Justin
Ansley
Respond to Different Serum Albumin Sources
Abstract profile. Full document pending author claim.
Authors:
Justin Ansley, Bri Manning, Darren Higgins
Date Created:
2025-01-01
Course Title:
Professor:
Not specified
About Paper:
Listeria monocytogenes (Lm), a foodborne bacterial pathogen Previous studies demonstrated that Lm senses serum albumin, the capable of infecting humans and animals, poses a significant most abundant protein within blood serum, to induce virulence economic burden to the food industry. Furthermore, Lm can genes. The goal of this project is to investigate how serum cause life threatening illnesses such as meningitis and stillbirthalbumins derived from different mammalian species influence this in immunocompromised individuals and those at the extremes of albumin-driven induction of virulence genes. The project also life. During infection, Lm crosses the intestinal barrier to reachaims to assess whether this albumin-driven regulation of virulence the bloodstream which allows it to spread to multiple organs. genes is conserved across diverse clinical and environmental Lm Within host organs Lm predominantly grows inside of host cells isolates. The experimental approaches used for this project include (intracellularly) and spreads from cell to cell. While most researfluorescence-based reporter assays, Western blotting, and qRT- has focused on intracellular infection, we hypothesize that Lm canPCR to monitor virulence gene induction. Determining whether adoptauniquelifestylewithinthebloodstreamoutsideofhostcells the albumin-driven regulatory mechanism is conserved or not is (in vivo extracellular) to facilitate reaching the brain and placecrucial in the development of future targeted therapies. Characterization of Gait Pattern in an α-Synuclein-Based Parkinson’s Disease Mouse Model Kaelen Baly, Jessica Stephen, Veronica VanderHorst Prairie View A&M University | Neuroscience | 2026 Background: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a disorder that affects normality, Mann–Whitney t-tests for velocity comparisons, and more than 1.1 million people in the U.S., with ▯90,000 sex-stratified (male WT vs male A53T and female WT vs female new diagnoses annually. Cardinal symptoms–resting tremor, A53T) regression analyses to assess relationships between metrics. generalized slowness (bradykinesia), limb stiffness (rigidity), and gait impairment–drive urgent need for effective treatments. In Results: Significant differences were found between the wildtype (n=6) and A53T (n=6) mice for all metrics (however, velocity this study, we utilized gait signatures as a way to detect gait was not seen to be significant). In the sex-stratified analyses, abnormalities in mice (as a model animal to control for genetic velocity was still seen to be insignificant in both male and female variance) expressing A53T α-synuclein mutation associated with familial PD. comparison groups. Regression models also revealed significant differences in swing time in both sexes of A53T groups (p < Objective: Evaluate whether A53T expression causes alterations 0.0001). Inthemales, stridelength(p<0.0001)andcadence(one- in gait metrics using validated gait-signature models. phase p < 0.0001; straight-line p = 0.0006) were also significant, while in the females stance time was the only other significant Methods: Transgenic mice (wild-type vs. A53T; n=3 metric (p < 0.0001). males and 3 females per genotype) traversed a runway while gait parameters—stride length, stance time, swing time, and Conclusion: These results could potentially depict a shift in gait cadence—were recorded and quantified with MATLAB. A signatures, independent of velocity. These preliminary results blinded experimenter scored video recordings. Statistical analyses show that this Parkinsonian model could depict gait abnormalities in GraphPad included D’Agostino–Pearson tests for velocity indicative of Parkinson’s Disease. Black Stars Shine in The Moonlight: An Artistic Rendering of the Theory of Nigrescence Ashton Brandon, Stew Stewart Morehouse College | African and African American Studies | 2026 The Theory of Nigrescence, developed by Dr. William E. Cross, the encounter stage; Soul and Motown reflect the pride and describes the psychological process by which Black individuals solidarity of immersion; and Hip-Hop articulates the integration develop a positive racial identity, moving from initial alienation and forward vision of internalization. The project is structured internalized oppression toward self-acceptance and cultural pride. aroundafictionalnarrativearc, alsowrittenbytheresearchers, that While this theory has been widely studied academically, it has traces the protagonist’s identity development, inspired by the story rarely been interpreted through an artistic lens or made accessiblecircle format. Personal experience and historical research inform to broader audiences. This project addresses that gap by rendering the music and lyrics, ensuring the work reflects both individual the four stages of Nigrescence — pre-encounter, encounter, journeys and collective consciousness within the Black diaspora. immersion/emersion, and internalization — within a song cycle, Throughperformance, thecycleseekstocreatearesonantdialogue with each stage embodied by a genre of Black American music aboutidentity, history, andself-affirmation, andtodemonstratethe alignedwith its respectivehistorical context. Spiritualsand Gospel potential of scholarly art as a tool for both academic inquiry and represent the pre-encounter stage and the longing for belonging; community engagement. Blues and Jazz capture the awakening and resistance found in
