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2019

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Articles 1321 - 1350 of 1905

Full-Text Articles in Biology

Les Chitinases, Témoins De La Radiation Des Mammifères Placentaires / Chitinase Genes Provide Insights Into The Radiation Of Placental Mammals, Christopher A. Emerling, Frédéric Delsuc, Michael W. Nachman Jan 2019

Les Chitinases, Témoins De La Radiation Des Mammifères Placentaires / Chitinase Genes Provide Insights Into The Radiation Of Placental Mammals, Christopher A. Emerling, Frédéric Delsuc, Michael W. Nachman

Biology

No abstract provided.


Quantimus: A Machine Learning-Based Approach For High Precision Analysis Of Skeletal Muscle Morphology, Sylvia A. Vetrone, Jenna M. Kastenschmidt, Kyle L. Ellefsen, Ali H. Mannaa, Jesse J. Giebel, Rayan Yahia, Rachel E. Ayer, Phillip Pham, Rodolfo Rios, Tahseen Mozaffar, S. Armando Villalta Jan 2019

Quantimus: A Machine Learning-Based Approach For High Precision Analysis Of Skeletal Muscle Morphology, Sylvia A. Vetrone, Jenna M. Kastenschmidt, Kyle L. Ellefsen, Ali H. Mannaa, Jesse J. Giebel, Rayan Yahia, Rachel E. Ayer, Phillip Pham, Rodolfo Rios, Tahseen Mozaffar, S. Armando Villalta

Biology

Skeletal muscle injury provokes a regenerative response, characterized by the de novo generation of myofibers that are distinguished by central nucleation and re-expression of developmentally restricted genes. In addition to these characteristics, myofiber crosssectional area (CSA) is widely used to evaluate muscle hypertrophic and regenerative responses. Here, we introduce QuantiMus, a free software program that uses machine learning algorithms to quantify muscle morphology and molecular features with high precision and quick processing-time. The ability of QuantiMus to define and measure myofibers was compared to manual measurement or other automated software programs. QuantiMus rapidly and accurately defined total myofibers and measured …


Evolution And Diversification Of Fruitfull Genes In Solanaceae, Christopher A. Emerling, Dinusha C. Maheepala, Alex Rajewski, Jenna Macon, Maya Strahl, Natalia Pabón-Mora, Amy Litt Jan 2019

Evolution And Diversification Of Fruitfull Genes In Solanaceae, Christopher A. Emerling, Dinusha C. Maheepala, Alex Rajewski, Jenna Macon, Maya Strahl, Natalia Pabón-Mora, Amy Litt

Biology

Ecologically and economically important fleshy edible fruits have evolved from dry fruit numerous times during angiosperm diversification. However, the molecular mechanisms that underlie these shifts are unknown. In the Solanaceae there has been a major shift to fleshy fruits in the subfamily Solanoideae. Evidence suggests that an ortholog of FRUITFULL (FUL), a transcription factor that regulates cell proliferation and limits the dehiscence zone in the silique of Arabidopsis, plays a similar role in dry-fruited Solanaceae. However, studies have shown that FUL orthologs have taken on new functions in fleshy fruit development, including regulating elements of tomato ripening …


Odontogenic Ameloblast-Associated (Odam) Is Inactivated In Toothless/ Enamelless Placental Mammals And Toothed Whales, Christopher A. Emerling, Mark S. Springer, John Gatesy, Jason Randall, Matthew A. Collin, Nikolai Hecker, Michael Hiller, Frédéric Delsuc Jan 2019

Odontogenic Ameloblast-Associated (Odam) Is Inactivated In Toothless/ Enamelless Placental Mammals And Toothed Whales, Christopher A. Emerling, Mark S. Springer, John Gatesy, Jason Randall, Matthew A. Collin, Nikolai Hecker, Michael Hiller, Frédéric Delsuc

