Life Sciences Commons^™

Sex And Starvation Influences Latrotoxin Expression In The Brown Widow Spider, Mattie Harris

Honors College Theses

Widow spiders (genus Latrodectus) are well-known for their potent venom. Seven latrotoxin proteins constitute the main components of widow spider venom. The vertebrate specific (α-latrotoxin) and insect specific (α-latroinsectotoxin) latrotoxins have been well-characterized with respect to structure and function. Regulation of latrotoxin gene expression is not well understood but sex and feeding could be factors influencing production. In this study, I used quantitative qPCR to (1) characterize the expression patterns of both the insect and vertebrate specific latrotoxins in male and female brown widow spiders (Latrodectus geometricus) to characterize sex-biased expression and to (2) study expression patterns …

Hsp90-Cdc37 Functions As A Chaperone For The Oncogenic Fgfr3-Tacc3 Fusion, Tao Li, Farideh Mehraein-Ghomi, M Elizabeth Forbes, Sanjeev V Namjoshi, E Ashley Ballard, Qianqian Song, Ping-Chieh Chou, Xuya Wang, Brittany C Parker Kerrigan, Frederick F Lang, Glenn Lesser, Waldemar Debinski, Xuejun Yang, Wei Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The FGFR3-TACC3 (F3-T3) fusion gene was discovered as an oncogenic molecule in glioblastoma and bladder cancers, and has subsequently been found in many cancer types. Notably, F3-T3 was found to be highly expressed in both untreated and matched recurrence glioblastoma under the concurrent radiotherapy and temozolomide (TMZ) treatment, suggesting that targeting F3-T3 is a valid strategy for treatment. Here, we show that the F3-T3 protein is a client of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), forming a ternary complex with the cell division cycle 37 (CDC37). Deprivation of HSP90 or CDC37 disrupts the formation of the ternary complex, which destabilizes glycosylated …

Brain Charts For The Human Lifespan, R. A. I. Bethlehem, J. Seidlitz, S. R. White, J. W. Vogel, K. Anderson, C. Adamson, S. Adler, G. S. Alexopoulos, E. Anagnostou, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications

Over the past few decades, neuroimaging has become a ubiquitous tool in basic research and clinical studies of the human brain. However, no reference standards currently exist to quantify individual differences in neuroimaging metrics over time, in contrast to growth charts for anthropometric traits such as height and weight1. Here we assemble an interactive open resource to benchmark brain morphology derived from any current or future sample of MRI data (http://www.brainchart.io/). With the goal of basing these reference charts on the largest and most inclusive dataset available, acknowledging limitations due to known biases of MRI studies …

Flooding Tolerance Of Four Tropical Peatland Tree Species In A Nursery Trial, Hesti L. Tata, Hani S. Nuroniah, Diandra A. Ahsania, Haning Anggunira, Siti N. Hidayati, Meydina Pratama, Istomo Istomo, Rodney Chimner, Meine Van Noordwijk, Randall Kolka

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

In order to facilitate hydrological restoration, initiatives have been conducted to promote tree growth in degraded and rewetted peatlands in Indonesia. For these initiatives to be successful, tree seedlings need to be able to survive flooding episodes, with or without shade. We investigated the survival rates and the formation of adventitious roots in the case of four tree species exposed to combinations of different shading and water levels under controlled conditions in a nursery, with artificial rainwater and with peat soil as the medium. The research focused on the following questions (i) whether trees can grow on flooded peat soils; …

Assessing The Influence Of Urban Greening On Urban Arthropods, Brendon Lawrence

Scholars Week

Green Heart is an urban greening experiment in Louisville, KY seeking to create new urban green spaces to ultimately increase air quality and improve human health. Changes in biodiversity in response to urban greening may influence human health via multiple hypothesized pathways including reducing harm (e.g. medicine provisioning), restoring capacities (e.g. reductions in stress), building capacities (e.g. increasing activity outdoors), and causing harm (e.g. zoonotic diseases). Arthropods are one component of diversity that may influence human health via each of these pathways. However, few studies have assessed the influence of Arthropod diversity on human health. Thus, the objective of our …

Nutrient Uptake And Grafting In Ironwood Trees, Tyler Edvall

Student Academic Conference

No abstract provided.

