Life Sciences Commons^™

The Emerging Oral Pathogen, Filifactor Alocis, Modulates Antimicrobial Responses Of Primed Human Neutrophils., Ian J. Snider, Aruna Vashishta, Richard J. Lamont, Silvia M. Uriarte

The Cardinal Edge

Almost 50% of the adult population older than 30 years of age suffers from some form of periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the periodontal tissue caused by microbial subversion of the host immune response. Neutrophils are the most abundant leukocyte present in the oral mucosa. In periodontitis, periodontal pathogens have developed strategies to evade neutrophil antimicrobial responses and promote bacterial growth. Among these oral pathogens is Filifactor alocis which can modulate neutrophils’ antimicrobial responses by preventing phagosome maturation. During inflammation, neutrophils that reach the gingival tissue are primed by cytokines and chemokines. However, the response of primed human neutrophils …

Hyaluronan Modulated Expression Of Mmps 2, 9, And 12 In Macrophages, Jeffrey S. Miller, Caitlin Howard, Steven P. Jones Phd

The Cardinal Edge

Hyaluronan (HA) is a ubiquitously expressed Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) found as a main component of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) are class of enzyme responsible for the degradation of multiple ECM components, including HA. Following a myocardial infarction (MI), ECM remodeling occurs in the infarct tissue and involves an accumulation of HA. Remodeling is facilitated by multiple cell types, including macrophages. During post-MI ECM remodeling, macrophages degrade and ingulf dead cells and ECM components, a process which requires the expression of MMPs. MMPs 2, 9, and 12 are known to be elevated post-MI; MMPs 9 and 12 are known …

The Neural Sequalae Of Subjectively Experiencing Autobiographical Memories From The Remote Past And Recent Present Using Fmri, Ava G. Peruski, Nim Singh, Brendan E. Depue

The Cardinal Edge

Autobiographical memory is central to one's sense of self and continuity from past to present. Despite this, there is little research on the neural correlates underlying individual subjective experience of autobiographical memory and how that is related to brain phenomena (i.e., activity, communication). The purpose of this study was to help minimize this gap. We recruited twenty healthy adult participants, who were asked to generate memory cues (1-3 word descriptions) for locations and objects from their early and recent life. After 24 hours, participants were shown these cues then asked to recall the appropriate memory while in an fMRI scanner. …

Effects Of Osmotic Stress On Dna And Cell Viability In A Desiccation-Sensitive Cell Line, Brady D. Russell, Rajib Hassan, Michael A. Menze

The Cardinal Edge

Kc167 is a widely used Drosophila cell line, known to be sensitive to the extreme water loss caused by desiccation. In order to characterize the effects of this desiccation-sensitivity on DNA and cell viability, a series of osmotic stressors of differing concentrations were introduced to the cell line. These cells were then imaged via the Cytation1 cell imaging machine using fluorescence microscopy. Specifically, cells were stained using the DAPI staining solution, a blue fluorescent DNA stain that binds strongly to A-T rich regions within the DNA, forming a fluorescent complex. As DAPI more readily enters the membrane and thereby stains …

Resolving Commingling, Restoring Identity: An Interdisciplinary Collaboration And Ethical Study Of Individuals From A Human Skeletal Teaching Collection, Morgann L. Lucas, Morgan J. Elmore, Christine Chen, Carolann Cockerill, Mekenzie Davis, Vivian N. Pham, Matthew Kolmann, Linda Fuselier, Kathryn E. Marklein

The Cardinal Edge

In Fall 2022, human skeletal remains were discovered in the Department of Biology’s Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy Laboratory. No documentation about the acquisition or curation history was found. With no current protocols for repatriating individuals in university skeletal teaching collections, an interdisciplinary research team analyzed the skeletal remains to resolve to commingle and identify the people. Using standardized methods in forensic anthropology, we estimated the minimum number of individuals represented through taphonomic, demographic, paleopathological, and morphological variables and variation. Results indicated, minimally, 36 to 56 individuals represented by 250 bones. Of these individuals, 12 were estimated as probable female, 16 as …

All-Cause And Opioid-Related Mortality Compared Between Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury And The Us General Population, Jaden Whitehead, Beatrice Ugiliweneza

