Life Sciences Commons^™

Detecting Forest Response To Droughts With Global Observations Of Vegetation Water Content, Alexandra G. Konings, Sassan S. Saatchi, Christian Frankenberg, Michael Keller, Victor Leshyk, William R. L. Anderegg, Vincent Humphrey, Ashley M. Matheny, Anna Trugman, Bradley O. Christoffersen

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Droughts in a warming climate have become more common and more extreme, making understanding forest responses to water stress increasingly pressing. Analysis of water stress in trees has long focused on water potential in xylem and leaves, which influences stomatal closure and water flow through the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. At the same time, changes of vegetation water content (VWC) are linked to a range of tree responses, including fluxes of water and carbon, mortality, flammability, and more. Unlike water potential, which requires demanding in situ measurements, VWC can be retrieved from remote sensing measurements, particularly at microwave frequencies using radar and …

Domesticating The Exotic? An Online Survey Of Attitudes Towards The International Wildlife Pet Trade, Andrea Contina, Christopher E. Anderson, David C. Hille, William F. Oakley, Eli S. Bridge, Jeffrey F. Kelly, Haley O. Smith, Jennifer Koch, Lori L. Jervis

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

There are a variety of perspectives on wildlife management and conservation, necessitating interdisciplinary research to develop better management strategies. We answered the call to action provided by Teel et al. (2018) to integrate social sciences into conservation and explored an important but understudied issue: views on the international pet-trade of exotic animals. Some pet owners advocate the pet trade as a means to promote conservation, where removing wild animals from their natural habitat could protect them from degraded environments. To gauge how prevalent this attitude is in a cross-national sample, we conducted an online survey that asked 882 participants worldwide …

Effects Of Patch Size, Fragmentation, And Invasive Species On Plant And Lepidoptera Communities In Southern Texas, James A. Stilley, Christopher A. Gabler

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Simple Summary

Human land use has removed habitats, separated habitats into small and disconnected fragments, and introduced foreign species, which all harm wildlife. South Texas is highly diverse and home to many endangered species, but human disturbance threatens its wildlife. In south Texas, we poorly understand how different aspects of human land use influence wildlife diversity and abundance. We studied this by surveying plants and butterflies in 24 habitat fragments in south Texas that differed in size, shape, type, and land use history. Human disturbance was extensive, and foreign and weedy species were dominant in most habitats. Habitat types had …

Deciphering The Role Of Ion Channels In Early Defense Signaling Against Herbivorous Insects, Akanksha Gandhi, Rupesh R. Kariyat, Amaravadhi Harikishore, Marzieh Ayati, Anirban Bhunia, Nirakar Sahoo

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Plants and insect herbivores are in a relentless battle to outwit each other. Plants have evolved various strategies to detect herbivores and mount an effective defense system against them. These defenses include physical and structural barriers such as spines, trichomes, cuticle, or chemical compounds, including secondary metabolites such as phenolics and terpenes. Plants perceive herbivory by both mechanical and chemical means. Mechanical sensing can occur through the perception of insect biting, piercing, or chewing, while chemical signaling occurs through the perception of various herbivore-derived compounds such as oral secretions (OS) or regurgitant, insect excreta (frass), or oviposition fluids. Interestingly, ion …

Multivariate Analysis Of 1.5 Million People Identifies Genetic Associations With Traits Related To Self-Regulation And Addiction, Richard Karlsson Linnér, Travis T. Mallard, Peter B. Barr, Sandra Sanchez-Roige, James W. Madole, Morgan N. Driver, Holly E. Poore, Ronald De Vlaming, Andrew D. Grotzinger, Mark Z. Kos

School of Medicine Publications

Behaviors and disorders related to self-regulation, such as substance use, antisocial behavior and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, are collectively referred to as externalizing and have shared genetic liability. We applied a multivariate approach that leverages genetic correlations among externalizing traits for genome-wide association analyses. By pooling data from ~1.5 million people, our approach is statistically more powerful than single-trait analyses and identifies more than 500 genetic loci. The loci were enriched for genes expressed in the brain and related to nervous system development. A polygenic score constructed from our results predicts a range of behavioral and medical outcomes that were not part …

