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A Novel Zinc-Binding Domain Is Essential For Formation Of The Functional Junin Virus Envelope Glycoprotein Complex, Joanne York, Jack H. Nunberg Dec 2007

A Novel Zinc-Binding Domain Is Essential For Formation Of The Functional Junin Virus Envelope Glycoprotein Complex, Joanne York, Jack H. Nunberg

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The envelope glycoprotein of the Junin arenavirus (GP-C) mediates entry into target cells through a pH-dependent membrane fusion mechanism. Unlike other class I viral fusion proteins, the mature GP-C complex retains a cleaved, 58-amino-acid signal peptide (SSP) as an essential subunit, required both for trafficking of GP-C to the cell surface and for the activation of membrane fusion. SSP has been shown to associate noncovalently in GP-C via the cytoplasmic domain (CTD) of the transmembrane fusion subunit G2. In this report we investigate the molecular basis for this intersubunit interaction. We identify an invariant series of six cysteine and histidine …

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Quantitative Dissection Of Clone-Specific Growth Rates In Cultured Malaria Parasites, Heather B. Reilly Ayala, Hongjian Wang, John A. Steuter, Anastasia M. Marx, Michael T. Ferdig Dec 2007

Quantitative Dissection Of Clone-Specific Growth Rates In Cultured Malaria Parasites, Heather B. Reilly Ayala, Hongjian Wang, John A. Steuter, Anastasia M. Marx, Michael T. Ferdig

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Measurement of parasite proliferation in cultured red blood cells underpins many facets of malaria research, from drug sensitivity assays to assessing the impact of experimentally altered genes on parasite growth, virulence, and fitness. Pioneering efforts to grow Plasmodium falciparum in cultured red blood cells revolutionized malaria research and spurred the development of semi-high throughput growth assays using radio-labeled hypoxanthine, an essential nucleic acid precursor, as a reporter of whole-cycle proliferation (Trager and Jensen, 1976; Desjardins et al., 1979). Use of hypoxanthine (Hx) and other surrogate readouts of whole-cycle proliferation remains the dominant choice in malaria research. While amenable to high-throughput …

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Additive And Synergistic Bactericidal Activity Of Antibodies Directed Against Minor Outer Membrane Proteins Of Neisseria Meningitidis, Vincent E. Weynants, Christiane M. Feron, Karine K. Goraj, Martine P. Bos, Philippe A. Denoeal, Vincent G. Verlant, Jan Tommassen, Ian R. A. Peak, Ralph C. Judd, Michael P. Jennings, Jan T. Poolman Nov 2007

Additive And Synergistic Bactericidal Activity Of Antibodies Directed Against Minor Outer Membrane Proteins Of Neisseria Meningitidis, Vincent E. Weynants, Christiane M. Feron, Karine K. Goraj, Martine P. Bos, Philippe A. Denoeal, Vincent G. Verlant, Jan Tommassen, Ian R. A. Peak, Ralph C. Judd, Michael P. Jennings, Jan T. Poolman

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B is a major cause of bacterial meningitis in younger populations. The available vaccines are based on outer membrane vesicles obtained from wild-type strains. In children less than 2 years old they confer protection only against strains expressing homologous PorA, a major, variable outer membrane protein (OMP). We genetically modified a strain in order to eliminate PorA and to overproduce one or several minor and conserved OMPs. Using a mouse model mimicking children's PorA-specific bactericidal activity, it was demonstrated that overproduction of more than one minor OMP is required to elicit antibodies able to induce complement-mediated killing …

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Contrasting Infection Strategies In Generalist And Specialist Wasp Parasitoids Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Todd A. Schlenke, Jorge Morales, Shubha Govind, Andrew G. Clark Oct 2007

Contrasting Infection Strategies In Generalist And Specialist Wasp Parasitoids Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Todd A. Schlenke, Jorge Morales, Shubha Govind, Andrew G. Clark

Publications and Research

Although host–parasitoid interactions are becoming well characterized at the organismal and cellular levels, much remains to be understood of the molecular bases for the host immune response and the parasitoids’ ability to defeat this immune response. Leptopilina boulardi and L. heterotoma, two closely related, highly infectious natural parasitoids of Drosophila melanogaster, appear to use very different infection strategies at the cellular level. Here, we further characterize cellular level differences in the infection characteristics of these two wasp species using newly derived, virulent inbred strains, and then use whole genome microarrays to compare the transcriptional response of Drosophila to each. While …

