CVMBS Research Day 2017: MIP Research in the Spotlight

Research Day brought cutting-edge research endeavours front and center.

Husband (Adam) and Wife (Ashley[BMS]) win first and second place awards for their oral presentations. Talk about a sweep!

See our captioned photos for the 19th Annual CVMBS Research Day here.

It's a THREE-MIPeat

MIP snagged the coveted Golden Pipette award (for the department whose students earn the highest average presentation scores)  for the third consecutive year at the CVMBS Research Day!!!

MIP Shows it Swagger at the 2018 CMVBS Research Day

2017 Zoetis Research Excellence Award:

  Dr. Brendan Podell

Poster Presentations:

Second place: Mark Parlier- mentor: Mark Stenglein “Snake mites (Ophionyssus notricis) as a potential vector for reptarenavirus infection in snake populations”

Third place: Cameron Pearce- mentor: Mercedes Gonzalez-Juarrero “Inhaled clofazimine for the treatment of Mycobacterium abscessus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections”

Oral Presentations (Basic Science)

Second place: Adam Heck- mentor: Carol Wilusz “Regulation of neural differentiation through RNA methylation in stem cells”

Congratulations!

We are thrilled to announce that Cassidy Hagen was selected as the Fall 2017 Outstanding Graduating Senior in MIP.  Cassidy was selected for her enthusiasm for the field, her outstanding attitude, and her incredible work ethic. Oh yeah, one other detail:  Cassidy graduated with a hard-earned and very impressive 4.0 GPA.  In addition to her studies, Cassidy worked in the lab alongside Dr. Angelo Izzo for three years on tuberculosis.  Her work has resulted in multiple presentations at scientific meetings and she was named as a MIP Undergraduate Research Fellow.

Congratulations Cassidy!!!

Congratulations to the following Micro Undergraduates who performed at a stellar level this past semester:

Magunda Forgivemore

Assistant Professor- Anatomic Pathologist

Juan Munoz Guttierez

Assistant Professor- Anatomic Pathology

Josh Daniels

Assistant Professor- Diagnostic Bacteriology

Cameron Pearce hails from Boise and trekked his way to Fort Collins four years ago. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry. He is one of those "crazies" that enjoys running and likes to unwind after one of those arduous runs with fishing.

Attention all prions:  Sarah Kane and Aaron Magnuson have joined the Telling Team as new Postdoctoral Fellows and are coming after you to figure out all of your secrets….

Emily Fricke has recently joined the MIP team as our Finance and Accounting Intern. Emily is a senior studying finance in the College of Business. She is originally from Fort Worth, Texas but loves skiing and hiking in Colorado. When she isn’t studying or eating Krazy Karl’s pizza, you can find her playing with her dog Stella. Following graduation in May, Emily hopes to stick around at CSU and get her Masters in accounting.

Welcome Emily!

Markman Leaves His Mark

David Markman earned his MS degree in MIP in December 2016 while working on an amoeba project funded by the OVPR and the DoD-DARPA in the laboratory of Mary Jackson. He has received a number of fellowships and awards since, while also conducting innovative research. See the feature about his work in Source as well as the story of his latest publication highlighted as out Pub of the Month below.

Yersina pestis Survival and Replication in Potential Ameba Reservoir
David Markman, Michael Antolin, Dick Bowen, Bill Wheat, Michael Woods, Mercedes Gonzaez-Juarrero and Mary Jackson
Emerging Infectious Diseases Vol 24, February 2018

Plague outbreaks are very sporadic (kinda like MIPnews issues last year…..).  A key question is where do the causative bacteria (Yersinia pestis) hang out when they’re not ‘working’ (kinda like MIPnews staff most of last year…..).  Well it’s not Black Bottle Brewery or another watering hole (where you might find MIPnews staff….), but it may very well be everyone’s favorite pseudopod-forming single cell organism – the ameba.

Your friendly neighborhood ameba crawls around its environment eating everything in its path.  This is precisely like a macrophage in your body, a key cell where Yersina pestis hangs out in during infection.  The plague bacteria gets engulfed by the macrophage in a membrane encased endosome, but the bacterium makes a set of Yop proteins that stabilize the endosome and the bug starts to thrive inside.  Molecularly speaking (yeah sooner or later I do tend to get technical in these articles), Y. pestis survives because it targets a macrophage protein called Rab1b and blocks its recruitment to the endosome. Ameba phagocytize things and put them into membranous compartments just like macrophage.  They also express a strong homolog to that Rab1b protein.  Furthermore, there have been proof-of-principle experiments in the literature for over a decade that suggest Yersinia species can survive inside of ameba.  Sooooo… could these little protozoan be the actual environmental reservoir for Yersina pestis in between outbreaks?

