Microbiota, Oral Microbiome, And Pancreatic Cancer,
2014
Brown University & Imperial College
Microbiota, Oral Microbiome, And Pancreatic Cancer, Dominique S. Michaud, Jacques Izard
Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications
Only 30% of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer survive one year post-diagnosis. Progress in understanding the causes of pancreatic cancer has been made, including solidifying the associations with obesity and diabetes, and a proportion of cases should be preventable through lifestyle modifications. Unfortunately, identifying reliable biomarkers of early pancreatic cancer has been extremely challenging, and no effective screening modality is currently available for this devastating form of cancer. Recent data suggest the microbiota may play a role in the disease process, but many questions remain. Future studies focusing on the human microbiome, both etiologically and as a marker of disease …
Cd46-Mediated Transduction Of A Species D Adenovirus Vaccine Improves Mucosal Vaccine Efficacy,
2014
1
Cd46-Mediated Transduction Of A Species D Adenovirus Vaccine Improves Mucosal Vaccine Efficacy, Zenaido T. Camacho, Michael A. Barry, Eric A. Weaver
Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications
The high levels of preexisting immunity against Adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) have deemed Ad5 unusable for translation as a human vaccine vector. Low seroprevalent alternative viral vectors may be less impacted by preexisting immunity, but they may also have significantly different phenotypes from that of Ad5. In this study we compare species D Ads (26, 28, and 48) to the species C Ad5. In vitro transduction studies show striking differences between the species C and D viruses. Most notably, Ad26 transduced human dendritic cells much more effectively than Ad5. In vivo imaging studies showed strikingly different transgene expression profiles. The …
The Wnt/Planar Cell Polarity Pathway Component Vangl2 Induces Synapse Formation Through Direct Control Of N-Cadherin,
2014
Niigata University
The Wnt/Planar Cell Polarity Pathway Component Vangl2 Induces Synapse Formation Through Direct Control Of N-Cadherin, Tadahiro Nagaoka, Riuko Ohashi, Ayumu Inutsuka, Seiko Sakai, Nobuyoshi Fujisawa, Minesuke Yokoyama, Yina H. Huang, Michihiro Igarashi, Masashi Kishi
Dartmouth Scholarship
Although regulators of the Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway are widely expressed in vertebrate nervous systems, their roles at synapses are unknown. Here, we show that Vangl2 is a postsynaptic factor crucial for synaptogenesis and that it coprecipitates with N-cadherin and PSD-95 from synapse-rich brain extracts. Vangl2 directly binds N-cadherin and enhances its internalization in a Rab5-dependent manner. This physical and functional interaction is suppressed by β-catenin, which binds the same intracellular region of N-cadherin as Vangl2. In hippocampal neurons expressing reduced Vangl2 levels, dendritic spine formation as well as synaptic marker clustering is significantly impaired. Furthermore, Prickle2, another postsynaptic …
Cluster M Mycobacteriophages Bongo, Pegleg, And Rey With Unusually Large Repertoires Of Trna Isotypes,
2014
Providence College
Cluster M Mycobacteriophages Bongo, Pegleg, And Rey With Unusually Large Repertoires Of Trna Isotypes, Welkin H. Pope, Kirk R. Anders, Madison Baird, Charles A. Bowman, Michelle M. Boyle, Gregory W. Broussard, Tiffany Chow, Kari L. Clase, Shannon Cooper, Kathleen A. Cornely, Randall J. Dejong, Veronique A. Delesalle, Lisa Deng, David Dunbar, Nicholas P. Edgington, Christina M. Ferreira, Kathleen Weston Hafer, Grant A. Hartzog, J. Robert Hatherill, Lee E. Hughes, Khristina Ipapo, Greg P. Krukonis, Christopher G. Meier, Denise L. Monti, Matthew R. Olm, Shallee T. Page, Craig L. Peebles, Claire A. Rinehart, Michael R. Rubin, Daniel A. Russell, Erin R. Sanders, Morgan Schoer, Christopher D. Shaffer, James Wherley, Edwin Vazquez, Han Yuan, Daiyuan Zhang, Steven G. Cresawn, Deborah Jacobs-Sera, Roger W. Hendrix, Graham F. Hatfull
Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications
Genomic analysis of a large set of phages infecting the common host Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155 shows that they span considerable genetic diversity. There are more than 20 distinct types that lack nucleotide similarity with each other, and there is considerable diversity within most of the groups. Three newly isolated temperate mycobacteriophages, Bongo, PegLeg, and Rey, constitute a new group (cluster M), with the closely related phages Bongo and PegLeg forming subcluster M1 and the more distantly related Rey forming subcluster M2. The cluster M mycobacteriophages have siphoviral morphologies with unusually long tails, are homoimmune, and have larger than average genomes …
A Genomewide Overexpression Screen Identifies Genes Involved In The Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Pathway In The Human Protozoan Parasite Entamoeba Histolytica,
2014
Clemson University
A Genomewide Overexpression Screen Identifies Genes Involved In The Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Pathway In The Human Protozoan Parasite Entamoeba Histolytica, Amrita B. Koushik, Brenda H. Welter, Michelle L. Rock, Lesly A. Temesvari