Movement Patterns Of The Shovelnose Guitarfish (Pseudobatos Productus) And California Bat Ray (Myliobatis Californica) In The Southern California Bight, Annabel Gong

Theses

While the movement patterns of large elasmobranch species have been studied extensively, those of smaller, mesopredatory species remain understudied. The shovelnose guitarfish (Pseudobatos productus) and the California bat ray (Myliobatis californica) are among the least studied elasmobranchs in the Southern California Bight. This study quantified the broad- and fine-scale movement patterns of these species using passive acoustic telemetry. Twelve guitarfish were surgically implanted with coded acoustic transmitters at a known aggregation site off La Jolla (San Diego County), California, USA and tracked for 849.5 days each, on average. Six bat rays were also implanted here and tracked for …

Trigonella Foenum-Graecum Methanolic Extract On Isolated Smooth Muscles And Acetylcholinesterase Enzyme: An In Vitro And Mechanistic In Silico Investigation, Muhammad Nabeel Ghayur, Mohnad Abdalla, Asaad Khalid, Saeed Ahmad, Anwar Gilani

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Results: When tested on the baseline of isolated tissues, Tfg.Cr was devoid of any activity (stimulant or relaxant) till 10 mg/ml. This is an interesting finding, keeping in mind that the fenugreek seeds are used to alleviate constipation and diarrhoea. When Tfg.Cr was tried for any potential AChE inhibitory activity, it did show an inhibitory effect in increasing concentrations (47-380 μg/ml). This inhibitory effect was comparable to the effect produced by a standard AChE inhibitor physostigmine. One of the known fenugreek constituents, diosgenin, was also tested, and it also showed an AChE inhibitory effect in a concentration-dependent manner (11-190 …

Estradiol And Predator Cues Affect Behavior And Brain Responses Of Captive Female House Sparrows, Courtney Harding

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Qualitative Analysis Of Cancer Care Experiences Among Rural Cancer Survivors And Caregivers, Kendra L. Ratnapradipa, Jordan Ranta, Krishtee Napit, Lady Beverly Luma, Tamara Robinson, Danae Dinkel, Laura Schabloske, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway

Journal Articles

Purpose

Rural (vs urban) patients experience poorer cancer outcomes and are less likely to be engaged in cancer prevention, such as screening. As part of a community needs assessment, we explored rural cancer survivors’ and caregivers’ experiences, perceptions, and attitudes toward cancer care services.

Methods

We conducted 3 focus groups (N = 20) in Spring 2021 in rural Nebraska.

Findings

Three patterns of cancer diagnosis were regular care/screening without noticeable symptoms, treatment for symptoms not initially identified as cancer related, and symptom self-identification. Most participants, regardless of how diagnosis was made, had positive experiences with timely referral for testing (imaging …

Chronic Alcohol Exposure Induces Hepatocyte Damage By Inducing Oxidative Stress, Satb2 And Stem Cell-Like Characteristics, And Activating Lipogenesis, Wei Yu, Yiming Ma, Sushant K. Shrivastava, Rakesh K. Srivastava, Sharmila Shankar

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Alcohol is a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the molecular mechanism by which chronic alcohol consumption contributes to HCC is not well understood. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate the effects of chronic ethanol exposure on the damage of human normal hepatocytes. Our data showed that chronic exposure of hepatocytes with ethanol induced changes similar to transformed hepatocytes that is, exhibited colonies and anchorage-independent growth. These damaged hepatocytes contained high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and showed induction of the SATB2 gene. Furthermore, damaged hepatocytes gained the phenotypes of CSCs which expressed stem cell markers …

Healthcare Simulation: A Key To The Future Of Medical Education - A Review, Omair Ayaz, Faisal Wasim Ismail

