Organisms Commons^™

Aquastella Gen. Nov.: A New Genus Of Saprolegniaceous Oomycete Rotifer Parasites Related To Aphanomyces, With Unique Sporangial Outgrowths, Daniel P. Molloy, Sally L. Glockling, Clifford A. Siegfried, Gordon W. Beakes, Timothy Y. James, Sergey E. Mastitsky, Elizabeth S. Wurdak, Laure Giamberini, Michael J. Gaylo, Michael J. Nemeth

Biology Faculty Publications

The oomycete genus Aquastella is described to accommodate two new species of parasites of rotifers observed in Brooktrout Lake, New York State, USA. Three rotifer species – Keratella taurocephala,Polyarthra vulgaris, and Ploesoma truncatum – were infected, and this is the first report of oomycete infection in these species. Aquastella attenuata was specific to K. taurocephala and Aquastella aciculariswas specific to P. vulgaris and P. truncatum. The occurrence of infections correlated with peak host population densities and rotifers were infected in the upper layers of the water column. Sequencing of 18S rRNA and phylogenetic analysis of …

Expression Of Chlorovirus Mt325 Aquaglyceroporin (Aqpv1) In Tobacco And Its Role In Mitigating Drought Stress, Saadia Bihmidine, Mingxia Cao, Ming Kang, Tala Awada, James L. Van Etten, David Dunigan, Thomas E. Clemente

James Van Etten Publications

Main conclusions A Chlorovirus aquaglyceroporin expressed in tobacco is localized to the plastid and plasma membranes. Transgenic events display improved response to water deficit. Necrosis in adult stage plants is observed.

Aquaglyceroporins are a subclass of the water channel aquaporin proteins (AQPs) that transport glycerol along with other small molecules transcellular in addition to water. In the studies communicated herein, we analyzed the expression of the aquaglyceroporin gene designated, aqpv1, from Chlorovirus MT325, in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), along with phenotypic changes induced by aqpv1 expression in planta. Interestingly, aqpv1 expression under control of either a constitutive or …

Interactions Of Various Bacterial Populations With Chemical And Physical Factors From Seasonal Inputs And Outputs Of Retention Ponds, Felicia A. Krelwitz

All Student Theses and Dissertations

Retention ponds at Governors State University play an important role in collecting and treating storm water runoff before leaving campus and entering Thorn Creek. Many chemical and physical factors influence the diversity of bacterial populations in freshwater ecosystems. The main objective of this study was to compare the interactions of various bacterial populations with chemical and physical factors from seasonal inputs and outputs of Governors State University retention ponds before being discharged into Thorn Creek. The retention ponds studied include the Café Settling pond, Café pond and Beaver pond. Water and sediment were collected from inputs and outputs every other …

Community Level Impacts Associated With The Invasion Of English Ivy (Hedera Spp.) In Forest Park: A Look At The Impacts Of Ivy On Community Composition And Soil Moisture, Sara Rose Copp

Dissertations and Theses

Invasive species degrade ecosystems by altering natural processes and decreasing the abundance and diversity of native flora. Communities with major fluctuations in resource supply allow invasive species to exploit limiting resources making the community prone to invasion. In the Pacific Northwest, urban forests characterized with limited light and seasonally limited soil moisture are being dominated by nonnative English ivy (Hedera spp). Three observational studies were conducted in the Southern end of Forest Park within the Balch Creek Subwatershed in Portland, Oregon in order to understand 1) how English ivy changes over three growing seasons, 2) how the native …

Characterizing The Response Of Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae Species To The Application Of A Phage Cocktail, Steven Liu

Symposium

Project Summary: The application of bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections is known as phage therapy, which takes advantage of bacteriophage’s natural ability to infect and lyse bacterial hosts. Phages have been shaped by billions of years of evolution to be highly specialized deliverers of bactericidal agents to the cytoplasm of their target bacteria. Ever since discovery of bacteriophages in 1915, phage therapy was recognized as a potentially powerful tool for eliminating bacterial infections. The effectiveness of phage therapy can be increased by creating a mixture of multiple phages to target a wider variety of bacterial strains. Furthermore, phage therapy has …

Relative Roles Of Host Exposure And Parasite Establishment In Producing Patterns Of Infection Using Eptesicus Fuscus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) And Its Helminths As A Model System, Elizabeth Warburton

