Life Sciences Commons^™

Neural Correlates Of Perceptual Switching While Listening To Bistable Auditory Streaming Stimuli, Nathan C. Higgins, David Frank Little, Breanne D. Yerkes, Karli M. Nave, Abin Kuruvilla-Mathew, M. Elhilai, Joel S. Snyder

Psychology Faculty Research

Understanding the neural underpinning of conscious perception remains one of the primary challenges of cognitive neuroscience. Theories based mostly on studies of the visual system differ according to whether the neural activity giving rise to conscious perception occurs in modality-specific sensory cortex or in associative areas, such as the frontal and parietal cortices. Here, we search for modality-specific conscious processing in the auditory cortex using a bistable stream segregation paradigm that presents a constant stimulus without the confounding influence of physical changes to sound properties. ABA_ triplets (i.e., alternating low, A, and high, B, tones, and _ gap) with a …

Complete Genome Sequences Of Mycobacterium Smegmatis Phages Nihilnomen And Carlyle, Isolated In Las Vegas, Nevada, Alicia Salisbury, Ryan Doss, Astha Mehta, Khadija Bhatti, Ciera Dapra, Audrey Huntsinger, Stephanie Rodriguez, Scott Yacek, Rylee Sandberg, Alexis Gildore, Jacinda Knudtson, Frances Tibayan, Tiannah Ohta, Neha Zafar, Guadalupe Mercado, Alan Le, Natalie Mekhaeel, Justin Willer, Edith Rodrich-Zuniga, Merissa Mcfarland, Kurt Regner, Christy Strong, Phillippos K. Tsourkas

Life Sciences Faculty Research

We present the complete genomes of the Mycobacterium smegmatis phages Carlyle and NihilNomen, isolated from soil in Las Vegas, Nevada. The phages were isolated and annotated by undergraduate students enrolled in the Phage Discovery course offered by the School of Life Sciences at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Adminstration Of Micronized Caffeine Using A Novel Oral Delivery Film Results In Rapid Absorption And Electroencephalogram Suppression, Rochelle M. Hines, Matthew Khumnark, Ben Macphail, Dustine J. Hines

Psychology Faculty Research

Route of administration is well-known to impact factors ranging from absorption and distribution, up through the subjective effects of active ingredients. Different routes of administration confer specific advantages, such as more rapid absorption resulting from intravenous injection, or increased convenience with oral administration, but a combination of both rapid and convenient delivery is highly desirable. QuickStrip™ was designed as a rapidly dissolving thin film matrix that contains active ingredients, which may be promising for rapid and convenient delivery via the oral mucosa. To assess the delivery of QuickStrip™, we administered the well-characterized active ingredient caffeine to mice and compared QuickStrip™ …

Nitric Oxide Is Involved In Heavy Ion-Induced Non-Targeted Effects In Human Fibroblasts, Megumi Hada, Premkumar B. Saganti, Francis A. Cucinotta

Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences Faculty Research

Previously, we investigated the dose response for chromosomal aberration (CA) for exposures corresponding to less than one particle traversal per cell nucleus by high energy and charge (HZE) particles, and showed that the dose responses for simple exchanges for human fibroblast irradiated under confluent culture conditions were best fit by non-linear models motivated by a non-targeted effect (NTE). Our results suggested that the simple exchanges in normal human fibroblasts have an important NTE contribution at low particle fluence. Nitric oxide (NO) has been reported as a candidate for intercellular signaling for NTE in many studies. In order to estimate the …

A Frameshift Variant In The Chst9 Gene Identified By Family-Based Whole Genome Sequencing Is Associated With Schizophrenia In Chinese Population, Jingchun Chen, Jain-Shing Wu, Travis Mize, Marvi Moreno, Mahtab Hamid, Francisco Servin, Bita Bashy, Zhongming Zhao, Peilin Jia, Ming T. Tsuang, Kenneth S. Kendler, Momiao Xiong, Xiangning Chen

School of Medicine Faculty Research

Recent studies imply that rare variants contribute to the risk of schizophrenia, however, the exact variants or genes responsible for this condition are largely unknown. In this study, we conducted whole genome sequencing (WGS) of 20 Chinese families. Each family consisted of at least two affected siblings diagnosed with schizophrenia and at least one unaffected sibling. We examined functional variants that were found in affected sibling(s) but not in unaffected sibling(s) within a family. Matching this criterion, a frameshift heterozygous deletion of CA (–/CA) at chromosome 18:24722722, also referred to as rs752084147, in the Carbohydrate Sulfotransferase 9 (CHST9) gene, was …