Medical College Documents

Aim: Simulation originates from its application in the military and aviation. It is implemented at various levels of healthcare education and certification today. However, its use remains unevenly distributed across the globe due to misconception regarding its cost and complexity and to lack of evidence for its consistency and validity. Implementation may also be hindered by an array of factors unique to the locale and its norms. Resource-poor settings may benefit from diverting external funds for short-term simulation projects towards collaboration with local experts and local material sourcing to reduce the overall cost and achieve long-term benefits. The recent shift …

Spongy Moth (Lymantria Dispar Dispar Linnaeus), Ann Mull, Lori R. Spears

All Current Publications

Spongy moths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) are invasive leaf-eating (defoliating) pests that threaten trees and shrubs in urban, suburban, and rural landscapes. The spongy moth was accidentally introduced to the U.S. in 1869 by an amateur French entomologist in Massachusetts who sought to establish a hardier American silkworm industry. These moths now commonly occur in the northeastern U.S. and are also found in parts of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, California, Oregon, and Washington. In Utah, according to the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (2021), the spongy moth is anticipated to survive and multiply rapidly …

Fruits Of Nandina Domestica Are (Sometimes) Cyanogenic And (Sometimes) Hazardous To Birds, Scott Zona

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

A 12-month survey of cyanogenesis in the fruits and leaves of Nandina domestica (Berberidaceae) revealed that the leaves are strongly cyanogenic throughout the year, as measured by the Feigl-Anger test. Fruits vary in their cyanogenic potential depending on the degree of ripeness and clone. Green fruits are strongly and rapidly cyanogenic, but most ripe fruits are weakly and slowly cyanogenic. Some fruits tested negative for cyanide. Fruits tend to become less cyanogenic the longer they remain on the plant, so birds feeding on older fruits are at a lower risk of poisoning. More than other frugivores, cedar waxwings (Bombycilla …

Local Adaptation Of Blue Penstemon: Molecular And Morphological Characterizations Of A Potential Restoration Species For The Northern Basin And Range And Snake River Plain, Jason Mark Stettler

Theses and Dissertations

Penstemon is one of North America's largest endemic genera with over 280 described species. These species are distributed throughout most of North America from the Arctic northern latitudes to tropics of Central America. The genus has historically been divided into six subgenera, but has recently been reorganized into two subgenera following some recent phylogenetic studies. I made a comprehensive assessment of the Penstemon genus' geographic distribution utilizing herbaria databases by ecoregion to discuss the general ecologic adaptations of each historic subgenera. I also assessed the Penstemon genus' bee pollinator diversity utilizing online databases of bee specimen collections associated with Penstemon …

Targeting The Nrf2/Ho-1 Antioxidant Pathway In Flt3-Itd-Positive Aml Enhances Therapy Efficacy, Sankaranarayan Kannan, Mary E Irwin, Shelley M Herbrich, Tiewei Cheng, Lanisha L Patterson, Marisa J L Aitken, Kapil Bhalla, M James You, Marina Konopleva, Patrick A Zweidler-Mckay, Joya Chandra

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a molecularly heterogenous hematological malignancy, with one of the most common mutations being internal tandem duplication (ITD) of the juxtamembrane domain of the fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor-3 (FLT3). Despite the development of FLT3-directed tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), relapse and resistance are problematic, requiring improved strategies. In both patient samples and cell lines, FLT3-ITD raises levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and elicits an antioxidant response which is linked to chemoresistance broadly in AML. NF-E2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is a transcription factor regulating the antioxidant response including heme oxygenase -1 (HO-1), a heat shock protein implicated …

The Endophyte Trichoderma Asperellum M2rt4 Induces The Systemic Release Of Methyl Salicylate And (Z)-Jasmone In Tomato Plant Affecting Host Location And Herbivory Of Tuta Absoluta, Ayaovi Agbessenou, Komivi S. Akutse, Abdullahi A. Yusuf, Fathiya M. Khamis

