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Articles 1 - 30 of 630

Full-Text Articles in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology

Parental Thermal Environment Controls The Offspring Phenotype In Brook Charr (Salvelinus Fontinalis): Insights From A Transcriptomic Study, Ghizlane Banousse, Eric Normandeau, Christine Semeniuk, Louis Bernatchez, Celine Audet May 2024

Parental Thermal Environment Controls The Offspring Phenotype In Brook Charr (Salvelinus Fontinalis): Insights From A Transcriptomic Study, Ghizlane Banousse, Eric Normandeau, Christine Semeniuk, Louis Bernatchez, Celine Audet

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

rook charr is a cold-water species which is highly sensitive to increased water temperatures, such as those associated with climate change. Environmental variation can potentially induce phenotypic changes that are inherited across generations, for instance, via epigenetic mechanisms. Here, we tested whether parental thermal regimes (intergenerational plasticity) and offspring-rearing temperatures (within-generational plasticity) modify the brain transcriptome of Brook charr progeny (fry stage). Parents were exposed to either cold or warm temperatures during final gonad maturation and their progeny were reared at 5 or 8 °C during the first stages of development. Illumina Novaseq6000 was used to sequence the brain transcriptome …

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Evidence That Aquaporin 11 (Aqp11) In The Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias) May Represent A Pseudogene, Christopher P. Cutler, Meghan Canicatti, Esosa Omoregie Feb 2024

Evidence That Aquaporin 11 (Aqp11) In The Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias) May Represent A Pseudogene, Christopher P. Cutler, Meghan Canicatti, Esosa Omoregie

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Various attempts to amplify an AQP11 cDNA from tissues of the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) were made. Two pairs of deoxy-inosine-containing degenerate primers were designed based on conserved amino acid sequences from an AQP11 alignment. These primers yielded some faint bands from gill cDNA that were sequenced. Blast searches with the sequences showed they were not AQP11. An elasmobranch AQP11 nucleotide sequence alignment was produced to identify conserved regions to make further degenerate primers. One primer pair produced a short 148 bp fragment showing particularly strong amplification in gill and intestine. It was sequenced and represented a piece of the …

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Studying The Genes And Conditions That Influence Root Development, Tessa Holtkamp, Hannah Ordonez Webb Jan 2024

Studying The Genes And Conditions That Influence Root Development, Tessa Holtkamp, Hannah Ordonez Webb

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Root development in plants is essential for their survival and understanding how hormones influence their development can explain how plants grow under different circumstances. Researching how Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), a hormone that induces root production, affects the plant model Arabidopsis thaliana helps explain the hormone's effect in agricultural crop systems. To understand root pathways, we performed assays on mutant lines of Arabidopsis by growing plants on varying concentrations of IBA. For wild-type and mutant lines, phenotyping experiments like branching of roots, lengths of stems, and root length were conducted along with PCR and restriction digest genotyping experiments to compare their …

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Adverse Effects Of Microcystis Aeruginosa Exudates On The Filtration, Digestion, And Reproduction Organs Of Benthic Bivalve Corbicula Fluminea, Zijin Hong, Xinyun Chen, Junxiang Hu, Xuexiu Chang, Yu Qian Jan 2024

Adverse Effects Of Microcystis Aeruginosa Exudates On The Filtration, Digestion, And Reproduction Organs Of Benthic Bivalve Corbicula Fluminea, Zijin Hong, Xinyun Chen, Junxiang Hu, Xuexiu Chang, Yu Qian

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Cyanobacteria bloom and the secondary metabolites released by the microorganism are extremely harmful to aquatic animals, yet study on their adverse effects in zoobenthos is rare. Corbicula fluminea widely distributed in freshwater environment with algal blooms. It is a typical filter feeding zoobenthos that may be affected by the secondary metabolites of cyanobacteria due to its high filtering rate. In this study, C. fluminea was exposed to Microcystis aeruginosa exudates (MaE) for 96 h, which was obtained from 5 × 105 cells/mL and 2.5 × 106 cells/mL exponential stage M. aeruginosa culture solution that represented cyanobacteria cell density needs environmental …

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Microcystin Aids In Cold Temperature Acclimation: Differences Between A Toxic Microcystis Wildtype And Non-Toxic Mutant, Gwendolyn F. Stark, Robbie M. Martin, Laura E. Smith, Bofan Wei, Ferdi L. Hellweger, George S. Bullerjahn, R. Michael L. Mckay, Gregory L. Boyer, Steven W. Wilhelm Nov 2023

