Life Sciences Commons^™

Microarray Analysis Of A Salamander Hopeful Monster Reveals Transcriptional Signatures Of Paedomorphic Brain Development, Robert B. Page, Meredith A. Boley, Jeramiah J. Smith, Srikrishna Putta, Stephen R. Voss

Biology Faculty Publications

Background

The Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is considered a hopeful monster because it exhibits an adaptive and derived mode of development - paedomorphosis - that has evolved rapidly and independently among tiger salamanders. Unlike related tiger salamanders that undergo metamorphosis, axolotls retain larval morphological traits into adulthood and thus present an adult body plan that differs dramatically from the ancestral (metamorphic) form. The basis of paedomorphic development was investigated by comparing temporal patterns of gene transcription between axolotl and tiger salamander larvae (Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum) that typically undergo a metamorphosis.

Results

Transcript abundances from whole brain …

Microarray Analysis Of A Salamander Hopeful Monster Reveals Transcriptional Signatures Of Paedomorphic Brain Development, Robert B. Page, Meredith A. Boley, Jeramiah J. Smith, Srikrishna Putta, Stephen R. Voss

Biology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is considered a hopeful monster because it exhibits an adaptive and derived mode of development - paedomorphosis - that has evolved rapidly and independently among tiger salamanders. Unlike related tiger salamanders that undergo metamorphosis, axolotls retain larval morphological traits into adulthood and thus present an adult body plan that differs dramatically from the ancestral (metamorphic) form. The basis of paedomorphic development was investigated by comparing temporal patterns of gene transcription between axolotl and tiger salamander larvae (Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum) that typically undergo a metamorphosis.

RESULTS: Transcript abundances from whole brain and pituitary were estimated …

Estuarine Nitrifiers: New Players, Patterns And Processes, Anne E. Bernhard, Annette Bollmann

Biology Faculty Publications

Ever since the first descriptions of ammonia-oxidizing Bacteria by Winogradsky in the late 1800s, the metabolic capability of aerobic ammonia oxidation has been restricted to a phylogenetically narrow group of bacteria. However, the recent discovery of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea has forced microbiologists and ecologists to re-evaluate long-held paradigms and the role of niche partitioning between bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidizers. Much of the current research has been conducted in open ocean or terrestrial systems, where community patterns of archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidizers are highly congruent. Studies of archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidizers in estuarine systems, however, present a very different …

Avoidance Of Skeletal Muscle Atrophy In Spontaneous And Facultative Hibernators, Clark Cotton, Henry J. Harlow

Biology Faculty Publications

Smooth and skeletal muscle changes were compared from overwintering white-tailed prairie dogs, spontaneous hibernators that undergo regular, low-temperature torpor bouts, and black-tailed prairie dogs, facultative hibernators that use sporadic, moderate-temperature torpor bouts. The objectives were to assess the abilities of these two species with dramatically different torpor patterns (1) to conserve skeletal muscle morphology, protein, and strength and (2) to use labile protein in the small intestine and liver during the winter season of reduced activity and food intake. Mass and protein concentration of the extensor digitorum longus (EDL), soleus, liver, and small intestine, as well as skeletal muscle strength …

Chemical Genetics Of Plasmodium Falciparum, W. Armand Guiguemde, Agnang A. Shelat, David Bouck, Sandara Duffy, Gregory J. Crowther, Paul H. Davis, David S. Smithson

Biology Faculty Publications

Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum is a disease that is responsible for 880,000 deaths per year worldwide. Vaccine development has proved difficult and resistance has emerged for most antimalarial drugs. To discover new antimalarial chemotypes, we have used a phenotypic forward chemical genetic approach to assay 309,474 chemicals. Here we disclose structures and biological activity of the entire library—many of which showed potent in vitro activity against drug-resistant P. falciparum strains—and detailed profiling of 172 representative candidates. A reverse chemical genetic study identified 19 new inhibitors of 4 validated drug targets and 15 novel binders among 61 malarial proteins. Phylochemogenetic …

Seasonal Patterns Of Arthropod Diversity And Abundance On Big Sagebrush, Artemisia Tridentata, Monte P. Sanford, Nancy J. Huntly

Biology Faculty Publications

The sagebrush biotype is the largest in the western United States. This vast sagebrush community is thought to harbor equally vast and diverse arthropod communities, but these remain little explored. Our objective was to examine the diversity, abundance, and seasonal phenology of arthropod taxa found on the dominant shrub of the sagebrush ecosystem, big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata). We wanted to improve understanding of this little-studied arthropod assemblage that may play significant roles in the dynamics of sagebrush populations and the sagebrush ecosystem. We sampled free-living and gall-forming arthropods from a stratified random sample of sagebrush plants at the …

