Biology Commons^™

Expression Of Cadherin-11 During Organogenesis In The Chick Embryo, Kacie D. Flaherty, Alicia F. Paulson, Ashley L. Adamson, Darrell J. Wiens

Faculty Work

Cadherin-11 (cad-11) is primarily a mesenchymal cadherin that appears in delaminating neural crest cells. Its expression correlates with morphogenetic events and the pattern has been studied in mouse, rat and Xenopus embryos, but not during avian organogenesis. Our purpose was to investigate this pattern in the chick embryo during organogenesis using immunolocalization and in situ hybridization. Cad-11 was expressed in mesenchyme around the pharynx and aortic arches, eyes, auditory vesicles, lung buds, stomach, and nasal placodes. Neural expression included some cranial ganglia and also new neuroepithelium within the tail bud region undergoing secondary neurulation. We also found expression in epithelia …

Gram Stains: A Resource For Retrospective Analysis Of Bacterial Pathogens In Clinical Studies, Usha Srinivasan, Sreelatha Ponnalurl, Lisa Villareal, Brenda Gillespie, Ai Wen, Arianna Miles, Brigette Bucholz, Carl F. Marrs, Ram K. Iyer, Dawn Misra, Betsy Foxman

Faculty Work

We demonstrate the feasibility of using qPCR on DNA extracted from vaginal Gram stain slides to estimate the presence and relative abundance of specific bacterial pathogens. We first tested Gram stained slides spiked with a mix of 108 cfu/ml of Escherichia coli and 105cfu/ml of Lactobacillus acidophilus. Primers were designed for amplification of total and species-specific bacterial DNA based on 16S ribosomal gene regions. Sample DNA was pre-amplified with nearly full length 16S rDNA ribosomal gene fragment, followed by quantitative PCR with genera and species-specific 16S rDNA primers. Pre-amplification PCR increased the bacterial amounts; relative proportions of Escherichia coli …

Recent Developments In The Interactions Between Caveolin And Pathogens, Fabiana S. Machado, Nilda E. Rodriguez, Daniel Adesse, Luciana R. Garzoni, Lisia Esper, Michael P. Lisanti, Robert D. Burk, Chris Albanese, Koenraad Van Doorslaer, Louis M. Weiss, Fnu Nagajyothi, Joshua D. Nosanchuk, Mary E. Wilson, Herbert B. Tanowitz

Faculty Work

The role of caveolin and caveolae in the pathogenesis of infection has only recently been appreciated. In this chapter, we have highlighted some important new data on the role of caveolin in infections due to bacteria, viruses and fungi but with particular emphasis on the protozoan parasites Leishmania spp., Trypanosoma cruzi and Toxoplasma gondii. This is a continuing area of research and the final chapter has not been written on this topic.

An Assessment Of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria In Biosolid Used As Garden Fertilizer, Gwendolyn Lenore Hartman

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"Fertilizer grade biosolid is sold to the general public by the Cheney Wastewater Treatment Plant for use as garden fertilizer and as a soil conditioner. Moist biosolid samples were obtained from the Cheney Wastewater Treatment Plant and antibiotic resistant gram negative bacteria were isolated from it. Bacteria isolated from these samples were resistant to tetracycline, ampicillin, streptomycin, kanamycin and chloramphenicol. Tetracycline resistant bacteria were isolated on MacConkey's agar supplemented with tetracycline and their resistance to ampicillin, streptomycin, chloramphenicol and kanamycin were also determined. A total of 48 isolates cultivated to determine the presence of plasmids which often contain antibiotic resistance …

Aging Phenotypes Of Common Marmosets (Callithrix Jacchus), Corinna N. Ross, K. Davis, G. Dobek, S. D. Tardif

Biology Faculty Publications (Archived)

Characterizing the phenotypic changes associated with aging in a short-lived primate is necessary in order to develop better translational models for human health, aging, and disease research. A population of conventionally housed marmoset monkeys was assessed to determine if phenotypes of body composition, hematology, and morphometrical measures were associated with age or risk of death. We found that the cause of mortality in older marmosets was more likely to be due to cardiac and chronic kidney disease than in younger marmosets. Older marmosets have decreased fat mass, morphometric measures, and serum albumin. Older marmosets are more likely to show a …

