Biology Commons^™

Unraveling The Pathways Involved In Intestinal Repair After Ionizing Radiation Damage, Blaine Pattavina

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Biological Sciences Master's Theses

Exposure to genotoxic environmental agents has detrimental effects on health span and aging. Macromolecular damage caused by these factors is also known to lead to diseases like cancer. Radiation therapy is the treatment of choice for malignant tumors and several non-malignant diseases. Despite its effectiveness, it often leads to unintended complications. Radio-sensitivity of healthy ‘bystander’ cells is an important factor in mediating these complications, which often result in several long-term and debilitating side effects. This incurs huge costs in patient care to maintain the well-being of survivors. Current efforts to understand the underlying molecular patho-physiology of radiation damage involve the …

Enriched Dietary Saturated Fatty Acids Induce Trained Immunity Via Ceramide Production That Enhances Severity Of Endotoxemia And Clearance Of Infection, Amy L. Seufert, James W. Hickman, Ste K. Traxler, Rachael M. Peterson, Trent A. Waugh, Sydney L. Lashley, Natalia Shulzhenko, Ruth J. Napier, Brooke A. Napier

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Trained immunity is an innate immune memory response that is induced by a primary inflammatory stimulus that sensitizes monocytes and macrophages to a secondary pathogenic challenge, reprogramming the host response to infection and inflammatory disease. Dietary fatty acids can act as inflammatory stimuli, but it is unknown if they can act as the primary stimuli to induce trained immunity. Here we find mice fed a diet enriched exclusively in saturated fatty acids (ketogenic diet; KD) confer a hyper-inflammatory response to systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and increased mortality, independent of diet-induced microbiome and hyperglycemia. We find KD alters the composition of the …

A Latitudinal Signal In The Relationship Between Species Geographic Range Size And Climatic Niche Area, Tad Dallas, Andrew Kramer

Faculty Publications

Species with broader niches may have the opportunity to occupy larger geographic areas, assuming no limitations on dispersal and a relatively homogeneous environmental space. Here, we use data on a large set of mammal (n = 1225), bird (n = 1829) and tree (n = 341) species to examine the 1) relationship between geographic range size and climatic niche area, 2) influence of species traits on species departures from this relationship and 3) sensitivity of these relationships to how species range size and climatic niche area are estimated. We find positive geographic range size–climatic niche area relationships for all taxa, …

Transcriptomics-Based Network Medicine Approach Identifies Metformin As A Repurposable Drug For Atrial Fibrillation, Jessica C. Lal, Chengsheng Mao, Yadi Zhou, Shamone R. Gore-Panter, Julie H. Rennison, Beth S. Lovano, Et. Al

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Effective drugs for atrial fibrillation (AF) are lacking, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. This study demonstrates that network proximity analysis of differentially expressed genes from atrial tissue to drug tar-gets can help prioritize repurposed drugs for AF. Using enrichment analysis of drug-gene signatures and functional testing in human inducible pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived atrial-like cardiomyocytes, we identify metformin as a top repurposed drug candidate for AF. Using the active compactor, a new design analysis of large-scale longitudinal electronic health record (EHR) data, we determine that metformin use is significantly associated with a reduced risk of AF (odds ratio = …

A Holistic Investigation Of Acidosis In Breast Cancer, Bryce Ordway

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the early 20th century, Nobel laureate Otto Warburg made the observation that cells of a carcinoma had considerably higher glycolytic metabolism and considerably lower oxidative metabolism compared to cells of a normal tissue. He postulated that within this observation was the key to deciphering the differences between malignant and normal tissue. It is now well established that tumors of the breast are unequivocally acidic, caused by an abnormal amount of aerobic glycolysis, colloquially known as the Warburg effect. Over the last decades, our group, led by Dr. Robert J. Gillies, has set out to characterize the causes and consequences …

Evaluation Of Invasive Avifauna Management Strategies In North America, Christopher L. Castillo

