Digital Commons Network^™

Pathogen Persistence In The Environment And Insect-Baculovirus Interactions: Disease-Density Thresholds, Epidemic Burnout, And Insect Outbreaks, Emma Fuller, Bret D. Elderd, Greg Dwyer

Faculty Publications

Classical epidemic theory focuses on directly transmitted pathogens, but many pathogens are instead transmitted when hosts encounter infectious particles. Theory has shown that for such diseases pathogen persistence time in the environment can strongly affect disease dynamics, but estimates of persistence time, and consequently tests of the theory, are extremely rare. We consider the consequences of persistence time for the dynamics of the gypsy moth baculovirus, a pathogen transmitted when larvae consume foliage contaminated with particles released from infectious cadavers. Using field-transmission experiments, we are able to estimate persistence time under natural conditions, and inserting our estimates into a standard …

Stability And Stabilization For Models Of Chemostats With Multiple Limiting Substrates, Frédéric Mazenc, Michael Malisoff

Faculty Publications

We study chemostat models in which multiple species compete for two or more limiting nutrients. First, we consider the case where the nutrient flow and species removal rates and input nutrient concentrations are all given as positive constants. In that case, we use Brouwer degree theory to give conditions guaranteeing that the models admit globally asymptotically stable componentwise positive equilibrium points, from all componentwise positive initial states. Then we use the results to develop stabilization theory for a class of controlled chemostats with two or more limiting nutrients. For cases where the dilution rate and input nutrient concentrations can be …

The Ubiquitin Ligase Siah2 Regulates Pparγ Activity In Adipocytes, Gail Kilroy, Heather Kirk-Ballard, Lauren E. Carter, Z. Elizabeth Floyd

Faculty Publications

Moderate reductions in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ levels control insulin sensitivity as effectively as activation of PPARγ in adipocytes by the thiazolidinediones. That observation suggests that PPARγ activity can be regulated by modulating the amount of PPARγ protein in adipocytes. Activation of PPARγ in adipocytes is linked to changes in PPARγ protein levels via increased degradation of PPARγ proteins by the ubiquitin proteasome system. Identification of the ubiquitin ligase or ligases that recognize ligand bound PPARγ is an essential step in determining the physiological significance of the relationship between activation and ubiquitin-dependent degradation of PPARγ. Using an RNA interference-based screen, …

Life, Transferable: Questioning The Commodity-Based Approach To Transplantation Ethics, David Dillard-Wright

Faculty Publications

Some bioethicists have proposed a legalized market in human organs as a solution to transplant waiting lists and global poverty. Solutions to organ procurement problems that are solely market-based would unfairly shift the burdens of medical procedures onto developing nations. Market advocates base their claims on the understanding of organs as property, a position that should be problematized. Instrumentalizing people in this way is made part of the broader commodification of animals and the environment. Combating the market mentality requires a return to the holistic view of bioethics that led to the founding of the field.

Tolerance, Fermentation, And Cytokine Expression In Healthy Aged Male C57bl/6j Mice Fed Resistant Starch, June Zhou, Michael J. Keenan, Jeffrey Keller, Sun O. Fernandez-Kim, Paul J. Pistell, Richard T. Tulley, Anne M. Raggio, Li Shen, Hanjie Zhang, Roy J. Martin, Marc R. Blackman

Faculty Publications

Health benefits of resistant starch (RS), a dietary fermentable fiber, have been well documented in young, but not in old populations. As the essential step of more comprehensive evaluations of RS on healthy aging, we examined the effects of dietary RS on tolerance, colonic fermentation, and cytokine expression in aged mice. Healthy older (18-20 months) C57BL/6J male mice were fed control, 18% RS, or 36% RS diets for 10weeks. Body weight gain, body composition, and fat pad weights did not differ among the three groups after 10weeks, indicating good tolerance of the RS diet. Fermentation indicators (cecum weights, and cecal …

Process Length Scales And Longitudinal Damping In Karst Conduits, M. D. Covington, A. J. Luhmann, C. M. Wicks, M. O. Saar

