Biomedical subjects

Krista M Nichols

Publications and source records attributed to Krista M Nichols.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Comprehensive gene expression profiling following DNA vaccination of rainbow trout against infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus.

The DNA vaccine based on the glycoprotein gene of Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus induces a non-specific anti-viral immune response and long-term specific immunity against IHNV. This study characterized gene expression responses associated with the early anti-viral response. Homozygous rainbow trout were injected intra-muscularly (I.M.) with vector DNA or the IHNV DNA vaccine. Gene expression in muscle tissue (I.M. site) was evaluated using a 16,008 feature salmon cDNA microarray. Eighty different genes were significantly modulated in the vector DNA group while 910 genes were modulated in the IHNV DNA vaccinate group relative to control group. Quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR was used to examine expression of selected immune genes at the I.M. site and in other secondary tissues. In the localized response (I.M. site), the magnitudes of gene expression changes were much greater in the vaccinate group relative to the vector DNA group for the majority of genes analyzed. At secondary systemic sites (e.g. gill, kidney and spleen), type I IFN-related genes were up-regulated in only the IHNV DNA vaccinated group. The results presented here suggest that the IHNV DNA vaccine induces up-regulation of the type I IFN system across multiple tissues, which is the functional basis of early anti-viral immunity.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Model selection in binary trait locus mapping.

Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping methodology for continuous normally distributed traits is the subject of much attention in the literature. Binary trait locus (BTL) mapping in experimental populations has received much less attention. A binary trait by definition has only two possible values, and the penetrance parameter is restricted to values between zero and one. Due to this restriction, the infinitesimal model appears to come into play even when only a few loci are involved, making selection of an appropriate genetic model in BTL mapping challenging. We present a probability model for an arbitrary number of BTL and demonstrate that, given adequate sample sizes, the power for detecting loci is high under a wide range of genetic models, including most epistatic models. A novel model selection strategy based upon the underlying genetic map is employed for choosing the genetic model. We propose selecting the "best" marker from each linkage group, regardless of significance. This reduces the model space so that an efficient search for epistatic loci can be conducted without invoking stepwise model selection. This procedure can identify unlinked epistatic BTL, demonstrated by our simulations and the reanalysis of Oncorhynchus mykiss experimental data.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Mapping multiple genetic loci associated with Ceratomyxa shasta resistance in Oncorhynchus mykiss.

Ceratomyxa shasta is enzootic to some rivers of the Pacific Northwest and California, and has caused extensive mortalities of salmonids, the only known host of the actinosporean stage of the pathogen. Mortalities from C. shasta are induced by severe inflammation and necrosis of the intestinal tract, and no therapeutants have been discovered for the treatment of ceratomyxosis. Inheritance studies by previous investigators suggested that C. shasta resistance is genetically controlled, but none have revealed the number and locations of gene regions associated with resistance. Here, we characterized differences in resistance among clonal lines, and used line crosses between clonal lines with resistance differences for a genetic analysis of C. shasta resistance in Oncorhynchus mykiss, following a short term in situ exposure to the pathogen. We found that Oregon State University (OSU) x Arlee (ARL) clonal hybrids were highly susceptible, while OSU x Clearwater (CW) hybrids were highly resistant to C. shasta. Doubled haploids, produced by androgenesis from an F1 hybrid between the OSU and CW lines, were evaluated for the co-segregation of molecular markers and resistance phenotype. Amplified fragment length polymorphic (AFLP) markers, used to construct a genetic linkage map in this cross, were tested for associations with resistance expressed as absolute survival (binary trait) and days to death (survival analysis). Segregation of the resistance phenotype suggested that the resistance was inherited as a single Mendelian locus, but the binary trait failed to map to a single genomic location. Markers identified in single-marker analyses were used in multiple-regression model selection, within both the linear regression and Cox proportional-hazards survival analysis frameworks, to determine the number and potential location of loci simultaneously contributing to variation in the survival phenotypes of doubled-haploid progeny. We found multiple genomic loci associated with C. shasta resistance through these models, confirming studies by previous investigators that suggested C. shasta resistance is polygenic.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Examination of reproductive endpoints in goldfish (Carassius auratus) exposed in situ to municipal sewage treatment plant effluent discharges in Michigan, USA.

Effects of representative mid-Michigan (USA) wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents on the reproductive physiology of common goldfish (Carassius auratus) were assessed in situ by measuring plasma concentrations of vitellogenin (VTG), 17 beta-estradiol (E2), and testosterone (T), and evaluating gonad histology. Caged adult male and female goldfish were exposed for six weeks to WWTP effluents. One riverine site and one lacustrine site were included as references for comparison to WWTP sites. There was differential growth and gonadal development among locations, which confounded the interpretation of biomarker responses. A linear contrast model was developed by analysis of covariance, and adjusted values were developed for concentrations of VTG, E2, and T in the plasma of both male and female fish. In general, VTG concentrations were significantly less in male than in female goldfish. Most concentrations of VTG in male goldfish were less than the method detection limit. There were no significant differences in plasma VTG of either male or female goldfish among locations or between sites at WWTPs and reference sites. Concentrations of E2 in the plasma of female goldfish were similar among WWTP sites, all of which were less than in females at a pond reference location. Concentrations of E2 in the plasma of male goldfish were similar at all WWTP locations, except for one, where they were greater. No consistent trends in hormone concentrations or gonadal histology could be attributed to putative endocrine disrupter exposure in WWTP effluents. The results indicate that the risk for estrogen agonist exposure below these mid-Michigan WWTPs is small.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Cloning novel immune-type inhibitory receptors from the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss.

Novel immune-type receptor ( NITR) genes that encode two extracellular immunoglobulin domains and cytoplasmic immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motifs (ITIMs) have been described previously in three lineages of bony fish. In the current study, four ITIM-containing NITR cDNAs are identified in the rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss), and their expression patterns and genomic complexity are characterized. The ITIM-containing NITR2 gene maps 1.3 cM from an ITIM-containing C-type lectin receptor ( TCL-2) on linkage group XXI. A comprehensive, phylogenetic analysis of NITRs from rainbow trout and three other major lineages of bony fish defines conserved families of NITRs and suggests an ancient lineage of distinct groups of genes. Several probable scenarios that explain the origins of variant forms of NITRs are described.

Amino Acid Sequence↗