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The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 85 June 2017 Number 2

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March - May 2017, by W. Ross Silcock … 54

Greater Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis tabida) Copulation Detected Along the Big Bend of the Platte River, South-Central Nebraska, by Andrew J. Caven and Emma M. Brinley Buckley … 83

NOU Spring Field Days and Annual Meeting in Auburn, May 19-21, 2017, by Janis Paseka … 85-90

Subscription and Organization Information … 91

Nou Spring Field Days And Annual Meeting, Auburn, May 19-21, 2017, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The annual meeting of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union was held at the Senior Center in Auburn on May 19-21, 2017, and was organized by Robin Harding and Don and Janis Paseka. About 70 birders attended on a weekend that began wet but finished with more birder-friendly conditions. Our Friday evening program was a presentation by Kevin Holliday, Superintendent of Indian Cave State Park. He mentioned the park’s features including the cave and petroglyphs, St. Deroin cemetery, 22 miles of trails, Missouri River overlook and reconstructed town. He also highlighted the many events held in the park during the year, including …

Dressing The Part: Clothing And Gender Identity On The Frontier Artifacts From Steamboat Bertrand, Kami Ahrens

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

This study re-examines established views on gender divisions in the nineteenth century and further investigates the relationship between identity construction and material culture, with an emphasis on clothing. Using artifacts from the Steamboat Bertrand collection as a case study, the project explores the maintenance and performance of Victorian gender ideals in Montana mining communities. Steamboat Bertrand sank in 1865 on its maiden journey to Fort Benton, Montana, carrying a variety of goods for commercial sale, as well as the personal goods of passengers aboard the ship. The artifacts excavated from the ship provide a unique examination into the lives of …

Red Grain Sorghum Whole Kernel Crude Lipid Protects Energy Metabolism And Short Chain Fatty Acid Profile In A Hamster Model To Minimize Intestinal Stress Caused By A High Fat Diet, Haowen Qiu

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Multiple studies have shown throughout the past 10+ years that grain sorghum (GS) lipid extract protects against high plasma and hepatic cholesterol and, to a lesser degree, positively modulate the gut microbiota in response to a high fat (HF) diet. However, the impact of GS lipids on intestinal stress induced by such a diet remains largely unknown. The objective of this project was to determine the ability of GS crude lipid (GS-CL) obtained from the surface of GS whole kernel to protect energy metabolism and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) profile produced by the gut microbiome that may be negatively …

Seroprevalence Of Antibodies Against Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Among Hiv-Negative People In China, Tiejun Zhang, Zhenqiu Liu, Jun Wang, Veenu Minhas, Charles Wood, Gary M. Clifford, Na He, Silvia Franceschi

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Background: Little information on the prevalence of Kaposi’s sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV) among HIV-negative individuals is available from Asia.

Methods: In the present study, we report findings from a new survey of KSHV in 983 HIV-negative male migrants from Shanghai and their combination with previous similar surveys of 600 female migrants, 600 female sex-workers (FSW), 1336 sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic male patients, 439 intravenous drug-users (IVDU), and 226 men having sex with men (MSM) from China. KSHV-specific antibodies against latent and lytic antigens were assessed using Sf9 and BC3 monoclonal immunofluorescence assay. Age-adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence …

Sensor System, Implantable Sensor And Method For Remote Sensing Of A Stimulus In Vivo, Eric H. Ledet, Rebecca A. Wachs, Keegan Paul Cole, David Fiorella

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A sensor system for sensing a stimulus in vivo includes an implantable sensor. The sensor comprises a passive resonator circuit having a resonant frequency and including at least a pair of generally parallel spirally wound unconnected conductive coils sandwiching a layer of solid dielectric material that manifest a change in property affecting the resonant frequency in response to application of the stimulus to the layer. A resonant frequency of the sensor is modulated by altering the spacing or gap between the coils or altering the overlapping area of the coils. The sensor is energized through application of radio frequency energy …

