Microbiology Commons^™

Gas Plasma Pre-Treatment Increases Antibiotic Sensitivity And Persister Eradication In Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Li Guo, Ruobing Xu, Yiming Zhao, Dingxin Liu, Zhijie Liu, Xiaohua Wang, Hailan Chen, Michael G. Kong

Bioelectrics Publications

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of serious nosocomial infections, and recurrent MRSA infections primarily result from the survival of persister cells after antibiotic treatment. Gas plasma, a novel source of ROS (reactive oxygen species) and RNS (reactive nitrogen species) generation, not only inactivates pathogenic microbes but also restore the sensitivity of MRSA to antibiotics. This study further found that sublethal treatment of MRSA with both plasma and plasma-activated saline increased the antibiotic sensitivity and promoted the eradication of persister cells by tetracycline, gentamycin, clindamycin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, rifampicin, and vancomycin. The short-lived ROS and RNS generated by plasma …

Circulating Pander Concentration Is Associated With Increased Hba1c And Fasting Blood Glucose In Type 2 Diabetic Subjects, Catherine B. Marelia, Melanie N. Kuehl, Tiffany A. Shemwell, Amy C. Alman, Brant R. Burkhardt

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

Aim: PANcreatic-DERived factor (PANDER, FAM3B) is a novel hormone that regulates glucose levels via interaction with both the endocrine pancreas and liver. Prior studies examining PANDER were primarily conducted in murine models or in vitro but little is known regarding the circulating concentration of PANDER in humans, especially with regard to the association of type 2 diabetes (T2D) or overall glycemic regulation. To address this limitation, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of circulating serum PANDER concentration in association with other hormones that serve as either markers of insulin resistance (insulin and adiponectin) or to metabolic parameters of glycemic control such …

Comparative Analysis Of Microbial Sensing Molecules In Mucosal Tissues With Aging, Octavio A. Gonzalez, Sreenatha S. Kirakodu, Michael John Novak, A. J. Stromberg, L. Orraca, J. Gonzalez-Martinez, A. Burgos, Jeffrey L. Ebersole

Center for Oral Health Research Faculty Publications

Host-bacterial interactions at mucosal surfaces require recognition of the bacteria by host cells enabling targeted responses to maintain tissue homeostasis. It is now well recognized that an array of host-derived pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), both cell-bound and soluble, are critical to innate immune engagement of microbes via microbial-associated molecular patterns (MAMP). This report describes the use of a nonhuman primate model to evaluate changes in the expression of these sensing molecules related to aging in healthy gingival tissues. Macaca mulatta aged 3-24 years were evaluated clinically and gingival tissues obtained, RNA isolated and microarray analysis conducted for gene expression of …

A Comparison Of Oral And Intravenous Mouse Models Of Listeriosis, Michelle G. Pitts, Sarah E. F. D'Orazio

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Listeria monocytogenes is one of several enteric microbes that is acquired orally, invades the gastric mucosa, and then disseminates to peripheral tissues to cause systemic disease in humans. Intravenous (i.v.) inoculation of mice with L. monocytogenes has been the most widely-used small animal model of listeriosis over the past few decades. The infection is highly reproducible and has been invaluable in deciphering mechanisms of adaptive immunity in vivo, particularly CD8+ T cell responses to intracellular pathogens. However, the i.v. model completely bypasses the gut phase of the infection. Recent advances in generating both humanized mice and murinized bacteria, as well …

Integrating Tuberculosis And Antimicrobial Resistance Control Programmes, Rumina Hasan, Sadia Shakoor, Johanna Hanefeld, Mishal Khan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Many low- and middle-income countries facing high levels of antimicrobial resistance, and the associated morbidity from ineffective treatment, also have a high burden of tuberculosis. Over recent decades many countries have developed effective laboratory and information systems for tuberculosis control. In this paper we describe how existing tuberculosis laboratory systems can be expanded to accommodate antimicrobial resistance functions. We show how such expansion in services may benefit tuberculosis case-finding and laboratory capacity through integration of laboratory services. We further summarize the synergies between high-level strategies on tuberculosis and antimicrobial resistance control. These provide a potential platform for the integration of …

