Genetics and Genomics Commons^™

Genetic Parameter Estimates For Calving Difficulty And Birth Weight In A Multi-Breed Population, C. M. Ahlberg, L. A. Kuehn, R. M. Thallman, Stephen D. Kachman, M. L. Spangler

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Birth weight (BWT) and calving difficulty (CD) were recorded on 4,580 first parity females from the Germplasm Evaluation (GPE) program at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center. Both traits were analyzed using a bivariate animal model with direct and maternal effects. Genetic groups for breed of AI sire were fitted to estimate breed differences. Bos Indicus influenced breeds tended to have the largest BWT. Heritability estimates for BWT direct, CD direct, BWT maternal and CD maternal were 0.45 (0.09), 0.40 (0.09), 0.18 (0.08), and 0.18 (0.08), respectively. Genetic correlation estimates were positive between direct BWT and CD direct at 0.82 …

Murine Gut Microbiota Is Defined By Host Genetics And Modulates Variation Of Metabolic Traits, Autumn M. Mcknite, Maria Elisa Perez-Munoz, Lu Lu, Evan G. Williams, Simon Brewer, Penelope A. Andreux, John W. M. Bastiaansen, Xusheng Wang, Stephen D. Kachman, Johan Auwerx, Robert W. Williams, Andrew K. Benson, Daniel A. Peterson, Daniel C. Ciobanu

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The gastrointestinal tract harbors a complex and diverse microbiota that has an important role in host metabolism. Microbial diversity is influenced by a combination of environmental and host genetic factors and is associated with several polygenic diseases. In this study we combined next-generation sequencing, genetic mapping, and a set of physiological traits of the BXD mouse population to explore genetic factors that explain differences in gut microbiota and its impact on metabolic traits. Molecular profiling of the gut microbiota revealed important quantitative differences in microbial composition among BXD strains. These differences in gut microbial composition are influenced by host-genetics, which …

Distribution Of Genes And Repetitive Elements In The Diabrotica Virgifera Virgifera Genome Estimated Using Bac Sequencing, Brad S. Coates, Analiza P. Alves, Haichuan Wang, Kimberly K. O. Walden, B. Wade French, Nicholas J. Miller, Craig A. Abel, Hugh M. Robertson, Thomas W. Sappington, Blair D. Siegfried

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Feeding damage caused by the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, is destructive to corn plants in North America and Europe where control remains challenging due to evolution of resistance to chemical and transgenic toxins. A BAC library, DvvBAC1, containing 109,486 clones with 104 ± 34.5 kb inserts was created, which has an ~4.56X genome coverage based upon a 2.58 Gb (2.80 pg) flow cytometry-estimated haploid genome size. Paired end sequencing of 1037 BAC inserts produced 1.17Mb of data (~0.05% genome coverage) and indicated ~9.4 and 16.0% of reads encode, respectively, endogenous genes and transposable elements (TEs). …

Triticum Mosaic Poacevirus Enlists P1 Rather Than Hc-Pro To Suppress Rna Silencing-Mediated Host Defense, Satyanarayana Tatineni, Feng Qu, Ruhui Li, Thomas Jack Morris, Roy French

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV) is the type species of the newly established Poacevirus genus in the family Potyviridae. In this study, we demonstrate that in contrast to the helper component- proteinase (HC-Pro) of Potyvirus species, the P1 proteins of TriMV and Sugarcane steak mosaic poacevirus function in suppression of RNA silencing (SRS). TriMV P1 effectively suppressed silencing induced by single- or double-stranded RNAs (ss/ds RNAs), and disrupted the systemic spread of silencing signals at a step after silencing signal production. Interestingly, contrary to enhanced SRS activity of potyviral HC-Pro by co-expression with P1, the presence of TriMV HC-Pro reduced …

Identification Of Molecular Determinants From Moloney Leukemia Virus 10 Homolog (Mov10) Protein For Virion Packaging And Anti-Hiv-1 Activity, Aierken Abudu, Xiaojun Wang, Ying Dang, Tao Zhou, Shi-Hua Xiang, Yong -Hui Zheng

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Background: MOV₁₀ inhibits HIV-1 replication after being packaged.

