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Analyzing Pseudomonas Aeruginosa With Bacteriophage Tags Using Photoacoustic Flow Cytometry, Jennifer C. Schinke Aug 2023

Analyzing Pseudomonas Aeruginosa With Bacteriophage Tags Using Photoacoustic Flow Cytometry, Jennifer C. Schinke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The number of daily bacterial infections is climbing and the CDC explains that this is due to the antibiotic-resistant threat in the United States. Finding a faster way of bacterial identification is necessary as it currently takes 1-4 days for a medical lab to culture and identify bacteria. Photoacoustic flow cytometry (PAFC) can be used as an alternative method resulting in swift identification within an hour (Edgar, 2019). Pseudomonas aeruginosa, cell line PA01, will be coated in up to a few hundred red dyed phages making it detectible by the photoacoustic flow cytometry system. Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that …


Investigating The Pi3k/Akt/Atm Pathway, Telomeric Dna Damage, T Cell Death, And Crispr/Cas9-Mediated Gene Editing During Acute And Chronic Hiv Infection, Sushant Khanal Dec 2022

Investigating The Pi3k/Akt/Atm Pathway, Telomeric Dna Damage, T Cell Death, And Crispr/Cas9-Mediated Gene Editing During Acute And Chronic Hiv Infection, Sushant Khanal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection initiates major metabolic and cell- survival complications. Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) is the current approach to suppress active HIV replication to a level of undetected viral load, but it is not a curative approach. Newer and sophisticated gene editing technologies could indeed be a potent antiviral therapy to achieve a clinical sterilization/cure of HIV infection. Chronic HIV patients, even under a successful ART regimen, exhibit a low-grade inflammation, immune senescence, premature aging, telomeric DNA attrition, T cell apoptosis, and cellular homeostasis. In this dissertation, we investigated CD4 T cell homeostasis, degree of T cell apoptosis, an …


Cyclic Di-Gmp Regulates Motility, Biofilm Formation, And Desiccation Tolerance In Acinetobacter Baumannii, Garrett Reynolds Aug 2022

Cyclic Di-Gmp Regulates Motility, Biofilm Formation, And Desiccation Tolerance In Acinetobacter Baumannii, Garrett Reynolds

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Acinetobacter baumannii is an increasingly multidrug-resistant pathogen contributing to hospital-acquired infections necessitating the discovery of novel treatments. A bacterial second messenger, cyclic diguanosine monophosphate (cyclic di-GMP), can regulate various persistence factors that are potentially advantageous for survival in hospital environments. Cyclic di-GMP–modulating enzymes and cyclic di-GMP–binding effectors predictively are encoded in the Acinetobacter baumannii genome. I hypothesized that cyclic di-GMP controls motility, biofilm formation, and desiccation tolerance in Acinetobacter baumannii. Disrupting cyclic di-GMP–modulating enzymes or cyclic di-GMP–binding effectors should alter the regulatory effectiveness of these phenotypes. I tested the multidrug-resistant isolate Acinetobacter baumannii strain AB5075 and identified several transposon …


Aggregatibacter Actinomycetemcomitans Exploits And Modulates The Immune Response By Human Neutrophils For Survival In The Anaerobic Environment., Hazel Ozuna May 2022

Aggregatibacter Actinomycetemcomitans Exploits And Modulates The Immune Response By Human Neutrophils For Survival In The Anaerobic Environment., Hazel Ozuna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) is a Gram-negative facultative anaerobe and an opportunistic oral pathogen, strongly associated with localized periodontitis and other inflammatory diseases. Periodontitis is a chronic inflammation of the periodontium resulting from the inflammatory response of the host towards the dysbiotic microbial community present at the gingival crevice. The host immune response creates a hostile environment for microorganisms; therefore, it is important for Aa to be able to regulate the necessary genes to survive and thrive in such an environment. Aaexpresses several virulence factors such as a cytolethal distending toxin (Cdt), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and leukotoxin A (LtxA), …


Role Of Host Restriction Factors On Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus (Prrsv) Replication, Pratik Katwal Jan 2022

