This blog is devoted to BIOL 6988, a graduate level seminar in the biological sciences at Youngstown State University. While targeted towards graduate students, BIOL 6988 actively incorporates undergraduate participants in their scholastic endeavors in the biological sciences. This blog is intended as a educational tool not just for YSU students and faculty, but for anyone who wishes to contribute to an active-learning environment.
Two superstars are to present their work on Friday, March 2nd. Yes, it is the Friday before Spring Break, but please stay long enough to support these two wonderful people!
Their topics are given below in the following flyers:
Both Jamielynn and Kyle gave excellent presentations, and their research projects are both very interesting and important. Jamielynn talked about S. maltophilia and its resistance to the antibiotic β lactam with two resistance genes: L1 and L2 β lactamase. These two genes can help promote the formation of peptidoglycan, which is essential to the bacterium's survival, that would otherwise be inhibited by lactam. Sequencing of these genes have been completed so far using BLAST, and this will help ultimately will determine other antibiotic resistance of these genes through cloning. If the majority of these bacteria in any body of water did not have these resistance genes, how do you think this would impact humans and the surrounding wildlife/overall environment? Kyle talked about the high endurance of sloths that is essential during suspensory locomotion. Specifically, he discussed the fiber type distribution and enzyme activity levels of the fore- and hindlimb muscles to help determine their overall level of fatigue resistance. It was found that a lot of the muscles had high levels of MHC 1 fibers (oxidative), but the more distal muscles also had higher levels of MHC 2A fibers (oxidative-glycolytic) compared to the more proximal fibers. In addition, the muscles overall had high levels of creatine kinase and lactose dehydrogenase, which is a little surprising to me since they are associated with glycolysis. What fiber-type distribution of the limb muscles would you expect to see in an animal that exhibits different behaviors (e.g., running, digging, swimming, etc.)?
I agree with Sarah that both Kyle and Jamielynn gave excellent presentations last Friday. Furthermore, I found both of their research topics very interesting. As far as Sarah’s first question goes, if the bacteria of interest in a body of water were not antibiotic resistant, the wildlife and surrounding ecosystems would be better off. As Jamielynn said in her talk, S. maltophilia frequently colonizes on humid surfaces such as in urinary catheters, mechanical ventilators and endoscopes. With that being said, the more difficult the bacteria is to kill, the more likely it is to cause problems to a host. Regarding Sarah’s question on limb fiber types, I would assume that behaviors that require large amounts of force would mainly be Type I muscle fiber and behaviors that require a rapid response would be made up of Type II or a subset thereof.
I concur that both Jamielynn and Kyle presented with excellence on their important research projects. To answer the question about Jamielynn's research: Beta-lactams encompass a large number of antibiotics (including penicillins and cephalosporins) and it should be expected that water has a high concentration of them due to rampant antibiotic overprescribing and subsequent urine excretion into the water system. Therefore, if no water bacteria had resistance genes to the beta-lactams it could wipe out many harmful bacteria but also a lot of the beneficial bacteria that serve varying purposes in the environment. The first niche that comes to mind is nitrogen-fixation and without that purpose served, plants and the animals that feed on them would suffer in some degree. To answer the question about Kyle's research: Anatomy isn't really my forte but one thing I do remember vividly from taking A&P is that structure recapitulates function. I'd expect the fiber-type distribution of the limb muscles in any animal to be the perfect ratio to serve whatever behaviors it may exhibit. For example, I'd expect running animals like cheetahs would need a lot of the fibers associated with glycolysis (MHC 2?) for short bursts of maximum speed.
Jamielynn and Kyle did such awesome jobs on their presentations! Really interesting research, guys! To answer Sarah’s question on Jamielynn’s research, I would think that if the majority of these bacteria did not have resistance genes then beta-lactams cannot bind and peptidoglycan formation cannot occur. If this were the case then cells would not survive without peptidoglycan formation. This would also increase membrane permeability. This area of science not my strong suit, so Jamielynn please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. To answer Sarah’s questions regarding Kyle’s research, there are 4 main MHC fiber-types that Kyle mentioned – MHC1, MHC2A/X/B. I would expect fast running animals, like the cheetah, to have higher concentrations of MHC-2A or MHC-2X in their limbs to produce greater force and power. We typically see MHC-2B fibers in small animals like rodents or lagomorphs. In animals that are diggers, I think we would see more MHC-2A fibers in their forelimbs since they have a higher joint velocity advantage in order to dig through substrates, whereas their hindlimbs might display more MHC-1 fibers for joint stabilization.
These were excellent presentations! I really enjoyed both and thought they contained interesting information. In response to Sarah's question about Jamielynn's research, if the bacterium did not have the antibiotic resistance the environment could benefit due to harmful bacteria not being able to survive. However as Kayla mentioned this could also diminish the presence of beneficial bacteria. To answer the question on Kyle's research, I would think we could see large concentrations of MHC 1 fibers that would be used in a wide range of functions.