That’s precisely the question that 6 hearty CSU souls (and one researcher from New Mexico) set out to begin to answer.  They drove out to the Pawnee National Grasslands, found some prairie dogs that had the plague, and started digging up dirt around two dozen of their burrows, isolating all the neighborhood ameba.  They focused on five different ameba – infecting them with Yersina pestis and sat back in their lab stools to see what would happen.  While every microbiologist’s best friend (E. coli) died a horrible death inside the ameba, the plague bacteria survived, often for days.  They hung out in membrane-bound vacuoles inside of the ameba, causing no significant pathology to the protozoan.  The ameba Dictyostelium discoideum was declared the champ in terms of supporting Y. pestis survival and replication.

So why did we choose this publication as our first MIPublication of the Month® for 2018?  Put your pseudopodia on and take a walk through these three really good reasons.  First, the study showed that natural ameba which co-occur with Yersinia pestis can maintain the bacteria.  This clearly puts another notch on the smoking gun that implicates these protozoa as a key environmental reservoir of the plague bacteria.  Second, the study demonstrates the impressive synergy of CSU researchers both within MIP as well as in neighboring departments.  (I always thought that whatever is responsible for the impressive amount of synergy in our department might be contagious……)  Finally it’s a story about ameba that’s a heckuva lot better than that story of the two brother amebae that walked into a bar, split, and became mothers. (think about it…..)

MIP Publications February 2018

Noyes N, Cho KC, Ravel J, Forney LJ, Abdo Z.  Associations between sexual habits, menstrual hygiene practices, demographics and the vaginal microbiome as revealed by Bayesian network analysis.  PLoS One. 2018 Jan 24;13(1):e0191625. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191625.

Schmitt K, Charlins P, Veselinovic M, Kinner-Bibeau L, Hu S, Curlin J, Remling-Mulder L, Olson KE, Aboellail T, Akkina R.  Zika viral infection and neutralizing human antibody response in a BLT humanized mouse model.  Virology. 2018 Jan 5;515:235-242.

Cerda JR, Buttke DE, Ballweber LR.  Echinococcus spp. Tapeworms in North America.  Emerg Infect Dis. 2018 Feb;24(2):230-235.

Koehn JT, Magallanes ES, Peters BJ, Beuning CN, Haase AA, Zhu MJ, Rithner CD, Crick DC, Crans DC.  A Synthetic Isoprenoid Lipoquinone, Menaquinone-2, Adopts a Folded Conformation in Solution and at a Model Membrane Interface.  J Org Chem. 2018 Jan 5;83(1):275-288.

Schultz TE, Wiesmüller KH, Lucas M, Dobos KM, Baxter AG, Blumenthal A.  The N-terminal peptide moiety of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis 19 kDa lipoprotein harbors RP105-agonistic properties.  J Leukoc Biol. 2018 Jan 9. doi: 10.1002/JLB.2MA0517-190RR.

Rückert C, Ebel GD.  Highly Sensitive Detection of Salmonella typhimurium Using a Colorimetric Paper-Based Analytical Device Coupled with Immunomagnetic Separation.  Anal Chem. 2018 Jan 2;90(1):1035-1043.

Markman DW, Antolin MF, Bowen RA, Wheat WH, Woods M, Gonzalez-Juarrero M, Jackson M.  Yersinia pestis Survival and Replication in Potential Ameba Reservoir.  Emerg Infect Dis. 2018 Feb;24(2):294-302.

Chiu ES, Hoover EA, VandeWoude S.  A Retrospective Examination of Feline Leukemia Subgroup Characterization: Viral Interference Assays to Deep Sequencing.  Viruses. 2018 Jan 10;10(1). pii: E29. doi: 10.3390/v10010029.

Hoon-Hanks LL, Layton ML, Ossiboff RJ, Parker JSL, Dubovi EJ, Stenglein MD.  Respiratory disease in ball pythons (Python regius) experimentally infected with ball python nidovirus.  Virology. 2018 Jan 9. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2017.12.008.

Serieys LEK, Lea AJ, Epeldegui M, Armenta TC, Moriarty J, VandeWoude S, Carver S, Foley J, Wayne RK, Riley SPD, Uittenbogaart CH.  Urbanization and anticoagulant poisons promote immune dysfunction in bobcats.  Proc Biol Sci. 2018 Jan 31; doi: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2533.