Use Of Its‑1 To Identify Bactrocera Dorsalis And Bactrocera Occipitalis (Diptera: Tephritidae): A Case Study Using Flies Trapped In California From 2008 To 2018, Norman B. Barr, Martin Hauser, Jennifer Belcher, David Salinas, Erin Schuenzel, Peter Kerr, Stephen Gaimari

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Molecular methods are necessary to diagnose immature life stages of the agricultural pest fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), and are useful to corroborate identifications based on adults because morphological variation within the species can overlap with congeners. DNA sequencing of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS‑1) has been adopted by the International Plant Protection Convention as an internationally accepted method to distinguish between the 2 pestiferous fruit fly species Bactrocera dorsalis and Bactrocera carambolae (Drew & Hancock). Reported ITS‑1 sequences also are distinct and diagnostically informative to distinguish several other Bactrocera species related to B. dorsalis. In this …

Increasing Public Health Mosquito Surveillance In Hidalgo County, Texas To Monitor Vector And Arboviral Presence, Clarissa D. Guerrero, Steven Hinojosa, Diana Vanegas, Niko Tapangan, Matthew Guajardo, Sara Alaniz, Narda Cano, Christopher Vitek, John M. Thomas, Valerie Hernandez, Juan Garcia Jr.

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

From 2016 to 2018, Hidalgo County observed the emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) infections along with sporadic cases of Dengue virus (DENV) and West Nile virus (WNV). Due to the emergence of ZIKV and the historical presence of other mosquito-borne illnesses, Hidalgo County obtained funding to enhance mosquito surveillance and educate residents on arboviruses and travel risks. During this time period, Hidalgo County mosquito surveillance efforts increased by 1.275%. This increase resulted in >8000 mosquitoes collected, and 28 mosquito species identified. Aedes aegypti, Ae albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus made up approximately two-thirds of the mosquitoes collected in 2018 (4122/6171). Spatiotemporal …

Do Early-Successional Weeds Facilitate Or Compete With Seedlings In Forest Restoration? Disentangling Abiotic Versus Biotic Factors, Mylen Arias, Rupesh R. Kariyat, Kimberly Wahl-Villarreal, Stephany Mendez, Jesus Chavana, Bradley O. Christoffersen

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

1. Semi-arid forests need cost-effective restoration strategies to address their severe degradation. Tree shelters are often used to minimize abiotic and biotic stress during seedling establishment. We asked if early-successional weeds act as a natural shelter by facilitating native seedlings, contingent on abiotic and biotic stressors and seedling ecological strategy.

2. We conducted a manipulative weed exclusion experiment at a semi-arid site in South Texas targeted for large-scale forest restoration to discern the net effect of weeds on the growth and survival of target thornscrub tree and shrub seedlings. We assessed the roles of contrasting seedling ecological strategies (fast vs. slow growth …

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Molecular Characterization And Expression Of Cytochrome P450 Aromatase In Atlantic Croaker Brain: Regulation By Antioxidant Status And Nitric Oxide Synthase During Hypoxia Stress, Md Saydur Rahman, Peter Thomas

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We have previously shown that nitric oxide synthase (NOS, an enzyme) is significantly increased during hypoxic stress in Atlantic croaker brains and modulated by an antioxidant (AOX). However, the influence of NOS and AOX on cytochrome P450 aromatase (AROM, CYP19a1, an enzyme) activity on vertebrate brains during hypoxic stress is largely unknown. In this study, we characterized brain AROM (bAROM, CYP19a1b) cDNA in croaker and examined the interactive effects of hypoxia and a NOS-inhibitor or AOX on AROM activity. The amino acid sequence of croaker bAROM cDNA is highly homologous (76–80%) to other marine teleost bAROM cDNAs. Both real-time PCR …

Temperatures Influence Susceptibility To Insecticides In Aedes Aegypti And Aedes Albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) Mosquitoes, Wendy S. Salinas, Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo, Christopher Vitek

