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Articles 1 - 19 of 19
Full-Text Articles in Biology
High-Frequency Temperature Variability Mirrors Fixed Differences In Thermal Limits Of The Massive Coral Porites Lobata, Daniel J. Barshis, Charles Birkeland, Robert J. Toonen, Ruth D. Gates, Jonathon H. Stillman
High-Frequency Temperature Variability Mirrors Fixed Differences In Thermal Limits Of The Massive Coral Porites Lobata, Daniel J. Barshis, Charles Birkeland, Robert J. Toonen, Ruth D. Gates, Jonathon H. Stillman
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Spatial heterogeneity in environmental characteristics can drive adaptive differentiation when contrasting environments exert divergent selection pressures. This environmental and genetic heterogeneity can substantially influence population and community resilience to disturbance events. Here, we investigated corals from the highly variable back-reef habitats of Ofu Island in American Samoa that thrive in thermal conditions known to elicit widespread bleaching and mortality elsewhere. To investigate the relative importance of acclimation versus site of origin in shaping previously observed differences in coral tolerance limits at Ofu Island, specimens of the common Indo-Pacific coral Porites lobata from locations with differing levels of thermal variability were …
Emerging Roles Of The Membrane Potential: Action Beyond The Action Potential, Lina Abdul Kadir, Michael Stacey, Richard Barrett-Jolley
Emerging Roles Of The Membrane Potential: Action Beyond The Action Potential, Lina Abdul Kadir, Michael Stacey, Richard Barrett-Jolley
Bioelectrics Publications
Whilst the phenomenon of an electrical resting membrane potential (RMP) is a central tenet of biology, it is nearly always discussed as a phenomenon that facilitates the propagation of action potentials in excitable tissue, muscle, and nerve. However, as ion channel research shifts beyond these tissues, it became clear that the RMP is a feature of virtually all cells studied. The RMP is maintained by the cell's compliment of ion channels. Transcriptome sequencing is increasingly revealing that equally rich compliments of ion channels exist in both excitable and non-excitable tissue. In this review, we discuss a range of critical roles …
Arthropod Transcriptional Activator Protein-1 (Ap-1) Aids Tick-Rickettsial Pathogen Survival In The Cold, Supreet Khanal, Vikas Taank, John F. Anderson, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta
Arthropod Transcriptional Activator Protein-1 (Ap-1) Aids Tick-Rickettsial Pathogen Survival In The Cold, Supreet Khanal, Vikas Taank, John F. Anderson, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Ixodes scapularis ticks transmit several pathogens to humans including rickettsial bacterium, Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Here, we report that A. phagocytophilum uses tick transcriptional activator protein-1 (AP-1) as a molecular switch in the regulation of arthropod antifreeze gene, iafgp. RNAi-mediated silencing of ap-1 expression significantly affected iafgp gene expression and A. phagocytophilum burden in ticks upon acquisition from the murine host. Gel shift assays provide evidence that both the bacterium and AP-1 influences iafgp promoter and expression. The luciferase assays revealed that a region of approximately 700 bp upstream of the antifreeze gene is sufficient for AP-1 binding to promote …
Local Adaptation Signatures In Thermal Performance Of The Temperate Coral Astrangia Poculata, Hannah Elise Aichelman
Local Adaptation Signatures In Thermal Performance Of The Temperate Coral Astrangia Poculata, Hannah Elise Aichelman
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
The Northern Star Coral (Astrangia poculata) is an understudied temperate scleractinian coral that provides unique opportunities to understand the roles of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation in coral physiological tolerance limits. Astrangia poculata inhabits hard bottom ecosystems from the northwestern Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico and withstands an annual temperature range up to 20°C. Additionally, A. poculata is facultatively symbiotic and co-occurs in both symbiotic (“brown”) and aposymbiotic (“white”) states. Here, brown and white A. poculata were collected from Virginia (VA) and Rhode Island (RI), USA and exposed to heat (18-32°C) and cold (18-6°C) temperature assays during …
Zika Modulates Arthropod Histone Methylation In Mosquito Cells, Telvin Lee Harrell
Zika Modulates Arthropod Histone Methylation In Mosquito Cells, Telvin Lee Harrell