Jamielynn and Kyle both gave great presentations at seminar! I enjoyed learning about their research and thought they were both very interesting. For the question regarding Jamielynn’s research, I would say that if water did not have these resistance genes, the surrounding environment and humans would benefit. But I also feel that without the presence of certain bacteria it could also cause harm. For the question regarding Kyle’s research, I would agree and say that I think that higher concentrations of MHC 2 muscle fibers would be related to animals that require a maximum power output.
I really enjoyed Jamielynn’s and Kyle’s presentations last week. For once I was actually fairly familiar with these projects. I learned about Jamielynn’s research with Dr. Caguiat from his Microbial Physiology course and lab. I think that the microbial population from East Fork Poplar Creek exhibits an impressive range of metabolic resistance to heavy metals and other toxic compounds, no doubt due to the creek’s history. I think a niche ecosystem like that can provide insights into how microbial populations might respond to similar stresses in the future. S. maltophilia certainly seems to be a problem-microbe, and beta-lactam antibiotics compose a vast majority of the broad-spectrum antibiotics at our disposal today. I would not be surprised to see that perhaps these samples from the creek even exhibit unique beta-lactamase genes or isoforms. With regard to Sarah’s question about microbial resistance genes in a water source, I would say that the overall environmental impact would be a negative one, as these microbes would be killed off. One might see overall decreased amounts of organic nitrogen compounds, as Kayla pointed out. However, as microbes influence our macroscopic world in so many ways, it would be difficult to predict the actual outcomes on the environment.
I became familiarized with some of Kyle’s research over a year ago through his adviser, Dr. Butcher. I was surprised to hear that work in his lab was revealing that the markers for energy metabolism distributed in these muscle fibers were not quite what had been expected, and that the muscle cells might be participating in metabolic pathways that seemed counter-intuitive. It turns out that sometimes the morphology of the cells/tissues does not coincide nicely with the protein isoforms expressed, indicating something else might be at work here. In any case, I would say that a functional perspective of the muscle would reveal more about it’s metabolism, and therefore more about its myosin heavy chain isoforms. Kyle’s research will undoubtedly shed some light. As for Sarah’s question about which fiber-type distributions might be seen in animals exhibiting different behaviors, I think Marissa is on point. Joint stabilization and posture calls for MHC-1 fibers, whereas greater forces and joint velocities call for MHC-2A or -2X fibers.
I think killing bacteria that doesn't need to be killed is rarely a good thing. If these antibiotics leaked into the waterways (people flushing pills down the toilet, etc), and some of these non-resistant bacteria died, recolonization of a different bacteria and/or a mutated/resistant strain would occur, shifting the ecosystem. If the water was purposefully treated with the antibiotics at an appropriate dose and time, I think it would be helpful in the short game and detrimental in the long run, as the bacteria that initially had resistance would eventually solely occupy the waterway.
Both Jamielynn and Kyle gave excellent presentations, and their research projects are both very interesting and important. Jamielynn talked about S. maltophilia and its resistance to the antibiotic β lactam with two resistance genes: L1 and L2 β lactamase. These two genes can help promote the formation of peptidoglycan, which is essential to the bacterium's survival, that would otherwise be inhibited by lactam. Sequencing of these genes have been completed so far using BLAST, and this will help ultimately will determine other antibiotic resistance of these genes through cloning. If the majority of these bacteria in any body of water did not have these resistance genes, how do you think this would impact humans and the surrounding wildlife/overall environment?
ReplyDeleteKyle talked about the high endurance of sloths that is essential during suspensory locomotion. Specifically, he discussed the fiber type distribution and enzyme activity levels of the fore- and hindlimb muscles to help determine their overall level of fatigue resistance. It was found that a lot of the muscles had high levels of MHC 1 fibers (oxidative), but the more distal muscles also had higher levels of MHC 2A fibers (oxidative-glycolytic) compared to the more proximal fibers. In addition, the muscles overall had high levels of creatine kinase and lactose dehydrogenase, which is a little surprising to me since they are associated with glycolysis. What fiber-type distribution of the limb muscles would you expect to see in an animal that exhibits different behaviors (e.g., running, digging, swimming, etc.)?
I agree with Sarah that both Kyle and Jamielynn gave excellent presentations last Friday. Furthermore, I found both of their research topics very interesting. As far as Sarah’s first question goes, if the bacteria of interest in a body of water were not antibiotic resistant, the wildlife and surrounding ecosystems would be better off. As Jamielynn said in her talk, S. maltophilia frequently colonizes on humid surfaces such as in urinary catheters, mechanical ventilators and endoscopes. With that being said, the more difficult the bacteria is to kill, the more likely it is to cause problems to a host. Regarding Sarah’s question on limb fiber types, I would assume that behaviors that require large amounts of force would mainly be Type I muscle fiber and behaviors that require a rapid response would be made up of Type II or a subset thereof.