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Draft Genome Of The Filarial Nematode Parasite Brugia Malayi, Elodie Ghedin, Shiliang Wang, David Spiro, Elisabet Caler, Qi Zhao, Jonathan Crabtree, Jonathan E. Allen, Arthur L. Delcher, David B. Guiliano, Diego Miranda-Saavedra, Samuel V. Angiuoli, Todd Creasy, Paolo Amedeo, Brian Haas, Najib M. El-Sayed, Jennifer R. Wortman, Tamara Feldblyum, Luke Tallon, Michael Schatz, Martin Shumway, Hean Koo, Steven L. Salzberg, Seth Schobel, Mihaela Pertea, Mihai Pop, Owen White, Geoffrey J. Barton, Clotilde K.S. Carlow, Michael J. Crawford, Jennifer Daub, Et Al, Steven A. Williams Sep 2007

Draft Genome Of The Filarial Nematode Parasite Brugia Malayi, Elodie Ghedin, Shiliang Wang, David Spiro, Elisabet Caler, Qi Zhao, Jonathan Crabtree, Jonathan E. Allen, Arthur L. Delcher, David B. Guiliano, Diego Miranda-Saavedra, Samuel V. Angiuoli, Todd Creasy, Paolo Amedeo, Brian Haas, Najib M. El-Sayed, Jennifer R. Wortman, Tamara Feldblyum, Luke Tallon, Michael Schatz, Martin Shumway, Hean Koo, Steven L. Salzberg, Seth Schobel, Mihaela Pertea, Mihai Pop, Owen White, Geoffrey J. Barton, Clotilde K.S. Carlow, Michael J. Crawford, Jennifer Daub, Et Al, Steven A. Williams

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Parasitic nematodes that cause elephantiasis and river blindness threaten hundreds of millions of people in the developing world. We have sequenced the ∼90 megabase (Mb) genome of the human filarial parasite Brugia malayi and predict ∼11,500 protein coding genes in 71 Mb of robustly assembled sequence. Comparative analysis with the free-living, model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans revealed that, despite these genes having maintained little conservation of local synteny during ∼350 million years of evolution, they largely remain in linkage on chromosomal units. More than 100 conserved operons were identified. Analysis of the predicted proteome provides evidence for adaptations of B. malayi …

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The Unusual 23s Rrna Gene Of Coxiella Burnetii: Two Self-Splicing Group I Introns Flank A 34-Base-Pair Exon, And One Element Lacks The Canonical Omega G, Rahul Raghavan, Scott R. Miller, Linda D. Hicks, Michael F. Minnick Sep 2007

The Unusual 23s Rrna Gene Of Coxiella Burnetii: Two Self-Splicing Group I Introns Flank A 34-Base-Pair Exon, And One Element Lacks The Canonical Omega G, Rahul Raghavan, Scott R. Miller, Linda D. Hicks, Michael F. Minnick

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We describe the presence and characteristics of two self-splicing group I introns in the sole 23S rRNA gene of Coxiella burnetii. The two group I introns, Cbu.L1917 and Cbu.L1951, are inserted at sites 1917 and 1951 (Escherichia coli numbering), respectively, in the 23S rRNA gene of C. bumetii. Both introns were found to be self-splicing in vivo and in vitro even though the terminal nucleotide of Cbu.L1917 is adenine and not the canonical conserved guanine, termed Omega G, found in Cbu.L1951 and all other group I introns described to date. Predicted secondary structures for both introns were constructed and revealed …

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Direct And Indirect Effects Of Animal Detritus On Growth, Survival, And Mass Of Invasive Container Mosquito Aedes Albopictus (Diptera : Culicidae, Donald A. Yee, Banugopan Kesavaraju, Steven A. Juliano Jul 2007

Direct And Indirect Effects Of Animal Detritus On Growth, Survival, And Mass Of Invasive Container Mosquito Aedes Albopictus (Diptera : Culicidae, Donald A. Yee, Banugopan Kesavaraju, Steven A. Juliano