Transcriptome Analyses Of Tumor-Adjacent Somatic Tissues Reveal Genes Co-Expressed With Transposable Elements, Micky Chung, G. M. Jonaid, Sophia Quinton, Austin Ross, Corinne E. Sexton, Adrian Alberto, Cody Clymer, Daphnie Churchill, Omar Navarro Leija, Mira V. Han

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Background: Despite the long-held assumption that transposons are normally only expressed in the germ-line, recent evidence shows that transcripts of transposable element (TE) sequences are frequently found in the somatic cells. However, the extent of variation in TE transcript levels across different tissues and different individuals are unknown, and the co-expression between TEs and host gene mRNAs have not been examined. Results: Here we report the variation in TE derived transcript levels across tissues and between individuals observed in the non-tumorous tissues collected for The Cancer Genome Atlas. We found core TE co-expression modules consisting mainly of transposons, showing correlated …

Socio-Ecological Wellness Wheel: Applied To Community Gardens To Measure Green Gentrification, Micajah Daniels, Courtney Coughenour

McNair Poster Presentations

This project is intended to use Black Feminist Health Studies as an interdisciplinary approach to analyze the holisitc impacts of community gardens on nutrition behaviors. The implementation of green spaces such as community gardens have been correlated to both benefits and unintended consequences which this study demonstrates through the Socio-Ecological Wellness Wheel. An empirical and systematic way of measuring garden quality through an audit tool using Black Feminist Health Studies could help measure the nutrition environment of the community gardens and how they may influence fruit and vegetable consumption of food insecure populations. The need for this study is highlighted …

Decline In Telomere Length By Age And Effect Modification By Gender, Allostatic Load And Comorbidities In National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2002), Saruna Ghimire, Carl V. Hill, Francisco S. Sy, Rachelle Rodriguez

School of Public Health Faculty Research

Background: This study aims to assess the decline in telomere length (TL) with age and evaluate effect modification by gender, chronic stress, and comorbidity in a representative sample of the US population. Methods: Cross-sectional data on 7826 adults with a TL measurement, were included from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, years 1999–2002. The population rate of decline in TL across 10-year age categories was estimated using crude and adjusted regression. Results: In an adjusted model, the population rate of decline in TL with age was consistent and linear for only three age categories: 20–29 (β = -0.0172, 95% …

Role Of Berry Bioactive Compounds On Lipids And Lipoproteins In Diabetes And Metabolic Syndrome, Arpita Basu

Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Research

Blood lipids are an important biomarker of cardiovascular health and disease. Among the lipid biomarkers that have been widely used to monitor and predict cardiovascular diseases (CVD), elevated LDL and low HDL cholesterol (C), as well as elevated triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, deserve special attention in their predictive abilities, and thus have been the targets of several therapeutic and dietary approaches to improving lipid profiles. Among natural foods and nutraceuticals, dietary berries are a rich source of nutrients, fiber, and various types of phytochemicals. Berries as whole fruits, juices, and purified extracts have been shown to lower total and LDL-C, and increase …

Sex Moderates Amyloid And Apolipoprotein Ε4 Effects On Default Mode Network Connectivity At Rest, Jessica Z.K. Caldwell, Xiaowei Zhuang, Mackenzie J. Leavitt, Sarah J. Banks, Jeffery Cummings, Dietmar Cordes

School of Medicine Faculty Research

Women are more likely to have Alzheimer's disease (AD) and decline more rapidly once diagnosed despite greater verbal memory early in the disease compared to men—an advantage that has been termed “memory reserve.” Resting state functional MRI (fMRI) investigations demonstrate interactions between sex and AD risk factors in default mode network (DMN) connectivity, a network of brain regions showing progressive dysfunction in AD. Separate work suggests connectivity of left prefrontal cortex (PFC) may correlate with more general cognitive reserve in healthy aging. It is unknown whether left prefrontal functional connectivity with anterior and posterior default mode network (aDMN, pDMN) might …

