Digital Commons Network^™

Evidence Of Susceptibility To Morbillivirus Infection In Cetaceans From The United States, T. K. Rowles, L. S. Schwacke, R. S. Wells, J. T. Saliki, L. Hansen, A. Hohn, F. Townsend, R. A. Sayre, A. J. Hall

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Cetacean morbilliviruses (CeMV) are viruses that can cause mass mortalities among various odontocete species. In this study levels of “herd” immunity in cetaceans from the U.S. coast are described from the distribution and prevalence of antibodies against morbilliviruses. Neutralizing antibody titers against dolphin morbillivirus (DMV), porpoise morbillivirus (PMV), phocine distemper (PDV), and canine distemper viruses (CDV) were measured. Positive samples had higher titers against the CeMV than against the other morbilliviruses tested, indicating that although PDV or CDV can be used to investigate exposure their use may result in a higher false negative rate. The results suggest that morbillivirus did …

Defining Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) Stocks Based On Environmental, Physical, And Behavioral Characteristics, Jacalyn L. Toth, Aleta A. Hohn, Kenneth W. Able, Antoinette M. Gorgone

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The population structure of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, along the U.S. Atlantic coast has recently been redefined from one homogenous population into five coastal stocks. Local studies indicate even finer structure, primarily based on isolation of dolphins inhabiting estuaries.We identified population structuring of non-estuarine coastal bottlenose dolphins during a study in New Jersey, the northern range along the Atlantic Coast. Using photo-identification and distribution survey results, an analysis identified two major clusters of individuals significantly separated by five variables (distance from shoreline, group size, occurrence of the barnacle Xenobalanus globicipitis, avoidance behavior, and individual coloration). Sightings assigned to …

Individual Variation In Pup Vocalizations And Absence Of Behavioral Signs Of Maternal Vocal Recognition In Weddell Seals (Leptonychotes Weddellii), Ilse C. Van Opzeeland, Sofie M. Van Parijs, Stephan Frickenhaus, Cornelia M. Kreiss, Olaf Boebel

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Individually stereotyped vocalizations often play an important role in relocation of offspring in gregarious breeders. In phocids, mothers often alternate between foraging at sea and attending their pup. Pup calls are individually distinctive in various phocid species. However, experimental evidence for maternal recognition is rare. In this study, we recorded Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) pup vocalizations at two whelping patches in Atka Bay, Antarctica, and explored individual vocal variation based on eight vocal parameters. Overall, 58% of calls were correctly classified according to individual. For males (n = 12) and females (n = 9), respectively, nine …

Inbreeding Effective Population Size And Parentage Analysis Without Parents, Robin S. Waples, Ryan K. Waples

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

An important use of genetic parentage analysis is the ability to directly calculate the number of offspring produced by each parent (k_i) and hence effective population size, N_e. But what if parental genotypes are not available? In theory, given enough markers, it should be possible to reconstruct parental genotypes based entirely on a sample of progeny, and if so the vector of parental k_i values. However, this would provide information only about parents that actually contributed offspring to the sample. How would ignoring the ‘null’ parents (those that produced no offspring) affect an estimate …

Oceanographic Coupling Across Three Trophic Levels Shapes Source–Sink Dynamics In Marine Metacommunities, J. Wilson White, Jameal F. Samhouri

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

A central goal of metapopulation ecology is to determine which subpopulations have the greatest value to the larger metapopulation. That is, where are the ‘sources’ that are most essential to persistence? This question is especially relevant to benthic marine systems, where dispersal and recruitment are greatly affected by oceanographic processes. In a single-species context, theoretical models typically identify ‘hotspots’ with high recruitment, especially high self-recruitment, as having the highest value. However, the oceanographic forces affecting larval delivery of a given species may also influence the recruitment of that species’ predators, prey, and competitors.We present evidence from the Virgin Islands and …

Calculating Ne And Ne/N In Age-Structured Populations: A Hybrid Felsenstein-Hill Approach, Robin Waples, Chi Do, Julien Chopelet

