Showing 1691 - 1700 of 2039 Items

Linking genotype to phenotype in a changing ocean: inferring the genomic architecture of a blue mussel stress response with genome-wide association

Date: 2018-03-01

Creator: S. E. Kingston

P. Martino

M. Melendy

F. A. Reed

D. B., Carlon

Access: Open access

A key component to understanding the evolutionary response to a changing climate is linking underlying genetic variation to phenotypic variation in stress response. Here, we use a genome-wide association approach (GWAS) to understand the genetic architecture of calcification rates under simulated climate stress. We take advantage of the genomic gradient across the blue mussel hybrid zone (Mytilus edulis and Mytilus trossulus) in the Gulf of Maine (GOM) to link genetic variation with variance in calcification rates in response to simulated climate change. Falling calcium carbonate saturation states are predicted to negatively impact many marine organisms that build calcium carbonate shells – like blue mussels. We sampled wild mussels and measured net calcification phenotypes after exposing mussels to a ‘climate change’ common garden, where we raised temperature by 3°C, decreased pH by 0.2 units and limited food supply by filtering out planktonic particles >5 μm, compared to ambient GOM conditions in the summer. This climate change exposure greatly increased phenotypic variation in net calcification rates compared to ambient conditions. We then used regression models to link the phenotypic variation with over 170 000 single nucleotide polymorphism loci (SNPs) generated by genotype by sequencing to identify genomic locations associated with calcification phenotype, and estimate heritability and architecture of the trait. We identified at least one of potentially 2–10 genomic regions responsible for 30% of the phenotypic variation in calcification rates that are potential targets of natural selection by climate change. Our simulations suggest a power of 13.7% with our study's average effective sample size of 118 individuals and rare alleles, but a power of >90% when effective sample size is 900.


Cloning of the first cDNA encoding a putative CCRFamide precursor: identification of the brain, eyestalk ganglia, and cardiac ganglion as sites of CCRFamide expression in the American lobster, Homarus americanus

Date: 2020-12-01

Creator: J. Joe Hull

Melissa A. Stefanek

Patsy S. Dickinson

Andrew E. Christie

Access: Open access

Over the past decade, many new peptide families have been identified via in silico analyses of genomic and transcriptomic datasets. While various molecular and biochemical methods have confirmed the existence of some of these new groups, others remain in silico discoveries of computationally assembled sequences only. An example of the latter are the CCRFamides, named for the predicted presence of two pairs of disulfide bonded cysteine residues and an amidated arginine-phenylalanine carboxyl-terminus in family members, which have been identified from annelid, molluscan, and arthropod genomes/transcriptomes, but for which no precursor protein-encoding cDNAs have been cloned. Using routine transcriptome mining methods, we identified four Homarus americanus (American lobster) CCRFamide transcripts that share high sequence identity across the predicted open reading frames but more limited conservation in their 5′ terminal ends, suggesting the Homarus gene undergoes alternative splicing. RT-PCR profiling using primers designed to amplify an internal fragment common to all of the transcripts revealed expression in the supraoesophageal ganglion (brain), eyestalk ganglia, and cardiac ganglion. Variant specific profiling revealed a similar profile for variant 1, eyestalk ganglia specific expression of variant 2, and an absence of variant 3 expression in the cDNAs examined. The broad distribution of CCRFamide transcript expression in the H. americanus nervous system suggests a potential role as a locally released and/or circulating neuropeptide. This is the first report of the cloning of a CCRFamide-encoding cDNA from any species, and as such, provides the first non-in silico support for the existence of this invertebrate peptide family.


Multiple transcriptome mining coupled with tissue specific molecular cloning and mass spectrometry provide insights into agatoxin-like peptide conservation in decapod crustaceans

Date: 2020-12-01

Creator: Andrew E. Christie

Cindy D. Rivera

Catherine M. Call

Patsy S. Dickinson

Elizabeth A., Stemmler

J. Joe Hull

Access: Open access

Over the past decade, in silico genome and transcriptome mining has led to the identification of many new crustacean peptide families, including the agatoxin-like peptides (ALPs), a group named for their structural similarity to agatoxin, a spider venom component. Here, analysis of publicly accessible transcriptomes was used to expand our understanding of crustacean ALPs. Specifically, transcriptome mining was used to investigate the phylogenetic/structural conservation, tissue localization, and putative functions of ALPs in decapod species. Transcripts encoding putative ALP precursors were identified from one or more members of the Penaeoidea (penaeid shrimp), Sergestoidea (sergestid shrimps), Caridea (caridean shrimp), Astacidea (clawed lobsters and freshwater crayfish), Achelata (spiny/slipper lobsters), and Brachyura (true crabs), suggesting a broad, and perhaps ubiquitous, conservation of ALPs in decapods. Comparison of the predicted mature structures of decapod ALPs revealed high levels of amino acid conservation, including eight identically conserved cysteine residues that presumably allow for the formation of four identically positioned disulfide bridges. All decapod ALPs are predicted to have amidated carboxyl-terminals. Two isoforms of ALP appear to be present in most decapod species, one 44 amino acids long and the other 42 amino acids in length, both likely generated by alternative splicing of a single gene. In carideans, a gene or terminal exon duplication appears to have occurred, with alternative splicing producing four ALPs, two 44 and two 42 amino acid isoforms. The identification of ALP precursor-encoding transcripts in nervous system-specific transcriptomes (e.g., Homarus americanus brain, eyestalk ganglia, and cardiac ganglion assemblies, finding confirmed using RT-PCR) suggests that members of this peptide family may serve as locally-released and/or hormonally-delivered neuromodulators in decapods. Their detection in testis- and hepatopancreas-specific transcriptomes suggests that members of the ALP family may also play roles in male reproduction and innate immunity/detoxification.