The Colonization And Conservation Genetics Of The Rainbow Darter, Etheostoma Caeruleum, In Northeast Iowa, Dane Jonathan Davis

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The aim of this project was to study the population genetic structure of the rainbow darter, Etheostorna caeruleum, distributed in northeastern Iowa rivers. Overall, Iowa sustains a wide array of physical habitats and varying fish assemblage conditions that are influenced by climate and the geology of the landscape. The chief objective of the research was to increase knowledge of nongame species movement that can aid managers in conservation. This project addresses the question: What is the population genetic structure, amount of gene flow, and level of connectivity between populations of Etheostorna caeruleum distributed in northeast Iowa. Specimens were collected from …

A New Genus And A New Species Of Cladorchiidae (Digenea: Dadayiinae) From Podocnemis Expansa (Chelonia) Of The Neotropical Region, State Of Pará, Brazil, Marcelo Knoff, Daniel Rusk Brooks, Maria Cristina Mullins, Delir Corrêa Gomes

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

A new species of amphistome digenean from the stomach and intestine of Podocnemis expansa (Pelomedusidae), of the tropical rain forest, from the State of Pará, Brazil, is described and allocated to a new genus (Oriximinatrema noronhae). The new species is characterized by the presence of an esophageal bulb, an esophageal extension uncovered by an extension of the pharyngeal sacs, a well-developed cirrus sac, post-bifurcal genital sucker, a ventro-terminal acetabulum with an anterior lip, and medium-sized eggs. This is the first report of a Dadayiinae trematode infecting a reptilian host.

Structure Of Mandelate Racemase With Bound Intermediate Analogues Benzohydroxamate And Cupferron, Adam D. Lietzan, Mitesh Nagar, Elisa Pellmann, Jennifer R. Bourque, Stephen L. Bearne, Martin St. Maurice

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Mandelate racemase (MR, EC 5.1.2.2) from Pseudomonas putida catalyzes the Mg2+-dependent interconversion of the enantiomers of mandelate, stabilizing the altered substrate in the transition state by 26 kcal/mol relative to the substrate in the ground state. To understand the origins of this binding discrimination, we determined the X-ray crystal structures of wild-type MR complexed with two analogues of the putative aci-carboxylate intermediate, benzohydroxamate and Cupferron, to 2.2-Å resolution. Benzohydroxamate is shown to be a reasonable mimic of the transition state and/or intermediate because its binding affinity for 21 MR variants correlates well with changes in the free energy of transition …

A Flagellar A-Kinase Anchoring Protein With Two Amphipathic Helices Forms A Structural Scaffold In The Radial Spoke Complex, Priyanka Sivadas, Jennifer M. Dienes, Martin St. Maurice, William D. Meek, Pinfen Yang

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs) contain an amphipathic helix (AH) that binds the dimerization and docking (D/D) domain, RIIa, in cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA). Many AKAPs were discovered solely based on the AH–RIIa interaction in vitro. An RIIa or a similar Dpy-30 domain is also present in numerous diverged molecules that are implicated in critical processes as diverse as flagellar beating, membrane trafficking, histone methylation, and stem cell differentiation, yet these molecules remain poorly characterized. Here we demonstrate that an AKAP, RSP3, forms a dimeric structural scaffold in the flagellar radial spoke complex, anchoring through two distinct AHs, the RIIa …

Inhibitory Effects Of Arabidopsis Earli1 Against Botrytis Cinerea And Bradysia Difformis, Zhen Du, Dan Xu, Lan Li, Yao Shi, Michael Schläppi, Zi-Qin Xu

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The aim of this study is to understand the function of EARLI1 in plants subjected to different biotic stresses using EARLI1 overexpressing (OX) and T-DNA knockout (KO) transgenic Arabidopsis lines. Higher levels of expression of EARLI1 in OX lines were confirmed by RT-PCR and Northern blot analysis. The full-length EARLI1 mRNA could not be detected by RT-PCR in KO lines, while only a shorter transcript could be found by RNA gel blotting. In wild-type Col-0 plants (Wt), EARLI1 could be induced by Botrytis cinerea and H₂O₂, indicating this gene might be involved in plant defense system …

