Microbiology Commons^™

Molecular Mimicry Of Noda Genes By An N-Acetylmuramoyl-L-Alanine Amidases Gene In A Nodule Forming Staphylococcus Cohnii [Research Note], Aberathne Herath Mudiyanselage Nadeeshani Ruwandika Aberathne, Wedage Methsala Madurangi Wedage, Dilantha Gunawardana

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

A rare, nodule-forming, Gram-positive bacterium (Sub4) was isolated from the forage and cover crop Pueraria phaseoloides, which aligned at 99.26% sequence identity to a partial 16S rDNA sequence of Staphylococcus cohnii sp. This was the first record of a strain/species of Staphylococcus capable of independent, unassisted nodule formation in a legume host. When a nodA gene was sought by PCR using a pair of gene-specific primers synthesized using a related (Firmicutes) Paenibacillus sp. nodA gene, the reaction yielded a PCR product of similar size but a distinct identity. The resulting ~400bp PCR product coded for a likely N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase …

Protocol For Optimizing Production And Quality Control Of Infective Ecohiv Virions, Hammodah Rawhi Hammodah Alfar, Daphne N. Pariser, Harry Chanzu, Smita Joshi, Daniёlle M. Coenen, Joshua Lykins, Kanakanagavalli Shravani Prakhya, Mary Jane Potash, Wei Chao, Jennifer Kelschenbach, David J. Volsky, Kelly Metcalf-Pate

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

EcoHIV is a model of HIV infection that recapitulates aspects of HIV-1 pathology in mice. However, there are limited published protocols to guide EcoHIV virion production. Here, we present a protocol for producing infective EcoHIV virions and essential quality controls. We describe steps for viral purification, titering, and multiple techniques to analyze infection efficacy. This protocol produces high infectivity in C57BL/6 mice which will aid investigators in generating preclinical data.

Interferon-Stimulated Gene Tdrd7 Interacts With Ampk And Inhibits Its Activation To Suppress Viral Replication And Pathogenesis, Sukanya Chakravarty, Gayatri Subramanian, Sonam Popli, Manoj Veleeparambil, Shumin Fan, Ritu Chakravarti, Saurabh Chattopadhyay

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Many viruses activate cellular autophagy in infected cells to facilitate their replication. Recently, we identified an interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene (ISG) Tudor domain containing 7 (TDRD7), which inhibits viral replication by blocking autophagy pathway. Here, we present a molecular mechanism for TDRD7 action and its relative contribution to protection against viral pathogenesis. TDRD7 inhibited the activation of adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a kinase required for initiating autophagy. Mechanistically, TDRD7 interacted directly with AMPK in the cytosolic compartment. Domain-mapping analyses revealed C-terminal Tudor domain of TDRD7 interacted with auto-inhibitory domain of AMPK. Deletion of Tudor domains abolished anti-AMPK and antiviral …

Aquatic Peptide: The Potential Anti-Cancer And Anti-Microbial Activity Of Ge18 Derived From Pathogenic Fungus Aphanomyces Invadans, Manikandan Velayutham, P. Snega Priya, Purabi Sarkar, Raghul Murugan, Bader O. Almutairi, Selvaraj Arokiyaraj, Zulhisyam Abdul Kari, Guillermo Tellez-Isaias, Ajay Guru, Jesu Arockiaraj

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Small molecules as well as peptide-based therapeutic approaches have attracted global interest due to their lower or no toxicity in nature, and their potential in addressing several health complications including immune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, osteoporosis and cancer. This study proposed a peptide, GE18 of subtilisin-like peptidase from the virulence factor of aquatic pathogenic fungus Aphanomyces invadans, which elicits anti-cancer and anti-microbial activities. To understand the potential GE18 peptide-induced biological effects, an in silico analysis, in vitro (L6 cells) and in vivo toxicity assays (using zebrafish embryo), in vitro anti-cancer assays and anti-microbial assays were performed. The outcomes of …

Long-Term Impacts Of Conservation Pasture Management In Manuresheds On System-Level Microbiome And Antibiotic Resistance Genes, Mitiku Mihiret Seyoum, Amanda Ashworth, Kristina M. Feye, Steven C. Ricke, Phillip R. Owens, Philip A. Moore Jr., Mary Savin

