Food Science Commons^™

Design Of A Protective Single-Dose Intranasal Nanoparticle-Based Vaccine Platform For Respiratory Infectious Diseases, Bret D. Ulery, Devender Kumar, Amanda E. Ramer-Tait, Dennis W. Metzger, Michael J. Wannemeuhler, Balaji Narasimhan

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Despite the successes provided by vaccination, many challenges still exist with respect to controlling new and re-emerging infectious diseases. Innovative vaccine platforms composed of adaptable adjuvants able to appropriately modulate immune responses, induce long-lived immunity in a single dose, and deliver immunogens in a safe and stable manner via multiple routes of administration are needed. This work describes the development of a novel biodegradable polyanhydride nanoparticle-based vaccine platform administered as a single intranasal dose that induced long-lived protective immunity against respiratory disease caused by Yesinia pestis, the causative agent of pneumonic plague. Relative to the responses induced by the …

Host-Microbial Symbiosis In The Vertebrate Gastrointestinal Tract And The Lactobacillus Reuteri Paradigm, Jens Walter, Robert A. Britton, Stefan Roos

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Vertebrates engage in symbiotic associations with vast and complex microbial communities that colonize their gastrointestinal tracts. Recent advances have provided mechanistic insight into the important contributions of the gut microbiome to vertebrate biology, but questions remain about the evolutionary processes that have shaped symbiotic interactions in the gut and the consequences that arise for both the microbes and the host. Here we discuss the biological principles that underlie microbial symbiosis in the vertebrate gut and the potential of the development of mutualism. We then review phylogenetic and experimental studies on the vertebrate symbiont Lactobacillus reuteri that have provided novel insight …

Characterization Of Igg And Ige Binding To Parvalbumin Derived From Commercially Important Fish Species, P. Lee, Julie A. Nordlee, S. J. Koppelman, J. L. Baumert, Steve L. Taylor

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Rationale: Parvalbumin is recognized as pan-allergen in fish and frog. However, previous studies demonstrated that the IgE- and IgG-binding patterns to parvalbumins vary depending on the fish species. We aimed to use 3 anti-parvalbumin IgG and human IgE to investigate the contributing factors for the binding differences.

Methods: Indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and IgG immunoblotting were used to determine the reactivity of the polyclonal anti-cod parvalbumin antibody and the commercially available, monoclonal anti-frog and anti-carp parvalbumin antibodies against raw muscle extracts of 25 fish species. Additionally, sera from 46 individuals with clinical history of fish allergy were analyzed for …

Nutritional And Anti-Nutritional Compositions Of Defatted Nebraska Hybrid Hazelnut Meal, Yixiang Xu, Milford Hanna

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Defatted meal of hybrid hazelnuts may have potential food and value-added industrial applications. The proximate composition, mineral elements, amino acid profile and anti-nutritional factors (total phenolics, tannins, condensed tannins and phytates) of defatted meals of ten Nebraska hybrid hazelnut genotypes were investigated. Excluding the amino acid profile, the nutritional and anti-nutritional compositions of the meals differed significantly, with high protein, carbohydrate, neutral and acid detergent fibre concentrations and energy value. Mineral concentrations were higher than those previously reported. K was the most abundant mineral element, followed by P, Ca and Mg. Seven essential amino acids accounted for approximately 27.8% of …

Specialized Adaptation Of A Lactic Acid Bacterium To The Milk Environment: The Comparative Genomics Of Streptococcus Thermophilus Lmd-9, Yong Jun Goh, Caitlin Goin, Sarah O'Flaherty, Eric Altermann, Robert W. Hutkins

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Background: Streptococcus thermophilus represents the only species among the streptococci that has “Generally Regarded As Safe” status and that plays an economically important role in the fermentation of yogurt and cheeses. We conducted comparative genome analysis of S. thermophilus LMD-9 to identify unique gene features as well as features that contribute to its adaptation to the dairy environment. In addition, we investigated the transcriptome response of LMD-9 during growth in milk in the presence of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, a companion culture in yogurt fermentation, and during lytic bacteriophage infection.

