Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons^™

Parameter Sensitivity For In Vitro Anthrax Studies, Yareley Gonzalez, Maria Macias-Bedolla, Megan O. Powell

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

Studies done on interactions between spores and macrophages done in vitro show inconsistent results based on experimental protocol and inhibit meaningful extrapolation to in vivo. In this study, we perform a sensitivity analysis of a model representing in vitro studies of interactions between anthrax spores and macrophages to help address the effects of these inconsistencies. We perform both local and global analyses using Latin hypercube sampling and partial rank correlation coefficients. Our analysis indicates the amount of intracellular bacteria over time is most sensitive to the killing of intracellular bacteria by the macrophages and replication of the bacteria inside …

Characterization Of The Protective Role Of Th17 Cells In An Fc Receptor-Targeted Vaccine Strategy Against Fracisella Tularensis Infection, Kyle Devenney

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Using a murine model, we have previously showed that targeting an inactivated form of F.tularensis (iFt) bacteria to Fcg receptors by utilizing an IgG2a, anti-LPS monoclonal antibody (mAb) provides 100% protection against a lethal dose with the live vaccine strain (LVS). The binding of anti-LPS monoclonal antibodies and iFt create an immune complex (mAb-iFt) allowing the Fc-region of the antibody to target Fc receptors expressed on antigen presenting cells, leading to a more robust and effective processing and presentation of the bacterial antigens. Although the resulting protective response generated relies on both humoral and cell-mediated immunity, in our study we …

Macrophages But Not Astrocytes Harbor Hiv Dna In The Brains Of Hiv-1-Infected Aviremic Individuals On Suppressive Antiretroviral Therapy, Allen Ko, Guobin Kang, Julian B. Hattler, Hadiza I. Galadima, Junfeng Zhang, Qingsheng Li, Woong-Ki Kim

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The question of whether the human brain is an anatomical site of persistent HIV-1 infection during suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) is critical, but remains unanswered. The presence of virus in the brains of HIV patients whose viral load is effectively suppressed would demonstrate not only the potential for CNS to act as an anatomical HIV reservoir, but also the urgent need to understand the factors contributing to persistent HIV behind the blood-brain barrier. Here, we investigated for the first time the presence of cells harboring HIV DNA and RNA in the brains from subjects with undetectable plasma viral load and …

Strategies Involving The Food-Derived Agent Curcumin To Eliminate Brain Cancer, Sumit Mukherjee

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most deadly forms of cancer with a mean 5-year survival rate of ≤5%. We have used the non-invasive strategy of long-term intranasal (IN) delivery of a glioblastoma-directed adduct of curcumin (CC), CC-CD68Ab, into the brain of murine GBM cell line GL261-implanted mice to study the therapeutic effect of CC on GBM remission. The treatment caused GBM tumor remission in 50% of GL261-implanted GBM mice. A similar rescue rate (60%) was also achieved through long-term intraperitoneal (i.p) infusion of a highly bioavailable phosphotidylcholine (PC)-encapsulated formulation of CC, Curcumin Phytosome Meriva (CCP), into the GL261-implanted GBM …

Transcriptomic Insights On The Virulence-Controlling Csra, Badr, Rpon, And Rpos Regulatory Networks In The Lyme Disease Spirochete, William K. Arnold, Christina R. Savage, Kathryn G. Lethbridge, Trever C. Smith, Catherine A. Brisette, Janakiram Seshu, Brian Stevenson

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, survives in nature through a cycle that alternates between ticks and vertebrates. To facilitate this defined lifestyle, B. burgdorferi has evolved a gene regulatory network that ensures transmission between those hosts, along with specific adaptations to niches within each host. Several regulatory proteins are known to be essential for the bacterium to complete these critical tasks, but interactions between regulators had not previously been investigated in detail, due to experimental uses of different strain backgrounds and growth conditions. To address that deficit in knowledge, the transcriptomic impacts of four critical …

Congenital Zika Virus Infection In Immunocompetent Mice Causes Postnatal Growth Impediment And Neurobehavioral Deficits, Amber M. Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, Biswas Neupane, E. Ashley Thompson, Gabriel Gonzalez-Fernandez, Katherine M. Copeland

Publications

A small percentage of babies born to Zika virus (ZIKV)-infected mothers' manifest severe defects at birth, including microcephaly. Among those who appeared healthy at birth, there are increasing reports of postnatal growth or developmental defects. However, the impact of congenital ZIKV infection in postnatal development is poorly understood. Here, we report that a mild congenital ZIKV-infection in pups born to immunocompetent pregnant mice did not display apparent defects at birth, but manifested postnatal growth impediments and neurobehavioral deficits, which include reduced locomotor and cognitive deficits that persisted into adulthood. We found that the brains of these pups were smaller, had …

