Cell and Developmental Biology Commons^™

Repressive Interactions Between Transcription Factors Separate Different Embryonic Ectodermal Domains., Steven L. Klein, Andre L P Tavares, Meredith Peterson, Charles H Sullivan, Sally A. Moody

Anatomy and Regenerative Biology Faculty Publications

The embryonic ectoderm is composed of four domains: neural plate, neural crest, pre-placodal region (PPR) and epidermis. Their formation is initiated during early gastrulation by dorsal-ventral and anterior-posterior gradients of signaling factors that first divide the embryonic ectoderm into neural and non-neural domains. Next, the neural crest and PPR domains arise, either

Antioxidant Biomarkers And Nutraceutical Therapeutics In Neurodegeneration And Neurotrauma, Lilia A. Koza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), yielding a Glascow Coma Scale of 13-15, is the most commonly occurring severity of TBI. Pathology from mTBI consists of blood brain barrier disruption, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, protein aggregation, axonal degeneration, and resulting neuronal death. These processes deplete the body’s endogenous antioxidant system. We report a retrospective analysis of antioxidant blood biomarkers in patients with a history of mTBI from a local sports medicine clinic, Resilience Code. We found persistent sex-specific antioxidant depletions in mTBI patients associated with worsened symptomology.

Certain populations, such as athletes, are at high risk for repetitive mTBI …

Organellar Zn2+ Homeostasis And The Role Of Trpml Channels In Neuronal Lysosome Physiology And Axonal Transport, Taylor Franklin Minckley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Zinc (Zn²⁺) is crucial for proper cellular function, and as such it is important to measure and track Zn²⁺ dynamics in living cells. Fluorescent sensors have been used to estimate Zn²⁺ content of subcellular compartments, but little is known about endolysosomal Zn2+ homeostasis. Similarly, although numerous sensors have been reported, it is unclear whether and how Zn²⁺ can be released from intracellular compartments into the cytosol due to a lack of probes that can detect physiological dynamics of cytosolic Zn²⁺. My dissertation started with comparing and characterizing different Zn²⁺ sensors including the …

The Effects Of Neuronal Growth Factors On Lps-Activated Schwann Cells, Caitlyn E. Henry, Peyton Kimmel, Angela Asirvatham Ph.D.

Student Research Poster Presentations 2022

Schwann cells (SCs) are the principal support cells of neurons in the peripheral nervous system, that both myelinate axons for the rapid conduction of electrical impulses as well as assist in axonal repair during nerve injury. During nerve injury, SCs secrete tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)^1,5,6 and other proinflammatory mediators^1,6, attracting macrophages to the site of injury to induce inflammation and clear myelin debris.^1,6 Once the debris is cleared, the neuron stimulates SC proliferation by secreting neuronal mitogens, such as heregulin^3,4, and an unknown factor that activates the cAMP pathway³, an important …

Simulation Of An Inflammatory Model Using Schwann Cells, Caitlyn Henry, Peyton Kimmel, Angela Asirvatham

Student Research Poster Presentations 2022

During peripheral nerve injury, the myelin surrounding the neuronal axons is damaged, initiating an inflammatory response to remove myelin debris. Once myelin debris is cleared, Schwann cells acquire a proliferating phenotype which allows them to grow and divide so that remyelination can occur. The neuron stimulates Schwann cell division by secreting growth factors, like heregulin, and an unknown growth factor that activates the cAMP pathway. Although the role of cAMP in axonal regeneration is well-known, not much has been explored about its function in Schwann cells during nerve injury and inflammation. To simulate an inflammatory environment, the S16 Schwann cell …

A Novel Chelator For Pb-212/Bi-212-Based Alpha-Particle Radiotherapy For Cancers, Eric Doorn, Mengshi Li, Brianna Cagle, Nicholas Baumhover, Zhiming Dai, Dijie Liu, Ivy Vance, Frances Johnson, Michael K. Schultz

Summer Research

Lead-212 ( 212Pb) has been identified as a promising candidate for alpha(α)- particle radiotherapies for cancers in preclinical and clinical studies. Using a low molecular weight peptide, the radiotherapy will target with high affinity selective markers highly expressed in cancer cells but found in low concentration in healthy tissue. A radiometal is coupled to a chelator moiety linked to the peptide to deliver the α-particle radiation destroying cancer cells.

