Biology Commons^™

Isoform-Specific Regulation And Localization Of The Coxsackie And Adenovirus Receptor In Human Airway Epithelia, Katherine J.D.A. Excoffon, Nicholas D. Gansemer, Matthew E. Mobily, Philip H. Karp, Kalpaj R. Parekh, Joseph Zabner

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Adenovirus is an important respiratory pathogen. Adenovirus fiber from most serotypes co-opts the Coxsackie-Adenovirus Receptor (CAR) to bind and enter cells. However, CAR is a cell adhesion molecule localized on the basolateral membrane of polarized epithelia. Separation from the lumen of the airways by tight junctions renders airway epithelia resistant to inhaled adenovirus infection. Although a role for CAR in viral spread and egress has been established, the mechanism of initial respiratory infection remains controversial. CAR exists in several protein isoforms including two transmembrane isoforms that differ only at the carboxy-terminus (CAR^Ex7 and CAR^Ex8). We found low-level …

Cellular And Molecular Dissection Of Pluripotent Adult Somatic Stem Cells In Planarians, Norito Shibata, Labib Rouhana, Kiyokazu Agata

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Freshwater planarians, Plathelminthes, have been an intriguing model animal of regeneration studies for more than 100 years. Their robust regenerative ability is one of asexual reproductive capacity, in which complete animals develop from tiny body fragments within a week. Pluripotent adult somatic stem cells, called neoblasts, assure this regenerative ability. Neoblasts give rise to not only all types of somatic cells, but also germline cells. During the last decade, several experimental techniques for the analysis of planarian neoblasts at the molecular level, such as in situ hybridization, RNAi and fluorescence activated cell sorting, have been established. Moreover, information about genes …

Revision Of The Genus Erythromelana Townsend, 1919 (Diptera: Tachinidae) With Notes On Their Phylogeny And Diversification, Diego Javier Inclan Luna

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The neotropics harbor an enormous diversity of tachinid flies, yet the fauna remains poorly known. The tribe Blondeliini is particularly diverse in this region and desperately needs taxonomic attention. Here, I present a revision of the neotropical genus Erythromelana Townsend including the redescription of three previously described species and the description of 11 new species. Two species previously assigned into this genus, are resurrected as distinct genera. Erythromelana species are widely distributed from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, with the Andes being a hotspot of diversity. Erythromelana are specialized on geometrids in the genus Eois, which mainly feed on plants …

An Assessment Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Dynamics, Management, And Impacts In Highly Fragmented Landscapes, Bambi Shafer

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Habitat and forage selection by deer can cause local extinction of plant species. In my research, I asked: 1) How do deer population growth rates in urban parks change through time? 2) Are culling rates and deer densities correlated? 3) Are browse rates on Trillium spp. and deer densities correlated? I used FLIR deer census data from Davis Aviation and culling data from Five Rivers MetroParks (Montgomery County, Ohio). I found that deer population growth rates generally declined from 2003 to 2008. The number of deer culled was positively correlated to the deer densities. The browse rates of Trillium spp. …

Impacts Of A Herbivorous Fish, Campostoma Anomalum (Central Stoneroller), On Nitrogen Fixation By Benthic Algae, Chad Robert Schwinnen

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Herbivorous fish negatively impact algal biomass and promote the growth of cyanobacteria. In nutrient poor conditions that sustain high levels of productivity nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria can supply up to 28% of the available nitrogen (Higgins et al. 2001) We investigated the role of grazing fish in sustaining high levels of productivity in nutrient poor conditions. We used the grazing minnow, Campostoma anomalum, and the acetylene reduction technique in a controlled environment to analyze rates of nitrogen fixation and primary production by the periphyton. Fish grazing reduced algal biomass and promoted the growth of cyanobacteria but had no impact on overall …

Ecological Speciation In A Multi-Trophic Complex: Gall Midges, Goldenrods, And Parasitoids, Brenda L. Wells