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Animal manure improves soil fertility and organic carbon, but long-term deposition may contribute to antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) entering the soil-water environment. Additionally, long-term impacts of applying animal manure to soil on the soil-water microbiome, a crucial factor in soil health and fertility, are not well understood. The aim of this study is to assess: (1) impacts of long-term conservation practices on the distribution of ARGs and microbial dynamics in soil, and runoff; and (2) associations between bacterial taxa, heavy metals, soil health indicators, and ARGs in manures, soils, and surface runoff in a study following 15 years of continuous …

The Bactericidal Activity Of A Novel Aneurinibacillus Aneurinilyticus Isolate Effectively Controls Foodborne Pathogens Campylobacter Jejuni And Listeria Monocytogenes, Peter M. Rubinelli, Rohana Liyanage, Jackson Lay, Jennifer C. Acuff

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Human zoonotic infection with Campylobacter is a major cause of gastroenteritis in the United States and worldwide. Listeria monocytogenes causes a potentially fatal infection in humans and is often attributed to contaminated food. Genetic typing has demonstrated that Campylobacter infection is often associated with the consumption of contaminated poultry products, with Campylobacter often colonizing the poultry gastrointestinal tract, while listeriosis is commonly associated with the consumption of contaminated ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. In this study, a strain of endospore-forming bacterium (strain NH) that is bactericidal towards the human food pathogens Campylobacter jejuni and Listeria monocytogenes was identified and characterized. Transwell experiments …

Past And Ongoing Field-Based Studies Of Myxomycetes, Steven L. Stephenson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Evidence from molecular studies indicates that myxomycetes (also called myxogastrids or plasmodial slime molds) have a long evolutionary history, and the oldest known fossil is from the mid-Cretaceous. However, they were not “discovered” until 1654, when a brief description and a woodcut depicting what is almost certainly the common species Lycogala epidendrum was published. First thought to be fungi, myxomycetes were not universally recognized as completely distinct until well into the twentieth century. Biodiversity surveys for the group being carried out over several years are relatively recent, with what is apparently the first example being carried out in the 1930s. …

Effect Of Bovine Respiratory Disease On The Respiratory Microbiome: A Meta-Analysis, Samantha Howe, Beth Kegley, Jeremy Powell, Sicheng Chen, Jiangchao Zhao

Animal Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the most devastating disease affecting beef and dairy cattle producers in North America. An emerging area of interest is the respiratory microbiome’s relationship with BRD. However, results regarding the effect of BRD on respiratory microbiome diversity are conflicting.

Results: To examine the effect of BRD on the alpha diversity of the respiratory microbiome, a meta-analysis analyzing the relationship between the standardized mean difference (SMD) of three alpha diversity metrics (Shannon’s Diversity Index (Shannon), Chao1, and Observed features (OTUs, ASVs, species, and reads) and BRD was conducted. Our multi-level model found no difference in Chao1 …

Roost Selection By Synanthropic Bats In Rural Kenya: Implications For Human-Wildlife Conflict And Zoonotic Pathogen Spillover, Reilly T. Jackson, Paul W. Webala, Joseph G. Ogola, Tamika J. Lunn, Kristian M. Forbes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many wildlife species are synanthropic and use structures built by humans, creating a high-risk interface for human–wildlife conflict and zoonotic pathogen spillover. However, studies that investigate features of urbanizing areas that attract or repel wildlife are currently lacking. We surveyed 85 buildings used by bats and 172 neighbouring buildings unused by bats (controls) in southeastern Kenya during 2021 and 2022 and evaluated the role of microclimate and structural attributes in building selection. We identified eight bat species using buildings, with over 25% of building roosts used concurrently by multiple species. Bats selected taller cement-walled buildings with higher water vapour pressure …

Il17a Blockade With Ixekizumab Suppresses Muvb Signaling In Clinical Psoriasis, Scott A Ochsner, Mesias Pedroza, Rudolf T Pillich, Venkatesh Krishnan, Bruce W Konicek, Ernst R Dow, So Young Park, Sandeep K Agarwal, Neil J Mckenna