The Cardinal Edge

Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) are susceptible to the misuse of opioids due to the introduction of these substances for pain management. There are very few studies examining the relationship between unintentional deaths caused by opioid usage following spinal cord injury. The objective of this study was to evaluate the trend of opioid-related mortality of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) over the years and compare these findings to the mortality rates due to opioid misuse in the general population. In this study, we used data provided by the National Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (NSCIMS) for SCI 1999-2016 …

Histological Evaluation Of Offspring Kidneys Following Prenatal Vaping, Lucas Georges, Katelyn Chism, Selma Podbicanin, Isaiah Burciaga, Cynthia Corbitt, Rachel Neal

The Cardinal Edge

Pregnant women are advised to switch from cigarettes to electronic cigarettes to reduce the toxic effects on the fetus, however little research has been done on the impact of vaping on child development. In this study investigating the impact of inhalation exposure to a commercial product on reproductive and developmental functions, C57BL/6 dams were exposed to vapor from Vuse^TM e-cigarette golden tobacco pod for 3 hours/day at two puffs per minute throughout gestation (Vape) or to filtered air (Sham). This resulted in smaller litter sizes, along with greater weights for Vape offspring at birth that returned to average by …

The Impact Of Prenatal Vape Exposure On Weanling Liver Gene Expression, Isabella R. Fieger, Cristina Isabel Pauig, Mindy Yin, Anna Lipinski, Barrett Blevins, Tyler Plake, Lucas Georges, Katelyn Chism, Isaiah Burciaga, Selma Podbicanin, Cynthia Corbitt, Rachel Neal

The Cardinal Edge

The use of E-cigarettes is a fairly recent phenomenon. Vaping is seen as the “healthier” alternative to smoking cigarettes, yet we know little about the developmental toxicity of commercially available vaping products. In the current study, C57Bl/6 mice were exposed to Vuse Alto Golden Tobacco pods (5% nicotine) 4 days before mating and throughout gestation (GD19) for 1 hour/day every day. Offspring birth outcomes were measured with liver tissue collected at weaning. Gross histology and gene expression in the SIRT1-FXR pathway were examined via qPCR analysis with male and female offspring analyzed separately. No differences in gross morphology or cell …

Effects Of Osmotic Stress On Oxygen Consumption Of Drosophila Cells (Kc167), Ali A. Ahmed, Rajib Hassan, Michael A. Menze

The Cardinal Edge

This article investigates the effect of osmotic stress on a drosophila cell line called Kc167.

The embryonic-derived fly (Drosophila melanogaster) cell line, Kc-167, was employed as a model for water-stress sensitivity in Arthropods. Like mammalian cells, cells derived from the fruit fly contain the same basic set of membranous components found in all eukaryotic cells. A series of experiments were conducted to characterize the mitochondrial repones of Kc167 cells to water stress. Precisely, the oxygen flux in a sealed respirometer chamber containing Kc167 cells was measured under hyperosmotic and control conditions. Mitochondrial uncouplers were used in some experiments for intact …

Characterization Of Oral Pathogen, Filifactor Alocis, And Its Virulence Factors That Contribute To The Progression Of Periodontitis., Ian J. Snider

The Cardinal Edge

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Multiple Sclerosis, Christine Chen

The Cardinal Edge

No abstract provided.

Targeting Of The Hedgehog Signaling Pathway In Cancer Treatment, Andrew J. Hawes

The Cardinal Edge

The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway is a developmental pathway that is highly conserved evolutionarily. While typically only displaying high activity during embryogenesis, overactivation of the Hh pathway in adults has been linked to multiple forms of cancer including acute myeloid leukemia, myelofibrosis, basal-cell carcinoma, pancreatic ductal adrenal carcinoma, and triple negative breast cancer. The prevalence of Hh activation in many different cancers has made it a prime target for inhibition of these cancers through novel therapies. This literature review sought to assess the current state of cancer treatment through inhibition of Hh signaling. Most current clinical trials involving the pathway …

Characterization Of The Function Of Pprgtb2 From Mutant Phenotypes, Briana L. Seibert, Hyun Jin Jung, Mark P Running

