Digital Commons Network^™

Early Alzheimer's And Parkinson's Disease Pathology In Urban Children: Friend Versus Foe Responses—It Is Time To Face The Evidence, Lilian Calderón-Garcidueñas, Maricela Franco-Lira, Antonieta Mora-Tiscareño, Humberto Medina-Cortina, Ricardo Torres-Jardon, Michael Kavanaugh

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Chronic exposure to particulate matter air pollution is known to cause inflammation leading to respiratory- and cardiovascularrelated sickness and death. Mexico City Metropolitan Area children exhibit an early brain imbalance in genes involved in oxidative stress, inflammation, and innate and adaptive immune responses. Early dysregulated neuroinflammation, brain microvascular damage, production of potent vasoconstrictors, and perturbations in the integrity of the neurovascular unit likely contribute to progressive neurodegenerative processes. The accumulation of misfolded proteins coincides with the anatomical distribution observed in the early stages of both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. We contend misfolding of hyperphosphorylated tau (HPrc), alpha-synuclein, and beta-amyloid could …

Exposure To Urban Air Pollution And Bone Health In Clinically Healthy Six-Year-Old Children, Lilian Calderón-Garcidueñas, Antonieta Mora-Tiscareño, Maricela Franco-Lira, Ricardo Torres-Jardon, Bernardo Pena-Cruz, Carolina Palacios-López, Hongtu Zhu, Linglong Kong, Nicolas Mendoza-Mendoza, Hortencia Montesinoscorrea, Lina Romero, Gildardo Valencia-Salazar, Michael Kavanaugh, Silvestre Frenk

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Air pollution induces systemic inflammation, as well as respiratory, myocardial and brain inflammation in children. Peak bone mass is influenced by environmental factors. We tested the hypothesis that six-year-olds with lifetime exposures to urban air pollution will have alterations in inflammatory markers and bone mineral density (BMD) as opposed to low-polluted city residents when matched for BMI, breast feeding history, skin phototype, age, sex and socioeconomic status. This pilot study included 20 children from Mexico City (MC) (6.17 years ± 0.63 years) and 15 controls (6.27 years ± 0.76 years). We performed full paediatric examinations, a history of outdoor exposures, …

Drilling For Arctic Oil: Is It Worth The Risk?, Emily Kain

Student Theses 2001-2013

For many decades, Americans have been relying on fossil fuels to run our cars and to heat our houses. It has come to a point where our apparent need for this oil is more important than the environment and the natural world that we have tried so hard to preserve. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, commonly know as ANWR, in Alaska is the center of much debate surrounding potential drillings in order to lessen Americas dependence on foreign oil. This paper will refute this idea and prove that by not drilling in the Arctic we will not only lessen our …

An Escherichia Coli Nissle 1917 Missense Mutant Colonizes The Streptomycin-Treated Mouse Intestine Better Than The Wild Type But Is Not A Better Probiotic, Jimmy Adediran, Mary P. Leatham-Jensen, Matthew E. Mokszycki, Jakob Frimodt-Møller, Karen A. Krogfelt, Krystyna Kazmierczak, Linda J. Kenney, Tyrrell Conway, Paul S. Cohen

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Previously we reported that the streptomycin-treated mouse intestine selected for two different Escherichia coli MG1655 mutants with improved colonizing ability: nonmotile E. coli MG1655 flhDC deletion mutants that grew 15% faster in vitro in mouse cecal mucus and motile E. coli MG1655 envZ missense mutants that grew slower in vitro in mouse cecal mucus yet were able to cocolonize with the faster-growing flhDC mutants. The E. coli MG1655 envZ gene encodes a histidine kinase that is a member of the envZ-ompR two-component signal transduction system, which regulates outer membrane protein profiles. In the present investigation, the envZ _P41L gene was …

Nebraska: The Epicenter Of Global Beef Production, Monica Casey, Sydney Hansen, Levi Mcphillips, Jasmine Rogers, Stephanie Smolek