Results: A Gag binding plus all but one of seven helicase domains are required for MOV^₁₀ packaging. Nearly all residues are required for anti-HIV-1 activity. Conclusion: Gag binding is not sufficient for MOV₁₀ packaging, and multiple discontinuous domains regulate MOV₁₀ activity.

Significance: These findings uncover a new packaging mechanism and provide new insights into MOV₁₀ antiviral activity.

Case Study: In Situ Determination Of Protein Digestibility Of Dried Distillers Grains Containing 3 Lipid Concentrations Using A Mobile Bag Method, B. E. Meyer, C. L. Bouma, James C. Macdonald

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Ethanol producers remove lipid from distillers grains (DG) for applications such as biodiesel production. The effects of the lipid removal on ruminal protein degradability and total-tract CP digestibility of DG are not known. Five ruminally and duodenally cannulated Angus-cross steers (BW = 434 ± 15 kg) were used to incubate in situ bags for determination of protein digestibility of low-lipid (5.54%) DG, medium-lipid (8.40%) DG, high-lipid (12.46%) DG, and cottonseed meal. Ingredients were weighed into individual in situ bags and incubated in the ventral sac of the rumen for 16 h. After ruminal incubation and simulated abomasal digestion, bags were …

Technical Note: Estimating Beef-Cattle Forage Demand: Evaluating The Animal Unit Concept, T. L. Meyer, L. A. Stalker, J. D. Volesky, D. C. Adams, R. N. Funston, T. J. Klopfenstein, Walter H. Schacht

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of BW and physiological status of a beef animal on forage intake. The experiment was repeated over 2 yr with 6 replications of 3 treatments per year: cow-calf pair (CCP, BW = 629 kg), nonlactating cow (NLC, BW = 503 kg), and yearling steer (YS, BW = 305 kg). The CCP was treated as one unit, with the sum of cow BW and calf BW comprising CCP BW. Calves averaged 42 d of age and 73 kg at the start of the experiment each year. Animals were housed in individual …

Estimation Of Breed-Specific Heterosis Effects For Birth, Weaning And Yearling Weight In Cattle., L. N. Schiermiester, R. M. Thallman, L. A. Kuehn, M. L. Spangler

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Heterosis, assumed proportional to expected breed heterozygosity, was calculated for 4,835 individuals with birth, weaning and yearling weight records from Cycle VII of the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center Germplasm Evaluation Program. Heterosis was further estimated by proportions of British x British (BxB), British x Continental (BxC) and Continental x Continental (CxC) crosses. Angus and Red Angus were considered a single breed for estimation of heterosis. Direct heritability estimates (SE) for birth, weaning and yearling weight were 0.39 (0.05), 0.18 (0.04) and .40 (0.06), respectively. The BxB covariate was significant and BxC approached significance for weaning weight. The BxB proportion …

Calving Date And Wintering System Effects On Cow And Calf Performance I: A Systems Approach To Beef Production In The Nebraska Sandhills, W. A. Griffin, L. A. Stalker, D. C. Adams, R. N. Funston, T. J. Klopfenstein

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

A 4-yr study using 217 cows/yr (3/4 Red Angus, 1/4 Simmental) evaluated effects of calving date and wintering system on cow and calf performance from birth to harvest. Cows were assigned to 1 of 5 treatments: 1) March (Mar) calving cows wintered on native range, 2) Mar calving cows wintered on corn residue, 3) June (Jun) calving cows wintered on native range, 4) Jun calving cows wintered on corn residue, and 5) August (Aug) calving cows wintered on corn residue. Steers born in Mar entered the feedlot at weaning (calf-fed). Steers and heifers born in Jun and Aug were divided …

Smooth Bromegrass Pasture Beef Growing Systems: Fertilization Strategies And Economic Analysis, A. K. Watson, T. J. Klopfenstein, Walter H. Schacht, G. E. Erickson, D. R. Mark, Matt K. Luebbe, K. R. Brink, Matthew A. Greenquist

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

In recent years, prices for N fertilizer have increased dramatically, reducing net returns of fertilized pasture systems. A 5-yr study from 2005 to 2009 was conducted to evaluate management strategies and relative differences in profitability for 3 methods of backgrounding calves on smooth bromegrass pastures. Forty-five steers were used each year for a total of 225 animals in a randomized complete block design. Treatments included pastures fertilized in the spring with 90 kg N/ha (FERT), nonfertilized pastures with calves supplemented daily with dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) at 0.6% of BW (SUPP), and control (CONT) pastures that had no …