Role Of Host Restriction Factors On Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus (Prrsv) Replication, Pratik Katwal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, the role of IFITM3 on PRRSV replication was studied in vitro by expressing exogenous IFITM3 in MARC-145 cells. An average of 31% reduction in PRRSV N protein expression and an average of 5.4 fold decrease in virus titer in the supernatant were observed in IFITM3 overexpressing cells as compared to vector control cells at 24 hours post infection (hpi). Moreover, there was a positive correlation between interferon- induced IFITM3 up-regulation and reduced PRRSV replication. To determine the role of endogenous IFITM3 in PRRSV replication, siRNA induced knockdown of IFITM3 was employed. RT-PCR validated the successful silencing of …


Genistein-Enriched Pig Gut Microbiota Library As A Potential Probiotic Consortium, Theresah Amponsah Jan 2022

Genistein-Enriched Pig Gut Microbiota Library As A Potential Probiotic Consortium, Theresah Amponsah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plant-based diets contain numerous flavonoid compounds that produce antibacterial effects and gut health improvement. Genistein is among the most abundant isoflavones present in a plant-based diet and can be found in high amounts in soy products (up to 1g Kg-1). We describe here a robust method to identify genistein tolerant and metabolizing bacteria in swine gut microbiota and to screen the strains that have antibacterial and immunestimulatory properties. Such strains could be developed as non-antibiotic alternatives to prevent enteric infections in pigs and improve gut immunity. To this end, a mini bioreactorbased system was used to enrich genistein metabolizing bacteria …


Decoding The Mystery Of Antibiotic Persistence, Tahmina Hossain Jan 2022

Decoding The Mystery Of Antibiotic Persistence, Tahmina Hossain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work combines microbiology, molecular biology, Next-Generation Sequencing and system biology approaches to explore the mechanism of antibiotic persistence: a multi-drug tolerant, non-dividing, and metabolically altered state present in a subpopulation of cells due to phenotypic diversity rather than genetic variation (i.e. mutations). Persister can survive lethal antibiotic state and resuscitate after the treatment period is over. They are considered as the major contributing factor behind recurring infections. They also have a high mutation rate, which increases the chances of bacteria gaining antibiotic resistance. The formation of this phenotypic variant (persister) threatens the therapeutic effectiveness of antibiotics and understanding how …


Genital Chlamydia Infection Is Influenced By The Female Sex Hormones Estrogen And Progesterone In Vivo, Amy Gail Gravitte Dec 2021

Genital Chlamydia Infection Is Influenced By The Female Sex Hormones Estrogen And Progesterone In Vivo, Amy Gail Gravitte

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the United States and worldwide. It often goes unnoticed due to lack of symptoms and left untreated it can ascend the female genital tract to cause sequelae like pelvic inflammatory disease and irreversible tubal infertility. In reproductive-aged women, female sex hormones estrogen (E2) and progesterone (P4) concentrations fluctuate during the menstrual cycle and are influenced by hormonal contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy. E2 and P4 influence genital Chlamydia infection in women and mice, but these multifactorial interactions are not entirely mapped out. The complex interplay of E2 and P4 with …


Deciphering The Perpetual Fight Between Virus And Host: Utilizing Bioinformatics To Elucidate The Host's Genetic Mechanisms That Influence Jc Polyomavirus Infection, Michael P. Wilczek Aug 2021

Deciphering The Perpetual Fight Between Virus And Host: Utilizing Bioinformatics To Elucidate The Host's Genetic Mechanisms That Influence Jc Polyomavirus Infection, Michael P. Wilczek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) is a human-specific pathogen that infects 50-80% of the population, and can cause a deadly, demyelinating disease, known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). In most of the population, JCPyV persistently infects the kidneys but during immunosuppression, it can reactivate and spread to the central nervous system (CNS), causing PML. In the CNS, JCPyV targets two cell types, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. Due to the hallmark pathology of oligodendrocyte lysis observed in disease, oligodendrocytes were thought to be the main cell type involved during JCPyV infection. However, recent evidence suggests that astrocytes are targeted by the virus and act …


Neuroinflammation, Peripheral Inflammation And Gut Microbiome Profiles In Male Mice From Two Proposed Mouse Models Of Social Behavior Deficits, Sarah Parkinson Aug 2021