Microcystin Aids In Cold Temperature Acclimation: Differences Between A Toxic Microcystis Wildtype And Non-Toxic Mutant, Gwendolyn F. Stark, Robbie M. Martin, Laura E. Smith, Bofan Wei, Ferdi L. Hellweger, George S. Bullerjahn, R. Michael L. Mckay, Gregory L. Boyer, Steven W. Wilhelm

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

For Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7806, temperature decreases from 26 °C to 19 °C double the microcystin quota per cell during growth in continuous culture. Here we tested whether this increase in microcystin provided M. aeruginosa PCC 7806 with a fitness advantage during colder-temperature growth by comparing cell concentration, cellular physiology, reactive oxygen species damage, and the transcriptomics-inferred metabolism to a non-toxigenic mutant strain M. aeruginosa PCC 7806 ΔmcyB. Photo-physiological data combined with transcriptomic data revealed metabolic changes in the mutant strain during growth at 19 °C, which included increased electron sinks and non-photochemical quenching. Increased gene expression was observed for …

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A Colonial-Nesting Seabird Shows Limited Heart Rate Responses To Natural Variation In Threats Of Polar Bears, Erica A. Geldart, Oliver P. Love, Andrew F. Barnas, Christopher M. Harris, H. Grant Gilchrist, Christina A.D. Semeniuk Oct 2023

A Colonial-Nesting Seabird Shows Limited Heart Rate Responses To Natural Variation In Threats Of Polar Bears, Erica A. Geldart, Oliver P. Love, Andrew F. Barnas, Christopher M. Harris, H. Grant Gilchrist, Christina A.D. Semeniuk

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Several predator-prey systems are in flux as an indirect result of climate change. In the Arctic, earlier sea-ice loss is driving polar bears (Ursus maritimus) onto land when many colonial nesting seabirds are breeding. The result is a higher threat of nest predation for birds with potential limited ability to respond. We quantified heart rate change in a large common eider (Somateria mollissima) breeding colony in the Canadian Arctic to explore their adaptive capacity to keep pace with the increasing risk of egg predation by polar bears. Eiders displayed on average higher heart rates from baseline when polar bears were …

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Identification Of The Functional Domain Of The Dense Core Vesicle Biogenesis Factor Hid-1, Blake H. Hummer, Theodore Carter, Breanna L. Sellers, Jenna D. Triplett, Cedric S. Asensio Sep 2023

Identification Of The Functional Domain Of The Dense Core Vesicle Biogenesis Factor Hid-1, Blake H. Hummer, Theodore Carter, Breanna L. Sellers, Jenna D. Triplett, Cedric S. Asensio

Biological Sciences: Faculty Scholarship

Large dense core vesicles (LDCVs) mediate the regulated release of neuropeptides and peptide hormones. HID-1 is a trans-Golgi network (TGN) localized peripheral membrane protein contributing to LDCV formation. There is no information about HID-1 structure or domain architecture, and thus it remains unknown how HID-1 binds to the TGN and performs its function. We report that the N-terminus of HID-1 mediates membrane binding through a myristoyl group with a polybasic amino acid patch but lacks specificity for the TGN. In addition, we show that the C-terminus serves as the functional domain. Indeed, this isolated domain, when tethered to the TGN, …

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Rapidly Developed, Optimized, And Applied Wastewater Surveillance System For Real-Time Monitoring Of Low-Incidence, High-Impact Mpox Outbreak, Chandler H. Wong, Zhihao Zhang, Walaa Eid, Julio Plaza-Diaz, Pervez Kabir, Shen Wan, Jian Jun Jia, Elisabeth Mercier, Ocean Thakali, Lakshmi Pisharody, Nada Hegazy, Sean E. Stephenson, Wanting Fang, Tram B. Nguyen, Nathan T. Ramsay, R. Michael Mckay, Ryland Corchis-Scott, Alex E. Mackenzie Sep 2023

Rapidly Developed, Optimized, And Applied Wastewater Surveillance System For Real-Time Monitoring Of Low-Incidence, High-Impact Mpox Outbreak, Chandler H. Wong, Zhihao Zhang, Walaa Eid, Julio Plaza-Diaz, Pervez Kabir, Shen Wan, Jian Jun Jia, Elisabeth Mercier, Ocean Thakali, Lakshmi Pisharody, Nada Hegazy, Sean E. Stephenson, Wanting Fang, Tram B. Nguyen, Nathan T. Ramsay, R. Michael Mckay, Ryland Corchis-Scott, Alex E. Mackenzie