Results: The S. thermophilus LMD-9 genome is …

Composition And Sensory Evaluation Of Popcorn Flake Polymorphisms For A Select Butterfly-Type Hybrid, Jess C. Sweley, Devin J. Rose, David S. Jackson

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to identify and characterize different popped popcorn flake shapes, or polymorphisms, arising from a yellow butterfly popcorn hybrid (YP-213), and then to determine the impact of popcorn flake shape on composition and sensory characteristics. Kernels were popped using a microwave oven and visually sorted into three different polymorphisms depending on whether the appendages were expanded unilaterally, bilaterally, or multilaterally. When popped, 9.0 ± 3.1%, 71.2 ± 5.9% and 12.3 ± 3.8% of kernels were expanded unilaterally, bilaterally, and multilaterally, respectively, while 7.6 ± 1.4% of kernels remained unpopped. Expansion volumes for unilaterally, bilaterally, and …

Environment And Hybrid Influences On Rapid-Visco-Analysis Flour Properties Of Food-Grade Grain Sorghum, Joni K. Griess, Stephen C. Mason, David S. Jackson, Tom D. Galusha, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, Muhammad Yaseen

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Grain processors would benefi t from information about the production environment and the infl uences of the sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] hybrid on food-grade fl our properties. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of environment and hybrid on rapid-visco-analysis (RVA) fl our properties of commercially available food-grade sorghum. A randomized complete block experiment was planted in 12 environments, which included the 2004 and 2005 growing seasons and irrigated and dryland water regimes in eastern, central, and west central Nebraska, and a dryland, low-N environment in eastern Nebraska. The environment accounted for 71–85% of the total …

Suggested Improvements For The Allergenicity Assessment Of Genetically Modified Plants Used In Foods, Richard E. Goodman

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Genetically modified (GM) plants are increasingly used for food production and industrial applications. As the global population has surpassed 7 billion and per capita consumption rises, food production is challenged by loss of arable land, changing weather patterns, and evolving plant pests and disease. Previous gains in quantity and quality relied on natural or artificial breeding, random mutagenesis, increased pesticide and fertilizer use, and improved farming techniques, all without a formal safety evaluation. However, the direct introduction of novel genes raised questions regarding safety that are being addressed by an evaluation process that considers potential increases in the allergenicity, toxicity, …

Wild Buckwheat Is Unlikely To Pose A Risk To Buckwheat-Allergic Individuals, Julie A. Nordlee, Rakhi Panda, Joseph L. Baumert, Richard E. Goodman, Steve Taylor

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is a commonly allergenic food especially in Asia where buckwheat is more commonly consumed. Wild buckwheat (Polygonum convolvulus, recently changed to Fallopia convolvulus) is an annual weed prevalent in grain-growing areas of the United States. Wild buckwheat is not closely related to edible buckwheat although the seeds do have some physical resemblance. A large shipment of wheat into Japan was halted by the discovery of the adventitious presence of wild buckwheat seeds over possible concerns for buckwheat-allergic consumers. However, IgE-binding was not observed to an extract of wild buckwheat using sera from …

Dietary Selenium Affects Host Selenoproteome Expression By Influencing The Gut Microbiota, Marina V. Kasaikina, Marina A. Kravtsova, Byung Cheon Lee, Javier Seravalli, Daniel A. Peterson, Jens Walter, Ryan Legge, Andrew K. Benson, Dolph L. Hatfield, Vadim Gladyshev

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Colonization of the gastrointestinal tract and composition of the microbiota may be influenced by components of the diet, including trace elements. To understand how selenium regulates the intestinal microflora, we used high-throughput sequencing to examine the composition of gut microbiota of mice maintained on selenium-deficient, selenium-sufficient, and selenium-enriched diets. The microbiota diversity increased as a result of selenium in the diet. Specific phylotypes showed differential effects of selenium, even within a genus, implying that selenium had unique effects across microbial taxa. Conventionalized germfree mice subjected to selenium diets gave similar results and showed an increased diversity of the bacterial population …

An Experimental Live Chimeric Porcine Circovirus 1-2a Vaccine Decreases Porcine Circovirus 2b Viremia When Administered Intramuscularly Or Orally In A Porcine Circovirus 2b And Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus Dual-Challenge Model, Tanja Opriessnig, João C. Gomes-Neto, Michelle Hermann, Hui-Gang Shen, Nathan M. Beach, Yaowei Huang, Patrick G. Halbur, Xiang-Jin Meng