The Cardinal Edge

Protein prenylation, a common lipid post-translational modification, is required for growth and development in eukaryotes. One type, , but its biological function is not well known. The moss Physcomitrella patens (P. patens) was used as a model organism due to its simple structure, limited cell types, sequenced genome, and its high gene targeting efficiency. P. patens has one copy of Rab-GGT α subunit (PpRGTA1) and two copies of β subunit (PpRGTB1 and PpRGTB2). It has been found that the knockout of either PpRGTB1 or PpRGTB2 results in no visible phenotype, which indicates that these …

An Interdisciplinary Discussion On Climate Change, Aamira Shah, Jaley F. Adkins, Kelsey Littrell, Priyadarshini Chandrashekhar

The Cardinal Edge

No abstract provided.

Insect Developmental Plasticity: The Role In A Changing Environment, Lindsey A. Barnes

The Cardinal Edge

Climate change has been recognized as a severe threat to biodiversity. In the rapidly growing collection of literature on the consequences of global change, researchers have recently noticed a dramatic decrease in insect populations in a wide range of habitats. Insects are extremely susceptible to climatic change, especially with regard to fluctuations in moisture and temperature. However, insects often exhibit phenotypic plasticity, where organisms will express different phenotypes when presented with a specific environmental stimulus. In developmental plasticity, environmental stimuli at the larval stage can determine adult phenotypes. This review focuses on case studies of developmental plasticity in insects, with …

A Literature Review On The Development Of Upper Limbs In Humans, Anh T. Phan

The Cardinal Edge

The development of tetrapod upper limbs shares an evolutionary origin and has been adapted and specialized for different functions for different species, such as flight in birds, swimming and balance in sea mammals, and coordination and grabbing objects in humans. The basis of tetrapod limb development has common developmental patterns, starting with the formation of the limb bud via Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling, where later developmental steps are modified for specialized functions. This review covers the basic developmental patterns of mammalian tetrapod development seen in humans, beginning with the formation of the limb bud, to the axis development of the …

Dentinogenesis Imperfecta: The Genetic Causes And Outcomes, Sydney P. Johnson Ms.

The Cardinal Edge

Dentinogenesis imperfecta (DI) is a genetic disorder characterized by dentin discoloration, tooth development irregularities, and decreased tooth strength. This autosomal dominant disorder is identified in individuals of all ages. There are three classifications of dentinogenesis imperfecta, each with varying presentations and causes. This report covers normal tooth development (odontogenesis), DI development, DI classifications, and the genes involved in this genetic disorder.

Inner Ear Development And Advances In Inner Ear Organoid Formation, Paige Avery

The Cardinal Edge

The inner ear houses the cochlea which contains hair cells responsible for the transduction of sound waves. The process of forming these hair cells responsible for hearing is a complicated process consisting of many signaling factors that allow ectoderm to form into the otic placode, the otic vesicle, and finally prosensory cells such as hair cells (Schlosser, 2006). Loss of these hair cells contributes to deafness and hearing loss throughout life, and regeneration of these cells may serve as a therapeutic agent for those with irreversible damage. This review looks at the development of the otic placode and hair cells …

Mechanisms Of Prenatal Ethanol Exposure On Causing Developmental Defects Associated With Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders, Jordan M. Powell

The Cardinal Edge

No abstract provided.

Metamorphosis In Amphibians And The Role Of Thyroid Hormone, Hallie Maxwell

The Cardinal Edge

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Alcohol On The Developing Drosophila Nervous System, Erica E. Hassoun

The Cardinal Edge

Ethanol is the most common human teratogen, contributing to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) when effects are the most severe. Key effects of fetal alcohol syndrome are observed in the nervous system. The high prevalence of prenatal alcohol exposure necessitates novel treatment and prevention methods. However, ethical issues prevent researching humans in utero. For this reason, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has emerged as a model organism for studying FAS. Because Drosophila is a small and non-placental organism, its environment can be easily controlled, allowing for specific doses and time periods of ethanol exposure to be studied. This review discusses findings …