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Recent MPOX viral resurgences have mobilized public health agencies around the world. Recognizing the significant risk of MPOX outbreaks, large-scale human testing, and immunization campaigns have been initiated by local, national, and global public health authorities. Recently, traditional clinical surveillance campaigns for MPOX have been complemented with wastewater surveillance (WWS), building on the effectiveness of existing wastewater programs that were built to monitor SARS-CoV-2 and recently expanded to include influenza and respiratory syncytial virus surveillance in wastewaters. In the present study, we demonstrate and further support the finding that MPOX viral fragments agglomerate in the wastewater solids fraction. Furthermore, this …

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A Combined Microscopy And Single-Cell Sequencing Approach Reveals The Ecology, Morphology, And Phylogeny Of Uncultured Lineages Of Zoosporic Fungi, Kensuke Seto, D. Rabern Simmons, C. Alisha Quandt, Thijs Frenken, Alden C. Dirks, Rebecca A. Clemons, Katelyn M. Mckindles, R. Michael L. Mckay, Timothy Y. James Aug 2023

A Combined Microscopy And Single-Cell Sequencing Approach Reveals The Ecology, Morphology, And Phylogeny Of Uncultured Lineages Of Zoosporic Fungi, Kensuke Seto, D. Rabern Simmons, C. Alisha Quandt, Thijs Frenken, Alden C. Dirks, Rebecca A. Clemons, Katelyn M. Mckindles, R. Michael L. Mckay, Timothy Y. James

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Environmental DNA analyses of fungal communities typically reveal a much larger diversity than can be ascribed to known species. Much of this hidden diversity lies within undescribed fungal lineages, especially the early diverging fungi (EDF). Although these EDF often represent new lineages even at the phylum level, they have never been cultured, making their morphology and ecology uncertain. One of the methods to characterize these uncultured fungi is a single-cell DNA sequencing approach. In this study, we established a large data set of single-cell sequences of EDF by manually isolating and photographing parasitic fungi on various hosts such as algae, …

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Effect Of Tamoxifen On Proteome Expression During In Vitro Myogenesis In Murine Skeletal Muscle C2C12 Cells, Emily A. Morris, Ahlenne Abreu, S. P. Scordilis Aug 2023

Effect Of Tamoxifen On Proteome Expression During In Vitro Myogenesis In Murine Skeletal Muscle C2C12 Cells, Emily A. Morris, Ahlenne Abreu, S. P. Scordilis

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Tamoxifen (TMX), a selective estrogen receptor modulator, is commonly used in the treatment of hormone-responsive cancers. However, the effects of TMX in anabolic tissues harboring estrogen receptors, such as skeletal muscle, are poorly understood. We report a tandem mass-tag approach to TMX-treated myogenesis in C2C12 cells, a well-characterized model of in vitro murine skeletal muscle differentiation. A longitudinal analysis of >10,000 proteins identified in untreated C2C12 myogenesis revealed a novel subset of 1,062 myogenically regulated proteins. These proteins clustered into five distinct longitudinal expression trends which significantly overlap those obtained in similar analyses performed …

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Exploring The Interactions Between Sars-Cov-2 And Host Proteins., Sojan Shrestha Jul 2023

Exploring The Interactions Between Sars-Cov-2 And Host Proteins., Sojan Shrestha

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the current pandemic, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 is considered to be of zoonotic origin; it originated in non-human animals and was transmitted to humans. Since the early stage of the pandemic, however, the evidence of transmissions from humans to animals (reverse zoonoses) has been found in multiple animal species including mink, white-tailed deer, and pet and zoo animals. Furthermore, secondary zoonotic events of SARS-CoV-2, transmissions from animals to humans, have been also reported. It is suggested that non-human hosts can act as SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs where accumulated …

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Structural Diversity And Stress Regulation Of The Plant Immunity-Associated Calmodulin-Binding Protein 60 (Cbp60) Family Of Transcription Factors In Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato), Vanessa Shivnauth, Sonya Pretheepkumar, Eric J. R. Marchetta, Christina A. M. Rossi, Keaun Amani, Christian Castroverde Jul 2023