Neuroinflammation, Peripheral Inflammation And Gut Microbiome Profiles In Male Mice From Two Proposed Mouse Models Of Social Behavior Deficits, Sarah Parkinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder marked by social deficits and repetitive actions. A communication pathway exists between the brain and gut called the gut-brain axis. It is thought that gut bacteria can secrete signaling molecules, triggering inflammation across the body. These studies attempt to determine if markers are expressed in two mouse models of ASD behaviors, BTBR and a valproic acid model. Immunohistochemistry of ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 from male mouse brain tissue showed no microglial activation in any group. Cytokine analysis did exhibit an increase in interleukin 1 (IL-1) in male adult mice only. …


Development, Expansion And Role Of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells In Post-Sepsis Immune Suppression, Tuqa Alkhateeb Aug 2020

Development, Expansion And Role Of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells In Post-Sepsis Immune Suppression, Tuqa Alkhateeb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) numbers increase significantly in sepsis and are associated with high mortality rates. These myeloid cell precursors promote immunosuppression, especially in the late (post sepsis) stage. However, the mechanisms that underlie MDSC expansion and programming are not completely understood. To investigate these mechanisms, we used a cecal-ligation and puncture (CLP) mouse model of polymicrobial sepsis that progresses from an early/acute proinflammatory phase to a late/chronic immunosuppressive phase. Previous studies in our laboratory showed that microRNA (miR)-21 and miR-181b elevate levels of the transcription factor nuclear factor 1 (NFI-A) that promotes MDSC expansion. We report here that miR-21 …


Identification And Structural Characterization Functional Motifs In The Porphyromonas Gingivalis Mfa1 Short Fimbria., Mohammad K. Roky Aug 2020

Identification And Structural Characterization Functional Motifs In The Porphyromonas Gingivalis Mfa1 Short Fimbria., Mohammad K. Roky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a causative agent of periodontal disease, initially colonizes the oral cavity by adhering to commensal streptococci. Adherence requires the interaction of the minor fimbrial protein (Mfa1) of P. gingivalis with streptococcal antigen I/II (Ag I/II). A peptide derived from Ag I/II peptide has been well characterized and shown to significantly reduce P. gingivalis colonization and bone loss in vivo, suggesting that this interaction represents a potential target for therapeutic intervention. However, the functional motifs of Mfa1 involved in the interaction with Ag I/II remain uncharacterized. A series of N- and C-terminal peptide fragments of Mfa1 were …


Plasmodium Impairs Antibacterial Innate Immunity To Systemic Infections In Part Through Hemozoin-Bound Bioactive Molecules., Christopher Lynn Harding Aug 2020

Plasmodium Impairs Antibacterial Innate Immunity To Systemic Infections In Part Through Hemozoin-Bound Bioactive Molecules., Christopher Lynn Harding

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite efforts to decrease the global health burden of malaria, infections with Plasmodium species continue to cause over 200 million episodes of malaria each year which resulted in 405,000 deaths in 2018 [1]. One complication of malaria is increased susceptibility to invasive bacterial infections. Plasmodium infections impair host immunity to non-Typhoid Salmonella (NTS) through activities of heme oxygenase I (HO-I) )-induced release of immature granulocytes and myeloid cell-derived IL-10. Yet, it is not known if these mechanisms are specific to NTS. We show here, that Plasmodium yoelii 17XNL (Py) infected mice had impaired clearance of systemic Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) during …


Does Circularizing Source-Separated Food Waste Present A Risk To Our Food?, Astha Thakali May 2020

Does Circularizing Source-Separated Food Waste Present A Risk To Our Food?, Astha Thakali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

About a third of the food produced annually is wasted. Food waste recycling can be a way to close the loop and attain a more sustainable food system, however, the system must be carefully monitored and managed to avoid the introduction and build-up of contaminants. To study the potential presence of contaminants in food waste, source-separated food waste was collected and screened for five classes of contaminants (physical contaminants, heavy metals, halogenated organic contaminants, pathogens, and antibiotic resistance genes) from two separate regulatory environments (voluntary vs mandated food separation). The regulatory environment did not affect the level of contamination, except …


Tobacco Enhances Bacterial-Induced Periodontal Bone Loss In Mice., Mina Iskander May 2020