Harvest Date Influence On Dry Matter Yield And Moisture Of Corn And Stover, Haibo Huang, Dan B. Faulkner, Larry L. Berger, Steven R. Eckhoff

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Harvest date greatly affects the biomass yield, moisture, and quality of corn and stover. Traditionally, corn and stover have been harvested at lower moisture levels. However, corn stover and grain can be more effectively utilized as animal feed and biomass-ethanol feedstock if they are collected before in-field dry down. This study determined dry matter yield, moisture content, and quality of corn and stover before, during, and after grain maturity in central Illinois. The two-year average kernel moisture was 37.4% (w.b.) when reaching physiological maturity. At the same time, the average stover moisture was 67.7% (w.b.). The dry matter yield of …

The Balance Of Proangiogenic And Antiangiogenic Vegfa Isoforms Regulate Follicle Development, Renee M. Mcfee, Timonthy G. Clopton, Andrea S. Cupp

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) has been extensively studied because of its role in follicular development and is a principal angiogenic factor essential for angiogenesis. Since vascularization of the theca layer increases as follicles progress in size through preantral and antral stages, VEGFA might influence follicle growth via the regulation of angiogenesis. However, VEGFA might also influence follicular development through nonangiogenicmechanisms, since its expression has been localized in nonvascular follicles and cells. Alternative mRNA splicing of eight exons from the VEGFA gene results in the formation of various VEGFA isoforms. Each isoform has unique properties and is identified by …

Dynamics Of Envelope Evolution In Clade C Shiv-Infected Pig-Tailed Macaques During Disease Progression Analyzed By Ultra-Deep Pyrosequencing, For Yue Tso, Damien C. Tully, Sandra Gonzalez, Christopher Quince, On Ho, Patricia Polacino, Ruth M. Ruprecht, Shiu-Lok Hu, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Understanding the evolution of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope during disease progression can provide tremendous insights for vaccine development, and simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) infection of nonhuman primate provides an ideal platform for such studies. A newly developed clade C SHIV, SHIV-1157ipd3N4, which was able to infect rhesus macaques, closely resembled primary HIV-1 in transmission and pathogenesis, was used to infect several pig-tailed macaques. One of the infected animals subsequently progressed to AIDS, whereas one remained a nonprogressor. The viral envelope evolution in the infected animals during disease progression was analyzed by a bioinformatics approach using ultra-deep …

Morphological Characterization And Molecular Mediated Genetic Variation Of Thief Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Ralph B. Narain, Shripat T. Kamble, Thomas O. Powers

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The morphological characterization and molecular genetic variation were determined in populations of thief ants, Solenopsis molesta (Say). The genetic variations were elucidated using mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mDNA) sequences of cytochrome oxidase I. DNA from thief ants was extracted with Qiagen’s Gentra PUREGENE DNA Isolation Kit using their solid tissue protocol. Polymerase chain reactions (PCR) were run on the extracted DNA using primers Lep-F1 (forward) and Lep-R1 (reverse). The DNA products were concentrated and purified by Microcon Centrifugal Filter Unit YM-100. Purified DNA samples were sequenced at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences (UAMS) DNA Sequencing Core Facility. The sequences were …

Inbreeding-Stress Interactions: Evolutionary And Conservation Consequences, David H. Reed, Charles W. Fox, Laramy S. Enders, Torsten N. Kristensen

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The effect of environmental stress on the magnitude of inbreeding depression has a long history of intensive study. Inbreeding-stress interactions are of great importance to the viability of populations of conservation concern and have numerous evolutionary ramifications. However, such interactions are controversial. Several meta-analyses over the last decade, combined with omic studies, have provided considerable insight into the generality of inbreeding-stress interactions, its physiological basis, and have provided the foundation for future studies. In this review, we examine the genetic and physiological mechanisms proposed to explain why inbreeding-stress interactions occur. We specifically examine whether the increase in inbreeding depression with …