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The importance of ecological interactions in the origin and maintenance of species diversity remains unclear. The current study assesses how ecological interactions shape the process of evolutionary diversification using a gall midge-host plant system in Ohio involving the gall midge, Asteromyia carbonifera (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), and its goldenrod (Solidago) host-plants. A. carbonifera form four morphologically distinctive gall morphs and differ genetically. I studied phenology, host-plant specialization, and parasitism at three field sites in Southwestern Ohio. Phenology was assessed for twelve weeks while host-plant distribution and pressure from parasitoids were measured by monthly plot and rearing gall collections. Relative gall frequencies and …

Constitutive And Jasmonate-Inducible Defenses In Phloem Of Two North American And Two Asian Ash Species Grown In A Common Garden, Qin Wang

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Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is more damaging to North American ashes than Asian ashes. Variation in the resistance of ash species to feeding by larvae of EAB may be related to variation in levels of chemical defenses in the phloem. I compared constitutive and methyl jasmonate (MeJA)-inducible levels of several chemical defenses in the phloem of young Manchurian, Chinese, white, and green ashes. Manchurian ash is known to be highly resistant to attack by EAB in the field, while white and green ashes are both susceptible. The hypotheses of this experiment were that: (1) Manchurian (Fraxinus mandshurica) and Chinese ash …

The Influence Of Stored Product Mites On The Function Of Skin Microvascular Endothelial Cells, Jennifer Graff Curp

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The prevalence of allergenic diseases and sensitization to stored product mites is increasing worldwide. Stored product mites are prevalent in homes, foods, and some work environments. Stored product mites need to be further studied so we can characterize their inflammatory properties to understand their role in skin disease, and provide proper treatment to patients with mite allergies. The purpose of the study was to show the role of stored product mites in modulating the inflammatory and immune response to human dermal endothelial cells in the skin. The epidermis serves as the first line of defense between the body and the …

Evaluating Forensic Dna Evidence, Dan E. Krane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Preliminary Study Of The Diversity And Temporal Patterns Of Abundance Of Tachinidae In Southwestern Ohio, Diego J. Inclán, John O. Stireman Iii

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Although tachinids are one of the most diverse families of Diptera (Irwin et al. 2003) and represent the largest group of non-hymenopteran parasitoids (Belshaw 1994), the ecology of most species in the family is poorly known. Most of the studies that have focused on tachinids are related to taxonomic descriptions. Currently, our knowledge is very limited in terms of the diversity and distribution of populations across time and space, especially in the Nearctic and Neotropical Regions (Stireman 2008). There have been a number of recent studies focused on diversity and temporal distributions of tachinids in the Palaearctic Region such as …

Scientific Components Of Dna Evidence: Molecular Biology And Population Genetics, Dan E. Krane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Competition And Allelopathic Effects Of Native And Invasive Populations Of Lonicera Maackii: A Comparative Analysis, Daniel M. Romanek

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It is unknown if the novel weapons or evolution of increased competitive ability hypotheses explain the invasiveness of L. maackii in eastern United States woodlands. I tested if L. maackii's allelopathic properties have a significant impact on the fitness of native Pilea pumila in addition to below ground competition as well as if L. maackii populations vary in allelopathic and/ or competitive ability within the invasive range and between native and invasive ranges. Addition of activate carbon to potting soil increased the ability of L. maackii to inhibit the fitness of P. pumila in addition to competition. L. maackii …

Cloning And Expression Of Aquaporin In The Antennal Gland Of Crayfish, Procambarus Clarkii, Yang Gao

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Aquaporins (AQPs) are responsible for transferring water and other small molecules across the cell membrane. Relatively little research has been conducted on AQPs in crustaceans. To study the AQPs in crayfish, I hypothesis that 1) AQP is expressed in the antennal gland (kidney analogue) of crayfish; 2) crayfish AQP will show greater expression in tissues (gill and antennal gland) associated with volume regulation; 3) AQP mRNA expression in antennal gland and gill will increase in premolt and decrease in postmolt compared with intermolt level. RT-PCR and Real-time PCR assay were applied to test the hypothesis. A partial AQP gene was …

Tthe Immature Stages And Natural History Of Antirrhea Adoptiva Porphyrosticta (Watkins, 1928) In Eastern Ecuador (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Morphinae), Harold F. Greeney, Philip J. Devries, Carla M. Penz, Rafael B. Granizo-T, Heidi Connahs, John O. Stireman Iii, Thomas R. Walla, Lee A. Dyer