Structural Diversity And Stress Regulation Of The Plant Immunity-Associated Calmodulin-Binding Protein 60 (Cbp60) Family Of Transcription Factors In Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato), Vanessa Shivnauth, Sonya Pretheepkumar, Eric J. R. Marchetta, Christina A. M. Rossi, Keaun Amani, Christian Castroverde

Biology Faculty Publications

Cellular signaling generates calcium (Ca2+) ions, which are ubiquitous secondary messengers decoded by calcium-dependent protein kinases, calcineurins, calreticulin, calmodulins (CAMs), and CAM-binding proteins. Previous studies in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana have shown the critical roles of the CAM-BINDING PROTEIN 60 (CBP60) protein family in plant growth, stress responses, and immunity. Certain CBP60 factors can regulate plant immune responses, like pattern-triggered immunity, effector-triggered immunity, and synthesis of major plant immune-activating metabolites salicylic acid (SA) and N-hydroxypipecolic acid (NHP). Although homologous CBP60 sequences have been identified in the plant kingdom, their function and regulation in most species remain unclear. In …

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Heightened Heart Rate But Similar Flight Responses To Evolved Versus Recent Predators In An Arctic Seabird, Erica A. Geldart, Oliver P. Love, H. Grant Gilchrist, Andrew F. Barnas, Christopher M. Harris, Christina A.D. Semeniuk Jun 2023

Heightened Heart Rate But Similar Flight Responses To Evolved Versus Recent Predators In An Arctic Seabird, Erica A. Geldart, Oliver P. Love, H. Grant Gilchrist, Andrew F. Barnas, Christopher M. Harris, Christina A.D. Semeniuk

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Predator-prey dynamics in the Arctic are being altered with changing sea ice phenology. The increasing frequency of predation on colonial nesting seabirds and their eggs by the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a consequence of bears shifting to terrestrial food resources through a shortened seal-hunting season. We examined antipredator responses in a colony of nesting Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima) on East Bay Island, Nunavut, Canada, which is exposed to established nest predators, such as arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), but also to recent increases in polar bear nest predation due to the bears’ lost on-ice hunting opportunities. Given eiders’ limited eco-evolutionary …

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Metals And Metal Complexes In Diseases With A Focus On Covid-19: Facts And Opinions, Agnieszka Ścibior, Manuel Aureliano, Alvin A. Holder, Juan Llopis Jun 2023

Metals And Metal Complexes In Diseases With A Focus On Covid-19: Facts And Opinions, Agnieszka Ścibior, Manuel Aureliano, Alvin A. Holder, Juan Llopis

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

In the present Special Issue on “Metals and Metal Complexes in Diseases with a Focus on COVID-19: Facts and Opinions”, an attempt has been made to include reports updating our knowledge of elements considered to be potential candidates for therapeutic applications and certain metal-containing species, which are extensively being examined towards their potential biomedical use due to their specific physicochemical properties. The Special Issue compiles data on the role of metals in COVID-19 and focuses on other illnesses and biological processes that affect metal metabolism. It consists of eight manuscripts, including five review articles and three original research papers (Figure …

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Elucidating The Impact Of Sos-Response Timing In On Escherichia Coli Survival Following Treatment With Fluoroquinolone Topoisomerase Inhibitors, Stephanie Schofield May 2023

Elucidating The Impact Of Sos-Response Timing In On Escherichia Coli Survival Following Treatment With Fluoroquinolone Topoisomerase Inhibitors, Stephanie Schofield

Honors Scholar Theses

Antibiotic treatment failure is a public health crisis, with a 2019 report stating that roughly 35,000 deaths occur in the United States yearly due to bacterial infections that are unresponsive to antibiotics (1). One complication in the treatment of bacterial infection is antibiotic persistence which further compromises our battle to effectively treat infection. Bacterial persisters can exist in clonal bacterial cultures and can tolerate antibiotic treatment by undergoing reversible phenotypic changes. They can survive drug concentrations that their genetically identical kin cannot. Some persisters remain in a slow growing state and are difficult to target with current antibiotics. A specific …

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The Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle As A Central Regulator Of The Rate Of Aging: Implications For Metabolic Interventions, Jonathan M. Borkum May 2023

The Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle As A Central Regulator Of The Rate Of Aging: Implications For Metabolic Interventions, Jonathan M. Borkum