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Commercially available inactivated vaccines against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) have been shown to be effective in reducing PCV2 viremia. Live-attenuated, orally administered vaccines are widely used in the swine industry for several pathogens because of their ease of use yet they are not currently available for PCV2 and efficacy. The aims of this study were to determine the efficacy of a live-attenuated chimeric PCV2vaccine inadual-challengemodelusingPCV2bandporcine reproductiveandrespiratorysyndrome virus (PRRSV) and to compare intramuscular (IM) and oral (PO) routes of vaccination. Eighty-three 2-week-old pigs were randomized into 12 treatment groups: four vaccinated IM, four vaccinated PO and four non-vaccinated (control) groups. …

Il-2 Limits Il-12 Enhanced Lymphocyte Proliferation During Leishmania Amazonensis Infection, Amanda E. Ramer-Tait, Christine A. Petersen, Douglas E. Jones

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

C3H mice infected with Leishmania amazonensis develop persistent, localized lesions with high parasite loads. During infection, memory/effector CD44^hiCD4⁺ T cells proliferate and produce IL-2, but do not polarize to a known effector phenotype. Previous studies have demonstrated IL-12 is insufficient to skew these antigen-responsive T cells to a functional Th1 response. To determine the mechanism of this IL-12 unresponsiveness, we used an in vitro assay of repeated antigen activation. Memory/effector CD44^hiCD4⁺ T cells did not increase proliferation in response to either IL-2 or IL-12, although these cytokines upregulated CD25 expression. Neutralization of IL-2 enhanced …

Glutaraldehyde-Modified Recombinant Fel D 1: A Hypoallergen With Negligible Biological Activity But Retained Immunogenicity, Serge A. Versteeg, Ingrid Bulder, Martin Himly, Toni M. Van Capel, R. Van Den Hout, Stef J. Koppelman, Esther C. De Jong, Fatima Ferreira, Ronald Van Ree

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Background: Recombinant allergens are under investigation for replacing allergen extracts in immunotherapy. Site-directed mutagenesis has been suggested as a strategy to develop hypoallergenic molecules that will reduce the risk of side effects. For decades, chemically modified allergen extracts have been used for the same reason.

Aim: To evaluate whether glutaraldehyde modification is a good strategy to produce hypoallergenic recombinant allergens with retained immunogenicity.

Methods: Fel d 1 was cloned as a single construct linking both chains of the molecule and expressed in Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris. After physicochemical purification, recombinant Fel d 1 (rFel d 1) was …

Evaluation And Comparison Of The Species-Specificity Of 3 Antiparvalbumin Igg Antibodies, Poi-Wah Lee, Julie A. Nordlee, Stef J. Koppelman, Joseph L. Baumert, Steve L. Taylor

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Parvalbumin is a pan-allergen in fish and frogs that triggers IgE-mediated reactions in fish-allergic individuals. Previous studies demonstrated that antibodies raised against fish and frog parvalbumins displayed varying specificity for different fish species, and thus, the applicability of these antibodies for potential use in immunoassays to detect fish residues were limited. We aimed to determine the specificity of 3 IgG antibodies for various fish species. Indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and IgG-immunoblotting were used to compare the reactivity of the polyclonal anticod parvalbumin antibody and the commercially available, monoclonal antifrog and monoclonal anticarp parvalbumin antibodies against raw muscle extracts of …

The Human Oral Microbiome, Floyd E. Dewhirst, Tuste Chen, Jacques Izard, Bruce J. Paster, Anne C. R. Tanner, Wen-Han Yu, Abirami Lakshmanan, William G. Wade

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The human oral cavity contains a number of different habitats, including the teeth, gingival sulcus, tongue, cheeks, hard and soft palates, and tonsils, which are colonized by bacteria. The oral microbiome comprises over 600 prevalent taxa at the species level, with distinct subsets predominating at different habitats. The oral microbiome has been extensively characterized by cultivation and culture-independent molecular methods such as 16S rRNA cloning. Unfortunately, the vast majority of unnamed oral taxa are referenced by clone numbers or 16S rRNA GenBank accession numbers, often without taxonomic anchors. The first aim of this research was to collect 16S rRNA gene …

Ribosomal Biosynthesis Of The Cyclic Peptide Toxins Of Amanita Mushrooms (Invited Review), Jonathan D. Walton, Heather E. Hallen-Adams, Hong Luo

