Source: UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING submitted to
INTEGRATED INVESTIGATION OF MOLECULAR MECHANISMS IMPORTANT FOR HEALTH AND AGRICULTURE IN WYOMING
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1003752
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Oct 1, 2014
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2019
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Project Director
Thorsness, PE.
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
1000 E UNIVERSITY AVE DEPARTMENT 3434
LARAMIE,WY 82071-2000
Performing Department
Molecular Biology
Non Technical Summary
The Molecular Biology Department is comprised of 15 faculty members including three with joint appointments or outside assignments. All faculty members are molecular and cell biologists and microbiologists - the lines that divide these disciplines are often blurred. The departmental focus is dominated by research with the typical faculty member having a 60% research appointment. Every research program includes aspects of both basic as well as applied science. In aggregate, The Department of Molecular Biology is engaged in studies with implications for drug discovery, diseases of livestock, food safety, crop improvement and water quality, as well as science outreach. Many of these projects are collaborative with other departments and other universities. The physical and intellectual environment necessary to sustain this work and to ensure a healthy and vigorous research enterprise is based on a common set of human and physical resources. Despite the range of project titles, all of these research projects share similar needs for equipment and instrumentation. We propose to utilize Hatch funding to provide common use technology and physical resources in support of the research mission of the department and the college as outlined in this proposal.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
2031510104015%
2011852108010%
7223320104020%
3113399108020%
7123320104025%
9030210106010%
Knowledge Area
311 - Animal Diseases; 203 - Plant Biological Efficiency and Abiotic Stresses Affecting Plants; 722 - Zoonotic Diseases and Parasites Affecting Humans; 712 - Protect Food from Contamination by Pathogenic Microorganisms, Parasites, and Naturally Occurring Toxins; 201 - Plant Genome, Genetics, and Genetic Mechanisms; 903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
1510 - Corn; 3320 - Meat, beef cattle; 0210 - Water resources; 1852 - Rape; 3399 - Beef cattle, general/other;

Field Of Science
1040 - Molecular biology; 1060 - Biology (whole systems); 1080 - Genetics;
Goals / Objectives
Our goal is to develop common-use technology and physical resources in support of the research mission of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Department of Molecular Biology with the following objectives:Support ongoing studies of livestock disease, molecular genetics of animal disease, food safety, crop improvement, sustainable energy and science outreach, by maintaining a robust research infrastructure in the areas of molecular and cell biology and microbiology.Enable collaboration among faculty members within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and support new faculty members by providing a functional research environment.Provide a venue for science outreach to students, teachers and the community.Achievement of Objective 1 will require the Department to provide access to and maintain autoclaves, cold rooms, and instrumentation such as spectrophotometers, PCR, qPCR, imagers, incubators, specialty freezers and other instrumentation in addition to animal facilities as described in our management plan. Objective 2 is aimed at building our human resources by (a) hiring of elite new faculty members, which is dependent on a supportive research infrastructure, and (b) building research ties to research stations and community colleges in Wyoming, which often are limited in their access to research instrumentation. Objective 3 will enable education both at K-12 as well as our community colleges by providing resources and a venue for training in the molecular life sciences.
Project Methods
Our approach is three-fold: (a) We will implement a management plan for departmental research resources that includes a systematic approach to infrastructure maintenance and evaluation of instrumentation needs. (b) We will survey ongoing research projects (as outlined in the proposal) and the infrastructure needs for each project and (c) We will conduct an ongoing evaluation of our research enterprise to include the number of grant proposals submitted, manuscripts published and graduate students trained. The objective of this evaluation is to determine the degree to which our research infrastructure limits productivity, to focus available resources on high priority needs and to refocus resources as technologies change.

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Our primary audience is the faculty, research employees and graduate students of the Department of Molecular Biology, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Wyoming Community Colleges. Ultimately, the supported programs are aimed at the agricultural producers and food consumers of the State of Wyoming. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Department of Molecular Biology currently trains 40 graduate students. Of these students, 18 received partial funding from the Project for a total of 1.37 graduate student FTEs -- as documented elsewhere in this Progress Report. These students participate directly in the research mission of the College as they prepare for professional careers in agriculture and other life sciences. For example, two sophisticated fluorescence confocal microscopes were constructed in a faculty / graduate student collaboration, which represents a remarkable opportunity for student training and professional development. Biological advances impacting human health or production agriculture are most often pioneered in model systems. Model systems employed by members of the Department of Molecular Biology include Arabidopsis thaliana, the yeast S. cerevisiae, sea urchins, the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the frog Xenopus laevis, mice, and bacteria M. xanthus, E. coli and Rhodobacter sphaeroides. This diversity of experimental organisms further enhances training opportunities for students, both undergraduate and graduate, and promotes familiarity of diverse experimental approaches. Furthermore, instrumentation is used to train undergraduate students and are employed in active collaborations with community colleges located in the far corners of the state. Consequently, the geographical reach of the resources provided by this project is extensive. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated via over 75 published scientific papers, only some of which are documented in this Project Final Report. In addition, these results have been discussed in two seminar series that are each scheduled weekly during the academic year. And, we have a distinguished scientist lecture series every summer. Beyond these efforts, two faculty members in Molecular Biology serve as principal investigators for the NIH INBRE grant which supports biomedical research at the University and collaborative research with the Wyoming Community Colleges. Thus, INBRE is an excellent venue for dissemination of research results across the state. Further, two faculty members are scientific principals of a large multi-department NSF EPSCoR grant directed as detailing the rhizosphere and phytobiome of plants broadly located across Wyoming. This project has direct relationship to agricultural goals and has a significant outreach component. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This project has provided essential financial support for the purchase of major instrumentation, with these purchases having taken place throughout the period of the grant. These instruments are available for use by all Departmental faculty members, students (graduate and undergraduate), and postdoctoral fellows. These instruments have also been made available to researchlaboratories across the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and to faculty in the Wyoming Community College system. Such instruments are crucial for recruiting and retention of top faculty members in the College. In total, this effort addresses all three Objectives of the Project. Three types of instruments, all with significant operating and maintenance costs are supported by this project. A Millipore Guava 12 HT flow cytometer, aLI-COR Odyssey CLx Infrared Imaging System, and four fluorescence microscopes (two with lasers for confocal imaging. In addition to these high-use, high-overhead instruments the project supports the maintenance of more routine instrumentation, such as spectrophotometers, high-speed and ultra centrifuges, incubators, autoclaves, ultracold freezers and cold rooms. We also refurbished 4 large reach-n ConViron growth chambers suitable to support controlled experimentation on plants, specifically Arabidopsis thaliana, Nicotiana tabacum, and Solanum lycopersicum. As evidenced by the number of publications listed in this project's annual reports, this instrumentation has supported the extensive research efforts of program personnel.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Reticulon 4a promotes exocytosis in mammalian cells. Mukherjee RN, Levy DL. Mol Biol Cell. 2019 Aug 15;30(18):2349-2357. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E19-03-0159. Epub 2019 Jul 18.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: The nucleoporin ELYS regulates nuclear size by controlling NPC number and nuclear import capacity. Jevti? P, Schibler AC, Wesley CC, Pegoraro G, Misteli T, Levy DL. EMBO Rep. 2019 Jun;20(6). pii: e47283. doi: 10.15252/embr.201847283. Epub 2019 May 13.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Altering the levels of nuclear import factors in early Xenopus laevis embryos affects later development. Jevti? P, Mukherjee RN, Chen P, Levy DL. PLoS One. 2019 Apr 22;14(4):e0215740. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215740. eCollection 2019.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Regulation of germ cell development by ARI1 family ubiquitin ligases in C. elegans. Poush JA, Blouin NA, Di Bona KR, La~eti? V, Fay DS. Sci Rep. 2018 Dec 10;8(1):17737. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-35691-y.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Inducible asymmetric cell division and cell differentiation in a bacterium. Mushnikov NV, Fomicheva A, Gomelsky M, Bowman GR. Nat Chem Biol. 2019 Sep;15(9):925-931. doi: 10.1038/s41589-019-0340-4. Epub 2019 Aug 12.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Induction of a Spindle-Assembly-Competent M Phase in Xenopus Egg Extracts. Bisht JS, Tomschik M, Gatlin JC. Curr Biol. 2019 Apr 22;29(8):1273-1285.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.02.061. Epub 2019 Mar 28.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Self-identity barcodes encoded by six expansive polymorphic toxin families discriminate kin in myxobacteria. Vassallo CN, Wall D. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Dec 3;116(49):24808-24818. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1912556116. Epub 2019 Nov 19.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Engineering Adenylate Cyclase Activated by Near-Infrared Window Light for Mammalian Optogenetic Applications. Fomicheva A, Zhou C, Sun QQ, Gomelsky M. ACS Synth Biol. 2019 Jun 21;8(6):1314-1324. doi: 10.1021/acssynbio.8b00528. Epub 2019 Jun 10
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Innate Lymphoid Cells in Protection, Pathology, and Adaptive Immunity During Apicomplexan Infection. Ivanova DL, Denton SL, Fettel KD, Sondgeroth KS, Munoz Gutierrez J, Bangoura B, Dunay IR, Gigley JP. Front Immunol. 2019 Feb 28;10:196. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00196. eCollection 2019. Review.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Integrating transcriptomic network reconstruction and eQTL analyses reveals mechanistic connections between genomic architecture and Brassica rapa development. Baker RL, Leong WF, Brock MT, Rubin MJ, Markelz RJC, Welch S, Maloof JN, Weinig C. PLoS Genet. 2019 Sep 12;15(9):e1008367. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008367. eCollection 2019 Sep.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Haematobia irritans parasitism of F1 yak?�?beef cattle (Bos grunniens �?Bos taurus) hybrids. Calkins CM, Scasta JD, Smith T, Stayton MM, Lake SL. Med Vet Entomol. 2019 Dec;33(4):546-551. doi: 10.1111/mve.12382. Epub 2019 May 20.


Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Our primary audience is the faculty, research employees and graduate students of the Department of Molecular Biology, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Wyoming Community Colleges. Ultimately, the supported programs are aimed at the agricultural producers and food consumers of the State of Wyoming. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Department of Molecular Biology currently trains 40 graduate students. Of these students, 18 received partial funding from the Project for a total of 1.37 graduate student FTEs -- as documented elsewhere in this Progress Report. These students participate directly in the research mission of the College as they prepare for professional careers in agriculture and other life sciences. For example, two sophisticated fluorescence confocal microscopes were constructed in a faculty / graduate student collaboration, which represents a remarkable opportunity for student training and professional development. Biological advances impacting human health or production agriculture are most often pioneered in model systems. Model systems employed by members of the Department of Molecular Biology include Arabidopsis thaliana, the yeast S. cerevisiae, sea urchins, the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the frog Xenopus laevis, mice, and bacteria M. xanthus, E. coli and Rhodobacter sphaeroides. This diversity of experimental organisms further enhances training opportunities for students, both undergraduate and graduate, and promotes familiarity of diverse experimental approaches. Furthermore, instrumentation is used to train undergraduate students and are employed in active collaborations with community colleges located in the far corners of the state. Consequently, the geographical reach of the resources provided by this project is extensive. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated via 32 published scientific papers as documented in this Project Report. In addition, these results have been discussed in two seminar series that are each scheduled weekly during the academic year. And, we have a distinguished scientist lecture series every summer. Beyond these efforts, two faculty members in Molecular Biology serve as principal investigators for the NIH INBRE grant which supports biomedical research at the University and collaborative research with the Wyoming Community Colleges. Thus, INBRE is an excellent venue for dissemination of research results across the state. Further, two faculty members are scientific principals of a large multi-department NSF EPSCoR grant directed as detailing the rhizosphere and phytobiome of plants broadly located across Wyoming. This project has direct relationship to agricultural goals and has a significant outreach component. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We are currently searching for two new faculty members who use quantitative and big data approaches to direct their experimental investigations of biological problems. We have hired a new faculty member that will join us in June of 2019. This individual works in the area of plant-microbe interactions Again, these infrastructure resources will be essential for recruitment and support of the new research groups. In addition, this Project will continue to support the upkeep of departmental instruments as necessary and partial support of graduate students. In addition, we'll continue our research seminar programs during the academic year as well as the summer semester.