Biology

The gene for odontogenic ameloblast-associated (ODAM) is a member of the secretory calcium-binding phosphoprotein gene family. ODAM is primarily expressed in dental tissues including the enamel organ and the junctional epithelium, and may also have pleiotropic functions that are unrelated to teeth. Here, we leverage the power of natural selection to test competing hypotheses that ODAM is tooth-specific versus pleiotropic. Specifically, we compiled and screened complete protein-coding sequences, plus sequences for flanking intronic regions, for ODAM in 165 placental mammals to determine if this gene contains inactivating mutations in lineages that either lack teeth (baleen whales, pangolins, anteaters) …


Evolutionary Relationships Of Courtship Songs In The Parasitic Wasp Genus, Cotesia (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Justin P. Bredlau, Karen M. Kester Jan 2019

Evolutionary Relationships Of Courtship Songs In The Parasitic Wasp Genus, Cotesia (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Justin P. Bredlau, Karen M. Kester

Biology Publications

Acoustic signals play an important role in premating isolation based on sexual selection within many taxa. Many male parasitic wasps produce characteristic courtship songs used by females in mate selection. In Cotesia (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae), courtship songs are generated by wing fanning with repetitive pulses in stereotypical patterns. Our objectives were to sample the diversity of courtship songs within Cotesia and to identify underlying patterns of differentiation. We compared songs among 12 of ca. 80 Cotesia species in North America, including ten species that have not been recorded previously. For Cotesia congregata, we compared songs of wasps originating from …


Genetic Level Of Penetration And Expressivity In Factors For Type Of Hemophilia, Hemoglobin, Aptt And Genotype, Naser Kamberi, Hyzer Rizani Jan 2019

Genetic Level Of Penetration And Expressivity In Factors For Type Of Hemophilia, Hemoglobin, Aptt And Genotype, Naser Kamberi, Hyzer Rizani

Conference Presentations

This study investigates the penetration and genetic expression of factor VIII of hemophilia to individuals who are in the fourth degree of kinship from the mother’s line. So it comes to two hemophiliac brothers and a hemophiliac cousin whose mothers are sisters but who are married in different families. For these cases of hemophiliacs were performed laboratory, biochemical and genetic analyzes to observe the level of penetration and expression of factor VIII. We will present with the help of the genetic tree the origins or gene genealogies of the gene for this disease. Based on biochemical and genetic analysis using …


Bull Trout (Salvelinus Confluentus) Can Detect Conspecific Pheromones In A Two Choice Y-Maze, Hannah M. Coles, Allan T. Scholz, Raymond Ostlie, Paul Spruell, Mark Paluch, Jason Connor Jan 2019

Bull Trout (Salvelinus Confluentus) Can Detect Conspecific Pheromones In A Two Choice Y-Maze, Hannah M. Coles, Allan T. Scholz, Raymond Ostlie, Paul Spruell, Mark Paluch, Jason Connor

2019 Symposium

Two stocks of Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus) were tested in a two choice Y-maze to determine if they could detect pheromones from the same natal population (population specific pheromones PSP) or from a different (conspecific) population of Bull Trout (CSP). Fish from the Pack River (PR), Idaho and the Metolius River (MR), Oregon were transferred to a fish hatchery where Y-maze studies were conducted. The Y-maze was constructed to supply well water at 12°C (blank) to both arms with the temperature and discharge of each arm matched to within 0.1°C and 0.01 l/s. One arm was randomly selected …


Environmental And Anthropogenic Factors Affecting Coral Health, Kristin Jones Jan 2019

Environmental And Anthropogenic Factors Affecting Coral Health, Kristin Jones

2019 Symposium

Plastic pollution is a large and growing problem in our ever producing world. Not only does it litter our cities, but it is cluttering up the natural world as well, the largest being our oceans. Plastic is dumped into the seas where it floats and slowly breaks down into microplastics that are then ingested by marine animals. I will conduct an experiment to test the effects of micro plastics on coral health by subjecting palythoa corals to different plastic levels in a controlled environment. I hypothesize that corals will ingest micro plastics and will suffer health consequences, leading to a …