Dissertations

Parasite abundance and community structure could vary depending on conditions that are both extrinsic and intrinsic to the host. Variation in parasite burden, resulting from heterogeneous exposure to parasites or heterogeneous establishment of parasites in the host, often drives transmission dynamics. Changes in parasite community structure influence parasite species diversity and thus, diversity of infection within a single host or entire host population. I sought to quantify relative roles of exposure and establishment in producing patterns of infection using bats, Eptesicus fuscus, and their helminths. I utilized subsets of data from bats captured in 16 colonies from three states …

Time-Varying, Serotype-Specific Force Of Infection Of Dengue Virus, Kanya C. Long, Robert C. Reiner, Steven T. Stoddard, Brett M. Froshey, Aaron A. King, Alicia M. Ellis, Alun L. Lloyd, Claudio Rocha, Stalin Vilcarromero, Helvio Astete, Isabel Bazan, Audrey Lenhart, Gonzalo M. Vazquez-Prokopec, Valerie A. Paz-Soldan, Phlip J. Mccall, Uriel Kitron, John P. Elder, Eric S. Halsey, Amy C. Morrison, Tadeusz J. Kochel, Thomas W. Scott

Faculty Publications

Infectious disease models play a key role in public health planning. These models rely on accurate estimates of key transmission parameters such as the force of infection (FoI), which is the percapita risk of a susceptible person being infected. The FoI captures the fundamental dynamics of transmission and is crucial for gauging control efforts, such as identifying vaccination targets. Dengue virus (DENV) is a mosquito-borne, multiserotype pathogen that currently infects ∼390 million people a year. Existing estimates of the DENV FoI are inaccurate because they rely on the unrealistic assumption that risk is constant over time. Dengue models are thus …

The Development Of A Comprehensive Antifungal Susceptibility Testing Assay For Vulvovaginal Candidiasis Therapy, David Hardaker

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Vulvovaginal candidiasis is the most common fungal infection of the female urogenital tract, commonly caused by Candida albicans and C. glabrata. However, treatment can be difficult when caused by non-albicans strains due to resistance to the oral antifungal drug fluconazole. The mechanism through which strains of Candida, particularly C. glabrata, develop resistance to different antifungal classes has not been completely characterized. The ergosterol biosynthesis pathway, an important component of the cell membrane, is the major target of antifungals such as fluconazole, an inhibitor of the ERG 11 gene. Current research shows that an upregulation of specific genes in C. glabrata …

Characterization Of Ftsa-Ftsn Interaction During Escherichia Coli Cell Division, [email protected] K. Busiek

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Division of a bacterial cell into two equal daughter cells requires precise assembly and constriction of the division machinery, or divisome. The Escherichia coli divisome includes nearly a dozen essential cell division proteins that assemble at midcell between segregating sister chromosomes. FtsZ, a homolog of eukaryotic tubulin, is the first essential cell division protein to localize at midcell where it polymerizes into a ring-shaped scaffold (Z ring). Establishment of the Z ring is required for recruitment of downstream cell division proteins including FtsA, a cytoplasmic protein that tethers the Z ring to the inner membrane. Following localization of FtsA and …

Co2 Recycling Using Microalgae For The Production Of Fuels, Michael H. Wilson, John Groppo, Andrew Placido, S. Graham, S. A. Morton Iii, Eduardo Santillan-Jimenez, Aubrey Shea, Mark Crocker, Czarena Crofcheck, Rodney Andrews

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty and Staff Publications

CO₂ capture and recycle using microalgae was demonstrated at a coal-fired power plant (Duke Energy’s East Bend Station, Kentucky). Using an in-house designed closed loop, vertical tube photobioreactor, Scenedesmus acutus was cultured using flue gas as the CO₂ source. Algae productivity of 39 g/(m² day) in June–July was achieved at significant scale (18,000 L), while average daily productivity slightly in excess of 10 g/(m² day) was demonstrated in the month of December. A protocol for low-cost algae harvesting and dewatering was developed, and the conversion of algal lipids—extracted from the harvested biomass—to diesel-range hydrocarbons via catalytic …

Effects Of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Infection And Common Mycelial Network Formation On Invasive Plant Competition, Rachael Elizabeth Workman