Gene Flow Between Divergent Cereal- And Grass-Specific Lineages Of The Rice Blast Fungus Magnaporthe Oryzae, Pierre Gladieux, Bradford Condon, Sebastien Ravel, Darren Soanes, Joao Leodato Nunes Maciel, Antonio Nhani, Li Chen, Ryohei Terauchi, Marc-Henri Lebrun, Didier Tharreau, Thomas Mitchell, Kerry F Pedley, Barbara Valent, Nicholas J. Talbot, Mark L. Farman, Elisabeth Fournier

Plant Pathology Faculty Publications

Delineating species and epidemic lineages in fungal plant pathogens is critical to our understanding of disease emergence and the structure of fungal biodiversity and also informs international regulatory decisions. Pyricularia oryzae (syn. Magnaporthe oryzae) is a multihost pathogen that infects multiple grasses and cereals, is responsible for the most damaging rice disease (rice blast), and is of growing concern due to the recent introduction of wheat blast to Bangladesh from South America. However, the genetic structure and evolutionary history of M. oryzae, including the possible existence of cryptic phylogenetic species, remain poorly defined. Here, we use whole-genome sequence …

Type I Ifns And Tnf Cooperatively Reprogram The Macrophage Epigenome To Promote Inflammatory Activation, Sung Ho Park, Kyuho Kang, Eugenia Giannopoulou, Yu Qiao, Keunsoo Kang, Geonho Kim, Kyung-Hyun Park-Min, Lionel B. Ivashkiv

Publications and Research

Cross-regulation of Toll-like receptor responses by cytokines is essential for effective host defense, avoidance of toxicity, and homeostasis, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. A comprehensive epigenomic approach in human macrophages showed that the proinflammatory cytokines TNF and type I IFNs induce transcriptional cascades that alter chromatin states to broadly reprogram TLR4-induced responses. TNF tolerized inflammatory genes to prevent toxicity, while preserving antiviral and metabolic gene induction. Type I IFNs potentiated TNF inflammatory function by priming chromatin to prevent silencing of inflammatory NF-κB target genes. Priming of chromatin enabled robust transcriptional responses to weak upstream signals. Similar chromatin …

Emergence Of An Extensively Drug-Resistant Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhi Clone Harboring A Promiscuous Plasmid Encoding Resistance To Fluoroquinolones And Third-Generation Cephalosporins, Rumina Hasan, Sadia Shakoor, Farah Naz Qamar, Dania Khalid Saeed, Ghazala Shaheen, Shahida Qureshi, Mohammad Tahir Yousafzai, Muhammad Khalid Salim, Zahra Hasan, Elizabeth J. Klemma, Andrew J. Page, Kim Judge, Vanessa K. Wong, Timothy J. Dallman, Satheesh Nair, Stephen Baker, Gordon Dougan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Antibiotic resistance is a major problem in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, the causative agent of typhoid. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates are prevalent in parts of Asia and Africa and are often associated with the dominant H58 haplotype. Reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones is also widespread, and sporadic cases of resistance to third-generation cephalosporins or azithromycin have also been reported. Here, we report the first large-scale emergence and spread of a novel S. Typhi clone harboring resistance to three first-line drugs (chloramphenicol, ampicillin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) as well as fluoroquinolones and third-generation cephalosporins in Sindh, Pakistan, which we classify as extensively drug resistant …

Heterologous Expression Of Secreted Bacterial Bpp And Hap Phytases In Plants Stimulates Arabidopsis Thaliana Growth On Phytate., Lia R. Valeeva, Chuluuntsetseg Nyamsuren, Margarita R. Sharipova, Eugene V. Shakirov

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Phytases are specialized phosphatases capable of releasing inorganic phosphate from myo-inositol hexakisphosphate (phytate), which is highly abundant in many soils. As inorganic phosphorus reserves decrease over time in many agricultural soils, genetic manipulation of plants to enable secretion of potent phytases into the rhizosphere has been proposed as a promising approach to improve plant phosphorus nutrition. Several families of biotechnologically important phytases have been discovered and characterized, but little data are available on which phytase families can offer the most benefits toward improving plant phosphorus intake. We have developed transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants expressing bacterial phytases PaPhyC (HAP family …

Phaeophleospora Vochysiae Savi & Glienke Sp. Nov. Isolated From Vochysia Divergens Found In The Pantanal, Brazil, Produces Bioactive Secondary Metabolites, Daiani C. Savi, Khaled A. Shaaban, Francielly M. W. Gos, Larissa V. Ponomareva, Jon S. Thorson, Chirlei Glienke, Jürgen Rohr