From Icon Of Empire To National Emblem: New Evidence For The Fallow Deer Of Barbuda, Sophia Perdikaris, Allison Bain, Sandrine Grouard, Karis Baker, Edith Gonzalez, A. Rus Hoelzel, Holly Miller, Reaksha Persaud, Naomi Sykes

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Barbuda and Antigua’s national animal is the fallowdeer, Dama dama dama, a species native to the eastern Mediterranean that has been transported around the world by people during the last 8000 years. The timing and circumstances by which fallow deer came to be established on Barbuda are currently uncertain but, by examining documentary, osteological and genetic evidence, this paper will consider the validity of existing theories. It will review the dynamics of human–Dama relationships from the 1500s AD to the present day and consider how the meaning attached to this species has changed through time: from a symbol of colonial …

Nutrient Addition Shifts Plant Community Composition Towards Earlier Flowering Species In Some Prairie Ecoregions In The U.S. Central Plains, Lori A. Biederman, Brent Mortensen, Philip Fay, Nicole Hagenah, Johannes M. H. Knops, Kimberly J. La Pierre, Ramesh Laungani, Eric Lind, Rebecca Mcculley, Sally Power, Eric W. Seabloom, Pedro Tognetti

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The distribution of flowering across the growing season is governed by each species' evolutionary history and climatic variability. However, global change factors, such as eutrophication and invasion, can alter plant community composition and thus change the distribution of flowering across the growing season. We examined three ecoregions (tall-, mixed, and short-grass prairie) across the U.S. Central Plains to determine how nutrient (nitrogen (N), phosphorus, and potassium (+micronutrient)) addition alters the temporal patterns of plant flowering traits. We calculated total community flowering potential (FP) by distributing peakseason plant cover values across the growing season, allocating each species' cover to only those …

Notes On The Tiger Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae) Of Brunei Darussalam. 137. Contribution Towards The Knowledge Of Cicindelinae, Claas Damken, Jürgen Wiesner, Rodzay Abdul Wahab

Insecta Mundi

Distributional records of the 30 tiger beetle species and subspecies (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae) known for Brunei Darussalam are given together with habitus photos for 21 species. Neocollyris (Neocollyris) labiomaculata (Horn, 1892), Neocollyris (Neocollyris) emarginata (Dejean, 1825), Therates spectabilis fl avissimus Brouerius van Nidek, 1957, Heptodonta analis s. str. (Fabricius, 1801), Cosmodela velata (Bates, 1872), Lophyra (s. str.) fuliginosa (Dejean, 1826), Cylindera (Leptinomera) fi ligera (Bates, 1878), Myriochila (s. str.) specularis brevipennis (Horn, 1897), Abroscelis tenuipes araneipes (Schaum, 1863) and Callytron doriai (Horn, 1897) are reported for the first time for the Sultanate.

First Record Of The Enigmatic Tribe Anaeomorphini (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Charaxinae) Outside Of The Amazon Basin: A New Species Of Anaeomorpha Rothschild, 1894, From The Chocó Region Of Western Ecuador, Keith R. Willmott, Mark J. Simon, Elena Ortiz-Acevedo, Jason P. W. Hall

Insecta Mundi

We describe a new butterfl y species, Anaeomorpha mirifica Simon and Willmott, n. sp. (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Charaxinae), from premontane rain forest of the Chocó region of northwestern Ecuador. This represents the second known species and the first record outside of the Amazon basin for this taxonomically and biologically enigmatic genus. Although the two species are not known to be sympatric, we identified 21 characters in the external color pattern, wing shape and male genitalia that together support distinct species status. Most notably, the new species possesses an ocellus in the ventral hind wing tornus, a character which occurs in the …

Notes On Oak-Infesting Species Of Scale Insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) In Korea, Soo-Jung Suh, Ah-Ram Son

Insecta Mundi

Scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) were collected on oak trees (Quercus spp.; Fagaceae) in Korea and identified as Asterodiaspis luteola (Russell) (Asterolecaniidae) and Nidularia japonica (Kuwana) (Kermesidae), which are newly documented in the Korean fauna of scale insects. Characteristics of these species are briefly given and illustrative photographs and information on their distribution and hosts are provided.