A Review Of Asthma Treatments: Monoclonal Antibody, Corticosteroid, Leukotriene Modifier, And Bronchodilator, Alec Williams Jan 2019

A Review Of Asthma Treatments: Monoclonal Antibody, Corticosteroid, Leukotriene Modifier, And Bronchodilator, Alec Williams

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Medical research has created multitudes of medications to help control the symptoms of asthma. Asthmas effects the respiratory system in different ways, creating unique challenges to researchers and doctors alike to create or a manage the symptoms of asthma. Identifying the common treatment methods and understanding their effect on the human physiology can aid in treating patients. The goal of this review is to identify the common medications used to treat asthma, how these medications work on the human’s physiology, as well as bring to light a new upcoming medication with greater asthma control. As asthma research continues, the need …


Which Of The Following Is True: We Can Write Better Multiple Choice Questions, Emily Rauschert, Suann Yang, Rachel M. Pigg Jan 2019

Which Of The Following Is True: We Can Write Better Multiple Choice Questions, Emily Rauschert, Suann Yang, Rachel M. Pigg

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

In August of 2018, we held a workshop for ecological educators on best practices for writing multiple-choice questions at the annual Ecological Society of America (ESA) meeting. Here, we summarize the highlights from the pedagogical literature and our own experiences that we shared with workshop participants, along with their insights. The feedback we received at the end of the workshop suggested a need for more pedagogical training opportunities at future conferences.


Mrub_3014 Is Orthologous To B2756, Samir Abdelkarim, Dr. Lori Scott Jan 2019

Mrub_3014 Is Orthologous To B2756, Samir Abdelkarim, Dr. Lori Scott

Meiothermus ruber Genome Analysis Project

This project is part of the Meiothermus ruber genome analysis project, which uses a collection of online bioinformatics tools to predict gene function. We investigated the biological function of the gene Mrub_3014, which we hypothesize is a component of the CRISPR-Cas prokaryotic defense system. We predict that Mrub_3014 (DNA coordinates 3054943..3055575) encodes CRISPR-associated protein Cse3/case which function as an endonuclease. Our hypothesis is supported by identical hits for Mrub_3014 and b2756 to the KEGG, Pfam, TIGRfam, CDD and PDB databases, as well as a low E-value for a pairwise NCBI BLAST comparison. Both protein products are predicted to be localized …


M. Ruber Mrub_3013 Is Orthologous To E. Coli B2755, Laura Butcher, Dr. Lori Scott Jan 2019

M. Ruber Mrub_3013 Is Orthologous To E. Coli B2755, Laura Butcher, Dr. Lori Scott

Meiothermus ruber Genome Analysis Project

This project is part of the Meiothermus ruber genome analysis project, which uses a collection of online bioinformatics tools to predict gene function. We investigated the biological function of gene Mrub_3013, which we hypothesize is orthologous to b2755 in E. coli K12 MG1655 (a.k.a. Cas1). We investigated the biological function of a gene with the M. ruber locus tag of Mrub_3013, which we hypothesize is a component of the CRISPR-Cas prokaryotic defense system in M. ruber. We predict that Mrub_3013 (DNA coordinates 3,053,978-3,054,940) encodes the protein Cas1 which as part of the CRISPR-Cas system, selects and cuts the foreign …


Mrub_3020, A Paralog Of Mrub_1489, Is Orthologous To E. Coli Casc (Locus Tag B2761), Alfred Dei-Ampeh, Dr. Lori Scott Jan 2019

Mrub_3020, A Paralog Of Mrub_1489, Is Orthologous To E. Coli Casc (Locus Tag B2761), Alfred Dei-Ampeh, Dr. Lori Scott