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Compared with plant detritus, animal detritus yields higher growth rates, survival, adult mass, and population growth of container-dwelling mosquitoes. It is unclear whether the benefit from animal detritus to larvae results from greater microorganism growth, direct ingestion of animal detritus by larvae, or some other mechanism. We tested alternative mechanisms by which animal detritus may benefit the invasive container-dwelling mosquito Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae). In the laboratory, larvae were reared under three conditions with access to 1) detritus, but where microorganisms in the water column were reduced through periodic flushing; 2) water column microorganisms, but larvae had no direct …

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Prevalence And Diversity Of Avian Hematozoan Parasites In Asia: A Regional Study, Farah Ishtiaq, Eben Gering, Jon H. Rappole, Asad R. Rahmani, Yadvendradev V. Jhala, Carla J. Dove, Christopher M. Milensky, Storrs L. Olson, Mike A. Peirce, Robert C. Fleischer Jul 2007

Prevalence And Diversity Of Avian Hematozoan Parasites In Asia: A Regional Study, Farah Ishtiaq, Eben Gering, Jon H. Rappole, Asad R. Rahmani, Yadvendradev V. Jhala, Carla J. Dove, Christopher M. Milensky, Storrs L. Olson, Mike A. Peirce, Robert C. Fleischer

Biology Faculty Articles

Tissue samples from 699 birds from three regions of Asia (Myanmar, India, and South Korea) were screened for evidence of infection by avian parasites in the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus. Samples were collected from November 1994 to October 2004. We identified 241 infected birds (34.0%). Base-on-sequence data for the cytochrome b gene from 221 positive samples, 34 distinct lineages of Plasmodium, and 41 of Haemoproteus were detected. Parasite diversity was highest in Myanmar followed by India and South Korea. Parasite prevalence differed among regions but not among host families. There were four lineages of Plasmodium and one of …

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A Versatile Computational Pipeline For Bacterial Genome Annotation Improvement And Comparative Analysis, With Brucella As A Use Case, Gongxin Yu, Eric E. Snyder, Stephen M. Boyle, Oswald R. Crasta, Michael Czar, Shrinivasrao P. Mane, Anjan Purkayastha, Bruno Sobral, João C. Setubal Jun 2007

A Versatile Computational Pipeline For Bacterial Genome Annotation Improvement And Comparative Analysis, With Brucella As A Use Case, Gongxin Yu, Eric E. Snyder, Stephen M. Boyle, Oswald R. Crasta, Michael Czar, Shrinivasrao P. Mane, Anjan Purkayastha, Bruno Sobral, João C. Setubal

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present a bacterial genome computational analysis pipeline, called GenVar. The pipeline, based on the program GeneWise, is designed to analyze an annotated genome and automatically identify missed gene calls and sequence variants such as genes with disrupted reading frames (split genes) and those with insertions and deletions (indels). For a given genome to be analyzed, GenVar relies on a database containing closely related genomes (such as other species or strains) as well as a few additional reference genomes. GenVar also helps identify gene disruptions probably caused by sequencing errors. We exemplify GenVar’s capabilities by presenting results from the analysis …

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Distinguishing Importation From Diversification Of Quinolone-Resistant Neisseria Gonorrhoeae By Molecular Evolutionary Analysis, Keith A. Crandall, Marcos Perez-Losada, Margaret C. Bash, Michael Dan, Jonathan Zenilman, Raphael P. Viscidi Jun 2007

Distinguishing Importation From Diversification Of Quinolone-Resistant Neisseria Gonorrhoeae By Molecular Evolutionary Analysis, Keith A. Crandall, Marcos Perez-Losada, Margaret C. Bash, Michael Dan, Jonathan Zenilman, Raphael P. Viscidi

Faculty Publications

Distinguishing the recent introduction of quinolone resistant gonococci into a population from diversification of resistant strains already in the population is important for planning effective infection control strategies. We applied molecular evolutionary analyses to DNA sequences from 9 housekeeping genes and gyrA, parC and porB of 24 quinolone resistant N. gonorrhoeae (QRNG) and 24 quinolone sensitive isolates collected in Israel during 2000-2001. Results- Phylogenetic and eBURST analyses and estimates of divergence time indicated QRNG were introduced on 3 separate occasions and underwent limited diversification by mutation, deletion and horizontal gene transfer. Reconstruction of N. gonorrhoeae demography showed a slowly declining …

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Comparative Immune Function In Wild Birds, Kevin David Matson May 2007