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Unbiased informatics approaches have the potential to generate insights into uncharacterized signaling pathways in human disease. In this study, we generated longitudinal transcriptomic profiles of plaque psoriasis lesions from patients enrolled in a clinical trial of the anti-IL17A antibody ixekizumab (IXE). This dataset was then computed against a curated matrix of over 700 million data points derived from published psoriasis and signaling node perturbation transcriptomic and chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing datasets. We observed substantive enrichment within both psoriasis-induced and IXE-repressed gene sets of transcriptional targets of members of the MuvB complex, a master regulator of the mitotic cell cycle. These gene sets …

Public Reporting For Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: The Quest For The Optimal Scorecard, Hiba Ghandour, Aaron J Weiss, Mario Gaudino, Michael Halkos, Danny Chu, Bradley S Taylor, John Puskas, Deepak L Bhatt, Marco Zenati, John Stulak, Todd Rosengart, Husam H Balkhy, Eugene H Blackstone, Lars G Svensson, Faisal G Bakaeen, Ozgun Erten, Tara Karamlou, Edward G Soltesz, A Marc Gillinov, Anthony Warmuth, Eric E Roselli, Nicholas G Smedira

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: A number of publicly available rating algorithms are used to assess hospital performance in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However, concerns remain that these algorithms fail to correlate with each other and inadequately capture the case complexity of individual center practices.

Methods: Composite star ratings for isolated CABG from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons public reporting database were extracted for 2018-2019. U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals was used to extract CABG ratings as well as overall cardiology and heart surgery ranking, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Compare was used to extract CABG volume …

Identification Of A Small Regulatory Rna Usps Associated With The Universal Stress Protein In Lactobacillus Species, Zarah M. Fowler, Sasha S. Bronovitskiy, Finn K. Rose, Brian M. Lee

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

The gut microbiome is a complex habitat with many bacterial species, each playing crucial roles in regulating various physiological processes in the body. As the use of probiotics to combat human disease continues to increase, it is important to understand the mechanisms by which probiotic bacteria regulate their interactions with other bacteria and their host. Our exploration of the physiological functions of probiotic bacteria hopes to elucidate the role of small regulatory RNA (sRNA) in regulating gene expression within the microbiome. The goal of this project was to characterize the structure and function of the sRNA, UspS, which is found …

Flavonoids Quercetin And Kaempferol Are Nr4a1 Antagonists And Suppress Endometriosis In Female Mice, Lei Zhang, Kumaravel Mohankumar, Gregory Martin, Fuada Mariyam, Yuri Park, Sang Jun Han, Stephen Safe

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Nuclear receptor 4A1 (NR4A1) plays an important role in endometriosis progression; levels of NR4A1 in endometriotic lesions are higher than in normal endometrium, and substituted bis-indole analogs (NR4A1) antagonists suppress endometriosis progression in mice with endometriosis. In addition, the flavonoids kaempferol and quercetin are natural products that directly bind NR4A1 and significantly repress the intrinsic NR4A1-dependent transcriptional activity in human endometriotic epithelial and stromal cells and Ishikawa endometrial cancer cells. NR4A1 knockdown and inhibition of NR4A1 by kaempferol and quercetin suppressed proliferation of human endometriotic epithelial cells and Ishikawa cells by inhibiting epidermal growth factor receptor/c-Myc/survivin-mediated growth-promoting and survival pathways, …

Evaluation Of Organic And Synthetic Herbicides Applications On Indicators Of Soil Health And Weed Suppression In A Conventional Cropping System In Louisiana, Caitlin Denux

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Synthetic herbicides, with their varying modes of action, are well known for their efficiency in the suppression and control of weed species in U.S. agriculture. However, the consequences of using synthetic herbicides without attention to the surrounding environment can produce chemical run-off, changes in soil health and soil health conditions, and create herbicide-resistant weeds. These consequences have encouraged growers to find alternatives in their weed management programs. In this study, organic and synthetic herbicides were assessed on how well they performed in weed suppression surveys, and their potential effects on soil health indicators. Commonly used indicators include soil pH, β-glucosidase …

Celebrating Leeuwenhoek’S Life 300 Years Later, Alan L. Gillen

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Antony van Leeuwenhoek entered eternity 300 years ago (August 26, 1723). He made hundreds of discoveries with his simple microscope. Perhaps his most notable discovery was of bacteria and its many shapes. He found great joy in God [http://answersingenesis.org/god/] ’s smallest creatures. I believe that his curiosity about the world, fueled by his belief in biblical creation [http://answersingenesis.org/creation/] , led to his discovery of bacteria. In a similar manner, his curiosity of blood led to his discovery of red corpuscles and capillaries. He remained a curious man until the last days of his life 300 years …