Meiothermus ruber Genome Analysis Project

This project is part of the Meiothermus ruber genome analysis project, which uses a collection of online bioinformatics tools to predict gene function. We investigated the biological functions of two genes: mrub_3020 and mrub_1489. We make two hypotheses in this investigation: a) mrub_3020 is orthologous to the gene b2761 in E. coli K12 MG1655 (a.k.a. casC); b) mrub_1489 is a paralog of mrub_3020. We also predict that the two genes encode unique proteins: mrub_3020 with DNA coordinates 3060491…3063190 encodes a CRISPR – associated helicase (Cas3) that supports the Cascade complex of the CRISPR – Cas adaptive immune system …


Effects Of Temperature On Crispr/Cas System, Eddie Beckom, Dr. Lori Scott Jan 2019

Effects Of Temperature On Crispr/Cas System, Eddie Beckom, Dr. Lori Scott

Meiothermus ruber Genome Analysis Project

This project is part of the Meiothermus ruber genome analysis project, which uses a collection of online bioinformatics tools to predict gene function. We investigated the effect of temperature on the complexity of CRISPR/Cas systems in bacterial organisms across temperature classifications. We predict that temperature extremes would result in CRISPR/Cas systems with multiple operons, repeating cas genes, and complex systems. CRISPR/Cas systems can be classified into three types with a number of subtypes based on the CRISPR-associated genes, cas genes, present in a given organism. Our hypothesis is supported by the presence of multiple operons in thermophilic organisms based on …


An Investigation Into The Relationship Between Mrub_3013, Mrub_1477, And Mrub_0224: Are They Paralogs?, Melette Devore, Dr. Lori Scott Jan 2019

An Investigation Into The Relationship Between Mrub_3013, Mrub_1477, And Mrub_0224: Are They Paralogs?, Melette Devore, Dr. Lori Scott

Meiothermus ruber Genome Analysis Project

This project is part of the Meiothermus ruber genome analysis project, which uses a collection of online bioinformatics tools to predict gene function. We investigated the biological function of mrub_3013 and the nature of its relationship with mrub_1477 and mrub_0224. We hypothesized that mrub_3013 is orthologous to b2755 in E. coli K12 MG1655 (a.k.a. cas1). We predict that mrub_3013 encodes the enzyme Cas1, which is involved in spacer acquisition in the CRISPR-Cas prokaryotic defense system. Our hypothesis is supported by identical hits for b2755, mrub_3013, mrub_1477, and mrub_0224 from the CDD and Pfam databases and highly similar hits from …


Smoking Cessation Treatments Varenicline (Chantix®️), Nrts, And Nicotine Dependence, Marley Vea Devoss Jan 2019

Smoking Cessation Treatments Varenicline (Chantix®️), Nrts, And Nicotine Dependence, Marley Vea Devoss

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Varenicline was approved in 2006 by the FDA as an effective smoking cessation drug. Varenicline was designed to bind with α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) to work as both an agonist and antagonist. Other drugs like nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) have also contributed to the decreasing rate of active smokers in the United States. The mechanisms of varenicline and its role in addiction are reviewed in this paper. With NRTs and recent trends in electronic smoking devices, nicotine dependence is still a cause for concern due to studies connecting nicotine with cell proliferation and heart disease.


Comparative Analysis Of Four Dna Preparation Kits For Quercus Falcata, Palustris, And Rubra Dna Extractions And Subsequent Dna Sequencing, Devin Cummins, Timothy D. Trott Jan 2019

Comparative Analysis Of Four Dna Preparation Kits For Quercus Falcata, Palustris, And Rubra Dna Extractions And Subsequent Dna Sequencing, Devin Cummins, Timothy D. Trott

Research in Biology

In 2011, of the 8.7 million species of lif suspected to populate the globe only 1.2 million had been catalogued and it was estimated that 1,200 years would pass before the remainder were processed, allowing the possibility that some species would go extinct before they were even discovered (Mora, Tittensor, Adl, Simpson, & Worm, 2011). DNA barcoding may provide an answer to this problem. According to Hebert and Gregory, “DNA barcoding will accelerate the pace of species discovery by allowing taxonomists to rapidly sort specimens... by highlighting divergent taxa that may represent new species… and by making species identifications more …