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This project has provided essential financial support for the purchase of major instrumentation, with these purchases having taken place in previous years. These instruments are available for the use by all Departmental faculty members, students (graduate and undergraduate), and postdoctoral fellows. These instruments have also been made available to research laboratories across the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and to faculty in the Wyoming Community College system. Such instruments are crucial for recruiting and retention of top faculty members in the College. In total, this effort addresses all three Objectives of the Project. Three types of instruments, all with significant operating and maintenance costs are supported by this project. A Millipore Guava 12 HT flow cytometer, aLI-COR Odyssey CLx Infrared Imaging System, and four fluorescence microscopes (two with lasers for confocal imaging. In addition to these high-use, high-overhead instruments the project supports the maintenance of more routine instrumentation, such as spectrophotometers, high-speed and ultra centrifuges, incubators, autoclaves, ultra-cold freezers and cold rooms. We also refurbished 4 large reach-n ConViron growth chambers suitable to support controlled experimentation on plants, specifically Arabidopsis thaliana, Nicotiana tabacum, and Solanum lycopersicum. As evidenced by the number of publications listed in the "Products" section of this report, this instrumentation has supported the extensive research efforts of program personnel.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Regulation of germ cell development by ARI1 family ubiquitin ligases in C. elegans. Poush JA, Blouin NA, Di Bona KR, La~eti? V, Fay DS. Sci Rep. 2018 Dec 10;8(1):17737. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-35691-y. PMID: 30531803
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Actin organization and endocytic trafficking are controlled by a network linking NIMA-related kinases to the CDC-42-SID-3/ACK1 pathway. La~eti? V, Joseph BB, Bernazzani SM, Fay DS. PLoS Genet. 2018 Apr 2;14(4):e1007313. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007313. eCollection 2018 Apr. PMID: 29608564
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Use of a Sibling Subtraction Method for Identifying Causal Mutations in Caenorhabditis elegans by Whole-Genome Sequencing. Joseph BB, Blouin NA, Fay DS. G3 (Bethesda). 2018 Feb 2;8(2):669-678. doi: 10.1534/g3.117.300135.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Remodeling the Specificity of an Endosomal CORVET Tether Underlies Formation of Regulated Secretory Vesicles in the Ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila. Sparvoli D, Richardson E, Osakada H, Lan X, Iwamoto M, Bowman GR, Kontur C, Bourland WA, Lynn DH, Pritchard JK, Haraguchi T, Dacks JB, Turkewitz AP. Curr Biol. 2018 Mar 5;28(5):697-710.e13. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.01.047. Epub 2018 Feb 22. PMID: 29478853
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Polar Organizing Protein PopZ Is Required for Chromosome Segregation in Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Ehrle HM, Guidry JT, Iacovetto R, Salisbury AK, Sandidge DJ, Bowman GR. J Bacteriol. 2017 Aug 8;199(17). pii: e00111-17. doi: 10.1128/JB.00111-17. Print 2017 Sep 1. PMID: 28630129
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Emerin induces nuclear breakage in Xenopus extract and early embryos. Dilsaver MR, Chen P, Thompson TA, Reusser T, Mukherjee RN, Oakey J, Levy DL. Mol Biol Cell. 2018 Oct 17:mbcE18050277. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E18-05-0277. PMID: 30332321
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: In vivo mitotic spindle scaling can be modulated by changing the levels of a single protein: the microtubule polymerase XMAP215. Milunovic-Jevtic A, Jevtic P, Levy DL, Gatlin JC. Mol Biol Cell. 2018 Jun 1;29(11):1311-1317. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E18-01-0011. Epub 2018 Apr 5. PMID: 29851557
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Isolation and Demembranation of Xenopus Sperm Nuclei. Hazel JW, Gatlin JC. Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2018 Jun 1;2018(6):pdb.prot099044. doi: 10.1101/pdb.prot099044. PMID: 29438000
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Microfluidic Encapsulation of Demembranated Sperm Nuclei in Xenopus Egg Extracts. Oakey J, Gatlin JC. Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2018 Aug 1;2018(8):pdb.prot102913. doi: 10.1101/pdb.prot102913. PMID: 29437999
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Microbiome Composition in Both Wild-Type and Disease Model Mice Is Heavily Influenced by Mouse Facility. Parker KD, Albeke SE, Gigley JP, Goldstein AM, Ward NL. Front Microbiol. 2018 Jul 20;9:1598. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01598. eCollection 2018. PMID: 30079054
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Signaling specificity in the c-di-GMP-dependent network regulating antibiotic synthesis in Lysobacter. Xu G, Han S, Huo C, Chin KH, Chou SH, Gomelsky M, Qian G, Liu F. Nucleic Acids Res. 2018 Oct 12;46(18):9276-9288. doi: 10.1093/nar/gky803. PMID: 30202891
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Positive and Negative Regulation of Glycerol Utilization by the c-di-GMP Binding Protein PlzA in Borrelia burgdorferi. Zhang JJ, Chen T, Yang Y, Du J, Li H, Troxell B, He M, Carrasco SE, Gomelsky M, Yang XF. J Bacteriol. 2018 Oct 23;200(22). pii: e00243-18. doi: 10.1128/JB.00243-18. Print 2018 Nov 15. PMID: 30181123
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Biofilm formation - what we can learn from recent developments. Bjarnsholt T, Buhlin K, Dufr�ne YF, Gomelsky M, Moroni A, Ramstedt M, Rumbaugh KP, Schulte T, Sun L, �kerlund B, R�mling U. J Intern Med. 2018 Oct;284(4):332-345. doi: 10.1111/joim.12782. Epub 2018 Jul 9. PMID: 29856510
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: CodY-Mediated c-di-GMP-Dependent Inhibition of Mammalian Cell Invasion in Listeria monocytogenes. Elbakush AM, Miller KW, Gomelsky M. J Bacteriol. 2018 Feb 7;200(5). pii: e00457-17. doi: 10.1128/JB.00457-17. Print 2018 Mar 1. PMID: 29229701
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Using Light-Activated Enzymes for Modulating Intracellular c-di-GMP Levels in Bacteria. Ryu MH, Fomicheva A, O'Neal L, Alexandre G, Gomelsky M. Methods Mol Biol. 2017;1657:169-186. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7240-1_14. PMID: 28889294
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Metabolic disharmony and sibling conflict mediated by T6SS. Troselj V, Wall D. Microb Cell. 2018 Apr 4;5(5):256-258. doi: 10.15698/mic2018.05.632. PMID: 29799548
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Vassallo C, Cao P, Conklin A, Finkelstein H, Hayes C, Wall D. Elife. 2018 Apr 5;7. pii: e37049. doi: 10.7554/eLife.37049. No abstract available. PMID: 29620528
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Physiological Heterogeneity Triggers Sibling Conflict Mediated by the Type VI Secretion System in an Aggregative Multicellular Bacterium. Troselj V, Treuner-Lange A, S�gaard-Andersen L, Wall D. MBio. 2018 Feb 6;9(1). pii: e01645-17. doi: 10.1128/mBio.01645-17. PMID: 29437919
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Mechanism of Kin-Discriminatory Demarcation Line Formation between Colonies of Swarming Bacteria. Patra P, Vassallo CN, Wall D, Igoshin OA. Biophys J. 2017 Dec 5;113(11):2477-2486. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.09.020. PMID: 29212001
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Cell-cell recognition and social networking in bacteria. Troselj V, Cao P, Wall D. Environ Microbiol. 2018 Mar;20(3):923-933. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.14005. Epub 2017 Dec 14. Review. PMID: 29194914
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Phenotypic Trait Identification Using a Multimodel Bayesian Method: A Case Study Using Photosynthesis in Brassica rapa Genotypes. Pleban JR, Mackay DS, Aston TL, Ewers BE, Weinig C. Front Plant Sci. 2018 Apr 17;9:448. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2018.00448. eCollection 2018. PMID: 29719545
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Circadian rhythms are associated with shoot architecture in natural settings. Rubin MJ, Brock MT, Baker RL, Wilcox S, Anderson K, Davis SJ, Weinig C. New Phytol. 2018 Jul;219(1):246-258. doi: 10.1111/nph.15162. Epub 2018 Apr 19. PMID: 29672861
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Circadian rhythms are associated with variation in photosystem II function and photoprotective mechanisms. Yarkhunova Y, Guadagno CR, Rubin MJ, Davis SJ, Ewers BE, Weinig C. Plant Cell Environ. 2018 Nov;41(11):2518-2529. doi: 10.1111/pce.13216. Epub 2018 Jun 29. PMID: 29664141
