Biology Commons^™

Developmental Programming Of Dna Methylation And Gene Expression Patterns Is Associated With Extreme Cardiovascular Tolerance To Anoxia In The Common Snapping Turtle, Ilan Ruhr, Jacob Bierstedt, Turk Rhen, Debojyoti Das, Sunil Kumar Singh, Soleille Miller, Dane A. Crossley Ii, Gina L. J. Galli

Biology Faculty Publications

Background

Environmental fluctuation during embryonic and fetal development can permanently alter an organism’s morphology, physiology, and behaviour. This phenomenon, known as developmental plasticity, is particularly relevant to reptiles that develop in subterranean nests with variable oxygen tensions. Previous work has shown hypoxia permanently alters the cardiovascular system of snapping turtles and may improve cardiac anoxia tolerance later in life. The mechanisms driving this process are unknown but may involve epigenetic regulation of gene expression via DNA methylation. To test this hypothesis, we assessed in situ cardiac performance during 2 h of acute anoxia in juvenile turtles previously exposed to normoxia …

The Hox Protein Conundrum: The “Specifics” Of Dna Binding For Hox Proteins And Their Partners, Bony De Kumar, Diane C. Darland

Biology Faculty Publications

Homeotic genes (Hox genes) are homeodomain-transcription factors involved in conferring segmental identity along the anterior-posterior body axis. Molecular characterization of HOX protein function raises some interesting questions regarding the source of the binding specificity of the HOX proteins. How do HOX proteins regulate common and unique target specificity across space and time? This review attempts to summarize and interpret findings in this area, largely focused on results from in vitro and in vivo studies in Drosophila and mouse systems. Recent studies related to HOX protein binding specificity compel us to reconsider some of our current models for transcription factor-DNA …

The Size And Culturability Of Patient-Generated Sars-Cov-2 Aerosol, Joshua L. Santarpia, Vicki L. Herrera, Danielle N. Rivera, Shanna Ratnesar-Shumate, St. Patrick Reid, Daniel N. Ackerman, Paul Denton, Jacob W.S. Martens, Ying Fan, Nicholas Conoan, Michael V. Callahan, James V. Lawler, David M. Brett-Major, John J. Lowe

Biology Faculty Publications

Background

Aerosol transmission of COVID-19 is the subject of ongoing policy debate. Characterizing aerosol produced by people with COVID-19 is critical to understanding the role of aerosols in transmission.

Objective

We investigated the presence of virus in size-fractioned aerosols from six COVID-19 patients admitted into mixed acuity wards in April of 2020.

Methods

Size-fractionated aerosol samples and aerosol size distributions were collected from COVID-19 positive patients. Aerosol samples were analyzed for viral RNA, positive samples were cultured in Vero E6 cells. Serial RT-PCR of cells indicated samples where viral replication was likely occurring. Viral presence was also investigated by western …

Is The Life History Flexibility Of Cold Desert Annuals Broad Enough To Cope With Predicted Climate Change? The Case Of Erodium Oxyrhinchum In Central Asia, Huiliang Liu, Yanfeng Chen, Lingwei Zhang, Jerry M. Baskin, Carol C. Baskin, Lan Zhang, Yan Liu, Daoyuan Zhang, Yuanming Zhang

Biology Faculty Publications

Interannual seasonal variability in precipitation may strongly affect the life history and growth of desert annual plants. We compared the effects of dry and wet springs and dry and wet autumns on growth and F2 seed dormancy of plants from spring (SG)- and autumn (AG)-germinated seeds of the cold desert annual Erodium oxyrhinchum. Vegetative and reproductive growth and F2 seed dormancy and germination were monitored from September 2016 to November 2020 in the sandy Gurbantunggut Desert in NW China in Central Asia. Dry autumns decreased the density of AG plants, and dry springs decreased the density of SG plants …

Unbiased Automated Quantitation Of Ros Signals In Live Retinal Neurons Of Drosophila Using Fiji/Imagej, Prajakta Deshpande, Neha Gogia, Anuradha Venkatakrishnan Chimata, Amit Singh

Biology Faculty Publications

Numerous imaging modules are utilized to study changes that occur during cellular processes. Besides qualitative (immunohistochemical) or semiquantitative (Western blot) approaches, direct quantitation method(s) for detecting and analyzing signal intensities for disease(s) biomarkers are lacking. Thus, there is a need to develop method(s) to quantitate specific signals and eliminate noise during live tissue imaging. An increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide (O2•-) radicals results in oxidative damage of biomolecules, which leads to oxidative stress. This can be detected by dihydroethidium staining in live tissue(s), which does not rely on fixation and helps prevent stress on tissues. However, …

