Digital Commons Network^™

Mitochondrial Dysfunction And Ovarian Aging, Tianren Wang, Man Zhang, Zongliang Jiang, Emre Seli

Faculty Publications

© 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Mitochondria are double-membrane-bound organelles that are responsible for the generation of most of the cell's energy. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in cellular senescence in general and ovarian aging in particular. Recent studies exploited this association by studying mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number as a potential biomarker of embryo viability and the use of mitochondrial nutrients and autologous mitochondrial transfer as a potential treatment for poor ovarian function and response.

Pleistocene To Holocene Expansion Of The Black-Belt Cichlid In Central America, Vieja Maculicauda (Teleostei: Cichlidae), Caleb D. Mcmahan, Luke Ginger, Marcy Cage, Kyle T. David, Prosanta Chakrabarty, Mark Johnston, Wilfredo A. Matamoros

Faculty Publications

© 2017 McMahan et al.This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The distributions of many Northern Hemisphere organisms have been influenced by fluctuations in sea level and climatic conditions during Pleistocene interglacial periods. These cycles are associated with range contraction and refugia for northern-distributed organisms as a response to glaciers. However, lower sea levels in the tropics and sub-tropics created available habitat for expansion of the ranges of freshwater organisms. The goal of …

The Phycocyanobilin Chromophore Of Streptophyte Algal Phytochromes Is Synthesized By Hy2, Nathan C. Rockwell, Shelley S. Martin, Fay Wei Li, Sarah Mathews, John Clark Lagarias

Faculty Publications

© 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust Land plant phytochromes perceive red and far-red light to control growth and development, using the linear tetrapyrrole (bilin) chromophore phytochromobilin (PΦB). Phytochromes from streptophyte algae, sister species to land plants, instead use phycocyanobilin (PCB). PCB and PΦB are synthesized by different ferredoxin-dependent bilin reductases (FDBRs): PΦB is synthesized by HY2, whereas PCB is synthesized by PcyA. The pathway for PCB biosynthesis in streptophyte algae is unknown. We used phylogenetic analysis and heterologous reconstitution of bilin biosynthesis to investigate bilin biosynthesis in streptophyte algae. Phylogenetic results suggest that PcyA is …

Fire Exclusion And Climate Change Interact To Affect Long-Term Changes In The Functional Composition Of Plant Communities, Daijiang Li, Donald M. Waller

Faculty Publications

© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: Plant functional traits allow us to mechanistically link changes in species composition to changes in ecosystem functions. Understanding how and why changes occur in functional composition of plant communities can thus help us better conserve and restore biodiversity. We aim to examine long-term effects of fire exclusion and climate change on the functional composition of fire-maintained pine barrens in central Wisconsin. Location: Central Wisconsin, USA. Methods: Using a database that included vegetation data of surveys (1958) and resurveys (2012) of 30 sites, we quantified functional composition (α and β functional diversity, community-weighted …

Empirical Model With Excellent Statistical Properties For Describing Temperature-Dependent Developmental Rates Of Insects And Mites, David A. Ratkowsky, Gadi V.P. Reddy

Faculty Publications

Previous empirical models for describing the temperature-dependent development rates for insects include the Brié re, Lactin, Beta, and Ratkowsky models. Another nonlinear regression model, not previously considered in population entomology, is the Lobry-Rosso-Flandrois model, the shape of which is very close to that of the Ratkowsky model in the suboptimal temperature range, but which has the added advantage that all four of its parameters have biological meaning. A consequence of this is that initial parameter estimates, needed for solving the nonlinear regression equations, are very easy to obtain. In addition, the model has excellent statistical properties, with the estimators of …

Single-Trait And Multi-Trait Genome-Wide Association Analyses Identify Novel Loci For Blood Pressure In African-Ancestry Populations, Jingjing Liang, Thu H. Le, Digna R.Velez Edwards, Bamidele O. Tayo, Kyle J. Gaulton, Jennifer A. Smith, Yingchang Lu, Richard A. Jensen, Guanjie Chen, Lisa R. Yanek, Karen Schwander, Salman M. Tajuddin, Tamar Sofer, Wonji Kim, James Kayima, Colin A. Mckenzie, Ervin Fox, Michael A. Nalls, J. Hunter Young, Yan V. Sun, Jacqueline M. Lane, Sylvia Cechova, Jie Zhou, Hua Tang, Myriam Fornage, Solomon K. Musani, Heming Wang, Juyoung Lee, Adebowale Adeyemo, Albert W. Dreisbach, Terrence Forrester, Pei Lun Chu, Anne Cappola

