A5016802496- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
- Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
- Antimicrobial Peptides and Activities
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Selenium in Biological Systems
- CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
- Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research
- Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- interferon and immune responses
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Entomopathogenic Microorganisms in Pest Control
- Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy Techniques
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research
- Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis
- Polymer Surface Interaction Studies
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Aquaculture disease management and microbiota
- Click Chemistry and Applications
- Marine Sponges and Natural Products
University of California, San Diego
2014-2022
Canton City School District
2020
Universidad Católica Santo Domingo
2020
Carnegie Mellon University
2011-2017
Imaging Center
2017
Mycobacteriophages are viruses that infect mycobacterial hosts such as Mycobacterium smegmatis and tuberculosis. All mycobacteriophages characterized to date dsDNA tailed phages, have either siphoviral or myoviral morphotypes. However, their genetic diversity is considerable, although sixty-two genomes been sequenced comparatively analyzed, these likely represent only a small portion of the mycobacteriophage population at large. Here we report isolation, sequencing comparative genomic...
Defense against intracellular infection has been extensively studied in vertebrate hosts, but less is known about invertebrate hosts; specifically, the transcription factors that induce defense intestinal model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans remain understudied. Two different types of pathogens naturally infect C. intestine are Orsay virus, which an RNA and microsporidia, comprise a phylum fungal pathogens. Despite their molecular differences, these common host transcriptional response...
Fungal infections, widespread throughout the world, affect a broad range of life forms, including agriculturally relevant plants, humans, and insects. In defending against fungal fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster employs Toll pathway to induce large number immune peptides. Some have been investigated, such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) Bomanins (Boms); many, however, remain uncharacterized. Here, we examine role in innate immunity two related peptides, Daisho1 Daisho2 (formerly IM4 IM14,...
The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster combats microbial infection by producing a battery of effector peptides that are secreted into the haemolymph. Technical difficulties prevented investigation these short genes until recent advent CRISPR/CAS era. As consequence, many putative immune effectors remain to be formally described, and exactly how each contribute survival is not well characterized. Here we describe novel antifungal peptide gene name Baramicin A . We show BaraA encodes precursor...
Herein, transcription factor NF-κB is characterized from two model jellyfish, Aurelia aurita (Aa) and Clytia hemisphaerica (Ch). Both jellyfish proteins consist primarily of the N-terminal DNA-binding/dimerization domain, they lack C-terminal ankyrin repeat inhibitory domain found in vertebrate proteins. can bind to a consensus mammalian binding site, their AlphaFold3-predicted structures on DNA are similar that mouse p50. Neither Aa- nor Ch-NF-κB activated an NF-κB-site reporter gene human...
Toll mediates a robust and effective innate immune response across vertebrates invertebrates. In Drosophila melanogaster, activation of by systemic infection drives the accumulation rich repertoire effectors in hemolymph, including recently characterized Bomanins, as well classical antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Here we report functional characterization Toll-induced hemolymph protein encoded bombardier (CG18067) gene. Using CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate precise deletion transcriptional...
Abstract Microsporidia are ubiquitous parasites that infect a wide range of animal hosts, and these fungal-related microbes undergo their entire replicative lifecycle inside host cells. Despite being widespread in the environment causing medical agricultural harm, virtually nothing is known about factors important to facilitate growth development Here, we perform genetic screen identify transcription for microsporidian pathogen Nematocida parisii intestinal cells its natural host, nematode...
We describe proof-of-concept for a novel approach visualizing regions of close apposition between the surfaces living cells. A membrane-anchored protein with high affinity chemical ligand is expressed on surface one set cells, and cells are co-cultured second that express fluorogen-activating (FAP). The incubated bivalent reagent composed fluorogen linked to high-affinity ligand, concentration chosen be less than binding constant FAP-fluorogen pair but greater ligand-high-affinity pair. In...
Abstract The fruit fly Drososphila melanogaster combats microbial infection by producing a battery of effector peptides that are secreted into the haemolymph. Technical difficulties prevented investigation these short genes until recent advent CRISPR/CAS era. As consequence, many putative immune effectors remain to be characterized and exactly how each contributes survival is not well characterized. Here we describe novel Drosophila antifungal peptide gene name Baramicin A . We show BaraA...
Abstract How does the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans respond to natural pathogen infections with non-professional immune cells? To answer this question, we are studying Intracellular Pathogen Response (IPR) – a host transcriptional response common infection molecularly diverse pathogens: microsporidia and Orsay virus. In addition intracellular pathogens, IPR can be induced upon exposure heat stress proteasome inhibition. Mutant animals constitutive activation have increased resistance...
Abstract Defense against intracellular infection has been extensively studied in vertebrate hosts, but less is known about invertebrate hosts. For example, almost nothing the transcription factors that induce defense intestinal model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Two types of pathogens naturally infect C. elegans intestine are Orsay virus, which a positive-sense RNA and microsporidia, fungal pathogens. Surprisingly, these molecularly distinct common host transcriptional response called...