Diminishing Opportunities For Sustainability Of Coastal Cities In The Anthropocene: A Review, John W. Day, Joel D. Gunn, Joseph Robert Burger

Biology Faculty Publications

The world is urbanizing most rapidly in tropical to sub-temperate areas and in coastal zones. Climate change along with other global change forcings will diminish the opportunities for sustainability of cities, especially in coastal areas in low-income countries. Climate forcings include global temperature and heatwave increases that are expanding the equatorial tropical belt, sea-level rise, an increase in the frequency of the most intense tropical cyclones, both increases and decreases in freshwater inputs to coastal zones, and increasingly severe extreme precipitation events, droughts, freshwater shortages, heat waves, and wildfires. Current climate impacts are already strongly influencing natural and human systems. …

Persistent Miscalibration For Low And High Achievers Despite Practice Test Feedback In An Introductory Biology Course, Jennifer L. Osterhage

Biology Faculty Publications

Students' ability to accurately judge their knowledge is crucial for effective learning. However, students' perception of their current knowledge is often misaligned with their actual performance. The relationship between learners' perception of their performance and their actual performance on a task is defined as calibration. Previous studies have shown significant student miscalibration in an introductory biology course: students' predicted exam scores were, on average, significantly higher than their actual scores. The goal of this study was to determine whether completion of a practice test before exams would result in better performance and calibration. The hypothesis was that students who completed …

Set1 Targets Genes With Essential Identity And Tumor-Suppressing Functions In Planarian Stem Cells, Prince Verma, Courtney K. M. Waterbury, Elizabeth M. Duncan

Biology Faculty Publications

Tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) are essential for normal cellular function in multicellular organisms, but many TSGs and tumor-suppressing mechanisms remain unknown. Planarian flatworms exhibit particularly robust tumor suppression, yet the specific mechanisms underlying this trait remain unclear. Here, we analyze histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) signal across the planarian genome to determine if the broad H3K4me3 chromatin signature that marks essential cell identity genes and TSGs in mammalian cells is conserved in this valuable model of in vivo stem cell function. We find that this signature is indeed conserved on the planarian genome and that the lysine methyltransferase Set1 …

Zebrafish Blunt-Force Tbi Induces Heterogenous Injury Pathologies That Mimic Human Tbi And Responds With Sonic Hedgehog-Dependent Cell Proliferation Across The Neuroaxis, James Hentig, Kaylee Cloghessy, Manuela Lahne, Yoo Jin Jung, Rebecca A. Petersen, Ann C. Morris, David R. Hyde

Biology Faculty Publications

Blunt-force traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects an increasing number of people worldwide as the range of injury severity and heterogeneity of injury pathologies have been recognized. Most current damage models utilize non-regenerative organisms, less common TBI mechanisms (penetrating, chemical, blast), and are limited in scalability of injury severity. We describe a scalable blunt-force TBI model that exhibits a wide range of human clinical pathologies and allows for the study of both injury pathology/progression and mechanisms of regenerative recovery. We modified the Marmarou weight drop model for adult zebrafish, which delivers a scalable injury spanning mild, moderate, and severe phenotypes. Following …

The Anti-Dipsogenic And Anti-Natriorexigenic Effects Of Estradiol, But Not The Anti-Pressor Effect, Are Lost In Aged Female Rats, Jessica Santollo, Jason A. Collett, Andrea A. Edwards

Biology Faculty Publications

Estradiol (E2) inhibits fluid intake in several species, which may help to defend fluid homeostasis by preventing excessive extracellular fluid volume. Although this phenomenon is well established using the rat model, it has only been studied directly in young adults. Because aging influences the neuronal sensitivity to E2 and the fluid intake effects of E2 are mediated in the brain, we tested the hypothesis that aging influences the fluid intake effects of E2 in female rats. To do so, we examined water and NaCl intake in addition to the pressor effect after central angiotensin II treatment in young (3-4 months), …