La Red Internacional De Inventarios Forestales (Biotree-Net) En Mesoamérica: Avances, Retos Y Perspectivas Futuras, Luis Cayuela, Lucía Gálvez-Bravo, F S. De Albuquerque, Duncan J. Golicher, Mario González-Espinosa, Neptalí Ramírez-Marcial, José M. Rey Benayas, Rakan A. Zahawi, Jorge A. Meave, B. M. Benito, Cristina Garibaldi, I. Chan, Ramón Pérez Pérez, Richard Field, Patricia Balvanera, M. A. Castillo, Blanca L. Figueroa-Rangel, Daniel M. Griffith, Gerald A. Islebe, D. L. Kelly, Miguel Olvera-Vargas, Stefan A. Schnitzer, E. Velazquez, Guadalupe Williams-Linera, Steven W. Brewer, Angélica Camacho-Cruz, Indiana Coronado, Ben De Jong, R. Del Castillo, I. Granzowde La Cerda, Javier Fernández, William Fonseca, Luis Galindo-Jaimes, Thomas W. Gillespie, Benigno González-Rivas, J. E. Gordon, Johanna Hurtado, José Linares, Susan G. Letcher, Scott A. Mangan, V. E. Méndez, Victor Meza, Susana Ochoa-Gaona, C. J. Peterson, Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez, Kymberley A. Snarr, Fernando Tun Dzul, Mirna Valdez-Hernández, Karin M. Viergever, D. A. White, J. N. Williams, Francisco J. Bonet, Regino Zamora

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Conservation efforts in Neotropical regions are often hindered by lack of data, since for many species there is a vacuum of information, and many species have not even been described yet. The International Network of Forest Inventory Plots (BIOTREE-NET) gathers and facilitates access to tree data from forest inventory plots in Mesoamerica, while encouraging data exchange between researchers, managers and conservationists. The information is organised and standardised into a single database that includes spatially explicit data. This article describes the scope and objectives of the network, its progress, and the challenges and future perspectives. The database includes above 50000 tree …

Detection Of Mutant-Huntingtin Aggregation Conformers And Modulation Of Sds-Soluble Fibrillar Oligomers By Small Molecules, Emily M. Sontag, Gregor P. Lotz, Goucheng Yang, Christopher J. Sontag, Brian J. Cummings, Charles G. Glabe, Paul J. Muchowski, Leslie Michels Thompson

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The Huntington's disease (HD) mutation leads to a complex process of Huntingtin (Htt) aggregation into multimeric species that eventually form visible inclusions in cytoplasm, nuclei and neuronal processes. One hypothesis is that smaller, soluble forms of amyloid proteins confer toxic effects and contribute to early cell dysfunction. However, analysis of mutant Htt aggregation intermediates to identify conformers that may represent toxic forms of the protein and represent potential drug targets remains difficult. We performed a detailed analysis of aggregation conformers in multiple in vitro, cell and ex vivo models of HD. Conformation-specific antibodies were used to identify and characterize aggregation …

Cyperus Albostriatus (Cyperaceae) New To North America And Fimbristylis Cymosa (Cyperaceae) New To Texas, David J. Rosen, Richard Carter, Alfred Richardson, Ken King

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Cyperus albostriatus is reported as a naturalized component of the North American flora based upon recent collections from Harris County, Texas. Fimbristylis cymosa was recently collected from Padre Island in Cameron County and is reported new to the Texas flora

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Se cita Cyperus albostriatus como un componente naturalizado de fa flora de Norte América basados en colecciones recientes en el condado de Harris, Texas. Fimbristylis cymosa se coleco recientemente en Padre Island en el condado de Cameron )' se cita como nueva para la flora de Texas

Functional Analysis Of Conserved Motifs In The Mechanosensitive Channel Homolog Mscs-Like2 From Arabidopsis Thaliana, Gregory S. Jensen, Elizabeth S. Haswell

