Sex Differences in Serotonin (5-HT) Activity During Safety Learning

Thesis advisor: John P. ChristiansonPatients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often show impaired ability to discriminate between “danger” and “safety” cues. Women are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with PTSD as compared to men; however, translational research has largely relied on the use of male subjects despite evidence of sex differences in fear-motivated behaviors. Serotonergic activity, originating in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) of the central nervous system (CNS), has been found to modulate fear discrimination in males and may contribute to sex differences observed in a Pavlovian fear discrimination paradigm. In this study, male and intact female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to fear conditioning with (CS+/CS-) or without (CS+) a safe conditioned stimulus, then subsequently sacrificed for immunohistochemical analysis of serotonergic activity via quantification of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) and Fos in the DRN. Females exhibited more rapid and robust discrimination between the CS+ danger cue and CS- safety cue as compared to males. Regardless of condition, females had more double-labeled TPH+Fos cells compared to males, but males had larger variation in TPH+Fos expression compared to females. A parabolic function for TPH+Fos counts predicted fear discrimination in males, but not females, reinforcing the view that serotonin is a modulator of safety-related behavior in males.Thesis (BS) — Boston College, 2018.Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Arts and Sciences Honors Program.Discipline: Biology

DNA markers for detection and genotyping of Xanthomonas euroxanthea

Related publications: https://doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.004386, https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9030624Xanthomonas euroxanthea is a bacterial species encompassing both pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains and is frequently found colonizing the same host plants as X. arboricola. This presents the need to develop a detection and genotyping assay able to track these bacteria in microbial consortia with other xanthomonads. Eight X. euroxanthea-specific DNA markers (XEA1-XEA8) were selected by comparative genomics and validated in silico regarding their specificity and consistency using BLASTn, synteny analysis, CG content, codon usage (CAI/eCAI values) and genomic proximity to plasticity determinants. In silico, the selected eight DNA markers were found to be specific and conserved across the genomes of 11 X. euroxanthea strains, and in particular, five DNA markers (XEA4, XEA5, XEA6, XEA7 and XEA8) were unfailingly found in these genomes. A multiplex of PCR targeting markers XEA1 (819 bp), XEA8 (648 bp) and XEA5 (295 bp) was shown to successfully detect X. euroxanthea down to 1 ng of DNA (per PCR reaction). The topology of trees generated with the concatenated sequences of three markers (XEA5, XEA6 and XEA8) and four housekeeping genes (gyrB, rpoD, fyuA and acnB) underlined the equal discriminatory power of these features and thus the suitability of the DNA markers to discriminate X. euroxanthea lineages. Overall, this study displays a DNA-marker-based method for the detection and genotyping of X. euroxanthea strains, contributing to monitoring for its presence in X. arboricola-colonizing habitats. The present study proposes a workflow for the selection of species-specific detection markers. Prospectively, this assay could contribute to unveil alternative host species of Xanthomonas euroxanthea; and improve the control of phytopathogenic strains

Mapping Emotional Attachment as a Measure of Sense of Place to Identify Coastal Restoration Priority Areas

Our applied case study demonstrates how knowledge from community stakeholders about emotional attachment (as a key component of sense of place) can inform and influence future coastal restoration priorities at various scales in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida (USA). We map aggregate measures of emotional attachment from community stakeholders using Geographic Information Systems. We then analyze this human systems level data with kernel density estimation measures at the broader lagoon scale and with inverse distance weighted measures at more localized scales. By connecting these mapped results back to the primary reasons that participants provided for having high or low emotional attachment in a location, we show how varying spatial patterns of emotional attachment as a primary component of sense of place within and across broader geographic regions can be represented, mapped, and visualized to enhance future restoration priorities. We demonstrate how aggregate results gained from community stakeholders can help restoration teams prioritize their science communication and education strategies to align human systems level data with natural systems level data

Exogenous Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Induces Resistance to Citrus Canker in Citrus