Comparative Immune Function In Wild Birds, Kevin David Matson

Dissertations

Over the last several decades, interest in quantifying immune function in comparative studies of wild animals has grown appreciably. Now, the field of ecological immunology is undergoing a transition, and ¿second generation¿ studies are being designed and carried out. With a greater appreciation of the complexity of immune systems, these second generation studies are commonly distinguished from their antecedents by making comparisons using multiple assays and including multiple species. I worked to advance this transition by developing novel approaches to comparative immunology, exploring the interrelationships among indices of immune function, and applying multiple indices to a question of comparative avian …

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Proteomic And Immunoblot Analyses Of Bartonella Quintana Total Membrane Proteins Identify Antigens Recognized By Sera From Infected Patients, Jenni K. Boonjakuakul, Helen L. Gerns, Yu-Ting Chen, Linda D. Hicks, Michael F. Minnick, Scott E. Dixon, Steven C. Hall, Jane E. Koehler May 2007

Proteomic And Immunoblot Analyses Of Bartonella Quintana Total Membrane Proteins Identify Antigens Recognized By Sera From Infected Patients, Jenni K. Boonjakuakul, Helen L. Gerns, Yu-Ting Chen, Linda D. Hicks, Michael F. Minnick, Scott E. Dixon, Steven C. Hall, Jane E. Koehler

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Bartonella quintana is a fastidious, gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that causes prolonged bacteremia in immunocompetent humans and severe infections in immunocompromised individuals. We sought to define the outer membrane subproteome of B. quintana in order to obtain insight into the biology and pathogenesis of this emerging pathogen and to identify the predominant B. quintana antigens targeted by the human immune system during infection. We isolated the total membrane proteins of B. quintana and identified 60 proteins by two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and peptide mass fingerprinting. Using the newly constructed proteome map, we then utilized two-dimensional immunoblotting with sera from …

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Breeding Behavior And Space Use Of Male And Female Mule Deer: An Examination Of Potential Risk Differences For Chronic Wasting Disease Infection, Leslie R. Mcfarlane May 2007

Breeding Behavior And Space Use Of Male And Female Mule Deer: An Examination Of Potential Risk Differences For Chronic Wasting Disease Infection, Leslie R. Mcfarlane

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The dynamics of pathogen and host relationships relative to disease transmission in wildlife populations are important ecological processes to understand, particularly since spatial dynamics of disease can be driven by movement, behavior, and dispersal of animals. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is an example of this important interface, where little is known regarding origin of the disease or routes of transmission. Surveillance data for CWD in free-ranging mule deer indicates that breeding-age male deer have 2-4 times higher prevalence rates than females or younger age males. In an effort to understand differences that might increase risk for exposure to CWD infective …

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Bitopic Membrane Topology Of The Stable Signal Peptide In The Tripartite Junin Virus Gp-C Envelope Glycoprotein Complex, Sudhakar S. Agnihothram, Joanne York, Meg Trahey, Jack H. Nunberg Apr 2007

Bitopic Membrane Topology Of The Stable Signal Peptide In The Tripartite Junin Virus Gp-C Envelope Glycoprotein Complex, Sudhakar S. Agnihothram, Joanne York, Meg Trahey, Jack H. Nunberg

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The stable signal peptide (SSP) of the GP-C envelope glycoprotein of the Junin arenavirus plays a critical role in trafficking of the GP-C complex to the cell surface and in its membrane fusion activity. SSP therefore may function on both sides of the lipid membrane. In this study, we have investigated the membrane topology of SSP by confocal microscopy of cells treated with the detergent digitonin to selectively permeabilize the plasma membrane. By using an affinity tag to mark the termini of SSP in the properly assembled GP-C complex, we find that both the N and C termini reside in …

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Filling Key Gaps In Population And Community Ecology, Anurag A. Agrawal, David D. Ackerly, Fred Adler, A. Elizabeth Arnold, Carla Cáceres, Daniel F. Doak, Eric Post, Peter J. Hudson, John L. Maron, Kailen A. Mooney, Mary Power, Doug Schemske, Jay Stachowicz, Sharon Strauss, Monica G. Turner, Earl Werner Apr 2007