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The concept of effective population size (N_e) was developed under a discrete generation model, but most species have overlapping generations. In the early 1970s, J. Felsenstein and W. G. Hill independently developed methods for calculating N_e in age structured populations; the two approaches produce the same answer under certain conditions and have contrasting advantages and disadvantages. Here, we describe a hybrid approach that combines useful features of both. Like Felsenstein’s model, the new method is based on age specific survival and fertility rates and therefore can be directly applied to any species for which life table …

Pre-Clinical Screening Of Immunomodulatory Compounds Using The Parent-Into-F1 Model, Charles S. Via

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Activation of the innate immune system by toll-like receptors (TLR) provides an early response to pathogens and shapes the subsequent antigen-specific adaptive immune response. Unmethylated cytosine-guanine dinucleotide (CpG)motifs present in bacterial DNA, but not vertebrate DNA, can be detected by Toll like receptor 9 (TLR9)—bearing DC and B cells resulting in a pro-inflammatory Th1 response. Synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) expressing these CpG motifs exhibit similar in vivo biologic activity and have been shown to reduce disease severity for selected pathogens, to promote vaccine responses and to enhance anti-tumor responses (reviewed in Ref.). Conversely, suppressive DNA sequences have also been identified. TTAGGG …

Anti-Fcεr1 Antibody Injections Activate Basophils And Mast Cells And Delay Type 1 Diabetes Onset In Nod Mice, Marc P. Hübner, David Larson, Marina N. Torrero, Ellen Mueller, Yinghui Shi, Kristin E. Killoran, Edward Mitre

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Mounting evidence suggests that helminth infections protect against autoimmune diseases. As helminths cause chronic IgE-mediated activation of basophils and mast cells we hypothesized that continuous activation of these cells could prevent diabetes onset in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice in the absence of infection. Anti-FcεR1 activated basophils and mast cells and resulted in the release of IL-4 and histamine into the bloodstream. Anti-FcεR1-treated NOD mice showed a type 2 shift in insulin-specific antibody production and exhibited significant delays in diabetes onset. IL-4 responses played a partial role as the protective effect of anti-FcεR1 therapy was diminished in IL-4-deficient NOD mice. In …

Accelerated Lymphocyte Reconstitution And Long-Term Recovery After Transplantation Of Lentiviral-Transduced Rhesus Cd34+ Cells Mobilized By G-Csf And Plerixafor, Naoya Uchida, Aylin Bonifacino, Allen E. Krouse, Mark E. Metzger, Gyorgy Csako, Agnes Lee-Stroka, Ross M. Fasano, Susan F. Leitman, Joseph J. Mattapallil, Matthew M. Hsieh, John F. Tisdale, Robert E. Donahue

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Objective. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in combination with plerixafor produces significant mobilization of CD34⁺ cells in rhesus macaques. We sought to evaluate whether these CD34⁺ cells can stably reconstitute blood cells with lentiviral gene marking.

Materials and Methods. We performed hematopoietic stem cell transplantation using G-CSF and plerixafor-mobilized rhesus CD34⁺ cells transduced with a lentiviral vector, and these data were compared with those of G-CSF and stem cell factor mobilization.

Results. G-CSF and plerixafor mobilization resulted in CD34⁺ cell yields that were twofold higher than yields with G-CSF and stem cell factor. CD123 (interleukin-3 receptor) …

Arachidonyl Trifluoromethyl Ketone Ameliorates Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Via Blocking Peroxynitrite Formation In Mouse Spinal Cord White Matter, Adam C. Vana, Shihe Li, Rachel Ribeiro, Flaubert Tchantchou, Yumin Zhang

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Inhibition of phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) has recently been found to attenuate the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a commonly used animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the protective mechanisms that underlie PLA₂ inhibition are still not well understood. In this study, we found that cytosolic PLA₂ (cPLA₂) was highly expressed in infiltrating lymphocytes and macrophages/microglia in mouse spinal cord white matter. Although cPLA₂ is also expressed in spinal cord neurons and oligodendrocytes, there were no differences observed in these cell types between EAE and control animals. Arachidonyl trifluoromethyl ketone (AACOCF3), …

