Recent Publications and Grants

Research

Davenport AM, Morris M, Sabti F, Sabti S, Shakya D, Hynds DL, Cheriyath V. G1P3/IFI6, an interferon stimulated protein, promotes the association of RAB5+ endosomes with mitochondria in breast cancer cells. Cell Biol Int. 2023 Aug 20; epub ahead of print. doi: 10.1002/cbin.12079

Mohammadipoor A, Hershfield MR, Linsenbardt HR, Smith J, Mack J, Natesan S, Averitt DL, Stark TR, Sosanya NM. Biological function of Extracellular Vesicles (EVs): a review of the field. Mol Biol Rep. 2023 Aug 03. doi: 10.1007/s11033-023-08624-w

Wang J, Pislariu CI, Liu C-W, Tsyganov V, DasGupta M. Editorial: Molecular and cellular mechanisms of the legume-rhizobia symbiosis, volume II. Front Plant Sci. 2023 May 29;14:1208904. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1208904

Basu P, Maier C, Averitt DL, Basu A. NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes and peripheral neuropathic pain - Emphasis on microRNAs (miRNAs) as important regulators. Eur J Pharmacol. 2023 Jul 13;955:175901. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.175901.

Mody PH, Marvin KN, Hynds DL, Hanson LK. Cytomegalovirus infection induces Alzheimer's disease-associated alterations in tau. J NeuroVirol 2023 Jul 12, epub ahead of print. doi: 10.1007/s13365-022-01109-9.

Arneaud SLB, McClendon J, Tatge L, Watterson A, Zuurbier KR, Madhu B, Gumienny TL, Douglas PM. "Reduced bone morphogenic protein signaling along the gut–neuron axis by heat shock factor promotes longevity." Aging Cell. 2022 Sept;21(9):e13693. doi: 10.1111/acel.13693.

Madhu B, Lakdawala MF, Gumienny TL. "Small-scale Extraction of Caenorhabditis elegans Genomic DNA." J Vis Exp. 2022;184:e63716.

Akhidenor, N. "Studying Rhesus Cytomegalovirus (RhCMV) to Develop Therapeutics for Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV)." TWU Student Journal. 2022;1(1):7-15.

Joseph P, Everts H, Gumienny TL. "Establishing C. elegans as a Model to Study the Function of Vitamin A Metabolism." TWU Student Journal. 2022;1(1):16-30.

Silvosa MJ, Romo Mercado N, Merlock N, Vidhate S, Mejia-Alvarez R, Yuan T, Willis AM, Lybrand ZR. "Understanding primary blast injury: High frequency pressure acutely disrupts neuronal network dynamics in cerebral organoids." J Neurotrauma. 2022 Nov;39(21-22):1575-1590.

Cantu DJ, Kaur S, Murphy AZ, Averitt DL. "Sex differences in the amygdaloid projections to the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray and their activation during inflammatory pain in the rat." J Chem Neuroanat. 2022 Jun 20;124:102123.

Kasu YAT, Arva A, Johnson J, Sajan C, Manzano J, Hennes A, Haynes J, Brower CS. "BAG6 prevents the aggregation of neurodegeneration-associated fragments of TDP43." iScience. 2022 May 20;25(5):104273.

Basu P, Averitt DL, Maier C, Basu A. "The effects of nuclear factor erythroid 2 (NFE2)-related factor 2 (Nrf2) activation in preclinical models of peripheral neuropathic pain. Antioxidants." 2022;11(2):430. doi: 10.3390/antiox11020430

Kaur S, Hickman TM, Lopez-Ramirez A, McDonald H, Lockhart LM, Darwish O, Averitt DL. Estrogen modulation of the pronociceptive effects of serotonin on female rat trigeminal sensory neurons is timing- and dosage-dependent and requires estrogen receptor alpha. Pain. 2022 Aug;163(8):e899-e916. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002604

Hornung RS, Raut MG, Cantu DJ, Lockhart LM, Averitt DL. "Sigma-1 receptors and progesterone metabolizing enzymes in nociceptive sensory neurons of the female rat trigeminal ganglia: A neural substrate for the antinociceptive actions of progesterone." Mol Pain. 2022;18:17448069211069255. doi: 10.1177/17448069211069255

Basu P, Averitt DL, Maier C. "Euphorbia bicolor (Euphorbiaceae) Latex Phytochemicals and Applications to Analgesia." 2022. In Rajendram R, Patel V, Preedy VR (eds). The Neuroscience of Anesthetics and Analgesics. Cambridge (MA): Elsevier Science.

