Digital Commons Network^™

Stem Cell Research: Federal Research Funding And Oversight, Judith A. Johnson, Erin D. Williams

Congressional Research Service Reports

Embryonic stem cells have the ability to develop into virtually any cell in the body, and they may have the potential to treat medical conditions such as diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. In August 2001, President Bush announced that for the first time, federal funds would be used to support research on human embryonic stem cells, but funding would be limited to “existing stem cell lines.” NIH has established a registry of 78 human embryonic stem cell lines that are eligible for use in federally funded research, but only 21 cell lines are currently available. Scientists are concerned about the quality …

Coyotes As Sentinels For Monitoring Bovine Tuberculosis Prevalence In White-Tailed Deer, Todd Atwood, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Thomas Deliberto, Holly Smith, Justin Stevenson

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), is endemic in free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in 5 counties (Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency, Oscoda, and Presque Isle) in the northeastern Lower Peninsula of Michigan, USA. The presence of a wildlife reservoir of tuberculosis in Michigan and the incidence of bTB in cattle (Bos taurus) resulted in Michigan losing its bTB accredited-free status. Subsequent wildlife surveillance programs identified relatively high disease prevalence in coyotes (Canis latrans), generating interest in their potential to serve as a sentinel species to detect bTB prevalence in white-tailed deer. …

Demographic Risk Factors For Severe And Fatal Vivax And Falciparum Malaria Among Hospital Admissions In Northeastern Indonesian Papua, Mazie J. Barcus, Hasan Basri, Helena Picarima, C. Manyakori, Sekartuti, Iqbal Elyazar, Michael J. Bangs, Jason D. Maguire, J. Kevin Baird

United States Navy: Publications

Between January 1998 and December 2000, the Jayapura Provincial Public Hospital in northeastern Indonesian New Guinea (Papua) admitted 5,936 patients with a diagnosis of malaria. The microscopic diagnosis at admission was Plasmodium falciparum (3,976, 67%), Plasmodium vivax (1,135, 19%), Plasmodium malariae (8, < 1%), and mixed species infections (817, 14%). Approximately 9% (367) of patients were classified as having severe malaria (277 P. falciparum, 36 P. vivax, 53 mixed infections, and 1 P. malariae) and 88 died (79 P. falciparum/mixed infections and 9 P. vivax). Risk of fatal outcomes among severe malaria patients was indistinguishable between those with falciparum versus vivax malaria (OR=0.89; P=0.771). Compared with non-pregnant women, pregnant women showed no higher risk of …

The Public Engagement Project On Community Control Measures For Pandemic Influenza Findings And Recommendations From Citizen And Stakeholder Deliberation Days

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

The Public Engagement Project On Community Control Measures for Pandemic Influenza was carried out in October and November 2006 to engage the public in discussions and deliberations about the economic and social tradeoffs associated with community control measures to slow the spread of the disease. The project was sponsored by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and The Keystone Center, serving as a third party neutral facilitator. Fourteen other organizations participated, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To conduct this public engagement, the sponsors made use made use of the Policy Analysis CollaborativE (PACE), …

Parasites And Pathogens Of Fish From Devils Lake, Sheyenne River, Red River, And The Red River Delta.

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The International Joint Commission and International Red River Board contacted the AEC Co-Chairs and requested that a program be developed to monitor parasites and pathogens in Devils Lake. The objective of this program was to be a further analysis of the potential for transfer of species that might exist in Devils Lake but not in the Sheyenne River, Red River or Lake Winnipeg. Previous studies conducted on Devils Lake (Hudson and Peters, 2005, Williamson et al. 2005, Arroyo 2005) focused on fish parasites and pathogens, phytoplankton, zooplankton, aquatic macrophytes, and terrestrial plants. The IJC requested a proposal that would continue …

Hantavirus And Arenavirus Antibodies In Persons With Occupational Rodent Exposure, North America, Charles F. Fulhorst, Mary Louise Milazzo, Lori R. Armstrong, James E. Childs, Pierre E. Rollin, Rima Khabbaz, C.J. Peters, Thomas G G. Ksiazek