Faculty Publications

Simple mathematical models often allow an intuitive grasp of the function of physical systems. We develop a mathematical framework to investigate reactive or dissipative transport processes within karst conduits. Specifically, we note that for processes that occur within a characteristic timescale, advection along the conduit produces a characteristic process length scale. We calculate characteristic length scales for the propagation of thermal and electrical conductivity signals along karst conduits. These process lengths provide a quantitative connection between karst conduit geometry and the signals observed at a karst spring. We show that water input from the porous/fractured matrix is also characterized by …

Permanganate Oxidizable Carbon Reflects A Processed Soil Fraction That Is Sensitive To Management, Steven W. Culman, Sieglinde S. Snapp, Mark A. Freeman, Meagan E. Schipanksi, Josh Beniston, Rattan Lal, Laurie E. Drinkwater, Alan J. Franzluebbers, Jerry D. Glover, A. Stuart Grandy, Juhwan Lee, Johan Six, Jude E. Maul, Steven B. Mirsky, John T. Spargo, Michelle M. Wander

Faculty Publications

Permanganate oxidizable C (POXC; i.e., active C) is a relatively new method that can quantify labile soil C rapidly and inexpensively. Despite limited reports of positive correlations with particulate organic C (POC), microbial biomass C (MBC), and other soil C fractions, little is known about what soil fractions POXC most closely reflects. We measured POXC across a wide range of soil types, ecosystems, and geographic areas (12 studies, 53 total sites, n = 1379) to: (i) determine the relationship between POXC and POC, MBC and soil organic C (SOC) fractions, and (ii) determine the relative sensitivity of POXC as a …

Conformational Temperature-Dependent Behavior Of A Histone H2ax: A Coarse-Grained Monte Carlo Approach Via Knowledge-Based Interaction Potentials, Miriam Fritsche, Ras B. Pandey, Barry L. Farmer, Dieter W. Heerman

Faculty Publications

Histone proteins are not only important due to their vital role in cellular processes such as DNA compaction, replication and repair but also show intriguing structural properties that might be exploited for bioengineering purposes such as the development of nano-materials. Based on their biological and technological implications, it is interesting to investigate the structural properties of proteins as a function of temperature. In this work, we study the spatial response dynamics of the histone H2AX, consisting of 143 residues, by a coarse-grained bond fluctuating model for a broad range of normalized temperatures. A knowledge-based interaction matrix is used as input …

Pathos: A Brief Screening Application For Assessing Sexual Addiction, Patrick J. Carnes, Bradley A. Green, Lisa J. Merlo, Alexis Polles, Mark S. Gold

Faculty Publications

Sexual addiction is estimated to afflict up to 3% to 6% of the population. However, many clinicians lack clear criteria for detecting potential cases.

Objectives: The present studies were conducted to assess the effectiveness of a brief sexual addiction screening instrument (ie, PATHOS Questionnaire) to correctly classify patients being treated for sex addiction and healthy volunteers.

Methods: In study 1, a 6-item questionnaire, which utilizes the mnemonic "PATHOS," was examined in regard to sensitivity and specificity using a sample combining patients being treated for sex addiction and healthy volunteers (970 men/80.2% patients; 938 women/63.8% patients). In study 2, a cross-validation …

School Racial Composition And Race/Ethnic Differences In Early Adulthood Health, Bridget J. Goosby, Katrina M. Walsemann

Faculty Publications

We investigate whether school racial composition is associated with racial and ethnic differences in early adult health. We then examine whether perceived discrimination, social connectedness, and parent support attenuates this relationship. Using U.S. data from Wave I and IV of the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health, we found that black adolescents attending predominantly white schools reported poorer adult health while Asians reported better health. Further research is warranted to understand whether there are qualitative differences in the treatment of racial and ethnic minorities within certain school contexts and how that differential treatment is related to adult health outcomes.

Heart Rate Variability And Exercise In Aging Women, Conrad P. Earnest, Steven N. Blair, Timothy S. Church

Faculty Publications

Background: Our group has shown a positive dose-response in maximal cardiorespiratory exercise capacity (VO_2max) and heart rate variability (HRV) to 6 months of exercise training but no improvement in VO_2max for women ≥60 years. Here, we examine the HRV response to exercise training in postmenopausal women younger and older than 60 years.

