Biology Commons^™

Host Genetics And Geography Influence Microbiome Composition In The Sponge Ircinia Campana, Sarah M. Griffiths, Rachael E. Antwis, Luca Lenzi, Anita Lucaci, Donald C. Behringer, Mark J. Butler, Richard F. Preziosi

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

1. Marine sponges are host to large, diverse communities of microorganisms. These microbiomes are distinct among sponge species and from seawater bacterial communities, indicating a key role of host identity in shaping its resident microbial community. However, the factors governing intraspecific microbiome variability are underexplored, and may shed light on the evolutionary and ecological relationships between host and microbiome.

2. Here, we examined the influence of genetic variation and geographic location on the composition of the Ircinia campana microbiome.

3. We developed new microsatellite markers to genotype I. campana from two locations in the Florida Keys, USA, and characterised their …

Editorial: Invertebrate Models Of Natural And Drug-Sensitive Reward, Moira J. Van Staaden, Robert Huber

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The relationship between insects and humans is a complex one, characterized biotically as commensalism, mutualism, or parasitism. This collection of papers reveals yet another dimension, in which shared history invests invertebrate models with the power to interrogate critical challenges to the human reward system. As humans we take pride in approaching a given scenario rationally, in considering the possible options, assigning them values, and then choosing that which maximizes one's individual outcomes. So, why do drug addicts make choices that inevitably lead to ruinous consequences? Fundamentally, addiction appears to impair the very ability to form considered judgments, as it strips …

Cryptic Lineages And A Population Damned To Incipient Extinction? Insights Into The Genetic Structure Of A Mekong River Catfish, Amanda S. Ackiss, Binh T. Dang, Christopher E. Bird, Ellen E. Biesack, Phen Chheng, Latsamy Phounvisouk, Quyen H.D. Vu, Sophorn Uy, Kent E. Carpenter

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

An understanding of the genetic composition of populations across management boundaries is vital to developing successful strategies for sustaining biodiversity and food resources. This is especially important in ecosystems where habitat fragmentation has altered baseline patterns of gene flow, dividing natural populations into smaller sub-populations and increasing potential loss of genetic variation through genetic drift. River systems can be highly fragmented by dams built for flow regulation and hydropower. We used reduced-representation sequencing to examine genomic patterns in an exploited catfish, Hemibagrus spilopterus, in a hotspot of biodiversity and hydropower development- the Mekong River basin. Our results revealed the …

Origin And Recent Expansion Of An Endogenous Gammaretroviral Lineage In Domestic And Wild Canids, Julia V. Halo, Amanda L. Pendleton, Abigail S. Jarosz, Robert J. Gifford, Malika L. Day, Jeffrey M. Kidd

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Vertebrate genomes contain a record of retroviruses that invaded the germlines of ancestral hosts and are passed to offspring as endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). ERVs can impact host function since they contain the necessary sequences for expression within the host. Dogs are an important system for the study of disease and evolution, yet no substantiated reports of infectious retroviruses in dogs exist. Here, we utilized Illumina whole genome sequence data to assess the origin and evolution of a recently active gammaretroviral lineage in domestic and wild canids.

RESULTS: We identified numerous recently integrated loci of a canid-specific ERV-Fc sublineage within …

De Novo Origins Of Multicellularity In Response To Predation, Matthew D. Herron, Joshua M. Borin, Jacob C. Boswell, Jillian Walker, I. Chen Kimberly Chen, Charles A. Knox, Margrethe Boyd, Frank Rosenzweig, William C. Ratcliff

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The transition from unicellular to multicellular life was one of a few major events in the history of life that created new opportunities for more complex biological systems to evolve. Predation is hypothesized as one selective pressure that may have driven the evolution of multicellularity. Here we show that de novo origins of simple multicellularity can evolve in response to predation. We subjected outcrossed populations of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to selection by the filter-feeding predator Paramecium tetraurelia. Two of five experimental populations evolved multicellular structures not observed in unselected control populations within ~750 asexual generations. Considerable variation …

Predator Water Balance Alters Intraguild Predation In A Streamsidefood Web, Israel L. Leinbach, Kevin E. Mccluney, John L. Sabo