Publications
Entamoeba histolytica is a protozoan parasite that causes amoebic dysentery and liver abscess. E. histolytica relies on motility, phagocytosis, host cell adhesion, and proteolysis of extracellular matrix for virulence. In eukaryotic cells, these processes are mediated in part by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling. Thus, PI3K may be critical for virulence. We utilized a functional genomics approach to identify genes whose products may operate in the PI3K pathway in E. histolytica. We treated a population of trophozoites that were overexpressing genes from a cDNA library with a near-lethal dose of the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin. This screen was based on the rationale …
Deep Rna Sequencing Reveals Hidden Features And
Dynamics Of Early Gene Transcription In Paramecium
Bursaria Chlorella Virus 1,
2014
Aix-Marseille Universite
Deep Rna Sequencing Reveals Hidden Features And Dynamics Of Early Gene Transcription In Paramecium Bursaria Chlorella Virus 1, Guillaume Blanc, Michael Mozar, Irina V. Agarkova, James R. Gurnon, Giane Yanai-Balser, Janet M. Rowe, Yuannan Xia, Jean-Jack Riethoven, David D. Dunigan, James L. Van Etten
Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications
Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus 1 (PBCV-1) is the prototype of the genus Chlorovirus (family Phycodnaviridae) that infects the unicellular, eukaryotic green alga Chlorella variabilis NC64A. The 331-kb PBCV-1 genome contains 416 major open reading frames. A mRNA-seq approach was used to analyze PBCV-1 transcriptomes at 6 progressive times during the first hour of infection. The alignment of 17 million reads to the PBCV-1 genome allowed the construction of single-base transcriptome maps. Significant transcription was detected for a subset of 50 viral genes as soon as 7 min after infection. By 20 min post infection (p.i.), transcripts were detected for …
Cluster M Mycobacteriophages Bongo, Pegleg, And Rey With Unusually Large Repertoires Of Trna Isotypes,
2014
University of Pittsburgh
Cluster M Mycobacteriophages Bongo, Pegleg, And Rey With Unusually Large Repertoires Of Trna Isotypes, Welkin H. Pope, Kirk R. Anders, Madison Baird, Charles A. Bowman
University Faculty Publications and Creative Works
Genomic analysis of a large set of phages infecting the common host Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155 shows that they span considerable genetic diversity. There are more than 20 distinct types that lack nucleotide similarity with each other, and there is considerable diversity within most of the groups. Three newly isolated temperate mycobacteriophages, Bongo, PegLeg, and Rey, constitute a new group (cluster M), with the closely related phages Bongo and PegLeg forming subcluster M1 and the more distantly related Rey forming subcluster M2. The clusterMmycobacteriophages have siphoviral morphologies with unusually long tails, are homoimmune, and have larger than average genomes (80.2 to …
Chip-Seq And Rna-Seq Reveal An Amrz-Mediated Mechanism For Cyclic Di-Gmp Synthesis And Biofilm Development By Pseudomonas Aeruginosa,
2014
The Ohio State University
Chip-Seq And Rna-Seq Reveal An Amrz-Mediated Mechanism For Cyclic Di-Gmp Synthesis And Biofilm Development By Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Christopher J. Jones, David Newsom, Benjamin Kelly, Yasuhiko Irie, Laura K. Jennings, Binjie Xu, Dominique H. Limoli, Joe J. Harrison, Matthew R. Parsek, Peter White, Daniel J. Wozniak
Biology Faculty Publications
The transcription factor AmrZ regulates genes important for P. aeruginosa virulence, including type IV pili, extracellular polysaccharides, and the flagellum; however, the global effect of AmrZ on gene expression remains unknown, and therefore, AmrZ may directly regulate many additional genes that are crucial for infection. Compared to the wild type strain, a ΔamrZ mutant exhibits a rugose colony phenotype, which is commonly observed in variants that accumulate the intracellular second messenger cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP). Cyclic di-GMP is produced by diguanylate cyclases (DGC) and degraded by phosphodiesterases (PDE). We hypothesized that AmrZ limits the intracellular accumulation of c-di-GMP through transcriptional repression …
Retinoic Acid Regulation Of Thyroid Hormone Action In Bone Cells,
2014
Loma Linda University
Retinoic Acid Regulation Of Thyroid Hormone Action In Bone Cells, Anjali Babbar
Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects
Retinoic acid and thyroid hormone are known to play key roles in the regulation of endochondral ossification. However, the issue of whether these two hormones interact with each other to regulate bone functions remains to be established. We investigated how thyroid hormone and retinoic acid interact to regulate cells involved in endochondral bone formation. We demonstrate that thyroid hormone treatment stimulates differentiation of ATDC5 chondrocytes and promotes formation of mineralized nodules while retinoic acid treatment at high dose inhibits chondrocyte differentiation and formation of mineralized nodules. Furthermore, thyroid hormone induced mineralized nodule formation is inhibited by co-treatment with retinoic acid …
