Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Moraxella Spp. Isolated From Field Outbreaks Of Infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis: A Retrospective Study Of Case Submissions From 2010 To 2013, John Dustin Loy, Bruce W. Brodersen

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), also known as pinkeye, is the most costly eye disease of cattle. The principal etiologic agent of IBK is the Gram-negative bacterium Moraxella bovis. However, there have been reports of IBK outbreaks associated with Moraxella bovoculi. A retrospective study of IBK diagnostic cases submitted from July 1, 2010, through October 31, 2013, was conducted. Included in the study were 1,042 Moraxella isolates from 1,538 swabs of lacrimal secretions collected from 282 herds from 30 U.S. states. Moraxella isolates were identified to the species level and were composed of M. bovoculi (701 isolates), M. bovis …

Experimental Infection Of Pregnant Goats With Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (Bvdv) 1 Or 2, Thomas Passler, Kay P. Riddell, Misty A. Edmondson, Manuel F. Chamorro, John D. Neill, Bruce W. Brodersen, Heather L. Walz, Patricia K. Galik, Yijing Zhang, Paul H. Walz

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Infections with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) of the genus pestivirus, family Flaviviridae, are not limited to cattle but occur in various artiodactyls. Persistently infected (PI) cattle are the main source of BVDV. Persistent infections also occur in heterologous hosts such as sheep and deer. BVDV infections of goats commonly result in reproductive disease, but viable PI goats are rare. Using 2 BVDV isolates, previously demonstrated to cause PI cattle and white-tailed deer, this study evaluated the outcome of experimental infection of pregnant goats. Pregnant goats (5 goats/group) were intranasally inoculated with BVDV 1b AU526 (group 1) or BVDV 2 …

Glutaredoxin-2 Is Required To Control Oxidative Phosphorylation In Cardiac Muscle By Mediating Deglutathionylation Reactions, Mary-Ellen Harper, Ryan J. Mailloux, Jian Ying Xuan, Skye Mcbride, Wael Maharsy, Stephanie Thorn, Chet E. Holterman, Christopher R.J. Kennedy, Peter Rippstein, Robert Dekemp, Jean Da Silva, Mona Nemer, Marjorie Lou

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Glutaredoxin-2 (Grx2) modulates the activity of several mitochondrial proteins in cardiac tissue by catalyzing deglutathionylation reactions. However, it remains uncertain whether Grx2 is required to control mitochondrial ATP output in heart. Here, we report that Grx2 plays a vital role modulating mitochondrial energetics and heart physiology by mediating the deglutathionylation of mitochondrial proteins. Deletion of Grx2 (Grx2−/−) decreased ATP production by complex I-linked substrates to half that in wild type (WT) mitochondria. Decreased respiration was associated with increased complex I glutathionylation diminishing its activity. Tissue glucose uptake was concomitantly increased. Mitochondrial ATP output and complex I activity could be recovered …

Evaluating The Clinical And Physiological Effects Of Long Term Ultraviolet B Radiation On Guinea Pigs (Cavia Porcellus), Megan K. Watson, Adam W. Stern, Amber L. Labelle, Stephen Joslyn, Timonthy M. Fan, Katie Leister, Micah Kohles, Kemba Marshall, Mark A. Mitchell

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Vitamin D is an important hormone in vertebrates. Most animals acquire this hormone through their diet, secondary to exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, or a combination thereof. The objectives for this research were to evaluate the clinical and physiologic effects of artificial UVB light supplementation on guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) and to evaluate the long-term safety of artificial UVB light supplementation over the course of six months. Twelve juvenile acromelanic Hartley guinea pigs were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: Group A was exposed to 12 hours of artificial UVB radiation daily and Group B …

A Loose Domain Swapping Organization Confers A Remarkable Stability To The Dimeric Structure Of The Arginine Binding Protein From Thermotoga Maritima, Alessia Ruggiero, Jonathan D. Dattelbaum, Maria Staiano, Rita Berisio, Sabato D'Auria, Luigi Vitagliano