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) are vectors for several arboviruses, including dengue, Zika virus and chikungunya virus. The primary method of controlling these diseases is controlling the vector population, often with insecticides. Insecticide resistance may impact the success of these efforts. We tested the effect of variable temperature exposures on susceptibility to insecticides by exposing adult A. aegypti and A. albopictus to different temperatures and tested their susceptibility to insecticides. We hypothesized that adults maintained at high temperatures would show increased susceptibility to insecticides relative to lower temperatures. Colony mosquitoes were hatched, reared to adulthood and then maintained …

Endophytic Beauveria Bassiana Increases Galling Of ‘Rutgers’ Tomato Roots With Meloidogyne Incognita, Shalini Yerukala, Ernest C. Bernard, Kimberly D. Gwinn, David M. Butler, Parwinder Grewal, Bonnie H. Ownley

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Beauveria bassiana is endophytic in many plant species and has been shown to protect host plants against insect pests and plant pathogens. However, less is known about its activity against plant-parasitic nematodes. In vitro and plant assays were conducted to determine the effect of B. bassiana 11-98 (Bb) on Meloidogyne incognita (root-knot nematode; RKN). Beauveria bassiana was confirmed as an endophyte in ‘Rutgers’ tomato and colonization patterns of Bb in ‘Rutgers’ (highly susceptible to RKN) were compared with those in ‘Mountain Spring’ (less susceptible to RKN). In greenhouse tests with ‘Rutgers’ at 30 and 60 days after treatment (DAT) with …

Chemical Investigation Of Camu Camu (Myrciaria Dubia) Leaves And Roots, Jorge L. Flores

Theses and Dissertations

Flores, Jorge L., Chemical Investigation of Camu Camu (Myrciaria dubia) Leaves and Roots. Master of Science (MS), December, 2020, 45 pp., 8 Tables, 28 Figures, 21 references, 12 titles.Being the largest on the planet, the Amazon rainforest also has the greatest biodiversity of plant life on earth. In the lowland regions of the Amazon grows the Peruvian camu camu (Myrciaria dubia) plant. A short and shaggy shrub, camu camu produces a tasty but sour fruit. Camu camu’s berry-like fruit is widely consumed by the native people of the Amazon. Its distinguished richness in vitamin C, as …

Investigation Of Techniques And Their Application For The Cryopreservation Of Algal Species, Jazmine Leija

Theses and Dissertations

An alternative source for petroleum-based crude oils are algae derived biofuels. Fossil fuels are harmful for the environment, expensive and becoming scarce. There has been an increase in research on environmentally sustainable energy, using lipids derived from microalgae, which can be converted into biofuel. The use of microalgae as a source for biofuels has a lot of benefits including decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, rapid fuel production, absorption of carbon dioxide, and production of a renewable source of energy.

Algae cryopreservation aids in the maintenance of the best algae strains selected for producing lipids for biofuels. Cryopreservation will help minimize genetic …

Variation In Trichome Types And Density Mediates Plant-Herbivore Interactions In Two Cucurbitaceae Members, Ishveen Kaur

Theses and Dissertations

Plant structural defenses such as trichomes and spines exert a significant selection pressure on insect herbivores. However, how species variation affects structural defense trait expression in closely related species is less understood. Through our studies, we tried to dissect the role of trichomes in mediating plant-insect interactions, in two non-model cultivated species in Cucurbitaceae: Lageneria siceraria, and Cucumis sativa family, and Trichoplusia ni as our major herbivore of interest. We observed that species differed in their attractiveness to different herbivores and their feeding behavior in common garden experiment. To tease apart structural and chemical defenses and their independent roles …

Effects Of Early Corticosterone Treatment On Vocal Babbling In Wild Green-Rumped Parrotlets (Forpus Passerinus), Celia Rose Mclean

Theses and Dissertations

The stress axis of the endocrine system allows for animals to respond to environmental stressors in contextually appropriate ways. Elevated levels of the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) in male songbirds can result in compromised song learning ability. Parrots form a sister group to songbirds, but it is unknown whether CORT affects vocal development in parrots. The goal of this study was to assess the effects of CORT supplements in green-rumped parrotlets (Forpus passerinus), a free-ranging parrot species in Venezuela. Bouts of vocal babbling were extracted from nest box videos and analyzed. CORT supplementation resulted in differences in babbling …