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Previous work suggests that animal water balance can influence trophic interactions, with predators increasing their consumption of water-laden prey to meet water demands.But it is unclear how the need for water interacts with the need for energy to drive trophic interactions under shifting conditions. Using manipulative field experiments, we show that water balance influences the effects of top predators on prey with contrasting ratios of water and energy, altering the frequency of intraguild predation. Water-stressed top predators (large spiders) negatively affect water-laden basal prey (crickets), especially male prey with higher water content, whereas alleviation of water limitation causes top predators …

Preliminary Pcr-Based Screening Indicates A Higher Incidence Of Porcine Endogenous Retrovirus Subtype C (Perv-C) In Feral Versus Domestic Swine, Rashmi Acharya, Zoey K. Wallis, Robert Keener, Eric T. Gillock Ph.D.

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Xenotransplantation is considered a potential alternative to allotransplantation to relieve the current shortage of human organs. Due to their similar size and physiology, the organs of pigs are of particular interest for this purpose. Endogenous retroviruses are a result of integration of retroviral genomes into the genome of infected germ cells as DNA proviruses, which are then carried in all cells of the offspring of the organism. Porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) are of special concern because they are found in pig organs and tissues that might otherwise be used for xenotransplantation. PERV proviruses can be induced to replicate and recombine …

Local Adaptation, Genetic Divergence, And Experimental Selection In A Foundation Grass Across The Us Great Plains’ Climate Gradient, Matthew Galliart, Nora Bello, Mary Knapp, Jesse Poland, Paul St Amand, Sara Baer, Brian Maricle Ph.D., Adam B. Smith, Loretta Johnson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Many prior studies have uncovered evidence for local adaptation using reciprocal transplant experiments. However, these studies are rarely conducted for a long enough time to observe succession and competitive dynamics in a community context, limiting inferences for long-lived species. Furthermore, the genetic basis of local adaptation and genetic associations with climate has rarely been identified. Here, we report on a long-term (6-year) experiment conducted under natural conditions focused on Andropogon gerardii, the dominant grass of the North American Great Plains tallgrass ecosystem. We focus on this foundation grass that comprises 80% of tallgrass prairie biomass and is widely used in …

The Cure For Cultivating Fastidious Microbes, Arundhati Bakshi, Austen T. Webber, Lorelei E. Patrick, William Wischusen, Cameron Thrash

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) expand the scientific educational benefits of research to large groups of students in a course setting. As part of an ongoing effort to integrate CUREs into first-year biology labs, we developed a microbiology CURE (mCURE) that uses a modified dilution-toextinction high throughput culturing protocol for isolating abundant yet fastidious aquatic bacterioplankton during one semester. Students learn common molecular biology techniques like nucleic acid extraction, PCR, and molecular characterization; read and evaluate scientific literature; and receive training in scientific communication through written and oral exercises that incorporate social media elements. In the first three semesters, the …

Embl2checklists: A Python Package To Facilitate The User-Friendly Submission Of Plant And Fungal Dna Barcoding Sequences To Ena, Michael Gruenstaeudl, Yannick Hartmaring

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background The submission of DNA sequences to public sequence databases is an essential, but insufficiently automated step in the process of generating and disseminating novel DNA sequence data. Despite the centrality of database submissions to biological research, the range of available software tools that facilitate the preparation of sequence data for database submissions is low, especially for sequences generated via plant and fungal DNA barcoding. Current submission procedures can be complex and prohibitively time expensive for any but a small number of input sequences. A user-friendly software tool is needed that streamlines the file preparation for database submissions of DNA …

Differential Sensitivity Of Bees To Urbanization-Driven Changes In Body Temperature And Water Content, Justin D. Burdine, Kevin E. Mccluney

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Predicting how species will respond to climate change and land use modification is essential for conserving organisms and maintaining ecosystem services. Thermal tolerances have been shown to have strong predictive power, but the potential importance of desiccation tolerances have been less explored in some species. Here, we report measurements of thermal and desiccation tolerances and safety margins across a gradient of urbanization, for three bee species: silky striped sweat bees (Agapostemon sericeus), western honeybees (Apis mellifera), and common eastern bumblebees (Bombus impatiens). We found significant differences in thermal tolerances, measured as critical thermal maximum …