Dissertations and Theses

Understanding the biotic factors influencing invasive plant performance is essential for managing invaded land and preventing further exotic establishment and spread. I studied how competition between both conspecifics and native co-habitants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) impacted the success of the invasive bunchgrass Brachypodium sylvaticumin early growth stages. I examined whether invasive plants performed and competed differently when grown in soil containing AMF from adjacent invaded and noninvaded ranges in order to determine the contribution of AMF to both monoculture stability and spread of the invasive to noninvaded territory. I also directly manipulated common mycelial network (CMN) formation by AMF …

The Boiling Springs Lake Metavirome: Charting The Viral Sequence-Space Of An Extreme Environment Microbial Ecosystem, Geoffrey Scott Diemer

Dissertations and Theses

Viruses are the most abundant organisms on Earth, yet their collective evolutionary history, biodiversity and functional capacity is not well understood. Viral metagenomics offers a potential means of establishing a more comprehensive view of virus diversity and evolution, as vast amounts of new sequence data becomes available for comparative analysis.
Metagenomic DNA from virus-sized particles (smaller than 0.2 microns in diameter) was isolated from approximately 20 liters of sediment obtained from Boiling Springs Lake (BSL) and sequenced. BSL is a large, acidic hot-spring (with a pH of 2.2, and temperatures ranging from 50°C to 96°C) located in Lassen Volcanic National …

Phanerochaete Chrysosporium Pretreatment Of Biomass To Enhance Solvent Production In Subsequent Bacterial Solid-Substrate Cultivation, Wanying Yao, Sue E. Nokes

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

This study investigated pretreatment of corn stover using solid substrate cultivation (SSC) of Phanerochaete chrysosporium (P. chrysosporium) to improve subsequent accessibility to cellulose. Thereafter, Clostridium thermocellum (C. thermocellum) was directly inoculated onto the pretreated biomass to accomplish hydrolysis, followed by solventogenesis by introducing Clostridium beijerinckii (C. beijerinckii).

An enzyme suite containing laccase, lignin peroxidase and manganese peroxidase activity was detected during the cultivation of P. chrysosporium on corn stover within 288 h at an initial moisture content 𝓌_H2O = 80% (mass of water/total mass). Incubation factors, such as substrate moisture content and cultivation …

Transcriptome Analysis Of Listeria Monocytogenes Exposed To Biocide Stress Reveals A Multi-System Response Involving Cell Wall Synthesis, Sugar Uptake, And Motility, Aidan Casey, Edward M. Fox, Stephan Schmitz-Esser, Aidan Coffey, Olivia Mcauliffe, Kieran Jordan

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Listeria monocytogenes is a virulent food-borne pathogen most often associated with the consumption of “ready-to-eat” foods. The organism is a common contaminant of food processing plants where it may persist for extended periods of time. A commonly used approach for the control of Listeria monocytogenes in the processing environment is the application of biocides such as quaternary ammonium compounds. In this study, the transcriptomic response of a persistent strain of L. monocytogenes (strain 6179) on exposure to a sub-lethal concentration of the quaternary ammonium compound benzethonium chloride (BZT) was assessed. Using RNA-Seq, gene expression levels were quantified by sequencing …

Expression Pattern And Biochemical Properties Of Zebrafish N-Acetylglutamate Synthase, Ljubica Caldovic, Nantaporn Haskins, Amy Mumo, Himani Majumdar, Mary Pinter, Mendel Tuchman, Alison Krufka

Genomics and Precision Medicine Faculty Publications

The urea cycle converts ammonia, a waste product of protein catabolism, into urea. Because fish dispose ammonia directly into water, the role of the urea cycle in fish remains unknown. Six enzymes, N-acetylglutamate synthase (NAGS), carbamylphosphate synthetase III, ornithine transcarbamylase, argininosuccinate synthase, argininosuccinate lyase and arginase 1, and two membrane transporters, ornithine transporter and aralar, comprise the urea cycle. The genes for all six enzymes and both transporters are present in the zebrafish genome. NAGS (EC 2.3.1.1) catalyzes the formation of N-acetylglutamate from glutamate and acetyl coenzyme A and in zebrafish is partially inhibited by L-arginine. NAGS and other urea …