Great Plains Graduate Review

Human action has long been the cause of species introductions into new ecosystems (Lodge 1993). Now, these non-native species are a major global problem both ecologically and economically (Bled et al. 2011). Invasive species can alter habitats, decrease biodiversity, damage human settlements, and destroy agriculture (Townsend Peterson and Vieglais 2001; Kumschick and Nentwig 2010). The United States has been particularly affected by invasive introductions, a multitude of which have been avian species. Various management techniques have been implemented in order to control problem bird populations, however often times these methods are used with a ‘trial and error’ strategy. This review …

Early Intervention With 3bnc117 And Romidepsin At Antiretroviral Treatment Initiation In People With Hiv-1: A Phase 1b/2a, Randomized Trial, Jesper D. Gunst, Marie H. Pahus, Miriam Rosás-Umbert, I-Na Lu, Thomas Benfield, Henrik Nielsen, Isik S. Johansen, Rajesh Mohey, Lars Østergaard, Vibeke Klastrup, Maryam Khan, Mariane H. Schleimann, Rikke Olesen, Henrik Støvring, Paul W. Denton, Natalie N. Kinloch, Dennis C. Copertino, Adam R. Ward, Winiffer D. Conce Alberto, Silke D. Nielsen, Maria C. Puertas, Victor Ramos, Jacqueline D. Reeves, Christos J. Petropoulos, Javier Martinez-Picado, Zabrina L. Brumme, R. Brad Jones, Julie Fox, Martin Tolstrup, Michel C. Nussenzweig, Marina Caskey, Sarah Fidler, Ole S. Søgaard

Biology Faculty Publications

Attempts to reduce the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reservoir and induce antiretroviral therapy (ART)-free virologic control have largely been unsuccessful. In this phase 1b/2a, open-label, randomized controlled trial using a four-group factorial design, we investigated whether early intervention in newly diagnosed people with HIV-1 with a monoclonal anti-HIV-1 antibody with a CD4-binding site, 3BNC117, followed by a histone deacetylase inhibitor, romidepsin, shortly after ART initiation altered the course of HIV-1 infection (NCT03041012). The trial was undertaken in five hospitals in Denmark and two hospitals in the United Kingdom. The coprimary endpoints were analysis of initial virus …

Could Annual Killifish Help Us Treat Macular Degeneration With Carmen Rodriguez, Carmen C. Rodriguez

PDXPLORES Podcast

In this episode of PDXPLORES, Carmen Rodriguez, a Ph.D. student in the biology department, discusses the Annual Killifish--a remarkable organism with the ability to survive long periods without oxygen or water--and how the unusual biology of this fish could unlock treatments for macular degeneration.

Click on the "Download" button to access the audio transcript.

Soil Nematode Trophic Group Composition And Influence On Growth Of Amaranthus Palmeri And Parthenium Hysterophorus, Orlando Garcia, Dana Garibaldi, Krissa Jhaveri, Jake Lanoue, Pushpa G. Soti

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

Weeds have a significant impact on agricultural systems. They not only cause a loss in crop yield by competing with them for resources, but they can also serve hosts for several pests and parasties such as plant parasitic nematodes casusing additional crop loss. The aim of this study was to analyze plant-nematode feedback in two major weeds, Amaranthus palmeri S Watson and Parthenium hysterophorus L. First, a field survey was conducted to determine the rhizosphere nematode trophic groups associated with these two plants in the summer of 2020 and 2021. Then a 6-week greenhouse study was conducted where the two …

Ngly1 Deficiency Affects Glycosaminoglycan Biosynthesis And Wnt Signaling Pathway In Mice, Amy Batten

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

Individuals affected by NGLY1 Deficiency cannot properly deglycosylate and recycle certain proteins. Even though less than 100 people worldwide have been diagnosed with this rare autosomal recessive condition, thousands are affected by similar glycosylation disorders. Common phenotypic manifestations of NGLY1 Deficiency include severe neural and intellectual delay, impaired muscle and liver function, and seizures that may become intractable. Very little is currently known about the various mechanisms through which NGLY1 deficiency affects the body and this has led to a lack of viable treatment options for those afflicted. This experiment uses a loss-of-function (LOF) mouse model of NGLY1 Deficiency homologous …