Field Testing Integrated Interventions For Schistosomiasis Elimination In The People's Republic Of China: Outcomes Of A Multifactorial Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial, Gail M. Williams, Yue-Sheng Li, Darren J. Gray, Zheng-Yuan Zhao, Donald A. Harn, Lisa M. Shollenberger, Sheng-Ming Li, Xinglin Yu, Zeng Feng, Jia-Gang Guo, Jie Zhou, Yu-Lan Dong, Yuan Li, Biao Guo, Patrick Driguez, Marina Harvie, Hong You, Allen G. Ross, Donald P. Mcmanus

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Despite significant progress, China faces the challenge of re-emerging schistosomiasis transmission in currently controlled areas due, in part, to the presence of a range of animal reservoirs, notably water buffalo and cattle, which can harbor Schistosoma japonicum infections. Environmental, ecological and social-demographic changes in China, shown to affect the distribution of oncomelanid snails, can also impact future schistosomiasis transmission. In light of their importance in the S. japonicum, lifecycle, vaccination has been proposed as a means to reduce the excretion of egg from cattle and buffalo, thereby interrupting transmission from these reservoir hosts to snails. A DNA-based vaccine (SjCTPI) …

Editorial: Advances In The Biology And Conservation Of Marine Turtles, Sara M. Maxwell, Annette C. Broderick, Peter H. Dutton, Sabrina Fossette-Halot, Mariana M.P.B. Fuentes, Richard D. Reina

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

(First Paragraph) Marine turtles have been the subject of research over many decades, inspired by their unique life history and necessitated by their declining populations from a suite of human impacts including direct harvest, bycatch in marine fisheries, pollution, and climate change. Despite this, much about marine turtle biology has remained a mystery (Godley et al., 2008; Rees et al., 2016; Wildermann et al., 2018), but the rate of scientific discovery is increasing rapidly. As research techniques and conservation practices expand, the marine turtle research community has kept abreast of these developments and their application to marine turtles. In this …

Cpef Is The Bilin Lyase That Ligates The Doubly Linked Phycoerythrobilin On Phycoerythrin In The Cyanobacterium Fremyella Diplosiphon, Wendy M. Schluchter, R. B. Cole, D. M. Kehoe, M. N. Boutaghou, J. A. Karty, A. Gutu, L. S. Hernandez, J. P. Frick, C. V. Hernandez, C. M. Kronfel

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Phycoerythrin (PE) is a green light-absorbing protein present in the light-harvesting complex of cyanobacteria and red algae. The spectral characteristics of PE are due to its prosthetic groups, or phycoerythrobilins (PEBs), that are covalently attached to the protein chain by specific bilin lyases. Only two PE lyases have been identified and characterized so far, and the other bilin lyases are unknown. Here, using in silico analyses, markerless deletion, biochemical assays with purified and recombinant proteins, and site-directed mutagenesis, we examined the role of a putative lyase-encoding gene, cpeF, in the cyanobacterium Fremyella diplosiphon. Analyzing the phenotype of the cpeF deletion, …

Interplay Between Differentially Expressed Enzymes Contributes To Light Color Acclimation In Marine Synechococcus, Wendy M. Schluchter, D. M. Kehoe, F. Partensky, J. A. Strnat, S. Pokhrel, J. A. A. Karty, L. Garczarek, A. A. Nguyen, J. E. Sanfilippo

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Marine Synechococcus, a globally important group of cyanobacteria, thrives in various light niches in part due to its varied photosynthetic light-harvesting pigments. Many Synechococcus strains use a process known as chromatic acclimation to optimize the ratio of two chromophores, green-light-absorbing phycoerythrobilin (PEB) and blue-light-absorbing phycourobilin (PUB), within their light-harvesting complexes. A full mechanistic understanding of how Synechococcus cells tune their PEB to PUB ratio during chromatic acclimation has not yet been obtained. Here, we show that interplay between two enzymes named MpeY and MpeZ controls differential PEB and PUB covalent attachment to the same cysteine residue. MpeY attaches PEB to …