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Rodents are the principal hosts of Sin Nombre virus, 4 other hantaviruses known to cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in North America, and the 3 North American arenaviruses. Serum samples from 757 persons who had worked with rodents in North America and handled neotomine or sigmodontine rodents were tested for antibodies against Sin Nombre virus, Whitewater Arroyo virus, Guanarito virus, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. Antibodies against Sin Nombre virus were found in 4 persons, against Whitewater Arroyo virus or Guanarito virus in 2 persons, and against lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus in none. These results suggest that risk for infection with hantaviruses or …

Development Of An Assay To Determine Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms In The Prion Gene For The Genetic Diagnosis Of Relative Susceptibility To Classical Scrapie In Sheep, Mary Lynn Johnson, Jessica M. Evoniuk, Charles L. Stoltenow, Katherine I. O'Rourke, Dale A. Redmer

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

The objective of this study was to develop a reliable Taqman® 5' Nuclease Assay for genotyping sheep for scrapie susceptibility. The sheep prion gene contains 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that may mediate resistance to classical scrapie, one at codon 136, alanine (A) or valine (V), and another at codon 171, arginine (R) or glutamine (Q). The R allele appears to confer resistance to classical scrapie, with the AA₁₃₆ RR₁₇₁ genotype the most resistant to scrapie and QR₁₇₁ only rarely infected in the US sheep population. The Assays by Design^SM protocol was used for development of …

Improved Formulation Of A Recombinant Ricin A-Chain Vaccine Iincreases Its Stability And Effective Antigenicity, John H. Carra, Robert W. Wannemacher, Ralph F. Tammariello, Changhong Y. Lindsey, Richard E. Dinterman, Rowena D. Schokman, Leonard A. Smith

United States Army: Publications

Ricin is a potent toxin associated with bioterrorism for which no vaccine or specific countermeasures are currently available. A stable, non-toxic and immunogenic recombinant ricin A-chain vaccine (RTA 1-33/44-198) has been developed by protein engineering. We identified optimal formulation conditions for this vaccine under which it remained stable and potent in storage for up to 18 months, and resisted multiple rounds of freeze–thawing without stabilizing co-solvents. Reformulation from phosphate buffer to succinate buffer increased adherence of the protein to aluminum hydroxide adjuvant from 15 to 91%, with a concomitant increase of nearly threefold in effective antigenicity in a mouse model. …

A Refined Pharmacophore Identifies Potent 4-Amino-7-Chloroquinoline-Based Inhibitors Of The Botulinum Neurotoxin Serotype A Metalloprotease, James C. Burnett, Dejan Opsenica, Kamaraj Sriraghavan, Rekha G. Panchal, Gordon Ruthel, Ann R. Hermone, Tam L. Nguyen, Tara A. Kenny, Douglas J. Lane, Connor F. Mcgrath, James J. Schmidt, Jonathan L. Vennerstrom, Rick Gussio, Bogdan A. Solaja, Sina Bavari

United States Army: Publications

We previously identified structurally diverse small molecule (non-peptidic) inhibitors (SMNPIs) of the botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNT/A) light chain (LC). Of these, several (including antimalarial drugs) contained a 4-amino-7-chloroquinoline (ACQ) substructure and a separate positive ionizable amine component. The same antimalarials have also been found to interfere with BoNT/A translocation into neurons, via pH elevation of the toxin-mediated endosome. Thus, this structural class of small molecules may serve as dual-function BoNT/A inhibitors. In this study, we used a refined pharmacophore for BoNT/A LC inhibition to identify four new, potent inhibitors of this structural class (IC50’s ranged from 3.2 to 17 …

Impact Of Phlebotomine Sand Flies On U.S. Military Operations At Tallil Air Base, Iraq: 3. Evaluation Of Surveillance Devices For The Collection Of Adult Sand Flies, Douglas A. Burkett, Ronald Knight, James A. Dennett, Van Sherwood, Edgar Rowton, Russell E. Coleman