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The use of endophytic fungi has dramatically increased plant performance through the enhancement of plant protection against abiotic and biotic stressors. We previously demonstrated that the endophytic fungus Trichoderma asperellum M2RT4 improves tomato defenses against the tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta through the reduction of oviposition, leafmining, pupation, and adult emergence. However, the underlying mechanism by which the presence of this endophytic fungus within tomato host plant affects T. absoluta host selection and life-history traits is unknown. We tested the behavioral responses of T. absoluta in Y-tube olfactometer bioassays and found that females preferred non-inoculated tomato plants against those inoculated by …

Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Receptor Δ Serves As The Orexigenic Asprosin Receptor, Ila Mishra, Wei Rose Xie, Juan C Bournat, Yang He, Chunmei Wang, Elizabeth Sabath Silva, Hailan Liu, Zhiqiang Ku, Yinghua Chen, Bernadette O Erokwu, Peilin Jia, Zhongming Zhao, Zhiqiang An, Chris A Flask, Yanlin He, Yong Xu, Atul R Chopra

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Asprosin is a fasting-induced glucogenic and centrally acting orexigenic hormone. The olfactory receptor Olfr734 is known to be the hepatic receptor for asprosin that mediates its effects on glucose production, but the receptor for asprosin's orexigenic function has been unclear. Here, we have identified protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor δ (Ptprd) as the orexigenic receptor for asprosin. Asprosin functions as a high-affinity Ptprd ligand in hypothalamic AgRP neurons, regulating the activity of this circuit in a cell-autonomous manner. Genetic ablation of Ptprd results in a strong loss of appetite, leanness, and an inability to respond to the orexigenic effects of asprosin. …

Exploring Gene Functions And Phage-Host Protein Interactions In Mycobacteriophage Island3, Annika Stecker, Steven Van Meeteren, Gracelyn Wager, Abigail Clarke, Jordyn Kramer, Lauren Pavich, Emily Schmidt, Krista Starr, Kaarina Van Berkum, Ashley Van Egdom

Celebration of Research

Island3 is an I1 mycobacteriophage that infects Mycobacterium smegmatis mc²155. It has a total of 76 protein coding genes, but only 17 of these genes have functions assigned by bioinformatics. To discover the functions of the additional genes, we cloned 72 of Island3’s genes and are assaying each gene product for two functions when expressed in the host M. smegmatis: the ability to reduce growth of the host (cytotoxicity) and the ability to protect the host from infection by Island3 or another phage (defense). So far, we have assayed more than 60 of Island3’s genes and found 14 genes that …

Genomic Annotation Of Bacteriophages Clayda5, Gshelby23, Santhid, And Wrigley, Abigail Bastian, Marcus Blankespoor, Gideon Fynaardt, Sadie Gilmeister, Emily Hurley, Madison Jones, Erika Mckenney, Alexa Olguin, Micah Rens, Garrett Snyder, Anneka Sterk, Sophie Swart, Chelsea Thurm, Alaena Trevino, Ashley Van Egdom, Morgan Veach, Lauren Pavich, Byron Noordewier, Sara S. Tolsma

Celebration of Research

We annotated the genomes of four recently discovered Actinobacteriophages. Clayda5 and GShelby23 were isolated on Microbacterium foliorum NRRL B-24224. Clayda5 is a lytic, cluster EB phage, one of only 47 discovered to date. It has 10 base pair 3’ sticky overhanging ends and a GC content is 67.2%. It has 70 protein-coding genes and two tRNA genes in its 39,894 bp genome. Clayda5 was purified from soil collected in Hull, IA. GShelby23 was isolated from soil collected in Storm Lake, IA. It is a cluster EM phage, one of only six discovered to date. Its genome is circularly permuted and …

Investigating The Putative Reca-Like Recombinase Gene, Kaytlyn Keeler, Blake Anderson, Abigail Clarke, Kip Cullinan, Lindsey Groen, Travis Grover, Benjamin Kingery, Jordyn Kramer, Noah Kryfka, Kaitlyn Mccracken, Emilien Meray, Mitchell Oostra, Dominick Pickard, Mitchell Rentschler, Annika Stecker, Ashley Van Egdom, Morgan Veach, Elizabeth Heeg

Celebration of Research

Our Biochemistry: Molecular Genetics class has partnered with the Immunology class to investigate the expression of JacoRen57’s gene 50.