Distinct Pathways Mediate The Sorting Of Tail-Anchored Proteins To The Plastid Outer Envelope, Preetinder K. Dhanao, Lynn G.L. Richardson, Matthew D. Smith, Satinder K. Gidda, Matthew P.A. Henderson, David W. Andrews, Robert T. Mullen

Biology Faculty Publications

Background: Tail-anchored (TA) proteins are a distinct class of membrane proteins that are sorted post-translationally to various organelles and function in a number of important cellular processes, including redox reactions, vesicular trafficking and protein translocation. While the molecular targeting signals and pathways responsible for sorting TA proteins to their correct intracellular destinations in yeasts and mammals have begun to be characterized, relatively little is known about TA protein biogenesis in plant cells, especially for those sorted to the plastid outer envelope.

Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we investigated the biogenesis of three plastid TA proteins, including the 33-kDa and 34-kDa …

One Lump Or Two: How Many Wild Gingers Inhabit North America?, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

Depending on which source one consults, the answer is either one (Asarum), or two (Asarum + Hexastylis). It is a classic lump-or-split situation. To mention just a few sources, Fernald (1950) and Gleason & Cronquist (1991) lump all the wild gingers into a single genus, whereas Radford et al. (1968), the Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora (Virginia Botanical Associates 2010), and the Flora of North America (Whitmore & Gaddy 1997; Whitmore et al. 1997) split Asarum and Hexastylis apart. Deference to authority is a poor way to assess any scientific question, and for these wild …

Adapting Biodegradable Oligo(Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Fumarate) Hydrogels For Pigment Epithelial Cell Encapsulation And Lens Regeneration, Mimi W. Zhang, Hansoo Park, Xuan Guo, Kenta Nakamura, Robert M. Raphael, F. Kurtis Kasper, Antonios G. Mikos, Panagiotis A. Tsonis

Biology Faculty Publications

This study investigated the encapsulation of newt iris pigment epithelial cells (PECs), which have the ability to regenerate a lens by trans-differentiation in vivo, within a biodegradable hydrogel of oligo(poly(ethylene glycol) fumarate) crosslinked with poly(ethylene glycol)-diacrylate. Hydrogel beads of initial diameter of 1mm were fabricated by a molding technique. The swelling ratio and degradation rate of the hydrogel beads decreased with increasing crosslinking ratios. Confocal microscopy confirmed the cytocompatibility of crosslinking hydrogel formulations as evidenced by the viability of an encapsulated model cell line within a crosslinked hydrogel bead. Hydrogel beads encapsulating iris PECs were also implanted into lentectomized newts …

Abundance Of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea And Bacteria Along An Estuarine Salinity Gradient In Relationship To Potential Nitrification Rates, Anne E. Bernhard, Zachary C. Landry, Alison Blevins, José R. De La Torre, Anne E. Giblin, David A. Stahl

Biology Faculty Publications

Abundance of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea (AOA) was found to be always greater than that of ammonia-oxidizing Bacteria along an estuarine salinity gradient, and AOA abundance was highest at intermediate salinity. However, AOA abundance did not correlate with potential nitrification rates. This lack of correlation may be due to methodological limitations or alternative energy sources.

A Meta-Analysis Of Resource Pulse-Consumer Interactions, Louie H. Yang, Kyle F. Edwards, Jarrett E. Byrnes, Justin Bastow, Amber N. Wright, Kenneth O. Spence

Biology Faculty Publications

Resource Pulses are infrequent, large-magnitude, and short-duration events of increased resource availability. They include a diverse set of extreme events in a wide range of ecosystems, but identifying general patterns among the diversity of pulsed resource phenomena in nature remains an important challenge. Here we present a meta-analysis of resource pulse-consumer interactions that addresses four key questions: (1) Which characteristics of pulsed resources best predict their effects on consumers? (2) Which characteristics of consumers best predict their responses to resource pulses? (3) How do the effects of resource Pulses differ in different ecosystems? (4) What are the indirect effects of …

Differences In The Transcriptome Signatures Of Two Genetically Related Entamoeba Histolytica Cell Lines Derived From The Same Isolate With Different Pathogenic Properties, Laura Biller, Paul H. Davis, Manuela Tillack, Jenny Matthiesen, Hannelore Lotter, Samuel L. Stanley, Egbert Tannich, Iris Bruchhaus