United States Air Force: Publications

We evaluated the effectiveness of commercially available light traps and sticky traps baited with chemical light sticks for the collection of phlebotomine sand flies. Evaluations were conducted at Tallil Air Base, Iraq, in 2003. In an initial study, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-style trap with UV bulb collected significantly more sand flies than did an up-draft CDC trap, a standard down-draft CDC trap (STD-CDC), or a sticky strap with a green chemical light stick. In a subsequent study, we found that the addition of chemical light sticks to sticky traps resulted in a significant increase in the …

Montana Gray Wolf Conservation And Management 2006 Annual Report, Carolyn A. Sime, V. Asher, L. Bradley, K. Laudon, M. Ross, J. Trapp, M. Atkinson, L. Handegard, J. Steuber

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery: Annual Reports

MONTANA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Wolf recovery in Montana began in the early 1980’s. Gray wolves increased in number and expanded their distribution in Montana because of natural emigration from Canada and a successful federal effort that reintroduced wolves into Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and the wilderness areas of central Idaho. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) approved the Montana Gray Wolf Conservation and Management Plan in early 2004, but delisting in the northern Rockies (NRM) was delayed. When federal funding became available later in 2004, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (MFWP) began managing wolves in northwestern Montana under a cooperative …

Evolutionary Responses By Native Species To Major Anthropogenic Changes To Their Ecosystems: Pacific Salmon In The Columbia River Hydropower System, Robin Waples, Richard W. Zabel, Mark D. Scheuerell, Beth L. Sanderson

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The human footprint is now large in all the Earth’s ecosystems, and construction of large dams in major river basins is among the anthropogenic changes that have had the most profound ecological consequences, particularly for migratory fishes. In the Columbia River basin of the western USA, considerable effort has been directed toward evaluating demographic effects of dams, yet little attention has been paid to evolutionary responses of migratory salmon to altered selective regimes. Here we make a first attempt to address this information gap. Transformation of the free-flowing Columbia River into a series of slackwater reservoirs has relaxed selection for …

Building A Better Virus Trap, Clara Davis Long, Katie Turner-Shelef, David A. Relman

United States Department of Veterans Affairs: Publications

The concept of ecological ‘traps’ is based in theory from ecology and conservation biology that has now found application to infectious diseases with a study from Paul Turner’s group. This study is important because it offers a mathematical model of ecological traps, applies this model to viruses, and tests the model in a bacteria– phage system. Although there will be technical hurdles to overcome, this concept might lead to benefits for both health and industry.

Ecological traps

An ecological trap is defined as a habitat that is suboptimal for growth or for reproduction of a population, but that is preferred …

Amphibians And Disease: Implications For Conservation In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Paul Stephen Corn

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The decline of amphibian populations is a worldwide phenomenon that has received increasing attention since about 1990. In 2004, the World Conservation Union’s global amphibian assessment concluded that 48% of the world’s 5,743 described amphibian species were in decline, with 32% considered threatened (Stuart et al. 2004). Amphibian declines are a significant issue in the western United States, where all native species of frogs in the genus Rana and many toads in the genus Bufo are at risk, particularly those that inhabit mountainous areas (Corn 2003a,b; Bradford 2005). As is true for most of the cold and dry Rocky Mountains, …

Ovarian Tumor Domain-Containing Viral Proteases Evade Ubiquitin- And Isg15-Dependent Innate Immune Responses, Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Herbert Whiting Virgin, Natalia Frias-Staheli, Nadia Giannakopoulos, Marjolein Kikkert, Shannon Taylor, Anne Bridgen, Jason Pargas, Juergen Richt, Raymond Rowland, Connie Schmaljohn, Deborah Lenschow, Eric Snijder

