Microbiology Commons^™

The Gut Microbiome And Its Potential Role In Paradoxical Anaerobism In Pupfishes Of The Mojave Desert, Brian Hedlund

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Background: Pupfishes frequently enter paradoxical anaerobism in response to endogenously produced or exogenously supplied ethanol in a dose-dependent manner. To decipher the role of the gut microbiota in ethanol-associated paradoxical anaerobism, gut microbial communities were depleted using a cocktail of antibiotics and profiled using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results: Compared to the control group (n = 12), microbiota-depleted fish (n = 12) spent more time in paradoxical anaerobism. Our analysis indicated that the bacterial phyla Proteobacteria, Fusobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Patescibacteria, and Dependentiae dominated the pupfish gut, which is consistent with other fish gut microbiota. Although the gut microbial communities …

The Threat Of Antibiotic Resistance In Changing Climate, Aliyar Cyrus Fouladkhah, Brian Thompson, Janey Smith Camp

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

As the earliest form of life, microorganisms have elaborate mechanisms for adapting to changes in environmental conditions.

Coping With Stress: The Caulobacter Approach, Bronson R. Weston, Yang Cao, John J. Tyson

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Mathematical Modeling Of Gliding Motility And Its Regulation In Myxococcus Xanthus, Yirui Chen

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Tyrr Regulates The Ability Of Enterobacter Hormaechei To Induce Melanin Production In Cryptoccus Neoformans, Ally Watson

Honors Scholar Theses

The yeast Cryptococcus neoformans is present in the microbiota of many plants and animals and produces melanin, a compound that protects cells against UV light and promotes virulence. Melanin production can be induced by exogenous tyrosine, homogentisic acid, catecholamines, or their precursors such as L-DOPA, all of which may be produced by bacteria. The goal of this study was to investigate the interaction between Enterobacter hormaechei (a mosquito gut isolate) and C. neoformans with respect to the production of melanin by C. neoformans in the presence of E. hormaechei, potentially due to the production of L-DOPA or other metabolites …

Can Unconventional Immunomodulatory Agents Help Alleviate Covid-19 Symptoms And Severity?, Stephen W. Mamber, Steven Krakowka, Jeffrey L. Osborn, Lloyd Saberski, Ryan G. Rhodes, Albert E. Dahlberg, Sunthorn Pond-Tor, Kara Fitzgerald, Neal Wright, Sarah Beseme, John Mcmichael

Biology Faculty Publications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of the respiratory infection known as COVID-19. From an immunopathological standpoint, coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2 induce increased levels of a variety of T-helper 1 (Th1) and inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, including interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, CCL2 protein, and CXCL10 protein. In the absence of proven antiviral agents or an effective vaccine, substances with immunomodulatory activity may be able to inhibit inflammatory and Th1 cytokines and/or yield an anti-inflammatory and/or Th2 immune response to counteract COVID-19 symptoms and severity. This report briefly describes the following four unconventional but …

Pandemic Forum Syllabus, Lynda Coon

Pandemic Course

This forum tackles the recent global outbreak of the COVID-19 Coronavirus. University of Arkansas faculty, doctors from Washington Regional Medical Center and Arkansas state leaders confront the virus from a variety of angles —medical sciences, supply chain, public health, social media, mathematics, economics, history, religion, art, and environmental studies. In so doing, the forum’s instructors situate COVID-19 within a broader narrative of the history of pandemics as well as the multivalent factors contributing to virulent flu eruptions across an international stage.

Identifying Determinants Of Target Specificity In Two Related Bacterial Peptide Toxins, Andrew D. Holmes

Honors Thesis

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems were originally identified as two-component systems ensuring the stable inheritance of plasmids in bacterial populations. Recently, they have been identified on bacterial chromosomes where their functions remain mostly undefined. The par locus of E. faecalis plasmid pAD1 (par_pAD1) was the first TA system defined in a Gram-positive bacterium and a homolog encoded on the E. faecalis chromosome (par_EF0409) was later described. Related loci numbering in the hundreds have been identified throughout Gram-positive bacteria based on homology to the toxin of the system, Fst, and similarities in genetic organization and regulation. Despite …

Characterization Of A Plasmid-Based Dna Vaccine For Simian Immunodeficiency Virus, Priya Sanipara