Souvenaid In The Management Of Mild Cognitive Impairment: An Expert Consensus Opinion, Jeffrey Cummings, Peter Passmore, Bernadette Mcguinness, Vincent Mok, Christopher Chen, Sebastiaan Engelborghs, Michael Woodward, Sagrario Manzano, Guillermo Garcia-Ribas, Stefano Cappa, Paulo Bertolucci, Leung-Wing Chu

School of Medicine Faculty Research

Background Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among an aging global population is a growing challenge for healthcare providers and payers. In many cases, MCI is an ominous portent for dementia. Early and accurate diagnosis of MCI provides a window of opportunity to improve the outcomes using a personalized care plan including lifestyle modifications to reduce the impact of modifiable risk factors (for example, blood pressure control and increased physical activity), cognitive training, dietary advice, and nutritional support. Souvenaid is a once-daily drink containing a mixture of precursors and cofactors (long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, uridine, choline, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, …

Meta-Analysis Of Cognitive Performance By Novel Object Recognition After Proton And Heavy Ion Exposures, Eliedonna Cacao, Francis A. Cucinotta

Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences Faculty Research

Experimental studies of cognitive detriments in mice and rats after proton and heavy ion exposures have been performed by several laboratories to investigate possible risks to astronauts exposed to cosmic rays in space travel and patients treated for brain cancers with proton and carbon beams in Hadron therapy. However, distinct radiation types and doses, cognitive tests and rodent models have been used by different laboratories, while few studies have considered detailed dose-response characterizations, including estimates of relative biological effectiveness (RBE). Here we report on the first quantitative meta-analysis of the dose response for proton and heavy ion rodent studies of …

Introducing A Practitioner-Focused Publication In Exercise Science And Kinesiology, James W. Navalta, Scott Lyons, Whitley J. Stone

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology

• The purpose is to introduce Topics in Exercise and Science Kinesiology (TESK) as an outlet for practical information.
• We searched available journals in the field to determine practitioner-focused options, we also determined the percentage of presented abstracts at a popular meeting compared to the number of published papers in a leading peer-reviewed scientific journal.
• Point of application 1: Only 2% of publication options in kinesiology or exercise science have a practitioner focus.
• Point of application 2: A relatively small number of peer-reviewed conference abstracts (less than 10%) are deemed publication-worthy following journal peer-review.
• Point of application 3: …

Application Of Semi-Hydrophobic Layers To Decrease Bare Soil Evaporation, Jesse Lee Barnes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Evaporative water loss from bare agricultural soils is a primary area of water conservation research. Mulching is the commonly utilized method to decrease evaporative water loss. The most commonly utilized mulch is nonbiodegradable polyethylene sheeting because it tends to decrease evaporative water loss and increase crop yields more than environmentally friendly mulches. This study aimed to test the utility of sand coated with polymerized soybean oil (i.e., hydrophobic sand) as a treatment to reduce bare soil evaporation and an alternative to current practices. Evaporation rates were measured in laboratory soil columns containing both treated and untreated soils. Treatment parameters were …

Optimization Of Motor Performance, Lee-Kuen Chua

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

According to the OPTIMAL (Optimizing Performance Through Intrinsic Motivation and Attention of Learning) theory of motor learning, enhanced expectancies (EE), autonomy support (AS), and external focus (EF) augment the coupling of a person’s actions to intended movement goals. This goal-action coupling is postulated to boost a person’s focus on goal-related aspects of the motor task while reducing the person’s self-related thoughts, resulting in enhanced performance of skilled movements as well as in improving the acquisition outcomes for the learning of motor skills. The three studies in this compilation report were aimed at providing empirical evidence for the motor performance benefits …

Reduced Gabaergic Signaling At The Axon Initial Segment Decreases Vigilance State Transitioning, Austin John Boren

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Sleep is a highly regulated homeostatic process that is disrupted in an estimated 50-70 million Americans. Regulation of sleep depends upon coordinated signaling of multiple neurotransmitter systems. In particular, inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) signaling is required to suppress wake-active brain regions in order to initiate and maintain sleep states. GABA type A receptors (GABAARs) are ionotropic receptors with subunit compositions uniquely enriched on subcellular domains of target cells. α2 subunit-containing GABAARs are the primary target of GABA released onto the axon initial segment (AIS), a site critical for phasing the oscillatory activity of cortical cells. α2-containing GABAARs have previously been …