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Some species of mushrooms in the genus Amanita are extremely poisonous and frequently fatal to mammals including humans and dogs. Their extreme toxicity is due to amatoxins such as α- and β-amanitin. Amanita mushrooms also biosynthesize a chemically related group of toxins, the phallotoxins, such as phalloidin. The amatoxins and phallotoxins (collectively known as the Amanita toxins) are bicyclic octa- and heptapeptides, respectively. Both contain an unusual Trp-Cys cross-bridge known as tryptathionine. We have shown that, in Amanita bisporigera, the amatoxins and phallotoxins are synthesized as proproteins on ribosomes and not by nonribosomal peptide synthetases. The proproteins are 34–35 …

Environment And Hybrid Influences On Food-Grade Sorghum Grain Yield And Hardness, Joni K. Griess, Stephen C. Mason, David S. Jackson, Tomie D. Galusha, Muhammad Yaseen, Jeffrey F. Pedersen

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Few studies have examined grain quality of food-grade sorghum hybrids. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of environment and hybrid on grain quality of commercially available food-grade sorghums. A randomized complete block experiment with three replications was planted in 12 environments, which included the 2004 and 2005 growing seasons and irrigated and dryland water regimes in eastern, central, and west central Nebraska and a dryland low-N environment in eastern Nebraska. Environment accounted for 5 to 140 times greater variation in measured parameters than hybrid, and the hybrid × environment interaction accounted for less than 2% of …

The Human Oral Microbiome Database: A Web-Accessible Resource For Investigating Oral Microbe Taxonomic And Genomic Information, Tsute Chen, Wen-Han Yu, Jacques Izard, Oxana V. Baranova, Abirami Lakshmanan, Floyd E. Dewhirst

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The human oral microbiome is the most studied human microflora, but 53% of the species have not yet been validly named and 35% remain uncultivated. The uncultivated taxa are known primarily from 16S rRNA sequence information. Sequence information tied solely to obscure isolate or clone numbers, and usually lacking accurate phylogenetic placement, is a major impediment to working with human oral microbiome data. The goal of creating the Human Oral Microbiome Database (HOMD) is to provide the scientific community with a body site-specific comprehensive database for the more than 600 prokaryote species that are present in the human oral cavity …

Resistant Starches Types 2 And 4 Have Differential Effects On The Composition Of The Fecal Microbiota In Human Subjects, Ines Martinez, Jaehyoung Kim, Patrick R. Duffy, Vicki L. Schlegel, Jens Walter

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Background: To systematically develop dietary strategies based on resistant starch (RS) that modulate the human gut microbiome, detailed in vivo studies that evaluate the effects of different forms of RS on the community structure and population dynamics of the gut microbiota are necessary. The aim of the present study was to gain a community wide perspective of the effects of RS types 2 (RS2) and 4 (RS4) on the fecal microbiota in human individuals.

Methods and Findings: Ten human subjects consumed crackers for three weeks each containing either RS2, RS4, or native starch in a double-blind, crossover design. Multiplex sequencing …

Functionality Of Native Tetraploid Wheat Starches: Effects Of Waxy Loci Alleles And Amylose Concentration In Blends, L. E. Hansen, David S. Jackson, R. L. Wehling, J. D. Wilson, Robert A. Graybosch

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Partial waxy (reduced amylose) and fully waxy (amylose-free) tetraploid durum wheats (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) were used to investigate the relationships between both intra- and inter-granular variation in amylose concentration and starch functionality. Starches isolated from each genotype (intra-granular amylose variants) were compared to those of commercially available hexaploid wild-type and waxy starches, and functionalities compared to blends (inter-granular variants) of durum waxy and wild- type starches of 0, 6, 12, 18, 24, & 30% amylose content. Starch particle size distributions were not significantly different amongst partial waxy and wild-type genotypes; waxy samples had significantly smaller mean …

Functionality Of Chemically Modified Wild-Type, Partial Waxy And Waxy Starches From Tetraploid Wheats, L. E. Hansen, David S. Jackson, R. L. Wehling, Robert A. Graybosch