The Roles Of The Chaperone-Like Protein Cpez And The Phycoerythrobilin Lyase Cpey In Phycoerythrin Biogenesis, Wendy M. Schluchter, D. M. Kehoe, J. A. Karty, T. Blensdorf, A. Gutu, J. P. Frick, A. Biswas, C. M. Kronfel

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Phycoerythrin (PE) present in the distal ends of light-harvesting phycobilisome rods in Fremyella diplosiphon (Tolypothrix sp. PCC 7601) contains five phycoerythrobilin (PEB) chromophores attached to six cysteine residues for efficient green light capture for photosynthesis. Chromophore ligation on PE subunits occurs through bilin lyase catalyzed reactions, but the characterization of the roles of all bilin lyases for phycoerythrin is not yet complete. To gain a more complete understanding about the individual functions of CpeZ and CpeY in PE biogenesis in cyanobacteria, we examined PE and phycobilisomes purified from wild type F. diplosiphon, cpeZ and cpeY knockout mutants. We find that …

Prime-Boost Vaccine Regimen For Sjtpl And Sjc23 Schistosome Vaccines, Increases Efficacy In Water Buffalo In A Field Trial In China, Akram A. Da'dara, Changlin Li, Xinling Yu, Mao Zheng, Jie Zhou, Lisa M. Shollenberger, Yue-Sheng Li, Donald A. Ham

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Schistosomiasis remains a serious zoonotic disease in China and the Philippines. Water buffalo and cattle account for the majority of transmission. Vaccination of water buffalo is considered a key strategy to reduce disease prevalence. Previously, we showed that vaccination of water buffalo with SjC23 or SjCTPI plasmid DNA vaccines, induced 50% efficacy to challenge infection. Here, we evaluated several parameters to determine if we can develop a two dose vaccine that maintains the efficacy of the three dose vaccine. We performed four trials evaluating: (1) lab produced vs. GLP grade vaccines, (2) varying the time between prime and boost, (3) …

Anti-C1q Autoantibodies Are Frequently Detected In Patients With Systemic Sclerosis Associated With Pulmonary Fibrosis, C. Liaskos, S. Rentouli, T. Simopoulou, A. Gkoutzourelas, G. L. Norman, A. Brotis, I. Alexiou, C. Katsiari, D. P. Bogdanos, L. I. Sakkas

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Anti-C1q autoantibodies (autoAbs) are associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) but their presence in other rheumatic diseases has not been adequately investigated.

OBJECTIVE: We aim to assessanti-C1q autoAbs and circulating immune complexes (CICs) in systemic sclerosis (SSc).

METHODS: One hundred twenty four patients with SSc (106 females; median age 59.4 years, range 25-81.4; 75(60.5%) with limited cutaneous SSc[lcSSc], and 49(39.5%) with diffuse cutaneous SSc[dcSSc]), were studied. Twenty-five patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SjS), 29 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 38 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 53 healthy controls (NC) were also included. ELISAs with high and low salt …

Exosomes Mediate Zika Virus Transmission Through Smpd3 Neutral Sphingomyelinase In Cortical Neurons, Wenshuo Zhou, Michael Woodson, Michael B. Sherman, Girish Neelakanta, Hameeda Sultana

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The harmful effects of ZIKA virus (ZIKV) infection are reflected by severe neurological manifestations such as microcephaly in neonates and other complications associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults. The transmission dynamics of ZIKV in or between neurons, or within the developing brains of the foetuses are not fully understood. Using primary cultures of murine cortical neurons, we show that ZIKV uses exosomes as mediators of viral transmission between neurons. Cryo-electron microscopy showed heterogeneous population of neuronal exosomes with a size range of 30-200 nm. Increased production of exosomes from neuronal cells was noted upon ZIKV infection. Neuronal exosomes contained both …

Habitat Saturation Results In Joint-Nesting Female Coalitions In A Social Bird, Sahas Barve, Walter D. Koenig, Joseph Haydock, Eric L. Walters

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Joint nesting by females and cooperative polyandry—cooperatively breeding groups with a male-biased breeder sex ratio—are little-understood, rare breeding systems. We tested alternative hypotheses of factors potentially driving these phenomena in a population of joint-nesting acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus). During periods of high population density and thus low independent breeding opportunities, acorn woodpecker females formed joint-nesting coalitions with close kin. Coalitions were typically associated with groups with a male bias. We found strong evidence for both inter- and intrasexual conflict, as joint nesting conferred a fitness benefit to some males, a significant fitness cost to females, and no gain in per …