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

Certain metabolic interventions such as caloric restriction, fasting, exercise, and a ketogenic diet extend lifespan and/or health span. However, their benefits are limited and their connections to the underlying mechanisms of aging are not fully clear. Here, these connections are explored in terms of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle (Krebs cycle, citric acid cycle) to suggest reasons for the loss of effectiveness and ways of overcoming it. Specifically, the metabolic interventions deplete acetate and likely reduce the conversion of oxaloacetate to aspartate, thereby inhibiting the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and upregulating autophagy. Synthesis of glutathione may provide a high-capacity …

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Sulfolipid Substitution Ratios Of Microcystis Aeruginosa And Planktonic Communities As An Indicator Of Phosphorus Limitation In Lake Erie, Robbie M. Martin, Maddie K. Denney, Helena L. Pound, Justin D. Chaffin, George S. Bullerjahn, R. Michael L. Mckay, Arthur Zastepa, Katarina A. Jones, Hector F. Castro, Shawn R. Campagna, Steven W. Wilhelm May 2023

Sulfolipid Substitution Ratios Of Microcystis Aeruginosa And Planktonic Communities As An Indicator Of Phosphorus Limitation In Lake Erie, Robbie M. Martin, Maddie K. Denney, Helena L. Pound, Justin D. Chaffin, George S. Bullerjahn, R. Michael L. Mckay, Arthur Zastepa, Katarina A. Jones, Hector F. Castro, Shawn R. Campagna, Steven W. Wilhelm

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Phosphorus (P) availability frequently limits primary production in lakes, influences the physiology of phytoplankton, shapes community structure, and can stimulate or constrain the formation of cyanobacterial blooms. Given the importance of P, numerous methods are available to assess P stress in phytoplankton communities. Marine phytoplankton are known to substitute sulfolipids for phospholipids in response to P limitation. We asked whether sulfolipid substitution might serve as an additional indicator of P stress in freshwater phytoplankton communities. The question was addressed using cultures of Microcystis aeruginosa, Lake Erie microcosms, and surveys of lipid profiles in Lake Erie during a Microcystis spp. bloom. …

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From Deep Mutational Mapping Of Allosteric Protein Landscapes To Deep Learning Of Allostery And Hidden Allosteric Sites: Zooming In On “Allosteric Intersection” Of Biochemical And Big Data Approaches, Gennady M. Verkhivker, Mohammed Alshahrani, Grace Gupta, Sian Xiao, Peng Tao Apr 2023

From Deep Mutational Mapping Of Allosteric Protein Landscapes To Deep Learning Of Allostery And Hidden Allosteric Sites: Zooming In On “Allosteric Intersection” Of Biochemical And Big Data Approaches, Gennady M. Verkhivker, Mohammed Alshahrani, Grace Gupta, Sian Xiao, Peng Tao

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have driven the design of new expert systems and automated workflows that are able to model complex chemical and biological phenomena. In recent years, machine learning approaches have been developed and actively deployed to facilitate computational and experimental studies of protein dynamics and allosteric mechanisms. In this review, we discuss in detail new developments along two major directions of allosteric research through the lens of data-intensive biochemical approaches and AI-based computational methods. Despite considerable progress in applications of AI methods for protein structure and dynamics studies, the intersection between allosteric …

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In Vitro Characterization Of Fluorogenic Chemical Tools To Study Human Carboxylesterases (Cess), Taylor Parish Spidle Apr 2023

In Vitro Characterization Of Fluorogenic Chemical Tools To Study Human Carboxylesterases (Cess), Taylor Parish Spidle

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Human carboxylesterases (CESs) are enzymes that are responsible for the metabolism of many important pharmaceuticals. Although CESs are key players in the hydrolysis of many ester-containing drugs, they remain understudied. Our group hypothesizes that this is primarily because there are few methods capable of reporting activity in live cells. Here, I report a new series of fluorogenic chemical tools to study the CES activity of one of the two major CESs in humans, CES1, in live cells. MCP-Me, MCP-Et, and MCP-iPr utilize the same carbonate group of a previously developed chemical tool in our group, FCP-1, and work to mimic …

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Evolution And Biological Activity Of Cycadophyta, Gustavo M. De Angeli Mar 2023