Low-Dose Human Chorionic Gonadotropin May Improve In Vitro Fertilization Cycle Outcomes In Patients With Low Luteinizing Hormone Levels After Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Antagonist Administration, Anthony M. Propst, Micah J. Hill, Gordon Wright Bates, Michelle Palumbo, Anne K. Van Horne, Matthew G. Retzloff

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Objective: To evaluate the effect of low levels of endogenous luteinizing hormone (LH) and low-dose human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) supplementation on in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle outcomes in a gonadotropinreleasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol.

Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Military medical center. Patient(s): General in vitro fertilization/embryo transfer (IVF-ET) population.

Intervention(s): Addition of low-dose urinary hCG to IVF stimulations using a recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and GnRH antagonist protocol. Main

Outcome Measure(s): Implantation and live-birth rates.

Result(s): As part of a larger cohort of 239 patients, 42 patients with LH levels ≤0.5 mIU/mL were evaluated. In the larger cohort, there were …

Liposome-Induced Complement Activation And Related Cardiopulmonary Distress In Pigs: Factors Promoting Reactogenicity Of Doxil And Ambisome, János Szebeni, Péter Bedőcs, Zoltán Rozsnyay, Zsóka Weiszhár, Rudolf Urbanics, László Rosivall, Rivka Cohen, Olga Garbuzenko, György Báthori, Miklós Tóth, Rolf Bünger, Yechezkel Barenholz

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Hypersensitivity reactions to liposomal drugs, often observed with Doxil and AmBisome, can arise from activation of the complement (C) system by phospholipid bilayers. To understand the mechanism of this adverse immune reaction called C activation-related pseudoallergy (CARPA), we analyzed the relationship among liposome features, C activation in human serum in vitro, and liposome-induced cardiovascular distress in pigs, a model for human CARPA. Among the structural variables (surface charge, presence of saturated, unsaturated, and PEGylated phospholipids, and cisplatin vs. doxorubicin inside liposomes), high negative surface charge and the presence of doxorubicin were significant contributors to reactogenicity both in vitro and …

Cannabinoid Receptor Expression And Phosphorylation Are Differentially Regulated Between Male And Female Cerebellum And Brain Stem After Repeated Stress: Implication For Ptsd And Drug Abuse, Guoqiang Xing, Janis Carlton, Lei Zhang, Xiaolong Jiang, Carol Fullerton, He Li, Robert Ursano

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Recent study demonstrated a close relationship between cerebellum atrophy and symptom severity of pediatric maltreatment-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It has also been known that females are more vulnerable than males in developing anxiety disorders after exposure to traumatic stress. The mechanisms are unknown. Because cannabinoid receptors (CB₁ and CB₂) are neuroprotective and highly expressed in the cerebellum, we investigated cerebellar CB expression in stressed rats. Young male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were given 40 unpredictable electric tail-shocks for 2 h daily on 3 consecutive days. CB₁ and CB₂ mRNA and protein levels in rat …

Valproic Acid Inhibits Neurosphere Formation By Adult Subventricular Cells By A Lithium-Sensitive Mechanism, Q. Zhou, C. L. Dalgard, C. Wynder, M. L. Doughty

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

The mood stabilizer valproic acid (VPA) decreases neural progenitor proliferation and promotes neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus. However, the effects of VPA on progenitor cells in the adult subventricular zone (SVZ) are not as well characterized. Here we report VPA blocks neurosphere formation and inhibits DNA synthesis in cultured NSCs from the SVZ of adult mice. Inhibition of DNA synthesis is associated with the up-regulation of the differentiation transcription factors Egr1 and Neurod1 and down-regulation of transcription factors associated with “stemness”. Co-treatment of VPA with the mood stabilizer lithium antagonizes the anti-proliferative effects of VPA on adult NSCs and abolishes …