Regulated Capture Of Vκ Gene Topologically Associating Domains By Transcription Factories, Sophiya Karki, Domenick E. Kennedy, Kaitlin Mclean, Adrian T. Grzybowski, Mark Maienschein-Cline, Shiladitya Banerjee, Heping Xu, Elizabeth Davis, Malay Mandal, Christine Labno, Sarah E. Powers, Michelle M. Le Beau, Aaron R. Dinner, Harinder Singh, Alexander J. Ruthenburg, Marcus R. Clark

Biology Department Faculty Articles

Expression of vast repertoires of antigen receptors by lymphocytes, with each cell expressing a single receptor, requires stochastic activation of individual variable (V) genes for transcription and recombination. How this occurs remains unknown. Using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and allelic variation, we show that individual pre-B cells monoallelically transcribe divergent arrays of Vκ genes, thereby opening stochastic repertoires for subsequent Vκ-Jκ recombination. Transcription occurs upon translocation of Vκ genes to RNA polymerase II arrayed on the nuclear matrix in transcription factories. Transcription is anchored by CTCF-bound sites or E2A-loaded Vκ promotors and continues over large genomic distances delimited only by …

A Red List Of Mites From The Suborder Uropodina (Acari: Parasitiformes) In Poland, Agnieszka Napierała, Zofia Książkiewicz‑Parulska, Jerzy Błoszyk

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

This article presents a Red List of mite species from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Parasitiformes) occurring in Poland. Evaluation of the conservation status of the analyzed species was compiled on the basis of new criteria, which may also be applied to other groups of soil fauna. The authors employ the names of categories proposed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). One of our aims was to review the IUCN criteria to ascertain whether they are applicable in an attempt to assess the danger of extinction of soil invertebrates, and to see whether the criteria can be adapted …

Yardwork: A Biography Of An Urban Place By Daniel Coleman, Vivian M. Hansen

The Goose

Review of Daniel Coleman's Yardwork: A Biography of an Urban Place.

Immunogenicity And Protection After Vaccination With A Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara-Vectored Yellow Fever Vaccine In The Hamster Model, Justin G. Julander, Marco Testori, Cédric Cheminay, Ariane Volkmann

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

The highly efficacious live-attenuated 17D yellow fever (YF) vaccine is occasionally associated with rare life-threatening adverse events. Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA), a non-replicating poxvirus, has been used as a vaccine platform to safely deliver various antigens. A MVA-based YF vaccine (MVA-BN-YF) was tested with and without a non-mineral oil adjuvant in a hamster model of lethal YF disease and protective efficacy of this vaccine was compared with the 17D vaccine. The vaccine candidate MVA-BN-YF generated a protective response in hamsters infected with YFV that was comparable to protection by the live 17D vaccine. Similar levels of neutralizing antibody were …

Temporal Trends And Predictors Of Antimicrobial Resistance Among Staphylococcus Spp. Isolated From Canine Specimens Submitted To A Diagnostic Laboratory, Julia G. Conner, Jackie Smith, Erdal Erol, Stephan Locke, Erica Phillips, Agricola Odoi

Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Faculty Publications

Background

Resistance to commonly used antimicrobials is a growing concern in both human and veterinary medicine. Understanding the temporal changes in the burden of the problem and identifying its determinants is important for guiding control efforts. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate temporal patterns and predictors of antimicrobial resistance among Staphylococcus spp. isolated from canine specimens submitted to the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (UKVDL) between 1993 and 2009.

Methods

Retrospective data of 4,972 Staphylococcus isolates assessed for antimicrobial susceptibility using the disk diffusion method at the UKVDL between 1993 and 2009 were included in the …

The Rational Design, Synthesis, Characterization, And Biological Evaluation Of Cancer-Targeting Immunostimulatory Peptide-Protein Conjugates And Tripeptides, Keith Smith

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

With the advent of cancer immunotherapy and the rise in applications of synthetic biologics, there has been a steady decline in the incidence of cancer. Despite this trend, there is an anticipated 1.7 million new cancer cases with an estimated 610,000 deaths expected by the end of 2018.2 Therefore, the call for continued efforts in creating more effective treatment options are still in high demand. In this thesis, the rational design of a semi-synthetic cancer-targeting immunostimulatory peptide-protein bioconjugate—using N-succinimidyl carbamate chemistry is described. This bio-orthogonal chemistry approach was used to conjugate the synthetic Pep42, cancer-targeting peptide (CTP) and the immunostimulatory …