Vaccines Within Vaccines: The Use Of Adenovirus Types 4 And 7 As Influenza Vaccine Vectors,
2014
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vaccines Within Vaccines: The Use Of Adenovirus Types 4 And 7 As Influenza Vaccine Vectors, Eric A. Weaver
Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications
Adenovirus Types 4 and 7 (Ad4 and Ad7) are associated with acute respiratory distress (ARD). In order to prevent widespread Ad-associated ARD (Ad-ARD) the United States military immunizes new recruits using a safe and effective lyophilized wildtype Ad4 and Ad7 delivered orally in an enteric-coated capsule. We cloned Ad4 and Ad7 and modified them to express either a GFP-Luciferase (GFPLuc) fusion gene or a centralized influenza H1 hemagglutinin (HA1-con). BALB/c mice were injected with GFPLuc expressing viruses intramuscularly (i.m.) and intranasally (i.n.). Ad4 induced significantly higher luciferase expression levels as compared with Ad7 by both routes. Ad7 transduction was restored …
Cluster M Mycobacteriophages Bongo, Pegleg, And Rey With Unusually Large Repertoires Of Trna Isotypes,
2014
University of Pittsburgh
Cluster M Mycobacteriophages Bongo, Pegleg, And Rey With Unusually Large Repertoires Of Trna Isotypes, Welkin H. Pope, Kirk R. Anders, Madison Baird, Charles A. Bowman
University Faculty Publications and Creative Works
Genomic analysis of a large set of phages infecting the common host Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155 shows that they span considerable genetic diversity. There are more than 20 distinct types that lack nucleotide similarity with each other, and there is considerable diversity within most of the groups. Three newly isolated temperate mycobacteriophages, Bongo, PegLeg, and Rey, constitute a new group (cluster M), with the closely related phages Bongo and PegLeg forming subcluster M1 and the more distantly related Rey forming subcluster M2. The clusterMmycobacteriophages have siphoviral morphologies with unusually long tails, are homoimmune, and have larger than average genomes (80.2 to …
The Toxavapa Toxin-Antitoxin Locus Contributes To The Survival Of Nontypeable Haemophilus Influenzae During Infection,
2014
Old Dominion University
The Toxavapa Toxin-Antitoxin Locus Contributes To The Survival Of Nontypeable Haemophilus Influenzae During Infection, Dabin Ren, Alexis A. Kordis, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Dayle A. Daines
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is an opportunistic pathogen that is a common cause of acute and recurrent mucosal infections. One uncharacterized NTHi toxin-antitoxin (TA) module, NTHI1912-1913, is a host inhibition of growth (higBA) homologue. We hypothesized that this locus, which we designated toxAvapA, contributed to NTHi survival during infection. We deleted toxAvapA and determined that growth of the mutant in defined media was not different from the parent strain. We tested the mutant for persistence during long-term in vitro co-culture with primary human respiratory tissues, which revealed that the DeltatoxAvapA mutant was attenuated for survival. We then …
Transcriptome Analysis Of Listeria Monocytogenes Exposed To Biocide Stress Reveals A Multi-System Response Involving Cell Wall Synthesis, Sugar Uptake, And Motility,
2014
Teagasc Food Research Centre, Fermoy, Ireland
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 …
Genetic Characterization And Role In Virulence Of The Ribonucleotide Reductases Of Streptococcus Sanguinis,
2014
Virginia Commonwealth University
Genetic Characterization And Role In Virulence Of The Ribonucleotide Reductases Of Streptococcus Sanguinis, Delacy V. Rhodes, Katie E. Crump, Olga Makhlynets, Melanie Snyder, Xiuchun Ge, Ping Xu, Joanne Stubbe, Todd Kitten
Biology Faculty Articles
Streptococcus sanguinis is a cause of infective endocarditis and has been shown to require a manganese transporter called SsaB for virulence and O2 tolerance. Like certain other pathogens, S. sanguinis possesses aerobic class Ib (NrdEF) and anaerobic class III (NrdDG) ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs) that perform the essential function of reducing ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides. The accompanying paper (Makhlynets, O., Boal, A. K., Rhodes, D. V., Kitten, T., Rosenzweig, A. C., and Stubbe, J. (2014) J. Biol. Chem. 289, 6259–6272) indicates that in the presence of O2, the S. sanguinis class Ib RNR self-assembles an essential diferric-tyrosyl radical (Fe …
Molecular Characterization Of Pathways Involved In Pas Kinase Regulation And Function,
2014
Brigham Young University
Molecular Characterization Of Pathways Involved In Pas Kinase Regulation And Function, Julianne H. Grose
Journal of Undergraduate Research
The academic objectives of this MEG were to provide novel findings in the field of metabolic regulation while training both graduate and undergraduate students. We were able to meet these objectives as evidenced by one published scientific article, one article accepted upon minor revision, and one in preparation. In addition, fifteen oral presentations or posters were presented at scientific meetings on findings directly obtained from this MEG. Furthermore, these findings helped obtain NIH funding in 2012 that will continue through 2015, allowing for further scientific advance and training of students.