Tobacco Enhances Bacterial-Induced Periodontal Bone Loss In Mice., Mina Iskander

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Tobacco smoking is the leading environmental risk factor for periodontal diseases. Delineation of the mechanisms underlying tobacco-induced or exacerbated periodontitis is hampered by the lack of an appropriate and reliable animal model. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that Porphyromonas-gingivalis-infected, cigarette smoke-exposed mice would represent reproducible models of acute (ligature model) and chronic (oral gavage model) tobacco-enhanced periodontitis that reflect multiple aspects of the disease noted in human smokers. Methods: In a chronic oral gavage disease model, Balb/c mice (6-8 weeks, 4 groups of n = 6 per group) were exposed to smoke produced by a Teague-10 smoking machine from 1R6F research …


The Potential For Dickeya Dianthicola To Be Vectored By Two Common Insect Pests Of Potatoes, Jonas K. Insinga Dec 2019

The Potential For Dickeya Dianthicola To Be Vectored By Two Common Insect Pests Of Potatoes, Jonas K. Insinga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dickeya dianthicola (Samson) causing blackleg and soft rot was first detected in potatoes grown in Maine in 2014. Previous work has suggested that insects, particularly aphids, may be able to vector bacteria in this genus between plants, but no conclusive work has been done to confirm this theory. In order to determine whether insect-mediated transmission is likely to occur in potato fields, two model potato pests common in Maine were used: the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decimlineata Say) and the green peach aphids (Myzus persicae Sulzer). Olfactometry and recruitment experiments evaluated if either insect discriminates between infected and …


The Q Rule In Bacteriodetes And The Identification And Characterization Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis Glutaminyl Cyclase., John Andrew Houston May 2019

The Q Rule In Bacteriodetes And The Identification And Characterization Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis Glutaminyl Cyclase., John Andrew Houston

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Porphyromonas gingivalis, a major pathogen associated with chronic periodontitis, secretes variety of proteins, majority of which begins with glutamine. Several of these proteins were found with pyroglutamate (pGlu) at N-terminus suggesting the presence of this posttranslational modification pathway in P.gingivalis. The observation that N-terminal glutamine is over-represented as the first amino acid after signal peptide cleavage, and subsequent confirmation of pGlu formation on the nascent protein via mass spectrometry, led us to conclude that an enzyme must be present as the executor of this reaction. Hypothesis: PG2157 is a glutaminyl cyclase and is responsible for the cyclization of …


Development And Evaluation Of Vaccine Candidates For Senecavirus A, Bishwas Sharma Jan 2019

Development And Evaluation Of Vaccine Candidates For Senecavirus A, Bishwas Sharma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Senecavirus A (SVA) has been associated with several outbreaks of vesicular disease (VD) since 2014 in major swine-producing countries around the world. The virus causes VD that is clinically indistinguishable from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in pigs. Currently there are no commercial vaccines available for SVA. Here, we developed a live attenuated SVA strain by mutating a wild type SVA strain SD15-26 (wt SVA). The live attenuated virus, rSVA mSacII, replicated less efficiently in cell cultures in vitro and expressed lower amounts of VP1 and VP2 capsid proteins than wt SVA. Most importantly, the rSVA mSacII virus failed to induce clinical …


Bovine Cellular And Innate Immune Response To Hemostatic Polysaccharides, Brian Kobylkevich Jan 2019

Bovine Cellular And Innate Immune Response To Hemostatic Polysaccharides, Brian Kobylkevich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chronic wounds are longstanding dermal wounds that do not heal in a normal amount of time and can commonly last for over a year. These wounds plague humans and farm animals alike. Wounds are characterized by chronic inflammation and are often painful, difficult to heal, have a high recurrence rate, and are potentially debilitating. Long term wounds that do not fully heal are distressing for both humans and animals, but understandably more resources have been directed towards humans. Some treatment options for humans may be suitable for adaptation into the field of animal care. Chronic lesions such as bovine digital …


Modeling Disease Impact Of Vibrio-Phage Interactions, Christopher Botelho Jan 2019

Modeling Disease Impact Of Vibrio-Phage Interactions, Christopher Botelho

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the work of John Snow, scientists and medical professionals have understood that individuals develop cholera by means of consuming contaminated water. Despite the knowledge of cholera's route of infection, many countries have experienced and still experience endemic cholera. Cholera is caused by the Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae) bacterium and presents with acute diarrhea and vomiting. If untreated, infected individuals may die due to dehydration. Cholera is a disease that most commonly affects countries with poor infrastructure and water sanitation. Despite efforts to control cholera in such countries, the disease persists. One such example is Haiti which has been experiencing …