The bacteriophage JacoRen57 – found in Sioux Center, Iowa (accession: MK279840). JacoRen57’s genome has sequenced by Pittsburg SEA-PHAGES Institute and fully annotated by Northwestern College students in 2018. A region between gene 49 and 50 caught our attention as there is a large gap between these genes. Almail et al., investigated if this is a transcription regulatory region for genes 49 and/or 50 (2021). This work demonstrated the region has a regulatory function in the direction of gene 50. Based on …

Analysis Of A Putative Promoter In Mycobacteriophage Jacoren57, Kip Cullinan, Kaitlyn Mccracken, Emilien Meray, Lane Mulder, Daniel A. Nordquist, Lauren Pavich, Mitchell Rentschler, Annika Stecker, Sara S. Tolsma

Celebration of Research

JacoRen57 is a cluster AB mycobacteriophage that infects Mycobacterium smegmatis mc²155. We recently reported on the characterization of a putative promoter in JacoRen57 using an mCherry reporter construct. This promoter is present in a gap upstream of a gene that is present in all AB phages. In all cases, these are forward genes immediately following a long series of reverse genes. The genes are most frequently identified as a RecA-like DNA recombinases but also as RepA by bioinformatics. To further analyze this putative promoter and gene product, NWC Molecular Genetics students cloned the RecA-like DNA recombinase into an E. coli …

Microplastic Concentrations In Orange City Wastewater, Garrett Raymon, Garrett Snyder, April Van Tol, Lindsey Craig, Marshall Kleinhesselink, Lane Mulder, Daniel Strand, Gideon Fynaardt, Kaytlin Wojciechowski, Todd Tracy

Celebration of Research

Microplastics are increasingly polluting both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Researchers have found that wastewater treatment plants are an entry point for microplastics into surface waters, and we wondered how effective our local wastewater treatment plant is in removing microplastics from wastewater, given that it was not engineered for the removal of microplastics. We sampled effluent water from the new wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Orange City, Iowa, to determine the amount of microplastics released from the plant into Orange City Slough. We found concentrations of 498 pieces of microplastic/cubic meter (0.498/L) in the effluent water, which is similar to published …

Invertebrate Pitfall Surveys At Glacial Hills Preserve And Buena Vista County Park, April Van Tol, Lindsey Craig, Marshall Kleinhesselink, Garrett Raymon, Garrett Snyder, Katie Meyer, Gideon Fynaardt, Kaytlin Wojciechowski, Lane Mulder, Daniel Strand, Laurie Furlong, Todd Tracy

Celebration of Research

Invertebrates are integral members of the ecosystems they inhabit. However, they are often overlooked and understudied. We performed two pitfall surveys in Buena Vista County in September 2021 to study the diversity and abundance of invertebrate species in the presence and absence of two invasive species: Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) and Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiola). We collected pitfall samples and brought them back to the lab for identification. We found no significant differences in invertebrate abundance between cedar and non-cedar samples, nor between mustard and non-mustard samples. We propose further research focusing on seasonal changes, as these invasives may have …

The Effect Of Cold Stratification On The Germination Of Grassland Seeds, Katie Meyer, Gideon Fynaardt, Kaytlin Wojciechowski, April Van Tol, Marshall Kleinhesselink, Lindsey Craig, Garrett Snyder, Garrett Raymon, Lane Mulder, Daniel Strand, Todd Tracy

Celebration of Research

One factor that must be considered when reconstructing a prairie is how the prairie seeds being planted need to be prepared for germination. The probability of successful germination of these seeds is dependent on many factors, including exposure to cold temperatures for a prolonged period of time. To explore this idea, we collected seeds from 13 species of forbs and grasses, both native and non-native, and stored them at various temperatures for several weeks. We predicted that the germination of the seeds of native grassland species would be enhanced by cold stratification, while non-natives (especially forbs common to flower gardens) …

Accessibility Of Bomb Ingredients, Elizabeth Wilson

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Homegrown terrorism and the accessibility of bomb ingredients.