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Epigenetics is the heritable series of covalent modifications that affect chromatin structure, gene expression, and protein function. Methylation is one such epigenetic modification that involves the addition of chemical modifying entities, such as methyl groups, on nucleic acids or proteins. Recent studies have reported that Zika virus (ZIKV) modulates methylation of human and viral RNA important for its replication in vertebrate cells. However, little is known whether ZIKV exerts methylation in arthropod vectors. In this study, I show that ZIKV modulates S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe) synthase, an enzyme involved in the production of SAMe, and histone methylation for its survival in …
Identifying Marine Key Biodiversity Areas In The Greater Caribbean Region, Michael S. Harvey
Identifying Marine Key Biodiversity Areas In The Greater Caribbean Region, Michael S. Harvey
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Anthropocene biodiversity extinction rates are increasing, suggesting a possible sixth global mass extinction event. Biological conservation planners are consequently seeking ways to more effectively protect species at national, regional and global scales. In 2010, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) issued a number of conservation goals (Aichi Targets), including the establishment of protected areas (PA) in terrestrial, freshwater and marine areas of eminent conservation concern by 2020 to reduce and eventually eliminate species’ extinctions, as well as preserve hotspots of biodiversity and dynamic ecosystems. While well-established, adequately enforced PAs increase the likelihood of preserving species and habitats most at risk …
Potential Interaction Analysis Of Offshore Wind Energy Areas And Breeding Avian Species On The Us Mid-Atlantic Coast, Jeri Lynn Wisman
Potential Interaction Analysis Of Offshore Wind Energy Areas And Breeding Avian Species On The Us Mid-Atlantic Coast, Jeri Lynn Wisman
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Due to increasing US interest in developing wind energy sites in offshore waters, we synthesized existing data on colonial breeding seabird populations with the potential risk of interacting with lease areas in the mid-Atlantic. Previous efforts by BOEM and NOAA have predicted avian density using at-sea survey data; we seek to complement this work by focusing specifically on birds during the critical and energetically demanding breeding life history stage. We combined colony size and location for each species along the mid-Atlantic coast with buffers around the colonies that correlate with the species’ foraging range. We integrated population size, vulnerability to …
Reproductive Correlates Of A Perineal Gland In The Hispid Cotton Rat, Robert K. Rose, Julie A. Winchell
Reproductive Correlates Of A Perineal Gland In The Hispid Cotton Rat, Robert K. Rose, Julie A. Winchell
Virginia Journal of Science
During studies of the annual cycle of reproduction in the hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) in southeastern Virginia, we discovered an anal (more specifically, perineal) gland that is present only in males during the breeding season. The perineal gland encircles the lower end of the rectum and has ductal connections to the urethra, through which its secretions likely are delivered. This fatty gland is highly developed in breeding males but, like the testes and seminal vesicles, regresses during the winter non-breeding season. The prominence and cyclicity of the perineal gland suggests that it somehow facilitates normal reproduction. The …
3d Bioprinting Systems For The Study Of Mammary Development And Tumorigenesis, John Reid
3d Bioprinting Systems For The Study Of Mammary Development And Tumorigenesis, John Reid
Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations
Understanding the microenvironmental factors that control cell function, differentiation, and stem cell renewal represent the forefront of developmental and cancer biology. To accurately recreate and model these dynamic interactions in vitro requires both precision-controlled deposition of multiple cell types and well-defined three-dimensional (3D) extracellular matrix (ECM). To achieve this goal, we hypothesized that accessible bioprinting technology would eliminate the experimental inconsistency and random cell-organoid formation associated with manual cell-matrix embedding techniques commonly used for 3D, in vitro cell cultures. The first objective of this study was to adapt a commercially-available, 3D printer into a 3D bioprinter. Goal-based computer simulations were …
Differential Gene Expression In Response To Hypoxia And Acidosis In Chest Wall Deformities And Chondrosarcoma, Jamie L. Durbin
Differential Gene Expression In Response To Hypoxia And Acidosis In Chest Wall Deformities And Chondrosarcoma, Jamie L. Durbin
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