Synthesis And Characterization Of Targeted Bar Encapsulated Polylactic-Co-Glycolic Acid Nanoparticles To Inhibit Porphyromonas Gingivalis Biofilm Formation., Ranjith Radha Krishnan Dec 2018

Synthesis And Characterization Of Targeted Bar Encapsulated Polylactic-Co-Glycolic Acid Nanoparticles To Inhibit Porphyromonas Gingivalis Biofilm Formation., Ranjith Radha Krishnan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Periodontal disease is one of the most prevalent infectious diseases worldwide. Between 30-50% of the global adult population suffers from periodontal disease. Some form of periodontitis is present in 46% of American adults, corresponding to annual expenditures in excess of 14 billion dollars for treatment and prevention. Current treatments for periodontal diseases involve mechanical removal of plaque, correction of risk factors, gingival surgery and/or antibiotic therapy. To our knowledge there is no effective therapeutic approach that aims to limit pathogen colonization of the oral biofilm or re-colonization after treatment. Interaction of the pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis with oral streptococci is critical …


Host Mediated Mechanisms Of Fungal Cell Spread In A Transparent Zebrafish Infection Model, Allison Scherer Dec 2018

Host Mediated Mechanisms Of Fungal Cell Spread In A Transparent Zebrafish Infection Model, Allison Scherer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Innate immunity has developed elegant processes for the detection and clearance of invasive fungal pathogens. Disseminated candidiasis is of significant concern for those with suppressed immune systems or indwelling medical equipment, and mortality in these groups approaches 70%. Poor patient outcomes have spurred the need to understand how this non-motile pathogen spreads in the host. Technical limitations have previously hindered our ability to visualize the role of innate immunity and host tissue barriers in the spread of C. albicans in vivo. Using the zebrafish model to overcome these limitations, we have examined three potential host-mediated mechanisms of dissemination: movement …


Virulence Regulation In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Via The Alginate Regulators, Algu And Algr, The Posttranscriptional Regulator, Rsma, And The Two-Component System, Algz/R, Sean Stacey Dec 2018

Virulence Regulation In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Via The Alginate Regulators, Algu And Algr, The Posttranscriptional Regulator, Rsma, And The Two-Component System, Algz/R, Sean Stacey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacillus able to colonize a wide variety of environments. In the human host, P. aeruginosa can establish an acute infection or persist and create a chronic infection. P. aeruginosa is able to establish a niche and persist in human hosts by using a wide array of virulence factors used for: movement, killing host cells, and evading immune cells and antibiotics. Understanding virulence factors and their regulation has proved to be an important means of combating the morbidity and mortality of P. aeruginosa as well as the ever-increasing threat of drug resistance. By targeting virulence factors …


The Role Of Non-Neuronal Acetylcholine In Urogenital Chlamydial Infection, Jessica R. Lockhart Dec 2018

The Role Of Non-Neuronal Acetylcholine In Urogenital Chlamydial Infection, Jessica R. Lockhart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chlamydia trachomatiscauses a bacterial sexually transmitted infection, Chlamydia, that is often chronic and casues reproductive complications in women. We hypothesized that Chlamydia infection increases local acetylcholine (ACh) production, which regulates the host’s inflammatory response to the infection. Female mice infected with C. muridarumwere sacrificed at days 3, 9, 15, and 21 post-infection, genital tract tissues harvested, and immunohistochemistry performed to enumerate ACh-producing cells. Infection increased the number of ACh-producing cells in cervical tissue at days 3,15, and 21 post-infection (pi), uterine tissue at day 3 and 9 pi, and ovarian tissue day 3, 15, and 21 pi. These …


Nutritional Virulence Of Legionella Pneumophila., Ashley M. Best May 2018

Nutritional Virulence Of Legionella Pneumophila., Ashley M. Best

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Legionella pneumophila is an environment organism that parasitizes a wide range of protozoa. Growth within the environmental host primes L. pneumophila for infection of human alveolar macrophages when contaminated aerosols are inhaled. Intracellular replication within either host requires the establishment a replicative niche, known as the Legionella-containing vacuole (LCV). Biogenesis of the LCV depends on the type IVb translocation system, the Dot/Icm, to translocation >320 effectors into the host cytosol. Effectors are responsible for preventing lysosome fusion to the LCV, recruitment of ER-derived vesicles to the LCV, and modulation of a plethora of host processes to promote the intracellular …