Multi-Polygenic Risk Score Prediction Model For Bipolar Disorder, Travis Mize

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Bipolar disorder (BP), a severe mental disorder characterized by recurring manic and depressive episodes, has been shown to have a strong genetic underpinning. Current theory suggests that it is the summation of risk alleles, spread across the entirety of the genome, which contributes to the development of BP, as well as other polygenic traits. The comorbid nature of these polygenic traits are often problematic for diagnosticians as the symptomology of the disorders may vary substantially between individuals and can create diagnostic confusion. To alleviate issues such as these, a more objective measure, to be used alongside current diagnostic procedures, is …

Plasticity In The Human Gut Microbiome Defies Evolutionary Constraints, Andres Gomez, Ashok Kumar Sharma, Elizabeth K. Mallott, Klara J. Petrzelkova, Carolyn A. Jost Robinson, Carl J. Yeoman, Franck Carbonero, Barbora Pafco, Jessica M. Rothman, Alexander Ulanov, Klara Vickova, Katherine R. Amato, Stephanie L. Schnorr, Nathaniel J. Dominy, David Modry, Angelique Todd, Manolito Torralba, Karen E. Nelson, Michael B. Burns, Ran Blekhman, Melissa Remis, Rebecca M. Stumpf, Brenda A. Wilson, H. Rex Gaskins, Paul A. Garber, Bryan A. White, Steven R. Leigh

Anthropology Faculty Research

The gut microbiome of primates, including humans, is reported to closely follow host evolutionary history, with gut microbiome composition being specific to the genetic background of its primate host. However, the comparative models used to date have mainly included a limited set of closely related primates. To further understand the forces that shape the primate gut microbiome, with reference to human populations, we expanded the comparative analysis of variation among gut microbiome compositions and their primate hosts, including 9 different primate species and 4 human groups characterized by a diverse set of subsistence patterns (n = 448 samples). The results …

Pre-Diagnosis Physical Activity Habits Are Associated With Age Of Diagnosis In Parkinson's Disease, Merrill R. Landers, Kyle N. Johnson, Samantha Johnson, Tyler Ormsby, Danielle C. Salgo, Jessica B. Zorn, James Lyle, Andrew S. Murtishaw, Arnold M. Salazar, Jefferson W. Kinney

Physical Therapy Faculty Research

Introduction: Studies suggest that exercise may be neuroprotective when implemented before the clinical presentation of Parkinson's disease (PD). Levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), theorized to play a role in neuroprotection, are affected by its genotype and exercise. Here we explore this previously unstudied interaction on age at diagnosis and severity of symptoms. Methods: 76 participants with PD submitted buccal cells to determine BDNF genotype, completed the modified Lifetime Physical Activity Questionnaire to determine exercise habits, and were assessed using the Movement Disorder Society – Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale III (MDS-UPDRS-III) and the Mini-Balance Evaluations Test (MBT). For aim …

Persistence And Turnover In Desert Plant Communities During A 37-Yr Period Of Land Use And Climate Change, Scott R. Abella, Ross J. Guida, Chris L. Roberts, Carrie M. Norman, James S. Holland

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Understanding long‐term changes in ecological communities during global change is a priority for 21st‐century ecology. Deserts, already at climatic extremes, are of unique interest because they are projected to be ecosystems most responsive to global change. Within a 500‐km2 landscape in the Mojave Desert, USA, we measured perennial plant communities at 100 sites three times (1979, 2008, and 2016) during 37 yr to evaluate six hypotheses of community change. These hypotheses encompassed shifts in community measures (e.g., diversity, cover) and species elevational distributions, biotic homogenization, disproportionately large change at the highest elevations, relationships between turnover and species’ responses to disturbance …

Varieties Of The Highly Dispersible And Hypervariable Tree, Metrosideros Polymorpha, Differ In Response To Mechanical Stress And Light Across A Sharp Ecotone, Jill M. Ekar, Donald K. Price, Melissa A. Johnson, Elizabeth A. Stacy