Efficient And Robust Rna-Seq Process For Cultured Bacteria And Complex Community Transcriptomes, Georgia Giannoukos, Dawn M. Ciulla, Katherine Huang, Brian J. Haas, Jacques Izard, Joshua Z. Levin, Jonathan Livny, Ashlee M. Earl, Dirk Gevers, Doyle V. Ward, Chad Nusbaum, Bruce W. Birren, Andreas Gnirke

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

We have developed a process for transcriptome analysis of bacterial communities that accommodates both intact and fragmented starting RNA and combines efficient rRNA removal with strand-specific RNA-seq. We applied this approach to an RNA mixture derived from three diverse cultured bacterial species and to RNA isolated from clinical stool samples. The resulting expression profiles were highly reproducible, enriched up to 40-fold for non-rRNA transcripts, and correlated well with profiles representing undepleted total RNA.

Chloroviruses: Not Your Everyday Plant Virus, James L. Van Etten, David D. Dunigan

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Viruses infecting higher plants are among the smallest viruses known and typically have four to ten protein-encoding genes. By contrast, many viruses that infect algae (classified in the virus family Phycodnaviridae) are among the largest viruses found to date and have up to 600 protein- encoding genes. This brief review focuses on one group of plaque-forming phycodnaviruses that infect unicellular chlorella-like green algae. The prototype chlorovirus PBCV-1 has more than 400 protein-encoding genes and 11 tRNA genes. About 40% of the PBCV-1 encoded proteins resemble proteins of known function including many that are completely unexpected for a virus. In many …

Molecular Genetic And Biochemical Characterization Of The Vaccinia Virus I3 Protein, The Replicative Single-Stranded Dna Binding Protein, Matthew D. Greseth, Kathleen A. Boyle, Matthew S. Bluma, Bethany Unger, Matthew S. Wiebe, Jamaria A. Soares-Martins, Nadi T. Wickramasekera, James Wahlberg, Paula Traktman

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Vaccinia virus, the prototypic poxvirus, efficiently and faithfully replicates its approximately 200-kb DNA genome within the cytoplasm of infected cells. This intracellular localization dictates that vaccinia virus encodes most, if not all, of its own DNA replication machinery. Included in the repertoire of viral replication proteins is the I3 protein, which binds to single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) with great specificity and stability and has been presumed to be the replicative ssDNA binding protein (SSB). We substantiate here that I3 colocalizes with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-labeled nascent viral genomes and that these genomes accumulate in cytoplasmic factories that are delimited by membranes derived from …

Lineage-Specific Differences Between Human And Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Regulation Of Gp120 Trimer Association And Cd4 Binding, Andrés Finzi, Beatriz Pacheco, Shi-Hua Xiang, Marie Pancera, Alon Herschhorn, Liping Wang, Xing Zeng, Anik Desormeaux, Peter D. Kwong, Joseph Sodroski

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Metastable conformations of the gp120 and gp41 envelope glycoproteins of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) must be maintained in the unliganded state of the envelope glycoprotein trimer. Binding of gp120 to the primary receptor, CD4, triggers the transition to an open conformation of the trimer, promoting interaction with the CCR5 chemokine receptor and ultimately leading to gp41-mediated virus-cell membrane fusion and entry. Topological layers in the gp120 inner domain contribute to gp120-trimer association in the unliganded state and to CD4 binding. Here we describe similarities and differences between HIV-1 and SIVmac gp120. In both …

Subunit Organization Of The Membrane-Bound Hiv-1 Envelope Glycoprotein Trimer, Youdong Mao, Liping Wang, Christopher Gu, Alon Herschhorn, Shi-Hua Xiang, Hillel Haim, Xinzhen Yang, Joseph Sodroski

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The trimeric human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein (Env) spike is a molecular machine that mediates virus entry into host cells and is the sole target for virus-neutralizing antibodies. The mature Env spike results from cleavage of a trimeric gp160 precursor into three gp120 and three gp41 subunits. Here we describe an ~11-Å cryo-EM structure of the trimeric HIV-1 Env precursor in its unliganded state. The three gp120 and three gp41 subunits form a cage-like structure with an interior void surrounding the trimer axis. Interprotomer contacts are limited to the gp41 transmembrane region, the torus-like gp41 ectodomain, and …

Comparative Analysis Of The Fusion Efficiency Elicited By The Envelope Glycoprotein V1–V5 Regions Derived From Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Transmitted Perinatally, Hongyan Guo, Levon Abrahamyan, Chang Liu, Mackenzie Waltke, Yunqi Geng, Qimin Chen, Charles Wood, Xiaohong Kong