Strategic Discussions for Nebraska

NEBRASKA BEEF: nutritious, delicious, sustainable

Nebraska: Global Beef Industry Leader Ronnie Green

Creative Solutions Essential to the Future Larry Berger

Increased Demand for Nebraska Beef Will Require More Innovation Ronnie Green

Extension: “We’re Making a Difference in Nebraska” Chuck Hibberd

Let's Talk Beef

Flat Iron Steak

Tracking Beef

Nebraska Beef Council Supports Research, Education and Promotion Ann Marie Bosshamer

Efficiency Drives Beef Systems Research Rick Rasby

Technology Use Improves Efficiency, Sustainability Galen Erickson

50 Years of Beef Nutrition: “This is the Place Where it Comes Together” Terry Klopfenstein

Challenging Traditions: Changing Cow-Calf Production Rick Funston

Cattle Reproduction Takes Another Step …

Impacts Of Drought On Plant Water Relations And Nitrogen Nutrition In Dryland Perennial Grasses, Albina Khasanove, Jeremy J. James, Rebecca E. Drenovsky

Biology

Extensive worldwide dryland degradation calls for identification of functional traits critical to dryland plant performance and restoration outcomes. Most trait examination has focused on drought tolerance, although most dryland systems are water and nutrient co-limited. We studied how drought impacts both plantwater relations and nitrogen (N) nutrition.
We grew a suite of grasses common to the Intermountain West under both well-watered and drought conditions in the greenhouse. These grasses represented three congener pairs (Agropyron, Elymus, Festuca) differing in their habitat of origin ("wetter" or "drier"). We measured growth, water relations, N resorption efficiency and proficiency and photosynthetic N use efficiency …

Sullivan County, New Hampshire Annual Report Of The Board Of Commisioners, And Other Elected Officials And Department Heads Fiscal Year 2013., Sullivan County Representatives

Sullivan County, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a county in the state of New Hampshire.

The View From Ventress - 2013, University Of Mississippi. College Of Liberal Arts

Liberal Arts Newsletters

Cover Story: College Commits to Service

Annual Report 2013, Eastern Illinois University

Lumpkin College Annual Reports

This 2013 Annual Report records the achievements, outreach activities, and student honors work of the Eastern Illinois University's Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences. It also includes reports from the School of Business, the School of Family and Consumer Science, the School of Technology, and the department of Military Science.

Work Stress, Life Stress, And Smoking Among Rural–Urban Migrant Workers In China, Xiaobo Cui, Ian Rh Rockett, Tingzhong Yang, Ruoxiang Cao

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Stimulated by rapid modernization and industrialization, there is massive rural–urban migration in China. The migrants are highly susceptible to smoking and mental health problems. This study examined the association between both perceived work stress and perceived life stress with smoking behavior among this group during the period of migration.

Methods

Participants (n = 1,595) were identified through stratified, multi-stage, systematic sampling. Smoking status separated non-smokers from daily and occasional smokers, and migration history, work stress, and life stress were also measured. Analyses were conducted using the Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression. Two models were utilized. The first was …

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of The Metabolic Syndrome In Adolescents: An Examination Of Sex And Racial/Ethnic Differences, Matthew J. Gurka, Christa L. Ice, Shumei S. Sun, Mark D. Deboer

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Objective

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of clinical indices that signals increased risk for cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. The diagnosis of MetS is typically based on cut-off points for various components, e.g. waist circumference and blood pressure. Because current MetS criteria result in racial/ethnic discrepancies, our goal was to use confirmatory factor analysis to delineate differential contributions to MetS by sub-group.

Research Design and Methods

Using 1999–2010 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we performed a confirmatory factor analysis of a single MetS factor that allowed differential loadings across sex and race/ethnicity, …

Serum Perfluorooctanoate (Pfoa) And Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (Pfos) Concentrations And Liver Function Biomarkers In A Population With Elevated Pfoa Exposure, Valentina Gallo, Giovanni Leonard, Bernd Genser, Maria-Jose Lopez-Espinosa, Stephanie J. Frisbee, Lee Karlsson, Alan M. Ducatman, Tony Fletcher

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) persist in the environment and are found in relatively high concentrations in animal livers. Studies in humans have reported inconsistent associations between PFOA and liver enzymes.

Objectives: We examined the cross-sectional association between serum PFOA and PFOS concentrations with markers of liver function in adults.