First Reports Of Non-Phytophagous Nearctic Chrysaugine Moths (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), James E. Hayden, Lyle J. Buss, Kyle E. Schnepp, Lei Xiao

Insecta Mundi

Coprophagy and probable saprophagy are reported for larvae of two species of chrysaugine moths (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Larvae of Parachma ochracealis Walker are found in rotten pine wood and mulch in North-Central Florida. Larvae of Basacallis tarachodes (Dyar) inhabit feces of an unidentifi ed small mammal in a cave in Central Florida and seem to be troglophilic. These behaviors are compared to similar ones in Neotropical chrysaugines such as Humiphila Becker and Cryptoses Dyar. Saprophagy and coprophagy are predicted to be more general habits among Chrysauginae.

Transcriptomic Resources For The Medicinal Legume Mucuna Pruriens: De Novo Transcriptome Assembly, Annotation, Identification And Validation Of Est-Ssr Markers, N. Sathyanarayana, Ranjith Kumar Pittala, Pankaj Kumar Tripathi, Ratan Chopra, Heikham Russiachand Singh, Vikas Belamkar, Pardeep Kumar Bhardwaj, Jeff J. Doyle, Ashley N. Egan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background:

The medicinal legume Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. has attracted attention worldwide as a source of the anti-Parkinson’s drug L-Dopa. It is also a popular green manure cover crop that offers many agronomic benefits including high protein content, nitrogen fixation and soil nutrients. The plant currently lacks genomic resources and there is limited knowledge on gene expression, metabolic pathways, and genetics of secondary metabolite production. Here, we present transcriptomic resources for M. pruriens, including a de novo transcriptome assembly and annotation, as well as differential transcript expression analyses between root, leaf, and pod tissues. We also develop microsatellite markers …

Athyrium Multidentatum (Doll.) Ching Extract Induce Apoptosis Via Mitochondrial Dysfunction And Oxidative Stress In Hepg2 Cells, Guoyuan Qi, Zhigang Liu, Rong Fan, Ziru Yin, Yashi Mi, Bo Ren, Xuebo Liu

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Athyrium multidentatum (Doll.) Ching (AMC), a unique and nutritious potherb widely distributed in china, has been extensively used in traditional Chinese medicine. Previous studies indicated that AMC extract exhibited antioxidant and antitumor properties. However, the chemical composition of AMC and molecular mechanism of AMC toxicity to HepG2 cells have not yet been elucidated. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the chemical compositions and the underlying mechanisms of the antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of AMC on HepG2. HPLC-MS analysis showed that AMC contain five compounds with chlorogenic acid accounting for 43 percent. Also, AMC strongly inhibited the cell growth and induced …

Landowner And Practitioner Perspectives On Private Land Conservation Programs, Michelle L. Lute, Caitlyn R. Gillespie, Dustin R. Martin, Joseph J. Fontaine

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Efforts to reverse declines in native grasslands benefit from agricultural policies that encourage private land conservation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) improved conservation across landscapes but enrollment has declined. We used sequential exploratory mixed methods to compare landowner and conservation practitioners’ perceptions, evaluate perceived benefits, and identify potential improvements to CRP. Focus groups of practitioners informed a quantitative survey of landowners who had properties >160 total acres in Nebraska. Results suggest potential misalignment in perceptions between practitioners and landowners. Practitioners were concerned that conservation, especially of wildlife, was secondary to profit. But the majority of landowners …

A Tunable, Three-Dimensional In Vitro Culture Model Of Growth Plate Cartilage Using Alginate Hydrogel Scaffolds, Alek G. Erickson, Taylor D. Laughlin, Sarah Romereim, Catherine Sargus-Patino, Angela K. Pannier, Andrew T. Dudley