Honors Theses

Described as one of the world’s worst pandemics, HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infects millions of people each year and is the cause for AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). Despite the development of vaccines for numerous infectious diseases such as polio, small pox, and influenza, a vaccine for HIV remains elusive due to the virus’s high mutation rate and ability to evade the immune system. HIV causes depletion of CD4+ lymphocytes, resulting in a weakened immune system. However, the development of a plasmid-based DNA vaccine approach may help revolutionize vaccine development for HIV due to its ability to confer cellular and humoral …

Influences Of Anti-Bd Bacteria On Amphibians And Their Microbiomes, Emme L. Schmidt

Honors Thesis

The fungal pathogen Batrochochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been threatening amphibian populations across the globe. Recent work has discovered that bacteria isolated from certain populations of amphibians protect hosts from this pathogen. This project focuses on the anti-fungal mechanisms of Serratia marcescens, a species of bacteria isolated from a Costa Rican frog that dramatically inhibited Bd in culture. Wild-type and recombinant S. marcescens was introduced to the microbiomes of a live amphibian host, Acris blanchardi (Blanchard’s Cricket Frog) and then challenged with Bd to examine the protective effects of this bacteria. The experiment includes recombinant S. marcescens with …

Insights Into The Chlamydial Niche: The Dynamic Roles Of Inclusion Membrane (Inc) Proteins In Chlamydia Trachomatis Development, Macy G. Wood

Theses & Dissertations

Chlamydia trachomatis (Ctr) is the leading cause of bacterial sexually transmitted infections. Ctr, an obligate intracellular bacterium, develops within a membrane-bound vacuole called an inclusion. The inclusion membrane is modified by chlamydial inclusion membrane (Inc) proteins, the functions of which are poorly characterized. Bacterial two-hybrid analyses found some Incs (e.g., IncF) interacted with numerous Incs while others (e.g., IncA) did not. We hypothesize that some Incs organize the inclusion through Inc-Inc interactions whereas other Incs promote chlamydial-host interactions by binding eukaryotic proteins. To test our hypothesis, we implemented the ascorbate peroxidase proximity labeling system (APEX2), which labels proximal proteins with …

Flavonoid And Cannabidiol Neural Glyoxalase Pathway Enhancement Against Aging And Alzheimer’S Disease, Joel R. Frandsen

Theses & Dissertations

Alzheimer’s Disease is a neurodegenerative condition featuring neural cell death and a decline in cognitive capacity caused by elevated inflammation and production of reactive oxygen species. The glyoxalase pathway is an endogenous antioxidant system that neutralizes reactive methylglyoxal through sequential reactions. Dysfunction of the glyoxalase pathway contributes to oxidative stress and the accumulation of inflammatory metabolic byproducts. Plant-produced compounds with antioxidant activity can enhance endogenous antioxidant pathways and protect cells from elevated ROS production. We hypothesize that flavonoids and limited Cannabis Sativa-produced cannabidiol can enhance glyoxalase pathway function through regulation of antioxidant and pro-apoptotic signaling pathways to prevent methylglyoxal-mediated …

The Trichoplusia Ni Gut Microbiome And Its Derivation From The Phyllosphere Of Its Food Plants, Josemaria Garcia, Marisol Escanuela, Swapna Bhat, Evan Lampert

Georgia Journal of Science

Insects are the most abundant and diverse animals on planet Earth and rely on their diverse microbiomes to be so. The insect gut microbiome is vital in the growth and development of many insect species. Trichoplusia ni, the cabbage looper, is a generalist herbivore, but little is known about its microbiome. In this study, a metagenomic analysis of fecal samples was used to determine the effect of diet on the microbiome of T. ni larvae. Larvae were reared on six plant species, the microbiome was sampled from fecal material, and the phyllosphere was sampled from leaves the larvae ate. …

Lysogeny And Use Of Mycobacteriophage Pita2, Eleanor Behling, Neocles B. Leontis, Jill Zeilstra-Ryalls

Honors Projects

The CDC has classified antibiotic resistance as the biggest health challenge of our era; every year 2 million lives are impacted and even lost due to resistant bacteria. Bacteriophages provide an alternative route to fighting infections that does not further the development of antibiotic resistance among bacterial species. A bacteriophage replicates inside a bacterial cell and then causes that cell to lyse, an event that kills the bacterial host. However, some phage can integrate their genomes into the host chromosome without causing lysis. The HHMI SEA-PHAGES program has generated a collection of bacteriophage that infect Actinobacteria species. Over 13,000 phages …