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Premise: The drivers of isolation between sympatric populations of long‐lived and highly dispersible conspecific plants are not well understood. In the Hawaiian Islands, the landscape‐dominant tree, Metrosideros polymorpha, displays extraordinary phenotypic differences among sympatric varieties despite high dispersibility of its pollen and seeds, thereby presenting a unique opportunity to investigate how disruptive selection alone can maintain incipient forms. Stenophyllous M. polymorpha var. newellii is a recently evolved tree endemic to the waterways of eastern Hawai'i Island that shows striking neutral genetic differentiation from its ancestor, wet‐forest M. polymorpha var. glaberrima, despite sympatry of these forms. We looked for evidence for, …

Prioritization Of Variants For Investigation Of Genotype-Directed Nutrition In Human Superpopulations, Pascal D. Nilsson, Jacklyn M. Newsome, Henry M. Santos, Martin R. Schiller

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Dietary guidelines recommended by key health agencies are generally designed for a global population. However, ethnicity affects human disease and environment-gene interactions, including nutrient intake. Historically, isolated human populations with different genetic backgrounds have adapted to distinct environments with varying food sources. Ethnicity is relevant to the interaction of food intake with genes and disease susceptibility; yet major health agencies generally do not recommend food and nutrients codified by population genotypes and their frequencies. In this paper, we have consolidated published nutrigenetic variants and examine their frequencies in human superpopulations to prioritize these variants for future investigation of population-specific genotype-directed …

Taxonomic Features And Comparison Of The Gut Microbiome From Two Edible Fungus-Farming Termites (Macrotermes Falciger, M. Natalensis) Harvested In The Vhembe District Of Limpopo, South Africa, Stephanie L. Schnorr, Courney A. Hofman, Shandukani R. Netschifhefhe, Frances D. Duncan, Tanvi P. Honap, Julie Lesnik, Cecil M. Lewis

Anthropology Faculty Research

Background Termites are an important food resource for many human populations around the world, and are a good supply of nutrients. The fungus-farming ‘higher’ termite members of Macrotermitinae are also consumed by modern great apes and are implicated as critical dietary resources for early hominins. While the chemical nutritional composition of edible termites is well known, their microbiomes are unexplored in the context of human health. Here we sequenced the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene of gut microbiota extracted from the whole intestinal tract of two Macrotermes sp. soldiers collected from the Limpopo region of South Africa. Results …

Identification Of A Core Amino Acid Motif Within The Α Subunit Of Gabaars That Promotes Inhibitory Synaptogenesis And Resilience To Seizures, Anna J. Nathanson, Yihui Zhang, Joshua L. Smalley, Thomas A. Ollerhead, Miguel A. Rodriguez Santos, Peter M. Andrews, Heike J. Wobst, Yvonne E. Moore, Nicholas J. Brandon, Rochelle M. Hines, Paul A. Davies, Stephen J. Moss

Psychology Faculty Research

The fidelity of inhibitory neurotransmission is dependent on the accumulation of γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABAARs) at the appropriate synaptic sites. Synaptic GABAARs are constructed from α(1-3), β(1-3), and γ2 subunits, and neurons can target these subtypes to specific synapses. Here, we identify a 15-amino acid inhibitory synapse targeting motif (ISTM) within the α2 subunit that promotes the association between GABAARs and the inhibitory scaffold proteins collybistin and gephyrin. Using mice in which the ISTM has been introduced into the α1 subunit (Gabra1-2 mice), we show that the ISTM is critical for axo-axonic synapse formation, the efficacy of GABAergic …

Resolving Intravoxel White Matter Structures In The Human Brain Using Regularized Regression And Clustering, Andrea Hart, Brianna Smith, Sean Smith, Elijah Sales, Jacqueline Hernandez-Camargo, Yarlin Mayor Garcia, Felix Zhan, Lori Griswold, Brian Dunkelberger, Michael R. Schwob, Sharang Chaudhry, Justin Zhan, Laxmi Gewali, Paul Oh

Computer Science Faculty Research

The human brain is a complex system of neural tissue that varies significantly between individuals. Although the technology that delineates these neural pathways does not currently exist, medical imaging modalities, such as diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI), can be leveraged for mathematical identification. The purpose of this work is to develop a novel method employing machine learning techniques to determine intravoxel nerve number and direction from dMRI data. The method was tested on multiple synthetic datasets and showed promising estimation accuracy and robustness for multi-nerve systems under a variety of conditions, including highly noisy data and imprecision in parameter assumptions.