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Defining the final size and geometry of engineered tissues through precise control of the scalar and vector components of tissue growth is a necessary benchmark for regenerative medicine, but it has proved to be a significant challenge for tissue engineers. The growth plate cartilage that promotes elongation of the long bones is a good model system for studying morphogenetic mechanisms because cartilage is composed of a single cell type, the chondrocyte; chondrocytes are readily maintained in culture; and growth trajectory is predominately in a single vector. In this cartilage, growth is generated via a differentiation program that is spatially and …

Looking Into Pandora's Box: The Content Of Sci-Hub And Its Usage, Bastian Greshake

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

Despite the growth of Open Access, potentially illegally circumventing paywalls to access scholarly publications is becoming a more mainstream phenomenon. The web service Sci-Hub is amongst the biggest facilitators of this, offering free access to around 62 million publications. So far it is not well studied how and why its users are accessing publications through Sci-Hub. By utilizing the recently released corpus of Sci-Hub and comparing it to the data of ~28 million downloads done through the service, this study tries to address some of these questions. The comparative analysis shows that both the usage and complete corpus is largely …

Regime Shifts And Panarchies In Regional Scale Social-Ecological Water Systems, Lance Gunderson, Barbara Cosens, Brian C. Chaffin, Craig Anthony (Tony) Arnold, Alexander K. Fremier, Ahjond S. Garmestani, Robin Kundis Craig, Hannah Gosnell, Hannah E. Birge, Craig R. Allen, Melinda Harm Benson, Ryan R. Morrison, Mark C. Stone, Joseph Hamm, Kristine Nemec, Edella C. Schlager, Dagmar Llewellyn

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

In this article we summarize histories of nonlinear, complex interactions among societal, legal, and ecosystem dynamics in six North American water basins, as they respond to changing climate. These case studies were chosen to explore the conditions for emergence of adaptive governance in heavily regulated and developed social-ecological systems nested within a hierarchical governmental system. We summarize resilience assessments conducted in each system to provide a synthesis and reference by the other articles in this special feature. We also present a general framework used to evaluate the interactions between society and ecosystem regimes and the governance regimes chosen to mediate …

Morphological And Molecular Characterization Of Sarcocystis Arctica-Like Sarcocysts From The Arctic Fox (Vulpes Lagopus) From Alaska, Usa, Camila K. Cerqueira-Cézar, Peter C. Thompson, Shiv Kummar Verma, Joseph Mowery, Rafael Calero-Bernal, Fernando H. Antunes Murata, David R. Sinnett, Caroline Van Hemert, Benjamin M. Rosenthal, Jitender P. Dubey

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The muscles of herbivores commonly harbor sarcocysts of parasites belonging to species in the genus Sarcocystis, but such muscle parasites are rare in carnivores. Here, we report Sarcocystis arctica-like sarcocysts in muscles of Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) from Alaska, USA, for the first time. The tongues of 56 foxes were examined for Sarcocystis infection using several methods. Sarcocystis bradyzoites were detected in pepsin digests of 13 (23.2%), and sarcocysts were found in histological sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) of 9 (16.0%). By light microscopy, sarcocysts were up to 4 mm long and up to 245 μm wide. In …

Transcriptomic Effects Of Dispersed Oil In A Non-Model Decapod Crustacean, Hernan Vázquez-Miranda, Brent P. Thoma, Juliet M. Wong, Darryl L. Felder, Keith A. Crandall, Heather D. Bracken-Grissom

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Background. Oil spills are major environmental disasters. Dispersants help control spills, as they emulsify oil into droplets to speed bioremediation. Although dispersant toxicity is controversial, the genetic consequences and damages of dispersed oil exposure are poorly understood. We used RNA-seq to measure gene expression of flatback mudcrabs (Eurypanopeus depressus, Decapoda, Brachyura, Panopeidae) exposed to dispersed oil. Methods. Our experimental design included two control types, oil-only, and oil-dispersant treatments with three replicates each. We prepared 100 base pair-ended libraries from total RNA and sequenced them in one Illumina HiSeq2000 lane. We assembled a reference transcriptome with all replicates per treatment, …

Supraspinatus Tendon Micromorphology In Individuals With Subacromial Pain Syndrome, Federico Pozzi, Amee L. Seitz, Hillary A. Plummer, Kira Chow, Gregory R. Bashford, Lori A. Michener

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Study Design: Cross-sectional cohort. Introduction: Tendon collagen organization can be estimated by peak spatial frequency radius (PSFR) on ultrasound images. Characterizing PSFR can define the contribution of collagen disruption to shoulder symptoms.

Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this was to characterize the (1) supraspinatus tendon PSFR in participants with sub acromial pain syndrome (SPS) and healthy controls; (2) PSFR between participants grouped on a tendon visual quality score; and (3) relationship between PSFR with patient-reported pain, function, and shoulder strength.

Methods: Participants with SPS (n ¼ 20) and age, sex, and arm-dominance matched healthy controls (n ¼ 20) …

Christian Sex Advice Websites Offer A Peek Into Evangelical Politics, Kelsy Burke

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

On May 4, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that allows churches and religious leaders to explicitly endorse or oppose a political candidate without penalty to their nonprofit, tax-exempt status. Responses from white conservative evangelicals showed that this wasn’t what they were looking for.What they wanted, it seems, was legal protection for religious institutions and business owners to deny services to samesex couples and transgender persons.

I am a sociologist studying contemporary evangelicalism and sexuality, and my research shows that the political beliefs of white evangelicals have deftly shifted from the bully pulpits of the Moral Majority in the …

The Academic Research Library And Science Education: A Roadmap For The Journey, Sue Ann Gardner

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

Science libraries are integral to the process of science inquiry.

Science education is facilitated within science libraries.

The future of science libraries is predicated on librarians maintaining a meaningful relationship with those engaging in scholarship.

Science libraries need to combine traditional and emerging service models, provide access to a wide array of materials, incorporate appropriate technology, and offer ergonomic work spaces to promote effective learning.

The science commons includes varied work spaces which encourage innovation and creativity, facilitate situated and active learning, and promote communities of practice.

The National Science Education Standards definition of science inquiry includes the diverse ways …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of Alternative Splicing In Paleopolyploid Maize, Wenbin Mei, Sanzhen Liu, James C. Schnable, Cheng-Ting Yeh, Nathan M. Springer, Patrick S. Schnable, William Brad Barbazuk

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Identifying and characterizing alternative splicing (AS) enables our understanding of the biological role of transcript isoform diversity. This study describes the use of publicly available RNA-Seq data to identify and characterize the global diversity of AS isoforms in maize using the inbred lines B73 and Mo17, and a related species, sorghum. Identification and characterization of AS within maize tissues revealed that genes expressed in seed exhibit the largest differential AS relative to other tissues examined. Additionally, differences in AS between the two genotypes B73 and Mo17 are greatest within genes expressed in seed. We demonstrate that changes in the level …

Estimating Age Of Rock Cairns In Southeast Alaska By Combining Evidence From Successional Metrics, Lichenometry, And Carbon Dating, Bruce Mccune,, Nijmah Ali,, Ralph J. Hartley, William J. Hunt Jr.

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

We estimated ages of rock cairns in alpine tundra in southeast Alaska by combining information from three general classes of methods, each of them imperfect, but considered together providing better estimates than any of the three alone. We used lichenometry, radiocarbon dating, and five successional metrics: score on a nonmetric multidimensional scaling axis of vegetation composition, cover-weighted average successional class of organisms, overgrowth of contact points between rocks, sum of species cover, and species richness. Lichenometry estimated absolute ages, but with considerable error because we violated key assumptions. Successional metrics provided relative ages, probably with more precision than lichenometry, but …

How An Alloreactive T-Cell Receptor Achieves Peptide And Mhc Specificity, Yuan Wang, Nishant K. Singh, Timothy T. Spear, Lance M. Hellman, Kurt H. Piepenbrink, Rachel H. Mcmahan, Hugo R. Rosen, Craig W. Vander Kooi, Michael I. Nishimura, Brian M. Baker