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Microorganisms associated with plants are highly diverse and can produce a large number of secondary metabolites, with antimicrobial, anti-parasitic and cytotoxic activities. We are particularly interested in exploring endophytes from medicinal plants found in the Pantanal, a unique and widely unexplored wetland in Brazil. In a bio-prospecting study, strains LGMF1213 and LGMF1215 were isolated as endophytes from Vochysia divergens, and by morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses were characterized as Phaeophleospora vochysiae sp. nov. The chemical assessment of this species reveals three major compounds with high biological activity, cercoscosporin (1), isocercosporin (2) and the new compound 3-(sec-butyl)-6-ethyl-4,5-dihydroxy-2-methoxy-6-methylcyclohex-2-enone (3). …

Mixing It Up In The Ocean Carbon Cycle And The Removal Of Refractory Dissolved Organic Carbon, Yuan Shen, Ronald Benner

Faculty Publications

A large quantity of reduced carbon is sequestered in the ocean as refractory dissolved molecules that persist through several circuits of global overturning circulation. Key aspects of the cycling of refractory dissolved organic carbon (DOC) remain unknown, making it challenging to predict how this large carbon reservoir will respond to climate change. Herein we investigate mechanisms that remove refractory DOC using bioassay experiments with DOC isolated from surface, mesopelagic and deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The isolated DOC was refractory to degradation by native microbial communities, even at elevated concentrations. However, when the refractory DOC was introduced to a …

Comparison Of Beta-Lactamase Genes In Environmental Rahnella Isolates, Katherine D'Angelo, Ray A. Larsen

Honors Projects

Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem in the field of healthcare. Antibiotics are becoming less effective as species of bacteria adapt and share resistance mechanisms. If transmission of mechanisms can be better understood at the molecular level, inhibitors could be developed to lessen the likelihood of antibiotic resistance. In this study, Rahnella spp were isolated from environmental sources on MacConkey plates containing 100 µg ml^-1 ampicillin, and confirmed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Whole genomic DNA was extracted from isolates and initial amplifications were performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers specific for 16S amplification. New primers were …

Infection Of A Ventricular Septal Defect Patch With Acremonium Species, Nosheen Nasir, Kauser Jabeen, Joveria Farooqi, Binish Arif Sultan, Afia Zafar, Aamir Hameed Khan, Muneer Amanullah, Farheen Ali

Section of Internal Medicine

A ventricular septal defect (VSD) patch infection with Acremonium species isolated from vegetation and blood culture is described. Antifungal treatment was discontinued after 3 months and patient developed relapse. Surgery with prolonged oral voriconazole was instituted with recovery. We emphasize importance of surgery and prolonged therapy to treat such infections.

Direct Detection Of Shigella In Stool Specimens By Use Of A Metagenomic Approach, Jie Liu, Mathieu Almeida, Furqan Kabir, Sadia Shakoor, Shahida Qureshi, Anita K. M. Zaidi, Shan Li, Boubou Tamboura, Samba O. Sow, Inacio Mandomando

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

The underestimation of Shigella species as a cause of childhood diarrhea disease has become increasingly apparent with quantitative PCR (qPCR)-based diagnostic methods versus culture. We sought to confirm qPCR-based detection of Shigella via a metagenomics approach. Three groups of samples were selected from diarrheal cases from the Global Enteric Multicenter Study: nine Shigella culture-positive and qPCR-positive (culture⁺ qPCR⁺) samples, nine culture-negative but qPCR-positive (culture^- qPCR⁺) samples, and nine culture-negative and qPCR-negative (culture^- qPCR^-) samples. Fecal DNA was sequenced using paired-end Illumina HiSeq, whereby 3.26 × 10⁸ ± 5.6 × 10 …

Analytical Approaches To Improve Accuracy In Solving The Protein Topology Problem, Kamal Al Nasr, Feras Yousef, Ruba Jebril, Christopher Jones

Computer Science Faculty Research

To take advantage of recent advances in genomics and proteomics it is critical that the three-dimensional physical structure of biological macromolecules be determined. Cryo-Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM) is a promising and improving method for obtaining this data, however resolution is often not sufficient to directly determine the atomic scale structure. Despite this, information for secondary structure locations is detectable. De novo modeling is a computational approach to modeling these macromolecular structures based on cryo-EM derived data. During de novo modeling a mapping between detected secondary structures and the underlying amino acid sequence must be identified. DP-TOSS (Dynamic Programming for determining the …

Water Supply In Developing Countries, Jason K. Hawes, Ernest R. Blatchley Iii, Audrey Caprio, Andrew T. Kanach

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

No abstract provided.