Faculty Publications

Hypertension is a leading cause of global disease, mortality, and disability. While individuals of African descent suffer a disproportionate burden of hypertension and its complications, they have been underrepresented in genetic studies. To identify novel susceptibility loci for blood pressure and hypertension in people of African ancestry, we performed both single and multiple-trait genome-wide association analyses. We analyzed 21 genome-wide association studies comprised of 31,968 individuals of African ancestry, and validated our results with additional 54,395 individuals from multi-ethnic studies. These analyses identified nine loci with eleven independent variants which reached genome-wide significance (P < 1.25×10−8) for either systolic and diastolic blood pressure, hypertension, or for combined traits. Single-trait analyses identified two loci (TARID/TCF21 and LLPH/TMBIM4) and multiple-trait analyses identified one novel locus (FRMD3) for blood pressure. At these three loci, as well as at GRP20/CDH17, associated variants had alleles common only in African-ancestry populations. Functional annotation showed enrichment for genes expressed in immune and kidney cells, as well as in heart and vascular cells/tissues. Experiments driven by these findings and using angiotensin-II induced hypertension in mice showed altered kidney mRNA expression of six genes, suggesting their potential role in hypertension. Our study provides new evidence for genes related to hypertension susceptibility, and the need to study African-ancestry populations in order to identify biologic factors contributing to hypertension.

Sacral Variability In Tailless Species: Homo Sapiens And Ochotona Princeps, Robert G. Tague

Faculty Publications

Homo sapiens is variable in number of sacral vertebrae, and this variability can lead to obstetrical complication. This study uses the comparative method to test the hypothesis that sacral variability in H. sapiens is associated with absence of a tail. Three species of lagomorphs are studied: Ochotona princeps (N = 271), which is tailless, and Lepus californicus (N = 212) and Sylvilagus audubonii (N = 206), which have tails. Results show that O. princeps has (1) higher diversity index for number of sacral vertebrae (0.49) compared to L. californicus (0.25) and S. audubonii (0.26) and (2) significantly higher percentage of …

Population Genetic Inferences Using Immune Gene Snps Mirror Patterns Inferred By Microsatellites, Jean P. Elbers, Rachel W. Clostio, Sabrina S. Taylor

Faculty Publications

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are replacing microsatellites for population genetic analyses, but it is not apparent how many SNPs are needed or how well SNPs correlate with microsatellites. We used data from the gopher tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus—a species with small populations, to compare SNPs and microsatellites to estimate population genetic parameters. Specifically, we compared one SNP data set (16 tortoises from four populations sequenced at 17 901 SNPs) to two microsatellite data sets, a full data set of 101 tortoises and a partial data set of 16 tortoises previously genotyped at 10 microsatellites. For the full microsatellite data set, observed …

Comparative Analyses Of Zebrafish Anxiety-Like Behavior Using Conflict-Based Novelty Tests, Elana V. Kysil, Darya A. Meshalkina, Erin E. Frick, David J. Echevarria, Denis B. Rosemberg, Caio Maximino, Monica Gomes Lima, Murilo S. Abreu, Ana C. Giacomini, Leonardo J.G. Barcellos, Cai Song, Allan V. Kalueff

Faculty Publications

Modeling of stress and anxiety in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) is increasingly utilized in neuroscience research and central nervous system (CNS) drug discovery. Representing the most commonly used zebrafish anxiety models, the novel tank test (NTT) focuses on zebrafish diving in response to potentially threatening stimuli, whereas the light-dark test (LDT) is based on fish scototaxis (innate preference for dark vs. bright areas). Here, we systematically evaluate the utility of these two tests, combining meta-analyses of published literature with comparative in vivo behavioral and whole-body endocrine (cortisol) testing. Overall, the NTT and LDT behaviors demonstrate a generally good cross-test correlation …

Phospholipase Dζ Enhances Diacylglycerol Flux Into Triacylglycerol, Wenyu Yang, Geliang Wang, Jia Li, Philip D. Bates, Xuemin Wang, Doug K. Allen