Methods: We examined 365 sedentary, overweight, hypertensive, postmenopausal women randomly assigned to sedentary control or exercise groups exercising at 50% (4 kcal/kg/week, [KKW]), 100% (8 KKW) and 150% (12 KKW) of the National Institute of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Panel physical activity guidelines. Primary outcomes …

Three Routes To Modulate The Pore Size Of The Mscl Channel/Nanovalve, Li Min Yang, Robin Wray, Juandell Parker, Danyell Wilson, Randolph S. Duran, Paul Blount

Faculty Publications

MscL is a bacterial mechanosensitive channel that protects cells from lysis upon acute decrease in external osmotic environment. It is one of the best characterized mechanosensors known, thus serving as a paradigm of how such molecules sense and respond to stimuli. In addition, the fact that it can be genetically modified, expressed, isolated, and manipulated has led to its proposed use as a triggered nanovalve for various functions including sensors within microelectronic array chips, as well as vesicular-based targeted drug release. X-ray crystallography reveals a homopentameric complex with each subunit containing two transmembrane α-helices (TM1 and TM2) and a single …

Inactivation Of Androgen-Induced Regulator Ard1 Inhibits Androgen Receptor Acetylation And Prostate Tumorigenesis, Zehua Wang, Zemin Wang, Jianhui Guo, Yingchun Li, Jasmin H. Bavarva, Chiping Qian, M. Christiane Brahimi-Horn, Deyong Tan, Wanguo Liu

Faculty Publications

Androgen signaling through androgen receptor (AR) is critical for prostate tumorigenesis. Given that AR-mediated gene regulation is enhanced by AR coregulators, inactivation of those coregulators is emerging as a promising therapy for prostate cancer (PCa). Here, weshowthat the N-acetyltransferase arrest-defect 1 protein (ARD1) functions as a unique AR regulator in PCa cells. ARD1 is up-regulated in human PCa cell lines and primary tumor biopsies. The expression of ARD1 was augmented by treatment with synthetic androgen (R1881) unless AR is deficient or is inhibited by AR-specific siRNA or androgen inhibitor bicalutamide (Casodex). Depletion of ARD1 by shRNA suppressed PCa cell proliferation, …

Integrating Advanced Writing Content Into A Scholarly Inquiry In Nursing Course, Barbara L. Madleco

Faculty Publications

Since there are few data examining methods to help students learn to write in a scholarly manner, the purposes of this project were to (1) evaluate students’ learning of writing content integrated into a Scholarly Inquiry in Nursing course by examining differences in scores on a writing assessment taken at the beginning and end of the course; and (2) examine student confidence ratings relative to writing to see if it improved during the course. After obtaining IRB approval and informed consent, the CLIPS pre and post assessment mean scores of 82 students in a Scholarly Inquiry in Nursing course were …

Dog Ownership During Pregnancy, Maternal Activity, And Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Study, Carri Westgarth, Jihong Liu, Jon Heron, Andrew R. Ness, Peter Bundred, Rosalind M. Gaskell, Alexander J. German, Sandra Mccune, Susan Dawson

Faculty Publications

The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) is an observational study of 14273 UK pregnant singleton mothers in 1990/1991. We examined outcomes of self report of strenuous activity (hours per week) at 18 and 32 weeks of gestation, hours spent in leisure-time physical activities and types, and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI); overweight status was defined as pre-pregnancy BMI$25 and obesity BMI$30. Pet ownership and activity data were reported for 11,466 mothers. Twenty-five percent of mothers owned at least one dog. There was a positive relationship between participation in activity at least once a week and dog ownership …

Slow Amyloid Nucleation Via Α-Helix-Rich Oligomeric Intermediates In Short Polyglutamine-Containing Huntingtin Fragments, Murali Jayaraman, Ravindra Kodali, Bankanidhi Sahoo, Ashwani K. Thakur, Anand Mayasundari, Rakesh Mishra, Cynthia B. Peterson, Ronald Wetzel

Faculty Publications

The 17-amino-acid N-terminal segment (httNT) that leads into the polyglutamine (polyQ) segment in the Huntington's disease protein huntingtin (htt) dramatically increases aggregation rates and changes the aggregation mechanism, compared to a simple polyQ peptide of similar length. With polyQ segments near or above the pathological repeat length threshold of about 37, aggregation of htt N-terminal fragments is so rapid that it is difficult to tease out mechanistic details. We describe here the use of very short polyQ repeat lengths in htt N-terminal fragments to slow this disease-associated aggregation. Although all of these peptides, in addition to httNT itself, form α-helix-rich …