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Here we describe the immature stages and ecological associations of Antirrhea adoptiva porphyrosticta Watkins, 1928 (Lepidoptera:Nymphalidae:Morphinae). The cloud forest bamboo, Chusquea scandens Kunth (Bambusoidea: Poaceae), serves as the larval food plant for this butterfly in eastern Ecuador, the first hostplant record for Antirrhea outside the family Arecaceae. The larvae of A. adoptiva porphyrosticta are superficially similar to those of other Antirrhea species. We also provide observations on adult and larval behavior. Caterpillars of this butterfly species are parasitized by tachinid flies, as well as by Ichneumonidae and a newly described braconid wasp.

Species Richness And Host Associations Of Lepidoptera-Attacking Tachinidae In The Northeast Ecuadorian Andes, John O. Stireman Iii, Harold F. Greeney, Lee A. Dyer

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Most of the unknown biological diversity of macro-organisms remaining to be discovered and described lies in the tropical regions of the world and consists primarily of insects. Those insects with parasitoid lifestyles constitute a significant portion of insect diversity, yet parasitoids are among the most poorly known of major insect guilds in the humid tropics. Here we describe and analyze the richness of one diverse taxon of parasitoids, flies in the family Tachinidae, reared from Lepidoptera as part of a biological survey of Lepidoptera and their parasitoids in one mid-elevation (2000 m) area in the northeast Ecuadorian Andes. One hundred …

Habitat Variation Among Aquatic Gastropod Assemblages Of Indiana, U.S.A., Mark Pyron, Jayson Beugly, Matthew Spielman, Jennifer Pritchett, Stephen J. Jacquemin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We collected aquatic gastropods at 137 sites in lakes and streams of Indiana and tested for patterns of assemblages with environmental variables. The survey resulted in 32 species with a mean of 2.8 species at each site, and a mean abundance at each site of 144 individuals. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) multivariate analyses resulted in watershed drainage area, water conductivity, substrate category frequency, and dissolved oxygen as significant correlates of gastropod assemblage structure. Gastropod assemblages of lakes were not significantly different than assemblages of streams in the ordination. Prosobranch taxa occurred in higher abundances than pulmonate taxa at sites with …

Distribution And Host Specificity Of Erysiphe Cruciferarum (Powdery Mildew) Attacking Alliaria Petiolata (Garlic Mustard), In Southwestern Ohio, Victoria Lyn Ciola

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Garlic mustard is an invasive Eurasian biennial that has rapidly spread throughout the United States. In Southwestern Ohio, many garlic mustard populations are infected with the powdery mildew Erysiphe cruciferarum that can reduce the growth and fitness of garlic mustard. E. cruciferarum was assessed using a Decision Tree in regards to its potential use as a biological control agent. I determined the distribution of E. cruciferarum on garlic mustard and I determined the potential risk of E. cruciferarum to native Brassicaceous species and selected crops. I surveyed 19 parks in Southwestern Ohio and recorded the number of diseased garlic mustard …

The Development Of Preservice Elementary Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge For Scientific Modeling, Michelle Elizabeth Cotterman

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For teachers to effectively engage students in scientific modeling, they require pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for this practice. This study examines how preservice elementary teachers develop PCK for scientific modeling when given modeling centered instruction in a science methods course. Our findings indicate preservice teachers made significant pedagogical gains in this practice, shifting from using models as static products to using them as thinking tools for students to develop science content knowledge. However, few viewed learning the practice of scientific modeling as an important learning goal. Preservice teachers also had difficulty translating the depth of their understandings into lesson designs, …

The Effects Of Coaching Strategies For Primary Prevention Of Coronary Heart Disease Involving Asymptomatic Hospital Employees, Gabriel Mario Moreno

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Introduction: An effective coronary heart disease (CHD) prevention program is needed. Currently, prevention of CHD is being sought through pre-CHD risk stratification of patients using office-based screening tools such as the Framingham risk model (Greenland, Smith, and Grundy, 2001). However, patients who are given recommendations for lifestyle behavior modification find difficulty employing and sustaining the changes. The recent popularity of coaching for health behavior change has prompted the question of whether coaching is an effective method to produce a higher success rate for lowering cardiovascular disease following risk stratification.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness …

Risk-Sensitive Foraging Facilitates Species-Level Trophic Cascades Among Terrestrial Mammals: A Meta-Analysis, Bryan David Murray

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The widespread removal of large carnivores from terrestrial ecosystems may be contributing to plant species loss and biotic homogenization through trophic cascades. A few plants not preferred by ungulates are increasing in abundance while the majority of preferred plants are in decline. A meta-analysis of recruitment gaps in browse-sensitive tree species demonstrated that failed recruitment coincided in time with carnivore loss. In all studies recruitment continued in nearby browsing refugia. A second meta-analysis revealed that the mechanism of mammalian herbivore-mediated trophic cascades contains a behavioral component. Foraging mammals exhibited higher giving-up densities (GUDs) when under higher predation risk. GUDs were …

A Potential Strategy To Maintain Hsv-1 In A Latent State: Use Of Immunoregulatory Peptide Mimetics, Nasrin Majidi

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This study reviews the role of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in HSV-1 latency. CD8+ T cells inhibit the reactivation of HSV-1 in trigeminal ganglia (TG) by production of IFN-gamma. Although CD8+ T cells include all the cytotoxic apparatus for cytotoxicity, latently infected neuronal cells are not killed by CD8+ T cells. The CD94-NKG2a molecule on CD8+ T cells, binds to Qa-1b (a MHC class I like molecule) present on neuronal cell to inhibit CD8+ T cells cytotoxicity. Other studies have also determined that the IFN-gamma peptide mimetic 95-132 inhibits HSV-1 replication in the same way as IFN-gamma in infected cells. IFN-gamma mimetic …

Finding The Trophic Trickle: Using Herbaceous Indicator Species To Investigate Plant Recovery From Intense Browsing By White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) After The Re-Colonization Of A Top Predator (Canis Lupus), Krystle A. Bouchard

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High densities of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been implicated in changing forest community structure and composition. Top predators, including gray wolf (Canis lupus), were extirpated from much of their range by the mid 1900s, but have since returned to Northern Wisconsin. To determine whether the re-colonization of wolves could initiate a trophic cascade resulting in the recovery of understory plants from deer browsing, I surveyed four herbaceous species in areas without wolves and areas with 4-6 year old wolf packs and 12-13 year old wolf packs. Plant size and reproduction were greater in areas where wolves had been for …

Influence Of Diet On Population Growth And Allergen Production In Cultured House Dust Mites - Dermatophagoides Farinae And Dermatophagoides Pteronyssinus, Swetha Avula Poola

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Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus culture extracts are used for skin testing, immunotherapy and research studies. There is a need to develop an effective culture method so that standardized extracts and allergens can be produced. The purpose of this study was to examine if different diets effect mite population growth and the amount of allergen produced in cultures. Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were cultured on diets A and B. The density of mites, life stage composition and allergen concentration was determined at two week intervals. Enzyme-linked immune sorbent assays (ELISA) were used to assess group 1 and group 2 …

Characterization Of Microtubule Depolymerization By The Hiv Protein Rev, Shimpi Bedi

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The HIV-1 Rev protein enables the nucleocytoplasmic export of unspliced or partially spliced mRNAs that is required for the synthesis of structural proteins. By doing so, it regulates the switch to the late phase of the viral replication cycle (Cullen, 1992). This regulatory control over viral replication makes Rev an attractive target for anti-viral intervention. The development of anti-viral remedies is hindered because the three-dimensional structure of Rev has not yet been solved by X-ray crystallography and NMR. Rev, which polymerizes into regular hollow filaments at high concentrations, forms side-to-side and end-to-side interactions making it prone to aggregation and precipitation …

Immunolocalization And Changes In Expression Levels Of Glyceroporin Hc-3 In Several Tissues Of Gray Tree Frogs, Hyla Chrysoscelis Under Different Physiological Conditions, Sushmita Yaganti