Managing For Radical Ecosystem Change: Applying The Resist-Accept-Direct (Rad) Framework, Abigail J. Lynch, Laura M. Thompson, Erik A. Beever, David N. Cole, Augustin C. Engman, Cat Hawkins Hoffman, Stephen T. Jackson, Trevor J. Krabbenhoft, David J. Lawrence, Douglas Limpinsel, Robert T. Magill, Tracy A. Melvin, John M. Morton, Robert Newman, Jay O. Peterson, Mark T. Porath, Frank J. Rahel, Gregor W. Schuurman, Suresh A. Sethi, Jennifer L. Wilkening

Biology Faculty Publications

Ecosystem transformation involves the emergence of persistent ecological or social–ecological systems that diverge, dramatically and irreversibly, from prior ecosystem structure and function. Such transformations are occurring at increasing rates across the planet in response to changes in climate, land use, and other factors. Consequently, a dynamic view of ecosystem processes that accommodates rapid, irreversible change will be critical for effectively conserving fish, wildlife, and other natural resources, and maintaining ecosystem services. However, managing ecosystems toward states with novel structure and function is an inherently unpredictable and difficult task. Managers navigating ecosystem transformation can benefit from considering broader objectives, beyond a …

Nanozymes—Hitting The Biosensing “Target”, Yingfen Wu, Diane Darland, Julia Zhao

Biology Faculty Publications

Nanozymes are a class of artificial enzymes that have dimensions in the nanometer range and can be composed of simple metal and metal oxide nanoparticles, metal nanoclusters, dots (both quantum and carbon), nanotubes, nanowires, or multiple metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). They exhibit excellent catalytic activities with low cost, high operational robustness, and a stable shelf-life. More importantly, they are amenable to modifications that can change their surface structures and increase the range of their applications. There are three main classes of nanozymes including the peroxidase-like, the oxidase-like, and the antioxidant nanozymes. Each of these classes catalyzes a specific group of reactions. …

Fruits, Frugivores, And The Evolution Of Phytochemical Diversity, Susan R. Whitehead, Gerald F. Schneider, Ray Dybzinski, Annika S. Nelson, Mariana Gelambi, Elsa Jos, Noelle G. Beckman

Biology Faculty Publications

Plants produce an enormous diversity of secondary metabolites, but the evolutionary mechanisms that maintain this diversity are still unclear. The interaction diversity hypothesis suggests that complex chemical phenotypes are maintained because different metabolites benefit plants in different pairwise interactions with a diversity of other organisms. In this synthesis, we extend the interaction diversity hypothesis to consider that fruits, as potential hotspots of interactions with both antagonists and mutualists, are likely important incubators of phytochemical diversity. We provide a case study focused on the Neotropical shrub Piper reticulatum that demonstrates: 1) secondary metabolites in fruits have complex and cascading effects for …

Temperature Regulation Of Plant Hormone Signaling During Stress And Development, Christian Castroverde, Damaris Dina

Biology Faculty Publications

Global climate change has broad-ranging impacts on the natural environment and human civilization. Increasing average temperatures along with more frequent heat waves collectively have negative effects on cultivated crops in agricultural sectors and wild species in natural ecosystems. These aberrantly hot temperatures, together with cold stress, represent major abiotic stresses to plants. Molecular and physiological responses to high and low temperatures are intricately linked to the regulation of important plant hormones. In this review, we shall highlight our current understanding of how changing temperatures regulate plant hormone pathways during immunity, stress responses and development. This article will present an overview …

Diversity And Substrate-Specificity Of Green Algae And Other Micro-Eukaryotes Colonizing Amphibian Clutches In Germany, Revealed By Dna Metabarcoding, Sten Anslan, Maria Sachs, Lois Rancilhac, Henner Brinkmann, Jörn Petersen, Sven Künzel, Anja Schwarz, Hartmut Arndt, Ryan R. Kerney, Miguel Vences

Biology Faculty Publications

Amphibian clutches are colonized by diverse but poorly studied communities of micro-organisms. One of the most noted ones is the unicellular green alga, Oophila amblystomatis, but the occurrence and role of other micro-organisms in the capsular chamber surrounding amphibian clutches have remained largely unstudied. Here, we undertook a multi-marker DNA metabarcoding study to characterize the community of algae and other micro-eukaryotes associated with agile frog (Rana dalmatina) clutches. Samplings were performed at three small ponds in Germany, from four substrates: water, sediment, tree leaves from the bottom of the pond, and R. dalmatina clutches. Sampling substrate strongly …