Phages Of Non-Diary Lactococci: Isolation And Characterization Of Phi L47, A Phage Infecting The Grass Isolate Lactococcus Lactis Ssp Cremoris Dpc6860, Daniel Cavanagh, Caitríona M. Guinane, Horst Neve, Aidan Coffey, R. Paul Ross, Gerald F. Fitzgerald, Olivia Mcauliffe

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Lactococci isolated from non-dairy sources have been found to possess enhanced metabolic activity when compared to dairy strains. These capabilities may be harnessed through the use of these strains as starter or adjunct cultures to produce more diverse flavor profiles in cheese and other dairy products. To understand the interactions between these organisms and the phages that infect them, a number of phages were isolated against lactococcal strains of non-dairy origin. One such phage, ΦL47, was isolated from a sewage sample using the grass isolate L. lactis ssp. cremoris DPC6860 as a host. Visualization of phage virions by transmission electron …

Regional Dust Storm Modeling For Health Services: The Case Of Valley Fever, William A. Sprigg, Slobodan Nickovic, John N. Galgiani, Goran Pejanovic, Slavo Petkovic, Mirjam Vujadinovic, Ana Vukovic, Milan Dacic, Scott Dibiase, Anup K. Prasad, Hesham El-Askary

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

On 5 July 2011, a massive dust storm struck Phoenix, Arizona (USA), raising concerns for increased cases of valley fever (coccidioidomycosis, or, cocci). A quasi-operational experimental airborne dust forecast system predicted the event and provides model output for continuing analysis in collaboration with public health and air quality communities. An objective of this collaboration was to see if a signal in cases of valley fever in the region could be detected and traced to the storm - an American haboob. To better understand the atmospheric life cycle of cocci spores, the DREAM dust model (also herein, NMME-DREAM) was modified to …

The Effects That Liquid And Solid Cattle Manure Have On The Water Quality Of Drainage Ditches In Putnam County, Ohio, Janelle Horstman

Honors Projects

Lake Erie has experienced harmful algal blooms with increased frequency since the mid-1990s due to excess nutrients from Rivers, such as the Maumee River, and largely agricultural watersheds. Nonpoint source pollution from agriculture contributes to eutrophication, algal blooms, and the degradation of water quality. This creates stress on aquatic fauna, reduced aesthetic quality, odor, and limits of the water for usage of drinking, recreation, and industry. This research paper asks what the contributions of having access to manure application records, soil records, and information about antibiotics have on what is known about manure management and antibiotic resistance, which has been …

Effects Of Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury On The P-Glycoprotein Activity At The Liver Canalicular Membrane And Blood-Brain Barrier Determined By In Vivo Administration Of Rhodamine 123 In Rats, M. K. Miah, Imam H. Shaik, Ulrich Bickel, Reza Mehvar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose To investigate the effects of normothermic hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury on the activity of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the liver and at the blood-brain barrier (BBB) of rats using rhodamine 123 (RH-123) as an in vivo marker.

Methods Rats were subjected to 90 min of partial ischemia or sham surgery, followed by 12 or 24 h of reperfusion. Following intravenous injection, the concentrations of RH-123 in blood, bile, brain, and liver were used for pharmacokinetic calculations. The protein levels of P-gp and some other transporters in the liver and brain were also determined by Western blot analysis.

Results P-gp protein …

Sampling Local Fungal Diversity In An Undergraduate Laboratory Using Dna Barcoding, A. H. Harrington, A. F. Bigott, B. W. Anderson, M. J. Boone, S. M. Brick, J. F. Delsol, R. A. Hotchkiss, R. A. Huddleston, E. H. Kasper, J. J. Mcgrady, M. L. Mckinnie, M. V. Ottenlips, N. E. Skinner, K. C. Spatz, A. J. Steinberg, F. Van Den Broek, C. N. Wilson, A. M. Wofford, A. M. Willyard

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Traditional methods for fungal species identification require diagnostic morphological characters and are often limited by the availability of fresh fruiting bodies and local identification resources. DNA barcoding offers an additional method of species identification and is rapidly developing as a critical tool in fungal taxonomy. As an exercise in an undergraduate biology course, we identified 9 specimens collected from the Hendrix College campus in Conway, Arkansas, USA to the genus or species level using morphology. We report that DNA barcoding targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region supported several of our taxonomic determinations and we were able to contribute 5 …