Heck AM, Wilusz J.  The Interplay between the RNA Decay and Translation Machinery in Eukaryotes.  Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2018 Jan 8. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a032839.

Charley PA, Wilusz CJ, Wilusz J.  Identification of phlebovirus and arenavirus RNA sequences that stall and repress the exoribonuclease XRN1.  J Biol Chem. 2018 Jan 5;293(1):285-295.

Benjak A, Avanzi C, Singh P, Loiseau C, Girma S, Busso P, Fontes ANB, Miyamoto Y, Namisato M, Bobosha K, Salgado CG, da Silva MB, Bouth RC, Frade MAC, Filho FB, Barreto JG, Nery JAC, Bührer-Sékula S, Lupien A, Al-Samie AR, Al-Qubati Y, Alkubati AS, Bretzel G, Vera-Cabrera L, Sakho F, Johnson CR, Kodio M, Fomba A, Sow SO, Gado M, Konaté O, Stefani MMA, Penna GO, Suffys PN, Sarno EN, Moraes MO, Rosa PS, Baptista IMFD, Spencer JS, Aseffa A, Matsuoka M, Kai M, Cole ST.  Phylogenomics and antimicrobial resistance of the leprosy bacillus Mycobacterium leprae.  Nat Commun. 2018 Jan 24;9(1):352. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-02576-z.

The MIP Department generously provided three families (a total of 8 children) with presents to spread the spirit of the season.

Thank you to everyone who contributed!

Edit Szalai (MIP Program Development Manager) and Jennifer Khars (MIP Facilities Coordinator) spent several months planning and preparing for the reorganization of several laboratories in the Microbiology Building. The actual moving date was scheduled for December 21st but was changed, on short notice, to December 20. Despite being on sick leave & recovering from minor surgery, Edit came to work on the 20th to assist with move. Jennifer had come down with the flu but in spite of her illness she also came in on the 20th to assist with the move. They moved heavy equipment, laboratory supplies and directed the movers. Edit and Jennifers' effort was a demonstration of collaboration and accountability, two of the CVMBS core values.

Congratulations!

MIPomp and Circumstance: Fall 2017 Graduation

Carol Wilusz (mentor) and Annie Zhang Bergsten

Sarah Kane, Annie Zhang, Stephanie Morphet, and Gustavo Diaz

Heather Bender, Mark Zabel and Sarah Kane

'Kick Starting' the spring Semester Off on the Right Foot

The spring semester for our Micro Majors was kicked into action on the evening of January 23rd with a lively get together full of good food, fun times and a little friendly competition.

Check out the pictures here.

And Now...Time for some MIP-inspired Brews News

Erica Suchman recently enjoyed some beverages that were personally brewed by former MIP graduate Mike Mallozzi.  Mike is now the owner of Borderlands Brewery in Tucson, AZ.

It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's a Goat!

Two of MIP GOATs* (*Greatest Of All Time) Pat Brennan and Carol Blair snapped this great photos of these tree climbing creatures on a recent adventure in Morocco.

Are your resolutions of less beer and more walking keeping you from getting your Sci Com on with Science on Tap?  Worry no more, Walk with a Doc is here for you! 

CVMBS is proud to host the new CSU Walk with a Doc AND A DOG chapter of WWD.  These monthly walks will rotate between the three campuses and are designed to both engage the community in physical activity while sharing information about health related research at CSU.  The commitment is minimal, a 5 min intro to what you do and why it matters, then join the group on a short walk around campus and be available to chat about the work you love… and get some exercise while you are at it!  Bring your friends, your family and your dog! 

Questions or offers to be a visiting walk-Doc can be directed to Colleen.Duncan@colostate.edu. She will also be reaching out to folks in the months to come.  For more information the yet-to-be-updated website is here http://walkwithadoc.org/our-locations/csu-fortcollins-co/

Orme Finds the "Lights" of NY

Who needs the city lights when you have this view?

See the larger picture here.

2018 ASM TriBranch Meeting

The upcoming TriBranch Meeting is April 6th-7th at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. For information abour registration and travel available at the conference click here:

The deadlines for conference registration are fast approaching! 

For oral presentations the official abstract deadline is February 15th.
For poster presentations, the deadline is March 1st. 

If you plan to attend the conference but making the registration deadline is a problem for you, contact Adela Cota-Gomez. 