Method Development For Structural Assessment Of Nanolipoprotein Particles With And Without Cross-Linked Lipids, Emma J. Mullen, Wei He, Sean Gilmore, Matthias Frank, Matthew Coleman, Megan Shelby Jan 2019

Method Development For Structural Assessment Of Nanolipoprotein Particles With And Without Cross-Linked Lipids, Emma J. Mullen, Wei He, Sean Gilmore, Matthias Frank, Matthew Coleman, Megan Shelby

STAR Program Research Presentations

Membrane proteins make up approximately 30% of the cellular proteome and account for over 60% of pharmaceutical targets.1 Determining the structures of this class of proteins is critical to our understanding of disease states and will advance rational drug design. But membrane proteins have limited solubility, rarely form large crystals that diffract well, and often misfold outside of a bilayer, hindering crystallographic studies.1 Nanolipoprotein particles (NLPs) have arisen as a platform to readily solubilize membrane proteins while mimicking a native lipid environment. NLPs consist of a discoidal phospholipid bilayer encircled by an apolipoprotein belt. In an effort to optimize and …


Fourteen Polymorphic Microsatellite Markers For The Widespread Labrador Tea (Rhododendron Groenlandicum), Mathew L. Sheik, Kitty L. Labounty, Erika Mitchell, Emily L. Gillespie Jan 2019

Fourteen Polymorphic Microsatellite Markers For The Widespread Labrador Tea (Rhododendron Groenlandicum), Mathew L. Sheik, Kitty L. Labounty, Erika Mitchell, Emily L. Gillespie

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

PREMISE: Microsatellite markers were developed for Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum, Ericaceae) to facilitate downstream genetic investigation of this species and the extremely closely related, circumboreal Rhododendron subsect. Ledum. METHODS AND RESULTS: Forty-eight primer pairs were designed using Illumina data and screened for excellent amplification. Sixteen successful pairs were developed as microsatellite markers using fluorescently labeled amplification to generate chromatogram data. These data were evaluated for intrapopulation and interpopulation variability in three populations from Alaska and Maine, USA, and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Fourteen polymorphic markers genotyped reliably, each with one to eight alleles. Cluster analysis indicates that across the range, …


Increased Dementia Mortality In West Virginia Counties With Mountaintop Removal Mining?, A. K. Salm, Michael J. Benson Jan 2019

Increased Dementia Mortality In West Virginia Counties With Mountaintop Removal Mining?, A. K. Salm, Michael J. Benson

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

(MTM), a practice that has been ongoing in some counties of West Virginia (WV) USA since the 1970s. PM inhalation has been linked to central nervous system pathophysiology, including cognitive decline and dementia. Here we compared county dementia mortality statistics in MTM vs. non-MTM WV counties over a period spanning 2001–2015. We found significantly elevated age-adjusted vascular or unspecified dementia mortality/100,000 population in WV MTM counties where, after adjusting for socioeconomic variables, dementia mortality was 15.60 (±3.14 Standard Error of the Mean (S.E.M.)) times higher than that of non-MTM counties. Further analyses with satellite imaging data revealed a highly significant …


Finding New Cell Wall Regulatory Genes In Populus Trichocarpa Using Multiple Lines Of Evidence, Anna Furches, David Kainer, Deborah Weighill, Annabel Large, Piet Jones, Angelica M. Walker, Jonathon Romero, Joao Gabriel Felipe Machado Gazolla, Wayne Joubert, Manesh Shah, Jared Streich, Priya Ranjan, Jeremy Schmutz, Avinash Sreedasayam, David Macaya-Sanz, Nan Zhao, Madhavi Z. Martin, Xiaolan Rao, Richard A. Dixon, Stephen Difazio, Timothy J. Tschaplinski, Jin-Giu Chen, Gerald A. Tuskan, Daniel Jacobson Jan 2019