Biology Faculty Research

The Mechanosensitive channel of Small conductance (MscS) of Escherichia coli has become an excellent model system for the structural, biophysical, and functional study of mechanosensitive ion channels. MscS, a complex channel with multiple states, contributes to protection against lysis upon osmotic downshock. MscS homologs are widely and abundantly dispersed among the bacterial and plant lineages, but are not found in animals. Investigation into the eukaryotic branch of the MscS family is in the beginning stages, and it remains unclear how much MscS homologs from eukaryotes resemble E. coli MscS with respect to structure, function, and regulation. Here we test the …

A Selective Force Favoring Increased G+C Content In Bacterial Genes, Rahul Raghavan, Yogeshwar D. Kelkar, Howard Ochman

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bacteria display considerable variation in their overall base compositions, which range from 13% to over 75% G+C. This variation in genomic base compositions has long been considered to be a strictly neutral character, due solely to differences in the mutational process; however, recent sequence comparisons indicate that mutational input alone cannot produce the observed base compositions, implying a role for natural selection. Because bacterial genomes have high gene content, forces that operate on the base composition of individual genes could help shape the overall genomic base composition. To explore this possibility, we tested whether genes that encode the same protein …

Assessment Of Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Antimycobacterial, And Antifungal Activities Of Some Plants Used As Folk Remedies In Turkey Against Dermatophytes And Yeast-Like Fungi, Di̇dem Deli̇orman Orhan, Berri̇n Özçeli̇k, Sanem Hoşbaş, Meci̇t Vural

Turkish Journal of Biology

Twenty-seven aqueous extracts obtained from 21 plants used in the treatment of respiratory tract infections as folk remedies in Turkey were investigated for their relative total phenolic contents and antioxidant, antibacterial, antimycobacterial, and antifungal activities. Antibacterial and antifungal activities against dermatophytes and yeast-like fungi were determined using the microdilution method. Antibacterial activity of all extracts was more pronounced against gram-positive bacteria than against gram-negative bacteria. These extracts also exhibited higher antifungal activity against Candida krusei than ketaconazole. Six extracts displayed antidermatophytic activity against Epidermophyton floccosum, while only 3 extracts were highly active against Trichophyton rubrum. The extracts showed strong activity …

Antioxidant Responses In Mesopodopsis Zeylanica At Varying Salinity To Detect Mercury Influence In Culture Ponds, Xivanand Narayan Verlecar, Priya Brata Das, Karmabeer Jena, Dusmant Maharana, Somshekher Raghoba Desai

Turkish Journal of Biology

Antioxidant responses in the estuarine mysid, Mesopodopsis zeylanica, were used to assess mercury (Hg) metal contamination in relation to salinity. Natural mysids acclimatized at 5 psu were subjected to laboratory exposures of 5, 15, and 25 psu salinity singly and under the sublethal Hg concentration of 5 µg/L (one-fifth of 24 h LC_{50} value). Lipid peroxidation in the test species increased with salinity variation from 5 to 15 psu and retained the same up to 25 psu with no change after Hg addition. CAT increased significantly from 5 to 15 psu before Hg influence, and GST increased after addition of …

Isolation, Culturing And Characterization Of Rat Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Simple Technique, Mehmet Ni̇yaz, Özer Ayli̇n Gürpinar, Serdar Günaydin, Mehmet Ali̇ Onur

Turkish Journal of Biology

In this study, our aim was to develop a new simple technique for isolation of mesenchymal stem cells from adipose tissue. For this purpose, mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from rat adipose tissue by using the primary explant culture technique. When the cells became confluent, they were passaged 4 times by using the standard trypsinization method with trypsin/EDTA solution. Cells at second passage were characterized by using immunofluorescence staining against CD13 and CD29 markers. The results showed that these cultured cells were positive for CD13 and CD29 markers. Flow cytometry analysis was also done against CD29, CD90, CD54, MHC Class …

Reversible Lysine Acetylation Regulates Activity Of Human Glycine N-Acyltransferase-Like 2 (Hglyatl2): Implications For Production Of Glycine-Conjugated Signaling Molecules, Dominick P. Waluk, Filip Sucharski, Laszlo Sipos, Jerzy Silberring, Mary Hunt

Articles

Background: Lysine acetylation is a major post-translational modification of proteins.