Filling Key Gaps In Population And Community Ecology, Anurag A. Agrawal, David D. Ackerly, Fred Adler, A. Elizabeth Arnold, Carla Cáceres, Daniel F. Doak, Eric Post, Peter J. Hudson, John L. Maron, Kailen A. Mooney, Mary Power, Doug Schemske, Jay Stachowicz, Sharon Strauss, Monica G. Turner, Earl Werner

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We propose research to fill key gaps in the areas of population and community ecology, based on a National Science Foundation workshop identifying funding priorities for the next 5–10 years. Our vision for the near future of ecology focuses on three core areas: predicting the strength and context-dependence of species interactions across multiple scales; identifying the importance of feedbacks from individual interactions to ecosystem dynamics; and linking pattern with process to understand species coexistence. We outline a combination of theory development and explicit, realistic tests of hypotheses needed to advance population and community ecology.

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Intrarectal Transmission, Systemic Infection, And Cd4+ T Cell Depletion In Humanized Mice Infected With Hiv-1, Zhifeng Sun, Paul W. Denton, Jacob D. Estes, Florence A. Othieno, Bangdong L. Wei, Anja K. Wege, Michael W. Melkus, Angela Padgett-Thomas, Mary Zupancic, Ashley T. Haase, J. Victor Garcia Mar 2007

Intrarectal Transmission, Systemic Infection, And Cd4+ T Cell Depletion In Humanized Mice Infected With Hiv-1, Zhifeng Sun, Paul W. Denton, Jacob D. Estes, Florence A. Othieno, Bangdong L. Wei, Anja K. Wege, Michael W. Melkus, Angela Padgett-Thomas, Mary Zupancic, Ashley T. Haase, J. Victor Garcia

Biology Faculty Publications

Intrarectal infection between men who have sex with men represents a predominant form of human immunodefi ciency virus (HIV) transmission in developed countries. Currently there are no adequate small animal models that recapitulate intrarectal HIV transmission. Here we demonstrate that human lymphocytes generated in situ from hematopoietic stem cells reconstitute the gastrointestinal tract of humanized mice with human CD4+ T cells rendering them susceptible to intrarectal HIV transmission. HIV infection after a single intrarectal inoculation results in systemic infection with depletion of CD4+ T cells in gut-associated lymphoid tissue and other pathologic sequela that closely mimics those observed in HIV …

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Interspecific And Intraspecific Differences In Foraging Preferences Of Container-Dwelling Mosquitoes, Kesavaraju Banugopan, Donald A. Yee, Steven A. Juliano Mar 2007

Interspecific And Intraspecific Differences In Foraging Preferences Of Container-Dwelling Mosquitoes, Kesavaraju Banugopan, Donald A. Yee, Steven A. Juliano

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Feeding preferences of larval container-dwelling mosquitoes are not well understood. Primary production is often absent in container systems and external inputs of animal and plant detritus supply the energy base of container food webs by supporting microorganism prey for mosquitoes. We quantified the feeding preferences of Aedes albopictus (Skuse), a non-native invasive mosquito, and Ochlerotahts triseriatus (Say), a native mosquito, when given a choice of animal and plant detritus. We tested for interpopulational (Illinois versus Florida) differences in feeding preferences, and quantified each species' performance on these two detritus types. When given a choice, both species spent significantly more time …

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Rapid Field Immunoassay For Detecting Antibody To Sin Nombre Virus In Deer Mice, Tony Schountz, Charles H. Calisher, Tiffany R. Richens, Audrey A. Rich, Jeffrey B. Doty, Mark T. Hughes, Barry J. Beaty Jan 2007

Rapid Field Immunoassay For Detecting Antibody To Sin Nombre Virus In Deer Mice, Tony Schountz, Charles H. Calisher, Tiffany R. Richens, Audrey A. Rich, Jeffrey B. Doty, Mark T. Hughes, Barry J. Beaty

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We developed a 1-hour field enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for detecting antibody to Sin Nombre virus in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). The assay specificity and sensitivity were comparable to those of a standard EIA. This test will permit identification of rodents with antibody to this and perhaps other hantaviruses.

