Microbiology Commons^™

Neutrophils From Both Susceptible And Resistant Mice Efficiently Kill Opsonized Listeria Monocytogenes, Michelle G. Pitts, Travis A. Combs, Sarah E. F. D'Orazio

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Inbred mouse strains differ in their susceptibility to infection with the facultative intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, largely due to delayed or deficient innate immune responses. Previous antibody depletion studies suggested that neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes [PMN]) were particularly important for clearance in the liver, but the ability of PMN from susceptible and resistant mice to directly kill L. monocytogenes has not been examined. In this study, we showed that PMN infiltrated the livers of BALB/c/By/J (BALB/c) and C57BL/6 (B6) mice in similar numbers and that both cell types readily migrated toward leukotriene B4 in an in vitro chemotaxis assay. However, …

Microbiology (Sgsc), Molly Smith, Sara Selby

Biological Sciences Grants Collections

This Grants Collection for Microbiology was created under a Round Six ALG Textbook Transformation Grant.

Affordable Learning Georgia Grants Collections are intended to provide faculty with the frameworks to quickly implement or revise the same materials as a Textbook Transformation Grants team, along with the aims and lessons learned from project teams during the implementation process.

Documents are in .pdf format, with a separate .docx (Word) version available for download. Each collection contains the following materials:

• Linked Syllabus
• Initial Proposal
• Final Report

Hospital And Meat Associated Staphylococcus Aureus And Their Biofilm Characteristics, Trevor Michael Wienclaw

Theses and Dissertations

Biofilm phenotypes were studied in 32 Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from store-bought meats and 22 from diseased patients in hospitals. Of the meat-associated strains, 21 were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 11 were methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). The hospital-associated strains included 15 MRSAs and 7 MSSAs. We studied the robustness and composition of the biofilms produced by these strains. We found that on average hospital-associated strains form more robust biofilms than meat associated strains. The model often used to describe S. aureus biofilm composition includes two biofilm types defined by the presence or absence of polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA), PIA-dependent …

Cloning And Functional Analysis Of The Escherichia Coli Cell Division Protein Zape, Katherine Kellenberger

Senior Honors Projects

During bacterial cell division, a large, dynamic cytoskeletal structure called the Z-ring assembles at the site of division. The Z-ring is comprised of the major cell division protein FtsZ, a tubulin-like GTPase that utilizes GTP to assemble into linear polymers. In Escherichia coli, there are several cell division proteins that interact with FtsZ and regulate Z-ring assembly, constriction, and disassembly. The accessory proteins that interact with FtsZ are called Z-ring associated proteins (ZAPs). The Zaps which include ZapA, ZapB, ZapC, ZapD and ZapE are recruited to the divisome and influence Z-ring assembly and stability. Specifically, ZapE was identified to be …

Characterization Of A Morphogenetic Furrow Specific Gal4 Driver In The Developing Drosophila Eye, Ankita Sarkar, Neha Gogia, Kevin Farley, Lydia C. Payton, Amit Singh

Biology Faculty Publications

The ability to express a gene of interest in a spatio-temporal manner using Gal4-UAS system has allowed the use of Drosophila model to study various biological phenomenon. During Drosophila eye development, a synchronous wave of differentiation called Morphogenetic furrow (MF) initiates at the posterior margin resulting in differentiation of retinal neurons. This synchronous differentiation is also observed in the differentiating retina of vertebrates. Since MF is highly dynamic, it can serve as an excellent model to study patterning and differentiation. However, there are not any Gal4 drivers available to observe the gain- of- function or loss- of- function of a …

Characterization Of Pinitol Catabolism In Sinorhizobium Meliloti And Its Role In Nodule Occupancy, Angela Irene Kennedy-Mendez

Masters Theses

Sinorhizobium meliloti, which is the nitrogen fixing symbiont of Medicago sativa (alfalfa), was used to test the hypothesis that D-chiro-inositol is an intermediate of pinitol catabolism and that pinitol catabolism plays a role in S. melilot s ability to compete for nodule occupancy. An analytical method, involving gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GCMS), was developed to detect and separate pinitol and D-chiro-inositol. The S. meliloti wild type, and three isogenic mutant strains (idhA, mocD, and mocE) were grown in minimal medium with pinitol and pinitol plus glycerol. The S. meliloti wild type can utilize pinitol as a sole carbon source, …

Prediction Of Lncrna-Disease Associations Based On Inductive Matrix Completion, Chengqian Lu, Mengyun Yang, Feng Luo, Fang-Xiang Wu, Min Li, Yi Pan, Yaohang Li, Jianxin Wang

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Motivation: Accumulating evidences indicate that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play pivotal roles in various biological processes. Mutations and dysregulations of lncRNAs are implicated in miscellaneous human diseases. Predicting lncRNA–disease associations is beneficial to disease diagnosis as well as treatment. Although many computational methods have been developed, precisely identifying lncRNA–disease associations, especially for novel lncRNAs, remains challenging.