Biology Faculty Publications

Results: The availability of two genetically very similar cell lines (A and B) derived from the laboratory isolate Entamoeba histolytica HM-1:IMSS, which differ in their virulence properties, provides a powerful tool for identifying pathogenicity factors of the causative agent of human amoebiasis. Cell line A is incapable inducing liver abscesses in gerbils, whereas interaction with cell line B leads to considerable abscess formation. Phenotypic characterization of both cell lines revealed that trophozoites from the pathogenic cell line B have a larger cell size, an increased growth rate in vitro, an increased cysteine peptidase activity and higher resistance to nitric …

Behavioral And Chemical Ecology Of Marine Organisms With Respect To Tetrodotoxin, Becky L. Williams

Biology Faculty Publications

The behavioral and chemical ecology of marine organisms that possess tetrodotoxin (TTX) has not been comprehensively reviewed in one work to date. The evidence for TTX as an antipredator defense, as venom, as a sex pheromone, and as an attractant for TTX-sequestering organisms is discussed. Little is known about the adaptive value of TTX in microbial producers; thus, I focus on what is known about metazoans that are purported to accumulate TTX through diet or symbioses. Much of what has been proposed is inferred based on the anatomical distribution of TTX. Direct empirical tests of these hypotheses are absent in …

Bilateral Multi-Electrode Neurophysiological Recordings Coupled To Local Pharmacology In Awake Songbirds, Liisa A. Tremere, Thomas A. Terleph, Jin Kwon Jeong, Raphael Pinaud

Biology Faculty Publications

Here we describe a protocol for bilateral multielectrode neurophysiological recordings during intracerebral pharmacological manipulations in awake songbirds. This protocol encompasses fitting adult animals with head-posts and recording chambers, and acclimating them to periods of restraint. The adaptation period is followed by bilateral penetrations of multiple electrodes to obtain acute, sensory-driven neurophysiological responses before versus during the application of pharmacological agents of interest. These local manipulations are achieved by simultaneous and restricted drug infusions carried out independently for each hemisphere. We have used this protocol to elucidate how neurotransmitter and neuroendocrine systems shape the auditory and perceptual processing of natural, learned …

The Identification Of Rana Ocellata Linnaeus, 1758. Nomenclatural Impact On The Species Currently Known As Leptodactylus Ocellatus (Leptodactylidae) And Osteopilus Brunneus (Gosse, 1851) (Hylidae), Esteban O. Lavilla, José A. Langone, Ulisses Caramaschi, W. Ronald Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

The usage of the name Rana ocellata Linnaeus, 1758, is plagued by misidentifications and misinterpretations. After an exhaustive bibliographic review, we conclude that the Linnaeus 1758 name refers to Osteopilus brunneus (Gosse, 1851) from Jamaica, while the taxon currently known as Leptodactylus ocellatus corresponds to Rana latrans Steffen, 1815. Herein, we designate and provide descriptions of the neotypes of Leptodactylus latrans (Steffen, 1815), revalidated, new combination, and Osteopilus ocellatus (Linnaeus, 1758), new combination, as a senior synonym of Osteopilus brunneus (Gosse, 1851).

Systemic Administration Of Antiretrovirals Prior To Exposure Prevents Rectal And Intravenous Hiv-1 Transmission In Humanized Blt Mice, Paul W. Denton, John F. Krisko, Daniel A. Powell, Melissa Mathias, Youn Tae Kwak, Francisco Martinez-Torres, Wei Zou, Deborah A. Payne, Jacob D. Estes, J. Victor Garcia

Biology Faculty Publications

Successful antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for mucosal and intravenous HIV-1 transmission could reduce new infections among targeted high-risk populations including discordant couples, injection drug users, high-risk women and men who have sex with men. Targeted antiretroviral PrEP could be particularly effective at slowing the spread of HIV-1 if a single antiretroviral combination were found to be broadly protective across multiple routes of transmission. Therefore, we designed our in vivo preclinical study to systematically investigate whether rectal and intravenous HIV-1 transmission can be blocked by antiretrovirals administered systemically prior to HIV-1 exposure. We performed these studies using a highly relevant in …

Expression Profiles During Dedifferentiation In Newt Lens Regeneration Revealed By Expressed Sequence Tags, Nobuyasu Maki, John Martinsou, Osamu Nishimura, Hiroshi Tarui, Jaroslaw Meller, Panagiotis A. Tsonis, Kiyokazu Agata

Biology Faculty Publications

Purpose: The adult newt can regenerate lens from pigmented epithelial cells (PECs) of the dorsal iris via dedifferentiation. The purpose of this research is to obtain sequence resources for a newt lens regeneration study and to obtain insights of dedifferentiation at the molecular level.

