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Environmental Transmission Of Toxoplasma Gondii: Oocysts In Water, Soil And Food, Karen Shapiro, Lillian Bahia-Oliveira, Brent Dixon, Aurélien Dumètre, Luz A. De Wit, Elizabeth Vanwormer, Isabelle Villena

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic protozoan parasite that can cause morbidity and mortality in humans, domestic animals, and terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. The environmentally robust oocyst stage of T. gondii is fundamentally critical to the parasite's success, both in terms of its worldwide distribution as well as the extensive range of infected intermediate hosts. Despite the limited definitive host species (domestic and wild felids), infections have been reported on every continent, and in terrestrial as well as aquatic environments. The remarkable resistance of the oocyst wall enables dissemination of T. gondii through watersheds and ecosystems, and long-term persistence in diverse …

Understanding Immunometabolic And Suppressive Factors That Impact Cancer Development, Rebecca Swearingen Hesterberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The immune system is responsible for surveillance against pathogens and malignancies and adoptive transfer of antigen-specific T is a powerful new cancer treatment option. There is a clinical need to understand more about the normal regulatory processes that prevent immunosurveillance and how to manipulate this for clinical benefit. This project aims to understand T cells from three different angles. First, the biological role of the negative regulator cereblon (CRBN) was investigated in CD8+ T cells and my studies showed that higher levels of specific derivatives downstream of the amino acid glutamine may be beneficial to T cells in the immune …

Kinetic Analysis And Epitope Mapping Of Monoclonal Antibodies To Salmonella Typhimurium Flagellin Using A Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensor, Devendra Bhandari, Fur-Chi Chen, Shreya Hamal, Roger C. Bridgman

Human Sciences Faculty Research

Salmonella Typhimurium is one of the leading causes of foodborne diseases worldwide. Biosensors and immunoassays utilizing monoclonal antibodies are widely used for the detection and subtyping of S. Typhimurium. However, due to insufficient information on the nature of binding with S. Typhimurium flagellin, the selection of appropriate antibodies for assay development is a cumbersome task. Hence, we aimed to compare the binding kinetics of a panel of monoclonal antibodies and their relative binding sites to flagellin antigen using a surface plasmon resonance biosensor. Initially, the flagellin was captured on the sensor surface through an immobilized anti-flagellin antibody. The interactions of …

Targeted Therapy For The Future: The Use Of Novel Antimicrobial Peptides Against P. Aeurginosa, Matthew Froid

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Pathogenic bacteria, such as the gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are becoming resistant to our current arsenal of antibiotics at an alarming rate. P. aeruginosa is a leading cause of nosocomial acquired infections and is a primary co-morbidity in patients with compromised immune systems. One potential source of new antibiotic agents is antimicrobial peptides. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small proteins, and some have shown a high degree of efficacy and broad-spectrum activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. An experimental AMP that has been developed by Dr. Wang at UNMC, DASamp2, has shown to be effective against virulent bacteria, including P. …

Large Scale Dynamical Model Of Macrophage/Hiv Interactions, Matthew M. Froid

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Properties emerge from the dynamics of large-scale molecular networks that are not discernible at the individual gene or protein level. Mathematical models - such as probabilistic Boolean networks - of molecular systems offer a deeper insight into how these emergent properties arise. Here, we introduce a non-linear, deterministic Boolean model of protein, gene, and chemical interactions in human macrophage cells during HIV infection. Our model is composed of 713 nodes with 1583 interactions between nodes and is responsive to 38 different inputs including signaling molecules, bacteria, viruses, and HIV viral particles. Additionally, the model accurately simulates the dynamics of over …

Translating Antimicrobial Resistance: A Case Study Of Context And Consequences Of Antibiotic-Related Communication In Three Northern Thai Villages, Nutcha Charoenboon, Marco J. Haenssgen, Penporn Warapikuptanun, Thipphaphone Xayavong, Yuzana Khine Zaw

Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens to cause ten million deaths annually by 2050, making it a top item on the global health agenda. The current global policy response is multi-faceted, wherein behavioural dimensions like people’s medicine use are being predominantly addressed with education and communication campaigns. The social sciences literature suggests that cross-contextual translation of medical knowledge in global awareness campaigns can create misunderstandings and adverse behavioural responses. However, the consequences of AMR communication in low-income and middle-income contexts remain largely undocumented. In response to the empirical knowledge gap, this study presents the case study of educational activity in three northern …