Assessment Of Melanocyte-Specific Primary And Memory Autoimmune Responses In Vitiligo-Prone Smyth And Vitiligo-Susceptible, Non-Expressing Brown Line Chickens, Daniel Morales Falcon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Vitiligo is an acquired de-pigmentation disorder characterized by the post-natal loss of epidermal melanocytes (pigment-producing cells) resulting in the appearance of white patches in the skin. The Smyth line of chicken is the only model for vitiligo that shares all the characteristics of the human condition including: spontaneous post-natal loss of melanocytes, interactions between genetic, environmental and immunological factors and associations with other autoimmune diseases. In addition, an avian model for vitiligo has the added benefit of an easily accessible target tissue (a growing feather) that allows for the repeated sampling of an individual and thus the continuous monitoring of …

Immune Function And Metabolism Of Hibernating North American Bats With White-Nose Syndrome, Briana Nicole Anderson

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

White-nose syndrome (WNS) causes substantial mortality in certain species of hibernating North American bats. The responsible agent is Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), a fungus which causes physiological complications such as increased arousals and energy depletion during the hibernation season. Tricolored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) and northern long-eared bats (Myotis septentrionalis) suffer extensive WNS mortality, while gray bats (Myotis grisescens) and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) are infected, but mortality is rarely observed. It is hypothesized that there is a difference in immune responses and/or hibernation metabolism between these bat species, resulting in this …

Sodium Pyruvate Alters The Immune Response To Influenza A Virus Infection In Macrophages, Hazzar Abysalamah

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Pyruvate is the end product of glycolysis. It can either be transported into the mitochondria for use in the TCA cycle or be used to regenerate NAD⁺ during fermentation or aerobic glycolysis (also called the Warburg Effect). I recently discovered that addition of sodium pyruvate to the culture medium during infection of macrophages with influenza A virus affects the production of cytokines involved in immune signaling. While infection of macrophages with influenza A virus resulted in high levels of cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α) in the absence of sodium pyruvate, the addition of sodium pyruvate significantly impaired cytokine …

Impairment Of Retinal Function In Yellow Perch (Perca Flavescens) By Diplostomum Baeri Metacercariae, John L. Ubels, Randall J. Dejong, Brittany Hoolsema, Amy Wurzberger

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Histologic studies of fish from Douglas Lake, Cheboygan County, Michigan, USA show that Diplostomum spp. infect the lens of spottail shiners (Notropis hudsonius) and common shiners (Luxilus cornutus). In contrast, infection was confined to the choroidal vasculature of yellow perch (Perca flavescens), and the morphology of the pigment epithelium and retina in regions adjacent to the metacercariae was abnormal. The difference in location of metacercariae within the host suggested that different Diplostomum species may infect shiners and perch in Douglas Lake. Species diversity was investigated by sequencing the barcode region of the cytochrome oxidase I gene of metacercariae. Four species …

The Comparison Of Effects Of Synthetic And Natural Arachidin-3 On Rotavirus Infected Cells, Rebekah Napier-Jameson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rotavirus (RV) causes severe, life-threatening diarrhea, in infants, young children and immunocompromised adults. There are several effective vaccines for young children, however they are strain specific and are not protective against many RV strains in developing countries. Therefore, it is important to investigate anti-RV therapeutic agents. Our laboratory has shown arachidin-1 (A1) and arachadin-3 (A3) significantly inhibit RV replication in two cell lines, however the molecular mechanism(s) of action are not known. A synthetic molecule of A3 (sA3) has been produced, but its’ antiviral effects have not been examined. Our hypothesis is that sA3 produces the same effects on RV-infected …

From Olfaction To Immunity: Characterization Of Nasal Immunity In Bony Fish, Ali Sepahi

Biology ETDs

The olfactory system is a common route pathogen entry in vertebrates. As a consequence, the nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) needs to rapidly clear infections without compromising the sense of olfaction. NALT is present in teleost fish but its cellular and molecular mechanisms of action have not been investigated to this date. This dissertation focuses on three aims: 1. investigating the role of CCL19-like as a primordial chemokine in vertebrate nasal immunity, 2. determining the presence of tissue microenvironments within the olfactory organ (OO) of rainbow trout, and 3. understanding the immune contributions of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) in teleosts against …

Honey Bee And Bumble Bee Antiviral Defense, Alexander J. Mcmenamin, Daughenbaugh F. Katie, Fenali Parek, Marie C. Pizzorno, Michelle L. Flenniken

Faculty Journal Articles

Bees are important plant pollinators in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. Managed and wild bees have experienced high average annual colony losses, population declines, and local extinctions in many geographic regions. Multiple factors, including virus infections, impact bee health and longevity. The majority of bee-infecting viruses are positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses. Bee-infecting viruses often cause asymptomatic infections but may also cause paralysis, deformity or death. The severity of infection is governed by bee host immune responses and influenced by additional biotic and abiotic factors. Herein, we highlight studies that have contributed to the current understanding of antiviral defense in bees, …

Gut Inflammatory Diseases, Infection, And Nutrition, Helieh S. Oz, Sung-Ling Yeh, Amedeo Amedei

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.