Larval Chondrocranial And Internal Oral Morphology Of The Neotropical Treefrog Boana Crepitans (Wied-Neuwied, 1824; Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae), Marianna Isabella Rosa Rodrigues De Oliveira, Luiz Norberto Weber, Johnny Sousa Ferreira, Anna Evelin Coimbra Liborio, André Masahide Guimaraes Takazone, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

We describe the internal oral morphology and chondrocranial anatomy for Boana crepitans tadpoles, and compare them with available descriptions for other species in the subfamily Cophomantinae. Among species of the Boana faber group, the chondrocranial anatomy has been reported only for one species internal oral morphology and cranial anatomy are similar to other described species of Boana and Cophomantinae. B. crepitans lacks unique features in the oral cavity and chondrocranium that would distinguish it from other congeneric species. We identify six characters from the internal oral anatomy of tadpoles unique for Cophomantinae. In addition, Boana has infralabial papillae projections, buccal …

Effect Of Nitrogen Addition On Selection Of Germination Trait In An Alpine Meadow On The Tibet Plateau, Kun Liu, Yang Liu, Zhilong Zhang, Shiting Zhang, Carol C. Baskin, Jerry M. Baskin, Ting Liang, Haiyan Bu, Shuxia Li, Tingting Zhang, Xianliang Cui, Sa Xiao

Biology Faculty Publications

Seed germination requirements may determine the kinds of habitat in which plants can survive. We tested the hypothesis that nitrogen (N) addition can change seed germination trait-environmental filter interactions and ultimately redistribute seed germination traits in alpine meadows. We determined the role of N addition on germination trait selection in an alpine meadow after N addition by combining a 3-year N addition experiment in an alpine meadow and laboratory germination experiments. At the species level, germination percentage, germination rate (speed) and breadth of temperature niche for germination (BTN) were positively related to survival of a species in the fertilized community. …

Serum Biochemical Profile Of Captive-Bred Philippine Crocodiles (Crocodylus Mindorensis Schmidt, 1935) Sub-Adults, Janice A. Ragaza, Stephanie F. Velasquez, Marian Samantha M. Asuncion, Elyssa Marie F. Torres, Rainier Manalo, Hendrik Freitag

Biology Faculty Publications

The Philippine crocodiles Crocodylus mindorensis Schmidt; 1935 are a critically endangered species that necessitate minimally invasive diagnostic tools for their physiological state and health assessment. In the current study; we determined the reference ranges for the serum biochemistry of male and female captive-bred C. mindorensis sub-adults. We collected blood samples from the post-occipital venous sinus of six male and seven female captive-bred crocodile sub-adults at the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center and quantified the serum biochemical values for cholesterol; triglycerides; uric acid; glucose; creatinine; aspartate aminotransferase (AST); alanine aminotransferase (ALT); albumin; total protein; and globulin. We defined reference ranges …

Sickness Behaviors Across Vertebrate Taxa: Proximate And Ultimate Mechanisms, Patricia C. Lopes, Susannah S. French, Douglas C. Woodhams, Sandra A. Binning

Biology Faculty Publications

There is nothing like a pandemic to get the world thinking about how infectious diseases affect individual behavior. In this respect, sick animals can behave in ways that are dramatically different from healthy animals: altered social interactions and changes to patterns of eating and drinking are all hallmarks of sickness. As a result, behavioral changes associated with inflammatory responses (i.e. sickness behaviors) have important implications for disease spread by affecting contacts with others and with common resources, including water and/or sleeping sites. In this Review, we summarize the behavioral modifications, including changes to thermoregulatory behaviors, known to occur in vertebrates …

Pre-Existing Microfilarial Infections Of American Robins (Passeriformes: Turdidae) And Common Grackles (Passeriformes: Icteridae) Have Limited Impact On Enhancing Dissemination Of West Nile Virus In Culex Pipiens Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae), Jefferson A. Vaughan, Juanita Hinson, Elizabeth S. Andrews, Michael J. Turrell

Biology Faculty Publications

Microfilariae (MF) are the immature stages of filarial nematode parasites and inhabit the blood and dermis of all classes of vertebrates, except fish. Concurrent ingestion of MF and arboviruses by mosquitoes can enhance mosquito transmission of virus compared to when virus is ingested alone. Shortly after being ingested, MF penetrate the mosquito’s midgut and may introduce virus into the mosquito’s hemocoel, creating a disseminated viral infection much sooner than normal. This phenomenon is known as microfilarial enhancement. Both American Robins and Common Grackles harbor MF—that is, Eufilaria sp. and Chandlerella quiscali von Linstow (Spirurida: Onchocercidae), respectively. We compared infection and …

