Using Bacterial Transcriptomics to Investigate Targets of Host-Bacterial Interactions in Caenorhabditis elegans.

The interactions between a host and its resident microbes form complicated networks that can affect host physiology. Disentangling these host-microbe interactions can help us better understand mechanisms by which bacteria affect hosts, while also defining the integral commensal protection that host-associated microbiota offer to promote health. Here we utilize a tractable genetic model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans, to study the effects of host environments on bacterial gene expression and metabolic pathways.

Analysis of Student Attitudes of a Neurobiology Themed Inquiry Based Research Experience in First Year Biology Labs.

Inquiry based research experiences are thought to increase learning gains in biology, STEM retention, and confidence in students of diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, such research experiences within the first year of college may foster increased student retention and interest in biology. However, providing first year students in biology labs with inquiry-based experiences is challenging given demands of large student enrollments, restricted lab space, and instructor time.

Draft Genome Sequences of Violacein-Producing Duganella sp. Isolates from a Waterway in Eastern Pennsylvania.

Five Duganella sp. bacterial isolates that synthesize violacein were cultured from a central Pennsylvania waterway. Violacein has antimicrobial potential, including chytrid-killing effects, relevant to amphibian declines worldwide.

Excess Dietary Zinc Intake in Neonatal Mice Causes Oxidative Stress and Alters Intestinal Host-Microbe Interactions.

Scope: Greater than 68% of young infants are exposed to dietary zinc (Zn) levels that are higher than the Tolerable Upper Intake Limit. However, the consequences of excess dietary Zn during early life on intestinal function and host-microbe interactions are unknown.

Methods And Results: Neonatal mice are gavaged with 100 Zn µg d from postnatal day (PN) 2 through PN10 and indices of intestinal function and host-microbe interactions are compared to unsupplemented mice.

Tree Nut Consumption and Adipose Tissue Mass: Mechanisms of Action.

There is concern that tree nuts may cause weight gain due to their energy density, yet evidence shows that tree nuts do not adversely affect weight status. Epidemiologic and experimental studies have shown a reduced risk of chronic diseases with tree nut consumption without an increased risk of weight gain. In fact, tree nuts may protect against weight gain and benefit weight-loss interventions.

Demographic characteristics of an avian predator, Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla), in response to its aquatic prey in a Central Appalachian USA watershed impacted by shale gas development.

We related Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) demographic response and nest survival to benthic macroinvertebrate aquatic prey and to shale gas development parameters using models that accounted for both spatial and non-spatial sources of variability in a Central Appalachian USA watershed. In 2013, aquatic prey density and pollution intolerant genera (i.e.

Host Developmental Toxicity of BPA and BPA Alternatives Is Inversely Related to Microbiota Disruption in Zebrafish.

Host-associated microbiota can biotransform xenobiotics, mediate health effects of chemical exposure, and play important roles in early development. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widespread environmental chemical that has been associated with adverse endocrine and neurodevelopmental effects, some of which may be mediated by microbiota. Growing public concern over the safety of BPA has resulted in its replacement with structurally similar alternatives.

Variation in DNA methylation is associated with migratory phenotypes of lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens in the St. Clair River, MI, USA.

Lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens populations show a variety of movement patterns that are poorly understood. To compare two migratory phenotypes of A. fulvescens in the St.

Accumulation of Marcellus Formation Oil and Gas Wastewater Metals in Freshwater Mussel Shells.

For several decades, high-salinity water brought to the surface during oil and gas (O&G) production has been treated and discharged to waterways under National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. In Pennsylvania, USA, a portion of the treated O&G wastewater discharged to streams from 2008 to 2011 originated from unconventional (Marcellus) wells. We collected freshwater mussels, Elliptio dilatata and Elliptio complanata, both upstream and downstream of a NPDES-permitted facility, and for comparison, we also collected mussels from the Juniata and Delaware Rivers that have no reported O&G discharge.

High-Resolution Identification of Multiple Salmonella Serovars in a Single Sample by Using CRISPR-SeroSeq.

is represented by >2,600 serovars that can differ in routes of transmission, host colonization, and in resistance to antimicrobials. is the leading bacterial cause of foodborne illness in the United States, with well-established detection methodology. Current surveillance protocols rely on the characterization of a few colonies to represent an entire sample; thus, minority serovars remain undetected.

Microbial Community Structure and Functional Potential in Cultivated and Native Tallgrass Prairie Soils of the Midwestern United States.

The North American prairie covered about 3.6 million-km of the continent prior to European contact. Only 1-2% of the original prairie remains, but the soils that developed under these prairies are some of the most productive and fertile in the world, containing over 35% of the soil carbon in the continental United States.

Bacterial Biomarkers of Marcellus Shale Activity in Pennsylvania.

Unconventional oil and gas (UOG) extraction, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is becoming more prevalent with the increasing use and demand for natural gas; however, the full extent of its environmental impacts is still unknown. Here we measured physicochemical properties and bacterial community composition of sediment samples taken from twenty-eight streams within the Marcellus shale formation in northeastern Pennsylvania differentially impacted by hydraulic fracturing activities. Fourteen of the streams were classified as UOG+, and thirteen were classified as UOG- based on the presence of UOG extraction in their respective watersheds.