Faculty Publications

Plant seeds are the primary source of triacylglycerols (TAG) for food, feed, fuel, and industrial applications. As TAG is produced from diacylglycerol (DAG), successful engineering strategies to enhance TAG levels have focused on the conversion of DAG to TAG. However, the production of TAG can be limited by flux through the enzymatic reactions that supply DAG. In this study, two Arabidopsis phospholipase D_ζ genes (AtPLD_ζ1 and AtPLD_ζ2) were coexpressed in Camelina sativa to test whether the conversion of phosphatidylcholine to DAG impacts TAG levels in seeds. The resulting transgenic plants produced 2% to 3% more TAG …

Tgf-Beta Triggers Rapid Fibrillogenesis Via A Novel T Beta Rii-Dependent Fibronectin-Trafficking Mechanism, Archana Varadaraj, Laura M. Jenkins, Priyanka Singh, Anindya Chanda, John Snider, N.Y. Lee, Ayelet R. Amsalem-Zafran, Marcelo Ehrlich, Yoav I. Henis, Karthikeyan Mythreye

Faculty Publications

Fibronectin (FN) is a critical regulator of extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling through its availability and stepwise polymerization for fibrillogenesis. Availability of FN is regulated by its synthesis and turnover, and fibrillogenesis is a multistep, integrin-dependent process essential for cell migration, proliferation, and tissue function. Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) is an established regulator of ECM remodeling via transcriptional control of ECM proteins. Here we show that TGF-β, through increased FN trafficking in a transcription- and SMAD-independent manner, is a direct and rapid inducer of the fibrillogenesis required for TGF-β–induced cell migration. Whereas TGF-β signaling is dispensable for rapid fibrillogenesis, stable …

Designing The Technological World Through Biomimicry, Emily Yoshikawa, Greg J. Strimel, Scott R. Bartholomew

Faculty Publications

Scientific discoveries are a driver for advancing our technological world (ITEA/ITEEA; 2000/2002/2007). As more knowledge is acquired through scientific inquiry, people can better design and develop technological inventions and innovations (Knowles, Kelley, & Hurd, 2016). In turn, these novel technologies can aid in making new scientific discoveries, thus driving an ongoing cycle of technological advancement. However, in the process of designing and advancing our technological world, people can turn to the study of life and its phenomena to inspire and inform their designs. Nature is functional as well as beautiful. As we study the phenomena or functions of living organisms …

The Avian Lingual And Laryngeal Apparatus Within The Context Of The Head And Jaw Apparatus, With Comparisons To The Mammalian Condition: Functional Morphology And Biomechanics Of Evaporative Cooling, Feeding, Drinking, And Vocalization, Dominique G. Homberger

Faculty Publications

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017. All rights reserved. The lingual and laryngeal apparatus are the mobile and active organs within the oral cavity, which serves as a gateway to the respiratory and alimentary systems in terrestrial vertebrates. Both organs play multiple roles in alimentation and vocalization besides respiration, but their structures and functions differ fundamentally in birds and mammals, just as the skull and jaws differ fundamentally in these two vertebrate classes. Furthermore, the movements of the lingual and laryngeal apparatus are interdependent with each other and with themovements of the jaw apparatus in complex and littleunderstood ways. Therefore, …

"I Think, Therefore I Do": Cognitions Related To Flourishing In Emerging Adulthood, Larry J. Nelson, Nathan A. Jorgensen, Adam A. Rogers

Faculty Publications

The focus of this volume is to bring greater attention to the ways in which many young people flourish during the third decade of life. In doing so, the majority of the chapters have focused on the things that emerging adults do that reflect positive development (e.g., volunteerism, service, political activism, education, preparation for careers). It may be, however, that the very way in which young cognitively approach the third decade might influence whether they flourish or flounder. Also, it may be that how they view adulthood (i.e., the fourth decade of life and beyond) might have bearing on what …

Positive Relationships As An Indicator Of Flourishing During Emerging Adulthood, Laura M. Padilla-Walker, Madison K. Memmott-Elison, Larry J. Nelson