Tau decays with one charged particle plus multiple π0's

Date: 1993-01-01

Creator: M. Procario

S. Yang

R. Balest

K. Cho

M., Daoudi

W. T. Ford

D. R. Johnson

K. Lingel

M. Lohner

P. Rankin

J. G. Smith

J. P. Alexander

C. Bebek

K. Berkelman

D. Besson

T. E. Browder

D. G. Cassel

H. A. Cho

D. M. Coffman

P. S. Drell

R. Ehrlich

R. S. Galik

M. Garcia-Sciveres

B. Geiser

B. Gittelman

S. W. Gray

D. L. Hartill

B. K. Heltsley

K. Honscheid

C. D. Jones

S. L. Jones

Access: Open access

With the CLEO-II detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring, we have measured branching fractions for tau lepton decay into one-prong final states with multiple π0's Bhnπ0, normalized to the branching fraction for tau decay into one charged particle and a single π0. We find Bh2π0/Bhπ0=0. 345±0.006±0.016, Bh3π0/Bhπ0=0.041 ±0.003±0. 005, and Bh4π0/Bhπ0=0.006±0.002±0.002. © 1993 The American Physical Society.


In silico analyses suggest the cardiac ganglion of the lobster, Homarus americanus, contains a diverse array of putative innexin/innexin-like proteins, including both known and novel members of this protein family

Date: 2020-06-01

Creator: Andrew E. Christie

J. Joe Hull

Patsy S. Dickinson

Access: Open access

Gap junctions are physical channels that connect adjacent cells, permitting the flow of small molecules/ions between the cytoplasms of the coupled units. Innexin/innexin-like proteins are responsible for the formation of invertebrate gap junctions. Within the nervous system, gap junctions often function as electrical synapses, providing a means for coordinating activity among electrically coupled neurons. While some gap junctions allow the bidirectional flow of small molecules/ions between coupled cells, others permit flow in one direction only or preferentially. The complement of innexins present in a gap junction determines its specific properties. Thus, understanding innexin diversity is key for understanding the full potential of electrical coupling in a species/system. The decapod crustacean cardiac ganglion (CG), which controls cardiac muscle contractions, is a simple pattern-generating neural network with extensive electrical coupling among its circuit elements. In the lobster, Homarus americanus, prior work suggested that the adult neuronal innexin complement consists of six innexins (Homam-Inx1-4 and Homam-Inx6-7). Here, using a H. americanus CG-specific transcriptome, we explored innexin complement in this portion of the lobster nervous system. With the exception of Homam-Inx4, all of the previously described innexins appear to be expressed in the H. americanus CG. In addition, transcripts encoding seven novel putative innexins (Homam-Inx8-14) were identified, four (Homam-Inx8-11) having multiple splice variants, e.g., six for Homam-Inx8. Collectively, these data indicate that the innexin complement of the lobster nervous system in general, and the CG specifically, is likely significantly greater than previously reported, suggesting the possibility of expanded gap junction diversity and function in H. americanus.


SIFamide peptides modulate cardiac activity differently in two species of Cancer crab

Date: 2019-10-01

Creator: Patsy S. Dickinson

Heidi M. Samuel

Elizabeth A. Stemmler

Andrew E. Christie

Access: Open access

The SIFamides are a broadly conserved arthropod peptide family characterized by the C-terminal motif –SIFamide. In decapod crustaceans, two isoforms of SIFamide are known, GYRKPPFNGSIFamide (Gly1-SIFamide), which is nearly ubiquitously conserved in the order, and VYRKPPFNGSIFamide (Val1-SIFamide), known only from members of the astacidean genus Homarus. While much work has focused on the identification of SIFamide isoforms in decapods, there are few direct demonstrations of physiological function for members of the peptide family in this taxon. Here, we assessed the effects of Gly1- and Val1-SIFamide on the cardiac neuromuscular system of two closely related species of Cancer crab, Cancer borealis and Cancer irroratus. In each species, both peptides were cardioactive, with identical, dose-dependent effects elicited by both isoforms in a given species. Threshold concentrations for bioactivity are in the range typically associated with hormonal delivery, i.e., 10−9 to 10−8 M. Interestingly, and quite surprisingly, while the predicted effects of SIFamide on cardiac output are similar in both C. borealis and C. irroratus, frequency effects predominate in C. borealis, while amplitude effects predominate in C. irroratus. These findings suggest that, while SIFamide is likely to increase cardiac output in both crabs, the mechanism through which this is achieved is different in the two species. Immunohistochemical/mass spectrometric data suggest that SIFamide is delivered to the heart hormonally rather than locally, with the source of hormonal release being midgut epithelial endocrine cells in both Cancer species. If so, midgut-derived SIFamide may function as a regulator of cardiac output during the process of digestion.