Alu Dimorphism At The Pv92 Locus Of Chromosome 16 Is In Equilibrium For University Student Population, James M. Brooks, Mackenzie L. Thackston

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Alu is a retrotransposable element, which refers to its ability to be copied and move from one region of DNA to another DNA region. At the PV92 locus of chromosome 16, Alu is a 300 bp dimorphic insert that can either be present or absent. It does not encode a protein product and has lost the ability to transpose. It is specific to humans, and differences in genotype and allele frequencies between human populations are important tools in understanding evolution. In this research, data was obtained and analyzed from 269 students at Charleston Southern University (CSU) belonging to four different …

2022 Scas Annual Meeting Program And Bulletin

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Environmental Bacteriophage Detection On Coastal Carolina University Campus, Madison Gentilo, Hailey Oldfield, Gavin Ockert, Paul E. Richardson

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. These viruses are found ubiquitously in the environment and are more abundant than any living organism on Earth, including bacteria. Eleven sites are designated for weekly sample collection on the campus of Coastal Carolina University. Water samples are filtered and amplified using strains of E. coli B and E. coli K12 to allow potential coliphages in the sample to proliferate to detectable levels. Plaque assays are used as a microbial screen for the presence of bacteriophage. Samples that test positively using the microbial test are analyzed through a molecular test using PCR to identify …

3,6-Dimethoxyxanthone From 2,2’,4,4’- Tetrahydroxy-Benzophenone Via Microwave-Assisted Annulation, Sarah E. Knisely, Faith R. Rosario, Salem F. Gebeyehu, Paige E. Heiple, Robert E. Lee Sr

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Xanthones are tricyclic aromatic compounds that have multiple pharmacological uses due to their anti-tumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and potentially chemopreventive properties. The target of this research was to optimize a two-step synthesis of 3,6-dimethoxyxanthone (3) from 2,2’,4,4’-tetrahydroxy-benzophenone (1) via microwave-assisted (200 °C, 30-40 min., 150 W) sodium acetate-catalyzed annulation. The product, 3,6-dihydroxyxanthone (2), was then methylated to (3) using dimethyl sulfate (DMS) and sodium carbonate in acetone at reflux. The product yields were 93% (>99% purity) for (2) and 94% (>99% purity) for (3). Characterization was accomplished using ¹H NMR, FTIR, melting point, TLC, HPLC, and GCMS. …

The Effects Of Human Behavioral Changes Due To The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Reservoir Of Lytic Escherichia Coli And Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteriophage On Humans At A South Carolina University, Korinne M. Swanson, Owen R. Smith, Paul E. Richardson

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Bacteriophages are viruses, whose unique ability to infect and lyse bacterial cells may provide valuable insight for evading the repercussions of a post-antibiotic era in medicine. This study isolated and characterized Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophage on students and faculty at Coastal Carolina University as a means to understand the viability of human bacteriophage reservoirs for bacteriophage therapy. From September 2021 to March 2022, nasal and postauricular swab samples and a behavioral survey were collected from ninety-three randomly selected participants. Additionally, sixteen participants contributed nasal and postauricular swab samples and a behavioral survey on a monthly basis in a …

Table Of Contents

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Zoonosis At The Huanan Seafood Market: A Critique, Daoyu Zhang, Gilles Demaneuf, Adrian Jones, Steven Massey, Steven Quay, Yuri Deigin, Louis R. Nemzer

Chemistry and Physics Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Since the Hunan Seafood Market (HSM) in Wuhan, China was first suggested as the source of the COVID-19 pandemic in late January 2020, debate has continued over the evidence supporting this claim. Here, we assess the evidence provided in support of zoonotic spillover at the HSM as the origin of human infection of SARS-CoV-2. We find that the datasets and analyses put forward in support of zoonosis are biased, and lack sufficient verifiable data to support this hypothesis. The earliest COVID-19 case at the HSM was not at or near a wildlife stall, the distribution of cases at the HSM …

Effect Of Bridges On Low Order Stream Fish Assemblages, South Georgia, Usa, David L. Bechler Dr.