Faculty Publications

In any discussion about flourishing in emerging adulthood, it would be easy to simply think about the positive things that young people do (e.g., pursue education, volunteer, serve, engage in political activism). However, few emerging adults walk the path toward adulthood alone. They embark on and make their way through the third decade of life within a myriad of complex relationships with family, friends, and romantic partners. However, the changing nature of these relationships is arguably more complex than at any other point in their lives to date. Graduation (for most) from high school brings the dissolution of many peer …

Beyond The Bucket List: Identity-Centered Religious Calling, Being, And Action Among Parents, David C. Dollahite, Loren D. Marks, Taleah M. Kear, Brittany M. Lewis, Megan L. Stokes

Faculty Publications

From a positive family psychology perspective, this study explores identity-centered religious calling, being, and action among parents of youth, that is, what religious parents believe they are called to be and to do in relation to their adolescent children. Twenty-nine Christian, Jewish, and Muslim families of youth (N = 58) were asked what they considered most important for them "to be" and "to do" as parents of faith. Qualitative analyses were conducted to determine major themes of responses. Parents indicated they believed they were called to be (A1) an example, (A2) authentic, and (A3) consistent; called to provide their …

Activity Of Distinct Growth Factor Receptor Network Components In Breast Tumors Uncovers Two Biologically Relevant Subtypes, Mumtahena Rahman, Shelley M. Macneil, David F. Jenkins, Gajendra Shrestha, Sydney R. Wyatt, Jasmine A. Mcquerry, Stephen R. Piccolo, Laura M. Heiser, Joe W. Gray, W. Evan Johnson, Andrea H. Bild

Faculty Publications

Background: The growth factor receptor network (GFRN) plays a significant role in driving key oncogenic processes. However, assessment of global GFRN activity is challenging due to complex crosstalk among GFRN components, or pathways, and the inability to study complex signaling networks in patient tumors. Here, pathway-specific genomic signatures were used to interrogate GFRN activity in breast tumors and the consequent phenotypic impact of GRFN activity patterns.

Methods: Novel pathway signatures were generated in human primary mammary epithelial cells by overexpressing key genes from GFRN pathways (HER2, IGF1R, AKT1, EGFR, KRAS (G12V), RAF1, BAD). The pathway analysis toolkit Adaptive Signature …

Break Down In Order To Build Up: Decomposing Small Molecules For Fragment-Based Drug Design With Emolfrag, Tairan Liu, Misagh Naderi, Chris Alvin, Supratik Mukhopadhyay, Michal Brylinski

Faculty Publications

© 2017 American Chemical Society. Constructing high-quality libraries of molecular building blocks is essential for successful fragment-based drug discovery. In this communication, we describe eMolFrag, a new open-source software to decompose organic compounds into nonredundant fragments retaining molecular connectivity information. Given a collection of molecules, eMolFrag generates a set of unique fragments comprising larger moieties, bricks, and smaller linkers connecting bricks. These building blocks can subsequently be used to construct virtual screening libraries for targeted drug discovery. The robustness and computational performance of eMolFrag is assessed against the Directory of Useful Decoys, Enhanced database conducted in serial and parallel modes …

Systematic Assessment Of Surfactants For Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging, Bijay Banstola, Eulalie T. Grodner, Fan Cao, Fabrizio Donnarumma, Kermit K. Murray

Faculty Publications

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. A systematic method for evaluation of MALDI profiling and imaging was developed and applied to the use of three surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), Triton X-100, and Tween 20, on rat brain tissue. For profiling studies, mass spectra were acquired from regular arrays of spots with manually deposited surfactant and matrix. The studies recorded the total number of peaks in the mass spectra from 2 to 20 kDa and compared the number of peaks and peak intensities with and without surfactant. It was found that SDS decreases the total number of peaks at all concentrations but …

A Near-Infrared, Wavelength-Shiftable, Turn-On Fluorescent Probe For The Detection And Imaging Of Cancer Tumor Cells, Zhenhua Shen, Bijeta Prasai, Yuko Nakamura, Hisataka Kobayashi, Milcah S. Jackson, Robin L. Mccarley