Surveillance Of South Dakota Mosquito Abundance, Infection Rate, And Insecticide Susceptibility, Geoffrey P. Vincent Jan 2018

Surveillance Of South Dakota Mosquito Abundance, Infection Rate, And Insecticide Susceptibility, Geoffrey P. Vincent

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation was to survey and evaluate the abundance, infection rate, and insecticide susceptibility of mosquito fauna present in South Dakota. Mosquito surveillance has been conducted across South Dakota to record and track potential West Nile virus (WNV) vectors from 2004 to 2017. The nuisance mosquito Aedes vexans was found to be the most abundant species overall in the state and most abundant in many of the regions. The WNV vector, Culex tarsalis, was found to be the second most abundant mosquito and the most abundant vector mosquito across the state. However, geospatial variation did exist between …


Serological Evidence For The Co-Circulation Of Two Lineages Of Influenza D Virus In Equine Populations Of The Midwest United States, Hunter Theodore Nedland Jan 2018

Serological Evidence For The Co-Circulation Of Two Lineages Of Influenza D Virus In Equine Populations Of The Midwest United States, Hunter Theodore Nedland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Influenza D virus (IDV) is a newly described lineage of the Orthomyxoviridae virus family that was first isolated from diseased swine in 2011 and has subsequently been detected in cattle around the world in 2014. In addition, serological evidence for IDV infection in humans has been recently established. Despite all the progress, the full range of susceptible hosts for this novel virus has yet to be determined, but includes swine, bovine, small ruminants and human. This study was designed to determine if equine is a possible host to this newly emerging influenza virus. 364 equine serum samples were collected in …


Universal Swine Influenza Antigen And Vaccine, Zhao Wang Jan 2018

Universal Swine Influenza Antigen And Vaccine, Zhao Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Swine influenza A viruses pose a serious concern for global health and worldwide swine industry considering their evasion from vaccine-induced immune responses. Formulation of effective influenza vaccines can be complicated by both antigenic shift to a different subtype of hemagglutinin (HAs) and antigenic drift within a particular HA subtype. To address these concerns, we employed a systematic approach to determine the antigenic determinants of swine influenza A viruses by focusing on H1 and H3 subtypes. In parallel, we used a cross-disciplinary approach including structural biology and modeling, virology, and immunology to identify swine influenza A virus-derived HA fusion intermediates broadly …


Type Ix Secretion System : Characterization Of An Effector Protein And An Insight Into The Role Of C-Terminal Domain Dimeration In Outer Membrane Translocation., Lahari Koneru Dec 2017

Type Ix Secretion System : Characterization Of An Effector Protein And An Insight Into The Role Of C-Terminal Domain Dimeration In Outer Membrane Translocation., Lahari Koneru

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia are two of the primary pathogens that are associated in the etiology and progression of chronic periodontitis. In T. forsythia, KLIKK proteases are the recently identified group of proteolytic enzymes that are secreted through Type IX secretion system (T9SS). Among, these KLIKK proteases a synergistic relationship was observed between karilysin and mirolysin in invading the host complement system for the survival of the bacteria. Since, karilysin has been already characterized, in this study we propose to study about mirolysin through structural, biochemical and biological characterization. The obtained results from the experiments has shown the …


Expression Profiling Of Non-Coding Rna By Environmental Interactions In Innate Immunity, Jacob R. Longfellow Aug 2017

Expression Profiling Of Non-Coding Rna By Environmental Interactions In Innate Immunity, Jacob R. Longfellow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder that affects 30,000 people in the United States and currently has no cure. Although CF affects all of the body’s systems, it is largely characterized as a lung disease. CF is caused by a mutation in both copies of the gene for cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). A mutation in the CFTR gene leads to improper movement of chloride ions and water into the airways, which dysregulates the airway surface liquid volume and composition. Individuals with CF are prone to lung infections due to inefficient bacterial clearance and by the age of …