Clostridium perfringens type A isolates produce the spore-specific enterotoxin, CPE, upon sporulation in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals. Spo0A is a response regulator representing the major transcription factor for sporulation initiation in C. perfringens. In Bacillus subtilis, a multicomponent phosphorelay involving five histidine kinases (KinA-KinE), the intermediate response...
We are developing a flavin-containing (Fmo) knock-out mouse for Fmo2 that will be utilized to elucidate the role of active human FMO isoform 2 (FMO2.1) in xenobiotic metabolism and toxicity. Since FMO2 is primarily expressed in lung this will provide information on how 27% of African-Americans and 5% of Hispanics...
Winter hardiness in barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a trait targeted by breeding programs in order to expand the potential area of adaptation of fall-sown cereals. Vernalization requirement is an important factor in winter hardiness. A vernalization requirement is an extended period of low temperature required for transition from the vegetative...
Temperate evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest support big huckleberries (Vaccinium membranaceum) despite their nutrient impoverished soils. Acquisition of nitrogen and phosphorous are the major nutrients limiting V. membranaceum. The plant’s access to these resources is linked to their mycorrhizal symbiosis. To learn more about the symbionts of eriaceous plants...
Celiac disease, an autoimmune response triggered by the consumption of seed storage proteins of cereals, affects an estimated 1% of the human population. In the case of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), one of the world’s most consumed cereals, alcohol-soluble proteins, the gliadins, have been identified as the allergy-eliciting agents. Previous...