Distinct Role Of Nitric Oxide And Peroxynitrite In Mediating Oligodendrocyte Toxicity In Culture And In Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis, S. Li, A. C. Vana, R. Ribeiro, Y. Zhang

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Nitric oxide has been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. However, it is still unclear whether nitric oxide plays a protective role or is deleterious. We have previously shown that peroxynitrite, a reaction product of nitric oxide and superoxide, is toxic to mature oligodendrocytes (OLs). The toxicity is mediated by intracellular zinc release, phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), activation of 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX) and the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, we found that the donors of nitric oxide, dipropylenetriamine NONOate (DPT NONOate) and diethylenetriamine NONOate (DETA NONOate), protected OLs from peroxynitrite or zinc-induced toxicity. …

Regulation Of C-Type Natriuretic Peptide Expression, Donald F. Sellitti, Nancy Koles, Maria C. Mendonça

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is a member of the small family of natriuretic peptides that also includes atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain, or B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). Unlike them, it performs its major functions in an autocrine or paracrine manner. Those functions, mediated through binding to the membrane guanylyl cyclase natriuretic peptide receptor B (NPR-B), or by signaling through the non-enzyme natriuretic peptide receptor C (NPR-C), include the regulation of endochondral ossification, reproduction, nervous system development, and the maintenance of cardiovascular health. To date, the regulation of CNP gene expression has not received the attention that has been paid …

In Vitro Profiling Of Epigenetic Modifications Underlying Heavy Metal Toxicity Of Tungsten-Alloy And Its Components, Ranjana Verma, Xiufen Xu, Manoj K. Jaiswal, Cara Olsen, David Mears, Giuseppina Caretti, Zygmunt Galdzicki

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Tungsten-alloy has carcinogenic potential as demonstrated by cancer development in rats with intramuscular implanted tungsten-alloy pellets. This suggests a potential involvement of epigenetic events previously implicated as environmental triggers of cancer. Here, we tested metal induced cytotoxicity and epigenetic modifications including H3 acetylation, H3-Ser10 phosphorylation and H3-K4 trimethylation. We exposed human embryonic kidney (HEK293), human neuroepithelioma(SKNMC), and mousemyoblast (C2C12) cultures for 1-day and hippocampal primary neuronal cultures for 1-week to 50–200 μg/ml of tungsten-alloy (91% tungsten/6% nickel/3% cobalt), tungsten, nickel, and cobalt. We also examined the potential role of intracellular calcium in metal mediated histone modifications by addition of calciumchannel …

Safety And Immunogenicity Of An Intranasal Shigella Flexneri 2a Invaplex 50 Vaccine, Mark S. Riddle, Robert W. Kaminski, Carlos Williams, Chad Porter, Shahida Baqar, Alexis Kordis, Theron Gilliland, Joyce Lapa, Melissa Coughlin, Chris Soltis, Erica Jones, Jackie Saunders, Paul B. Keiser, Ryan T. Ranallo, Robert Gormley, Michael Nelson, K. Ross Turbyfill, David Tribble, Edwin V. Oaks

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Background: Shigella flexneri 2a lipopolysaccharide 50 is a nasally delivered subunit vaccine consisting of a macromolecular complex composed of LPS, IpaB, IpaC and IpaD. The current study examined vaccine safety and immunogenicity across a dose range and the clinical performance of a new intranasal delivery device.