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Understanding the properties of viruses preferentially establishing infection during perinatal transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is critical for the development of effective measures to prevent transmission. A previous study demonstrated that the newly transmitted viruses (in infants) of chronically infected mother–infant pairs (MIPs) were fitter in terms of growth, which was imparted by their envelope (Env) glycoprotein V1–V5 regions, than those in the corresponding chronically infected mothers. In order to investigate whether the higher fitness of transmitted viruses was conferred by their higher entry efficiency directed by the V1–V5 regions during perinatal transmission, the fusogenicity of Env …

Antibody Responses To Lytic And Latent Human Herpesvirus 8 Antigens Among Hiv-Infected Patients In Central China, Tiejun Zhang, Na He, Yingying Ding, Qingwu Jiang, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) is an important opportunistic infection of HIV/AIDS. However, very little is known about antibody seropositivities to HHV8 lytic and latent antigens among HIVinfected patients in China. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was conducted to explore HHV8 serostatus among 316 HIV-infected patients in a rural area of central China. The antibody seropositivity to HHV8 ORF65 (lytic) and LANA (latent) antigens was 12.7% and 10.4%, respectively. Patients who were naïve to antiretroviral therapy (ART) were more likely to be seropositive for antibodies to ORF65 (OR: 3.79; 95% CI: 1.71–8.42) and LANA (OR: 3.77; 95% CI: 1.55–9.14) than patients receiving …

Heme Oxygenase-1 Regulates The Immune Response To Influenza Virus Infection And Vaccination In Aged Mice, Nathan W. Cummins, Eric A. Weaver, Shannon M. May, Anthony J. Croatt, Oded Foreman, Richard B. Kennedy, Gregory A. Polan, Michael A. Barry, Karl A. Nath, Andrew D. Badley

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Underlying mechanisms of individual variation in severity of influenza infection and response to vaccination are poorly understood. We investigated the effect of reduced heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression on vaccine response and outcome of influenza infection. HO-1-deficient and wild-type (WT) mice (kingdom, Animalia; phylum, Chordata; genus/species, Mus musculus) were infected with influenza virus A/PR/8/34 with or without prior vaccination with an adenoviral-based influenza vaccine. A genome-wide association study evaluated the expression of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the HO-1 gene and the response to influenza vaccination in healthy humans. HO-1-deficient mice had decreased survival after influenza infection compared to WT mice (median …

High-Resolution Mapping Of Open Chromatin In The Rice Genome, Wenli Zhang, Yufeng Wu, James C. Schnable, Zixian Zeng, Michael Freeling, Gregory E. Crawford, Jiming Jiang

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Gene expression is controlled by the complex interaction of transcription factors binding to promoters and other regulatory DNA elements. One common characteristic of the genomic regions associated with regulatory proteins is a pronounced sensitivity to DNase I digestion. We generated genome-wide high-resolution maps of DNase I hypersensitive (DH) sites from both seedling and callus tissues of rice (Oryza sativa). Approximately 25% of the DH sites from both tissues were found in putative promoters, indicating that the vast majority of the gene regulatory elements in rice are not located in promoter regions. We found 58% more DH sites in …

Divergent Functions Of The Myotubularin (Mtm) Homologs Atmtm1 And Atmtm2 In Arabidopsis Thaliana: Evolution Of The Plant Mtm Family, Yong Ding, Ivan Ndamukong, Yang Zhao, Yuannan Xia, Jean-Jack Riethoven, David R. Jones, Nullin Divecha, Zoya Avramova

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Myotubularin and myotubularin-related proteins are evolutionarily conserved in eukaryotes. Defects in their function result in muscular dystrophy, neuronal diseases, and leukemia in humans. In contrast to the animal lineage, where genes encoding both active and inactive myotubularins (phosphoinositide 3-phosphatases) have appeared and proliferated in the basal metazoan group, myotubularin genes are not found in the unicellular relatives of green plants. However, they are present in land plants encoding proteins highly similar to the active metazoan enzymes. Despite their remarkable structural conservation, plant and animal myotubularins have significantly diverged in their functions. While loss of myotubularin function causes severe disease phenotypes …