Evolution And Biological Activity Of Cycadophyta, Gustavo M. De Angeli

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Worldwide, environment gradients effects on leaf physical and chemical defenses traits, were studied in very phylogenetically heterogeneous plants; leading to results that may be confounding. To address this, in this study, we focused on a single Order, Cycadales. We collected data for 8 key leaf traits from 80 Cycads species around the world (~27% of all cycad species known). The leaf traits included, foliar area, leaf mass area, thickness, leaf density, toughness, water, hinokiflavone and amentoflavone content, all of which are closely related to trade ‘offs between plant defenses and leaf construction. We quantified the relative contributions of environment variables …

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Length Of Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (Cure) Impacts Student Learning And Attitudinal Outcomes: A Study Of The Malate Dehydrogenase Cures Community (Mcc), Sue Ellen Dechenne-Peters, John Rakus, Amy D. Parente, Tamara L. Mans, Rebecca Eddy, Nicole Galport, Courtney Koletar, Joseph J. Provost, J. Ellis Bell, Jessica K. Bell Mar 2023

Length Of Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (Cure) Impacts Student Learning And Attitudinal Outcomes: A Study Of The Malate Dehydrogenase Cures Community (Mcc), Sue Ellen Dechenne-Peters, John Rakus, Amy D. Parente, Tamara L. Mans, Rebecca Eddy, Nicole Galport, Courtney Koletar, Joseph J. Provost, J. Ellis Bell, Jessica K. Bell

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are laboratory courses that integrate broadly relevant problems, discovery, use of the scientific process, collaboration, and iteration to provide more students with research experiences than is possible in individually mentored faculty laboratories. Members of the national Malate dehydrogenase CUREs Community (MCC) investigated the differences in student impacts between traditional laboratory courses (control), a short module CURE within traditional laboratory courses (mCURE), and CUREs lasting the entire course (cCURE). The sample included approximately 1,500 students taught by 22 faculty at 19 institutions. We investigated course structures for elements of a CURE and student outcomes including student …

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Spatio-Temporal Connectivity Of The Aquatic Microbiome Associated With Cyanobacterial Blooms Along A Great Lake Riverine-Lacustrine Continuum, Sophie Crevecoeur, Thomas A. Edge, Linet Cynthia Watson, Susan B. Watson, Charles W. Greer, Jan J.H. Ciborowski, Ngan Diep, Alice Dove, Kenneth G. Drouillard, Thijs Frenken, Robert Michael Mckay, Arthur Zastepa, Jérôme Comte Feb 2023

Spatio-Temporal Connectivity Of The Aquatic Microbiome Associated With Cyanobacterial Blooms Along A Great Lake Riverine-Lacustrine Continuum, Sophie Crevecoeur, Thomas A. Edge, Linet Cynthia Watson, Susan B. Watson, Charles W. Greer, Jan J.H. Ciborowski, Ngan Diep, Alice Dove, Kenneth G. Drouillard, Thijs Frenken, Robert Michael Mckay, Arthur Zastepa, Jérôme Comte

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Lake Erie is subject to recurring events of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs), but measures of nutrients and total phytoplankton biomass seem to be poor predictors of cHABs when taken individually. A more integrated approach at the watershed scale may improve our understanding of the conditions that lead to bloom formation, such as assessing the physico-chemical and biological factors that influence the lake microbial community, as well as identifying the linkages between Lake Erie and the surrounding watershed. Within the scope of the Government of Canada’s Genomics Research and Development Initiative (GRDI) Ecobiomics project, we used high-throughput sequencing of the …

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Interactions Between Chytrids Cause Variable Infection Strategies On Harmful Algal Bloom Forming Species, Katelyn M. Mckindles, R. Michael L. Mckay, George S. Bullerjahn, Thijs Frenken Feb 2023

Interactions Between Chytrids Cause Variable Infection Strategies On Harmful Algal Bloom Forming Species, Katelyn M. Mckindles, R. Michael L. Mckay, George S. Bullerjahn, Thijs Frenken

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Cyanobacteria have a great diversity of natural enemies, such as herbivores and pathogens, including fungal pathogens within the Chytridiomycota (chytrids). While these pathogens have been previously described on a select number of cyanobacterial hosts and are suspected to play a significant ecological role, little is understood about species interactions and how competition between parasites can affect epidemic development and bloom formation. Here, three Planktothrix agardhii isolates from Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie (OH, USA) were challenged in monoculture and polyculture against infection by three isolates (C1, C2, C10) of their obligate chytrid fungal pathogen, Rhizophydiales sp. The chytrid isolates were inoculated …