The Physiology And Evolution Of Selenite Respiration In Bacteria, Michael Wells

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The selenium oxyanions selenate (Se(VI)) and selenite (Se(IV)) can be utilized by some bacteria and archaea as terminal electron acceptors in anaerobic respiration. Se(VI) and Se(IV) respiration is mediated by a phylogenetically and ecologically diverse array of organisms, suggesting that selenium respiration is ubiquitous in natural environments. Several respiratory Se(VI) reductases have been characterized in bacteria, revealing that Se(VI) respiration has evolved independently several times in this domain. Se(IV) respiration, in contrast, has yet to be characterized. I have purified and characterized the first respiratory Se(IV) reductase from Bacillus selenitireducens MLS10. The Se(IV) reductase appeared to purify as a single …

Site Selection Of Pyrococcus Horikoshi Rada Intein, Madison Paige White

Honors College Theses

Inteins are polypeptides translated within host proteins that undergo an autocatalytic protein splicing reaction to join the flanking sequences, termed N- and C- extiens. Long considered molecular parasites, recent work has demonstrated that protein splicing can be regulated by environmental signals, representing an exciting new form of post-translational regulation. A landmark example comes from the homologous recombinase RadA of the archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii, which splices in response to substrate single-stranded DNA. Interestingly, while the P. horikoshii RadA intein splices efficiently when inserted into foreign exteins under all conditions tested, splicing is inhibited in native exteins in absence of ssDNA. In …

Whole Genome Sequence Analysis Of A Transmissible Multidrug-Resistance Plasmid Captured Without Cultivation From Poultry Litter, Emma C. Eisemann

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Use of antibiotics in the agricultural industry introduces selective pressure and, consequently, could increase the presence of antibiotic resistant organisms in surrounding environments. One such environment is litter (manure and bedding) produced during large-scale poultry production in the Shenandoah Valley. Litter, with its microorganisms, is commonly applied to fields within the Shenandoah River watershed. Antibiotic resistance (AR) and virulence genes are potentially transmissible between organisms through horizontal gene transfer of genetic mobile elements, for which poultry litter could be a reservoir. The typical, culture-based approach to detecting and analyzing AR plasmids and other mobile genetic elements is limited due to …

Effects Of Warming On Decomposition Of Submerged Plant Litter And Associated Microorganisms In Streamside Channels, Kaity Ackerman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Surface air temperatures are predicted to increase in the near future, which will likely affect microbial activity and carbon flow in stream ecosystems. I performed an experiment in streamside channels at Coweeta Hydrological Laboratory, NC to assess responses of litter-associated microorganisms to moderate increases in water temperature (5 levels, ambient to +4°C). The objectives of the experiment were to determine: (1) if there are differences in the magnitude of responses to temperature among various microbial parameters and (2) whether microbial responses to temperature vary among plant litter of different carbon quality. Thus, I measured litter decomposition rate, fungal biomass (ergosterol), …

Investigation Of Rapid Diagnostic Tests For Characterization Of Mycobacterium Avium Complex (Mac) From Various Isolates And Identification Of Virulence Factors Of Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus (Prrsv) In Vitro, Claudia Antonika

UCARE: Research Products

Chapter 1

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) has become one of the major problems in public health and livestock. Members of MAC, such as M. avium subsp paratuberculosis (MAP) and M. avium subsp hominissuis (MAH), are responsible for many opportunistic infections and the loss of livestock. MAP is economically significant to the beef and dairy industries because it is the etiologic agent of Johnes’s disease, a chronic and fatal enteritis in ruminants. Tracing the infection sources of MAC could be difficult since it infects many types of hosts in the natural environment. Furthermore, there is less information known about MAP pathogenicity …

Diversity Of Navel Microbiome In Young Adults, Shreya Shah, Teresa Donze-Reiner, Vishal Shah

Biology Faculty Publications

Introduction. Human skin microbial communities represent a tremendous source of genetic diversity that evolves as a function of human age. Microbiota differs between regions of oily and moist skin, and appears to stabilize with age.

Aim. We have a minimal understanding of the time frame required for the stabilization of skin microbiota, and the role played by gender. In the current study, we examined the microbiota present in the navel region of college-attending young adults in the age group of 18–25 years and investigated if diversity is associated with gender (male and female).

Method. The study involved 16 female and …