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Previous studies show that aquaporin HC-3 in gray tree frogs, Hyla chrysoscelis, a homolog of mammalian AQP3 is an aqua glyceroporin also responsible for freeze tolerance. Our study tried to localize and compare the protein expression levels of aquaporin HC-3 in seven different organs of gray tree frogs under five different physiological conditions using immuno histofluorescence and western blot. HC-3 was immunolocalized in the epidermis and dermis of the skin, basolateral portion of the collecting ducts in the kidney, red blood cells in the liver and other tissues, muscle Schwann cells and the basolateral portion of the large intestine epithelial …

Probing A Role For Trap150 In Gene Regulation, Divya Potabathula

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The mammalian cell nucleus is a highly organized cellular compartment. The nucleus is surrounded by the nuclear envelope and contains distinct domains such as nucleoli, nuclear speckles and Cajal bodies that may reflect nuclear functions such as transcription and RNA processing. Nuclear speckles are regions in the nucleus that are enriched in splicing factors and other RNA processing factors, as well as some transcription factors and the large subunit of RNA polymerase II. Mass spectrometry analysis of purified nuclear speckles revealed 146 nuclear speckle proteins of which 33 are novel nuclear speckle components. One such novel nuclear speckle protein is …

Inflammatory Cytokines In Jet Propulsion Fuel-8 Induced Irritant Contact Dermatitis In Male Fischer Rats, Thomas Joseph Kannanayakal

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Contact dermatitis is one of the most common occupational diseases. Absenteeism of the affected workers and associated health care costs makes this disease an economically important issue. Irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) is a common contact dermatitis observed among workers. As each category of irritants triggers the inflammatory process by different method, studying the mechanism of ICD is difficult. Information on the mechanism of action of an irritant is indispensable for the development of effective prophylactic and therapeutic measures. In this study, we have investigated the early changes in rat skin induced by jet fuel-8 (JP-8). Although previous studies have described …

Physiological Effects On The Expression Of Aquaporin 1-Like Hc-1 In Cope's Gray Tree Frog, Hyla Chrysoscelis, Ram Naresh Pandey

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Aquaporin 1 is a cell membrane integral protein, which functions for water transport through the hydrophobic cell membrane to the cytoplasm. HC-1 is an aquaporin 1-like protein expressed in Hyla chrysoscelis and amphibian that survives at sub-freezing temperatures in its natural habitat. The goal of the current study was to investigate the expression of HC-1 during changing physiological conditions. The expression level of HC-1 was determined in skin, muscle, liver, kidney, and intestines of warm, cold, frozen, and dehydrated frogs using Western blot and immunohistofluorescence. Although HC-1 was widely distributed, the expression level varied among tissues and physiological conditions. In …

The Influence Of Temperature On Population Growth And Allergen Production In Cultured House Dust Mites - Dermatophagoides Pteronyssinus And Dermatophagoides Farinae, Lakshmi Yella

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Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae are commercially cultured to produce materials to make extracts for diagnostic tests and immunotherapy. There is some speculation as to how the culture conditions such as time of culture, temperature, relative humidity and food might influence the mite populations and subsequent production of allergens. The purpose of our investigation was to see how temperature influenced the population growth and allergen production of cultured house dust mites. D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae were cultured at 20°C and 25°C. Samples were collected at two week intervals for live mite count, life stage composition and to determine Group …

Neuroendocrine Peptides Neuropeptide-Y (Npy) And Peptide-Yy (Pyy) Suppress Cl- Secretion And K+ Secretion In Guinea Pig Distal Colon Through Action At Y2-Receptors, Susan T. Halm, Jin Zhang, Dan R. Halm

Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology Faculty Publications

Electrogenic Cl^– and K⁺ secretion in isolated mucosa from guinea pig distal colon measured as short-circuit current (I_sc) and transepithelial conductance (G_t) were stimulated by epinephrine (epi), prostaglandin-E₂ (PGE₂) and carbachol (CCh). neuropeptide-Y (NPY) and peptide-YY (PYY) inhibited by 60% Cl^– secretion activated by either PGE₂ or PGE₂+CCh with EC₅₀’s of 16nM and 6nM, respectively. Neither peptide markedly inhibited the transient component of the PGE₂+CCh response. Immunoreactivity (IR) for NPY was present in enteric ganglia and in proximity with crypts. Basolateral membranes of …