Immunity Commons^™

Pathogen Response Genes Mediate Caenorhabditis Elegans Innate Immunity, Hannah L. Anthony

Celebration

Innate immunity is crucial in the response and defense against pathogens for invertebrates and vertebrates alike. The soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a useful model to study the eukaryotic innate immune response to microbial pathogenesis. Prior research indicates that the protein receptor FSHR-1 plays an important role in the innate recognition of intestinal infection due to pathogen consumption. Determining what genes are controlled by FSHR-1 may uncover an unknown pathway that could increase not only the comprehension of the C. elegans immune system but also innate immunity generally. To characterize the function of FSHR-1, four candidate pathogen response genes that …

The Impact Of Tricaine Methanesulfonate, 2-Phenoxyethanol, And Carvone-Methyl Salicylate On The Innate Immune Response Of Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Charles R. Wulff

Honors Theses

Anesthesia plays a vital role in the maintenance of aquaculture species, where it is used to minimize stress during complex handling tasks such as transport, assessment, and harvesting. However, anesthetics have been shown to suppress the innate immune response, which could impact immunity and increase risk of infection. Tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) and 2-Phenoxyethanol (2-PE) represent two of the most commonly used anesthetics in aquaculture, with R-(+)-carvone, in the form of carvone-methyl salicylate (CMS) has recently been proposed as an alternative anesthetic for food fish. These three anesthetics were used to assess the influence of anesthetics on the immune system of …

Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Sense Skin Injury And Promote Wound Healing Through Type I Interferons, Josh D. Gregorio

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are a rare population of circulating cells, which selectively express intracellular Toll-like receptors (TLR)-7 and TLR-9 and have the capacity to produce large amounts of type I IFNs (IFN-a/b) in response to viruses or host derived nucleic acid containing complexes. pDCs are normally absent in skin but accumulate in the skin of psoriasis patients where their chronic activation to produce IFN-a/b drives the disease formation. Whether pDCs and their activation to produce IFN-a/b play a functional role in healthy skin is unknown. Here we show that pDCs are rapidly and transiently recruited into healthy human and …

Conidia But Not Yeast Cells Of The Fungal Pathogen Histoplasma Capsulatum Trigger A Type I Interferon Innate Immune Response In Murine Macrophages, Diane O. Inglis, Charlotte A. Berkes, Davina R. Hocking Murray, Anita Sil

Biology Faculty Publications

Histoplasma capsulatum is the most common cause of fungal respiratory infections and can lead to progressive disseminated infections, particularly in immunocompromised patients. Infection occurs upon inhalation of the aerosolized spores, known as conidia. Once inside the host, conidia are phagocytosed by alveolar macrophages. The conidia subsequently germinate and produce a budding yeast-like form that colonizes host macrophages and can disseminate throughout host organs and tissues. Even though conidia are the predominant infectious particle for H. capsulatum and are the first cell type encountered by the host during infection, very little is known at a molecular level about conidia or about …

Louis Pasteur’S Views On Creation, Evolution, And The Genesis Of Germs, Alan L. Gillen, Frank Sherwin

Faculty Publications and Presentations

“There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.” Ecclesiastes 1:11 (NIV)

In past years revisionist historians have been rewriting the worldview of Christians who have made some of the major discoveries in biology and medicine. It appears that postmodern revisionists are rewriting history to support their agenda of a more “secular” explanation to science. The Judeo-Christian worldview is not politically correct in most universities. This is true in regard to past scientists such as Louis Pasteur who believed in creation. According to reliable, primary …

The Effect Of The Mammalian Hormone Estrogen On The Yeast C̲A̲N̲D̲I̲D̲A̲ A̲L̲B̲I̲C̲A̲N̲S̲, Marcia Clifton Finucane

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Changes in the balance between commensal microbes and mammalian hosts can cause disease if the scales tip in favor of the microbe. Although usually caused by a defective host immune response, overgrowth of or changes in the microbe may also be responsible for opportunistic infections. Clinical and laboratory investigations have indicated that mammalian hormones, including estrogen, can influence the production of symptomatic disease and the virulence attributes of Candida albicans.

This study demonstrated enhanced growth of some strains of C. albicans when 17β-estradiol was added to the growth medium. Measurement of extracellular protein under the influence of estradiol did …