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Mark-Recapture Of Chinese Paddle-Tail Salamanders (Pachytriton Brevipes) Using Spot Pattern Recognition, Michelle Lester Jan 2007

Mark-Recapture Of Chinese Paddle-Tail Salamanders (Pachytriton Brevipes) Using Spot Pattern Recognition, Michelle Lester

Undergraduate Honors Theses

An abundance and demography survey was conducted on Chinese Paddle-tail salamanders, Pachytriton brevipes, found within the Valley of the Wild Monkeys Park in Huangshan, China. Established mark-recapture sampling techniques were used to investigate population size of this species within the park's streams. Digital photographs were taken of all individuals encountered in order to identify recaptures in a non-invasive manner. There were 56 adult individuals encountered with six recaptured in Y A2 stream and 12 individuals with five recaptured in the Y Al stream. Both Jolly-Seber closed population and Lincoln-Peterson open population models were used to estimate population abundance. Estimates …

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Tissue And Life Stage Distribution Of A Defensin-Like Gene In The Lone Star Tick Amblyomma Americanum, S. Michelle Todd, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Wayne L. Hynes Jan 2007

Tissue And Life Stage Distribution Of A Defensin-Like Gene In The Lone Star Tick Amblyomma Americanum, S. Michelle Todd, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Wayne L. Hynes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The transcript sequence of the Amblyomma americanum Linnaeus (Acari: Ixodidae) defensin, termed amercin (amn), was ascertained and a 219-bp amn coding region identified. The gene encodes a 72-amino acid prepropeptide with a putative 37-amino acid mature peptide. This gene shows little similarity to either of the defensins from Amblyomma hebraeum Koch, the only other Amblyomma species for which a defensin has been described. Sequence comparisons with other tick defensins reveal amn to be shorter (6 bp or 2 amino acids) than the Ixodes scapularis Linnaeus (Acari: Ixodidae) and Dermacentor variabilis (Say) (Acari: Ixodidae) defensin sequences. The amercin prepropeptide …

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Asymmetric Localizations Of Lin-17/Fz And Mig-5/Dsh Are Involved In The Asymmetric B Cell Division In C. Elegans, Mingfu Wu, Michael A. Herman Jan 2007

Asymmetric Localizations Of Lin-17/Fz And Mig-5/Dsh Are Involved In The Asymmetric B Cell Division In C. Elegans, Mingfu Wu, Michael A. Herman

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

LIN-44/Wnt and LIN-17/Frizzled (Fz) function in a planar cell polarity (PCP)-like pathway to regulate the asymmetric B cell division in Caenorhabditis elegans. We observed asymmetric localization of LIN-17/Frizzled (Fz) and MIG-5/Disheveled (Dsh) during the B cell division. LIN-17∷GFP was asymmetrically localized within the B cell prior to and after the B cell division and correlated with B cell polarity. Asymmetric localization of LIN-17∷GFP was dependent upon LIN-44/Wnt and MIG-5/Dsh function. The LIN-17 transmembrane domain and a portion of the cysteine-rich domain (CRD) were required for LIN-17 function and asymmetric distribution to the B cell daughters, while the conserved KTXXXW …

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Parasites, Proteomics And Performance: Effects Of Gregarine Gut Parasites On Dragonfly Flight Muscle Composition And Function, Rudolf J. Schilder, James H. Marden Jan 2007

Parasites, Proteomics And Performance: Effects Of Gregarine Gut Parasites On Dragonfly Flight Muscle Composition And Function, Rudolf J. Schilder, James H. Marden

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

In previous work, we found that dragonflies infected with gregarine gut parasites have reduced muscle power output, loss of lipid oxidation in their flight muscles, and a suite of symptoms similar to mammalian metabolic syndrome. Here, we test the hypothesis that changes in muscle protein composition underlie the observed changes in contractile performance. We found that gregarine infection was associated with a 10-fold average reduction in abundance of a ~155·kDa fragment of muscle myosin heavy chain (MHC; ~206·kDa intact size). Insect MHC gene sequences contain evolutionarily conserved amino acid motifs predicted for calpain cleavage, and we found that calpain digestion …

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An Epidemiological Model Of Rift Valley Fever, Holly D. Gaff, David M. Hartley, Nicole P. Leahy Jan 2007

An Epidemiological Model Of Rift Valley Fever, Holly D. Gaff, David M. Hartley, Nicole P. Leahy

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We present and explore a novel mathematical model of the epidemiology of Rift Valley Fever (RVF). RVF is an Old World, mosquito-borne disease affecting both livestock and humans. The model is an ordinary differential equation model for two populations of mosquito species, those that can transmit vertically and those that cannot, and for one livestock population. We analyze the model to find the stability of the disease-free equlibrium and test which model parameters affect this stability most significantly. This model is the basis for future research into the predication of future outbreaks in the Old World and the assessment of …