Georgia Journal of Science

Anthropogenic impacts such as bridge sites can greatly alter established streambed morphology, associated ecology and flora and fauna. At bridge sites, streams are often channelized approaching the site and deep pools are created at the bridge site causing ecological alterations of faunal assemblages. However, restoring channels and reducing negative construction practices allows the return of natural habitats that are likely to include more sensitive species. Recent conservation studies have suggested that anthropogenic sites may serve as potential habitats for reestablishment of populations following a drought event. This study examined the impact of bridges on fish assemblages at first through fourth …

Dissection Of A Sensorimotor Circuit Underlying Pathogen Aversion In C Elegans, Adam Filipowicz, Jonathan Lalsiamthara, Alejandro Aballay

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Altering animal behavior to reduce pathogen exposure is a key line of defense against pathogen attack. In Caenorhabditis elegans, alterations in intestinal physiology caused by pathogen colonization and sensation of microbial metabolites may lead to activation of pathogen aversive behaviors ranging from aversive reflexes to learned avoidance. However, the neural circuitry between chemosensory neurons that sense pathogenic bacterial cues and the motor neurons responsible for avoidance-associated locomotion remains unknown.

RESULTS: Using C. elegans, we found that backward locomotion was a component of learned pathogen avoidance, as animals pre-exposed to Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Enterococcus faecalis showed reflexive aversion to drops …

A Trichy Situation, Kathryn Purple

Cumberland Mountain Naturalist

This issue of the Cumberland Mountain Naturalist discusses Dr Kathryn Purple's research concerning Trichomonosis carried by pigeons.

Introduction To Common Molecular Biological Techniques Used In Research Laboratories, Dington Tan, Ruitang Deng, Winifer Ali, Qiwen Chen

Annual Student Research Poster Session

The main techniques used in molecular biology are cloning, PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), nucleic acid electrophoresis, DNA microarray analysis, in situ hybridization (HIS), sequencing (Sanger or Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)). Molecular biology techniques are extremely valuable for addressing a wide range of issues impacting the general state of humanity, in addition to investigating fundamental scientific concerns. Applications for molecular biology techniques include the prevention and treatment of disease, the creation of new protein products, and the modification of plants and animals to produce desired phenotypic traits.

Latex Induction And Effects Of Herbivory On Apocynum Cannabinum, Shiley Claypool, Tim Douglas, Rose Keith

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Apocynum cannabinum, also known as hemp dogbane, is a species of perennial native to the U.S. This species has been found to be extremely plastic, meaning that its environment has significant effects on its phenotypic traits (Ransom et al. 1998). Plant-herbivore interactions, such as herbivory, can drive this plasticity. One of these responses includes the induction of Latex, a white sappy fluid that exits leaves and stems induced by damage (Agrawal and Konno 2009). This project investigates the effects of early-season vs. late-season herbivory on hemp dogbane, as well as how latex induction is influenced by these plant-herbivore interactions.

Inhibiting S100Β And Troubleshooting Cell Growth, Animesh Dali, Suhana Basnyat, Robert Passarelli, Nipun Chopra

Annual Student Research Poster Session

S100B is a protein that is upregulated in neuronal injury. The upregulation of S100B has been observed to start multiple cascades that result in neuronal death. The inhibition of S100B would be a promising treatment for neuronal injury. In our research, we attempt to do exactly so.

Bird Species Define The Relationship Between West Nile Viremia And Infectiousness To Culex Pipiens Mosquitoes, Jefferson A. Vaughan, Robert Newman, Michael J. Turrell

Biology Faculty Publications

The transmission cycle of West Nile virus (WNV) involves multiple species of birds. The relative importance of various bird species to the overall transmission is often inferred from the level and duration of viremia that they experience upon infection. Reports utilizing in vitro feeding techniques suggest that the source and condition of blood in which arboviruses are fed to mosquitoes can significantly alter the infectiousness of arbovirus to mosquitoes. We confirmed this using live hosts. A series of mosquito feedings with Culex pipiens was conducted on WNV-infected American robins and common grackles over a range of viremias. Mosquitoes were assayed …

The Effect Of Infection Risk On Female Blood Transcriptomics, Brenna M. G. Gormally, Patricia C. Lopes

