A5040367391- Parasitic Infections and Diagnostics
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens research
- Amoebic Infections and Treatments
- Plant and animal studies
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Coccidia and coccidiosis research
- CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Trypanosoma species research and implications
- Toxoplasma gondii Research Studies
- Helminth infection and control
- Cancer Research and Treatments
- Gut microbiota and health
- Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatment
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Parasitic Diseases Research and Treatment
- Enterobacteriaceae and Cronobacter Research
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Cytomegalovirus and herpesvirus research
Washington University in St. Louis
2017-2024
Vanderbilt University
2014-2018
Despite being a frequent cause of severe diarrheal disease in infants and an opportunistic infection immunocompromised patients, Cryptosporidium research has lagged due to lack facile experimental methods. Here, we describe platform for complete life cycle development long-term growth C. parvum vitro using "air-liquid interface" (ALI) cultures derived from intestinal epithelial stem cells. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that differentiating cells grown under ALI conditions undergo...
Though horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is widespread, genes and taxa experience biased rates of transferability. Curiously, independent transmission homologous DNA to archaea, bacteria, eukaryotes, viruses extremely rare often defies ecological functional explanations. Here, we demonstrate that a bacterial lysozyme family integrated independently in all domains life across diverse environments, generating the only glycosyl hydrolase 25 muramidases plants archaea. During coculture hydrothermal...
Cryptosporidiosis is a leading cause of life-threatening diarrhea in young children resource-poor settings. To explore microbial influences on susceptibility, we screened 85 microbiota-associated metabolites for their effects Cryptosporidium parvum growth vitro. We identify eight inhibitory three main classes: secondary bile salts/acids, vitamin B6 precursor, and indoles. Growth restriction C. by indoles does not depend the host aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) pathway. Instead, treatment...
Currently, nitazoxanide is the only FDA-approved treatment for cryptosporidiosis; unfortunately, it ineffective in immunocompromised patients, has varied efficacy immunocompetent individuals, and not approved infants under 1 year of age. Identifying new inhibitors cryptosporidiosis requires standardized quantifiable vitro assays assessing potency, selectivity, timing activity, reversibility. Here, we provide protocols defining which stages life cycle are susceptible to four highly active...
Among the obstacles hindering Cryptosporidium research is lack of an in vitro culture system that supports complete life development and propagation. This major barrier has led to a shortage widely available anti-Cryptosporidium antibodies markers for staging developmental progression. Previously developed against were raised extracellular stages or recombinant proteins, leading with limited reactivity across parasite cycle. Here we sought create recognize novel epitopes could be used define...
Hybrid zones and the consequences of hybridization have contributed greatly to our understanding evolutionary processes. also provide valuable insight into dynamics symbiosis since each subspecies or species brings its unique microbial symbionts, including germline bacteria such as Wolbachia , hybrid zone. Here, we investigate a natural zone two meadow grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus in Pyrenees Mountains. We set out test whether co-infections B F grasshoppers enabled horizontal transfer...
The protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium sp. is a leading cause of diarrheal disease in those with compromised or underdeveloped immune systems, particularly infants and toddlers resource-poor localities. As an enteric pathogen, invades the apical surface intestinal epithelial cells, where it resides close proximity to metabolites lumen. However, effect gut on susceptibility infection remains largely unstudied. Here, we first identified which are prevalent neonatal mice when they most...
Cryptosporidium parvum is an enteric pathogen that invades epithelial cells in the intestine, where it resides at apical surface a unique epicellular location. Compared with those of related apicomplexan parasites, processes host cell attachment and invasion by C. are poorly understood. The streamlined genome contains numerous mucin-like glycoproteins, several which have previously been shown to mediate attachment, although majority unstudied. Here, we identified antigens recognized...
Despite being a frequent cause of severe diarrheal disease in infants and an opportunistic infection immunocompromised patients, Cryptosporidium research has lagged due to lack facile culture methods. Here, we describe platform for complete life cycle development long-term growth C. parvum vitro using “air-liquid interface” (ALI) cultures derived from intestinal epithelial stem cells. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that differentiating cells grown under ALI conditions undergo profound...
Very little is known about the process of meiosis in apicomplexan parasite
Very little is known about the process of meiosis in apicomplexan parasite Cryptosporidium despite essentiality sex its life cycle. Most cell lines only support asexual growth parvum ( C . ), but stem derived intestinal epithelial cells grown under air-liquid interface (ALI) conditions sexual To examine chromosomal dynamics during , we generated two transgenic parasites that were fluorescently tagged with mCherry or GFP on chromosomes 1 5, respectively. Infection ALI cultures Ifngr1 -/- mice...
Cryptosporidiosis is a leading cause of life-threatening diarrhea in young children resource-poor settings. Susceptibility rapidly declines with age, associated changes the microbiota. To explore microbial influences on susceptibility, we screened 85 microbiota- metabolites enriched adult gut for their effects C. parvum growth vitro. We identified eight inhibitory three main classes: secondary bile salts/acids, vitamin B 6 precursor, and indoles. Growth restriction by indoles did not depend...
The protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium parvum is a leading cause of pediatric diarrhea in developing countries, yet effective treatments for the disease are lacking due to difficulty studying laboratory. Specifically, current culturing methods rely on adenocarcinoma cell lines that do not support continual growth C. vitro, hindering development reagents such as stage‐specific antibodies and genetic tools this parasite. To better mimic native intracellular niche , we have utilized primary...
SUMMARY Maternal transmission of intracellular microbes is pivotal in establishing long-term, intimate symbioses. For germline that exert negative reproductive effects on their hosts, selection can theoretically favor the spread host genes counteract microbe’s harmful effects. Here, we leverage a major difference bacterial ( Wolbachia pipientis ) titers between closely-related wasp species with forward genetic, transcriptomic, and cytological approaches to map two quantitative trait loci...
Abstract The protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium is a leading cause of diarrheal disease in those with compromised or under-developed immune systems, particularly infants and toddlers resource-poor localities. As an enteric pathogen, invades the apical surface intestinal epithelial cells, where it resides close proximity to metabolites lumen. However, effect gut on susceptibility infection remains largely unstudied. Here, we first identified which are prevalent neonatal mice when they most...