ReplyDeleteI concur that both Jamielynn and Kyle presented with excellence on their important research projects.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the question about Jamielynn's research: Beta-lactams encompass a large number of antibiotics (including penicillins and cephalosporins) and it should be expected that water has a high concentration of them due to rampant antibiotic overprescribing and subsequent urine excretion into the water system. Therefore, if no water bacteria had resistance genes to the beta-lactams it could wipe out many harmful bacteria but also a lot of the beneficial bacteria that serve varying purposes in the environment. The first niche that comes to mind is nitrogen-fixation and without that purpose served, plants and the animals that feed on them would suffer in some degree.
To answer the question about Kyle's research: Anatomy isn't really my forte but one thing I do remember vividly from taking A&P is that structure recapitulates function. I'd expect the fiber-type distribution of the limb muscles in any animal to be the perfect ratio to serve whatever behaviors it may exhibit. For example, I'd expect running animals like cheetahs would need a lot of the fibers associated with glycolysis (MHC 2?) for short bursts of maximum speed.
Jamielynn and Kyle did such awesome jobs on their presentations! Really interesting research, guys! To answer Sarah’s question on Jamielynn’s research, I would think that if the majority of these bacteria did not have resistance genes then beta-lactams cannot bind and peptidoglycan formation cannot occur. If this were the case then cells would not survive without peptidoglycan formation. This would also increase membrane permeability. This area of science not my strong suit, so Jamielynn please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
ReplyDeleteTo answer Sarah’s questions regarding Kyle’s research, there are 4 main MHC fiber-types that Kyle mentioned – MHC1, MHC2A/X/B. I would expect fast running animals, like the cheetah, to have higher concentrations of MHC-2A or MHC-2X in their limbs to produce greater force and power. We typically see MHC-2B fibers in small animals like rodents or lagomorphs. In animals that are diggers, I think we would see more MHC-2A fibers in their forelimbs since they have a higher joint velocity advantage in order to dig through substrates, whereas their hindlimbs might display more MHC-1 fibers for joint stabilization.
These were excellent presentations! I really enjoyed both and thought they contained interesting information. In response to Sarah's question about Jamielynn's research, if the bacterium did not have the antibiotic resistance the environment could benefit due to harmful bacteria not being able to survive. However as Kayla mentioned this could also diminish the presence of beneficial bacteria. To answer the question on Kyle's research, I would think we could see large concentrations of MHC 1 fibers that would be used in a wide range of functions.
ReplyDeleteJamielynn and Kyle both gave great presentations at seminar! I enjoyed learning about their research and thought they were both very interesting. For the question regarding Jamielynn’s research, I would say that if water did not have these resistance genes, the surrounding environment and humans would benefit. But I also feel that without the presence of certain bacteria it could also cause harm. For the question regarding Kyle’s research, I would agree and say that I think that higher concentrations of MHC 2 muscle fibers would be related to animals that require a maximum power output.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Jamielynn’s and Kyle’s presentations last week. For once I was actually fairly familiar with these projects. I learned about Jamielynn’s research with Dr. Caguiat from his Microbial Physiology course and lab. I think that the microbial population from East Fork Poplar Creek exhibits an impressive range of metabolic resistance to heavy metals and other toxic compounds, no doubt due to the creek’s history. I think a niche ecosystem like that can provide insights into how microbial populations might respond to similar stresses in the future. S. maltophilia certainly seems to be a problem-microbe, and beta-lactam antibiotics compose a vast majority of the broad-spectrum antibiotics at our disposal today. I would not be surprised to see that perhaps these samples from the creek even exhibit unique beta-lactamase genes or isoforms.
ReplyDeleteWith regard to Sarah’s question about microbial resistance genes in a water source, I would say that the overall environmental impact would be a negative one, as these microbes would be killed off. One might see overall decreased amounts of organic nitrogen compounds, as Kayla pointed out. However, as microbes influence our macroscopic world in so many ways, it would be difficult to predict the actual outcomes on the environment.
I became familiarized with some of Kyle’s research over a year ago through his adviser, Dr. Butcher. I was surprised to hear that work in his lab was revealing that the markers for energy metabolism distributed in these muscle fibers were not quite what had been expected, and that the muscle cells might be participating in metabolic pathways that seemed counter-intuitive. It turns out that sometimes the morphology of the cells/tissues does not coincide nicely with the protein isoforms expressed, indicating something else might be at work here. In any case, I would say that a functional perspective of the muscle would reveal more about it’s metabolism, and therefore more about its myosin heavy chain isoforms. Kyle’s research will undoubtedly shed some light.
As for Sarah’s question about which fiber-type distributions might be seen in animals exhibiting different behaviors, I think Marissa is on point. Joint stabilization and posture calls for MHC-1 fibers, whereas greater forces and joint velocities call for MHC-2A or -2X fibers.
I think killing bacteria that doesn't need to be killed is rarely a good thing. If these antibiotics leaked into the waterways (people flushing pills down the toilet, etc), and some of these non-resistant bacteria died, recolonization of a different bacteria and/or a mutated/resistant strain would occur, shifting the ecosystem. If the water was purposefully treated with the antibiotics at an appropriate dose and time, I think it would be helpful in the short game and detrimental in the long run, as the bacteria that initially had resistance would eventually solely occupy the waterway.
ReplyDelete