Lipoblastoma: A Clinicopathologic Review Of 23 Cases From A Major Tertiary Care Center Plus Detailed Review Of Literature, Jamshid Abdul Ghafar, Zubair Ahmad, Muhammad Usman Tariq, Naila Kayani Naila Kayani, Nasir Ud Din

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: Lipoblastoma is a rare neoplasm that occurs mostly in infants and children. Although benign, it has a tendency for local recurrence.
Results: Clinical and pathological features of 23 cases of lipoblastoma described. Patients’ age ranged from 8 months to 18 years with mean and median age 4.1 and 2.5 years, respectively. Male:female ratio was 2.8:1. Most common sites were lower extremities (9 cases), followed by abdominal cavity and retroperitoneum (4 cases), and scrotum/groin (3 cases). Grossly, 22 tumors were well circumscribed and multi nodular. All cases showed lobules composed of adi‑ pocytes and lipoblasts with intervening fbrous septa and …

A New Toolset For Protein Expression And Subcellular Localization Studies In Citrus And Its Application To Citrus Tristeza Virus Proteins, Amit Levy, Choaa El-Mochtar, Chunxia Wang, Michael M. Goodin, Vladimir Orbovic

Plant Pathology Faculty Publications

Background

Transient gene expression is a powerful tool to study gene function in plants. In citrus, Agrobacterium transformation is the method of choice for transient expression studies, but this method does not work efficiently with many gene constructs, and there is a need for a more robust transient expression system in citrus leaves. Biolistic particle delivery is an alternative to Agrobacterium transformation, and in some plants, such as Arabidopsis, gives higher transformation rates in leaf tissues than Agrobacterium.

Results

Here we describe an improved method for gene expression in epidermal cells of citrus leaves, using the Bio-Rad Helios gene-gun. …

Methylation In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Is Lineage Specific With Associated Mutations Present Globally, Jody Phelan, Paola Florez De Sessions, Leopold Tientcheu, Joao Perdigao, Diana Machado, Rumina Hasan, Zahra Hasan, Indra L. Bergval, Richard Anthony, Ruth Mcnerney

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification of the genome involved in regulating crucial cellular processes, including transcription and chromosome stability. Advances in PacBio sequencing technologies can be used to robustly reveal methylation sites. The methylome of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex is poorly understood but may be involved in virulence, hypoxic survival and the emergence of drug resistance. In the most extensive study to date, we characterise the methylome across the 4 major lineages of M. tuberculosis and 2 lineages of M. africanum, the leading causes of tuberculosis disease in humans. We reveal lineage-specific methylated motifs and strain-specific mutations that are …

Is There A Link Between Aging And Microbiome Diversity In Exceptional Mammalian Longevity?, Graham M. Hughes, John Leech, Sebastien J. Puechmaille, Jose V. Lopez, Emma C. Teeling

Biology Faculty Articles

A changing microbiome has been linked to biological aging in mice and humans, suggesting a possible role of gut flora in pathogenic aging phenotypes. Many bat species have exceptional longevity given their body size and some can live up to ten times longer than expected with little signs of aging. This study explores the anal microbiome of the exceptionally long-lived Myotis myotis bat, investigating bacterial composition in both adult and juvenile bats to determine if the microbiome changes with age in a wild, long-lived non-model organism, using non-lethal sampling. The anal microbiome was sequenced using metabarcoding in more than 50 …

Implementation Of Planetary Protection Requirements On Robotic Missions, Lauren M. Tran

STAR Program Research Presentations

NASA has developed mandatory planetary protection requirements for all outbound and inbound space missions beyond Earth orbit. Planetary Protection policies are set by COSPAR (Committee of Space Research) under the international provisions of the United Nation’s OST (Outer Space Treaty). It aims to promote responsible scientific exploration of the solar system, as well as support the study of chemical evolution and origins of life that may be present. All robotic missions must be categorized depending on their planetary destination and the mission type (flyby, orbiter, or lander). Round trip missions are all classified as Category V missions (restricted or unrestricted), …