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Comparative Metabolomic Analysis Of Exudates Of Microcystin-Producing And Microcystin-Free Microcystis Aeruginosa Strains, Yuan Zhou, Jun Xu, Hugh J. Macisaac, Robert Michael Mckay, Runbing Xu, Ying Pei, Yuanyan Zi, Jiaojiao Li, Yu Qian, Xuexiu Chang Jan 2023

Comparative Metabolomic Analysis Of Exudates Of Microcystin-Producing And Microcystin-Free Microcystis Aeruginosa Strains, Yuan Zhou, Jun Xu, Hugh J. Macisaac, Robert Michael Mckay, Runbing Xu, Ying Pei, Yuanyan Zi, Jiaojiao Li, Yu Qian, Xuexiu Chang

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) dominated by Microcystis aeruginosa threaten the ecological integrity and beneficial uses of lakes globally. In addition to producing hepatotoxic microcystins (MC), M. aeruginosa exudates (MaE) contain various compounds with demonstrated toxicity to aquatic biota. Previously, we found that the ecotoxicity of MaE differed between MC-producing and MC-free strains at exponential (E-phase) and stationary (S-phase) growth phases. However, the components in these exudates and their specific harmful effects were unclear. In this study, we performed untargeted metabolomics based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to reveal the constituents in MaE of a MC-producing and a MC-free strain at …

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Methylene Blue Inhibits Cromakalim-Activated K+ Currents In Follicle-Enclosed Oocytes, Dmytro Isaev, Keun-Hang Susan Yang, Georg Petroianu, Dietrich Ernst Lorke, Murat Oz Jan 2023

Methylene Blue Inhibits Cromakalim-Activated K+ Currents In Follicle-Enclosed Oocytes, Dmytro Isaev, Keun-Hang Susan Yang, Georg Petroianu, Dietrich Ernst Lorke, Murat Oz

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The effects of methylene blue (MB) on cromakalim-induced K+ currents were investigated in follicle-enclosed Xenopus oocytes. In concentrations ranging from 3–300 μM, MB inhibited K+ currents (IC50: 22.4 μM) activated by cromakalim, which activates KATP channels. MB inhibited cromakalim-activated K+ currents in a noncompetitive and voltage-independent manner. The respective EC50 and slope values for cromakalim-activation of K+ currents were 194 ± 21 µM and 0.91 for controls, and 206 ± 24 µM and 0.87 in the presence of 30 μM MB. The inhibition of cromakalim-induced K+ currents by MB was not …

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Change And Stasis Of Distinct Sediment Microbiomes Across Port Everglades Inlet (Pei) And The Adjacent Coral Reefs, Lauren E. Krausfeldt, Jose V. Lopez, Catherine Bilodeau, Hyo Won Lee, Shelby L. Casali Jan 2023

Change And Stasis Of Distinct Sediment Microbiomes Across Port Everglades Inlet (Pei) And The Adjacent Coral Reefs, Lauren E. Krausfeldt, Jose V. Lopez, Catherine Bilodeau, Hyo Won Lee, Shelby L. Casali

Biology Faculty Articles

Deep water ports are human built coastal structures that by definition welcome ship traffic and disturbance. Evidence is accumulating that enhanced port activities such as dredging or deepening have negatively affected nearby natural habitats. Port Everglades Inlet (PEI) is a large active South Florida cargo port for over two million people and lies adjacent to coral reefs, dwindling mangroves, and recreational beaches. In this study, the microbial communities of PEI and adjacent reef sediments were characterized to serve as indicators for change due to dredging and assess anthropogenic influence on these sensitive ecosystems by sequencing the V4 region of 16S …

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Targeting A Free Viral Fraction Enhances The Early Alert Potential Of Wastewater Surveillance For Sars-Cov-2: A Methods Comparison Spanning The Transition Between Delta And Omicron Variants In A Large Urban Center, Liang Zhao, Qiudi Geng, Ryland Corchis-Scott, Robert Michael Mckay, John Norton, Irene Xagoraraki Jan 2023

Targeting A Free Viral Fraction Enhances The Early Alert Potential Of Wastewater Surveillance For Sars-Cov-2: A Methods Comparison Spanning The Transition Between Delta And Omicron Variants In A Large Urban Center, Liang Zhao, Qiudi Geng, Ryland Corchis-Scott, Robert Michael Mckay, John Norton, Irene Xagoraraki