Biochar Applications To The Remediation Of Lead And Polychlorinated Biphenyl Contaminated Water, Victory Itua Igberase

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the performance of biochar materials as adsorbents to remove Pb and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) in aqueous solutions. Batch adsorption and column experiment packed with biochar and geomaterials (pumice) in 1:1 volume ratio was evaluated to address the efficacy of biochar in removing Pb while only batch adsorption was employed for PCB removal with biochar materials. Overall, PT biochars performed the best (42–53 mg g−1) followed by BE biochars (10–32 mg g−1) and AB biochars (17–27 mg g−1) while high temperature biochars were favored in terms of maximum Pb adsorption capacity. Column Pb breakthrough showed similar results, with …

Soil Chemistry Modification By Guinea Grass In Semi-Arid Soils: A Litter Mediated Positive Feedback, Vanessa Elizabeth Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Nutrients are a key component of healthy soils. Their composition plays an important role in plant growth through nutrient cycling and directly influences the functioning of plant communities in both agricultural and natural ecosystems. Shifts in macronutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen may be initiated by invasive growth as a driver for competition with native plants. The goal of this study is to explore the plant soil feedback in an exotic invasive plant, Guinea grass (Pancium maximum), an invasive bunch grass originally from Africa, across different habitat types in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV). To determine a positive plant …

Uptake Analysis Of As(Iii) And As(V) By Cassia Fistula Seedlings, Valeria Velazquez

Theses and Dissertations

The natural and anthropogenic contamination of water by arsenic has become a major concern to the environment and public health. Phytoremediation is an attractive alternative to ecologically friendly remove contaminants at a potential high efficiency and low cost. Absorption of As(III) and As(V) was evaluated by the measuring the content of arsenic in the roots, leaves and stems Cassia fistula grown under controlled conditions in a hydroponics system. After seeds were germinated, the plants were grown in Hoagland nutrient solution individually supplemented with 1, 2, 5 ppm of As(III) and As(V). After two weeks of exposure, samples of leaves, roots, …

Protistan Grazing Impacts Microbial Communities And Carbon Cycling At Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents, Sarah K. Hu, Erica L. Herrera, Amy R. Smith, Maria G. Pachiadaki, Virginia P. Edgcomb, Sean P. Sylva, Eric W. Chan, Jeffrey S. Seewald, Christopher R. German, Julie A. Huber

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Microbial eukaryotes (or protists) in marine ecosystems are a link between primary producers and all higher trophic levels, and the rate at which heterotrophic protistan grazers consume microbial prey is a key mechanism for carbon transport and recycling in microbial food webs. At deep-sea hydrothermal vents, chemosynthetic bacteria and archaea form the base of a food web that functions in the absence of sunlight, but the role of protistan grazers in these highly productive ecosystems is largely unexplored. Here, we pair grazing experiments with a molecular survey to quantify protistan grazing and to characterize the composition of vent-associated protists in …

Comparative Study Of Leachate Characterization: Implication For Sustainable Environmental Management, Osakpolor Marvellous Omorogieva, Victory Itua Igberase

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding the sources of environmental stressors, the role of geology, climate and technology would provide a guide to solving the problems posed by such stressor. The study examine the sources of wastes in Ikhueniro open dumpsite located in Benin city, Nigeria and characterize the leachate emanating from it. This will assist in adequate design of managerial scheme to tackle the menace posed by it while putting into consideration the role of geology, climate and technology. The key objectives are to carry out field study, characterize wastes in the dumpsite and collect raw leachate emanating from the wastes heap in order …

Assessing Climate Change Impacts On Live Fuel Moisture And Wildfire Risk Using A Hydrodynamic Vegetation Model, Wu Ma, Lu Zhai, Alexandria Pivovaroff, Jacquelyn Shuman, Polly Buotte, Junyan Ding, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Ryan G. Knox, Max Moritz, Rosie A. Fisher