Results: Human glycine N-acyltransferase-like 2 is regulated by acetylation/deacetylation of lysine 19.

Conclusion: Reversible lysine acetylation is important in regulating the activity and function of human glycine N-acyltransferases.

Significance: Our study links post-translational modification of proteins with the production of lipid signaling molecules, the N-acyl glycines.

A Qcm-Adhering Bacillus Anthracis Soil Phage Assemblage Is Less Diverse Than A Total B. Anthracis Soil Phage Assemblage, Gabriel David Connell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Recently, phages have been used as affinity reagents in quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)-based biodetection methods. The goal of this study was to isolate and characterize a Bacillus cereus group soil-phage assemblage, which was isolated from 5 grams of local topsoil, and compare its population structure to that of a similar phage assemblage that had been additionally selected by adhering to a QCM electrode. Viruses aren't well-defined in terms of 'species', therefore operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were defined by structural protein profiles from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). We were able to obtain a conservative estimate of soilphage 'species' richness …

Inefficient Replication Reduces Reca-Mediated Repair Of Uvdamaged Plasmids Introduced Into Competent Escherichia Coli, Harout Arthur Jeiranian, Charmain T. Courcelle, Justin Courcelle

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Transformation of Escherichia coli with purified plasmids containing DNA damage is frequently used as a tool to characterize repair pathways that operate on chromosomes. In this study, we used an assay that allowed us to quantify plasmid survival and to compare how efficiently various repair pathways operate on plasmid DNA introduced into cells relative to their efficiency on chromosomal DNA. We observed distinct differences between the mechanisms operating on the transforming plasmid DNA and the chromosome. An average of one UV-induced lesion was sufficient to inactivate ColE1-based plasmids introduced into nucleotide excision repair mutants, suggesting an essential role for repair …

Uvrd Participation In Nucleotide Excision Repair Is Required For The Recovery Of Dna Synthesis Following Uv-Induced Damage In Escherichia Coli, Kelley Nicole Newton, Charmain T. Courcelle, Justin Courcelle

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

UvrD is a DNA helicase that participates in nucleotide excision repair and several replication-associated processes, including methyl-directed mismatch repair and recombination. UvrD is capable of displacing oligonucleotides from synthetic forked DNA structures in vitro and is essential for viability in the absence of Rep, a helicase associated with processing replication forks. These observations have led others to propose that UvrD may promote fork regression and facilitate resetting of the replication fork following arrest. However, the molecular activity of UvrD at replication forks in vivo has not been directly examined. In this study, we characterized the role UvrD has in processing …

Anoxia Tolerance During Vertebrate Development - Insights From Studies On The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Jason E. Podrabsky, Claire L. Riggs, Jeffrey M. Duerr

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This is chapter 1 from Anoxia -- This book reviews how severe oxygen deprivation affects biological systems - from the molecular to the ecological level. The contributing authors come from diverse regions of the world, which proves the interest in the academic analysis of oxygen deprivation. The diversity in the experimental approach scientists take, in order to understand the influence oxygen deprivation has on living systems, is apparent throughout this book. One of the presented ideas deals with the exploration and examination of the physiological, cellular and genetic characteristics of killifish embryos and nematodes exposed to anoxia. Furthermore, the book …

Genomic Amplification Of An Endogenous Retrovirus In Zebrafish T-Cell Malignancies, J. Kimble Frazer, Lance A. Batchelor, Diana F. Bradley, Kim H. Brown, Kimberly P. Dobrinski, Charles Lee, Nikolaus S. Trede

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Genomic instability plays a crucial role in oncogenesis. Somatically acquiredmutations can disable some genes and inappropriately activate others. In addition, chromosomal rearrangements can amplify, delete, or even fuse genes, altering their functions and contributing to malignant phenotypes. Using array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), a technique to detect numeric variations between different DNA samples, we examined genomes from zebrafish (Danio rerio) T-cell leukemias of three cancerprone lines. In all malignancies tested, we identified recurring amplifications of a zebrafish endogenous retrovirus. This retrovirus, ZFERV, was first identified due to high expression of proviral transcripts in thymic tissue from larval and adult fish.We …