Methods: The C8 Health Project collected data on 69,030 persons; of these, a total of 47,092 adults were included in the present analysis. Linear regression models were fitted for natural log (ln)-transformed values of alanine transaminase (ALT), γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), and direct bilirubin on PFOA, PFOS, and potential confounders. …

Identification And Characterization Of Micrornas In White And Brown Alpaca Skin, Xue Tian, Junbing Jiang, Ruiwen Fan, Haidong Wang, Xialong Meng, Xiaoyan He, Junping He, Hongquan Li, Jianjun Geng, Xiuju Yu, Yunfei Song, Danli Zhang, Jianbo Yao, George W. Smith, Changsheng Dong

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding 21–25 nt RNA molecules that play an important role in regulating gene expression. Little is known about the expression profiles and functions of miRNAs in skin and their role in pigmentation. Alpacas have more than 22 natural coat colors, more than any other fiber producing species. To better understand the role of miRNAs in control of coat color we performed a comprehensive analysis of miRNA expression profiles in skin of white versus brown alpacas.

Results

Two small RNA libraries from white alpaca (WA) and brown alpaca (BA) skin were sequenced with the aid of …

Characterization Of The Rainbow Trout Egg Microrna Transcriptome, Hao Ma, Mark Hostuttler, Hairong Wei, Caird E. Rexroad, Jianbo Yao

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate post-transcriptional expression of target genes and play important roles in animal development. The objectives of this study were to characterize the egg miRNA transcriptome and identify novel egg-predominant miRNAs in rainbow trout. Small RNAs isolated from mature unfertilized rainbow trout eggs were subjected to deep sequencing using an Illumina Genome Analyzer. The massive sequencing produced 24,621,741 quality reads, among which, 266 known miRNAs were identified and 230 putatively novel miRNAs were predicted. The most abundantly known miRNAs are let-7 and miR-21, accounting for 24.06% and 18.71% of …

Genome-Wide Association Scan Of Dental Caries In The Permanent Dentition, Xiaojing Wang, John R. Schaffer, Zhen Zeng, Ferdouse Begum, Alexandre R. Vieira, Jacqueline Noel, Ida Anjomshoaa, Karen T. Cuenco, Myoung-Keun Lee, James Beck, Eric Boerwinkle, Marilyn C. Cornelis, Frank B. Hu, David R. Crosslin, Cathy C. Laurie, Sarah C. Nelson, Kimberly F. Doheny, Elizabeth W. Pugh, Deborah E. Polk, Robert J. Weyant, Richard Crout, Daniel W. Mcneil, Daniel E. Weeks, Eleanor Feingold, Mary L. Marazita

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Over 90% of adults aged 20 years or older with permanent teeth have suffered from dental caries leading to pain, infection, or even tooth loss. Although caries prevalence has decreased over the past decade, there are still about 23% of dentate adults who have untreated carious lesions in the US. Dental caries is a complex disorder affected by both individual susceptibility and environmental factors. Approximately 35-55% of caries phenotypic variation in the permanent dentition is attributable to genes, though few specific caries genes have been identified. Therefore, we conducted the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify genes affecting …

Inhibitory Effect Of Baicalin And Baicalein On Ovarian Cancer Cells, Jianchu Chen, Zhaoliang Li, Allen Y. Chen, Xingqian Ye, Haitao Luo, Gary O. Rankin, Yi C. Chen

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Ovarian cancer is one of the primary causes of death for women all through the Western world. Baicalin and baicalein are naturally occurring flavonoids that are found in the roots and leaves of some Chinese medicinal plants and are thought to have antioxidant activity and possible anti-angiogenic, anti-cancer, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities. Two kinds of ovarian cancer (OVCAR-3 and CP-70) cell lines and a normal ovarian cell line (IOSE-364) were selected to be investigated in the inhibitory effect of baicalin and baicalein on cancer cells. Largely, baicalin and baicalein inhibited ovarian cancer cell viability in both ovarian cancer cell …

Cloning And Characterization Of A Novel Oocyte-Specific Gene Encoding An F-Box Protein In Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Lei Wang, Swamy K. Tripurani, Warapond Wanna, Caird E. Rexroad, Jianbo Yao

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Oocyte-specific genes play critical roles in oogenesis, folliculogenesis and early embryonic development. The objectives of this study were to characterize the expression of a novel oocyte-specific gene encoding an F-box protein during ovarian development in rainbow trout, and identify its potential interacting partners in rainbow trout oocytes.