To develop a novel Pb specific chelator (PSC) that will provide high affinity to Pb212 and improve the in vitro and in vivo binding pharmacokinetics and stability of progeny of the …

Emerging Biomedical Applications Of The Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Glycoprotein, Sheeba Rehman, Suman Bishnoi, Rajarshi Roy, Anshu Kumari, Harikrishnan Jayakumar, Sharad Gupta, Parimal Kar, Asit K. Pattnaik, Bebasis Nayak

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Nanoparticles (NPs) made of metals, polymers, micelles, and liposomes are increasingly being used in various biomedical applications. However, most of these NPs are hazardous for long- and short-term use and hence have restricted biomedical applications. Therefore, naturally derived, biocompatible, and biodegradable nanoconstructs are being explored for such applications. Inspired by the biology of viruses, researchers are exploring the viral proteins that hold considerable promise in biomedical applications. The viral proteins are highly stable and further amenable to suit specific biological applications. Among various viral proteins, vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSV-G) has emerged as one of the most versatile platforms for …

Phip-Seq Reveals Autoantibodies For Ubiquitously Expressed Antigens In Viral Myocarditis, Mahima T. Rasquinha, Ninaad Lasrado, Erika M. Petro-Turnquist, Eric A. Weaver, Thiagarajan Venkataraman, Daniel R. Anderson, H. Benjamin Larman, Jay Reddy

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Simple Summary: Myocarditis is the inflammation of the heart muscle, and viral infections are a common cause of this disease. Myocarditis in some patients can progress to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The mouse model of coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is commonly used to understand this disease progression in DCM patients. In this paper, we have attempted to analyze antibodies for heart antigens that could be produced as a result of heart damage in animals infected with CVB3 using a technique called Phage ImmunoPrecipitation Sequencing (PhIP-Seq). The analyses led us to identify antibodies for several proteins that were not previously reported that may …

One Cell’S Trash Is Another Cell’S Treasure: The Role Of Exosomes In Stress Physiology Of The Brown Anole (Anolis Sagrei), Anna Kaza

Honors Program Theses

Exosomes are a type of extracellular vesicle that is produced by cells through an endosomal pathway and secreted into bodily fluids. Exosomes deliver bioactive cargo from their parent cells to target cells as a form of intercellular communication. While most research has studied exosomes in the context of disease, less is known about their role in normal physiology when disease is absent. Using the brown anole (Anolis sagrei) as a model organism, we investigated how stress exposure affects exosome concentrations in the plasma of anoles, and whether exosome release is necessary for the response to stress. We hypothesized that stress …

Adenoviral-Vectored Centralized Consensus Hemagglutinin Vaccine Provides Broad Protection Against H2 Influenza A Virus, Erika M. Petro-Turnquist, Brianna L. Bullard, Matthew J. Pekarek, Eric A. Weaver

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Several influenza pandemics have occurred in the past century, one of which emerged in 1957 from a zoonotic transmission of H2N2 from an avian reservoir into humans. This pandemic caused 2–4 million deaths and circulated until 1968. Since the disappearance of H2N2 from human populations, there has been waning immunity against H2, and this subtype is not currently incorporated into seasonal vaccines. However, H2 influenza remains a pandemic threat due to consistent circulation in avian reservoirs. Here, we describe a method of pandemic preparedness by creating an adenoviral-vectored centralized consensus vaccine design against human H2 influenza. We also assessed the …

The Application Of The Skin Virome For Human Identification, Ema H. Graham, Jennifer Clarke, Samodha Fernando, Joshua Herr, Michael Adamowicz