"Advancing Together." 15th Annual Research Week: Event Proceedings, University Of The Incarnate Word

Excellence Summit (Research Week) Archived Proceedings

Presentations of completed and ongoing research activity conducted by graduate students, undergraduate students, and faculty at University of the Incarnate Word. Includes poster, podium, visual arts, interactive demo, creative and performing arts presentations. Coordinated and presented by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies.

Als-Associated Kif5a Mutations Abolish Autoinhibition Resulting In A Toxic Gain Of Function, Desiree M. Barron, Adam R. Fenton, Sara Saez-Atienzar, Anthony Giampetruzzi, Aparna Sreeram, Shankaracharya, Pamela J. Keagle, Victoria R. Doocy, Nathan J. Smith, Eric W. Danielson, Megan Andresano, Mary C. Mccormack, Jaqueline Garcia, Valérie Bercier, Ludo Van Den Bosch, Jonathan R. Brent, Claudia Fallini, Brian J. Traynor, Erica L.F. Holzbaur, John E. Landers

Biochemistry -- Faculty Publications

Understandingthepathogenicmechanismsof diseasemutations is critical toadvancingtreatments.ALS-associated mutations in the gene encoding the microtubulemotor KIF5A result in skipping of exon 27 (KIF5ADExon27) and the encoding of a protein with a novel 39 amino acid residue C-terminal sequence. Here, we report that expression of ALS-linked mutant KIF5A results in dysregulated motor activity, cellular mislocalization, altered axonal transport, and decreased neuronal survival. Single-molecule analysis revealed that the altered C terminus of mutant KIF5A results in a constitutively active state. Furthermore,mutant KIF5A possesses altered protein and RNA interactions and its expression results in altered gene expression/splicing. Taken together, our data support the hypothesis that causative …

Harmonizing Model Organism Data In The Alliance Of Genome Resources., Alliance Of Genome Resources Consortium, Anna V. Anagnostopoulos, Susan M. Bello, Judith A. Blake, Olin Blodgett, Carol J. Bult, Karen R. Christie, Mary E. Dolan, Paul Hale, James A. Kadin, Monica S. Mcandrews, Howie Motenko, David R. Shaw, Constance M. Smith, Cynthia L. Smith, Monika Tomczuk, Laurens G. Wilming

Faculty Research 2022

The Alliance of Genome Resources (the Alliance) is a combined effort of 7 knowledgebase projects: Saccharomyces Genome Database, WormBase, FlyBase, Mouse Genome Database, the Zebrafish Information Network, Rat Genome Database, and the Gene Ontology Resource. The Alliance seeks to provide several benefits: better service to the various communities served by these projects; a harmonized view of data for all biomedical researchers, bioinformaticians, clinicians, and students; and a more sustainable infrastructure. The Alliance has harmonized cross-organism data to provide useful comparative views of gene function, gene expression, and human disease relevance. The basis of the comparative views is shared calls of …

Alewife (Alosa Pseudoharengus) Contributions To Lake Phosphorus Budgets: Implications For Management, Meg "Rue" Farley Thurrell Ms

Student Scholarship

As human-made dams are removed and fish passage at dams is improved in

support of restoration efforts, anadromous alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) gain

access to historic spawning grounds. As they migrate to spawn, adult alewives import

marine derived nutrients to lakes and impoundments. Young of year alewives (juveniles)

export nutrients as they emigrate to the sea. These nutrients support primary

production and are incorporated into freshwater food webs. However, many lakes in

New England are mesotrophic or eutrophic. Additional nutrients, specifically

phosphorus (P), may exacerbate water quality issues. To examine these issues, I

compared outputs ofan alewife nutrient and population model …