The Motion Aftereffect: Mechanisms And Variants, Erica E. Hassoun

The Cardinal Edge

The motion aftereffect causes a visual stimulus to undergo apparent motion. An adapting stimulus, which moves in a specific direction, adapts motion-responsive neurons in the middle temporal area (V5) to that direction of motion. Viewing a second stimulus, a test stimulus, produces apparent motion in the direction opposite that of the initial stimulus. Neural networks involved in attention and working memory are also implicated in the motion aftereffect. There is still little known regarding the mechanisms of the motion aftereffect, despite extensive documentation in the literature. This review discusses established knowledge of the motion aftereffect, focusing primarily on the middle …

Novel Pilot Development Of A Closed-Loop Sustainable System Between Biogas Renewable Energy, Distilling, And Aquaculture By Vermiculture Of Stillage Wastes, Samuel C. Kessler

The Cardinal Edge

This study provides a mixed-methods approach in analyzing a potential closed-loop system between renewable biogas production from anaerobic digestion, vermiculture production, aquaculture production, and organic wastes with a particular focus on stillage wastes. Such system may hold significant promise for significantly reducing organic carbon and methane emissions from its components, and should be assessed for such. The 2021 IPCC report essentially identified methane reduction as the single fastest way to slow global warming (IPCC, 2021), making the study and implementation of methane-reducing systems and supportive policy for them critical. Knowledge gaps to implementing this system were qualitatively identified as disconnect …

The Effects Of Ppal-1 In Arabidopsis Gamete Development, Amanda J White, Susana Perez-Martinez, Mark P. Running

The Cardinal Edge

Prenylation is a type of post-translational modification in which a 15- or 20-carbon lipid is added to the carboxyl (C) terminus of the protein. Arabidopsis thaliana contains the PROTEIN PRENYLTRANSFERASE ALPHA SUBUNIT-LIKE (PPAL) gene, which encodes a protein with homology to the α-subunits of the three known prenylation enzymes, PFT, PGGT, and Rab-GGT. We previously identified two mutations in PPAL, one of which is ppal-1, which contains a T-DNA insertion in the fourth intron. We have previously observed that self-fertilizing heterozygous ppal-1 plants produce progeny in which homozygous ppal-1 is underrepresented. This project attempts to ascertain …

The Sterilization Of Escherichia Coli With Black Diamond-Coated Silicon, Sarah M. Cawthon, Jesse L. Rozsa, Mark P. Running

The Cardinal Edge

In order to combat increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance, new antimicrobials are needed to successfully kill microbes. Silicon coated in black diamond is a material that is hypothesized to have antimicrobial properties. To test this hypothesis, Escherichia coli cells were placed on different black diamond-coated silicon surfaces and allowed to rest on each surface for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 1 hour. Cells were collected, and growth was assessed by counting colonies on plates or spectrophotometry growth curves. The results of this study indicated that the experimental samples have some antimicrobial or growth inhibition properties, but they may not be …

Identification Of The Biological Function Of Rab-Ggt Β-Subunits By Reverse Techniques, Briana L. Seibert, Hyun Jin Jung, Mark P. Running

The Cardinal Edge

Abstract

Protein prenylation is a post-translational process where lipids are added to carboxyl end groups of amino acids, which allows proteins to function properly in the eukaryotic cell. The job of prenylation is to target certain proteins to specific membranes and promote desirable protein-protein interactions. In our study we used reverse genetics techniques to investigate the function of protein prenylation in plant development. To discern the function of protein prenylation, we examined the phenotypic changes caused by specific gene disruptions. In this study the model organism Physcomitrella patens (moss) is utilized due to its simple structure, limited quantities of tissues …

Protein Prenylation In The Moss Physcomitrium Patens, Zayna Qaissi, Anam F. Ahmed, Mark P. Running, Katherine Vo. Brown

The Cardinal Edge

TITLE

Protein Prenylation in the moss Physcomitrium patens

AUTHORS

Zayna H. Qaissi*, Anam F. Ahmed*, Katherine V. Brown, Mark P. Running**

*Co-presenters

**Faculty Mentor

Protein prenylation is the addition of a 15 or 20 carbon lipid to a cysteine near carboxyl terminus of target proteins. Prentlyation increases hydrophobicity, which facilitates membrane associations and protein-protein interaction. Protein prenylation is generally conserved among eukaryotes, and mutations in genes that carry out prenylation are lethal in animals and yeast. In plants prenylation mutations are not always lethal, but they do affect development, disease resistance, biofuel production, and drought response, among other processes of …