Kaur S, McDonald H, Tongkhuya S, Lopez CMC, Ananth S, Hickman TM, Averitt DL. "Estrogen exacerbates nociceptive effects of peripheral serotonin on rat trigeminal sensory neurons." Neurobiol of Pain. 2021;10:100073. doi: 10.1016/j.ynpai.2021.100073

Vallabhanani AR, Kabashi M, Haymowicz M, Bhatt K, Wayman V, Ahmed S, Conrad-Webb H. "HSF1 induces RNA polymerase II synthesis of ribosomal RNA in S. cerevisiae during nitrogen deprivation." Curr Genet. 2021. doi: 10.1007/s00294-021-01197-w

Branch KM, Garcia EC, Chen YM, McGregor M, Min M, Prosser R, Whitney N, Spencer JV. "Productive infection of human breast cancer cell lines with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)." Pathogens. 2021;10:641. doi: 10.3390/pathogens10060641.

Basu P, Maier C, Basu A. "Effects of curcumin and its different formulations in preclinical and clinical studies of peripheral neuropathic and postoperative pain: A comprehensive review." Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Apr 28;22(9):4666. doi: 10.3390/ijms22094666.

Young VP, Mariano MC, Faure L, Spencer JV. "Detection of Cytomegalovirus Interleukin 10 (cmvIL-10) by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)." Methods Mol Biol. 2021; 2244:291-299. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1111-1_15.

Varma P, Lybrand ZR, Antopia MC, Hsieh J. "Novel targets of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in human fetal brain development suggest early pregnancy vulnerability." Front Neurosci. 2021 Jan 21;14:614680. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2020.614680.

Arva A, Kasu YAT, Duncan J, Alkhatatbeh MA, Brower CS. "The Ligand of Ate1 is intrinsically disordered and participates in nucleolar phase separation regulated by Jumonji Domain Containing 6." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Jan 5;118(1):e2015887118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2015887118.

Chinta P, Garcia EC, Tajuddin KH, Akhidenor N, Davis A, Faure L, Spencer JV. "Control of cytokines in latent cytomegalovirus infection. Pathogens." 2020 Oct 21; 9(10): 858. doi: 10.3390/pathogens9100858

Mody PH, Pathak S, Hanson LK, Spencer JV. "Herpes simplex virus: A versatile tool for insights into evolution, gene delivery, and tumor immunotherapy." Virology: Research and Treatment. 2020; 11: 1-12.

Tu CC, O’Connor CM, Spencer JV. "Identification of a novel signaling complex containing host chemokine receptor CXCR4, Interleukin-10 receptor, and human cytomegalovirus US27." Virology. 2020 Sept; 548:49-58. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virol.2020.06.006 

Khosla A, Morfy N, Li Q, Faure L, Chang SH, Yao J, Zheng J, Cai ML, Stanga J, Flematti GR, Waters MT, Nelson DC. "Structure-Function Analysis of SMAX1 Reveals Domains That Mediate Its Karrikin-Induced Proteolysis and Interaction with the Receptor KAI2." Plant Cell. 2020 Aug; 32(8): 2639-2659. doi: 10.1105/tpc.19.00752

Lybrand ZR, Goswami S, Hsieh J. Stem cells: "A path towards improved epilepsy therapies." Neuropharmacology. 2020 May 15;168:107781. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.107781.

Hornung R, Benton W, Tongkhuya S, Uphouse L, Kramer P, Averitt DL. "Progesterone and allopregnanolone rapidly attenuate estrogen-associated mechanical allodynia in rats with persistent temporomandibular joint inflammation." Front Int Neurosci. 2020 May 8; 14:26. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2020.00026. 

Spencer JV, Editor. Lokau J, Kleinegger F, Garbers Y, Waetzig GH, Grötzinger J, Rose-John S, Haybaeck J, Garbers C. "Tocilizumab does not block interleukin-6 (IL-6) signaling in murine cells." PLoS ONE. 2020 May 4; 15(5): e0232612. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232612 

Madaan U, Faure L, Chowdhury A, Ahmed S, Ciccarelli EJ, Gumienny TL, Savage-Dunn C. "Feedback regulation of BMP signaling by C. elegans cuticle collagens." Mol Biol Cell. 2020 Apr 1; 12:mbcE19070390. doi: https://doi.org/10.1091/mbc.E19-07-0390 

Coulon D, Faure L, Grison M, Pascal S, Wattelet-Boyer V, Clark J, Guedard ML, Testet E, Bessoule JJ. "LPIAT, a lyso-phosphatidylinositol acyltransferase, modulates seed germination in Arabidopsis thaliana through PIP signaling pathways and is involved in hyperosmotic response." Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Feb 28; 21(5):1654. doi: 10.3390/ijms21051654

Lybrand ZR, Martinez-Acosta VG, Zoran MJ. "Coupled sensory interneurons mediate escape neural circuit processing in an aquatic annelid worm, Lumbriculus variegatus." J Comp Neurol. 2020 Feb 15;528(3):468-480.