Mapping Status And Conservation Of Global At-Risk Marine Biodiversity, Casey C. O'Hara, Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez, Gina M. Ralph, Benjamin S. Halpern

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

To conserve marine biodiversity, we must first understand the spatial distribution and status of at‐risk biodiversity. We combined range maps and conservation status for 5,291 marine species to map the global distribution of extinction risk of marine biodiversity. We find that for 83% of the ocean, >25% of assessed species are considered threatened, and 15% of the ocean shows >50% of assessed species threatened when weighting for range‐limited species. By comparing mean extinction risk of marine biodiversity to no‐take marine reserve placement, we identify regions where reserves preferentially afford proactive protection (i.e., preserving low‐risk areas) or reactive protection (i.e., mitigating …

Clonally Expanded Alpha-Chain T-Cell Receptor (Tcr) Transcripts Are Present In Aneurysmal Lesions Of Patients With Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (Aaa), Song Lu, John V. White, Raquel I. Judy, Lisa L. Merritt, Wan Lu Lin, Xiaoying Zhang, Charalambos Solomides, Ifeyinwa Nwaneshiudu, John Gaughan, Dimitri S. Monos, Emilia L. Oleszak, Chris D. Platsoucas

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a life-threatening immunological disease responsible for 1 to 2% of all deaths in 65 year old or older individuals. Although mononuclear cell infiltrates have been demonstrated in AAA lesions and autoimmunity may be responsible for the initiation and account for the propagation of the disease, the information available about the pathogenesis of AAA is limited. To examine whether AAA lesions from patients with AAA contain clonally expanded α-chain TCR transcripts, we amplified by the non-palindromic adaptor-PCR (NPA-PCR)/Vα-specific PCR and/or the Vα-specific PCR these α-chain TCR transcripts. The amplified transcripts were cloned and sequenced. Substantial proportions …

Parasitic Dinoflagellate Hematodinium Perezi Prevalence In Larval And Juvenile Blue Crabs Callinectes Sapidus From Coastal Bays Of Virginia, H. J. Small, J. P. Huchin-Mian, K. S. Reece, K. M. Pagenkopp Lohan, Mark J. Butler Iv, J. D. Shields

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The parasitic dinoflagellate Hematodinium perezi infects the American blue crab Callinectes sapidus and other decapods along the Eastern seaboard and Gulf of Mexico coast of the USA. Large juvenile and adult blue crabs experience high mortality during seasonal outbreaks of H. perezi, but less is known about its presence in the early life history stages of this host. We determined the prevalence of H. perezi in megalopae and early benthic juvenile crabs from multiple locations along the Virginia portion of the Delmarva Peninsula. The DNA of H. perezi was not detected in any megalopae collected from several locations within …

Seasonal Spatial Segregation In Blue Sharks (Prionace Glauca) By Sex And Size Class In The Northeast Pacific Ocean, Sara M. Maxwell, Kylie L. Scales, Steven Bograd, Dana K. Briscoe, Heidi Dewar, Elliott L. Hazen, Rebecca L. Lewison, Heather Welch, Larry B. Crowder

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Aim: Animal tracking can provide unique insights into the ecology and conservation of marine species, such as the partitioning of habitat, including differences between life history stages or sexes, and can inform fisheries stock assessments, bycatch reduction and spatial management such as dynamic management.

Location: Northeast Pacific Ocean.