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Bayesian estimation and use of high-throughput remote sensing indices for quantitative genetic analyses of leaf growth. Baker RL, Leong WF, An N, Brock MT, Rubin MJ, Welch S, Weinig C. Theor Appl Genet. 2018 Feb;131(2):283-298. doi: 10.1007/s00122-017-3001-6. Epub 2017 Oct 20.PMID: 29058049
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Circadian Rhythms and Reproductive Phenology Covary in a Natural Plant Population. Salmela MJ, McMinn RL, Guadagno CR, Ewers BE, Weinig C. J Biol Rhythms. 2018 Jun;33(3):245-254. doi: 10.1177/0748730418764525. Epub 2018 Mar 28. PMID: 29589511
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Circadian Rhythms and Redox State in Plants: Till Stress Do Us Part. Guadagno CR, Ewers BE, Weinig C. Front Plant Sci. 2018 Mar 5;9:247. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2018.00247. eCollection 2018. PMID: 29556244
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Mapping and Predicting Non-Linear Brassica rapa Growth Phenotypes Based on Bayesian and Frequentist Complex Trait Estimation. Baker RL, Leong WF, Welch S, Weinig C. G3 (Bethesda). 2018 Mar 28;8(4):1247-1258. doi: 10.1534/g3.117.300350. PMID: 29467188
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: The plant circadian clock influences rhizosphere community structure and function. Hubbard CJ, Brock MT, van Diepen LT, Maignien L, Ewers BE, Weinig C. ISME J. 2018 Feb;12(2):400-410. doi: 10.1038/ismej.2017.172. Epub 2017 Oct 20. PMID: 29053146
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Temporal network analysis identifies early physiological and transcriptomic indicators of mild drought in Brassica rapa. Greenham K, Guadagno CR, Gehan MA, Mockler TC, Weinig C, Ewers BE, McClung CR. Elife. 2017 Aug 18;6. pii: e29655. doi: 10.7554/eLife.29655. PMID: 28826479
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Circadian rhythms vary over the growing season and correlate with fitness components. Rubin MJ, Brock MT, Davis AM, German ZM, Knapp M, Welch SM, Harmer SL, Maloof JN, Davis SJ, Weinig C. Mol Ecol. 2017 Oct;26(20):5528-5540. doi: 10.1111/mec.14287. Epub 2017 Sep 8. PMID: 28792639
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Allocation to male vs female floral function varies by currency and responds differentially to density and moisture stress. Brock MT, Winkelman RL, Rubin MJ, Edwards CE, Ewers BE, Weinig C. Heredity (Edinb). 2017 Nov;119(5):349-359. doi: 10.1038/hdy.2017.41. Epub 2017 Aug 2. PMID: 28767102
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Dead or Alive? Using Membrane Failure and Chlorophyll a Fluorescence to Predict Plant Mortality from Drought. Guadagno CR, Ewers BE, Speckman HN, Aston TL, Huhn BJ, DeVore SB, Ladwig JT, Strawn RN, Weinig C. Plant Physiol. 2017 Sep;175(1):223-234. doi: 10.1104/pp.16.00581. Epub 2017 Jul 14. PMID: 28710130


Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Our primary audience is the faculty, research employees and graduate students of the Department of Molecular Biology, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Wyoming Community Colleges. Ultimately, the supported programs are aimed at the agricultural producers and food consumers of the State of Wyoming Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Department of Molecular Biology currently trains 40 graduate students. Of these students, 18 received partial funding from the Project for a total of 1.37 graduate student FTEs -- as documented elsewhere in this Progress Report. These students participate directly in the research mission of the College as they prepare for professional careers in agriculture and other life sciences. For example, two sophisticated fluorescence confocal microscopes were constructed in a faculty / graduate student collaboration, which represents a remarkable opportunity for student training and professional development. Biological advances impacting human health or production agriculture are most often pioneered in model systems. Model systems employed by members of the Department of Molecular Biology include Arabidopsis thaliana, the yeast S. cerevisiae, sea urchins, the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the frog Xenopus laevis, mice, and bacteria M. xanthus, E. coli and Rhodobacter sphaeroides. This diversity of experimental organisms further enhances training opportunities for students, both undergraduate and graduate, and promotes familiarity of diverse experimental approaches. Furthermore, instrumentation is used to train undergraduate students and are employed in active collaborations with community colleges located in the far corners of the state. Consequently, the geographical reach of the resources provided by this project is extensive. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated via 30 published scientific papers as documented in this Project Report. In addition, these results have been discussed in two seminar series that are each scheduled weekly during the academic year. And, we have a distinguished scientist lecture series every summer. Beyond these efforts, two faculty members in Molecular Biology serve as principal investigators for the NIH INBRE grant which supports biomedical research at the University and collaborative research with the Wyoming Community Colleges. Thus, INBRE is an excellent venue for dissemination of research results across the state. Further, one faculty member is a scientific principal of a large multi-department NSF EPSCoR grant direct directed as detailing the rhizosphere and phytobiome of plants broadly located across Wyoming. This project has direct relationship to agricultural goals and has a significant outreach component. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We are currently searching for two new faculty members, one in the area of plant-microbe interactions and one who uses quantitative methods and large data sets to address fundamental biological problems. Again, this infrastructure will be essential for the search and support of the new research groups. In addition, this Project will continue to support the upkeep of departmental instruments as necessary and partial support of graduate students. In addition, we'll continue our research seminar programs during the academic year as well as the summer semester.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This project has provided essential financial support for the purchase of major instrumentation, with these purchases having taken place in previous years. These instruments are available for use by all Departmental faculty members, students (graduate and undergraduate), and postdoctoral fellows. These instruments have also been made available to research laboratories across the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and to faculty in the Wyoming Community College system. Such instruments are crucial for recruiting and retention of top faculty members in the College. In total, this effort addresses all three Objectives of the Project. Three types of instruments, all with significant operating and maintenance costs are supported by this project. A Millipore Guava 12 HT flow cytometer, aLI-COR Odyssey CLx Infrared Imaging System, and four fluorescence microscopes (two with lasers for confocal imaging. In addition to these high-use, high-overhead instruments the project supports the maintenance of more routine instrumentation, such as spectrophotometers, high-speed and ultra centrifuges, incubators, autoclaves, ultra-cold freezers and cold rooms. As evidenced by the number of publications listed in the "Products" section of this report, this instrumentation has supported the extensive research efforts of program personnel.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Both Nuclear Size and DNA Amount Contribute to Midblastula Transition Timing in Xenopus laevis. Jevti P, Levy DL. Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 11;7(1):7908. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-08243-z.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: More Cytoplasm, More Problems. Jevti P, Levy DL. Dev Cell. 2017 May 8;41(3):221-223. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2017.04.015. Review.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: PKC-mediated phosphorylation of nuclear lamins at a single serine residue regulates interphase nuclear size in Xenopus and mammalian cells. Edens LJ, Dilsaver MR, Levy DL. Mol Biol Cell. 2017 May 15;28(10):1389-1399. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E16-11-0786. Epub 2017 Mar 29.