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- Genre: Masters Thesis
Description
Chronic restraint stress impairs hippocampal-mediated spatial learning and memory, which improves following a post-stress recovery period. Here, we investigated whether brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein important for hippocampal function, would alter the recovery from chronic stress-induced spatial memory deficits. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were infused into the hippocampus with adeno- associated viral vectors containing the coding sequence for short interfering (si)RNA directed against BDNF or a scrambled sequence (Scr), with both containing the coding information for green fluorescent protein to aid in anatomical localization. Rats were then chronically restrained (wire mesh, 6h/d/21d) and assessed for spatial learning and memory using a radial arm water maze (RAWM) either immediately after stressor cessation (Str-Imm) or following a 21-day post-stress recovery period (Str-Rec). All groups learned the RAWM task similarly, but differed on the memory retention trial. Rats in the Str-Imm group, regardless of viral vector contents, committed more errors in the spatial reference memory domain than did non-stressed controls. Importantly, the typical improvement in spatial memory following recovery from chronic stress was blocked with the siRNA against BDNF, as Str-Rec-siRNA performed worse on the RAWM compared to the non-stressed controls or Str-Rec-Scr. These effects were specific for the reference memory domain as repeated entry errors that reflect spatial working memory were unaffected by stress condition or viral vector contents. These results demonstrate that hippocampal BDNF is necessary for the recovery from stress-induced hippocampal dependent spatial memory deficits in the reference memory domain.
ContributorsOrtiz, J. Bryce (Author) / Conrad, Cheryl D. (Thesis advisor) / Olive, M. Foster (Committee member) / Taylor, Sara (Committee member) / Bimonte-Nelson, Heather A. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is a Gram-negative enteric pathogen that causes self-limiting gastroenteritis in healthy individuals and can cause systemic infections in those who are immunocompromised. During its natural lifecycle, S. Typhimurium encounters a wide variety of stresses it must sense and respond to in a dynamic and coordinated fashion to induce resistance and ensure survival. Salmonella is subjected to a series of stresses that include temperature shifts, pH variability, detergent-like bile salts, oxidative environments and changes in fluid shear levels. Previously, our lab showed that cultures of S. Typhimurium grown under physiological low fluid shear (LFS) conditions similar to those encountered in the intestinal tract during infection uniquely regulates the virulence, gene expression and pathogenesis-related stress responses of this pathogen during log phase. Interestingly, the log phase Salmonella mechanosensitive responses to LFS were independent of the master stress response sigma factor, RpoS, departing from our conventional understanding of RpoS regulation. Since RpoS is a growth phase dependent regulator with increased stability in stationary phase, the current study investigated the role of RpoS in mediating pathogenesis-related stress responses in stationary phase S. Typhimurium grown under LFS and control conditions. Specifically, stationary phase responses to acid, thermal, bile and oxidative stress were assayed. To our knowledge the results from the current study demonstrate the first report that the mechanical force of LFS globally alters the S. Typhimurium χ3339 stationary phase stress response independently of RpoS to acid and bile stressors but dependently on RpoS to oxidative and thermal stress. This indicates that fluid shear-dependent differences in acid and bile stress responses are regulated by alternative pathway(s) in S. Typhimurium, were the oxidative and thermal stress responses are regulated through RpoS in LFS conditions. Results from this study further highlight how bacterial mechanosensation may be important in promoting niche recognition and adaptation in the mammalian host during infection, and may lead to characterization of previously unidentified pathogenesis strategies.
ContributorsCrenshaw, Keith (Author) / Nickerson, Cheryl A. (Thesis advisor) / Barrila, Jennifer (Thesis advisor) / Ott, C. (Committee member) / Stout, Valerie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
The emergence of invasive non-Typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) infections belonging to sequence type (ST) 313 are associated with severe bacteremia and high mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Distinct features of ST313 strains include resistance to multiple antibiotics, extensive genomic degradation, and atypical clinical diagnosis including bloodstream infections, respiratory symptoms, and fever. Herein, I report the use of dynamic bioreactor technology to profile the impact of physiological fluid shear levels on the pathogenesis-related responses of ST313 pathovar, 5579. I show that culture of 5579 under these conditions induces profoundly different pathogenesis-related phenotypes than those normally observed when cultures are grown conventionally. Surprisingly, in response to physiological fluid shear, 5579 exhibited positive swimming motility, which was unexpected, since this strain was initially thought to be non-motile. Moreover, fluid shear altered the resistance of 5579 to acid, oxidative and bile stress, as well as its ability to colonize human colonic epithelial cells. This work leverages from and advances studies over the past 16 years in the Nickerson lab, which are at the forefront of bacterial mechanosensation and further demonstrates that bacterial pathogens are “hardwired” to respond to the force of fluid shear in ways that are not observed during conventional culture, and stresses the importance of mimicking the dynamic physical force microenvironment when studying host-pathogen interactions. The results from this study lay the foundation for future work to determine the underlying mechanisms operative in 5579 that are responsible for these phenotypic observations.