Constructivism Applied To Psychiatric–Mental Health Nursing: An Alternative To Supplement Traditional Clinical Education, Michelle Hampton

Faculty Publications

With the popularity of accelerated pre‐licensure nursing programmes and the growth in nursing student enrolments, traditional clinical education continues to be a challenge to deliver. Nursing faculty members are required to develop and implement educational innovations that achieve effective learning outcomes, while using fewer resources. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the effectiveness of a constructivism‐based learning project to achieve specific learning outcomes and to supplement approximately 30 clinical hours in a psychiatric–mental health nursing course. Students participated in a 10‐week, multistage project that examined life histories, treatment resources, and evidence‐based practice, as applied to a single …

Epithelial Na + Sodium Channels In Magnocellular Cells Of The Rat Supraoptic And Paraventricular Nuclei, Ryoichi Teruyama, Mayumi Sakuraba, Lori L. Wilson, Narine E.J. Wandrey, William E. Armstrong

Faculty Publications

The epithelial Na + channels (ENaCs) are present in kidney and contribute to Na + and water homeostasis. All three ENaC subunits (α, β, and γ) were demonstrated in the cardiovascular regulatory centers of the rat brain, including the magnocellular neurons (MNCs) in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). However, the functional significance of ENaCs in vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT) synthesizing MNCs is completely unknown. In this study, we show with immunocytochemical double-labeling that the α-ENaC is colocalized with either VP or OT in MNCs in the SON and PVN. In addition, parvocellular neurons in the …

Ethylene's Role In Phosphate Starvation Signaling: More Than Just A Root Growth Regulator, Vinay K. Nagarajan, Aaron P. Smith

Faculty Publications

Phosphate (Pi) is a common limiter of plant growth due to its low availability in most soils. Plants have evolved elaborate mechanisms for sensing Pi deficiency and for initiating adaptive responses to low Pi conditions. Pi signaling pathways are modulated by both local and long-distance, or systemic, sensing mechanisms. Local sensing of low Pi initiates major root developmental changes aimed at enhancing Pi acquisition, whereas systemic sensing governs pathways that modulate expression of numerous genes encoding factors involved in Pi transport and distribution. The gaseous phytohormone ethylene has been shown to play an integral role in regulating local, root developmental …

The Impact Of A 3-Year After-School Obesity Prevention Program In Elementary School Children, Zenong Yin, Justin B. Moore, Maribeth H. Johnson, Marlo M. Vernon, Bernard Gutin

Faculty Publications

Background: Children tend to be sedentary during the after-school hours, and this has deleterious effects on their health. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of a 3-year after-school physical activity (PA) program, without restriction of dietary energy intake, on percent body fat (%BF), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and cardiometabolic markers in children.

Methods: A cluster randomization design was employed. A total of 574 3^rd grade children from 18 elementary schools in the south-eastern United States participated. The intervention consisted of 80 minutes of age-appropriate moderate-to-vigorous PA each school day. The main outcomes of interest were …

Addressing The Clumsiness Loophole In A Leggett-Garg Test Of Macrorealism, Mark M. Wilde, Ari Mizel

Faculty Publications

The rise of quantum information theory has lent new relevance to experimental tests for non-classicality, particularly in controversial cases such as adiabatic quantum computing superconducting circuits. The Leggett-Garg inequality is a "Bell inequality in time" designed to indicate whether a single quantum system behaves in a macrorealistic fashion. Unfortunately, a violation of the inequality can only show that the system is either (i) non-macrorealistic or (ii) macrorealistic but subjected to a measurement technique that happens to disturb the system. The "clumsiness" loophole (ii) provides reliable refuge for the stubborn macrorealist, who can invoke it to brand recent experimental and theoretical …

Syntheses And Properties Of Trimethylaminophenoxy-Substituted Zn(Ii)-Phthalocyanines, Benson G. Ongarora, Xiaoke Hu, Hairong Li, Frank R. Fronczek, M. Graa H. Vicente