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Two functionally distinct E2/E3 pairs coordinate sequential ubiquitination of a common substrate in Caenorhabditis elegans development. Dove KK, Kemp HA, Di Bona KR, Reiter KH, Milburn LJ, Camacho D, Fay DS, Miller DL, Klevit RE. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Aug 8;114(32):E6576-E6584. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1705060114. Epub 2017 Jul 24.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Molting in C. elegans. La~eti V, Fay DS. Worm. 2017 May 17;6(1):e1330246. doi: 10.1080/21624054.2017.1330246. eCollection 2017. Review.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Conserved Ankyrin Repeat Proteins and Their NIMA Kinase Partners Regulate Extracellular Matrix Remodeling and Intracellular Trafficking in Caenorhabditis elegans. La~eti? V, Fay DS. Genetics. 2017 Jan;205(1):273-293. doi: 10.1534/genetics.116.194464. Epub 2016 Oct 31.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Antibiotic Treatment Induces Long-lasting Changes in the Fecal Microbiota that Protect Against Colitis. Ward NL, Phillips CD, Nguyen DD, Shanmugam NK, Song Y, Hodin R, Shi HN, Cherayil BJ, Goldstein AM. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2016 Oct;22(10):2328-40. doi: 10.1097/MIB.0000000000000914.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Analysis of the Duodenal Microbiome in Autistic Individuals: Association With Carbohydrate Digestion. Kushak RI, Winter HS, Buie TM, Cox SB, Phillips CD, Ward NL. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2017 May;64(5):e110-e116. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000001458.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Tau-based fluorescent protein fusions to visualize microtubules. Mooney P, Sulerud T, Pelletier JF, Dilsaver MR, Tomschik M, Geisler C, Gatlin JC. Cytoskeleton (Hoboken). 2017 Jun;74(6):221-232. doi: 10.1002/cm.21368. Epub 2017 May 22.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Use of Xenopus cell-free extracts to study size regulation of subcellular structures. Jevti P, Milunovi?-Jevti? A, Dilsaver MR, Gatlin JC, Levy DL. Int J Dev Biol. 2016;60(7-8-9):277-288. Review.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Polar Organizing Protein PopZ Is Required for Chromosome Segregation in Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Ehrle HM, Guidry JT, Iacovetto R, Salisbury AK, Sandidge DJ, Bowman GR. J Bacteriol. 2017 Aug 8;199(17). pii: e00111-17. doi: 10.1128/JB.00111-17. Print 2017 Sep 1.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Absence of the Polar Organizing Protein PopZ Results in Reduced and Asymmetric Cell Division in Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Howell M, Aliashkevich A, Salisbury AK, Cava F, Bowman GR, Brown PJB. J Bacteriol. 2017 Aug 8;199(17). pii: e00101-17. doi: 10.1128/JB.00101-17. Print 2017 Sep 1.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Caulobacter PopZ forms an intrinsically disordered hub in organizing bacterial cell poles. Holmes JA, Follett SE, Wang H, Meadows CP, Varga K, Bowman GR. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Nov 1;113(44):12490-12495. Epub 2016 Oct 18.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Paths to GI Research in the Wild West: Tales From Wyoming. Parker KD, Gigley JP, Ward NL. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016 Jul 1;2(5):560-562. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2016.06.001. eCollection 2016 Sep.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Infectious polymorphic toxins delivered by outer membrane exchange discriminate kin in myxobacteria. Vassallo CN, Cao P, Conklin A, Finkelstein H, Hayes CS, Wall D. Elife. 2017 Aug 18;6. pii: e29397. doi: 10.7554/eLife.29397.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Self-identity reprogrammed by a single residue switch in a cell surface receptor of a social bacterium. Cao P, Wall D. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Apr 4;114(14):3732-3737. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1700315114. Epub 2017 Mar 20.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Kin Recognition in Bacteria. Wall D. Annu Rev Microbiol. 2016 Sep 8;70:143-60. doi: 10.1146/annurev-micro-102215-095325. Epub 2016 Jun 17. Review.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Identification of bacterial guanylate cyclases. Ryu MH, Youn H, Kang IH, Gomelsky M. Proteins. 2017 Jun;85(6):1178. doi: 10.1002/prot.25308. Epub 2017 May 4. No abstract available.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Using Light-Activated Enzymes for Modulating Intracellular c-di-GMP Levels in Bacteria. Ryu MH, Fomicheva A, O'Neal L, Alexandre G, Gomelsky M. Methods Mol Biol. 2017;1657:169-186. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7240-1_14.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Photoactivated cells link diagnosis and therapy. Gomelsky M. Sci Transl Med. 2017 Apr 26;9(387). pii: eaan3936. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aan3936. Review.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Optogenetic Module for Dichromatic Control of c-di-GMP Signaling. Ryu MH, Fomicheva A, Moskvin OV, Gomelsky M. J Bacteriol. 2017 Aug 22;199(18). pii: e00014-17. doi: 10.1128/JB.00014-17. Print 2017 Sep 15.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Optogenetic Manipulation of Cyclic Di-GMP (c-di-GMP) Levels Reveals the Role of c-di-GMP in Regulating Aerotaxis Receptor Activity in Azospirillum brasilense. O'Neal L, Ryu MH, Gomelsky M, Alexandre G. J Bacteriol. 2017 Aug 22;199(18). pii: e00020-17. doi: 10.1128/JB.00020-17. Print 2017 Sep 15.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Lysobacter PilR, the Regulator of Type IV Pilus Synthesis, Controls Antifungal Antibiotic Production via a Cyclic di-GMP Pathway. Chen Y, Xia J, Su Z, Xu G, Gomelsky M, Qian G, Liu F. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2017 Mar 17;83(7). pii: e03397-16. doi: 10.1128/AEM.03397-16. Print 2017 Apr 1.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Comparative Analysis of Conventional Natural Killer Cell Responses to Acute Infection with Toxoplasma gondii Strains of Different Virulence. Ivanova DL, Fatima R, Gigley JP. Front Immunol. 2016 Sep 23;7:347. eCollection 2016.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Huntingtons Disease Mice Infected with Toxoplasma gondii Demonstrate Early Kynurenine Pathway Activation, Altered CD8+ T-Cell Responses, and Premature Mortality. Donley DW, Olson AR, Raisbeck MF, Fox JH, Gigley JP. PLoS One. 2016 Sep 9;11(9):e0162404. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162404. eCollection 2016.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Temporal network analysis identifies early physiological and transcriptomic indicators of mild drought in Brassica rapa. Greenham K, Guadagno CR, Gehan MA, Mockler TC, Weinig C, Ewers BE, McClung CR. Elife. 2017 Aug 18;6. pii: e29655. doi: 10.7554/eLife.29655.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Dead or Alive? Using Membrane Failure and Chlorophyll a Fluorescence to Predict Plant Mortality from Drought. Guadagno CR, Ewers BE, Speckman HN, Aston TL, Huhn BJ, DeVore SB, Ladwig JT, Strawn RN, Weinig C. Plant Physiol. 2017 Sep;175(1):223-234. doi: 10.1104/pp.16.00581. Epub 2017 Jul 14.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Epistasis � environment interactions among Arabidopsis thaliana glucosinolate genes impact complex traits and fitness in the field. Kerwin RE, Feusier J, Muok A, Lin C, Larson B, Copeland D, Corwin JA, Rubin MJ, Francisco M, Li B, Joseph B, Weinig C, Kliebenstein DJ. New Phytol. 2017 Aug;215(3):1249-1263. doi: 10.1111/nph.14646. Epub 2017 Jun 13.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Using RNA-Seq for Genomic Scaffold Placement, Correcting Assemblies, and Genetic Map Creation in a Common Brassica rapa Mapping Population. Markelz RJC, Covington MF, Brock MT, Devisetty UK, Kliebenstein DJ, Weinig C, Maloof JN. G3 (Bethesda). 2017 Jul 5;7(7):2259-2270. doi: 10.1534/g3.117.043000.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Polyploidy and the relationship between leaf structure and function: implications for correlated evolution of anatomy, morphology, and physiology in Brassica. Baker RL, Yarkhunova Y, Vidal K, Ewers BE, Weinig C. BMC Plant Biol. 2017 Jan 5;17(1):3. doi: 10.1186/s12870-016-0957-3.


Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:Our primary audience is the faculty, research employees and graduate students of the Department of Molecular Biology, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Agricultural Experiment Station,Wyoming Community Colleges, and the Governor and Wyoming State Legislators. Ultimately, the supported programs are aimed at the agricultural producers and food consumers of the State of Wyoming. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Department of Molecular Biology currently trains 40 graduate students. Of these students, 18 received partial funding from the Project for a total of 1.37 graduate student FTEs -- as documented elsewhere in this Progress Report. These students participate directly in the research mission of the College as they prepare for professional careers in agriculture and other life sciences. For example, two sophisticated fluorescence confocal microscopes were constructed in a faculty / graduate student collaboration, which represents a remarkable opportunity for student training and professional development. Furthermore, instrumentation is used to train undergraduate students and are employed in active collaborations with community colleges located in the far corners of the state. Consequently, the geographical reach of the resources provided by this project is extensive. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated via 24 published scientific papersin this Project Report. In addition, these results have been discussed in two seminar series that are each scheduled weekly during the academic year. And, we have a distinguished scientist lecture series every summer. Beyond these efforts, two faculty members in Molecular Biology serve as principal investigators for the NIH INBRE grant which supports biomedical research at the University and collaborative research with the Wyoming Community Colleges. Thus, INBRE is an excellent venue for dissemination of research results across the state. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the last reporting period, the Department attempted to recruit a faculty position in quantitative biology. While we had a successful search, which was dependent on the support of research infrastructure provided by this Project, the University of Wyoming's financial situation prevented us from issuing a formal offer. We expect to begin the search process for a new faculty member in a similar area of quantitative biology, hopefully beginning in the fall of 2017. Again, this infrastructure will be essential for the search and support of the new research group. In addition, this Project will continue to support the upkeep of departmental instruments as necessary and partial support of graduate students. In addition, we'll continue our research seminar programs during the academic year as well as the summer semester.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This project has provided essential financial support for the purchase of major instrumentation, with these purchases having taken place in previous years. These instruments are available for the use by all Departmental faculty members, students (graduate and undergraduate), and postdoctoral fellows. These instruments have also been made available to research laboratories across the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and to faculty in the Wyoming Community College system. Such instruments are crucial for recruiting and retention of top faculty members in the College. In total, this effort addresses all three Objectives of the Project. Three types of instruments, all with significant operating and maintenance costs are supported by this project. A Millipore Guava 12 HT flow cytometer, aLI-COR Odyssey CLx Infrared Imaging System, and four fluorescence microscopes (two with lasers for confocal imaging. In addition to these high use, high overhead instruments the project supports the maintenance of more routine instrumentation, such as spectrophotometers, high-speed and ultra centrifuges, incubators, autoclaves, and cold rooms. As evidenced by the number of publications listed in the "Products" section of this report, this instrumentation has supported the extensive research efforts of program personnel.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Nanoparticle Targeting and Cholesterol Flux Through Scavenger Receptor Type B-1 Inhibits Cellular Exosome Uptake. Plebanek MP, Mutharasan RK, Volpert O, Matov A, Gatlin JC, Thaxton CS. Sci Rep. 2015 Oct 29;5:15724.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Nuclear size is sensitive to NTF2 protein levels in a manner dependent on Ran binding. Vukovi? LD, Jevti? P, Zhang Z, Stohr BA, Levy DL. J Cell Sci. 2016 Mar 15;129(6):1115-27.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Concentration-dependent Effects of Nuclear Lamins on Nuclear Size in Xenopus and Mammalian Cells. Jevti? P, Edens LJ, Li X, Nguyen T, Chen P, Levy DL. J Biol Chem. 2015 Nov 13;290(46):27557-71.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Yeast Vps13 promotes mitochondrial function and is localized at membrane contact sites. Park JS, Thorsness MK, Policastro R, McGoldrick LL, Hollingsworth NM, Thorsness PE, Neiman AM. Mol Biol Cell. 2016 Aug 1;27(15):2435-49
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: The Diverse Role of NK Cells in Immunity to Toxoplasma gondii Infection. Gigley JP. PLoS Pathog. 2016 Feb 25;12(2):e1005396.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Huntingtons Disease Mice Infected with Toxoplasma gondii Demonstrate Early Kynurenine Pathway Activation, Altered CD8+ T-Cell Responses, and Premature Mortality. Donley DW, Olson AR, Raisbeck MF, Fox JH, Gigley JP. PLoS One. 2016 Sep 9;11(9)
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Comparative Analysis of Conventional Natural Killer Cell Responses to Acute Infection with Toxoplasma gondii Strains of Different Virulence. Ivanova DL, Fatima R, Gigley JP. Front Immunol. 2016 Sep 23;7:347.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Kin Recognition in Bacteria. Wall D. Annu Rev Microbiol. 2016 Sep 8;70:143-60.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Sibling Rivalry in Myxococcus xanthus is Mediated by Kin Recognition and a Polyploid Prophage. Dey A, Vassallo CN, Conklin AC, Pathak DT, Troselj V, Wall D. J Bacteriol. 2016 Jan 19;198(6):994-1004.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: How Myxobacteria Cooperate. Cao P, Dey A, Vassallo CN, Wall D. J Mol Biol. 2015 Nov 20;427(23):3709-21.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Prevention of antibiotic-associated metabolic syndrome in mice by intestinal alkaline phosphatase. Economopoulos KP, Ward NL, Phillips CD, Teshager A, Patel P, Mohamed MM, Hakimian S, Cox SB, Ahmed R, Moaven O, Kaliannan K, Alam SN, Haller JF, Goldstein AM, Bhan AK, Malo MS, Hodin RA. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2016 May;18(5):519-27.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Detecting Microbial Dysbiosis Associated with Pediatric Crohn Disease Despite the High Variability of the Gut Microbiota. Wang F, Kaplan JL, Gold BD, Bhasin MK, Ward NL, Kellermayer R, Kirschner BS, Heyman MB, Dowd SE, Cox SB, Dogan H, Steven B, Ferry GD, Cohen SA, Baldassano RN, Moran CJ, Garnett EA, Drake L, Otu HH, Mirny LA, Libermann TA, Winter HS, Korolev KS. Cell Rep. 2016 Feb 2;14(4):945-55.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Global and Targeted Lipid Analysis of Gemmata obscuriglobus Reveals the Presence of Lipopolysaccharide, a Signature of the Classical Gram-Negative Outer Membrane. Mahat R, Seebart C, Basile F, Ward NL. J Bacteriol. 