Evolution Of Starvation Resistance In Drosophila Melanogaster: Measurement Of Direct And Correlated Responses To Artificial Selection, Tiffany E. Schwasinger-Schmidt, Stephen D. Kachman, Lawrence G. Harshman

Lawrence G. Harshman Publications

Laboratory selection for resistance to starvation has been conducted under relatively controlled conditions to investigate direct and correlated responses to artificial selection. With regard to starvation resistance, there are three physiological routes by which the trait can evolve: resource accumulation, energy conservation and starvation tolerance. A majority of energetic compounds and macromolecules including triglycerides, trehalose and other sugars, and soluble protein increased in abundance as a result of selection. Movement was additionally investigated with selected males moving less than control males and selected females exhibiting a similar response to selection. Results obtained from this study supported two of the possible …

A Robust New Metric Of Phenotypic Distance To Estimate And Compare Multiple Trait Differences Among Populations, Rebecca Safran, Samuel Flaxman, Michael Kopp, Darren E. Irwin, Derek Briggs, Matthew R. Evans, W. Chris Funk, David A. Gray, Eileen A. Hebets, Nathalie Seddon, Elizabeth Scordato, Laurel B. Symes, Joseph A. Tobias, David P.L. Toews, J. Albert C. Uy

Eileen Hebets Publications

Whereas a rich literature exists for estimating population genetic divergence, metrics of phenotypic trait divergence are lacking, particularly for comparing multiple traits among three or more populations. Here, we review and analyze via simulation Hedges’ g, a widely used parametric estimate of effect size. Our analyses indicate that g is sensitive to a combination of unequal trait variances and unequal sample sizes among populations and to changes in the scale of measurement. We then go on to derive and explain a new, non-parametric distance measure, “Δp”, which is calculated based upon a joint cumulative distribution function (CDF) from all …

Oxygenation Properties And Oxidation Rates Of Mouse Hemoglobins That Differ In Reactive Cysteine Content, Jay F. Storz, Roy E. Weber, Angela Fago

Jay F. Storz Publications

House mice (genus Mus) harbor extensive allelic variation at two tandemly duplicated genes that encode the β-chain subunits of adult hemoglobin (Hb). Alternative haplotypes differ in the level of sequence divergence between the two β-globin gene duplicates: the Hbb^d and Hbb^p haplotypes harbor two structurally distinct β-globin genes, whereas the Hbb^s haplotype harbors two β-globin duplicates that are identical in sequence. One especially salient difference between the s-type Hbs relative to the d- and p-type Hbs relates to the number of reactive β-chain cysteine residues. In addition to the highly conserved cysteine residue …

Regulatory Changes Contribute To The Adaptive Enhancement Of Thermogenic Capacity In High-Altitude Deer Mice, Zachary A. Cheviron, Gwendolyn C. Bachman, Alex D. Connaty, Jay F. Storz

Jay F. Storz Publications

In response to hypoxic stress, many animals compensate for a reduced cellular O₂ supply by suppressing total metabolism, thereby reducing O₂ demand. For small endotherms that are native to high-altitude environments, this is not always a viable strategy, as the capacity for sustained aerobic thermogenesis is critical for survival during periods of prolonged cold stress. For example, survivorship studies of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) have demonstrated that thermogenic capacity is under strong directional selection at high altitude. Here, we integrate measures of whole-organism thermogenic performance with measures of metabolic enzyme activities and genomic transcriptional profiles to …

Genetic Diversity Of Neotropical Myotis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) With An Emphasis On South American Species, Roxanne J. Larsen, Michelle C. Knapp, Hugh H. Genoways, Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan, Peter A. Larsen, Don E. Wilson, Robert J. Baker

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Background: Cryptic morphological variation in the Chiropteran genus Myotis limits the understanding of species boundaries and species richness within the genus. Several authors have suggested that it is likely there are unrecognized species-level lineages of Myotis in the Neotropics. This study provides an assessment of the diversity in New World Myotis by analyzing cytochrome-b gene variation from an expansive sample ranging throughout North, Central, and South America. We provide baseline genetic data for researchers investigating phylogeographic and phylogenetic patterns of Myotis in these regions, with an emphasis on South America.

Methodology and Principal Findings: Cytochrome-b sequences were …