Benchmark Evaluation Of True Single Molecular Sequencing To Determine Cystic Fibrosis Airway Microbiome Diversity, Andrea Hahn, Matthew L. Bendall, Keylie M. Gibson, Hollis Chaney, Iman Sami, Geovanny F. Perez, Anastassios C. Koumbourlis, Timothy A. Mccaffrey, Robert J. Freishtat, Keith A Crandall

Computational Biology Institute

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disease associated with recurrent lung infections that can lead to morbidity and mortality. The impact of antibiotics for treatment of acute pulmonary exacerbations on the CF airway microbiome remains unclear with prior studies giving conflicting results and being limited by their use of 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. Our primary objective was to validate the use of true single molecular sequencing (tSMS) and PathoScope in the analysis of the CF airway microbiome. Three control samples were created with differing amounts of Burkholderia cepacia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Prevotella melaninogenica, three common bacteria found in cystic …

Influence Of Developmental Stage, Habitat, And Captivity On Thecutaneous Bacterial Communities Of Eastern Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus Alleganiensis Alleganiensis) In West Virginia, Rachel Fern Arrick

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Microbes inhabit virtually all surfaces of multicellular animal hosts, with microbial cells outnumbering the hosts’ own cells 10:1. Symbiont microbes, collectively referred to as the microbiome, can have profound impacts on the metabolism, development, behavior, and disease resistance of their multicellular hosts. Because the community structure of symbiont bacteria can influence host health, the characterization of amphibian microbiomes is becoming an increasingly important tool for future conservation in the face of global amphibian declines. Eastern hellbenders are good candidates for a microbiome study because they have seen substantial declines in recent decades and learning more about the environmental and physiological …

Mrub_2120, Mrub_2121, Mrub_2122, Mrub_2123 And Mrub_2124 Are Orthologs Of E. Coli Genes B3458, B3457, B3456, B3455 And B3454, Respectively, And Make Up An Operon That Codes For The Branched-Chain Amino Acid Abc Transporter In Meiothermus Ruber Dsm 1279, Aaron Jones, Madelyn Huber, Dr. Lori Scott

Meiothermus ruber Genome Analysis Project

In this project we investigated the biological function of the genes Mrub_2120, Mrub_2121, Mrub_2122, Mrub_2123 and Mrub_2124 (KEGG map number 02010). We predict these genes encode components of a branched-chain amino acid ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) transporter: 1) Mrub_2120 (DNA coordinates 2169247-2170416 on the reverse strand) encodes the branched-chain amino acid binding protein that is localized to the periplasm; 2) Mrub_2121 (DNA coordinates 2170433..2171353 on the reverse strand) encodes the first TMD; 3) Mrub_2122 (DNA coordinates 2171365..2172279 on the reverse strand) encodes the second TMD; 4) Mrub_2123 (DNA coordinates 2172276..2173028 on the reverse strand) encodes the first NBD; 5) Mrub_2124 …

Conjugative Transposons And Their Cargo Genes Vary Across Natural Populations Of Rickettsia Buchneri Infecting The Tick Ixodes Scapularis, Rachael Hagen, Victoria I. Verhoeve, Joseph J. Gillespie, Timothy P. Driscoll

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Rickettsia buchneri (formerly Rickettsia endosymbiont of Ixodes scapularis, or REIS) is an obligate intracellular endoparasite of the black-legged tick, the primary vector of Lyme disease in North America. It is noteworthy among the rickettsiae for its relatively large genome (1.8 Mb) and extraordinary proliferation of mobile genetic elements (MGEs), which comprise nearly 35% of its genome. Previous analysis of the R. buchneri genome identified several integrative conjugative elements named Rickettsiales amplified genomic elements (RAGEs); the composition of these RAGEs suggests that continued genomic invasions by MGEs facilitated the proliferation of rickettsial genes related to an intracellular lifestyle. In this study, …

Wdr5 Supports Colon Cancer Cells By Promoting Methylation Of H3k4 And Suppressing Dna Damage, Beth K. Neilsen, Binita Chakraborty, Jamie L. Mccall, Danielle E. Frodyma, Richard L. Sleightholm, Kurt W. Fisher, Robert E. Lewis

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: KMT2/MLL proteins are commonly overexpressed or mutated in cancer and have been shown to support cancer maintenance. These proteins are responsible for methylating histone 3 at lysine 4 and promoting transcription and DNA synthesis; however, they are inactive outside of a multi-protein complex that requires WDR5. WDR5 has been implicated in cancer for its role in the COMPASS complex and its interaction with Myc; however, the role of WDR5 in colon cancer has not yet been elucidated.