Faculty Publications

The syntheses, photophysical properties and in vitro biological behavior of a series of nine Zn(ii)-phthalocyanines (ZnPcs) bearing one to eight positively-charged trimethylaminophenoxy groups are reported. All ZnPcs are highly soluble in polar organic solvents, and show fluorescence and singlet oxygen quantum yields in the ranges 0.11-0.21 and 0.16-0.47, respectively. The cytotoxicity of the ZnPcs depends on both the number of charges and their site of substitution (α vs. β) on the Pc isoindole units; the most promising for PDT application are the α-substituted di-cationic ZnPcs 6a and 17a. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Differences In Folate-Protein Interactions Result In Differing Inhibition Of Native Rat Liver And Recombinant Glycine N-Methyltransferase By 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate, Zigmund Luka, Svetlana Pakhomova, Lioudmila V. Loukachevitch, Marcia E. Newcomer, Conrad Wagner

Faculty Publications

Glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT) is a key regulatory enzyme in methyl group metabolism. In mammalian liver it reduces S-adenosylmethionine levels by using it to methylate glycine, producing N-methylglycine (sarcosine) and S-adenosylhomocysteine. GNMT is inhibited by binding two molecules of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (mono- or polyglutamate forms) per tetramer of the active enzyme. Inhibition is sensitive to the status of the N-terminal valine of GNMT and to polyglutamation of the folate inhibitor. It is inhibited by pentaglutamate form more efficiently compared to monoglutamate form. The native rat liver GNMT contains an acetylated N-terminal valine and is inhibited much more efficiently compared to the recombinant …

Genetic Diversity And Colony Breeding Structure In Native And Introduced Ranges Of The Formosan Subterranean Termite, Coptotermes Formosanus, Claudia Husseneder, Dawn M. Simms, Jennifer R. Delatte, Changlu Wang, J. Kenneth Grace, Edward L. Vargo

Faculty Publications

The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus is recognized as one of the most important invasive pest species. Originating from China, C. formosanus has spread to many tropical and subtropical regions around the globe in the last 400 years, including Japan, Hawaii and the continental USA. Although the current distribution is well documented, information about the patterns of invasion and effects of introduction on the population genetics of this species is largely lacking. We analyzed the genetic structure of populations from two native populations (Guangdong and Hunan provinces, China) and two introduced populations (Maui and Kauai, Hawaii) using microsatellite genotyping. We …

Synthesis, Characterisation, And Preliminary In Vitro Studies Of Vanadium(Iv) Complexes With A Schiff Base And Thiosemicarbazones As Mixed Ligands, Nerissa A. Lewis, Fange Liu, Luke Seymour, Anthony Magnusen, Travis R. Erves, Jessa Faye Arca, Floyd A. Beckford, Ramaiyer Venkatraman, Antonio González-Sarrías, Frank R. Fronczek, Don G. Vanderveer, Navindra P. Seeram, Aimin Liu, William L. Jarrett, Alvin A. Holder

Faculty Publications

[VO(sal‐L‐tryp)(H₂O)] (1, sal‐L‐tryp = N‐salicylidene‐L‐tryptophanate) was used as a precursor to produce the new complexes [VO(sal‐L‐tryp)(MeATSC)]·1.5C₂H₅OH [2, MeATSC = 9‐Anthraldehyde‐N(4)‐methylthiosemicarbazone], [VO(sal‐L‐tryp)(N‐ethhymethohcarbthio)]·H₂O [3, N‐ethhymethohcarbthio = (E)‐N‐ethyl‐2‐(4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxybenzylidene)hydrazinecarbothioamide] and [VO(sal‐L‐tryp)(acetylethTSC)]·C₂H₅OH {4, acetylethTSC = (E)‐N‐ethyl‐2‐[1‐(thiazol‐2‐yl)ethylidene]hydrazinecarbothioamide} by reaction with the respective thiosemicarbazone. The chemical and structural properties of these ligands and complexes were characterised by elemental analysis, ESI‐MS, FTIR, UV/Vis, ESR and ¹H and …

Caprg: Sequence Assembling Pipeline For Next Generation Sequencing Of Non-Model Organisms, Arun Rawat, Mohamed O. Elasri, Kurt A. Gust, Glover George, Don Pham, Leona D. Scanlan, Chris Vulpe, Edward J. Perkins