Mrub_3019 Casa Gene Is An Ortholog To E. Coli B2760, Kelsey Heiland, Dr. Lori Scott

Meiothermus ruber Genome Analysis Project

This research is part of the Meiothermus ruber genome annotation project which aims to predict gene function with various bioinformatics tools. We investigated the function of Mrub_3019, which encodes the CasA protein involved in the multi-subunit effector complex for the CRISPR-Cas immunity system and predicted it to be an ortholog of E. coli K12 MG1655 b2760 (casA). We predicted that Mrub_3019 encodes the protein CasA, which is involved in PAM recognition of CRISPR interference pathway. Foreign DNA will bind to CasA, which signals Cas3 for helicase-mediated DNA degradation. Our hypothesis is supported by low E-values for pairwise alignment in NCBI …

Blood Parasites Infecting The Hoatzin (Opisthocomus Hoazin), A Unique Neotropical Folivorous Bird, M. Andreína Pacheco, M. Alexandra García-Amado, Jaime Manzano, Nubia E. Matta, Ananias A. Escalante

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

The Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) is the only extant member of the order Opisthocomiformes. This unique South American bird lives in the riparian lowland vegetation characteristic of the Amazon and Orinoco basins. Hoatzins nest in communal social units close to water bodies; they are strictly folivores being the only bird with pregastric fermentation in the crop. Because of the complex logistics involved in capturing this bird, there is a knowledge gap on its parasites. This study documents two distant lineages of haemosporidian parasites (Plasmodium spp.) in a juvenile and two adults sampled in the Cojedes state, Venezuela. Although …

Characterization Of Immunomodulatory Microbial Factors In Medicinal Plants, Kriti Kalpana

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Medicinal plants are one of the biggest sources of natural products with therapeutic importance. There are currently over 28,000 plants with putative medicinal values. Plant-derived compounds have been explored extensively for various biological activities ranging from anti-cancer, immune-boosting to anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant. Some of the most important therapeutic agents are of plant-origin, such as paclitaxel from Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia) and artemisinin from qinghao su (a Chinese medicinal herb; a.k.a. Artemisia annua) to name a few.

The study presented in this thesis started out as classical pharmacognosy research, which focused on the identification of immunostimulatory factors in …

Optimizing Gastrointestinal Integrity In Poultry: The Role Of Nutrients And Feed Additives, Sunday A. Adedokun, Opeyemi C. Olojede

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Immunomodulation of the immune system by stimulating or suppressing one or both arms, is an emerging concept driven by the understanding of the host defense system. In particular, the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) functions not only as a site for digestion and absorption of nutrients but also acts as a metabolic and immunological organ. This serves as a barrier against abnormal presentation of luminal constituents, caused by dysfunctional intestinal epithelial barrier, to the mucosal immune system. Invasion by pathogens in the case of disease or stress or a massive influx of commensal bacteria overcomes the defensive mechanisms, resulting in the full …

Non-Invasive Analysis Of The Sputum Transcriptome Discriminates Clinical Phenotypes Of Asthma, Xiting Yan

Yale Day of Data

Whole transcriptome wide gene expression profiles in the sputum and circulation from 100 asthma patients were measured using the Affymetrix HuGene 1.0ST arrays. Unsupervised clustering analysis based on pathways from KEGG were used to identify TEA clusters of patients from the sputum gene expression profiles. The identified TEA clusters have significantly different pre-bronchodilator FEV1, bronchodilator responsiveness, exhaled nitric oxide levels, history of hospitalization for asthma and history of intubation. Evaluation of TEA clusters in children from Asthma BRIDGE cohort confirmed the identified differences in intubation and hospitalization. Furthermore, evaluation of the TH2 gene signatures suggested a much lower prevalence of …

Plasmodium Para-Aminobenzoate Synthesis And Salvage Resolve Avoidance Of Folate Competition And Adaptation To Host Diet, Joachim Michael Matz, Mutsumi Watanabe, Mofolusho Falade, Takayuki Tohge, Rainer Hoefgen, Kai Matuschewski

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Folate metabolism is essential for DNA synthesis and a validated drug target in fast-growing cell populations, including tumors and malaria parasites. Genome data suggest that Plasmodium has retained its capacity to generate folates de novo. However, the metabolic plasticity of folate uptake and biosynthesis by the malaria parasite remains unresolved. Here, we demonstrate that Plasmodium uses an aminodeoxychorismate synthase and an aminodeoxychorismate lyase to promote the biogenesis of the central folate precursor para-aminobenzoate (pABA) in the cytoplasm. We show that the parasite depends on de novo folate synthesis only when dietary intake of pABA by …