Methods: WDR5 expression was evaluated using RT-qPCR and western blot analysis. Cell viability and colony forming assays were utilized to evaluate the …

Seastar: Systematic Evaluation Of Alternative Transcription Start Sites In Rna, Zhiyi Qin, Peter Stoilov, Xuegong Zhang, Yi Xing

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Alternative first exons diversify the transcriptomes of eukaryotes by producing variants of the 5′ Untrans- lated Regions (5′UTRs) and N-terminal coding se- quences. Accurate transcriptome-wide detection of alternative first exons typically requires specialized experimental approaches that are designed to iden- tify the 5′ ends of transcripts. We developed a compu- tational pipeline SEASTAR that identifies first exons from RNA-seq data alone then quantifies and com- pares alternative first exon usage across multiple bi- ological conditions. The exons inferred by SEASTAR coincide with transcription start sites identified di- rectly by CAGE experiments and bear epigenetic hall- marks of active promoters. To …

The Effects Of Socs1, Socs3 And Hsv-1 Infection On Morphology, Cell Viability And Rab7 Expression In Polarized M1 And M2 Raw 264.7 Murine Macrophages, Jessica Renee Hey

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

HSV-1 causes a life-long infection in its host and has evolved multiple strategies to facilitate infection and evade the immune response. This virus has been found to enter cells by both endocytosis and fusion. The way the virus exploits endocytosis is not fully understood. Recent studies have uncovered roles of Rab GTPases, key regulators in intracellular membrane trafficking pathways, in distinct steps of the HSV-1 life cycle (Raza et al., 2018). This study will focus on analyzing the levels of the late endosomal regulator Rab7 expression in macrophages infected with HSV-1. Revealing the effect of virus on the levels of …

Spontaneous Dna Damage To The Nuclear Genome Promotes Senescence, T Redox Imbalance And Aging, Andria R. Robinson, Matthew J. Yousefzadeh, Tania A. Rozgaja, Jin Wang, Xuesen Li, Jeremy S. Tilstra, Chelsea H. Feldman, Siobhan Q. Gregg, Caroline H. Johnson, Erin M. Skoda, Marie-Celine Frantz, Harris Bell-Temin, Hannah Pope-Varsalona, Aditi U. Gurkar, Luigi A. Nasto, Rena A.S. Robinson, Heike Fuhrmann-Stroissnigg, Jolanta Czerwinska, Sara J. Mcgowan, Nadiezhda Cantu-Madellin, Jamie B. Harris, Salony Maniar, Mark A. Ross, Christy E. Trussoni, Nicholas F. Larusso, Eugenia Cifuentes-Pagano, Patrick J. Pagano, Barbara Tudek, Nam V. Vo, Lora H. Rigatti, Patricia L. Opresko, Donna B. Stolz, Simon C. Watkins, Christin E. Burd, Claudette M. St, Croix, Gary Siuzdak, Nathan A. Yates, Paul D. Robbins, Yinsheng Wang, Peter Wipf, Eric E. Kelley, Laura J. Neidernhofer

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Accumulation of senescent cells over time contributes to aging and age-related diseases. However, what drives senescence in vivo is not clear. Here we used a genetic approach to determine if spontaneous nuclear DNA damage is sufficient to initiate senescence in mammals. Ercc1-/Δ mice with reduced expression of ERCC1-XPF endonuclease have impaired capacity to repair the nuclear genome. Ercc1-/Δ mice accumulated spontaneous, oxidative DNA damage more rapidly than wild-type (WT) mice. As a consequence, senescent cells accumulated more rapidly in Ercc1-/Δ mice compared to repair-competent animals. However, the levels of DNA damage and senescent cells in Ercc1-/Δ mice never exceeded that …

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulaton: In-Depth Review Of Methods, Efficacy And Future Applications, Matthew Carpenter

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been regarded as a novel technique of neuromodulation with applications that span from the treatment of depression or depression related symptoms to the mapping of cerebral regions. This review takes an in depth look into the different forms of magnetic stimulation including repetitive TMS, theta-burst stimulation, and navigated TMS. The efficacy of these different forms of stimulation is addressed as well as comparisons made to current standards being used. Potential clinically relevant future applications of TMS are also discussed from the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder to improving motor function after stroke. The purpose of …