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a universal electron carrier that participates in important intracellular metabolic reactions and signaling events. Interestingly, emerging evidence in animals indicates that cellular NAD can be actively or passively released into the extracellular space, where it is processed or perceived by ectoenzymes or cell-surface receptors. We have recently shown in Arabidopsis thaliana that exogenous NAD induces defense responses, that pathogen infection leads to release of NAD into the extracellular space at concentrations sufficient for defense activation, and that depletion of extracellular NAD (eNAD) by transgenic expression of the human NAD-hydrolyzing ectoenzyme CD38 inhibits plant immunity. We therefore hypothesize that, during plant–microbe interactions, NAD is released from dead or dying cells into the extracellular space where it interacts with adjacent naïve cells’ surface receptors, which in turn activate downstream immune signaling. However, it is currently unknown whether eNAD signaling is unique to Arabidopsis or the Brassicaceae family. In this study, we treated citrus plants with exogenous NAD+ and tested NAD+-induced transcriptional changes and disease resistance. Our results show that NAD+ induces profound transcriptome changes and strong resistance to citrus canker, a serious citrus disease caused by the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc). Furthermore, NAD+-induced resistance persists in new flushes emerging after removal of the tissues previously treated with NAD+. Finally, NAD+ treatment primes citrus tissues, resulting in a faster and stronger induction of multiple salicylic acid pathway genes upon subsequent Xcc infection. Taken together, these results indicate that exogenous NAD+ is able to induce immune responses in citrus and suggest that eNAD may also be an elicitor in this woody plant species

Mice lacking Astn2 have ASD-like behaviors and altered cerebellar circuit properties

Astrotactin 2 (ASTN2) is a transmembrane neuronal protein highly expressed in the cerebellum that functions in receptor trafficking and modulates cerebellar Purkinje cell (PC) synaptic activity. Individuals wit

The Student Movement Volume 107 Issue 5: Barkada Means Friendship: Andrews Embraces Fall and Filipino Culture

HUMANS AIFA Celebrates Barkada, Interviewed by: Sara Hamstra AU Student\u27s Thoughts About Autumn, Interviewed by: Kavya Mohanram Meet Joshua Deonarine, AUSA Financial VP, Interviewed by: Gloria Oh Women in STEM Interview: Emily Rusnak, Interviewed by: Lauren Kim ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Box Factory for the Arts, Ysabelle Fernando Creatives on Campus: Filipino American History Month Edition, Ceiry Flores The Old Warhorse: Wind Symphony\u27s Saturday Concert, Skylor Stark NEWS Edsel Adap\u27s Story: How AFIA Came to Be, Sara Hamstra Learning Traditional Filipino Dance with AFIA, Ceiry Flores Andrews Opens New Career Center!, Gloria Oh IDEAS Be Your Own Bastion for Fashion, Shania Watts Seasonal Depression at AU, Kayla-Hope Bruno Worldbuilder\u27s Disease, T Bruggemann PULSE FALLing in Love With Autumn, Lexie Dunham Filipino-American HISTORY Month, Charisse Lapuebla In Loving Memory of the Gazebo Smoothies, Elizabeth Dovich LAST WORD Existential Dread, Alannah Tjhatrahttps://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/sm-107/1004/thumbnail.jp

2017-2018 Dean\u27s Showcase No. 2

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The Student Movement Volume 107 Issue 11: Have a Merry Christmas! XOXO, The Student Movement

HUMANS Coping with Finals, Solana Campbell Meet Jea Erazo, AUSA Public Relations Officer. Interviewed by: Caryn Cruz Remembering Sharon Dudgeon, Grace No Women in STEM: Olivia Joyce, Interviewed by: Gloria Oh ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Football Sunday, Nathaniel Reid, Skylor Stark Student Picks: Christmas Classics, Ysabelle Fernando NEWS AFIA x MLS Christmas Party, Ceiry Flores Boycotts and Bans at the Qatar World Cup, Hannah Cruse In Loving Memory of Seth Williams, Gloria Oh IDEAS How Do We Address Queer Violence?, Alexander J. Hess Is Reality Really Real When You Aren\u27t Really Looking?, Alexander Navarro Reflecting on Christmas Traditions, Rachel Ingram-Clay The New Era of Book Bans, Elizabeth Getahun Why is Everyone so Happy During Christmastime?, Kayla-Hope Bruno PULSE Bon Appétit and the Threat to Cultural Autonomy, Wambui Karanja It\u27s OrnaMEANT to be a Wonderful Christmastime, Lexie Dunham It\u27s the Most Stressful Time of the Year, Reagan McCain Qatar Controversy: The Shadow Behind the World Cup, Melissa Moore Reflections on the Semester and Plans for Break, Elizabeth Dovich LAST WORD A Student Movement Christmas, The Student Movement Staffhttps://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/sm-107/1010/thumbnail.jp