Results: In this study, we propose a method (named SIMCLDA) for predicting potential lncRNA– disease associations based on inductive matrix completion. We compute Gaussian interaction profile kernel of lncRNAs from known lncRNA–disease interactions and functional similarity of diseases based on disease–gene and gene–gene onotology …

Origin, Evolution, And Loss Of Bacterial Small Rnas, H. Auguste Dutcher, Rahul Raghavan

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Despite the central role of bacterial noncoding small RNAs (sRNAs) in posttranscriptional regulation, little is understood about their evolution. Here we compile what has been studied to date and trace a life cycle of sRNAs—from their mechanisms of emergence, through processes of change and frequent neofunctionalization, to their loss from bacterial lineages. Because they possess relatively unrestrictive structural requirements, we find that sRNA origins are varied, and include de novo emergence as well as formation from preexisting genetic elements via duplication events and horizontal gene transfer. The need for only partial complementarity to their mRNA targets facilitates apparent rapid change, …

Povidone-Iodine Vapor Kills Mrsa, Benjamin Ogilvie, Jon Mitton, Jordan Tucker, Dennis L. Eggett, Richard A. Robison

Student Works

Povidone-iodine is an antiseptic that is frequently used to clean skin prior to surgery. Current FDA regulations require that hospitals dispense povidone-iodine from single-use bottles, rather than large, multi-use containers, to prevent microbial contamination. This results in hospitals generating lots of product waste. However, if povidone-iodine vapor can kill microbes, then multi-use containers may be safe to use, since any bacteria that contaminated the inside of the container would soon die. The purpose of this research was to determine whether vapor from povidone-iodine could kill methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a common cause of hospital-associated infections.

In summary, this experiment demonstrated …

Role Of Mucin 19 In The Respiratory Tract, Kaitlin Mcbride

LSU Master's Theses

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a negative sense, single stranded RNA virus belonging to the Pneumoviridae family, and represents an important pathogen that causes severe respiratory disease worldwide. There is currently no vaccine against HMPV, so it is important to study the aspects of the immune response induced by HMPV. Because infiltration of mucus is a hallmark of HMPV infection, it is warranted to study the role of mucus in the disease process. Mucin proteins make up the major component of mucus and can be found within the airway and lungs. Previous work from our laboratory demonstrated a high upregulation of …

Genomic Expansion Of Magnetotactic Bacteria Reveals An Early Common Origin Of Magnetotaxis With Lineage-Specific Evolution, Wei Lin, Wensi Zhang, Xiang Zhao, Andrew P. Roberts, Greig A. Paterson, Dennis A. Bazylinski, Yongxin Pan

Life Sciences Faculty Research

The origin and evolution of magnetoreception, which in diverse prokaryotes and protozoa is known as magnetotaxis and enables these microorganisms to detect Earth’s magnetic field for orientation and navigation, is not well understood in evolutionary biology. The only known prokaryotes capable of sensing the geomagnetic field are magnetotactic bacteria (MTB), motile microorganisms that biomineralize intracellular, membrane-bounded magnetic single-domain crystals of either magnetite (Fe3O4) or greigite (Fe3S4) called magnetosomes. Magnetosomes are responsible for magnetotaxis in MTB. Here we report the first large-scale metagenomic survey of MTB from both northern and southern hemispheres combined with 28 genomes from uncultivated MTB. These genomes …

Characterization Of Silicon Ion Exposure On Deinococcus Radiodurans, Richard F. Daughtry

Theses and Dissertations

Deinococcus radiodurans is a robust bacterium that is known for its extraordinary resistance to ionizing radiation. In general, many of the investigations of this bacterium's resistance have revolved around low linear energy transfer radiation, such as gamma and electron radiation. This study explored Deinococcus radiodurans's ability to survive high linear energy transfer radiation, specifically proton and neutron radiation. Deinococcus radiodurans was dehydrated to reduce the effects of low linear energy transfer radiation. The bacteria were exposed to both neutron and proton radiation of varying amounts and rehydrated. The resulting colonies were counted and compared to colonies of non-irradiated control samples …

Characterization Of The Effects Of Heavy Charged Particle Exposure On The Radiation Resistant Bacterium Deinococcus Radiodurans, Todd A. Bryant

Theses and Dissertations

Although not an extremophile, Deinococcus radiodurans has proven to have exceptional resistance to ionizing radiation, specifically via gamma and X-ray photons. To date, no known experiments have bombarded the bacterium with charged particles larger than hydrogen. This study explored the effects on the organism’s ability to survive high linear energy transfer heavy-charged particle exposures of oxygen ions. It also investigated the effects of low linear energy transfer ultraviolet radiation on various mutants. Two uvrB mutants were created to ascertain the importance of the gene in single-strand break repair following gamma irradiation and two recF mutants were created to explore the …

Rapid Identification And Typing Of Mycobacterium Avium Complex Using Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (Maldi-Tof) Library And Biomarker Based Approaches, Claudia Antonika, John Dustin Loy, Raul Barletta, Michael Collins