Exposure to Arsenic Alters the Microbiome of Larval Zebrafish.

Exposure to environmental toxins such as heavy metals can perturb the development and stability of microbial communities associated with human or animal hosts. Widespread arsenic contamination in rivers and riparian habitats therefore presents environmental and health concerns for populations living near sources of contamination. To investigate how arsenic affects host microbiomes, we sequenced and characterized the microbiomes of twenty larval zebrafish exposed to three concentrations of arsenic that are found in contaminated water-low (10 ppb), medium (50 ppb), and high (100 ppb) for 20 days.

The crystal structures of 3--benzyl-1,2--iso-propyl-idene-5--methane-sulfonyl-6--tri-phenyl-methyl-α-d-gluco-furan-ose and its azide displacement product.

The effect of different leaving groups on the substitution elimination outcomes with C-5 d-glucose derivatives was investigated. The stereochemical configurations of 3--benzyl-1,2--iso-propyl-idene-5--methane-sulfonyl-6--tri-phenyl-methyl-α-d-gluco-furan-ose, CHOS () [systematic name: 1-[(3a,5,6,6a)-6-benz-yloxy-2,2-di-methyl-tetra-hydro-furo[2,3-][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)-2-(trit-yloxy)ethyl methane-sulfonate], a stable inter-mediate, and 5-azido-3--benzyl-5-de-oxy-1,2--iso-propyl-idene-6--tri-phenyl-methyl-β-l-ido-furan-ose, CHNO () [systematic name: (3a,5,6,6a)-5-[1-azido-2-(trit-yloxy)eth-yl]-6-benz-yloxy-2,2-di-methyl-tetra-hydro-furo[2,3-][1,3]dioxole], a substitution product, were examined and the inversion of configuration for the azido group on C-5 in was confirmed. The absolute structures of the mol-ecules in the crystals of both compounds were confirmed by resonant scattering.

Ocular Kinematics Measured by In Vitro Stimulation of the Cranial Nerves in the Turtle.

After animals are euthanized, their tissues begin to die. Turtles offer an advantage because of a longer survival time of their tissues, especially when compared to warm-blooded vertebrates. Because of this, in vitro experiments in turtles can be performed for extended periods of time to investigate the neural signals and control of their target actions.

Impacts of Glutaraldehyde on Microbial Community Structure and Degradation Potential in Streams Impacted by Hydraulic Fracturing.

The environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing, particularly those of surface spills in aquatic ecosystems, are not fully understood. The goals of this study were to (1) understand the effect of previous exposure to hydraulic fracturing fluids on aquatic microbial community structure and (2) examine the impacts exposure has on biodegradation potential of the biocide glutaraldehyde. Microcosms were constructed from hydraulic fracturing-impacted and nonhydraulic fracturing-impacted streamwater within the Marcellus shale region in Pennsylvania.

Real-time magnetic actuation of DNA nanodevices via modular integration with stiff micro-levers.

DNA nanotechnology has enabled complex nanodevices, but the ability to directly manipulate systems with fast response times remains a key challenge. Current methods of actuation are relatively slow and only direct devices into one or two target configurations. Here we report an approach to control DNA origami assemblies via externally applied magnetic fields using a low-cost platform that enables actuation into many distinct configurations with sub-second response times.

Response of Aquatic Bacterial Communities to Hydraulic Fracturing in Northwestern Pennsylvania: A Five-Year Study.

Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing extraction procedures have become increasingly present in Pennsylvania where the Marcellus Shale play is largely located. The potential for long-term environmental impacts to nearby headwater stream ecosystems and aquatic bacterial assemblages is still incompletely understood. Here, we perform high-throughput sequencing of the 16 S rRNA gene to characterize the bacterial community structure of water, sediment, and other environmental samples (n = 189) from 31 headwater stream sites exhibiting different histories of fracking activity in northwestern Pennsylvania over five years (2012-2016).

Antibiotic Treatments for Infection Are Associated with Distinct Bacterial and Fungal Community Structures.

infection (CDI) is the most common nosocomial infection in the United States, being associated with high recurrence and persistence rates. Though the relationship between intestinal dysbiosis and CDI is well known, it is unclear whether different forms of dysbiosis may potentially affect the course of CDI. How this is further influenced by -directed antibiotics is virtually uninvestigated.

HFE Genotype Restricts the Response to Paraquat in a Mouse Model of Neurotoxicity.

Parkinson's disease is marked clinically by motor dysfunction and pathologically by dopaminergic cell loss in the substantia nigra and iron accumulation in the substantia nigra. The driver underlying iron accumulation remains unknown and could be genetic or environmental. The HFE protein is critical for the regulation of cellular iron uptake.

Complete Mitochondrial Genome Sequences of Five Rockfishes (Perciformes: ).

Rockfishes of the genus rank among the longest-lived vertebrate animals. In order to facilitate comparative genomic research in animal longevity, the complete mitochondrial genome sequences are presented for , and .