The importance of understanding how costal cartilage chondrocytes respond to stimuli such as oxidative stress and low pH has been largely overlooked in studies involving tissue culturing due to major differences between oxygen and pH levels during incubation and the natural environment of hyaline cartilage. Hyaline cartilage is avascular and naturally hypoxic which subsequently leads to increased glycolytic metabolism and ultimately causes a decrease in extracellular pH. To examine how healthy costal cartilage responds to these extreme growth conditions, we examined responses in three hyaline cartilage diseases. Our ability to identify the disease mechanisms responsible for pectus excavatum, pectus carinatum, …
Digging Out The Devils: Molecular Examination Of Amoeba-Like Cells From Cranial Tissue Of The Endangered Rio Grande Silvery Minnow, Brandon Hamel
Digging Out The Devils: Molecular Examination Of Amoeba-Like Cells From Cranial Tissue Of The Endangered Rio Grande Silvery Minnow, Brandon Hamel
Undergraduate Research Symposium
The Rio Grande Silvery Minnow (Hybognathus amarus) is a critically endangered species native to the southwestern United States. Since the 1990s its population has declined dramatically due to extensive human alteration of the Rio Grande for agriculture and civil development. This has resulted in habitat degradation and impedance to proper migration, resulting in the minnow now occupying only 5% of its historical range. An active restocking and recovery program is underway through the US Fish and Wildlife Service involving breeding programs at three New Mexico sites. In the summer of 2012, aquaculture specimens began exhibiting an unusual spinning …
Quantification Of Twist From The Central Lines Of Β-Strands, Tunazzina Islam, Michael Poteat, Jing He
Quantification Of Twist From The Central Lines Of Β-Strands, Tunazzina Islam, Michael Poteat, Jing He
Computer Science Faculty Publications
Since the discovery of right-handed twist of a β-strand, many studies have been conducted to understand the twist. Given the atomic structure of a protein, twist angles have been defined using atomic positions of the backbone. However, limited study is available to characterize twist when the atomic positions are not available, but the central lines of β-strands are. Recent studies in cryoelectron microscopy show that it is possible to predict the central lines of β-strands from a medium-resolution density map. Accurate measurement of twist angles is important in identification of β-strands from such density maps. We propose an effective method …
Adiposity And Fat Metabolism During Combined Fasting And Lactation In Elephant Seals, Melinda Fowler, Cory Champagne, Daniel Croker
Adiposity And Fat Metabolism During Combined Fasting And Lactation In Elephant Seals, Melinda Fowler, Cory Champagne, Daniel Croker
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Animals that fast depend on mobilizing lipid stores to power metabolism. Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) incorporate extended fasting into several life-history stages: development, molting, breeding and lactation. The physiological processes enabling fasting and lactation are important in the context of the ecology and life history of elephant seals. The rare combination of fasting and lactation depends on the efficient mobilization of lipid from adipose stores and its direction into milk production. The mother elephant seal must ration her finite body stores to power maintenance metabolism, as well as to produce large quantities of lipid and protein rich …
Modelling The Effects Of Habitat And Hosts On Tick Invasions, Robyn M. Nadolny, Holly D. Gaff
Modelling The Effects Of Habitat And Hosts On Tick Invasions, Robyn M. Nadolny, Holly D. Gaff
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Many tick species are invading new areas because of anthropogenic changes in the landscape, shifting climatic variables and increasing populations of suitable host species and tick habitat. However, the relative influences of habitat and hosts in tick dispersal and tick population establishment remain in question. A spatially explicit agent-based model was developed to explore the spatio-temporal dynamics of a generic tick population in the years immediately following the introduction of ticks into a novel environment. The general model was then adapted to investigate a case study of two recent tick species invasions into the Mid-Atlantic United States. The recent simultaneous …
Better Living Through Chemistry: Addressing Emerging Antibiotic Resistance, Nathan P. Coussens, Ashley L. Molinaro, Kayla J. Culbertson, Tyler Peryea, Gergely Zahoránszky-Köhalmi, Matthew D. Hall, Dayle A. Daines
Better Living Through Chemistry: Addressing Emerging Antibiotic Resistance, Nathan P. Coussens, Ashley L. Molinaro, Kayla J. Culbertson, Tyler Peryea, Gergely Zahoránszky-Köhalmi, Matthew D. Hall, Dayle A. Daines
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