The Role Of The Kshv Lana Protein In Development Of Persistent Infections In Vivo,
2014
Brigham Young University
The Role Of The Kshv Lana Protein In Development Of Persistent Infections In Vivo, Bradford Berges
Journal of Undergraduate Research
Several of my students have moved on to future positions, as follows: Medical school: Marshall Sheide, Stanton Nielsen, German Cuadra Graduate school: Jamie Gardiner, Steve Hallam (still interviewing) Currently employed: Joel Gardner, Wittnee Estes
Gene And Protein Sequence Optimization For High-Level Production Of Fully Active And Aglycosylated Lysostaphin In Pichia Pastoris,
2014
Dartmouth College
Gene And Protein Sequence Optimization For High-Level Production Of Fully Active And Aglycosylated Lysostaphin In Pichia Pastoris, Hongliang Zhao, Kristina Blazanovic, Yoonjoo Choi, Chris Bailey-Kellogg, Karl E. Griswold
Dartmouth Scholarship
Lysostaphin represents a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of staphylococcal infections, in particular those of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). However, conventional expression systems for the enzyme suffer from various limitations, and there remains a need for an efficient and cost-effective production process to facilitate clinical translation and the development of nonmedical applications. While Pichia pastoris is widely used for high-level production of recombinant proteins, there are two major barriers to the production of lysostaphin in this industrially relevant host: lack of expression from the wild-type lysostaphin gene and aberrant glycosylation of the wild-type protein sequence. The first barrier can …
Effect Of Epigenetic Modification Of Dna On Nucleosome Formation,
2014
Brigham Young University
Effect Of Epigenetic Modification Of Dna On Nucleosome Formation, Steven M. Johnson
Journal of Undergraduate Research
The following two specific Aims are from my 2011 MEG. We made great progress and completed Aim 1 and modified our Aim 2. Below I will give a status report for each Aim.
Targeting Iga Antibody Responses To Mucosal Tissues Through Chemokine Receptor Manipulation,
2014
Brigham Young University
Targeting Iga Antibody Responses To Mucosal Tissues Through Chemokine Receptor Manipulation, Eric Wilson
Journal of Undergraduate Research
Proper functioning of cells of the immune system is highly dependent on their efficient accumulation to tissues where infection may occur. These cells migrate throughout the body to sites of possible infection via arteries and blood vessels, much like commuters travel to their places of employment via highways and city streets. Just as commuters must take the appropriate off-ramps to get to their desired destination and then enter their work place, white blood cells must also exit the blood vessels of the body at appropriate locations and enter their destination tissues to effectively protect the host from infection.
Bax Induced Apoptosis Under Control Of The Tk1 Promoter,
2014
Brigham Young University
Bax Induced Apoptosis Under Control Of The Tk1 Promoter, Scott A. Witt, Dr. Kim L. O'Neill
Journal of Undergraduate Research
The human body has an automatic system for eliminating unwanted cells. When it is time for a cell to be removed, it is given a signal to divide up its parts into discrete packages and send them to other cells to be recycled. The cell eventually disintegrates. This process is called apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Every cell in the body has the mechanism, but only the ones receiving the signal will die. Sometimes, certain cells lose the ability to undergo programmed cell death. The result is a group of unwanted cells that refuse to die properly-cancer.