United States Army: Publications

Ubiquitin (Ub) and interferon-stimulated gene product 15 (ISG15) reversibly conjugate to proteins and mediate important innate antiviral responses. The ovarian tumor (OTU) domain represents a superfamily of predicted proteases found in eukaryotic, bacterial, and viral proteins, some of which have Ub-deconjugating activity. Weshowthat theOTUdomain-containing proteases fromnairoviruses and arteriviruses, two unrelated groups ofRNAviruses, hydrolyzeUb and ISG15 from cellular target proteins. This broad activity contrasts with the target specificity of knownmammalianOTUdomain-containing proteins. Expression of a viralOTUdomain-containing protein antagonizes the antiviral effects of ISG15 and enhances susceptibility to Sindbis virus infection in vivo. We also show that viral OTU domain-containing proteases inhibit NFkB- …

Role Of U.S. Military Research Programs In The Development Of U.S.-Licensed Vaccines For Naturally Occurring Infectious Diseases, Lynn W. Kitchen

United States Army: Publications

U.S. military physicians and researchers have collaborated in the development of eight U.S.-licensed vaccines since 1934, when product efficacy requirements were added to product safety requirements mandated in 1902. These vaccines include influenza (1945), rubella (1969), adenovirus types 4 and 7 (1980), meningococcus A, C, Y,W-135 (1981), hepatitis B (1981), oral typhoid (1989), Japanese encephalitis (1992), and hepatitis A(1995). Current efforts include newadenovirus and Japanese encephalitis vaccines, and vaccines to prevent dengue, diarrhea due to enterotoxigenic E. coli, Campylobacter, and Shigella, malaria, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, scrub typhus, meningococcus type B, and HIV infection. All vaccines …

Cell Bank Characterization And Fermentation Optimization For Production Of Recombinant Heavy Chain C-Terminal Fragment Of Botulinum Neurotoxin Serotype E (Rbonte(HC): Antigen E) By Pichia Pastoris, Jayanta Sinha, Mehmet Inan, Sarah Fanders, Shinichi Taoka, Mark Gouthro, Todd Swanson, Rick Barent, Ardis Barthuli, Bonnie M. Loveless, Leonard A. Smith, Theresa Smith, Ian Henderson, John Ross, Michael M. Meagher

Papers in Biochemical Engineering

A process was developed for production of a candidate vaccine antigen, recombinant C-terminal heavy chain fragment of the botulinum neurotoxin serotype E, rBoNTE(H_c)in Pichia pastoris. P. pastoris strain GS115 was transformed with the rBoNTE(H_c) gene inserted into pHILD4 Escherichia coli—P. pastoris shuttle plasmid. The clone was characterized for genetic stability, copy number, and BoNTE(H_c) sequence. Expression of rBoNTE(H_c) from the Mut⁺ HIS4 clone was confirmed in the shake-flask, prior to developing a fed-batch fermentation process at 5 and 19 L scale. The fermentation process consists of a glycerol growth phase in …

Avian Influenza Vaccination: A Commentary Focusing On H5n1 High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza, Karen Burns Grogan, David A. Halvorson, Richard D. Slemons

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Avian influenza (AI) is a viral disease of poultry, caused by influenzavirus A, classified in the family Orthomyxoviridiae. The influenza A viruses maintained in birds are commonly referred to as avian influenza viruses (AIVs). The AIVs are antigenically, genetically, and biologically diverse, are found worldwide in birds, and infect a variety of avian species.

2006 Major Sponsored Program And Faculty Awards For Research & Creative Activity

Office of Research and Economic Development: Publications

Awards of $3 million or more
Awards of $1 million to $2,999,999
Awards of $200,000 to $999,999
Career and K Awards
Arts and Humanities Awards of $50,000 or more
Arts and Humanities Awards of $5,000 to $49,999
Patents Issued
Intellectual Property Licences
Creative Works in Fine and Performing Arts
Books
Recognitions and Honors
Glossary of Federal Agency Abbreviations

This is the fifth annual “Major Sponsored Program and Faculty Awards for Research and Creative Activity” report. This booklet highlights the successes of University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty during 2006. The funding sources, projects and investigators on major grants and sponsored program awards …

Iv Foro De Investigadores Por La Conservación Y Ii Simposio De Areas Naturales Protegidas Del Estado De Hidalgo, Griselda Pulido-Flores, Ana Laura López-Escamilla

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Ecofisiología de Echinocadus platyacanthus (Región Los Venados), en la reserva de la biosfera Barranca de Metztitlán, Hidalgo. • Hernández-Aguilar, A, G. Ramírez-Ramírez y M. Collazo-Ortega.