Methods: Volunteers (N = 36) were randomized to receive vaccine via the Dolphin^TM (Valois of America, Congers, New York) intranasal spray device at one of three doses (240, 480, and 690 μg) on days 0, 14, and 28. Another group (N = 8) received the 240 μg dose via pipette. Vaccine safety was …

Estimating Age From Recapture Data: Integrating Incremental Growth Measures With Ancillary Data To Infer Age-At-Length, Mitchell J. Eaton, William A. Link

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Estimating the age of individuals in wild populations can be of fundamental importance for answering ecological questions, modeling population demographics, and managing exploited or threatened species. Significant effort has been devoted to determining age through the use of growth annuli, secondary physical characteristics related to age, and growth models. Many species, however, either do not exhibit physical characteristics useful for independent age validation or are too rare to justify sacrificing a large number of individuals to establish the relationship between size and age. Length-at-age models are well represented in the fisheries and other wildlife management literature. Many of these models …

Demographic Responses Of Least Terns And Piping Plovers To The 2011 Missouri River Flood—A Large-Scale Case Study, Michael J. Anteau, Mark H. Sherfy, Terry L. Shaffer, Rose J. Swift, Dustin L. Toy, Colin M. Dovichin

United States Geological Survey: Publications

2011 led to substantial changes in abundance and distribution of unvegetated sand habitat. This river system is a major component of the breeding range for interior Least terns (Sternula antillarum; “terns”) and piping plovers (Charadrius melodus; “plovers”), both of which are Federally listed ground-nesting birds that prefer open, unvegetated sand and gravel nesting substrates on sandbars and shorelines. The 2011 flood inundated essentially all tern and plover nesting habitat during 2011, but it had potential to generate post-flood habitat conditions that favored use by terns and plovers in subsequent years. We compared several tern and plover demographic parameters during the …

Upscaling Carbon Fluxes Over The Great Plains Grasslands: Sinks And Sources, Li Zhang, Bruce K. Wylie, Lei Ji, Tagir G. Gilmanov, Larry L. Tieszen, Daniel M. Howard

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Previous studies suggested that the grasslands may be carbon sinks or near equilibrium, and they often shift between carbon sources in drought years and carbon sinks in other years. It is important to understand the responses of net ecosystem production (NEP) to various climatic conditions across the U.S. Great Plains grasslands. Based on 15 grassland flux towers, we developed a piecewise regression model and mapped the grassland NEP at 250 m spatial resolution over the Great Plains from 2000 to 2008. The results showed that the Great Plains was a net sink with an averaged annual NEP of 24 ± …

Integration Of Palmer Drought Severity Index And Remote Sensing Data To Simulate Wetland Water Surface From 1910 To 2009 In Cottonwood Lake Area, North Dakota, Shengli Huang, Devendra Dahal, Claudia Young, Gyanesh Chander, Shuguang Liu

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Spatiotemporal variations of wetland water in the Prairie Pothole Region are controlled by many factors; two of them are temperature and precipitation that form the basis of the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). Taking the 196 km² Cottonwood Lake area in North Dakota as our pilot study site, we integrated PDSI, Landsat images, and aerial photography records to simulate monthly water surface. First, we developed a new Wetland Water Area Index (WWAI) from PDSI to predict water surface area. Second, we developed a water allocation model to simulate the spatial distribution of water bodies at a resolution of 30 …

The Role Of Demographic Compensation Theory In Incidental Take Assessments For Endangered Species, Conor P. Mcgowan, Mark R. Ryan, Michael C. Runge, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Jean Fitts Cochrane

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Many endangered species laws provide exceptions to legislated prohibitions through incidental take provisions as long as take is the result of unintended consequences of an otherwise legal activity. These allowances presumably invoke the theory of demographic compensation, commonly applied to harvested species, by allowing limited harm as long as the probability of the species’ survival or recovery is not reduced appreciably. Demographic compensation requires some density-dependent limits on survival or reproduction in a species’ annual cycle that can be alleviated through incidental take. Using a population model for piping plovers in the Great Plains, we found that when the population …

Selenium In Birds, Harry M. Ohlendorf, Gary H. Heinz

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Selenium (Se) is a metalloid trace element that birds and other wildlife need in small amounts for good health. The main purpose of this chapter is to interpret tissue concentrations of Se. However, because food is the main source of Se accumulation for birds and other wildlife, and because dietary concentrations for effects on bird reproduction have been reported, we also provide interpretive information on Se in the diet.