Leptodactylus Cunicularius, W. R. Heyer, Miriam M. Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Adult Leptodactylus cunicularius are moderately small. The head is longer than wide and the hind limbs are long (Table 1; Heyer and Thompson 2000 provided definitions of adult size and leg length categories for Leptodactylus). Male vocal sacs are internal, not externally expanded. The snout is protruding, not sexually dimorphic. Male forearms are not hypertrophied and males lack asperities on the thumbs and chest. The dorsum is variegated with small, often confluent, spots and blotches. There is a very thin interrupted mid-dorsal light stripe (pinstripe). Usually, there is a noticeable light, irregular, elongate, mid-dorsal blotch in the scapular region. The …

Leptodactylus Syphax, W. R. Heyer, Miriam M. Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Adult Leptodactylus syphax are moderately sized (males 58-83 mm, females 70-90 mm SVL). The head is about as long as wide, but usually is just wider than long. The hind limbs are moderately short (Table 1; Heyar and Thompson 2000 provided definitions of adult size and leg length categories for Leptodactylus). Male vocal sacs are laterally expanded, tan, and not darker than the adjacent throat. The male snout is not spatulate, the snout profile is rounded to obtuse in both sexes. Male arms are hypertrophied during the breeding season in sexually active males. The male thumb has two large, …

Elephants - A Conservation Overview, Heidi Riddle, Bruce A. Schulte, Ajay Desai, Laura Van Der Meer

Biology Faculty Publications

Loss of habitat is one of the most significant problems facing elephants worldwide, leading to clashes over resources between wildlife and humans where elephants receive the largest part of blame – defined as Human Elephant Conflict (HEC). The sub-Saharan region of Africa contains an approximate population of 500,000 elephants that occupy 37 range countries. The African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) is categorized as Vulnerable in the Red List of Threatened Species; they are listed there as two distinct subspecies: the Savanna Elephant (L.a. africana) and the Forest Elephant (L. a. cyclotis). The Red List of …

A Simplified Method For Monitoring Progestagens In African Elephants Under Field Conditions, Bruce A. Schulte, Elizaeth Freeman, F. Nicole Abbondanza, Jordana Meyer, Janine Brown

Biology Faculty Publications

Summary: 1. Hormone analyses are frequently used to support management of wildlife; however, current techniques are not very field-friendly. In situ hormone monitoring is often expensive, time consuming and logistically difficult. Thus, a new method for assessing ovarian cycle activity non-invasively in free-ranging African elephants was developed. 2. The technique involves handshaking faecal samples in common organic solvents, use of environmentally stable antibody-coated microtitre plates and assessment of progestagen concentrations based on a visual colour change. 3. Studies using ex situ African elephants determined that handshaking faeces in a solution of isopropyl alcohol was effective for extracting the faecal progestagens …

Maria Sibylla Merian's Frogs, Kay Etheridge

Biology Faculty Publications

Maria Sibylla Merian (German, 1647-1717) is best known for her magnificent 1705 publication, Metamorphosis insectorum surinamensium, although she published earlier works on insect metamorphosis. Merian wrote the text and painted all of the illustrations for her books, and for the early volumes she produced most of the engravings. Contemporary scholarship has focused primarily on Merian's detailed images of lepidopteran and host plant life cycles, but Merian's Surinam album also portrays anuram metamorphosis, including the first European depiction of Pipa pipa.

Fishes Of The Columbia And Snake River Basins In Eastern Washington, Allan T. Scholz, Holly J. Mclellan, Fisheries Research Center, Eastern Washington University

Biology Faculty Publications

"This book was prepared through a grant from the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM)."

Chapter 1 Introduction, Chapter 2 Checklist of Fishes Found in Eastern Washington, Chapter 3 Fish Identification and Classification Aids to Identification of Fishes, Chapter 4 Key to Families of Eastern Washington Fishes, Chapter 5 Family Petromyzontidae: Lampreys, Chapter 6 Family Acipenseridae: Sturgeon, Chapter 7 Family Clupeidae: Herrings, Chapter 8 Family Cyprinidae: Carps and Minnows, Chapter 9 Family Catostomidae: Suckers, Chapter 10 Family Ictaluridae: Bullhead Catfishes, Chapter 11 Family Esocidae: Pikes, Chapter 12 Family Salmonidae: Salmon, Trout, Whitefish, Grayling, Chapter 13 …

Latitudinal Variation In Seasonal Activity And Mortality In Ratsnakes (Elaphe Obsoleta), Jinelle H. Sperry, Gabriel Blouin-Demers, Gerardo L.F. Carfagno, Patrick J. Weatherhead