ContributorsCastro, Christian (Author) / Nickerson, Cheryl A. (Thesis advisor) / Ott, C. Mark (Committee member) / Roland, Kenneth (Committee member) / Barrila, Jennifer (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
In sub-Saharan Africa, an invasive form of nontyphoidal Salmonella (iNTS) belonging to sequence type (ST)313 has emerged as a major public health concern causing widespread bacteremia and mortality in children with malaria and adults with HIV. Clinically, ST313 pathovars are characterized by the absence of gastroenteritis, which is commonly found in “classical” nontyphoidal Salmonella (NTS), along with multidrug resistance, pseudogene formation, and chromosome degradation. There is an urgent need to understand the biological and physical factors that regulate the disease causing properties of ST313 strains. Previous studies from our lab using dynamic Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) bioreactor technology and “classical” NTS strain χ3339 showed that physiological fluid shear regulates gene expression, stress responses and virulence in unexpected ways that are not observed using conventional shake and static flask conditions, and in a very different manner as compared to ST313 strain D23580. Leveraging from these findings, the current study was the first to report the effect of fluid shear on the pathogenesis-related stress responses of S. Typhimurium ST313 strain A130, which evolved earlier than D23580 within the ST313 clade. A130 displayed enhanced resistance to acid, oxidative and bile stresses when cultured in the high fluid shear (HFS) control condition relative to the low fluid shear (LFS) condition in stationary phase using Lennox Broth (LB) as the culture medium. The greatest magnitude of the survival benefit conferred by high fluid shear was observed in response to oxidative and acid stresses. No differences were observed for thermal and osmotic stresses. Based on previous findings from our laboratory, we also assessed how the addition of phosphate or magnesium ions to the culture medium altered the acid or oxidative stress responses of A130 grown in the RWV. Addition of either
phosphate or magnesium to the culture medium abrogated the fluid shear-related differences observed for A130 in LB medium for the acid or oxidative stress responses, respectively. Collectively, these findings indicate that like other Salmonella strains assessed thus far by our team, A130 responds to differences in physiological fluid shear, and that ion concentrations can modulate those responses.
phosphate or magnesium to the culture medium abrogated the fluid shear-related differences observed for A130 in LB medium for the acid or oxidative stress responses, respectively. Collectively, these findings indicate that like other Salmonella strains assessed thus far by our team, A130 responds to differences in physiological fluid shear, and that ion concentrations can modulate those responses.
ContributorsGutierrez-Jensen, Ami Dave (Author) / Nickerson, Cheryl A. (Thesis advisor) / Barrila, Jennifer (Thesis advisor) / Ott, C. M. (Committee member) / Roland, Kenneth (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
Understanding how microorganisms adapt and respond to the microgravity environment of spaceflight is important for the function and integrity of onboard life support systems, astronaut health and mission success. Microbial contamination of spacecraft Environmental Life Support Systems (ECLSS), including the potable water system, are well documented and have caused major disruption to spaceflight missions. The potable water system on the International Space Station (ISS) uses recycled wastewater purified by multiple processes so it is safe for astronaut consumption and personal hygiene. However, despite stringent antimicrobial treatments, multiple bacterial species and biofilms have been recovered from this potable water system. This finding raises concern for crew health risks, vehicle operations and ECLSS system integrity during exploration missions. These concerns are further heightened given that 1) potential pathogens have been isolated from the ISS potable water system, 2) the immune response of astronauts is blunted during spaceflight, 3) spaceflight induces unexpected alterations in microbial responses, including growth and biofilm formation, antimicrobial resistance, stress responses, and virulence, and 4) different microbial phenotypes are often observed between reductionistic pure cultures as compared to more complex multispecies co-cultures, the latter of which are more representative of natural environmental conditions. To advance the understanding of the impact of microgravity on microbial responses that could negatively impact spacecraft ECLSS systems and crew health, this study characterized a range of phenotypic profiles in both pure and co-cultures of bacterial isolates collected from the ISS potable water system between 2009 and 2014. Microbial responses profiled included population dynamics, resistance to silver, biofilm formation, and in vitro colonization of intestinal epithelial cells. Growth characteristics and antibiotic sensitivities for bacterial strains were evaluated to develop selective and/or differential media that allow for isolation of a pure culture from co-cultures, which was critical for the success of this study. Bacterial co-culture experiments were performed using dynamic Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) bioreactors under spaceflight analogue (Low Shear Modeled Microgravity/LSMMG) and control conditions. These experiments indicated changes in fluid shear have minimal impact on strain recovery. The antimicrobial efficacy of silver on both sessile co-cultures, grown on 316L stainless steel coupons, and planktonic co-cultures showed that silver did not uniformly reduce the recovery of all strains; however, it had a stronger antimicrobial effect on biofilm cultures than planktonic cultures. The impact of silver on the ability of RWV cultured planktonic and biofilm bacterial co-cultures to colonize human intestinal epithelial cells showed that, those strains which were impacted by silver treatment, often increased adherence to the monolayer. Results from these studies provide insight into the dynamics of polymicrobial community interactions, biofilm formation and survival mechanisms of ISS potable water isolates, with potential application for future design of ECLSS systems for sustainable human space exploration.
ContributorsKing, Olivia G (Author) / Nickerson, Cheryl (Thesis advisor) / Barrila, Jennifer (Committee member) / Ott, C (Committee member) / Yang, Jiseon (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019