Se deficiencies in domestic poultry and livestock occur in some parts of the world and must be corrected by additions of Se to the diet. However, the range of dietary concentrations …

History Of Wildlife Toxicology And The Interpretation Of Contaminant Concentrations In Tissues, Barnett A. Rattner, Anton M. Scheuhammer, John E. Ellott

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The detection and interpretation of contaminants in tissues of wildlife belongs to the field of toxicology, a scientific discipline with a long, intriguing, and illustrious history (reviewed by Hayes 1991, Gallo 2001, Gilbert and Hayes 2006, Wax 2006). We review its history briefly, to provide a context for understanding the use of tissue residues in toxicology, and to explain how their use has developed over time. Because so much work has been conducted on mercury, and dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), separate case histories are included that describe the evolution of the use of tissue concentrations to assess exposure and …

Heterogeneity Of Individuals With A History Of Child Sexual Abuse: An Examination Of Children Presenting To Treatment, C. Thresa Yancey, David J. Hansen, Karen Z. Naufel

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The current study examined children and families who presented for treatment through Project SAFE (Sexual Abuse Family Education) following childhood sexual abuse. Pretreatment assessment data were used to develop clusters of participants with significantly differing presentation of symptom outcome following abuse. Four clusters were discovered: (a) a Highly Distressed group, whose members had clinically elevated scores on all self- and parent-report measures; (b) a Problem Behaviors group, whose members had scores within the normal range for self-report measures and elevated scores on all parent-report measures; (c) a Subclinical group, whose participants had scores below the mean and below cutoff scores …

Associations Among Types Of Impulsivity, Substance Use Problems And Neurexin-3 Polymorphisms, Scott F. Stoltenberg, Melissa K. Lehmann, Christa C. Christ, Samantha L. Hersrud, Gareth E. Davies

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background—Some of the genetic vulnerability for addiction may be mediated by impulsivity. This study investigated relationships among impulsivity, substance use problems and six neurexin-3 (NRXN3) polymorphisms. Neurexins (NRXNs) are presynaptic transmembrane proteins that play a role in the development and function of synapses.

Methods—Impulsivity was assessed with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Version 11 (BIS-11), the Boredom Proneness Scale (BPS) and the TIME paradigm; alcohol problems with the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST); drug problems with the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-20); and regular tobacco use with a single question. Participants (N = 439 Caucasians, 64.7% female) donated buccal cells for …

Test 1999: John Deere 8335rt, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Bringing Science To Bear: An Empirical Assessment Of The Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program, Paul B. Lester, Sharon Mcbride, Paul D. Bliese, Amy B. Adler

United States Army: Publications

This article outlines the U.S. Army’s effort to empirically validate and assess the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF) program. The empirical assessment includes four major components. First, the CSF scientific staff is currently conducting a longitudinal study to determine if the Master Resilience Training program and the Comprehensive Resilience Modules lead to lasting resilience development in soldiers. Second, the CSF program has partnered with other researchers to conduct a series of longitudinal studies examining the link between physiological, neurobiological, and psychological resilience factors. Third, the CSF program is also incorporating institutional-level data to determine if its material influences health, behavioral, and …

Analysis Of The Evolutionary Forces Shaping Mitochondrial Genomes Of A Neotropical Malaria Vector Complex, Jaroslaw Krzywinski, Cong Li, Marion Morris, Jan E. Conn, José B. Lima, Marinete M. Povoa

United States Army: Publications

Many vectors of human malaria belong to complexes of morphologically indistinguishable cryptic species. Here we report the analysis of the newly sequenced complete mitochondrial DNA molecules from six recognized or putative species of one such group, the Neotropical Anopheles albitarsis complex. The molecular evolution of these genomes had been driven by purifying selection, particularly strongly acting on the RNA genes. Directional mutation pressure associated with the strand-asynchronous asymmetric mtDNA replication mechanism may have shaped a pronounced DNA strand asymmetry in the nucleotide composition in these and other Anopheles species. The distribution of sequence polymorphism, coupled with the conflicting phylogenetic trees …