Viruses As Nanoparticles: Structure Versus Collective Dynamics, S. Sirotkin, A. Mermet, M. Bergoin, V. Ward, James L. Van Etten

James Van Etten Publications

In order to test the application of the “nanoparticle” concept to viruses in terms of low-frequency dynamics, large viruses (140–190 nm) were compared to similar-sized polymer colloids using ultra-small-angle x-ray scattering and very-low-frequency Raman or Brillouin scattering. While both viruses and polymer colloids show comparable highly defined morphologies, with comparable abilities of forming self-assembled structures, their respective abilities to confine detectable acoustic vibrations, as expected for such monodisperse systems, differed. Possible reasons for these different behaviors are discussed.

Viruses Infecting Marine Picoplancton Encode Functional Potassium Ion Channels, Fenja Siotto, Corinna Martin, Oliver Rauh, James L. Van Etten, Indra Schroeder, Anna Moroni, Gerhard Thiel

James Van Etten Publications

Phycodnaviruses are dsDNA viruses, which infect algae. Their large genomes encode many gene products, like small K+ channels, with homologs in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Screening for K+ channels revealed their abundance in viruses from fresh-water habitats. Recent sequencing of viruses from marine algae or from salt water in Antarctica revealed sequences with the predicted characteristics of K+ channels but with some unexpected features. Two genes encode either 78 or 79 amino acid proteins, which are the smallest known K+ channels. Also of interest is an unusual sequence in the canonical α-helixes in K+ channels. Structural prediction algorithms indicate that the …

Connecting Model Species To Nature: Predator-Induced Long-Term Sensitization In Aplysia Californica, Maria J. Mason, Amanda J. Watkins, Jordann Wakabayashi, Jennifer Buechler, Christine Pepino, Michelle Brown, William G. Wright

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Previous research on sensitization in Aplysia was based entirely on unnatural noxious stimuli, usually electric shock, until our laboratory found that a natural noxious stimulus, a single sublethal lobster attack, causes short-term sensitization. We here extend that finding by demonstrating that multiple lobster attacks induce long-term sensitization (>= 24 h) as well as similar, although not identical, neuronal correlates as observed after electric shock. Together these findings establish long-and short-term sensitization caused by sublethal predator attack as a natural equivalent to sensitization caused by artificial stimuli.

Nanoparticle Encapsidation Of Flock House Virus By Auto Assembly Of Tobacco Mosaic Virus Coat Protein, Payal D. Maharaj, Jyothi K. Mallajosyula, Gloria Lee, Phillip Thi, Yiyang Zhou, Christopher M. Kearney, Alison A. Mccormick

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC College of Pharmacy

Tobacco Mosaic virus (TMV) coat protein is well known for its ability to self-assemble into supramolecular nanoparticles, either as protein discs or as rods originating from the ~300 bp genomic RNA origin-of-assembly (OA). We have utilized TMV self-assembly characteristics to create a novel Flock House virus (FHV) RNA nanoparticle. FHV encodes a viral polymerase supporting autonomous replication of the FHV genome, which makes it an attractive candidate for viral transgene expression studies and targeted RNA delivery into host cells. However, FHV viral genome size is strictly limited by native FHV capsid. To determine if this packaging restriction could be eliminated, …

Pretreatment Of Scenedesmus Sp. Biomass As A Potential Anaerobic Digestion Substrate, Xinyi E, Czarena Crofcheck

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Algal biomass can be a potential substrate for anaerobic digestion. However, raw algae cells show a resistance to biological degradation, resulting in a slower methane production rate. Varying thermal and chemical pretreatments of algal biomass were investigated in an attempt to increase soluble organic matter (SOM) yield, which would result in enhanced methane production during subsequent anaerobic digestion. Scenedesmus sp. was harvested using three different procedures: with flocculation, with flocculation and drying, and without flocculation or drying. For all pretreatments and algae types, fluorescence micrographs were obtained to visually confirm the degradation of the algal cell walls. A complete 2 …

Parent-Metabolite Pharmacokinetic Models For Tramadol – Tests Of Assumptions And Predictions, Sam Holford, Karel Allegaert, Brian J. Anderson, Butch Kukanich, Altamir B. Sousa, Amir Steinman, Bruno Pypendop, Reza Mehvar, Mario Giorgi, Nick Holford