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The use of skin virome offers a unique approach for human identification purposes in instances where a viable and statistically relevant human DNA profile is unavailable. The skin virome may act as an alternative DNA profile and/or an additional form of probative genetic material. To date, no study has attempted to investigate the human virome over a time series across various physical locations of the body to identify its diagnostic potential as a tool for human identification. For this study, we set out to evaluate the stability, diversity, and individualization of the human skin virome. An additional goal was to …

Analysis Of Hematocrit Levels In Walleye Sander Vitreus From Similar Waterbodies, Alyssa Hauser

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Walleye Sander vitreus are a popular fish among anglers and hold a prominent place in Minnesotan’s identity as their state fish. Because of this, multiple management practices are used to ensure the continued health of their populations within Minnesota waters. In this study, the process of analyzing hematocrit levels was used to determine if the analysis of hematological parameters could be a useful tool in detecting differences in population health. To evaluate this, blood samples were acquired from age-0 and age-1 fish from two similar lakes and run through a hematocrit centrifuge to separate platelets from plasma to read the …

In Vivo Metabolic Analysis Of The Anticancer Effects Of Plasma-Activated Saline In Three Tumor Animal Models, Miao Qi, Dehui Xu, Shuai Wang, Bing Li, Sansan Peng, Qiaosong Li, Hao Zhang, Runze Fan, Hai-Lan Chen, Michael G. Kong

Bioelectrics Publications

In recent years, the emerging technology of cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) has grown rapidly along with the many medical applications of cold plasma (e.g., cancer, skin disease, tissue repair, etc.). Plasma-activated liquids (e.g., culture media, water, or normal saline, previously exposed to plasma) are being studied as cancer treatments, and due to their advantages, many researchers prefer plasma-activated liquids as an alternative to CAP in the treatment of cancer. In this study, we showed that plasma-activated-saline (PAS) treatment significantly inhibited tumor growth, as compared with saline, in melanoma, and a low-pH environment had little effect on tumor growth in …

The Role Of Glis3 In Zebrafish Endocrine Development And Regeneration, Tasha Swenney

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Maintenance of proper blood glucose homeostasis is governed by the endocrine cells of the pancreas. Dysregulation of blood glucose is characteristic of the disease, diabetes mellitus. Relatively little is known about the molecular mechanisms that underlie diabetes. The genes associated with more common forms of diabetes remain more enigmatic and likely have less direct roles in blood glucose homeostasis such as glucose sensing, insulin secretion, and β cell maintenance. GLIS3, a transcription factor involved in pancreatic development as well as the transcriptional regulation of insulin has been identified as a risk locus for type 1 and type 2 diabetes …

Sex Dimorphism In Hematopoiesis And Bone Marrow Niche, Xiaojing Cui

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), which are a rare population of cells existing in human circulating blood and bone marrow, can form the whole-blood system by their self-renewal capacity and differentiation ability. Sex dimorphism can be found in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, and in the development of hematopoietic lineages. Also, males are at higher risk and have a worse prognosis for most hematologic malignancies than females. Under normal conditions, the number of circulating progenitor cells in women is lower than in men. Furthermore, female mice have a higher rate of HSC division than male mice. A dramatic gender difference exists …

Expanding Mouse-Adapted Yamagata-Like Influenza B Viruses In Eggs Enhances In Vivo Lethality In Balb/C Mice, Matthew J. Pekarek, Erika M. Petro-Turnquist, Adam Rubrum, Richard J. Webby, Eric A. Weaver

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Despite the yearly global impact of influenza B viruses (IBVs), limited host range has been a hurdle to developing a readily accessible small animal disease model for vaccine studies. Mouseadapting IBV can produce highly pathogenic viruses through serial lung passaging in mice. Previous studies have highlighted amino acid changes throughout the viral genome correlating with increased pathogenicity, but no consensus mutations have been determined. We aimed to show that growth system can play a role in mouse-adapted IBV lethality. Two Yamagata-lineage IBVs were serially passaged 10 times in mouse lungs before expansion in embryonated eggs or Madin–Darby canine kidney cells …