Systemic Inhibition Of Tissue-Nonspecific Alkaline Phosphatase Alters The Brain-Immune Axis In Experimental Sepsis, Allison L. Brichacek, Stanely A. Benkovic, Sreeparna Chakraborty, Divine C. Nwafor, Wei Wang, Sujung Jun, Duaa Dakhlallah, Werner Geldenhuys, Anthony B. Pinkerton, José Luis Millán, Candice M. Brown

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) is a ubiquitous enzyme present in many cells and tissues, including the central nervous system. Yet its functions at the brain-immune axis remain unclear. The goal of this study was to use a novel small molecular inhibitor of TNAP, SBI-425, to interrogate the function of TNAP in neuroimmune disorders. Following intraperitoneal (IP) administration of SBI-425, mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the SBI-425 does not cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in healthy mice. To elucidate the role of TNAP at the brain-immune axis, mice were subjected to experimental sepsis and received either vehicle or SBI-425 (25 mg/kg, …

Enhancement Of Immune Response Against Bordetella Spp. By Disrupting Immunomodulation, Monica C. Gestal, Laura K. Howard, Kalyan Dewan, Hannah M. Johnson, Mariette Barbier, Clare Bryant, Illiassou Hamidou Soumana, Israel Rivera, Bodo Lina, Uriel Blas-Machado, Eric T. Harvill

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Well-adapted pathogens must evade clearance by the host immune system and the study of how they do this has revealed myriad complex strategies and mechanisms. Classical bordetellae are very closely related subspecies that are known to modulate adaptive immunity in a variety of ways, permitting them to either persist for life or repeatedly infect the same host. Exploring the hypothesis that exposure to immune cells would cause bordetellae to induce expression of important immunomodulatory mechanisms, we identified a putative regulator of an immunomodulatory pathway. The deletion of btrS in B. bronchiseptica did not affect colonization or initial growth in the …

Genetic Study Of Checkpoint Defects Of The Mus81-1 Mutant In The Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces Pombe, Darlington Osei Abrefa

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

In response to various perturbations of DNA replication, the DNA replication checkpoint is activated in eukaryotes to stimulate a cascade of cellular responses that are crucial for maintaining genome stability and cell survival. Defects in the checkpoint pathway result in mutations and genome instability, which is a hallmark for cancers. This study used a genetic approach to identify a mutation in the MMS (methyl methanesulfonate) and UV-sensitive protein Mus81, a DNA repair enzyme that resolves aberrant DNA structures through the homologous recombination pathway. We show that a single missense mutation, identified in fission yeast mus81-1, causes moderate reduction in the …

Structural And Functional Determinants Of Rodent And Human Surfactant Protein A: A Synthesis Of Binding And Computational Data, Armen Nalian, Todd M. Umstead, Ching-Hui Yang, Patricia Silveyra, Neal J. Thomas, Joanna Floros, Francis X. Mccormack, Zissis C. Chroneos

Faculty Publications

Surfactant protein A (SP-A) provides surfactant stability, first line host defense, and lung homeostasis by binding surfactant phospholipids, pathogens, alveolar macrophages (AMs), and epithelial cells. Non-primates express one SP-A protein whereas humans express two: SP-A1 and SP-A2 with core intra- and inter-species differences in the collagen-like domain. Here, we used macrophages and solid phase binding assays to discern structural correlates of rat (r) and human (h) SP-A function. Binding assays using recombinant rSP-A expressed in insect cells showed that lack of proline hydroxylation, truncations of amino-terminal oligomerization domains, and site-directed serine (S) or alanine (A) mutagenesis of cysteine 6 (C6S), …

Antibodies In The Diagnosis, Prognosis, And Prediction Of Psychotic Disorders., Thomas A Pollak, Jonathan P Rogers, Robert G Nagele, Mark Peakman, James M Stone, Anthony S David, Philip Mcguire

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Blood-based biomarker discovery for psychotic disorders has yet to impact upon routine clinical practice. In physical disorders antibodies have established roles as diagnostic, prognostic and predictive (theranostic) biomarkers, particularly in disorders thought to have a substantial autoimmune or infective aetiology. Two approaches to antibody biomarker identification are distinguished: a "top-down" approach, in which antibodies to specific antigens are sought based on the known function of the antigen and its putative role in the disorder, and emerging "bottom-up" or "omics" approaches that are agnostic as to the significance of any one antigen, using high-throughput arrays to identify distinctive components of the …