Faculty Publications

© 2017 American Chemical Society. Fast, selective, and noninvasive reporting of intracellular cancer-associated events and species will lead to a better understanding of tumorigenesis at the molecular level and development of precision medicine approaches in oncology. Overexpressed reductase presence in solid tumor cells is key to cancer progression and protection of those diseased cells from the oxidative effects of therapeutics meant to kill them. Human NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase isozyme I (hNQO1), a cytoprotective 2-electron-specific reductase found at unusually high activity levels in cancer cells of multiple origins, has attracted significant attention due to its major role in metastatic pathways and its …

Probing The Effects Of Surface Hydrophobicity And Tether Orientation On Antibody-Antigen Binding, Derek B. Bush, Thomas A. Knotts Iv

Faculty Publications

Antibody microarrays have the potential to revolutionize molecular detection for many applications, but their current use is limited by poor reliability, and efforts to change this have not yielded fruitful results. One difficulty which limits the rational engineering of next-generation devices is that little is known, at the molecular level, about the antibody-antigen binding process near solid surfaces. Atomic-level structural information is scant because typical experimental techniques (X-ray crystallography and NMR) cannot be used to image proteins bound to surfaces. To overcome this limitation, this study uses molecular simulation and an advanced, experimentally validated, coarse-grain, protein-surface model to compare fab-lysozyme …

Time Lags Associated With Effects Of Oceanic Conditions On Seabird Breeding In The Salish Sea Region Of The Northern California Current System, Rashida S. Smith, Lynelle M. Weldon, James L. Hayward, Shandelle M. Henson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Latitudinal Phylogeographic Diversity Gradient In Birds, Brian Tilston Smith, Glenn F. Seeholzer, Michael G. Harvey, Andrés M. Cuervo, Robb T. Brumfield

Faculty Publications

© 2017 Smith et al. High tropical species diversity is often attributed to evolutionary dynamics over long timescales. It is possible, however, that latitudinal variation in diversification begins when divergence occurs within species. Phylogeographic data capture this initial stage of diversification in which populations become geographically isolated and begin to differentiate genetically. There is limited understanding of the broader implications of intraspecific diversification because comparative analyses have focused on species inhabiting and evolving in restricted regions and environments. Here, we scale comparative phylogeography up to the hemisphere level and examine whether the processes driving latitudinal differences in species diversity are …

Functional Photosystem I Maintains Proper Energy Balance During Nitrogen Depletion In Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Promoting Triacylglycerol Accumulation, Mahmoud Gargouri, Philip D. Bates, Jeong-Jin Park, Helmut Kirchhoff, David R. Gang

Faculty Publications

Background

Nutrient deprivation causes significant stress to the unicellular microalga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, which responds by significantly altering its metabolic program. Following N deprivation, the accumulation of starch and triacylglycerols (TAGs) is significantly altered following massive reprogramming of cellular metabolism. One protein that was found to change dramatically and early to this stress was TAB2, a photosystem I (PSI) translation initiation factor, whose transcript and protein levels increased significantly after only 30 min of N deprivation. A detailed physiological and omics-based analysis of an insertional mutant of Chlamydomonas with reduced TAB2 function was conducted to determine what role the functional …

Dielectric Properties Of Biomass/Biochar Mixtures At Microwave Frequencies, Candice Ellison, Murat Sean Mckeown, Samir Trabelsi, Dorin Boldor

Faculty Publications

Material dielectric properties are important for understanding their response to microwaves. Carbonaceous materials are considered good microwave absorbers and can be mixed with dry biomasses, which are otherwise low-loss materials, to improve the heating efficiency of biomass feedstocks. In this study, dielectric properties of pulverized biomass and biochar mixtures are presented from 0.5 GHz to 20 GHz at room temperature. An open-ended coaxial-line dielectric probe and vector network analyzer were used to measure dielectric constant and dielectric loss factor. Results show a quadratic increase of dielectric constant and dielectric loss with increasing biochar content. In measurements on biochar, a strong …

Expression Profiling Coupled With In-Silico Mapping Identifies Candidate Genes For Reducing Aflatoxin Accumulation In Maize, Ramesh Dhakal, Chenglin Chai, Ratna Karan, Gary L. Windham, William P. Williams, Prasanta K. Subudhi