Dissecting The Cellular Landscape And Transcriptome Network In Viral Myocarditis By Single-Cell Rna Sequencing, Ninaad Lasrado, Nicholas Borcherding, Rajkumar Arumugam, Timothy K. Starr, Jay Reddy

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced myocarditis is commonly employed to study viral pathogenesis in mice.Chronically affected micemaydevelop dilated cardiomyopathy, which may involve the mediation of immune and nonimmune cells. To dissect this complexity, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on heart cells from healthy and myocarditic mice, leading us to note significant proportions of myeloid cells, T cells, and fibroblasts. Although the transcriptomes of myeloid cells were mainly of M2 phenotype, the Th17 cells, CTLs, and Treg cells had signatures critical for cytotoxic functions. Fibroblasts were heterogeneous expressing genes important in fibrosis and regulation of inflammation and immune responses. The intercellular communication networks …

Electroporation And Cell Killing By Milli- To Nanosecond Pulses And Avoiding Neuromuscular Stimulation In Cancer Ablation, Emily Gudvangen, Vitalii Kim, Vitalij Novickij, Federico Battista, Andrei G. Pakhomov

Bioelectrics Publications

Ablation therapies aim at eradication of tumors with minimal impact on surrounding healthy tissues. Conventional pulsed electric field (PEF) treatments cause pain and muscle contractions far beyond the ablation area. The ongoing quest is to identify PEF parameters efficient at ablation but not at stimulation. We measured electroporation and cell killing thresholds for 150 ns–1 ms PEF, uni- and bipolar, delivered in 10- to 300-pulse trains at up to 1 MHz rates. Monolayers of murine colon carcinoma cells exposed to PEF were stained with YO-PRO-1 dye to detect electroporation. In 2–4 h, dead cells were labeled with propidium. Electroporation and …

Novel Mechanism Of Endogenous Pancreatic Cancer Cell Expression Of Immune Checkpoint Programmed Cell-Death 1 Protein (Pd-1) Inducing Epithelial-To-Mesenchymal Transition (Emt) Through The Met Pathway And Promoting Cancer Progression In An Immune-Independent Process, Megan M. Harper

Theses and Dissertations--Clinical and Translational Science

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the deadliest cancers with few treatment options, necessitating an urgent need for novel therapeutics. Immuno-oncologic (IO) therapies have revolutionized anti-cancer regimens in the past decade but typically involve reactivation of adaptive immune responses. In particular, immune checkpoint PD-1 is traditionally expressed only on immune cells while PD-L1 (PD-1 ligand) is overexpressed on cancer cells. When tumor-endogenous PD-L1 binds the PD-1 receptor on T-cells, the immune cells undergo anergy resulting in self-tolerance and cancer cell immune evasion. However, contrary to standard dogma, we previously demonstrated tumor-endogenous PD-1 expression in PDAC. Our data indicated that …

Intracellular Trafficking And Distribution Of Cd And Inp Quantum Dots In Hela And Ml-1 Thyroid Cancer Cells, Min Zhang

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The study of the interaction of engineered nanoparticles, including quantum dots (QDs), with cellular constituents and the kinetics of their localization and transport, has provided new insights into their biological consequences in cancers and for the development of effective cancer therapies. The present study aims to elucidate the toxicity and intracellular transport kinetics of CdSe/ZnS and InP/ZnS QDs in late-stage ML-1 thyroid cancer using well-tested HeLa cells as a control. The XTT viability assay showed that ML-1 cells, and non-cancerous mouse fibroblast cells, exhibit no viability defect in response to these QDs, whereas HeLa cell viability decreases. These results suggest …

A Study Of Cobalt (Iii) Oxide Nanoparticle Delivery Of Sirna Molecules Directed Against Signaling Intermediates Of The P2y2 Receptor, Rachel Blair Stroud