2015 Oct 19;198(2):221-36.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: A Cell-Free Assay Using Xenopus laevis Embryo Extracts to Study Mechanisms of Nuclear Size Regulation. Edens LJ, Levy DL. J Vis Exp. 2016 Aug 8;(114).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Recent advances in understanding nuclear size and shape. Mukherjee RN, Chen P, Levy DL. Nucleus. 2016 Apr 25;7(2):167-86.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: New Insights into Mechanisms and Functions of Nuclear Size Regulation. Vukovi? LD, Jevti? P, Edens LJ, Levy DL. Int Rev Cell Mol Biol. 2016;322:1-59.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Caulobacter PopZ forms an intrinsically disordered hub in organizing bacterial cell poles. Holmes JA, Follett SE, Wang H, Meadows CP, Varga K, Bowman GR. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Nov 1;113(44):12490-12495.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Transposon Mutagenesis Paired with Deep Sequencing of Caulobacter crescentus under Uranium Stress Reveals Genes Essential for Detoxification and Stress Tolerance. Yung MC, Park DM, Overton KW, Blow MJ, Hoover CA, Smit J, Murray SR, Ricci DP, Christen B, Bowman GR, Jiao Y. J Bacteriol. 2015 Oct;197(19):3160-72.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Genotypic variation in biomass allocation in response to field drought has a greater affect on yield than gas exchange or phenology. Edwards CE, Ewers BE, Weinig C. BMC Plant Biol. 2016 Aug 24;16(1):185.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Genetic architecture, biochemical underpinnings and ecological impact of floral UV patterning. Brock MT, Lucas LK, Anderson NA, Rubin MJ, Markelz RJ, Covington MF, Devisetty UK, Chapple C, Maloof JN, Weinig C. Mol Ecol. 2016 Mar;25(5):1122-40.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Selection during crop diversification involves correlated evolution of the circadian clock and ecophysiological traits in Brassica rapa. Yarkhunova Y, Edwards CE, Ewers BE, Baker RL, Aston TL, McClung CR, Lou P, Weinig C. New Phytol. 2016 Apr;210(1):133-44.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Variation in circadian rhythms is maintained among and within populations in Boechera stricta. Salmela MJ, Greenham K, Lou P, McClung CR, Ewers BE, Weinig C.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Modeling development and quantitative trait mapping reveal independent genetic modules for leaf size and shape. Baker RL, Leong WF, Brock MT, Markelz RJ, Covington MF, Devisetty UK, Edwards CE, Maloof J, Welch S, Weinig C. New Phytol. 2015 Oct;208(1):257-68.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Centrosomal clustering contributes to chromosomal instability and cancer. Milunovi?-Jevti? A, Mooney P, Sulerud T, Bisht J, Gatlin JC. Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2016 Aug;40:113-8.


Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Our primary audience is the faculty, research employees and graduate students of the Department of Molecular Biology, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Wyoming Community Colleges. Ultimately, the supported programs are aimed at the agricultural producers and food consumers of the State of Wyoming. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Department of Moleclar Biology currently trains 40 graduate students. Of these students, 18 received partial funding from the Project for a total of 1.37 graduate student FTEs -- as documented earlier in this Progress Report. These students participate directly in the research mission of the College as they prepare for professional careers in agriculture and other life sciences. For example, two sophisticated fluoresence confocal microscopes were constructed in a faculty / graduate student collaboration, which represents a remarkable opportunity for student training and professional development. (See "Other Products" in this Progress Report) How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated via 21 published scientific papers and one patent as documented in this Project Report. In addition, these results have been discussed in two seminar series that are each scheduled weekly during the academic year. And, we have a distinguished scientist lecture series every summer. Beyond these efforts, two faculty members in Molecular Biology serve as principal investigators for the NIH INBRE grant which supports biomedical research at the University and collaborative research with the Wyoming Community Colleges. Thus, INBRE is an excellent venue for dissemination of research results across the state. UcrossPollination exhibition takes place in the Fall at the Ucross Gallery, near to Sheridan. The UcrossPollination Experiment began two years ago as a collaborative venture between scientists and artists. The goals were to increase public awareness of, and engagement with, science, but also to diversify Broader Impacts activities of UW faculty, to enhance the competitiveness of our proposals at federal agencies. The 2016 exhibition will showcase our work, and provide tangible products (an exhibition catalog) that can support our applications to USDA, NSF and other agencies. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The Department is recruiting to fill a faculty position in quantitative biology. A successful search is absolutely dependent on the support for research infrastructure provided by this Project. In addition, this Project will continue to support the upkeep of departmental instruments as necessary and partial support of graduate students. In addition, we'll continuie our research seminar programs during the academic year as well as the summer semester. The UCross collaboration between scientists and artists is an ongoing collaboration and will contribute to cross-disciplinary dissemination of our results.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This project has provided essential financial support for the purchase of major instrumentation as summarized below. These instruments are available for the use by all Departmental faculty members, students (graduate and undergraduate), and postdoctoral fellows. These instruments have also been made available to research laboratories across the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and to faculty in the Wyoming Community College system. Such instruments are crucial for recruiting and retention of top faculty members in the College. In total, this effort addresses all three Objectives of the Project. Millipore Guava 12 HT flow cytometer. This is a 12 parameter 10 color flow cytometer that allows us to measure on a per cell basis 10 phenotypic and/or functional parameters at one time. This instrument has particular applicaation in studies of the immune system. LI-COR Odyssey CLx Infrared Imaging System. This instrument is used to perform quantitative immunoblotting (i.e. western blots) and is absolutely required for research in virtually all laboratories of the Department. We use this instrument to accurately assess protein concentrations in a variety of different samples, including recombinant purified proteins, proteins from Xenopus egg and embryo extracts, and tissue culture protein samples, to name a few. The LI-COR Odyssey is the gold standard in the field for quantitative immunoblotting because the detection method is extremely sensitive, and importantly, quantitative detection is accomplished over a 6-log dynamic range. No other instrument exists with these specific capabilities. Olympus BX63 motorized upright fluorescence microscope with CMOS camera. This instrument, along with associated image processing software, offers significant advantages and new capabilities to our current microscopes. This instrument will be used for visualizing and quantifying nuclei in frog (Xenopus laevis) egg extracts, frog embryos, and tissue culture cells. NanoDrop Spectrometer. This spectrometer is a workhorse instrument for measuring absorbance of UV/Visible light. It is particularly suited to small samples (e.g. 1 microliter). Project funds were also utilized for maintenance of these and other instruments in the department. This Project also provided partial support for upkeep of foundational research infrastructure such as autoclaves and cold rooms.