Measurements of semileptonic branching fractions of B mesons at the '(4S) resonance

Date: 1992-01-01

Creator: S. Henderson

K. Kinoshita

F. Pipkin

M. Procario

M., Saulnier

R. Wilson

J. Wolinski

D. Xiao

R. Ammar

P. Baringer

D. Coppage

R. Davis

P. Haas

M. Kelly

N. Kwak

Ha Lam

S. Ro

Y. Kubota

J. K. Nelson

D. Perticone

R. Poling

S. Schrenk

G. Crawford

R. Fulton

T. Jensen

D. R. Johnson

H. Kagan

R. Kass

R. Malchow

F. Morrow

J. Whitmore

Access: Open access

We report new measurements of semileptonic branching fractions of B mesons produced at the '(4S) resonance determined by fitting the inclusive electron and muon momentum spectra to different theoretical models. Using B(B»'X"-») to denote the average of the semileptonic branching fractions for B decay to electrons and muons, we obtain B(B»'X"-»)= (10.5±0.2±0.4)% using the refined free-quark model of Altarelli et al., and B(B»'X"-»)=(11.2±0.3±0.4)% using a modified version of the form-factor model of Isgur et al., in which the D**"-» contribution is allowed to float in the fit. The average of these two results is B(B»'X"-»)=(10.8±0. 2±0.4±0.4)%, where the errors are statistical, systematic uncertainties in the measurement, and systematic uncertainties associated with the theoretical models, respectively. Semileptonic branching fractions as low as this are difficult to accommodate in theoretical models where hadronic B-meson decays arise only from spectator diagrams. We use dilepton yields to limit the uncertainty in the semileptonic branching fraction due to the possible existence of non-BB» decays of the '(4S). In addition, we tag neutral B mesons using the decays B»0'D*+- and B»0'D*+"-» to obtain the first direct measurement of semileptonic branching fractions for neutral B mesons; the average of the electron and muon results for neutral B mesons is B(B»0'X"-»)=(9.9±3.0±0.9)%. © 1992 The American Physical Society.


Measurement of baryon production in B-meson decay

Date: 1992-01-01

Creator: G. Crawford

R. Fulton

T. Jensen

D. R. Johnson

H., Kagan

R. Kass

R. Malchow

F. Morrow

J. Whitmore

P. Wilson

D. Bortoletto

D. Brown

J. Dominick

R. L. McIlwain

D. H. Miller

M. Modesitt

C. R. Ng

S. F. Schaffner

E. I. Shibata

I. P.J. Shipsey

M. Battle

H. Kroha

K. Sparks

E. H. Thorndike

C. H. Wang

M. S. Alam

I. J. Kim

W. C. Li

X. C. Lou

B. Nemati

V. Romero

Access: Open access

Using the CLEO detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring, we observe B-meson decays to c+ and report on improved measurements of inclusive branching fractions and momentum spectra of other baryons. For the inclusive decay Bc+X with c+pK-+, we find that the product branching fraction B(Bc+X)B(c+pK-+)=(0.273±0.051±0.039)%. Our measured inclusive branching fractions to noncharmed baryons are B(BpX)=(8.0±0.5±0.3)%, B(BX)=(3.8±0.4±0.6)%, and B(B-X)=(0.27±0.05±0.04)%. From these rates and studies of baryon-lepton and baryon-antibaryon correlations in B decays, we have estimated the branching fraction B(Bc+X) to be (6.40.8±0.8)%. Combining these results, we calculate B(c+pK-) to be (4.3±1.0±0.8)%. © 1992 The American Physical Society.


Ds+ decays to + and +

Date: 1992-01-01

Creator: J. Alexander

C. Bebek

K. Berkelman

D. Besson

T. E., Browder

D. G. Cassel

E. Cheu

D. M. Coffman

P. S. Drell

R. Ehrlich

R. S. Galik

M. Garcia-Sciveres

B. Geiser

B. Gittelman

S. W. Gray

D. L. Hartill

B. K. Heltsley

K. Honscheid

J. Kandaswamy

N. Katayama

P. C. Kim

D. L. Kreinick

J. D. Lewis

G. S. Ludwig

J. Masui

J. Mevissen

N. B. Mistry

S. Nandi

C. R. Ng

E. Nordberg

C. Grady

Access: Open access

Using the CLEO II detector, we have accurately measured Ds decay branching ratios relative to the mode for the and states, for which there are conflicting claims; our results are 0.540.090.06 and 1.200.150.11, respectively. © 1992 The American Physical Society.


The spherical Bochner theorem on semisimple Lie groups

Date: 1975-01-01

Creator: William H. Barker

Access: Open access

Let G be a connected semisimple Lie group with finite center and K a maximal compact subgroup. Denote (i) Harish-Chandra's Schwartz spaces by Cp(G)(0