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Live fuel moisture content (LFMC) plays a critical role in wildfire dynamics, but little is known about responses of LFMC to multivariate climate change, e.g., warming temperature, CO2 fertilization, and altered precipitation patterns, leading to a limited prediction ability of future wildfire risks. Here, we use a hydrodynamic demographic vegetation model to estimate LFMC dynamics of chaparral shrubs, a dominant vegetation type in fire-prone southern California. We parameterize the model based on observed shrub allometry and hydraulic traits and evaluate the model's accuracy through comparisons between observed and simulated LFMC of three plant functional types (PFTs) under current climate conditions. …

Survival Kinetics And Antimicrobial Interventions To Mitigate Foodborne Pathogen Contamination Of Low-Moisture Foods, Rajat Sharma

Theses and Dissertations

Contamination of low-moisture foods (LMFs) with foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella and Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) has been rising over the last couple of years. Commodity groups such as peanuts, tree nuts, and their products are frequently recalled when associated with illness outbreaks resulting from these pathogens. In this project, two major challenges related to understanding the survival kinetics of pathogens and the efficacy of novel antimicrobial treatments in mitigating their risk in LMFs were systematically investigated. Studies were conducted for determining the survival kinetics of three Salmonella spp. strains in three different tree nut flours (i.e., almond, chestnut, …

Species-Specific Responses To Restoration Interventions In A Tamaulipan Thornforest, Faeqa Mohsin, Mylen A. Arias, Clifton Albrecht, Kimberly Wahl-Villarreal, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo, Bradley O. Christoffersen

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

In the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of south Texas, native thornscrub forest restoration has been ongoing for the past four decades, yet few assessments of their efficacy exist, and no study has yet quantified species-specific responses. Seedling transplantation in conjunction one or more restoration interventions (RIs) remains the method of choice at most sites, and thus the initial months following transplantation, when seedlings are especially vulnerable to drought and animal damage, are a critical time for determining restoration success. To this end, we evaluated the survival, growth, and animal damage of 3600 native seedlings of 24 thornforest species in …

The Conservation Status Of The World’S Freshwater Molluscs, M. Böhm, N. I. Dewhurst-Richman, M. Seddon, C. Albrecht, D. Allen, A. E. Bogan, K. Cummings, G. Darrigran, W. Darwall, Kathryn E. Perez

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

With the biodiversity crisis continuing unchecked, we need to establish levels and drivers of extinction risk, and reassessments over time, to effectively allocate conservation resources and track progress towards global conservation targets. Given that threat appears particularly high in freshwaters, we assessed the extinction risk of 1428 randomly selected freshwater molluscs using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, as part of the Sampled Red List Index project. We show that close to one-third of species in our sample are estimated to be threatened with extinction, with highest levels of threat in the Nearctic, Palearctic and Australasia and among gastropods. …

Relationship Between Cognitive Performance, Physical Activity, And Socio-Demographic/ Individual Characteristics Among Aging Americans, Imtiaz Masfique Dowllah

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the attenuation of association following adjustments for covariates, participants who engaged in 3–6 hr/wk of vigorous- and > 1 hr/wk of moderate-intensity PA scored significantly higher in tests that assessed executive function and processing speed domains of cognition compared to inactive peers (η2 = 0.005 & 0.007 respectively, p < 0.05). Also, after adjustment, the effects of 1–3 hr/wk of vigorous-intensity PA became trivial for the delayed recall memory domain test scores (β = 0.33; 95% CI: –0.01, 0.67; η2 = 0.002; p = 0.56). There was no clear dose-response relationship between the cognitive test scores and weekly moderate-intensity PA. Interestingly, higher handgrip strength and higher late-life body-mass-index were associated with a higher performance across all cognitive domains. Observed associations provide evidence linking habitual PA with superior cognition health among older adults. Furthermore, increased muscle strength and higher late-life adiposity may …