Paired-End Mappability Of Transposable Elements In The Human Genome, Corinne E. Sexton, Mira V. Han

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Though transposable elements make up around half of the human genome, the repetitive nature of their sequences makes it difficult to accurately align conventional sequencing reads. However, in light of new advances in sequencing technology, such as increased read length and paired-end libraries, these repetitive regions are now becoming easier to align to. This study investigates the mappability of transposable elements with 50 bp, 76 bp and 100 bp paired-end read libraries. With respect to those read lengths and allowing for 3 mismatches during alignment, over 68, 85, and 88% of all transposable elements in the RepeatMasker database are uniquely …

A Method For Improving The Accuracy And Efficiency Of Bacteriophage Genome Annotation, Alicia Salisbury, Philippos K. Tsourkas

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Bacteriophages are the most numerous entities on Earth. The number of sequenced phage genomes is approximately 8000 and increasing rapidly. Sequencing of a genome is followed by annotation, where genes, start codons, and functions are putatively identified. The mainstays of phage genome annotation are auto-annotation programs such as Glimmer and GeneMark. Due to the relatively small size of phage genomes, many groups choose to manually curate auto-annotation results to increase accuracy. An additional benefit of manual curation of auto-annotated phage genomes is that the process is amenable to be performed by students, and has been shown to improve student recruitment …

A Method For Improving The Accuracy And Efficiency Of Bacteriophage Genome Annotation, Philippos Tsourkas, Alicia Salisbury

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Bacteriophages are the most numerous entities on Earth. The number of sequenced phage genomes is approximately 8000 and increasing rapidly. Sequencing of a genome is followed by annotation, where genes, start codons, and functions are putatively identified. The mainstays of phage genome annotation are auto-annotation programs such as Glimmer and GeneMark. Due to the relatively small size of phage genomes, many groups choose to manually curate auto-annotation results to increase accuracy. An additional benefit of manual curation of auto-annotated phage genomes is that the process is amenable to be performed by students, and has been shown to improve student recruitment …

An Unexpected Rhenium(Iv)–Rhenium(Vii) Salt: [Co(Nh3)6]3[Reviio4][Reivf6]46h2o, James Louis_Jean, Samudee Mariappan Balasekaran, Adelheid Hagenbach, Frederic Poineau

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research

The title hydrated salt, tris[hexaamminecobalt(III)] tetraoxidorhenate(VII) tetrakis[hexafluoridorhenate(IV)] hexahydrate, arose unexpectedly due to possible contamination of the K2ReF6 starting material with KReO4. It consists of octahedral [Co(NH3)6] 3+ cation (Co1 site symmetry 1), tetrahedral [ReVIIO4] anions (Re site symmetry 1) and octahedral [ReIVF6] 2 anions (Re site symmetries 1and 3). The [ReF6] 2 octahedral anions (mean Re—F = 1.834 A˚ ), [Co(NH3)6] 3+ octahedral cations (mean Co—N = 1.962 A˚ ), and the [ReO4] tetrahedral anion (mean Re—O = 1.719 A˚ ) are slightly distorted. A network of N—HF hydrogen bonds consolidates the structure. The crystal studied was refined as a …

Position-Specific Metabolic Probing And Metagenomics Of Microbial Communities Reveal Conserved Central Carbon Metabolic Network Activities At High Temperatures, Scott C. Thomas, Kevin O. Tamadonfar, Cale O. Seymour, Dengxun Lai, Jeremy A. Dodsworth, Senthil K. Murugapiran, Emiley A. Eloe-Fadrosh, Paul Dijkstra, Brian P. Hedlund

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Temperature is a primary driver of microbial community composition and taxonomic diversity; however, it is unclear to what extent temperature affects characteristics of central carbon metabolic pathways (CCMPs) at the community level. In this study, 16S rRNA gene amplicon and metagenome sequencing were combined with 13C-labeled metabolite probing of the CCMPs to assess community carbon metabolism along a temperature gradient (60–95°C) in Great Boiling Spring, NV. 16S rRNA gene amplicon diversity was inversely proportional to temperature, and Archaea were dominant at higher temperatures. KO richness and diversity were also inversely proportional to temperature, yet CCMP genes were similarly represented across …