UCARE: Research Products

Bacteria associated with the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) cause significant problems in animal agriculture and cause large economic losses and morbidity of livestock. Two clinically important subspecies of M. avium are M.avium ssp paratuberculosis (MAP) and M. avium ssp hominissuis (MAH). MAP is the etiologic agent of Johne’s disease, a chronic and fatal enteritis in ruminants, that has been linked to Crohn’s disease in humans.1 MAH has zoonotic potential as it is one of the leading causes of secondary infections in AIDS patients. Identification of M. avium in clinical samples is challenging as they have overlapping host ranges and clinical …

Gene Co-Occurrence Networks Reflect Bacteriophage Ecology And Evolution, Jason W. Shapiro, Catherine Putonti

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Bacteriophages are the most abundant and diverse biological entities on the planet, and new phage genomes are being discovered at a rapid pace. As more phage genomes are published, new methods are needed for placing these genomes in an ecological and evolutionary context. Phages are difficult to study by phylogenetic methods, because they exchange genes regularly, and no single gene is conserved across all phages. Here, we demonstrate how gene-level networks can provide a high-resolution view of phage genetic diversity and offer a novel perspective on virus ecology. We focus our analyses on virus host range and show how network …

Education Institutions Creation Of Partnerships, Iwasan D. Kejawa Ed.D

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

This issue is embracing the creation of partnerships with establishments worldwide for the provisions of life embodiments to graduates. At moment, there may be lack of friendship or partnership with establishments to create incentives for newly graduates of so many colleges and universities (Hirsh & Weber, 1999). Partnership with external companies will surely bring enormous grants to the colleges and universities and it will also encourage friendly establishments to provide incentives and perks to colleges, universities and alumni. It may be concluded that the advantages of creating rapport with external congruences is the comraderies and also compromises that will be …

Factors Affecting The Parasitism Of Gregarine Species In Grasshoppers In Western Nebraska, Alexandra Creigh, Kristin Mclarty, Scott Lyell Gardner

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

We conducted a survey of the species of parasites found in grasshoppers around the area of Dunwoody’s Pond to investigate whether there were any species specific parasitic relationships occurring there. We collected grasshoppers from several areas around Dunwoody’s Pond totaling 15 species including Melanoplus bivittatus (Say 1825) , Melanoplus sanguinipes (Fabricius, 1798) , Melanoplus differentialis (Thomas 1865), and Melanoplus femurrubrum (De Geer 1773), along with others (Seymour et al., 2009) and compared the parasites found in them. This study is similar to one conducted in South America by Lloyd in 1951, and we hoped to find connections between species to …

Breeding For Resistance In California Strawberry To Verticillium Dahliae, Zachary Christman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This article focuses on breeding resistant strawberries to the fungus Verticillium dahliae, common name Verticillium wilt. This is a serious fungal disease that can result in a loss of 50% or more of a strawberry harvest when grown in infested soil. The main goal is to provide an example of how a cultivar can be made more resistant to a plant pathogen with the use of plant breeding methods.

Since 1930 the University of California, Davis, has been developing strawberry cultivars that are adapted to the agricultural industry and regional farms. Developing cultivars that require fewer inputs are of …

Effects Of Elevated Hydrostatic Pressure Against Mesophilic Background Microflora And Habituated Salmonella Serovars In Orange Juice, Abimbola Allison, Edward Daniels, Shahid Chowdhury, Aliyar Fouladkhah

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

With recent improvements in the commercial feasibility of high pressure pasteurization units, the technology is gaining rapid acceptability across various sectors of food manufacturing, thus requiring extensive validation studies for effective adoption. Various times (1 min to 10 min) and intensity levels (0 MPa to 380 MPa) of elevated hydrostatic pressure were investigated for decontamination of mesophilic background microflora and inoculated Salmonella in orange juice. Results were analyzed by GLM procedure of SAS using Tukey- and Dunnett-adjusted ANOVA, additionally the Kmax and D-values were calculated using best-fitted (maximum R2) model obtained by GInaFit software. At 380 MPa, for treatments of …

Microbiome And Bacterioplankton Rrna Gene Sequence Data Collected From Gulf Of Mexico Seawater Samples, Cruises Dp03 And Dp04 From April - August 2016, Cole Easson, Lindsey Freed

DEEPEND Datasets

Seawater was collected and filtered for microbiome and bacterioplankton sequencing and analyses at various depths during planned DEEPEND cruise expeditions to the GOM in 2016. Filters were stored and then processed for total environmental genomic DNA according to standard methods (see earthmicrobiome.org). 16S rRNA amplicon libraries covering the V4 hypervariable regions were generated with universal PCR primers and then sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq DNA sequencing platform. Raw paired-end sequences were joined and quality filtered in the bioinformatics program, QIIME. Vertical baseline characterizations will track alpha and beta diversity at different depths ranging from 0 – 1500 m, assess seasonal …