Effects Of Scarification, Phytohormones, Soil Type, And Warming On The Germination And/Or Seedling Performance Of Three Tamaulipan Thornscrub Forest Species, Paula Luera, Kimberly Wahl-Villarreal, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Abeny Treviño, Pushpa Soti, Christopher A. Gabler

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The Tamaulipan thornforests of south Texas and northeast Mexico are an ecologically and economically important conservation hotspot. Thornforest restoration is limited by native tree and shrub seedling availability for planting. Seedling shortages arise from low seed availability and knowledge gaps regarding best practices for germinating and growing the 70+ thornforest species desired for restoration plantings. To fill key knowledge gaps, we investigated three ecologically important thornforest species with low or highly variable germination or seedling survival rates: Ebenopsis ebano, Cordia boissieri, and Zanthoxylum fagara. For each, we quantified the effects of different dosages of chemical seed treatments used to promote …

Deep-Sea Biodiversity At The Extremes Of The Salas Y Gómez And Nazca Ridges With Implications For Conservation, Alan M. Friedlander, Whitney Goodell, Jonatha Giddens, Erin E. Easton, Daniel Wagner

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges are underwater mountain chains that stretch across 2,900 km in the southeastern Pacific and are recognized for their high biodiversity value and unique ecological characteristics. Explorations of deep-water ecosystems have been limited in this region, and elsewhere globally. To characterize community composition of mesophotic and deep-sea demersal fauna at seamounts in the region, we conducted expeditions to Rapa Nui (RN) and Salas y Gómez (SyG) islands in 2011 and Desventuradas Islands in 2013. Remote autonomous baited-cameras were used to conduct stationary video surveys between 150–1,850 m at RN/SyG (N = 20) and 75–2,363 …

Hydraulic Architecture Explains Species Moisture Dependency But Not Mortality Rates Across A Tropical Rainfall Gradient, Alexandria L. Pivovaroff, Brett T. Wolfe, Nate G. Mcdowell, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Stuart J. Davies, L. Turin Dickman, Charlotte Grossiord, Riley T. Leff, Alistair Rogers, Shawn P. Serbin

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Intensified droughts are affecting tropical forests across the globe. However, the underlying mechanisms of tree drought response and mortality are poorly understood. Hydraulic traits and especially hydraulic safety margins (HSMs), that is, the extent to which plants buffer themselves from thresholds of water stress, provide insights into species-specific drought vulnerability. We investigated hydraulic traits during an intense drought triggered by the 2015–2016 El Niño on 27 canopy tree species across three tropical forest sites with differing precipitation. We capitalized on the drought event as a time when plant water status might approach or exceed thresholds of water stress. We investigated …

Draft Genome Sequences Of 13 Vibrio Cholerae Strains From The Rio Grande Delta, Jeffrey W. Turner, Jorge Duran-Gonzalez, David A. Laughlin, Daniel Unterweger, David Silva, Boris Ermolinsky, Stefan Pukatzki, Daniele Provenzano

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Vibrio cholerae is the etiologic agent of cholera, an acute and often fatal diarrheal disease that affects millions globally. We report the draft genome sequences of 13 non-O1/O139 V. cholerae strains isolated from the Rio Grande Delta in Texas. These genomes will aid future analyses of environmental serovars.

Genome-Wide Association Study Of More Than 40,000 Bipolar Disorder Cases Provides New Insights Into The Underlying Biology, Niamh Mullins, Andreas J. Forstner, Kevin S. O’Connell, Brandon Coombes, Ney Alliey Rodriguez

School of Medicine Publications

Bipolar disorder is a heritable mental illness with complex etiology. We performed a genome-wide association study of 41,917 bipolar disorder cases and 371,549 controls of European ancestry, which identified 64 associated genomic loci. Bipolar disorder risk alleles were enriched in genes in synaptic signaling pathways and brain-expressed genes, particularly those with high specificity of expression in neurons of the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Significant signal enrichment was found in genes encoding targets of antipsychotics, calcium channel blockers, antiepileptics and anesthetics. Integrating expression quantitative trait locus data implicated 15 genes robustly linked to bipolar disorder via gene expression, encoding druggable targets …