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The arginine binding protein from Thermatoga maritima (TmArgBP), a substrate binding protein (SBP) involved in the ABC system of solute transport, presents a number of remarkable properties. These include an extraordinary stability to temperature and chemical denaturants and the tendency to form multimeric structures, an uncommon feature among SBPs involved in solute transport. Here we report a biophysical and structural characterization of the TmArgBP dimer. Our data indicate that the dimer of the protein is endowed with a remarkable stability since its full dissociation requires high temperature as well as SDS and urea at high concentrations. In order to elucidate …

Mutations In Phospholamban Alter The Structure And Function Of The Calcium Atpase Regulatory Complex, Neha Abrol

Dissertations

Phospholamban (PLB) is an integral membrane protein that plays an important role in regulation of cardiac calcium handling and contractility. PLB exists as a homopentamer in the membrane, which upon deoligomerization into active monomers reversibly inhibits sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA). Mutations in PLB that change the PLB monomer-pentamer equilibrium result in dysregulation of SERCA. To determine the structural and regulatory role of the C-terminal residues of PLB in the membranes of living cells, we fused fluorescent protein tags to PLB and SERCA. We then studied the effect of C-terminal alanine substitutions and truncation mutations on PLB oligomerization and SERCA …

The Dape-Encoded N-Succinyl-L,L-Diaminopimelic Acid Desuccinylase (Dape) From Haemophilus Influenzae As A Prospective Target For The Development Of Novel Antibiotics, Anna Starus

Dissertations

The rapid emergence of bacteria that are resistant to todayfs antibiotics makes them more and more ineffective. Consequently, the need for a novel class of antibacterial agents is rapidly increasing. The importance of this project is emphasized by the emergence of several pathogenic bacterial strains that are resistant to all currently available antibiotics on the market today. One way to approach this problem is to develop drugs that target essential bacterial biosynthetic pathways. Based on bacterial genetic information, the meso]diaminopimelate (mDAP)/lysine biosynthetic pathway offers several potential anti]bacterial targets that have not been yet explored. One of these, the dapE-encoded N-succinyl-L,L-diaminopimelic …

Developing A Caenorhabditis Elegans Model For Marfan Syndrome, Pauline Fotopoulos

Theses and Dissertations

Marfan Syndrome (MFS) is one of the most common monogenic diseases and affects approximately 1 in 5,000 individuals worldwide. The syndrome is characterized by elongated extremities, tall stature, slender frame, and cardiac, and vision abnormalities due to severe connective tissue defects. It is caused by mutations in the fbn1 gene, which encodes an extracellular matrix glycoprotein, and is required for proper cardiac and skeletal development and for sequestration of TGFβ (transforming growth factor beta) and BMP (bone morphogenetic protein) within the extracellular matrix (ECM). The primary objective of this study was to establish a C.elegans MFS model and use this …

The Group Iva Cytosolic Phospholipase A2/C1p Interaction And Its Role In Eicosanoid Synthesis And Inflammation, Jennifer A. Mietla

Theses and Dissertations

In the presented study, we demonstrate that the interaction of group IVA cytosolic phospholipase A2 and ceramide-1-phosphate is crucial for production of eicosanoid synthesis in inflammation. Inflammation is a critical component of many disease states including anaphylaxis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and asthma. Eicosanoids are well established mediators of inflammation, and the initial rate limiting step in the production of eicosanoids is the liberation of arachidonic acid (AA) from membrane phospholipids by a phospholipase A2 (PLA2). The major phospholipase involved in this liberation of AA during the inflammatory response is group IVA cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2α). Previous studies …

Developing C. Elegans As A Model To Study Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Jheesoo Ahn

Theses and Dissertations

Caenorhabditis elegans has been studied as a model organism in various areas of biomedical research because it shares many conserved functions at molecular and genetic levels with humans. Specifically, it is an ideal organism to study heterogeneous metabolic syndromes such as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) as C. elegans can be used to delineate molecular pathways that are at the core of its problems. A growing number of populations worldwide are faced with chronic T2DM, which also manifests several complications, such as blindness, neuropathy and cardiovascular diseases. Currently, metformin is the first-line drug of choice administered to treat T2DM. While …