Methods

Through analysis of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from a rainbow trout oocyte cDNA library, a novel transcript represented by ESTs only from the oocyte library was identified. The complete cDNA sequence for the novel gene (named fbxoo) was obtained by assembling sequences from an EST clone and a 5′RACE product. …

Develop To Term Rat Oocytes Injected With Heat-Dried Sperm Heads, Kyung-Bon Lee, Ki-Eun Park, In-Kiu Kwon, Swamy K. Tripurani, Keun J. Kim, Ji H. Lee, Koji Niwa, Min K. Kim

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This study investigated the development of rat oocytes in vitro and in vivo following intracytoplasmic injection of heads from spermatozoa heat-dried at 50°C for 8 h and stored at 4°C in different gas phases. Sperm membrane and chromosome are damaged by the process of heat-drying. Oocyte activation and cleavage of oocytes were worse in oocytes injected with spermatozoa heat-dried and stored for 1 week than unheated, fresh spermatozoa, but in heat-dried spermatozoa, there were no differences in these abilities of oocytes between the samples stored in nitrogen gas and in air. The oocytes injected with heat-dried spermatozoa stored for 1 …

Interlaboratory Evaluation Of In Vitro Cytotoxicity And Inflammatory Responses To Engineered Nanomaterials: The Niehs Nano Go Consortium, Tian Xia, Raymond F. Hamilton, James C. Bonner, Edward D. Crandall, Alison Elder, Farnoosh Fazlollahi, Teri A. Girtsman, Kwang Kim, Somenath Mitra, Susana A. Ntim, Galya Orr, Mani Tagmount, Alexia J. Taylor, Donatello Telesca, Ana Tolic, Christopher D. Vulpe, Andrea J. Walker, Xiang Wang, Frank A. Witzmann, Nianqiang Wu, Yumei Xie, Jeffery I. Zink, Andre Nel, Andrij Holian

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Differences in interlaboratory research protocols contribute to the conflicting data in the literature regarding engineered nanomaterial (ENM) bioactivity.

Objectives: Grantees of a National Institute of Health Sciences (NIEHS)-funded consortium program performed two phases of in vitro testing with selected ENMs in an effort to identify and minimize sources of variability.

Methods: Consortium program participants (CPPs) conducted ENM bioactivity evaluations on zinc oxide (ZnO), three forms of titanium dioxide (TiO2), and three forms of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). In addition, CPPs performed bioassays using three mammalian cell lines (BEAS-2B, RLE-6TN, and THP-1) selected in order to cover two different species …

Keratinocyte-Targeted Expression Of Human Laminin Γ2 Rescues Skin Blistering And Early Lethality Of Laminin Γ2 Deficient Mice, Tracy L. Adair-Kirk, Gail L. Griffin, Michelle J. Meyer, Diane G. Kelley, Jeffery H. Miner, Douglas R. Keene, M Peter Marinkovich, J Michael Ruppert, Jouni Uitto, Robert M. Senior

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Laminin-332 is a heterotrimeric basement membrane component comprised of the α3, ß3, and γ2 laminin chains. Laminin-332 modulates epithelial cell processes, such as adhesion, migration, and differentiation and is prominent in many embryonic and adult tissues. In skin, laminin-332 is secreted by keratinocytes and is a key component of hemidesmosomes connecting the keratinocytes to the underlying dermis. In mice, lack of expression of any of the three Laminin-332 chains result in impaired anchorage and detachment of the epidermis, similar to that seen in human junctional epidermolysis bullosa, and death occurs within a few days after birth. To bypass the early …

Relationship Of Ethnicity And Cd4 Count With Glucose Metabolism Among Hiv Patients On Highly-Active Antiretroviral Therapy (Haart), Ranjita Misra, Prakash Chandra, Steven E. Riechman, Dustin M. Long, Shivani Shinde, Henry J. Pownall, Ivonne Coraza, Dorothy E. Lewis, Rajagopal V. Sekhar, Ashok Balasubramanyam

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

HIV patients on HAART are prone to metabolic abnormalities, including insulin resistance, lipodystrophy and diabetes. This study purports to investigate the relationship of ethnicity and CD4+ T cell count attained after stable highly-active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) with glucose metabolism in hyperrtriglyceridemic HIV patients without a history of diabetes.