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Defenses against pathogens can take on many forms. For instance, behavioral avoidance of diseased conspecifics is widely documented. Interactions with these infectious conspecifics can also, however, lead to physiological changes in uninfected animals, an effect that is much less well understood. These changes in behavior and physiology are particularly important to study in a reproductive context, where they can impact reproductive decisions and offspring quality. Here, we studied how an acute (3 h) exposure to an immune-challenged male affected female blood transcriptomics and behavior. We predicted that females paired with immune-challenged males would reduce eating and drinking behaviors (as avoidance …

Differences In Neurotoxic Outcomes Of Organophosphorus Pesticides Revealed Via Multi-Dimensional Screening In Adult And Regenerating Planarians, Danielle Ireland, S. Zhang, Veronica Bochenek , ' 22, J.-H. Hsieh, Christina Rabeler, Zane Meyer , '21, Eva-Maria S. Collins

Biology Faculty Works

Organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) are a chemically diverse class of commonly used insecticides. Epidemiological studies suggest that low dose chronic prenatal and infant exposures can lead to life-long neurological damage and behavioral disorders. While inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is the shared mechanism of acute OP neurotoxicity, OP-induced developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) can occur independently and/or in the absence of significant AChE inhibition, implying that OPs affect alternative targets. Moreover, different OPs can cause different adverse outcomes, suggesting that different OPs act through different mechanisms. These findings emphasize the importance of comparative studies of OP toxicity. Freshwater planarians are an invertebrate system that …

Effects Of Nitrogen Fertilizer On The Sugar And Ethanol Production Of C. Sativa, Aidan Power, Christian Mugisha, Boanerges Bamaca, Asmita Mahara, Mark Wilkins Ph.D

Annual Student Research Poster Session

With the decrease of fossil fuel-supply and increase of greenhouse gasses, biofuels are needed now more than ever. This includes bioethanol, an alternative fuel that can be made from waste materials, including C. Sativa (commonly known as hemp). The common belief in biological engineering is that the sugars from hemp can attract fermenting organisms to produce the needed ethanol. The question remains, however, of how external factors play into the ethanol production from hemp, such as fertilizer. I tested samples from three plots with different amounts of nitrogen fertilizer to see if the amount of sugar and ethanol varies or …

X-Linked Ubiquitin-Specific Peptidase 11 Increases Tauopathy Vulnerability In Women, Yan Yan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women experience significantly higher tau burden and increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than men, yet the underlying mechanism for this vulnerability has not been explained. Here, we demonstrate through in vitro and in vivo models, as well as human AD brain tissue, that X-linked ubiquitin specific peptidase 11 (USP11) augments pathological tau aggregation via tau deubiquitination initiated at lysine-281. Removal of ubiquitin provides access for enzymatic tau acetylation at lysines 281 and 274. USP11 escapes complete X-inactivation, and female mice and people both exhibit higher USP11 levels than males. Genetic elimination of usp11 in a tauopathy mouse model preferentially …

Speciation Jigsaw Activity, Erika Crispo

Open Educational Resources

What is a species? Why are there so many species on the planet? The question of why we have different species of organisms was the key thesis of Charles Darwin’s most famous book, On the Origin of Species.While several definitions of what constitutes a species exists, the most common definition lies within thebiological species concept. This concept states that different species exist when two individuals of different sexes are unable to reproduce with one another to yield viable offspring in the wild. A major limitation of this definition is that it can only be applied to sexually reproducing organisms that …

The Coastal Monitor: Vol. 9 No. 5, John Tanacredi Ph.D.

The Coastal Monitor

There are a multitude of lessons learned from the last 3 years of the Covid-19 pandemic. But one truly stands out ...the total lack of understanding of the basic chemistry associated with the nitrogen cycle, which in Suffolk County, NY, continues to be declared as the “evil-nitrogen”. The major source of nitrogen into the water body comes from the atmosphere which is the predominate constituent of the air we breathe79% nitrogen. Nitrogen compounds contribution to eutrophication in freshwater (ponds & lakes) systems is legendary and, the concentration of nitrogen in marine waters has always been known as a limiting agent …