The Big Picture: Consolidating National Government And Cites Records Of Animal Trade In The Philippines From 1975 To 2019, Ronald Allan L. Cruz, Catherine Genevieve B. Lagunzad

Biology Faculty Publications

The Philippines has exceptionally high biodiversity but is also a hotspot. It is a recognized source; destination; and transit point for the global wildlife trade; which drives biodiversity loss. There is an abundance of data from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) on the Philippines; but this data has not been assessed for historical trends. Confiscation data reflecting the illegal trade is scarcer; coming from recent (2008 onward) records of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ___ Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD). CITES data …

(2808) Proposal To Reject The Name Acalypha Supera (Euphorbiaceae), Geoffrey A. Levin, Vernie G. Sagun

Biology Faculty Publications

(2808) Acalypha supera Forssk.; Fl. Aegypt.-Arab.: 162. 1 Oct 1775[Angiosp.: Euphorb.]; nom. utique rej. prop.Typus: non designatus.

(2807) Proposal To Conserve The Name Acalypha Wilkesiana Against A. Tricolor (Euphorbiaceae), Geoffrey A. Levin, Vernie G. Sagun

Biology Faculty Publications

(2807) Acalypha wilkesiana Müll. Arg. in Candolle; Prodr. 15(2):817. Aug (sero) 1866 [Angiosp.: Euphorb.]; nom. cons. prop.Typus: Fiji; [Viti Levu]; Rewa; “Unit. Stat. explor. exped.under Capt. Wilkes” (G-DC barcodes G00324021 &G00324022; isotypi: GH barcode GH00045512; K barcodeK000959008; US Nos. 1944717 & 1944718 [barcodes00096423 & 00096424]).

(=) Acalypha tricolor Veitch ex Mast. in Gard. Chron. 1866:483. 26 Mai 1866; nom rej. prop.Neotypus (hic designatus): “Hort. Veitch; New Hebrides[Vanuatu]”; Jul 1844 (K barcode K001235482).

Predicting Cognitive Rehabilitation Needs In Patients With Central Nervous System Infections Using Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Matilde Ørum, Merete Storgaard, Paul Denton, Trine Hyrup Mogensen, Christina Kjærgaard Højbjerg, Mathilde Pedersen, Jesper Damsgaard Gunst

Biology Faculty Publications

Cognitive impairments are reported in some patients with central nervous system (CNS) infections after discharge. Our objectives were to evaluate the prevalence of CNS patients in need of rehabilitation after discharge and to assess whether the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) could be used as a screening tool to identify these patients. CNS patients admitted during a 2-year study period were included. The need for rehabilitation was assessed by physicians with the aid of an occupational therapy assessment, after which a MoCA was performed. The prevalence of needing rehabilitation was 58% among CNS patients. An abnormal MoCA score < 26 was the only variable strongly associated with higher odds of needing rehabilitation. In 42% of the CNS patients in need of rehabilitation, the MoCA score was ≥ 26, and most of these patients were aged 16 to 43 years (young adults). There is a need for rehabilitation among CNS patients after discharge. As a screening tool, MoCA was able to identify patients in need of rehabilitation. In young adults, MoCA scores were often normal despite a need for rehabilitation. Thus, MoCA cannot stand alone as a screening tool for identifying young adults in need of rehabilitation following CNS infection.

The Giant Axolotl Genome Uncovers The Evolution, Scaling, And Transcriptional Control Of Complex Gene Loci, Siegfried Schloissnig, Akane Kawaguchi, Sergej Nowoshilow, Francisco Falcon, Leo Otsuki, Pietro Tardivo, Nataliya Timoshevskaya, Melissa C. Keinath, Jeramiah J. Smith, S. Randal Voss, Elly M. Tanaka

Biology Faculty Publications

Vertebrates harbor recognizably orthologous gene complements but vary 100-fold in genome size. How chromosomal organization scales with genome expansion is unclear, and how acute changes in gene regulation, as during axolotl limb regeneration, occur in the context of a vast genome has remained a riddle. Here, we describe the chromosome-scale assembly of the giant, 32 Gb axolotl genome. Hi-C contact data revealed the scaling properties of interphase and mitotic chromosome organization. Analysis of the assembly yielded understanding of the evolution of large, syntenic multigene clusters, including the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) and the functional regulatory landscape of the Fibroblast Growth …