Reddy JM, Raut NGR, Seifert JL, Hynds DL. "Regulation of Small GTPase Prenylation in the Nervous System." Mol Neurobiol. 2020 Jan 27. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-020-01870-0

Spencer JV, Religa P, Lehmann MH. "Editorial: Cytokine-Mediated Organ Dysfunction and Tissue Damage Induced by Viruses." Front Immunol. 2020 Jan 22; 11:2. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.00002 

Roy S, Liu W, Nandety RS, Crook A, Mysore KS, Pislariu CI, Frugoli J, Dickstein R, Udvardi MK.  "Celebrating 20 Years of Genetic Discoveries in Legume Nodulation and Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation."  Plant Cell. 2020 Jan; 32(1):15-41. doi: https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00279

Science Education

Faure L. Enhancing Student Access to Course Content: The Advantages of a Customized Website. Faculty Focus. 2023 Jun 7.

Davis AM, Ahmed SA. Let’s Take a Poll: Working Towards a More Equitable Classroom. Faculty Focus. 2023 Jul 7.

Spencer JV, Horn D. The Three Most Important Words in Faculty Workload: Transparency, Transparency, Transparency. The Department Chair. 2023 Jun 30;34(1):1-3. doi: 10.1002/dch.30522.

Elrod D, Dunlap K, Waltje J. Improving Retention and Graduation Rates for Undergraduate STEM Students via PRIME. 2022. In Whalen S, Bennett T (eds). Proceedings of the 18th National Symposium on Student Retention. San Diego (CA): The University of Oklahoma.

Spencer JV. Fueling Faculty Funding: Five Tips for Promoting Grant Success in Your Department. The Department Chair. 2022;32(4):6-7. doi: 10.1002/dch.30439

Spencer JV, Hammett AJM, and FitzGerald Y. Making lemonade for adjunct faculty. The Department Chair. 2021;31(4):7. doi: 10.1002/dch.30377.

Ahmed SA and Spencer JV. Why you should be a selfish instructor. Faculty Focus. 2021 Mar 5. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/why-you-should-be-a-selfish-instructor/

Serrano MJ, Ahmed S. Teaching through COVID. Science Education and Civic Engagement. 2020;12(2): 68-69.

Scott G and Ahmed SA. A writing-to-learn approach for improving students’ evaluation of science web sources. American Biology Teacher. 2020 Nov/Dec; 82(9):638-40. doi: 10.1525/abt.2020.82.9.638.

Rosen, L. and Ahmed, S. (2020). Fostering Future Faculty: How Chairs Can Support Graduate Teaching Assistants. The Department Chair, 30(3): 24-25.

Open Educational Resources

Ahmed SA. 2022. Principles of Biology Lab. Denton (TX): TWU Libraries. https://twu-ir.tdl.org/handle/11274/13589

Extramural Grants

National Institutes of Health R15 AI169400-01A1 $378,837. 2023. SINHA, S. SIRPGAMMA: A NOVEL CHECKPOINT REGULATOR OF EFFECTOR RESPONSES FROM HUMAN T-CELLS.

National Institutes of Health NRSA F31DE031959 $34,635. 2022. CANTU D. SEX DIFFERENCES IN STRESS EXACERBATED OROFACIAL PAIN IN A RAT MODEL OF TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT DISORDER.

US Department of Education PPOHA P031M220022 $3,000,000. 2022. SPENCER JV. PROJECT ACCESS (ACCELERATING COMPLETION AND CAREER EDUCATION IN THE SCHOOL OF THE SCIENCES).

National Science Foundation #2146440 $1,017,957. 2022. PI:  PISLARIU C. CAREER: DECIPHERING THE ROLES OF NODULE-SPECIFIC PLAT DOMAIN GENES IN THE NITROGEN-FIXING SYMBIOSIS AND HOST-STRAIN SPECIFICITY.

National Science Foundation #2130361; $1,500,000 2021 PI: SPENCER J, GULLION J, ELROD D, & PIERCE S. SCHOLARSHIPS AND CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES LEADING TO EXCELLENCE IN THE BIOTECHNOLOGY WORKFORCE.

National Institutes of Health R15 NS095317 $383,343 2021 PI: BROWER CS. EVALUATING PROTEIN QUALITY CONTROL IN THE TOXICITY OF TDP43 FRAGMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH ALS AND FTD.

National Science Foundation #1953448 $2,448,091 2020 PI: ELROD D, DUNLAP K, GARDNER D, PETROS R, & WALTJE J. TWU-PRIME: CAPACITY BUILDING FOR STUDENTS AND FACULTY THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS, RESEARCH, INNOVATION, MENTORING, & ENGAGEMENT.

Page last updated 2:03 PM, August 23, 2023