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

G protein-coupled receptors are evolutionarily ubiquitous sensors of extracellular signals, propagating intracellular signal cascades through heterotrimeric G proteins. P2Y₂ receptors are GPCRs which are activated by extracellular nucleotides to mediate signaling cascades via Gαq coupling. Many GPCRs are subject to a common mechanism for signal termination involving phosphorylation of the C-terminal tail followed by β-arrestin binding and subsequent endocytic internalization of the complex. This effect has been described for the P2Y₂ R in the 1321N1 astrocytoma cell line, and UTP-induced activation and desensitization profiles have been previously defined. There is need to develop molecular vehicles for safe and …

Bone Morphogenetic Proteins Shape TReg Cells, Piotr Kraj

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family includes cytokines controlling cell behavior, differentiation and homeostasis of various tissues including components of the immune system. Despite well recognized importance of TGF-β in controlling T cell functions, the immunomodulatory roles of many other members of the TGF-β cytokine family, especially bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), start to emerge. Bone Morphogenic Protein Receptor 1α (BMPR1α) is upregulated by activated effector and Foxp3+ regulatory CD4+ T cells (Treg cells) and modulates functions of both of these cell types. BMPR1α inhibits generation of proinflammatory Th17 cells and sustains peripheral Treg cells. This finding underscores the importance of …

Alkaline Plasma-Activated Water (Paw) As An Innovative Therapeutic Avenue For Cancer Treatment, Bolun Pang, Zhijie Liu, Sitao Wang, Yuting Gao, Miao Qi, Dehui Xu, Renwu Zhou, Dingxin Liu, Michael G. Kong

Bioelectrics Publications

Plasma-activated water (PAW) is considered to be an effective anticancer agent due to the diverse aqueous reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS: ROS and RNS), but the drawback of low dose and short duration of RONS in acidified PAW limits their clinical application. Herein, this Letter presents an innovative therapeutic avenue for cancer treatment with highly-effective alkaline PAW prepared by air surface plasma. This anticancer alkaline formulation is comprised of a rich mixture of highly chemical RONS and exhibited a prolonged half-life compared to acidified PAW. The H₂O₂, NO₂-, and ONOO^-/O_{2 …}

Plasmonic-Based Biosensor For The Early Diagnosis Of Prostate Cancer, Thakshila Liyanage, Bayan Alharbi, Linh Quan, Aurora Esquela-Kerscher, Gymama Slaughter

Bioelectrics Publications

A tapered optical fiber (TOF) plasmonic biosensor was fabricated and used for the sensitive detection of a panel of microRNAs (miRNAs) in human serum obtained from noncancer and prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Oncogenic and tumor suppressor miRNAs let7a, let-7c, miR-200b, miR-141, and miR-21 were tested as predictive cancer biomarkers since multianalyte detection minimizes false-positive and false-negative rates and establishes a strong foundation for early PCa diagnosis. The biosensing platform integrates metallic gold triangular nanoprisms (AuTNPs) laminated on the TOF to excite surface plasmon waves in the supporting metallic layer and enhance the evanescent mode of the fiber surface. …

Determinants Of Virus Variation, Evolution, And Host Adaptation, Katherine Latourrette, Hernan Garcia-Ruiz

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Virus evolution is the change in the genetic structure of a viral population over time and results in the emergence of new viral variants, strains, and species with novel biological properties, including adaptation to new hosts. There are host, vector, environmental, and viral factors that contribute to virus evolution. To achieve or fine tune compatibility and successfully establish infection, viruses adapt to a particular host species or to a group of species. However, some viruses are better able to adapt to diverse hosts, vectors, and environments. Viruses generate genetic diversity through mutation, reassortment, and recombination. Plant viruses are exposed to …

Immunogenicity And Protective Efficacy Of A Recombinant Pichinde Viral-Vectored Vaccine Expressing Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin Antigen In Pigs, Sushmita Kumari, Jayeshbhai Chaudhari, Qinfeng Huang, Phillip Gauger, Marcelo Nunes De Almeida, Yuying Liang, Hinh Ly, Hiep Vu