Finding New Cell Wall Regulatory Genes In Populus Trichocarpa Using Multiple Lines Of Evidence, Anna Furches, David Kainer, Deborah Weighill, Annabel Large, Piet Jones, Angelica M. Walker, Jonathon Romero, Joao Gabriel Felipe Machado Gazolla, Wayne Joubert, Manesh Shah, Jared Streich, Priya Ranjan, Jeremy Schmutz, Avinash Sreedasayam, David Macaya-Sanz, Nan Zhao, Madhavi Z. Martin, Xiaolan Rao, Richard A. Dixon, Stephen Difazio, Timothy J. Tschaplinski, Jin-Giu Chen, Gerald A. Tuskan, Daniel Jacobson

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Understanding the regulatory network controlling cell wall biosynthesis is of great interest in Populus trichocarpa, both because of its status as a model woody perennial and its importance for lignocellulosic products. We searched for genes with putatively unknown roles in regulating cell wall biosynthesis using an extended network-based Lines of Evidence (LOE) pipeline to combine multiple omics data sets in P. trichocarpa, including gene coexpression, gene comethylation, population level pairwise SNP correlations, and two distinct SNP-metabolite Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) layers. By incorporating validation, ranking, and filtering approaches we produced a list of nine high priority gene candidates for …


Wavelet-Based Genomic Signal Processing For Centromere Identification And Hypothesis Generation, Deborah Weighill, David Macaua-Sanz, Stephen Paul Difiazio, Wayne Joubert, Manesh Shah, Jeremy Schmutz, Avinash Sreedasyam, Gerald Tuska, Daniel Jacobson Jan 2019

Wavelet-Based Genomic Signal Processing For Centromere Identification And Hypothesis Generation, Deborah Weighill, David Macaua-Sanz, Stephen Paul Difiazio, Wayne Joubert, Manesh Shah, Jeremy Schmutz, Avinash Sreedasyam, Gerald Tuska, Daniel Jacobson

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Various ‘omics data types have been generated for Populus trichocarpa, each providing a layer of information which can be represented as a density signal across a chromosome. We make use of genome sequence data, variants data across a population as well as methylation data across 10 different tissues, combined with wavelet-based signal processing to perform a comprehensive analysis of the signature of the centromere in these different data signals, and successfully identify putative centromeric regions in P. trichocarpa from these signals. Furthermore, using SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) correlations across a natural population of P. trichocarpa, we find evidence for the …


Ancient Polyploidy And Genome Evolution In Palms, Craig F. Barrett, Michael R. Mckain, Brandon T. Sinn, Xue Jun Ge, Yuqu Zhang, Alexandre Antonelli, Christine D. Bacon Jan 2019

Ancient Polyploidy And Genome Evolution In Palms, Craig F. Barrett, Michael R. Mckain, Brandon T. Sinn, Xue Jun Ge, Yuqu Zhang, Alexandre Antonelli, Christine D. Bacon

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Mechanisms of genome evolution are fundamental to our understanding of adaptation and the generation and maintenance of biodiversity, yet genome dynamics are still poorly characterized in many clades. Strong correlations between variation in genomic attributes and species diversity across the plant tree of life suggest that polyploidy or other mechanisms of genome size change confer selective advantages due to the introduction of genomic novelty. Palms (order Arecales, family Arecaceae) are diverse, widespread, and dominant in tropical ecosystems, yet little is known about genome evolution in this ecologically and economically important clade. Here, we take a phylogenetic comparative approach to investigate …