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Partial waxy (reduced-amylose) and fully waxy (amylose-free) tetraploid durum wheats (Triticum turgidum L. var durum) were developed by introgression of null alleles at the Wx-A1 and Wx-B1 loci from common hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Purified starches were obtained from each genotype, and chemically modified by: 1) cross-linking with phosphorus oxychloride, 2) substitution with propylene oxide, and 3) sequential cross-linking with phosphorus oxychloride followed by substitution with propylene oxide. Functional properties were compared to blends of waxy and wild-type durum starches of known amylose contents. Significant differences in functionality were observed amongst the …

Factors Affecting The Alkaline Cooking Performance Of Selected Corn And Sorghum Hybrids, Weston B. Johnson, Wajira S. Ratnayake, David S. Jackson, Kyung-Min Lee, Timothy J. Herrman, Scott R. Bean, Stephen C. Mason

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Dent com (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum hieolor L. Moench) sample sets representative of commonly grown hybrids and diverse physical attributes were analyzed for alkaline cooking performance. The influence of kernel characteristics including hardness, density, starch properties (thermal, pasting, and crystallinity), starch content, protein content, and prolamin content on alkaline cooking performance was also determined. Corn nixtamal moisture content was lower for hard, dense kernels with high protein contents; sorghum nixtamal moisture content was lower for kernels with low moisture contents and low starch relative crystallinities. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) regression equations showed that corn nixtamal moisture content was influenced by TADD (tangential abrasive dehulling device) index, kernel moisture content, starch content, and protein content; sorghum nixtamal moisture content was influenced by starch relative crystallinity, kernel moisture content, and abrasive hardness index. Pericarp removal was not strongly correlated with kernel characterization tests. Location (environmental) and hybrid (genetic) factors influenced most kernel characteristics and nixtamalization processing variables.

Responders And Non-Responders To Probiotic Interventions, Gregor Reid, Estelle Gaudier, Francisco Guarner, Gary B. Huffnagle, Jean M. Macklaim, Alicia Murcia Munoz, Margaret Martini, Tamar Ringel-Kulka, Balfor R. Sartor, Robert R. Unal, Kristin Verbeke, Jens Walter

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

As with many clinical studies, trials using probiotics have shown clearly that some patients benefit from the treatment while others do not. For example if treatment with probiotics leads to 36% cure rate of diarrhea, why did the other 64% not have the same result? The issue is important for human and indeed experimental animal studies for two main reasons: (i) Would changing the design of the study result in more subjects responding to treatment? (ii) If a subject does not respond what are the mechanistic reasons? In order to tackle the issue of responders and non-responders to therapy, a …

Threshold Dose For Peanut: Risk Characterization Based Upon Diagnostic Oral Challenge Of A Series Of 286 Peanut-Allergic Individuals, Steve L. Taylor, D. A. Moneret-Vautrin, Rene W. R. Crevel, David Sheffield, Martine Morisset, P. Dumont, Benjamin C. Remington, Joseph L. Baumert

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Clinical records of 286 consecutive patients reacting positively with objective symptoms to double-blind, placebo-controlled oral peanut challenges at University Hospital, Nancy, France were examined for individual No Observed Adverse Effect Levels (NOAELs) and Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Levels (LOAELs). After fitting to a log-normal probability distribution model, the ED₁₀ and ED₀₅ were 14.4 and 7.3 mg (expressed as whole peanut), respectively, with 95% lower confidence intervals of 10.7 and 5.2 mg, respectively. Compared to results from a previous study where the ED₁₀ was based upon individual peanut thresholds gleaned from 12 publications, a statistically significant difference was …

Purification Of Parvalbumin From Carp: A Protocol That Avoids Heat Treatment, Stef J. Koppelman, Roland A. Romijn, Harmen H. J. De Jongh, Julie A. Nordlee, Sander Piersma, Martin Hessing, Steve L. Taylor

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Parvalbumin from carp, a major allergen,was purified to homogeneity using ion exchange chromatography and size exclusion chromatography (estimated purity > 95% to 98% based on SDS-PAGE and native PAGE) with a yield of 318 mg, and a number of basic biochemical characteristics were determined. The identity was confirmed by peptide-mass fingerprinting, and IgE-binding was demonstrated. The UV/Vis absorbance spectra were explained using the previously published amino acid sequences. Far UV-CD spectroscopy was used to confirm the folding character of parvalbumin. We conclude that parvalbumin from carp can be purified on a comparatively large (hundreds of milligrams) scale using a purification protocol …