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Allometric principles were used to discern cross-species differences in (±)-tramadol disposition and formation of its primary analgesic metabolite, (±)-O-desmethyl-tramadol (M1). Species differences in formation of M1 may help predict the analgesic effectiveness of tramadol. Tramadol was administered intravenously by a zero-order (constant infusion) process or rapid bolus dose and racemic concentrations of tramadol and M1 measured. Data were pooled to define differences between species (human, rat, cat, dog, goat, donkey and horse). A two-compartment linear disposition model with first-order elimination was used to describe tramadol and M1 disposition. Slow metabolizers were detected in 6% of the population and tramadol clearance …

Listeria Monocytogenes Can Utilize Both M Cell Transcytosis And Inla-Mediated Uptake To Cross The Epithelial Barrier Of The Intestine During An Oral Infection Model Of Listeriosis, Hilary Denney

Theses and Dissertations--Medical Sciences

The invasive pathways, InlA- and InB-mediated uptake and M cell transcytosis, that Listeria monocytogenes uses to invade the intestine have mainly been studied using infection models that do not truly replicate what occurs during a natural infection. Recently, our lab has developed an oral infection model that is more physiolocally relevant to what occurs during food borne listeriosis. We have sought to evaluate the relative roles of the previously defined invasive pathways, in our oral model of infection. We have done this by utilizing an InlAmCG Lm strain that is able to bind murine E-cadherin, knockout Lm strains, ΔinlA Lm …

Integrating Phage Therapy Into Western Medicine, Jacob B. Jaminet

Undergraduate Research Posters

The World Health Organization has described the rise of antibiotic use as a “global heath security emergency” (who.int). With the growing concern about antibiotic resistant bacteria, there has been an increased interest in bacteriophages. Bacteriophages are high-specific viruses that only infect bacteria. The use of bacteriophages medicinally to treat bacteria is called phage therapy. Research in phage therapy gained momentum until the introduction of antibiotics. While the USA and other Western countries accepted antibiotics, the Soviet Union and their satellite nations still continued to research phages. Since the funding for research was supplied by the Soviet military, the results of …

A Prospective Study Of Periodontal Disease And Risk Of Gastric And Duodenal Ulcer In Male Health Professionals, Matthew R. Boylan, Hamed Khalili, Edward S. Huang, Dominique S. Michaud, Jacques Izard, Kaumudi J. Joshipura, Andrew T. Chan

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Periodontal disease is characterized by microbial shifts within the oral cavity and chronic inflammation of the gingival tissue, and can lead to tooth loss. Several studies support an association between periodontal disease and risk of chronic systemic conditions, including vascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, and cancer, including gastric adenocarcinoma. These associations may be mediated by systemic inflammation, the immune response to periodontal infection, or direct invasion by pathogens. Previous studies of periodontal disease and risk of peptic ulcer have been limited by cross-sectional design, diagnoses that were not confirmed by medical record review, and a lack of …

Effects Of Endogenous Cannabinoid Anandamide On Voltage-Dependent Sodium And Calcium Channels In Rat Ventricular Myocytes, Lina T. Al Kury, Oleg I. Voitychuk, Keun-Hang Susan Yang, Faisal T. Thayyullathil, Petro Doroshenkp, Ali M. Ramez, Yaroslav M. Shuba, Sehamuddin Galadari, Frank Christopher Howarth, Murat Oz

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The endocannabinoid anandamide (N-arachidonoyl ethanolamide; AEA) exerts negative inotropic and antiarrhythmic effects in ventricular myocytes.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Whole-cell patch-clamp technique and radioligand-binding methods were used to analyse the effects of anandamide in rat ventricular myocytes.

KEY RESULTS: In the presence of 1-10 μM AEA, suppression of both Na(+) and L-type Ca(2+) channels was observed. Inhibition of Na(+) channels was voltage and Pertussis toxin (PTX) - independent. Radioligand-binding studies indicated that specific binding of [(3) H] batrachotoxin (BTX) to ventricular muscle membranes was also inhibited significantly by 10 μM metAEA, a non-metabolized AEA analogue, with …