Methods: We used satellite tracking data from 47 blue sharks (Prionace glauca) from the Northeast Pacific to determine movements and home range along the west coast of North America, and sex–size class (immature females, mature males) specific habitat preferences using boosted regression trees. Using a suite of static and dynamic …

Vitellogenin Receptor As A Target For Tick Control: A Mini-Review, Robert D. Mitchell Iii, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Adalberto A. Pérez De León

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

While much effort has been put into understanding vitellogenesis in insects and other organisms, much less is known of this process in ticks. There are several steps that facilitate yolk formation in developing oocytes of which the vitellogenin receptor (VgR) is a key component. The tick VgR binds vitellogenin (Vg) circulating in the hemolymph to initiate receptor-mediated endocytosis and its transformation into vitellin (Vn). The conversion of Vg into Vn, the final form of the yolk protein, occurs inside oocytes of the female tick ovary. Vn is critical to tick embryos since it serves as the nutritional source for their …

Natural History Of The Eastern Harvest Mouse In Southeastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Eastern Harvest Mouse, Reithrodontomys humulis, has been studied extensively in southeastern Virginia since 1979, using a combination of live and pitfall trapping methods. This smallest rodent of eastern North America also is one of most versatile, occupying a range of habitats in southeastern Virginia from old fields in different stages of succession, brushy edges, and forests of different types. As with other species of Reithrodontomys, R. humulis often is associated with the Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon hispidus, with both reaching modest densities in old fields. Two capture-mark-release studies of small mammal communities in southern Chesapeake lasting …

Multistate Survey Of American Dog Ticks (Dermacentor Variabilis) For Rickettsia Species, Joy A. Hecht, Michelle E.J. Allerdice, Elizabeth A. Dykstra, Laura Mastel, Rebecca J. Eisen, Tammi L. Johnson, Holly D. Gaff, Andrea S. Varela-Stokes, Jerome Goddard, Benedict B. Pagac, Christopher D. Paddock, Sandor E. Karpathy

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Dermacentor variabilis, a common human-biting tick found throughout the eastern half and along the west coast of the United States, is a vector of multiple bacterial pathogens. Historically, D. variabilis has been considered a primary vector of Rickettsia rickettsii, the causative agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. A total of 883 adult D. variabilis, collected between 2012 and 2017 from various locations in 12 states across the United States, were screened for rickettsial DNA. Tick extracts were evaluated using three real-time PCR assays; an R. rickettsii-specific assay, a Rickettsia bellii-specific assay, and a Rickettsia genus-specific …

Dynamics Of Two Pathogens In A Single Tick Population, Alexis White, Elsa Schaefer, Chelsea Wright-Thompson, Christopher M. Kribs, Holly Gaff

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

A mathematical model for a two-pathogen, one-tick, one-host system is presented and explored. The goal of this model is to determine how long an invading pathogen persists within a tick population in which a resident pathogen is already established. The numerical simulations of the model demonstrate the parameter ranges that allow for coexistence of the two pathogens. Sensitivity analysis highlights the importance of vector-borne, tick-to-host, transmission rates on the invasion reproductive number and persistence of the pathogens over time. The model is then applied to a case study based on a reclaimed swampland field site in southeastern Virginia using field …

Demographic Response Of The Gambian Gerbil To Seasonal Changes In Savannah Fallow Fields, Safianu Rabiu, Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Savannah gerbil, Gerbilliscus gambianus (Muridae: Gerbillinae) is important to the ecological relations of the dry grassland ecosystem of West Africa, as well as, being a zoonotic agent of human diseases and po-tential crop pest. We examined the impact of seasonal changes on the population dynamics of G. gambianus in northern Nigeria, by completing population estimates using capture–mark–recapture (CMR) and indirect population density indices (PDI) methods. The latter included fecal pellet counts and limited spotlightening. During 1990–1992 we collected both CMR and PDI data, and established their relationship by regression, thus calibrating the PDI values to CMR estimator. We also …

Atypical Activation Of The G Protein Gα By The Oncogenic Mutation Q209p, Marcin Maziarz, Anthony Leyme, Arthur Marivin, Alex Luebbers, Prachi P. Patel, Zhe Chen, Stephen R. Sprang, Mikel Garcia-Marcos

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The causative role of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) pathway mutations in uveal melanoma (UM) has been well-established. Nearly all UMs bear an activating mutation in a GPCR pathway mediated by G proteins of the G family, driving tumor initiation and possibly metastatic progression. Thus, targeting this pathway holds therapeutic promise for managing UM. However, direct targeting of oncogenic Gα mutants, present in ∼90% of UMs, is complicated by the belief that these mutants structurally resemble active Gα WT. This notion is solidly founded on previous studies characterizing Gα mutants in which a conserved catalytic glutamine (Gln-209 in Gα) is replaced …