Faculty Publications

Our goal is to introduce and describe the utility of a new pipeline “Contigs Assembly Pipeline using Reference Genome” (CAPRG), which has been developed to assemble “long sequence reads” for non-model organisms by leveraging a reference genome of a closely related phylogenetic relative. To facilitate this effort, we utilized two avian transcriptomic datasets generated using ROCHE/454 technology as test cases for CAPRG assembly. We compared the results of CAPRG assembly using a reference genome with the results of existing methods that utilize de novo strategies such as VELVET, PAVE, and MIRA by employing parameter space comparisons (intra-assembling comparison). CAPRG performed …

Predicting Patch Occupancy In Fragmented Landscapes At The Rangewide Scale For An Endangered Species: An Example Of An American Warbler, Bret A. Collier, Julie E. Groce, Michael L. Morrison, John C. Newnam, Andrew J. Campomizzi, Shannon L. Farrell, Heather A. Mathewson, Robert T. Snelgrove, Raymond J. Carroll, Robert N. Wilkins

Faculty Publications

Aim Our objective was to identify the distribution of the endangered golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) in fragmented oak-juniper woodlands by applying a geoadditive semiparametric occupancy model to better assist decision-makers in identifying suitable habitat across the species breeding range on which conservation or mitigation activities can be focused and thus prioritize management and conservation planning. Location Texas, USA. Methods We used repeated double-observer detection/non-detection surveys of randomly selected (n=287) patches of potential habitat to evaluate warbler patch-scale presence across the species breeding range. We used a geoadditive semiparametric occupancy model with remotely sensed habitat metrics (patch size and landscape composition) …

Artificial Modifications Of The Coast In Response To The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Quick Solutions Or Long-Term Liabilities?, Marisa Luisa Martínez, Rusty A. Feagin, Kevin M. Yeager, John Day, Robert Costanza, Jim A. Harris, Richard J. Hobbs, Jorge López-Portillo, Ian J. Walker, Eric Higgs, Patricia Moreno-Casasola, Julio Sheinbaum, Alejandro Yáñez-Arancibia

Faculty Publications

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill threatened many coastal ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico during the spring and summer of 2010. Mitigation strategies included the construction of barrier sand berms, the restriction or blocking of inlets, and the diversion of freshwater from rivers to the coastal marshes and into the ocean, in order to flush away the oil, on the premise that these measures could reduce the quantity of oil reaching sensitive coastal environments such as wetlands or estuaries. These projects result in changes to the ecosystems that they were intended to protect. Long-term effects include alterations of the hydrological …

A Laplace Pressure Based Microfluidic Trap For Passive Droplet Trapping And Controlled Release, Melinda Simon, Robert Lin, Jeffrey Fisher, Abraham Lee

Faculty Publications

Here, we present a microfluidic droplet trap that takes advantage of the net Laplace pressure force generated when a droplet is differentially constricted. Mathematical simulations were first used to understand the working range of the component; followed by finite element modeling using the CFDsoftware package to further characterize the behavior of the system. Controlled release of the trapped droplets is also demonstrated through both a mechanical method and a chemical method that manipulates the total pressure exerted on the trapped droplet. The unique design of this trapping device also provides the capability for selection of a single dropletfrom a train, …

Charge-Based Interaction Conserved Within Histone H3 Lysine 4 (H3k4) Methyltransferase Complexes Is Needed For Protein Stability, Histone Methylation, And Gene Expression, Douglas P. Mersman, Hai Ning Du, Ian M. Fingerman, Paul F. South, Scott D. Briggs

Faculty Publications

Histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methyltransferases are conserved from yeast to humans, assemble in multisubunit complexes, and are needed to regulate gene expression. The yeast H3K4 methyltransferase complex, Set1 complex or complex of proteins associated with Set1 (COMPASS), consists of Set1 and conserved Set1-associated proteins: Swd1, Swd2, Swd3, Spp1, Bre2, Sdc1, and Shg1. The removal of the WD40 domain-containing subunits Swd1 and Swd3 leads to a loss of Set1 protein and consequently a complete loss ofH3K4methylation. However, until now, how these WD40 domain-containing proteins interact with Set1 and contribute to the stability of Set1 and H3K4 methylation has not been …