Biology Faculty Publications

The ecology of ectotherms should be particularly affected by latitude because so much of their biology is temperature dependent. Current latitudinal patterns should also be informative about how ectotherms will have to modify their behavior in response to climate change. We used data from a total of 175 adult black ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta) radio tracked in Ontario, Illinois, and Texas, a latitudinal distance of > 1500 km, to test predictions about how seasonal patterns of activity and mortality should vary with latitude. Despite pronounced differences in temperatures among study locations, and despite ratsnakes in Texas not hibernating and switching from diurnal …

Linking Snake Behavior To Nest Predation In A Midwestern Bird Community, Patrick J. Weatherhead, Gerardo L.F. Carfagno, Jinelle H. Sperry, Jeffrey D. Brawn, Scott K. Robinson

Biology Faculty Publications

Nest predators can adversely affect the viability of songbird populations, and their impact is exacerbated in fragmented habitats. Despite substantial research on this predator-prey interaction, however, almost all of the focus has been on the birds rather than their nest predators, thereby limiting our understanding of the factors that bring predators and nests into contact. We used radiotelemetry to document the activity of two snake species (rat snakes, Elaphe obsoleta; racers, Coluber constrictor) known to prey on nests in Midwestern bird communities and simultaneously monitored 300 songbird nests and tested the hypothesis that predation risk should increase for nests when …

2010 Wildflower Of The Year: Wild Ginger, Asarum Canadense, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

Wild ginger is a low herbaceous plant. The stem consists of a branched creeping rhizome at or just below the soil surface. Soft-hairy leaves arise in pairs annually from rhizome branches. Petioles can be up to 20 cm long, elevating the 7—25 mm wide kidney-shaped leaf blades above the forest floor. Small flowers appear in the spring shortly after the leaves have expanded. Typically, one must push the leaves aside in order to glimpse the jug-like flowers. A single flower stalk appears between the paired leaf bases, but it is short and barely lifts the flower above the soil surface. …

Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover: The Curious Case Of Wild Ginger Pollination, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

What pollinates wild ginger? This seems like an easy question. The inconspicuous little flowers are held close to the forest floor, often completely hidden by a dense canopy of ginger leaves above. Flower color is rather drab, dominated by brown and maroon hues. Wind pollination seems completely unlikely and flowers pollinated by bees, butterflies, moths, or hummingbirds are always much more showy and accessible to these flying creatures. Flies, however, given their natural inclination to seek carrion as a food source for their babies (i.e. maggots), are often attracted to brown and maroon flowers. And because their actual quarry, animal …

Leptodactylus Savagei, W. R. Heyer, Miriam M. Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Adult Leptodactylus savagei are large, the head is as wide as long or usually wider than long, and the hind limbs are moderate in length (Table 1; Heyer and Thompson (2000) provided definitions of adult size and leg length categories for Leptodactylus). Male vocal sacs are not visible externally. Sexually active males have hypertrophied forearms, usually 1 large black spine on each thumb, rarely with 1 large spine and a prepollical bump, and a pair of black chest spines. A pair of entire dorsolateral folds extend anteriorly from at least one_half to full distance from eye to groin, the …

Description Of The Tadpole Of Proceratophrys Renalis (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920) (Anura: Cycloramphidae), Filipe Augusto C. Do Nascimento, Barnagleison S. Lisboa, Gabriel O. Skuk, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

The tadpole of Proceratophrys renalis is described based on specimens from Maceió, State of Alagoas, northeastern Brazil. At stage 35 the body is slightly dorso-ventrally depressed, ovoid in lateral, dorsal, and ventral views. Oral disc is ventral with lateral emarginations, surrounded by a single row of marginal papillae with a large gap on the upper labium. Labial tooth row formula is 2(2)/3(1). The analysis of internal oral anatomy revealed two possible characters that readily distinguish P. renalis from P. boiei, supporting the recent ressurection of P. renalis. Comparisons with available descriptions of the larvae for other species in the …

Actions Of Ncx, Pmca And Serca On Short-Term Facilitation And Maintenance Of Transmission In Nerve Terminals, Mohati Desai-Shah, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

Residual Ca²⁺ can accumulate in the nerve terminal during repetitive stimulation; thus, the basis for short-term facilitation (STF). The plasmalemmal Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger [NCX], the Ca²⁺-ATPase (PMCA) and the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase (SERCA) on the endoplasmic reticulum are three important Ca²⁺ regulatory processes in controlling [Ca²⁺]_i. The role of these [Ca²⁺]_i regulators in the development and maintenance of STF was addressed at the neuromuscular junction. When the NCX is compromised by reduced [Na+]o, the EPSP amplitudes decrease, but with KB-R7943 (a reverse blocker of NCX) …