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: FBN-1, a fibrillin-related protein, is required for resistance of the epidermis to mechanical deformation during C. elegans embryogenesis. Kelley M, Yochem J, Krieg M, Calixto A, Heiman MG, Kuzmanov A, Meli V, Chalfie M, Goodman MB, Shaham S, Frand A, Fay DS. Elife. 2015 Mar 23;4. doi: 10.7554/eLife.06565.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: C. elegans NIMA-related kinases NEKL-2 and NEKL-3 are required for the completion of molting. Yochem J, La~etic V, Bell L, Chen L, Fay D. Dev Biol. 2015 Feb 15;398(2):255-66. doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2014.12.008. Epub 2014 Dec 16.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Biological Scaling Problems and Solutions in Amphibians. Levy DL, Heald R. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2015 Aug 10;8(1):a019166. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a019166. Review.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Nuclear size scaling during Xenopus early development contributes to midblastula transition timing. Jevtic P, Levy DL. Curr Biol. 2015 Jan 5;25(1):45-52. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.10.051. Epub 2014 Dec 4
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Mechanisms of nuclear size regulation in model systems and cancer. Jevtic P, Levy DL. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2014;773:537-69. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4899-8032-8_25. Review.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Genome Sequence of a Sulfate-Reducing Thermophilic Bacterium, Thermodesulfobacterium commune DSM 2178T (Phylum Thermodesulfobacteria). Bhatnagar S, Badger JH, Madupu R, Khouri HM, O'Connor EM, Robb FT, Ward NL, Eisen JA. Genome Announc. 2015 Jan 29;3(1). pii: e01490-14. doi: 10.1128/genomeA.01490-14.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Genome Sequence of the Sulfate-Reducing Thermophilic Bacterium Thermodesulfovibrio yellowstonii Strain DSM 11347T (Phylum Nitrospirae). Bhatnagar S, Badger JH, Madupu R, Khouri HM, O'Connor EM, Robb FT, Ward NL, Eisen JA. Genome Announc. 2015 Jan 29;3(1). pii: e01489-14. doi: 10.1128/genomeA.01489-14.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Nanoparticle Targeting and Cholesterol Flux Through Scavenger Receptor Type B-1 Inhibits Cellular Exosome Uptake. Plebanek MP, Mutharasan RK, Volpert O, Matov A, Gatlin JC, Thaxton CS. Sci Rep. 2015 Oct 29;5:15724. doi: 10.1038/srep15724.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Cell rejuvenation and social behaviors promoted by LPS exchange in myxobacteria. Vassallo C, Pathak DT, Cao P, Zuckerman DM, Hoiczyk E, Wall D. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Jun 2;112(22):E2939-46. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1503553112. Epub 2015 May 18.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: A genetic screen in Myxococcus xanthus identifies mutants that uncouple outer membrane exchange from a downstream cellular response. Dey A, Wall D. J Bacteriol. 2014 Dec;196(24):4324-32. doi: 10.1128/JB.02217-14. Epub 2014 Sep 29.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Systematic Nomenclature for GGDEF and EAL Domain-Containing Cyclic Di-GMP Turnover Proteins of Escherichia coli. Hengge R, Galperin MY, Ghigo JM, Gomelsky M, Green J, Hughes KT, Jenal U, Landini P. J Bacteriol. 2015 Jul 6;198(1):7-11. doi: 10.1128/JB.00424-15
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Listeria monocytogenes exopolysaccharide: origin, structure, biosynthetic machinery and c-di-GMP-dependent regulation. K�seoclu VK, Heiss C, Azadi P, Topchiy E, G�vener ZT, Lehmann TE, Miller KW, Gomelsky M. Mol Microbiol. 2015 May;96(4):728-43. doi: 10.1111/mmi.12966. Epub 2015 Mar 11.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Identification of bacterial guanylate cyclases. Ryu MH, Youn H, Kang IH, Gomelsky M. Proteins. 2015 May;83(5):799-804. doi: 10.1002/prot.24769. Epub 2015 Feb 9.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Fifty ways to inhibit motility via cyclic di-GMP: the emerging Pseudomonas aeruginosa swarming story. McCarter LL, Gomelsky M. J Bacteriol. 2015 Feb;197(3):406-9. doi: 10.1128/JB.02483-14. Epub 2014 Dec 1.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Special issue on synthetic photobiology. Gomelsky M. ACS Synth Biol. 2014 Nov 21;3(11):780-1. doi: 10.1021/sb500350t. No abstract available.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Modeling development and quantitative trait mapping reveal independent genetic modules for leaf size and shape. Baker RL, Leong WF, Brock MT, Markelz RJ, Covington MF, Devisetty UK, Edwards CE, Maloof J, Welch S, Weinig C. New Phytol. 2015 Oct;208(1):257-68. doi: 10.1111/nph.13509. Epub 2015 Jun 17.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Natural genetic variation in Arabidopsis thaliana defense metabolism genes modulates field fitness. Kerwin R, Feusier J, Corwin J, Rubin M, Lin C, Muok A, Larson B, Li B, Joseph B, Francisco M, Copeland D, Weinig C, Kliebenstein DJ. Elife. 2015 Apr 13;4. doi: 10.7554/eLife.05604.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Allelic polymorphism of GIGANTEA is responsible for naturally occurring variation in circadian period in Brassica rapa. Xie Q, Lou P, Hermand V, Aman R, Park HJ, Yun DJ, Kim WY, Salmela MJ, Ewers BE, Weinig C, Khan SL, Schaible DL, McClung CR. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Mar 24;112(12):3829-34. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1421803112. Epub 2015 Mar 9.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: A maize database resource that captures tissue-specific and subcellular-localized gene expression, via fluorescent tags and confocal imaging (Maize Cell Genomics Database). Krishnakumar V, Choi Y, Beck E, Wu Q, Luo A, Sylvester A, Jackson D, Chan AP. Plant Cell Physiol. 2015 Jan;56(1):e12. doi: 10.1093/pcp/pcu178. Epub 2014 Nov 27.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Natural diversity in daily rhythms of gene expression contributes to phenotypic variation. de Montaigu A, Giakountis A, Rubin M, T�th R, Cremer F, Sokolova V, Porri A, Reymond M, Weinig C, Coupland G. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Jan 20;112(3):905-10. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1422242112. Epub 2014 Dec 29.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: RNA Interference Knockdown of BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1 in Maize Reveals Novel Functions for Brassinosteroid Signaling in Controlling Plant Architecture. Kir G, Ye H, Nelissen H, Neelakandan AK, Kusnandar AS, Luo A, Inz� D, Sylvester AW, Yin Y, Becraft PW. Plant Physiol. 2015 Sep;169(1):826-39. doi: 10.1104/pp.15.00367. Epub 2015 Jul 10.