Probiotics: Reiterating What They Are And What They Are Not, Azza A. Gadir, Raja Dhir, Gregor Reid

Microbiology & Immunology Publications

It has been over seventeen years since the scientific definition of probiotics was crafted, along with guidelines ensuring the appropriate use of the term. This definition is now used globally, yet on a consistent basis scientists, media and industry misrepresent probiotics or make generalized statements that illustrate a misunderstanding of their utility and limitations. The rate of discovery of novel organisms with potentially therapeutic benefit for both human and environmental health is progressing at an unprecedented rate. However, the term “probiotic” is often misapplied to describe any microbe with plausible therapeutic utility in the human host. It is argued that …

Prospects For Improving Management Of Animal Disease Introductions Using Disease-Dynamic Models, Ryan S. Miller, Kim Pepin

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Management and policy decisions are continually made to mitigate disease introductions in animal populations despite often limited surveillance data or knowledge of disease transmission processes. Science-based management is broadly recognized as leading to more effective decisions yet application of models to actively guide disease surveillance and mitigate risks remains limited. Disease-dynamic models are an efficient method of providing information for management decisions because of their ability to integrate and evaluate multiple, complex processes simultaneously while accounting for uncertainty common in animal diseases. Here we review disease introduction pathways and transmission processes crucial for informing disease management and models at the …

Reverse Genetics Systems As Tools To Overcome The Genetic Diversity Of Lassa Virus, Brett Beitzel, Christine E. Hulseberg, Gustavo Palacios

United States Army: Publications

Lassa virus is endemic in a large area of sub-Saharan Africa, and exhibits a large amount of genetic diversity. Of the four currently recognized lineages, lineages I–III circulate in Nigeria, and lineage IV circulates in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. However, several newly detected lineages have been proposed. LASV genetic diversity may result in differences in pathogenicity or response to medical countermeasures, necessitating the testing of multiple lineages during the development of countermeasures and diagnostics. Logistical and biosafety concerns can make it difficult to obtain representative collections of divergent LASV clades for comparison studies. For example, lack of a cold …

Enhanced Expression Of Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Mer (Mertk) On Socs3-Treated Polarized Raw 264.7 Anti-Inflammatory M2c Macrophages, Sankhadip Bhadra

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Macrophages are phagocytic cells located in tissues, organs and even circulated within our body as white blood cells. They are critical in detecting tissue damage and infection. Resident tissue macrophages initiate the signals for inflammation recruiting neutrophils and blood monocytes which mature into macrophages at sites of infection and in the resolution of inflammation. Based on the local cytokine milieu in tissue sites, macrophages may be polarized into pro-inflammatory M1 or anti-inflammatory M2 phenotypes. Receptor tyrosine kinase Mer (MERTK) helps in clearing dead neutrophils and other apoptotic cells from damaged tissue sites preventing chronic inflammation and autoimmune disorders. MERTK aids …

Alterations In Ocular Surface System During The Pathogenesis Of Herpes Stromal Keratitis, Pushpa Durgesh Rao

Wayne State University Dissertations

Herpes stromal keratitis (HSK) is a chronic immuno-inflammatory ocular disease caused by Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) infection in the cornea. HSK is characterized by the development of corneal opacity and angiogenesis accompanied by the loss of corneal transparency. Despite extensive studies on inhibiting corneal angiogenesis and strategies to reduce HSK disease development, a key underlying mechanism to maintain an intact and a transparent corneal surface during HSK disease progression, remain obscure. Our study has addressed possible causes for the HSK disease severity by identifying the key factors such as the development of inflammatory hypoxia, reduced tear volume, Inflammation of extra-orbital …

The Measles Vaccine, Ben Albrecht

A with Honors Projects

This honors project reviews the development of the measles vaccine, and the controversial and debunked research that led to a decrease in vaccinations and an increase in the illness.

Host Restriction Factors In The Replication Of Tombusviruses: From Rna Helicases To Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling, Cheng-Yu Wu

Theses and Dissertations--Plant Pathology

Positive-stranded (+)RNA viruses replicate inside cells and depend on many cellular factors to complete their infection cycle. In the meanwhile, (+)RNA viruses face the host innate immunity, such as cell-intrinsic restriction factors that could block virus replication.