Comparative Genomic Analysis Of Six Glossina Genomes, Vectors Of African Trypanosomes, Geoffrey M. Attardo, Adly M. M. Abd-Alla, Alvaro Acosta-Serrano, James E. Allen, Rosemary Bateta, Joshua B. Benoit, Kostas Bourtzis, Jelle Caers, Guy Caljon, Mikkel B. Christensen, David W. Farrow, Markus Friedrich, Aurélie Hua-Van, Emily C. Jennings, Denis M. Larkin, Daniel Lawson, Michael J. Lehane, Vasileios P. Lenis, Ernesto Lowy-Gallego, Rosaline W. Macharia, Anna R. Malacrida, Heather G. Marco, Daniel Masiga, Gareth L. Maslen, Irina Matetovic, Richard P. Meisel, Irene Meki, Veronika Michalkova, Wolfgang J. Miller, Patrick Minx, Paul O. Mireji, Lino Ometto, Andrew G. Parker, Rita Rio, Clair Rose, Andrew J. Rosendale, Omar Rota-Stabelli, Grazia Savini, Liliane Schoofs, Francesca Scolari, Martin T. Swain, Peter Takáč, Chad Tomlinson, George Tsiamis, Jan Van Abbeele, Aurelien Vigneron, Jingwen Wang, Wesley C. Warren, Robert M. Waterhouse, Mathew T. Weirauch, Brian L. Weiss, Richard K. Wilson, Xin Zhao, Serap Aksoy Jan 2019

Comparative Genomic Analysis Of Six Glossina Genomes, Vectors Of African Trypanosomes, Geoffrey M. Attardo, Adly M. M. Abd-Alla, Alvaro Acosta-Serrano, James E. Allen, Rosemary Bateta, Joshua B. Benoit, Kostas Bourtzis, Jelle Caers, Guy Caljon, Mikkel B. Christensen, David W. Farrow, Markus Friedrich, Aurélie Hua-Van, Emily C. Jennings, Denis M. Larkin, Daniel Lawson, Michael J. Lehane, Vasileios P. Lenis, Ernesto Lowy-Gallego, Rosaline W. Macharia, Anna R. Malacrida, Heather G. Marco, Daniel Masiga, Gareth L. Maslen, Irina Matetovic, Richard P. Meisel, Irene Meki, Veronika Michalkova, Wolfgang J. Miller, Patrick Minx, Paul O. Mireji, Lino Ometto, Andrew G. Parker, Rita Rio, Clair Rose, Andrew J. Rosendale, Omar Rota-Stabelli, Grazia Savini, Liliane Schoofs, Francesca Scolari, Martin T. Swain, Peter Takáč, Chad Tomlinson, George Tsiamis, Jan Van Abbeele, Aurelien Vigneron, Jingwen Wang, Wesley C. Warren, Robert M. Waterhouse, Mathew T. Weirauch, Brian L. Weiss, Richard K. Wilson, Xin Zhao, Serap Aksoy

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Tsetse flies (Glossina sp.) are the vectors of human and animal trypanosomiasis throughout subSaharan Africa. Tsetse flies are distinguished from other Diptera by unique adaptations, including lactation and the birthing of live young (obligate viviparity), a vertebrate blood-specific diet by both sexes, and obligate bacterial symbiosis. This work describes the comparative analysis of six Glossina genomes representing three sub-genera: Morsitans (G. morsitans morsitans, G. pallidipes, G. austeni), Palpalis (G. palpalis, G. fuscipes), and Fusca (G. brevipalpis) which represent different habitats, host preferences, and vectorial capacity. Results: Genomic analyses validate established evolutionary relationships and sub-genera. Syntenic analysis of Glossina relative …


A New Transgenic Reporter Line Reveals Wnt-Dependent Snai2 Re-Expression And Cranial Neural Crest Differentiation In Xenopus, Jiejing Li, Mark Perfetto, Christopher Materna, Rebecca Li, Hong Thi Tran, Kris Vleminckx, Melinda K. Duncan, Shuo Wei Jan 2019

A New Transgenic Reporter Line Reveals Wnt-Dependent Snai2 Re-Expression And Cranial Neural Crest Differentiation In Xenopus, Jiejing Li, Mark Perfetto, Christopher Materna, Rebecca Li, Hong Thi Tran, Kris Vleminckx, Melinda K. Duncan, Shuo Wei