Banco de semillas de Echinocadus platyacanthus Link y Otto (Cactaceae) y especies asociadas en una región semiárida de la reserva de la biosfera Barranca de Metztitlán, Hidalgo • López-López, J. v., y M. Collazo-Ortega.

Estimación de balance de humedad para la cuenca Amajac que incluye la reserva de la biosfera Barranca de Metztitlán bajo condiciones actuales y escenarios de cambio climático. • Lucio Hernández, M., J. D. Gómez Díaz y A Monterroso Rivas.

Eficiencia de …

Department Of Veterinary And Biomedical Sciences 2007 Annual Report

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Information and History

The first class of twenty· five Nebraska students began their DVM degree program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The new program provides for students from Nebraska to complete their first two years of the professional school at UNL. The second two years of training will be completed at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University. Under the agreement, the students will pay Iowa State resident tuition rates all four years.

To prepare for the new program, an anatomy teaching laboratory, classroom and microbiology laboratory were develop by renovating space in the Animal Science Complex. New faculty members hired to …

Demographic Risk Factors For Severe And Fatal Vivax And Falciparum Malaria Among Hospital Admissions In Northeastern Indonesian Papua, Mazie J. Barcus, Hasan Basri, Helena Picarima, C. Manyakori, Puslitbang Biomedis & Farmasi, Jl. Percetakan Negara No. 29, Jakarta 10560, Indonesia, Iqbal Elyazar, Michael J. Bangs, Jason D. Maguire, J. Kevin Baird

United States Public Health Resources

Between January 1998 and December 2000, the Jayapura Provincial Public Hospital in northeastern Indonesian New Guinea (Papua) admitted 5,936 patients with a diagnosis of malaria. The microscopic diagnosis at admission was Plasmodium falciparum (3,976, 67%), Plasmodium vivax (1,135, 19%), Plasmodium malariae (8, < 1%), and mixed species infections (817, 14%). Approximately 9% (367) of patients were classified as having severe malaria (277 P. falciparum, 36 P. vivax, 53 mixed infections, and 1 P. malariae) and 88 died (79 P. falciparum/mixed infections and 9 P. vivax). Risk of fatal outcomes among severe malaria patients was indistinguishable between those with falciparum versus vivax malaria (OR=0.89; P=0.771). Compared with non-pregnant women, pregnant women showed no higher risk …

Demographic Factors Associated With Prevalence Of Antibody To Sin Nombre Virus In Deer Mice In The Western United States, Charles Calisher, Kent Wagoner, Brian Amman, J. Jeffrey Root, Richard J. Douglass, Amy Kuenzi, Ken Abbott, Cheryl Parmenter, Terry Yates, Thomas Ksiazek, Barry J. Beaty, James N. Mills

United States Public Health Resources

We used long-term data collected for up to 10 yr (1994–2004) at 23 trapping arrays (i.e., webs and grids) in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, and New Mexico to examine demographic factors known or suspected to be associated with risk of infection with Sin Nombre virus (SNV) in its natural host, the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus). Gender, age (mass), wounds or scars, season, and local relative population densities were statistically associated with the period prevalence of antibody (used as a marker of infection) to SNV in host populations. Nevertheless, antibody prevalence and some of the risk factors associated with antibody …

Identification Of Vibrio Isolates By A Multiplex Pcr Assay And Rpob Sequence Determination, Cheryl L. Tarr, Jayna S. Patel, Nancy Puhr, Evangeline Sowers, Cheryl A. Bopp, Nancy A. Strockbine