Effect Of Various Types Of Extracellular Dna On V Hyugaensis Biofilm Formation, Carmen Gu Liu, Anthony W Maresso

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Marine bacteria face a constant influx of new extracellular DNA (exDNA) due to the massive viral lysis that occurs in the ocean on a daily basis. Generally, biofilms have shown to be induced by self-secreted exDNA. However, the effect of various types of exDNA with varying lengths, self vs non-self, as well as guanine-cytosine content (GC) content on biofilm formation has not been explored, despite being a critical component of the extracellular polymeric substance. To test the effect of such exDNA on biofilms, a marine bioluminescent bacterium (Vibrio hyugaensis) was isolated from the Sippewissett Salt Marsh, USA, and …

Sero-Epidemiology Of Rotavirus Gastroenteritis In Children In Ilorin, Kwara State, Omosigho Omoruyi Pius, Izevbuwa Osazee Ekundayo, Saheed Ibrahim Damilare

Journal of Bioresource Management

Rotavirus is responsible for the most severe dehydrating diarrhea among young children due to gastroenteritis. In this study, we aimed to ascertain the occurrence of childhood gastroenteritis caused by Rotavirus among infants and young children who are younger than 5 years of age in Ilorin, Kwara State and determined the risk factors posing the challenges to be susceptible to diarrhea associated with rotavirus in Ilorin, Kwara State. Diarrhea stool samples were collected from children who passed watery stools, who met predetermined inclusion criteria and who presented at the study hospitals Viz: General Hospital and Specialist Hospital Alagbado and Children Specialist …

Additive Effects Of Cyclic Peptide [R4w4] When Added Alongside Azithromycin And Rifampicin Against Mycobacterium Avium Infection, Melissa Kelley, Kayvan Sasaninia, Arbi Abnousian, Ali Badaoui, James Owens, Abrianna Beever, Nala Kachour, Rakesh Kumar Tiwari, Vishwanath Venketaraman

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Mycobacterium avium (M. avium), a type of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), poses a risk for pulmonary infections and disseminated infections in immunocompromised individuals. Conventional treatment consists of a 12-month regimen of the first-line antibiotics rifampicin and azithromycin. However, the treatment duration and low antibiotic tolerability present challenges in the treatment of M. avium infection. Furthermore, the emergence of multidrug-resistant mycobacterium strains prompts a need for novel treatments against M. avium infection. This study aims to test the efficacy of a novel antimicrobial peptide, cyclic [R4W4], alongside the first-line antibiotics azithromycin and rifampicin in reducing M. avium survival. Colony-forming unit (CFU) …

Investigating Putative Toxin-Immunity Pairs From A New Class Of Rhs Proteins In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Syed Faieq Imam

Master's Theses

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram-negative, opportunistic pathogen that is ubiquitous in nature, especially in human/animal impacted environments. One of the reasons for this is the arsenal of protein systems and toxins that P. aeruginosa utilizes to mold its environment to suit its needs. Recently, we discovered a novel locus in the P. aeruginosa genome, which resembles other loci that are known to mediate interbacterial competition. Our bioinformatic analysis found this locus to be enriched in a rearrangement hotspot (rhs) motif which led us to ad-interim term the three ORFs of the loci as rhsB, rhsC, and rhsI. Furthermore, we have …

Mutation-Induced Changes In The Stability, B-Cell Epitope, And Antigenicity Of The Sars-Cov-2 Variant Spike Protein: A Comparative Computational Stud, Nira Meirita Wijayanti, Muhammad Hermawan Widyananda, Lailil Muflikhah, Nashi Widodo

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The spike (S) protein is a major antigenicity site that targets neutralizing antibodies and drugs. The growing number of S protein mutations has become a severe problem for developing effective vaccines. Here, we investigated four severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants that were the most infectious and widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic to determine the trends and patterns of mutation-induced changes in the stability, B-cell epitope, and antigenicity of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein. The data showed that the Beta and Gamma variants had three mutations on the receptor-binding domain (RBD), which is the specific site on the S …