Faculty Publications

Aflatoxin, produced by Aspergillus flavus, is hazardous to health of humans and livestock. The lack of information about large effect QTL for resistance to aflatoxin accumulation is a major obstacle to employ marker-assisted selection for maize improvement. The understanding of resistance mechanisms of the host plant and the associated genes is necessary for improving resistance to A. flavus infection. A suppression subtraction hybridization (SSH) cDNA library was made using the developing kernels of Mp715 (resistant inbred) and B73 (susceptible inbred) and 480 randomly selected cDNA clones were sequenced to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in response to A. flavus infection …

Thermal Characterization Of Natural And Synthetic Spider Silks By Both The 3Ω And Transient Electrothermal Methods, Troy Munro, Changhu Xing, Heng Ban, Cameron G. Copeland, Randolph V. Lewis, Colby Jensen

Faculty Publications

Thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and volumetric heat capacity of three spider silks are measured in this paper as a benchmark for further studies. These silks include the major and minor ampullate silks of the Nephila clavipes spider, and a synthetic spider silk fiber made from recombinant dragline silk proteins purified from transgenic goats’ milk. Two complementary measurement techniques are employed in the thermal characterization of these microscale single fibers for self-verification. One is the transient electrothermal technique (TET) and the other is the 3ω method. Experimental measurements indicate that thermal properties of the dragline silk are very close to those …

Erratum To: Rapid Transcriptional Plasticity Of Duplicated Gene Clusters Enables A Clonally Reproducing Aphid To Colonise Diverse Plant Species. [Genome Biol. 18 (2017)(27)] Doi: 10.1186/S13059-016-1145-3, Thomas C. Mathers, Yazhou Chen, Gemy Kaithakottil, Fabrice Legeai, Sam T. Mugford, Patrice Baa-Puyoulet, Anthony Bretaudeau, Bernardo Clavijo, Stefano Colella, Olivier Collin, Tamas Dalmay, Thomas Derrien, Honglin Feng, Toni Gabaldón, Anna Jordan, Irene Julca, Graeme J. Kettles, Krissana Kowitwanich, Dominique Lavenier, Paolo Lenzi, Sara Lopez-Gomollon, Damian Loska, Daniel Mapleson, Florian Maumus, Simon Moxon, Daniel R.G. Price, Akiko Sugio, Manuella Van Munster, Marilyne Uzest, Darren Waite, Georg Jander, Denis Tagu, Alex C.C. Wilson

Faculty Publications

After publication of this article [1] we noticed that reference 50 was incorrect. The correct reference 50 is as follows: Santamaría S, Gonzalez-Cabrera J, Martinez M, Grbic V, Castanera P, Diaz L, Ortego F. Digestive proteases in bodies and faeces of the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae. J Insect Physiol. 2015; 78:69-77 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022191015001018.

Investigation Of Synthetic Spider Silk Crystallinity And Alignment Via Electrothermal, Pyroelectric, Literature Xrd, And Tensile Techniques, Troy Munro, Tristan Putzeys, Michael Wubbenhorst, Christ Glorieux, Cameron G. Copeland, Randolph V. Lewis, Changhu Xing, Heng Ban

Faculty Publications

The processes used to create synthetic spider silk greatly affect the properties of the produced fibers. This paper investigates the effect of process variations during artificial spinning on the thermal and mechanical properties of the produced silk. Property values are also compared to the ones of the natural dragline silk of the N. clavipes spider, and to unprocessed (as-spun) synthetic silk. Structural characterization by scanning pyroelectric microscopy is employed to provide insight into the axial orientation of the crystalline regions of the fiber and is supported by XRD data. The results show that stretching and passage through liquid baths induce …

Vitrification As An Alternative Approach For Sperm Cryopreservation In Marine Fishes, Rafael Cuevas-Uribe, E. Hu, Harry Daniels, Adriane O. Gill, Terrence R. Tiersch

Faculty Publications

The Southern Flounder Paralichthys lethostigma is a high-value species and a promising aquaculture candidate. Because sperm volume can be limited in this species (<500 >µL), new sperm cryopreservation methods need to be evaluated. Vitrification is an alternative to conventional slow-rate freezing, whereby small volumes are cryopreserved at high cooling rates (>1,000°C/min). The goal of this work was to develop a standardized approach for vitrification of Southern Flounder sperm. The specific objectives were to (1) evaluate thawing methods and vitrification solutions, (2) evaluate the postthaw membrane integrity of sperm vitrified in different cryoprotectant solutions, (3) examine the relationship between membrane …