Food for Health: Publications

T-cell receptor (TCR) allorecognition is often presumed to be relatively nonspecific, attributable to either a TCR focus on exposed major histocompatibility complex (MHC) polymorphisms or the degenerate recognition of allopeptides. However, paradoxically, alloreactivity can proceed with high peptide and MHC specificity. Although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, the existence of highly specific alloreactive TCRs has led to their use as immunotherapeutics that can circumvent central tolerance and limit graft-versus-host disease. Here, we show how an alloreactive TCR achieves peptide and MHC specificity. The HCV1406 TCR was cloned from T cells that expanded when a hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected HLA-A2− individual …

Organ-Specific Transcriptome Profiling Of Metabolic And Pigment Biosynthesis Pathways In The Floral Ornamental Progenitor Species Anthurium Amnicola Dressler, Jon Suzuki, Teresita D. Amore, Bernarda Calla, Nathan A. Palmer, Erin D. Scully, Scott E. Sattler, Gautam Sarath, Joanne S. Lichty, Roxanna Y. Myers, Lisa M. Keith, Tracie K. Matsumoto, Scott M. Geib

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Anthurium amnicola Dressler possesses a number of desirable and novel ornamental traits such as a purple-colored upright spathe, profuse flowering, and floral scent, some of which have been introgressed into modern Anthurium cultivars. As a first step in identifying genes associated with these traits, the transcriptome from root, leaf, spathe, and spadix from an accession of A. amnicola was assembled, resulting in 28,019 putative transcripts representing 19,458 unigenes. Genes involved in pigmentation, including those for the metabolism of chlorophyll and the biosynthesis of carotenoids, phenylpropanoids, and flavonoids were identified. The expression levels of one MYB transcription factor was highly …

Trump's Plan To Dismantle National Monuments Comes With Steep Cultural And Ecological Costs, Michelle Bryan, Monte Mills, Sandra B. Zellmer

Nebraska College of Law: Faculty Publications

In the few days since President Trump issued his Executive Order on National Monuments, many legal scholars have questioned the legality of his actions under the Antiquities Act. Indeed, if the president attempts to revoke or downsize a monument designation, such actions would be on shaky, if any, legal ground.

But beyond President Trump’s dubious reading of the Antiquities Act, his threats also implicate a suite of other cultural and ecological laws implemented within our national monuments.

By opening a Department of Interior review of all large-scale monuments designated since 1996, Trump places at risk two decades’ worth of financial …

Mechanistic Modeling Of Insecticide Risks To Breeding Birds In North American Agroecosystems, Matthew Etterson, Kristina Garber, Edward Odenkirchen

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Insecticide usage in the United States is ubiquitous in urban, suburban, and rural environments. There is accumulating evidence that insecticides adversely affect non-target wildlife species, including birds, causing mortality, reproductive impairment, and indirect effects through loss of prey base, and the type and magnitude of such effects differs by chemical class, or mode of action. In evaluating data for an insecticide registration application and for registration review, scientists at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) assess the fate of the insecticide and the risk the insecticide poses to the environment and non-target wildlife. Current USEPA risk assessments for pesticides …

A Specialized Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase Contributes To The Extreme Medium-Chain Fatty Acid Content Of Cuphea Seed Oil, Umidjon Iskandarov, Jillian E. Silva, Hae Jin Kim, Mariette Andersson, Rebecca E. Cahoon, Keithanne Mockaitis, Edgar B. Cahoon

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Seed oils of many Cuphea sp. contain .90% of medium-chain fatty acids, such as decanoic acid (10:0). These seed oils, which are among the most compositionally variant in the plant kingdom, arise from specialized fatty acid biosynthetic enzymes and specialized acyltransferases. These include lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferases (LPAT) and diacylglycerol acyltransferases (DGAT) that are required for successive acylation of medium-chain fatty acids in the sn-2 and sn-3 positions of seed triacylglycerols (TAGs). Here we report the identification of a cDNA for a DGAT1-type enzyme, designated CpuDGAT1, from the transcriptome of C. avigera var pulcherrima developing seeds. Microsomes of camelina (Camelina …