The increasing emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria is recognized as a major threat to human health worldwide. While the use of small molecule antibiotics has enabled many modern medical advances, it has also facilitated the development of resistant organisms. This minireview provides an overview of current small molecule drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in humans, the unintended consequences of antibiotic use, and the mechanisms that underlie the development of drug resistance. Promising new approaches and strategies to counter antibiotic-resistant bacteria with small molecules are highlighted. However, continued public investment in this area is critical …
Energy-Rich Mesopelagic Fishes Revealed As A Critical Prey Resource For A Deep-Diving Predator Using Quantitative Fatty Acid Signature Analysis, Chandra Goetsch, Melinda G. Conners, Suzanne M. Budge, Yoko Mitani, William A. Walker, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, Samantha E. Simmons, Colleen Reichmuth, Daniel P. Costa
Energy-Rich Mesopelagic Fishes Revealed As A Critical Prey Resource For A Deep-Diving Predator Using Quantitative Fatty Acid Signature Analysis, Chandra Goetsch, Melinda G. Conners, Suzanne M. Budge, Yoko Mitani, William A. Walker, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, Samantha E. Simmons, Colleen Reichmuth, Daniel P. Costa
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Understanding the diet of deep-diving predators can provide essential insight to the trophic structure of the mesopelagic ecosystem. Comprehensive population-level diet estimates are exceptionally difficult to obtain for elusive marine predators due to the logistical challenges involved in observing their feeding behavior and collecting samples for traditional stomach content or fecal analyses. We used quantitative fatty acid signature analysis (QFASA) to estimate the diet composition of a wide-ranging mesopelagic predator, the northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris), across five years. To implement QFASA, we first compiled a library of prey fatty acid (FA) profiles from the mesopelagic eastern North Pacific. Given …
Natural History Of The Southern Bog Lemming In Southeastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose
Natural History Of The Southern Bog Lemming In Southeastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
The isolated subspecies of Southern Bog Lemming of southeastern Virginia, Synaptomys cooperi helaletes, has been studied extensively since its "rediscovery" in the Great Dismal Swamp in 1980. Multiple studies using pitfall traps, starting in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and then extending elsewhere in southeastern Virginia and adjacent northeastern North Carolina, have revealed lemmings to be much more widespread and often more common than previously believed, with their presence now confirmed as far west as Surry and Sussex counties, about 30 km east of Petersburg, Virginia. When present, lemmings often are among the most numerous members of …
Molecular Candidates For Blocking The Transmission Of Vector-Borne Diseases, Ashish Naresh Vora
Molecular Candidates For Blocking The Transmission Of Vector-Borne Diseases, Ashish Naresh Vora
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) require urgent attention as they have a high mortality rate, with 700,000 people dying in a year as of 2017. So far, extremely few reliable vaccination strategies and solutions have emerged. Transmission blocking vaccines are one among many solutions available to manage the control of VBDs. These require identification of both vector and pathogen molecules that play important roles in the transmission, dissemination and establishment of VBDs. Our strategy is to characterize these candidates that play important roles in vector-host-pathogen interactions. This manuscript presents two such studies identifying the participation of two arthropod molecules in vector-host-pathogen interactions. …
Lack Of Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity In Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis), Jessica Shannon Miller
Lack Of Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity In Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis), Jessica Shannon Miller
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Mycobacteriosis is a fatal disease in fishes caused by acid-fast bacteria in the genus Mycobacterium. This disease impacts aquaculture, aquariums, and wild fishes. Unfortunately, there are currently no non-lethal diagnostic tests for mycobacterial infection in fishes. Type IV delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses in vivo and in vitro are currently used for the non-lethal detection of mycobacterial infections in humans and in animals; however, there is little information available on DTH responses in fishes. In this work, we examine in vivo DTH response in Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), an important U.S. Eastern seaboard fish species, experimentally …