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Influenza A virus of swine (IAV-S) is an economically important swine pathogen. The IAV-S hemagglutinin (HA) surface protein is the main target for vaccine development. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of using the recombinant tri-segmented Pichinde virus (rPICV) as a viral vector to deliver HA antigen to protect pigs against IAV-S challenge. Four groups of weaned pigs (T01–T04) were included in the study. T01 was injected with PBS to serve as a non-vaccinated control. T02 was inoculated with rPICV expressing green fluorescence protein (rPICV-GFP). T03 was vaccinated with rPICV expressing the HA antigen of the IAV-S H3N2 strain …

Evaluation Of Ivermectin Antiviral Activity Against Avian Infectious Bronchitis Virus Using A Chicken Embryo Model, Donald L. Reynolds, E. Barry Simpson

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Ivermectin is widely used in both animals and humans as an FDA-approved parasiticide. Ivermectin has also been reported to have antiviral activity against several viruses including coronaviruses. There are reports that indicate ivermectin may have some role in diminishing the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, but the evidence is inconclusive. The objective of this study was to determine if ivermectin was efficacious in inhibiting avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV, a coronavirus) replication in chicken embryos. Briefly, our approach was to use the Massachusetts vaccine strain of IBV in combination with various doses of ivermectin and then inoculate these preparations into chicken …

Structural Variant-Based Pangenome Construction Has Low Sensitivity To Variability Of Haplotype-Resolved Bovine Assemblies, Alexander S. Leonard, Danang Crysnanto, Zih-Hua Fang, Michael P. Heaton, Brian L. Vander Ley, Carolina Herrera, Heinrich Bollwein, Derek M. Bickhart, Benjamin D. Rosen, Hubert Pausch

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Advantages of pangenomes over linear reference assemblies for genome research have recently been established. However, potential effects of sequence platform and assembly approach, or of combining assemblies created by different approaches, on pangenome construction have not been investigated. Here we generate haplotype-resolved assemblies from the offspring of three bovine trios representing increasing levels of heterozygosity that each demonstrate a substantial improvement in contiguity, completeness, and accuracy over the current Bos taurus reference genome. Diploid coverage as low as 20x for HiFi or 60x for ONT is sufficient to produce two haplotype-resolved assemblies meeting standards set by the Vertebrate Genomes Project. …

Does Swab Type Matter? Comparing Methods For Mannheimia Haemolytica Recovery And Upper Respiratory Microbiome Characterization In Feedlot Cattle, William B. Crosby, Lee Pinnell, John T. Richeson, Cory Wolfe, Jake Castle, John Dustin Loy, Sheryl P. Gow, Keun Seok Seo, Sarah F. Capik, Amelia R. Woolums, Paul S. Morley

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is caused by interactions among host, environment, and pathogens. One standard method for antemortem pathogen identification in cattle with BRD is deep-guarded nasopharyngeal swabbing, which is challenging, costly, and waste generating. The objective was to compare the ability to recover Mannheimia haemolytica and compare microbial community structure using 29.5 inch (74.9 cm) deep-guarded nasopharyngeal swabs, 16 inch (40.6 cm) unguarded proctology swabs, or 6 inch (15.2 cm) unguarded nasal swabs when characterized using culture, real time-qPCR, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Samples for aerobic culture, qPCR, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were collected from the …

Rna Nanovaccine Protects Against White Spot Syndrome Virus In Shrimp, Yashdeep Phanse, Supraja Puttamreddy, Duan Loy, Julia Vela Ramirez, Kathleen A. Ross, Ignacio Alvarez-Castro, Mark Mogler, Scott Broderick, Krishna Rajan, Balaji Narasimhan, Lyric C. Bartholomay

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

In the last 15 years, crustacean fisheries have experienced billions of dollars in economic losses, primarily due to viral diseases caused by such pathogens as white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei and Asian tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon. To date, no effective measures are available to prevent or control disease outbreaks in these animals, despite their economic importance. Recently, double-stranded RNA-based vaccines have been shown to provide specific and robust protection against WSSV infection in cultured shrimp. However, the limited stability of double-stranded RNA is the most significant hurdle for the field application of these …