Firstly, I have established that the plant DDX17-like RH30 DEAD-box helicase conducts strong inhibitory function on tombusvirus replication when expressed in plants and yeast surrogate host. This study demonstrates that RH30 blocks the assembly of viral replicase complex, the activation of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase function of p92pol and viral RNA template recruitment.

In addition, the features rendering the abundant plant DEAD-box helicases either …

Binge Alcohol Drinking Exacerbates Ulcerative Colitis Flare, Abigail Cannon

Dissertations

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) remains a prominent medical concern affecting over 1.4 million people in the U.S. One of the most common forms of the disease is ulcerative colitis (UC), and UC patients will often head doctor's advice to refrain from drinking alcohol. However, whether this phenomenon of alcohol exacerbating UC symptoms occurs is still unknown, which necessitated the generation of a mouse model of UC and binge alcohol. Therefore, we examined a range of DSS concentrations (2-4%) and 2 alcohol paradigms in C57BL/6 mice. Mice receiving 2% DSS ad libitum for five days with a three-day alcohol binge had …

Relationships Between Animal Temperament And Systemic Immune Responses In Beef Cattle Exposed To Conditions Associated With Conventional Management, Alexander W. Altman

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Measures of temperament have been shown to influence physiological responses. Exit velocity (EV) has been identified as an objective, robust measure of temperament that can be used to predict subsequent performance of cattle. Additionally, previous studies from our lab indicate this measure of temperament may be related to production of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), a cytokine associated with cell-mediated immunity (CMI). Whereas research has investigated effects of EV upon immune responses, the overall goal of these studies was to examine this relationship under a variety of scenarios including human handling, transportation, and exposure to endophyte-infected tall fescue (E+) for determination of its …

Role Of T-Bet In Production Of Immunoglobulin Isotypes In An Influenza Setting, David Sidhom

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Influenza is one of the most common diseases worldwide, yet the vaccines against influenza are only 35% effective at protecting against infection. Creating a more effective vaccine requires an understanding of the foundation and the factors that contribute to a strong and protective adaptive immune response. T-bet [TBX21] is a transcription factor that plays an instrumental role in the orchestration of the type 1 immune response, which is the specialized response used by the immune system for a cell-mediated response against intracellular pathogens, such as influenza. It has yet to be explored in an influenza setting on the role T-bet …

Six-Nine Months Long Term Culture Of Mouse Bone Marrow Cells Differentiated To Macrophages And Eosinophils, Olena B. Svitlova

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Mouse models of eosinophil-associated diseases have been used to study the mechanisms of disease pathogenesis. In this study, mouse-derived bone marrow cells were used in long-term (6 and 9 months) cell cultures of differentiated eosinophils and macrophages. IL-5 was used to differentiate the stem cells to eosinophils and GM-CSF was used to propagate macrophages from the bone marrow stem cells. The maximum time period for observing the eosinophil cultures was 252 days which is censurably longer than the 18 days culture period observed by others. The results were assessed by describing the microscopic cell morphology by Wright staining, modified Giemsa …

Performance Differences Between Two Groups Of Commercial Pigs Following Experimental Infection With Prrs Virus 1-7-4, Erin Little

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is the costliest swine disease in North America. Vaccines and management alone have not been effective in controlling this disease. Genetic selection for resilience may be a complimentary approach for controlling PRRSV. The objective of this study was to estimate performance differences between two groups of pigs from the same commercial line following infection with PRRSV 1-7-4: 1) pigs sired by boars selected based on a standard index (TN-S), which emphasized feed efficiency and carcass quality; and 2) pigs sired by boars selected based on an experimental index (TN-E), which emphasized feed intake, …

New Bathynellidae (Crustacea) Taxa And Their Relationships In The Fortescue Catchment Aquifers Of The Pilbara Region, Western Australia, Giulia Perina, Ana I. Camacho, Joel Huey, Pierre Horwitz, Annette Koenders

Research Datasets

In the past 20 years, the number of subterranean taxa discovered in Australia, especially in the Pilbara bioregion, has considerably increased due to incidental environmental surveys often associated with mining development. Bathynellidae are an important component of stygofauna and they occur in most Australian aquifers, but their collection and identification are difficult due to their habitat, and small and fragile bodies with conservative morphology. The study of Pilbaranella ethelensis in the upper Fortescue catchment contributed to a better understanding of the group at local scale, but knowledge at larger catchment scale is still limited. Abundant material collected by different environmental …