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Pro-Inflammatory Properties Of Flavobacterium Columnare Cells And Products On Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus) Neutrophils, Shannon Billings Dec 2006

Pro-Inflammatory Properties Of Flavobacterium Columnare Cells And Products On Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus) Neutrophils, Shannon Billings

All Theses

Flavobacterium columnare and Edwardsiella ictaluri are the leading causes for losses in the aquaculture industry. The losses from the diseases caused by these pathogens total $2.5 million for catfish and $100 million for total aquaculture. F. columnare's infection rates and stressors associated with outbreaks have been well-characterized, but the specific inflammatory responses of catfish neutrophils to the bacteria have not been studied. The objective, therefore, was to investigate the pro-inflammatory effects of the outer membrane proteins, extracellular products, and whole live bacteria, heat-killed (HK), and formalin-killed (FK) F. columnare and E. ictaluri to determine the effects on channel catfish phagocyte …

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Patric: The Vbi Pathosystems Resource Integration Center, Gongxin Yu Dec 2006

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 …

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Integration Without Unification: An Argument For Pluralism In The Biological Sciences, Sandra D. Mitchell, Michael R. Dietrich Dec 2006

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.

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Evidence Of Influenza A Virus Rna In Siberian Lake Ice, Scott O. Rogers, Gang Zhang, Dany Shoham, David Gilchinsky, Sergei Davydov, John D. Castello Dec 2006

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 …

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Outsiders As Innovators In The Life Sciences, Michael Dietrich Dec 2006

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

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Oligomerization Of Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein Is Crucial For Interaction With The Cytoplasmic Domain Of E1 Envelope Protein, Kousuke Nakai, Toru Okamoto, Tomomi Kimura-Someya, Koji Ishii, Chang Kweng Lim, Hideki Tani, Eiko Matsuo, Takayuki Abe, Yoshio Mori, Tetsuro Suzuki, Tatsuo Miyamura, Jack H. Nunberg, Kohji Moriishi, Yoshiharu Matsuura Nov 2006

Oligomerization Of Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein Is Crucial For Interaction With The Cytoplasmic Domain Of E1 Envelope Protein, Kousuke Nakai, Toru Okamoto, Tomomi Kimura-Someya, Koji Ishii, Chang Kweng Lim, Hideki Tani, Eiko Matsuo, Takayuki Abe, Yoshio Mori, Tetsuro Suzuki, Tatsuo Miyamura, Jack H. Nunberg, Kohji Moriishi, Yoshiharu Matsuura

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) contains two membrane-associated envelope glycoproteins, E1 and E2, which assemble as a heterodimer in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In this study, predictive algorithms and genetic analyses of deletion mutants and glycosylation site variants of the E1 glycoprotein were used to suggest that the glycoprotein can adopt two topologies in the ER membrane: the conventional type I membrane topology and a polytopic topology in which the protein spans the ER membrane twice with an intervening cytoplasmic loop (amino acid residues 288 to 360). We also demonstrate that the E1 glycoprotein is able to associate with the HCV …

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Expression Of The Primary Carbohydrate Component Of The Bordetella Bronchiseptica Biofilm Matrix Is Dependent On Growth Phase But Independent Of Bvg Regulation, Yasuhiko Irie, Andrew Preston, Ming H. Yuk Sep 2006

Expression Of The Primary Carbohydrate Component Of The Bordetella Bronchiseptica Biofilm Matrix Is Dependent On Growth Phase But Independent Of Bvg Regulation, Yasuhiko Irie, Andrew Preston, Ming H. Yuk

Biology Faculty Publications

We previously showed that the Bvg virulence control system regulates biofilm formation in Bordetella bronchiseptica (Y. Irie, S. Mattoo, and M. H. Yuk, J. Bacteriol. 186:5692-5698, 2004). Analyses of the extracellular components of B. bronchiseptica biofilm matrix revealed that the major sugar component in the matrix was xylose, and linkage analysis indicated a majority of it to be in a 4-linked polymeric form. The production of xylose was independent of Bvg regulation but instead was dependent on bacterial growth phase. In addition, N-acetyl-glucosamine in the matrix was found to be important for the initial development of the biofilm. These …

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