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Introduction: Wastewater surveillance has proven to be a valuable approach to monitoring the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Recognizing the benefits of wastewater surveillance as a tool to support public health in tracking SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens, numerous wastewater virus sampling and concentration methods have been tested for appropriate applications as well as their significance for actionability by public health practices. Methods: Here, we present a 34-week long wastewater surveillance study that covers nearly 4 million residents of the Detroit (MI, United States) metropolitan area. Three primary concentration methods were compared with respect …

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Multi-Year Molecular Quantification And ‘Omics Analysis Of Planktothrix-Specific Cyanophage Sequences From Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie, Katelyn M. Mckindles, Makayla Manes, Michelle Neudeck, Robert Michael Mckay, George S. Bullerjahn Jan 2023

Multi-Year Molecular Quantification And ‘Omics Analysis Of Planktothrix-Specific Cyanophage Sequences From Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie, Katelyn M. Mckindles, Makayla Manes, Michelle Neudeck, Robert Michael Mckay, George S. Bullerjahn

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Introduction: Planktothrix agardhii is a microcystin-producing cyanobacterium found in Sandusky Bay, a shallow and turbid embayment of Lake Erie. Previous work in other systems has indicated that cyanophages are an important natural control factor of harmful algal blooms. Currently, there are few cyanophages that are known to infect P. agardhii, with the best-known being PaV-LD, a tail-less cyanophage isolated from Lake Donghu, China. Presented here is a molecular characterization of Planktothrix specific cyanophages in Sandusky Bay. Methods and Results: Putative Planktothrix-specific viral sequences from metagenomic data from the bay in 2013, 2018, and 2019 were identified by two approaches: homology …

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Actionable Wastewater Surveillance: Application To A University Residence Hall During The Transition Between Delta And Omicron Resurgences Of Covid-19, Ryland Corchis-Scott, Qiudi Geng, Abdul Monem Al Riahi, Amr Labak, Ana Podadera, Kenneth K.S. Ng, Lisa A. Porter, Yufeng Tong, Jess C. Dixon, Sherri Lynne Menard, Rajesh Seth, R. Michael Mckay Jan 2023

Actionable Wastewater Surveillance: Application To A University Residence Hall During The Transition Between Delta And Omicron Resurgences Of Covid-19, Ryland Corchis-Scott, Qiudi Geng, Abdul Monem Al Riahi, Amr Labak, Ana Podadera, Kenneth K.S. Ng, Lisa A. Porter, Yufeng Tong, Jess C. Dixon, Sherri Lynne Menard, Rajesh Seth, R. Michael Mckay

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Wastewater surveillance has gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic as an effective and non-biased means to track community infection. While most surveillance relies on samples collected at municipal wastewater treatment plants, surveillance is more actionable when samples are collected “upstream” where mitigation of transmission is tractable. This report describes the results of wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 at residence halls on a university campus aimed at preventing outbreak escalation by mitigating community spread. Another goal was to estimate fecal shedding rates of SARS-CoV-2 in a non-clinical setting. Passive sampling devices were deployed in sewer laterals originating from residence halls at a …

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Molecular Regulation Of The Salicylic Acid Hormone Pathway In Plants Under Changing Environmental Conditions, Christina A. M. Rossi, Eric J. R. Marchetta, Jong Hum Kim, Christian Castroverde Jan 2023

Molecular Regulation Of The Salicylic Acid Hormone Pathway In Plants Under Changing Environmental Conditions, Christina A. M. Rossi, Eric J. R. Marchetta, Jong Hum Kim, Christian Castroverde

Biology Faculty Publications

Salicylic acid (SA) is a central plant hormone mediating immunity, growth, and development. Recently, studies have highlighted the sensitivity of the SA pathway to changing climatic factors and the plant microbiome. Here we summarize organizing principles and themes in the regulation of SA biosynthesis, signaling, and metabolism by changing abiotic/biotic environments, focusing on molecular nodes governing SA pathway vulnerability or resilience. We especially highlight advances in the thermosensitive mechanisms underpinning SA-mediated immunity, including differential regulation of key transcription factors (e.g., CAMTAs, CBP60g, SARD1, bHLH059), selective protein–protein interactions of the SA receptor NPR1, and dynamic phase separation of the recently identified …

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