof Jenik

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Recently, there has been interest in the use of nucleotides in industrials feeds, with inosine monophosphate showing the most promising effects on growth and immunity. Rainbow trout and Alberta cattle are two of Canadas most profitable farmed animals, if their growth rates and immunity could be enhanced this would further improve their value. The impacts of IMP, a phytoglycogen-based nanoparticle (NP) and inosine monophosphate cationically bound to the phytoglycogen-based nanoparticle (IMP-NP) were characterized in rainbow trout in vivo and in vitro and in vitro in bovine cells. Rainbow trout that were fed an IMP-NP containing feed on average had higher …

Investigation Of Rna Interference (Rnai)-Mediated Gene Silencing In Rainbow Trout, Sarah Au

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

RNA interference (RNAi) was first characterized in plants and invertebrates as an antiviral innate immune response. It is a natural antiviral defence mechanism to degrade viral RNA by virus-induced gene silencing. Studies showed synthetic long double-stranded RNA (dsRNA; >30bp) degraded Caenorhabditis elegans messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts, resulting in sequence-dependent gene silencing. Currently, there is only limited research on RNAi in fish, particularly the use of long dsRNA to trigger sequence-specific gene silencing. This is because studies have shown long dsRNAs trigger interferon response that could mask gene-specific RNAi effects. This thesis explored long dsRNA-mediated RNAi pathways in rainbow trout cells …