Methods

Demographic, anthropometric, clinical, endocrinologic, energy expenditure and metabolic measures were obtained in 199 multiethnic, healthy but hypertriglyceridemic HIV-infected patients [46% Hispanic, 17% African-American, 37% Non-Hispanic White (NHW)] on stable HAART without a history of diabetes. The relationship of glucose and insulin responses to ethnicity, CD4 strata (low (<300/cc) or moderate-to-high (≥ 300/cc)), and their interaction was determined.

Results

African-Americans …

Evaluation Of Gene Association Methods For Coexpression Network Construction And Biological Knowledge Discovery, Sapna Kumari, Jeff Nie, Huann-Sheng Chen, Hao Ma, Ron Stewart, Xiang Li, Meng-Zhu Lu, William M. Taylor, Hairong Wei

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Constructing coexpression networks and performing network analysis using large-scale gene expression data sets is an effective way to uncover new biological knowledge; however, the methods used for gene association in constructing these coexpression networks have not been thoroughly evaluated. Since different methods lead to structurally different coexpression networks and provide different information, selecting the optimal gene association method is critical.

Methods and Results

In this study, we compared eight gene association methods – Spearman rank correlation, Weighted Rank Correlation, Kendall, Hoeffding's D measure, Theil-Sen, Rank Theil-Sen, Distance Covariance, and Pearson – and focused on their true knowledge discovery rates …

Effects Of Smoking And Genotype On The Psr Index Of Periodontal Disease In Adults Aged 18–49, Deborah E. Polk, Xiaojing Wang, Eleanor Feingold, John R. Shaffer, Daniel E. Weeks, Robert J. Weyant, Richard J. Crout, Daniel W. Mcneil, Mary L. Marazita

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Studies have found both genetic and environmental influences on chronic periodontitis. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among previously identified genetic variants, smoking status, and two periodontal disease-related phenotypes (PSR1 and PSR2) in 625 Caucasian adults (aged 18–49 years). The PSR Index was used to classify participants as affected or unaffected under the PSR1 and PSR2 phenotype definitions. Using logistic regression, we found that the form of the relationship varied by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP): For rs10457525 and rs12630931, the effects of smoking and genotype on risk were additive; whereas for rs10457526 and rs733048, smoking was …

Bisphenol A And Peripheral Arterial Disease: Results From The Nhanes, Anoop Shankar, Srinivas Teppala, Charumathi Sabanayagam

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a common chemical used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, and > 93% of U.S. adults have detectable levels of urinary BPA. Recent animal studies have suggested that BPA exposure may have a role in several mechanisms involved in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including weight gain, insulin resistance, thyroid dysfunction, endothelial dysfunction, and oxidative stress. However, few human studies have examined the association between markers of BPA exposure and CVD. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a subclinical measure of atherosclerotic vascular disease and a strong independent risk factor for CVD and …

Microrna-212 Post-Transcriptionally Regulates Oocyte-Specific Basic-Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factor, Factor In The Germline Alpha (Figla), During Bovine Early Embryogenesis, Swamy K. Tripurani, Gabbine Wee, Kyung-Bon Lee, George W. Smith, Lei Wang, Jianbo Yao

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Factor in the germline alpha (FIGLA) is an oocyte-specific basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor essential for primordial follicle formation and expression of many genes required for folliculogenesis, fertilization and early embryonic survival. Here we report the characterization of bovine FIGLA gene and its regulation during early embryogenesis. Bovine FIGLA mRNA expression is restricted to gonads and is detected in fetal ovaries harvested as early as 90 days of gestation. FIGLA mRNA and protein are abundant in germinal vesicle and metaphase II stage oocytes, as well as in embryos from pronuclear to eight-cell stage but barely detectable at morula and blastocyst stages, …

Heterotrimeric G-Protein Signaling Is Critical To Pathogenic Processes In Entamoeba Histolytica, Dustin E. Bosch, Adam J. Kimple, Robin E. Muller, Patrick M. Giguere, Mischa Machius, Francis S. Willard, Brenda R S Temple, David P. Siderovski