Note that the registration for this conference includes an abstract for your presentation, which is not the case for usual branch conferences. 

The Rocky Mountain Branch will be providing travel awards to student attendees. It's anticipated that the amount of travel funding will be higher than it is for the usual WY/CO conferences. 

Mark your Calendar! Rocky Mountain Virology Club- 18th Annual Meeting

The annual Rocky Mountain Virology Club Meeting is scheduled for September 28-30th at Pingree Park. There is a lineup of prestigious speakers invited for another exciting meeting.

See more info here.

BMB/CMB/MCIN SPRING POSTER SYMPOSIUM

It is time again for food, fun, drink and a little competition! Please consider presenting a poster for the Annual Cell & Molecular Biology/Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Neurosciences/Biochemistry Poster Symposium.

The Symposium will be held Friday, February 23, 2018 from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm, in the Lory Student Center Ballroom. Judging will start at 3:30 pm.

 Submission Deadline is February 2nd, 2018 by 5PM!

Deadline:March 19th at 11:59PM

Attention MIP Faculty:  Don’t forget to review the FY18 CRC Call for Proposals and take full advantage of this internal funding competition designed to provide seed money for future external grant proposals. 

The weekly Graduate Student Seminar is in full swing. The next presenter is Bridget Eklund on February 6th. Stop by and check out these exceptional seminars!

See the full schedule here.

2018 CVMBS Education Seminar Series schedule

Title: Using Undergraduate Learning Assistants to Promote Student Engagement in a Large Microbiology Course
Presenter: Dr. Jennifer McLean
Time: 12-1pm
Thursday, February 8, Pathology 103 - lunch RSVP
Thursday, February 22, VTH A221 - lunch RSVP

Title: Active Assailant Response
Presenter: Officer Anthonie Rose
Time: 12-1pm
Monday, March 19, Pathology 103 – lunch RSVP
Monday, March 26, VTH A221 – lunch RSVP

Title: Perspectives on Teaching: What 19 Years Have Taught Me About Motivation and Success in the Classroom.
Presenter: Dr. Anna Fails
Time: 4-5pm
Monday, April 16, Pathology 103 – snack RSVP
Wednesday, April 18, VTH A221 – snack RSVP

Title: Undergraduate Research Experiences: Models in CVMBS and Opportunities for Funding
Presenters: Dr. Erica Suchman and Dr. Leslie Stone-Roy
Time: 1-2pm
Tuesday, April 17, Pathology 103 – lunch RSVP

2nd Floor Pathology Prion Labs Deck the Halls with Ornaments

Members of the labs show off their holiday creations.

This marks the 6th annual Christmas tree ornament contest. 

"Left hand, right hand, it doesn't matter. I'm amphibious."

 - Former N.C. State basketball player Charles Schackleford

Choose your Caption

Mark Zabel Aces his Selfie Game at Fall Graduation

1.  “This wasn’t a selfie - I have to hold my head this way to keep the stupid cap on”

2.   Note to the Zabel lab - buy your boss a selfie stick next Xmas……

3.  Real microbiologists say ‘PRP’ instead of cheese when taking a photo

4.‘Marshall’ Zabel (who’s rap name is Eminzee) poses with his fans.

5.Submit your own.

NIH Rigor and Reproducibility requirements in grants – more changes likely on the horizon:  An NIH advisory committee recently issued preliminary recommendations on advancing the rigor and transparency. Recommendations include highlighting the rigor elements in the application by using headings, including rigor in training grants as well as in ethics training. Learn more by visiting the ACD web site.

Frustrated with the study section approach to grant scoring?  Here’s an interesting NSF experiment on ‘self’ peer review for grant  https://www.csr.nih.gov/CSRPRP/2018/01/what-happened-when-nsf-had-applicants-do-the-reviews/#more-943

New Grant Awards

Greg Ebel, "Role of Cell Tropism for Zika Virus Transmission and Pathogenesis," HHS-NIH-NIAID-Allergy and Infect Diseases. "Quasispecies Dynamics in Arbovirus Persistence Emergence and Fitness," HHS-NIH-NIAID-Allergy and Infect Diseases.

Mary Jackson, "Mechanisms of Susceptibility and Resistance of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis to Isoxyl and Thiacetazone," HHS-NIH-National Institutes of Health.

Tony Schountz, Ashley Malmlov,"Investigation of Zoonotic Viruses in Bats in the Caribbean," Saint George's University.

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