United States Public Health Resources

Vibrio, a diverse genus of aquatic bacteria, currently includes 72 species, 12 of which occur in human clinical samples. Of these 12, three species—Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus—account for the majority of Vibrio infections in humans. Rapid and accurate identification of Vibrio species has been problematic because phenotypic characteristics are variable within species and biochemical identification requires 2 or more days to complete. To facilitate the identification of human-pathogenic species, we developed a multiplex PCR that uses species-specific primers to amplify gene regions in four species (V. cholerae, V. parahaemolyticus, V. …

Poxviral B1 Kinase Overcomes Barrier To Autointegration Factor, A Host Defense Against Virus Replication, Matthew S. Wiebe, Paula Traktman

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Barrier to autointegration factor (BAF) is a DNA-binding protein found in the nucleus and cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells that functions to establish nuclear architecture during mito-sis. Herein, we demonstrate a cytoplasmic role for BAF in host defense during poxviral infections. Vaccinia is the prototypic poxvirus, a family of DNA viruses that replicate ex-clusively in the cytoplasm of infected cells. Mutations in the vaccinia B1 kinase (B1) com-promise viral DNA replication, but the mechanism by which B1 achieves this has remained elusive. We now show that BAF acts as a potent inhibitor of poxvirus replication unless its DNA-binding activity is blocked …

Comparative Genetic Analysis Of Genomic Dna Sequences Of Two Human Isolates Of Tanapox Virus, Steven H. Nazarian, John W. Barrett, A. Michael Frace, Melissa Olsen-Rasmussen, Marina Khristova, Mae Shaban, Sarah Neering, Yu Li, Inger K. Damon, Joseph J. Esposito, Karim Essani, Grant Mcfadden

United States Public Health Resources

Members of the genus Yatapoxvirus, which include Tanapox virus (TPV) and Yaba monkey tumor virus, infect primates including humans. Two strains of TPV isolated 50 years apart from patients infected from the equatorial region of Africa have been sequenced. The original isolate from a human case in the Tana River Valley, Kenya, in 1957 (TPV-Kenya) and an isolate from an infected traveler in the Republic of Congo in 2004 (TPV-RoC). Although isolated 50 years apart the genomes were highly conserved. The genomes differed at only 35 of 144,565 nucleotide positions (99.98% identical). We predict that TPV-RoC encodes 155 …

Social Capital And Rates Of Gonorrhea And Syphilis In The United States: Spatial Regression Analyses Of State-Level Associations, Salaam Semaan, Maya Sternberg, Akbar Zaidi, Sevgi O. Aral

United States Public Health Resources

We conducted spatial regression analysis to account for spatial clustering of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and to examine the state-level association between social capital (using Putnam’s public use data set) and rates of gonorrhea and syphilis. We conducted the analysis for the 48 contiguous states of the United States for 1990, 1995, and 2000 and controlled for the effects of regional variation in STD rates, and for state variation in poverty, income inequality, racial composition, and percentage aged 15–34 years. We compared the results of the spatial regression analysis with those of ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. Controlling for all …

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Project: 2007 Activities Report

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that is close to being eradicated in the United States, but still poses a significant risk to domestic livestock, wildlife, companion animals, and humans throughout the world. The Michigan Bovine TB Eradication Project involves a multi-agency team of experts from the Michigan departments of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Community Health, Michigan State University, and the US Department of Agriculture.

Use Of Nmr Metabolomics To Analyze The Targets Of D-Cycloserine In Mycobacteria: Role Of D-Alanine Racemase, Steven M. Halouska, Ofelia Chacon, Robert J. Fenton, Denise K. Zinniel, Raul G. Barletta, Robert Powers

Robert Powers Publications

D-cycloserine (DCS) is only used with multi-drug resistant strains of tuberculosis because of serious side-effects. DCS is known to inhibit cell wall biosynthesis, but the in vivo lethal target is still unknown. We have applied NMR-based metabolomics combined with principal component analysis to monitor the in vivo affect of DCS on M. smegmatis. Our analysis suggests DCS functions by inhibiting multiple protein targets.

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 …