A Structure-Function Analysis Of The Arabidopsis Chloroplast Import Protein Attic20, James H. Campbell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Arabidopsis thaliana protein Tic20 (atTic20) is a member of the translocon at the inner envelope membrane of chloroplasts. Evidence to date suggests it is part of the main preprotein conducting aperture in the complex, but its exact role is still debated. To help characterize its role, a protocol optimizing yield and purity of recombinantly expressed atTic20 was developed, and a series of experiments was performed to examine its secondary structure and its ability to interact with chloroplast transit peptides. The attempt to increase protein yield was successful, with growth at 20^oC in the auto-inducing media ZYP-5052 showing the …

Characterizing Dsrna Production In Virus-Infected Fish Cells, Amal Brek Aloufi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Viral dsRNA is produced by almost all viruses sometime during their replicative cycle. These viral nucleic acids are potent inducers of both innate and adaptive immune responses, and are therefore considered important immuno-modulators. Previous studies have shown that viruses produce dsRNA when replicating in mammalian cells; however, to date no one has demonstrated viral dsRNA production in virus infected fish cells. Therefore, the goal of this study is to investigate dsRNA production by fish viruses in fish cells, verifying production and performing initial characterization of the dsRNA molecules being produced. Three different rainbow trout cell lines were used in this …

Global Sphingolipid Profile Of Giardia Lamblia During Stage Differentiation: The Influence Of Sphingomyelin Abundance On Viable Cyst Production, Trevor Thomas Duarte

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Giardia lamblia is a protozoan parasite and a major cause of the waterborne-illness, giardiasis, worldwide. Giardiasis is endemic in developing countries and is a leading cause of non-viral- and non-bacterial-associated intestinal disorders. Acute symptoms of giardiasis include diarrhea, cramps, and malabsorption. The disease is often self-limiting, although the infection can result in long-term disorders such as chronic fatigue, stunted cognitive skills, and failure to thrive even after the parasite has been cleared.

This parasite exists in two morphologic forms--infective trophozoites and transmissible, water-resistant cyst, which is passed by the fecal-oral route and is likely to be spread by contaminated drinking …

The Sumoylation Of The Non-Structural Protein 1 Of The Influenza A Virus Plays A Dual Role During Viral Infection, Jason Michael Chacon

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The potential for a highly pathogenic influenza pandemic remains a concern for global health. The ability of the influenza virus to undergo antigenic shift and genetic drift give circulating strains of influenza the high probability of developing resistance to current antiviral therapies. Emerging strains of higher virulence, to which the infected person has not had any previous exposure to viral antigens, pose a greater threat of serious illness and death. Currently, there is no antiviral therapy that is effective against all strains of influenza, emphasizing the need to develop new strategies that target cellular systems required for viral replication to …

Evaluations Of A Mechanistic Hypothesis For The Influence Of Extracellular Ions On Electroporation Due To High-Intensity, Nanosecond Pulsing, V. Sridhara, R. P. Joshi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The effect of ions present in the extracellular medium on electroporation by high-intensity, short-duration pulsing is studied through molecular dynamic simulations. Our simulation results indicate that mobile ions in the medium might play a role in creating stronger local electric fields across membranes that then reinforce and strengthen electroporation. Much faster pore formation is predicted in higher conductivity media. However, the impact of extracellular conductivity on cellular inflows, which depend on transport processes such as electrophoresis, could be different as discussed here. Our simulation results also show that interactions between cations (Na+ in this case) and the carbonyl oxygen of …

Simultaneous Bactericidal And Osteogenic Effect Of Nanoparticulate Calcium Phosphate Powders Loaded With Clindamycin On Osteoblasts Infected With Staphylococcus Aureus, Vuk Uskoković, Tejal A. Dasai

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

S aureus internalized by bone cells and shielded from the immune system provides a reservoir of bacteria in recurring osteomyelitis. Its targeting by the antibiotic therapy may thus be more relevant for treating chronic bone infection than eliminating only the pathogens colonizing the bone matrix. Assessed was the combined osteogenic and antibacterial effect of clindamycinloaded calcium phosphate nanoparticles of different monophasic compositions on co-cultures comprising osteoblasts infected with S aureus. Antibiotic-carrying particles were internalized by osteoblasts and minimized the concentration of intracellular bacteria. In vitro treatments of the infected cells, however, could not prevent cell necrosis due to the …