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Heterotrimeric G-protein signaling pathways are vital components of physiology, and many are amenable to pharmacologic manipulation. Here, we identify functional heterotrimeric G-protein subunits in Entamoeba histolytica, the causative agent of amoebic colitis. The E. histolytica Gα subunit EhGα1 exhibits conventional nucleotide cycling properties and is seen to interact with EhGβγ dimers and a candidate effector, EhRGS-RhoGEF, in typical, nucleotide-state-selective fashions. In contrast, a crystal structure of EhGα1 highlights unique features and classification outside of conventional mammalian Gα subfamilies. E. histolytica trophozoites overexpressing wildtype EhGα1 in an inducible manner exhibit an enhanced ability to kill host cells that may be wholly …

Emulating Natural Disturbances For Declining Late- Successional Species: A Case Study Of The Consequences For Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga Cerulea), Than J. Boves, David A. Buehler, James Sheehan, Petra B. Wood, Amanda D. Rodewald, Jeffrey L. Larkin, Patrick D. Keyser, Felicity L. Newell, Gregory A. George, Marja H. Bakermans, Andrea Evans, Tiffany A. Beachy, Molly E. Mcdermott, Kelly A. Perkins, Matthew White, T Bently Wigley

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Forest cover in the eastern United States has increased over the past century and while some late-successional species have benefited from this process as expected, others have experienced population declines. These declines may be in part related to contemporary reductions in small-scale forest interior disturbances such as fire, windthrow, and treefalls. To mitigate the negative impacts of disturbance alteration and suppression on some late-successional species, strategies that emulate natural disturbance regimes are often advocated, but large-scale evaluations of these practices are rare. Here, we assessed the consequences of experimental disturbance (using partial timber harvest) on a severely declining late-successional species, …

Effect Of Xiaoyaosan Decoction On Learning And Memory Deficit In Rats Induced By Chronic Immobilization Stress, Zhen-Zhi Mang, Jia-Xu Chen, You-Ming Jiang, Han-Ting Zhang

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Xiaoyaosan (XYS) decoction is a famous prescription which can protect nervous system from stress and treat liver stagnation and spleen deficiency syndrome (LSSDS). In this experiment, we observed the effect of XYS decoction on chronic immobilization stress (CIS) induced learning and memory deficit in rats from behaviors and changes of proteins in hippocampus. We used XYS decoction to treat CIS induced learning and memory deficit in rats with rolipram as positive control, used change of body weight and behavioral tests to determine whether the rats have LSSDS and have learning and memory deficit or not. We used Western blotting to …

Rna-Seq Identifies Snp Markers For Growth Traits In Rainbow Trout, Mohamed Salem, Roger L. Vallejo, Timothy D. Leeds, Yniv Palti, Sixin Liu, Annas Sabbagh, Caird E. Rexroad, Jianbo Yao

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Fast growth is an important and highly desired trait, which affects the profitability of food animal production, with feed costs accounting for the largest proportion of production costs. Traditional phenotype-based selection is typically used to select for growth traits; however, genetic improvement is slow over generations. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) explain 90% of the genetic differences between individuals; therefore, they are most suitable for genetic evaluation and strategies that employ molecular genetics for selective breeding. SNPs found within or near a coding sequence are of particular interest because they are more likely to alter the biological function of a protein. …

Skin Transcriptome Profiles Associated With Coat Color In Sheep, Ruiwen Fan, Jianshan Xie, Junming Bai, Haidong Wang, Xue Tian, Rui Bai, Xiaoyun Jia, Lei Yang, Muren Herrid, Wenjun Gao, Xiaoyan He, Jianbo Yao, George W. Smith, Changsheng Dong

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Previous molecular genetic studies of physiology and pigmentation of sheep skin have focused primarily on a limited number of genes and proteins. To identify additional genes that may play important roles in coat color regulation, Illumina sequencing technology was used to catalog global gene expression profiles in skin of sheep with white versus black coat color.

Results

There were 90,006 and 74,533 unigenes assembled from the reads obtained from white and black sheep skin, respectively. Genes encoding for the ribosomal proteins and keratin associated proteins were most highly expressed. A total of 2,235 known genes were differentially expressed in …