Most Published Selection Gradients Are Underestimated: Why This Is And How To Fix It, Niels Jeroen Dingemanse, Yimen G. Araya-Ajoy, David F. Westneat

Biology Faculty Publications

Ecologists and evolutionary biologists routinely estimate selection gradients. Most researchers seek to quantify selection on individual phenotypes, regardless of whether fixed or repeatedly expressed traits are studied. Selection gradients estimated to address such questions are attenuated unless analyses account for measurement error and biological sources of within-individual variation. Estimates of standardized selection gradients published in Evolution between 2010 and 2019 were primarily based on traits measured once (59% of 325 estimates). We show that those are attenuated: bias increases with decreasing repeatability but differently for linear versus nonlinear gradients. Others derived individual-mean trait values prior to analyses (41%), typically using …

Physical Mapping Of The Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) Darlingi Genomic Scaffolds, Míriam Silva Rafael, Leticia Cegatti Bridi, Igor V. Sharakhov, Osvaldo Marinotti, Maria V. Sharakhova, Vladimir A. Timoshevskiy, Giselle Moura Guimarães-Marques, Valéria Silva Santos, Carlos Gustavo Nunes Da Silva, Spartaco Astolfi-Filho, Wanderli Pedro Tadei

Biology Faculty Publications

The genome assembly of Anopheles darlingi consists of 2221 scaffolds (N50 = 115,072 bp) and has a size spanning 136.94 Mbp. This assembly represents one of the smallest genomes among Anopheles species. Anopheles darlingi genomic DNA fragments of ~37 Kb were cloned, end-sequenced, and used as probes for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with salivary gland polytene chromosomes. In total, we mapped nine DNA probes to scaffolds and autosomal arms. Comparative analysis of the An. darlingi scaffolds with homologous sequences of the Anopheles albimanus and Anopheles gambiae genomes identified chromosomal rearrangements among these species. Our results confirmed that physical mapping …

Poor Compliance With An Antibiotic Directive—A Call For Intensified Monitoring, Frederik Novak, Jens T. Hørlück, Jacob D. Redder, Paul Denton, Merete Storgaard

Biology Faculty Publications

Background

In April 2017, the Central Denmark Region Antibiotic Stewardship Committee issued a directive to reduce the general use of piperacillin-tazobactam and prescribe narrow-spectrum antibiotics for mild and moderate pneumonia. The directive was distributed to all regional hospital clinicians.

Methods

Electronic medical records were used to obtain de-identified details of all antibiotics administered (together with diagnosis codes) to all in-hospital patients (pre-directive and post-directive) in the nine regional hospitals. Average moving range statistical process control charts were used to analyze pre-directive and post-directive variation in antibiotic usage patterns.

Results

Upon the distribution of the directive, a period of decline of …

Effect Of Temperature On Heart Rate For Phaenicia Sericata And Drosophila Melanogaster With Altered Expression Of The Trpa1 Receptors, Nicole T. Marguerite, Jate Bernard, Douglas A. Harrison, David Harris, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

The transient receptor potential (TrpA—ankyrin) receptor has been linked to pathological conditions in cardiac function in mammals. To better understand the function of the TrpA1 in regulation of the heart, a Drosophila melanogaster model was used to express TrpA1 in heart and body wall muscles. Heartbeat of in intact larvae as well as hearts in situ, devoid of hormonal and neural input, indicate that strong over-expression of TrpA1 in larvae at 30 or 37 °C stopped the heart from beating, but in a diastolic state. Cardiac function recovered upon cooling after short exposure to high temperature. Parental control larvae (UAS-TrpA1) …

Philibaetis Gen. Nov., A New Genus From The Philippines (Ephemeroptera, Baetidae), Thomas Kaltenbach, Jhoana M. Garces, Jean-Luc Gattolliat

Biology Faculty Publications

Investigations of type material and new material from the Philippines (Luzon) revealed that Baetis luzonensis Müller-Liebenau, 1982 and B. realonae Müller-Liebenau, 1982 do not belong to Baetis Leach, 1815. A new genus, Philibaetis gen. nov., is described to accommodate both species and both are re-described based on larvae. The new genus is characterised by having a rectangular labrum with a submarginal row of long, simple setae on the dorsal surface and ventrally on lateral margins long, simple, spine-like setae, on anterolateral margins long, feathered setae and medially long, bifid setae and a partial, submarginal row of lanceolate setae. Both mandibles …