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

During vertebrate embryogenesis, the cranial neural crest (CNC) forms at the neural plate border and subsequently migrates and diferentiates into many types of cells. The transcription factor Snai2, which is induced by canonical Wnt signaling to be expressed in the early CNC, is pivotal for CNC induction and migration in Xenopus. However, snai2 expression is silenced during CNC migration, and its roles at later developmental stages remain unclear. We generated a transgenic X. tropicalis line that expresses enhanced green fuorescent protein (eGFP) driven by the snai2 promoter/enhancer, and observed eGFP expression not only in the pre-migratory and migrating CNC, but …


Is There A Correlation Between Epstein - Barr Virus (Mononucleosis) And Hodgkin’S Lymphoma?, Rooth Cohen Jan 2019

Is There A Correlation Between Epstein - Barr Virus (Mononucleosis) And Hodgkin’S Lymphoma?, Rooth Cohen

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Symptoms of acute Infectious Mononucleosis (IM), which develops after Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in half the cases, is strikingly like those of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (HL). This, combined with the findings that many patients with HL had a history of EBV and/or IM, triggered an interest in scientists to learn if the two were biochemically related. Many studies in this field unanimously concluded that the development of IM after EBV infection presented a higher risk of developing HL. However, whether this relationship is coincidental or pathological remains a matter of controversy until this day. In the last decade, there has been a …


The Regulatory Landscape Of A Core Maize Domestication Module Controlling Bud Dormancy And Growth Repression, Zhaobin Dong, Yuguo Xiao, Rajanikanth Govindarajulu, Regina Feil, Muriel L. Siddoway, Torrey Nielsen, John E. Lunn, Jennifer Hawkins, Clinton Whipple, George Chuck Jan 2019

The Regulatory Landscape Of A Core Maize Domestication Module Controlling Bud Dormancy And Growth Repression, Zhaobin Dong, Yuguo Xiao, Rajanikanth Govindarajulu, Regina Feil, Muriel L. Siddoway, Torrey Nielsen, John E. Lunn, Jennifer Hawkins, Clinton Whipple, George Chuck

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Many domesticated crop plants have been bred for increased apical dominance, displaying greatly reduced axillary branching compared to their wild ancestors. In maize, this was achieved through selection for a gain-of-function allele of the TCP transcription factor teosinte branched1 (tb1). The mechanism for how a dominant Tb1 allele increased apical dominance, is unknown. Through ChIP seq, RNA seq, hormone and sugar measurements on 1 mm axillary bud tissue, we identify the genetic pathways putatively regulated by TB1. These include pathways regulating phytohormones such as gibberellins, abscisic acid and jasmonic acid, but surprisingly, not auxin. In addition, metabolites involved in sugar …


Endorphins, Endocannabinoids And Runners’ High, Elisheva Winiarz Jan 2019

Endorphins, Endocannabinoids And Runners’ High, Elisheva Winiarz

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Modern science takes at face value the fact that exercise is beneficial for man’s health. In recent years, medical health professionals have begun to harness exercise as a treatment for a broader range of maladies. Since various studies found increased exercise to correlate with higher levels of endorphins, most believed that the endorphins were directly responsible for what the vernacular dubbed “Runner’s High.” Scientists have sought to either augment or wholly disprove the endorphin hypothesis with further studies. Major Depressive Disorder, or MDD, is an affective condition affecting a significant portion of the general population. Aerobic exercise is increasingly being …


Is A Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet The Most Effective Treatment Of Arthritis?, Elisheva Liberman Jan 2019

Is A Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet The Most Effective Treatment Of Arthritis?, Elisheva Liberman

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Arthritis is a debilitating disease where joint inflammation occurs. There are different types of arthritis, such as Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the destruction of the articular cartilage that usually comes with age, whereas Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease. They both have symptoms which include reduced range of motion, pain and swelling. There are various treatments to alleviate the pain and reduce the inflammation of arthritis. Among them are medication, physical therapy, surgery and a whole food, plant-based diet. The whole food, plant-based diet yields the best results and is the most effective and practical.


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. Jan 2019

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 …