Abstract:
Listeria monocytogenes (Lm), a foodborne bacterial pathogen Previous studies demonstrated that Lm senses serum albumin, the capable of infecting humans and animals, poses a significant most abundant protein within blood serum, to induce virulence economic burden to the food industry. Furthermore, Lm can genes. The goal of this project is to investigate how serum cause life threatening illnesses such as meningitis and stillbirthalbumins derived from different mammalian species influence this in immunocompromised individuals and those at the extremes of albumin-driven induction of virulence genes. The project also life. During infection, Lm crosses the intestinal barrier to reachaims to assess whether this albumin-driven regulation of virulence the bloodstream which allows it to spread to multiple organs. genes is conserved across diverse clinical and environmental Lm Within host organs Lm predominantly grows inside of host cells isolates. The experimental approaches used for this project include (intracellularly) and spreads from cell to cell. While most researfluorescence-based reporter assays, Western blotting, and qRT- has focused on intracellular infection, we hypothesize that Lm canPCR to monitor virulence gene induction. Determining whether adoptauniquelifestylewithinthebloodstreamoutsideofhostcells the albumin-driven regulatory mechanism is conserved or not is (in vivo extracellular) to facilitate reaching the brain and placecrucial in the development of future targeted therapies. Characterization of Gait Pattern in an α-Synuclein-Based Parkinson’s Disease Mouse Model Kaelen Baly, Jessica Stephen, Veronica VanderHorst Prairie View A&M University | Neuroscience | 2026 Background: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a disorder that affects normality, Mann–Whitney t-tests for velocity comparisons, and more than 1.1 million people in the U.S., with ▯90,000 sex-stratified (male WT vs male A53T and female WT vs female new diagnoses annually. Cardinal symptoms–resting tremor, A53T) regression analyses to assess relationships between metrics. generalized slowness (bradykinesia), limb stiffness (rigidity), and gait impairment–drive urgent need for effective treatments. In Results: Significant differences were found between the wildtype (n=6) and A53T (n=6) mice for all metrics (however, velocity this study, we utilized gait signatures as a way to detect gait was not seen to be significant). In the sex-stratified analyses, abnormalities in mice (as a model animal to control for genetic velocity was still seen to be insignificant in both male and female variance) expressing A53T α-synuclein mutation associated with familial PD. comparison groups. Regression models also revealed significant differences in swing time in both sexes of A53T groups (p < Objective: Evaluate whether A53T expression causes alterations 0.0001). Inthemales, stridelength(p<0.0001)andcadence(one- in gait metrics using validated gait-signature models. phase p < 0.0001; straight-line p = 0.0006) were also significant, while in the females stance time was the only other significant Methods: Transgenic mice (wild-type vs. A53T; n=3 metric (p < 0.0001). males and 3 females per genotype) traversed a runway while gait parameters—stride length, stance time, swing time, and Conclusion: These results could potentially depict a shift in gait cadence—were recorded and quantified with MATLAB. A signatures, independent of velocity. These preliminary results blinded experimenter scored video recordings. Statistical analyses show that this Parkinsonian model could depict gait abnormalities in GraphPad included D’Agostino–Pearson tests for velocity indicative of Parkinson’s Disease. Black Stars Shine in The Moonlight: An Artistic Rendering of the Theory of Nigrescence Ashton Brandon, Stew Stewart Morehouse College | African and African American Studies | 2026 The Theory of Nigrescence, developed by Dr. William E. Cross, the encounter stage; Soul and Motown reflect the pride and describes the psychological process by which Black individuals solidarity of immersion; and Hip-Hop articulates the integration develop a positive racial identity, moving from initial alienation and forward vision of internalization. The project is structured internalized oppression toward self-acceptance and cultural pride. aroundafictionalnarrativearc, alsowrittenbytheresearchers, that While this theory has been widely studied academically, it has traces the protagonist’s identity development, inspired by the story rarely been interpreted through an artistic lens or made accessiblecircle format. Personal experience and historical research inform to broader audiences. This project addresses that gap by rendering the music and lyrics, ensuring the work reflects both individual the four stages of Nigrescence — pre-encounter, encounter, journeys and collective consciousness within the Black diaspora. immersion/emersion, and internalization — within a song cycle, Throughperformance, thecycleseekstocreatearesonantdialogue with each stage embodied by a genre of Black American music aboutidentity, history, andself-affirmation, andtodemonstratethe alignedwith its respectivehistorical context. Spiritualsand Gospel potential of scholarly art as a tool for both academic inquiry and represent the pre-encounter stage and the longing for belonging; community engagement. Blues and Jazz capture the awakening and resistance found in
Source:
Harvard / Morgan State University | Integrative Biology | 2027 / 2025
Topics:
gait, a53t, significant, albumin, model, velocity, female, serum, virulence, gene, male, metric