Co-Localization Of Amanitin And A Candidate Toxin-Processing Prolyl Oligopeptidase In Amanita Basidiocarps, Hong Lou, Heather E. Hallen-Adams, John S. Scott-Craig, Jonathan D. Walton

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Fungi in the basidiomycetous ge nus Amanita owe their high mammalian toxicity to the bicyclic octapeptide amatoxins such as ∝-amanitin. Amatoxins and the related phallotoxins (such as the heptapeptide phalloidin) are encoded by members of the “MSDIN” gene family and synthesized on ribosomes as short (34 - 35 amino acid) proproteins. Anti-amanitin antibodies and confocal microscopy were used to determine the cellular and subcellular localization of amanitin accumulation in basidiocarps (mushrooms) of the Eastern North American destroying angel (Amanita bisporigera). Consistent with previous studies, amanitin is present throughout the basidiocarp (stipe, pileus, lamellae, trama, and universal veil), but …

A Partial Chromosomal Deletion Caused By Random Plasmid Integration Resulted In A Reduced Virulence Phenotype In Fusarium Graminearum, Thomas K. Baldwin, Iffa Gaffoor, John Antoniw, Corrie Andries, John Guenther, Martin Urban, Heather E. Hallen-Adams, John Pitkin, Kim E. Hammond-Kosack, Frances Trail

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Fusarium graminearum (teleomorph: Gibberella zeae) is an Ascomycete fungal plant pathogen which infects a range of agriculturally important crops, including wheat, barley, and maize. A random plasmid insertion mutagenesis approach was used to analyze the pathogenicity of the PH-1 strain, for which full genomic information is available. Fungal transformants were initially screened for their ability to infect wheat ears. From a total of 1,170 transformants screened, eight were confirmed to be highly reduced in pathogenicity toward wheat ears and roots. These were designated disease-attenuated F. graminearum (daf) mutants. The in vitro growth rate and appearance of each daf …

Convergent Evolution Of Sequestrate Forms In Amanita Under Mediterranean Climate Conditions, Alfredo Justo, Ingo Morgenstern, Heather E. Hallen-Adams, David S. Hibbett

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The systematic position of secotioid (Torrendia) and gasteroid (Amarrendia) forms within the agaricoid Amanita lineage (Agaricales, Basidiomycota) was studied with molecular (nLSU, ITS) data. Secotioid and gasteroid forms occur in four independent clades nested within agaricoid forms. One clade corresponds to the secotioid T. pulchella from southern Europe and northern Africa. The others correspond to Torrendia and Amarrendia species from Australia. Mediterranean climatic conditions are postulated as a force driving the convergent evolution of these secotioid and at least one of the gasteroid forms in geographically distant areas. Species formerly placed in Torrendia and Amarrendia are …

Killing Of Treponema Denticola By Mouse Peritoneal Macrophages, P. Gaibani, C. Vocale, S. Ambretti, F. Cavrini, Jacques Izard, L. Miragliotta, M. T. Pellegrino, V. Sambri

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Treponema denticola has been identified as an important cause of periodontal disease and hypothesized to be involved in extra-oral infections. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of T. denticola cell length and motility during mouse peritoneal macrophages in vitro uptake. Macrophages, incubated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, produced a similar amount of TNF-α when stimulated with Escherichia coli LPS. The uptake of FlgE- and CfpA-deficient mutants of T. denticola was significantly increased compared with the wild-type strain, due to cell size or lack of motility. Opsonization with specific antibodies considerably improved the treponemes’ uptake. …

The Cellulose Synthase Superfamily In Fully Sequenced Plants And Algae, Yanbin Yin, Jinling Huang, Ying Xu

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Background: The cellulose synthase superfamily has been classified into nine cellulose synthaselike (Csl) families and one cellulose synthase (CesA) family. The Csl families have been proposed to be involved in the synthesis of the backbones of hemicelluloses of plant cell walls. With 17 plant and algal genomes fully sequenced, we sought to conduct a genome-wide and systematic investigation of this superfamily through in-depth phylogenetic analyses.

Results: A single-copy gene is found in the six chlorophyte green algae, which is most closely related to the CslA and CslC families that are present in the seven land plants investigated in our analyses. …