Biology subjects

McQueary, H. C.

Publications and source records attributed to McQueary, H. C..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

Detection and characterization of novel luchacoviruses, genus Alphacoronavirus, in meso-carnivores in the northeastern United States

Small to mid-sized carnivores, or meso-carnivores, comprise a group of diverse mammals, many of which can adapt to anthropogenically disturbed environments. Wild meso-carnivores living in urban areas may get exposed to or spread pathogens to other species, including stray/feral domestic animals. Several coronaviruses (CoVs) have been detected in domesticated and farmed meso-carnivores, but knowledge of CoVs circulating in free-ranging wild meso-carnivores remains limited. In this study, we analyzed 321 samples collected between 2016 and 2022 from 9 species of free-ranging wild meso-carnivores and stray/feral domestic cats in the northeastern United States. Using a pan-CoV PCR, we screened tissues, feces, and saliva, nasal, and rectal swabs. We detected CoV RNA in fecal and saliva samples of animals in four species: fisher (Pekania pennanti), bobcat (Lynx rufus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and domestic cat (Felis catus). Next-generation sequencing revealed that all these viruses belonged to the Luchacovirus subgenus (Alphacoronavirus genus), previously reported only in rodents and lagomorphs (i.e., rabbits). Genetic comparison of the 3-end of the genome ([~]12,000bp) revealed that although the viruses detected group with, and have a genetic organization similar to other luchacoviruses, they are genetically distinct from those from rodents and lagomorphs. Genetic characterization of the spike protein revealed that the meso-carnivore luchacoviruses do not have an S1/S2 cleavage motif but do have highly variable structural loops containing cleavage motifs similar to those identified in certain pathogenic CoVs. This study highlights the importance of characterizing the spike protein of CoVs in wild species for further targeted epidemiologic monitoring. ImportanceSeveral coronaviruses (CoVs) have been detected in domesticated, farmed, and wild meso-carnivores, causing a wide range of diseases, and infecting diverse species, highlighting their important but understudied role in the epidemiology of these viruses. Assessing the viral diversity hosted in wildlife species is essential to understand their significance in the cross-species transmission of CoVs. Our focus here was on CoV discovery in meso-carnivores in the Northeast USA as a potential "hotspot" area with high density of humans and urban wildlife. This study identifies novel alphacoronaviruses circulating in multiple free-ranging wild and domestic species in this area and explores their potential epidemiological importance based on regions of the Spike gene that are relevant for virus-host interactions.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Isolation of Actinomyces cricetomyis sp. nov from orocervicofacial abscesses of African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys ansorgei)

African giant pouched rats are of interest for their unique sense of smell and can be trained for a variety of applications including detection of explosives and infectious diseases. A colony housed at a university animal care facility developed abscesses associated with the jaw and eye in multiple animals. The predominant bacterial species in each case was a catalase-positive Actinomyces-like Gram-positive bacillus. The isolates from different sites and animals matched each other genetically but had sequences and biochemical profiles inconsistent with previously described species of this group. Based on whole genome sequence, biochemical characterization, and fatty acid profile, a novel species of the genus Actinomyces is proposed, namely Actinomyces cricetomyis (type strain 186855T). The type strain is deposited at ATCC (TSD-310) and BCCM/LMG (LMG 32803).

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

No evidence for whole-chromosome dosage compensation or global transcriptomic expression differences in spontaneously-aneuploid mutation accumulation lines of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Aneuploidy, the state in which an organisms genome contains one or more missing or additional chromosomes, often causes widespread genotypic and phenotypic effects. Most often, aneuploidies are deleterious; the most common examples in humans being Downs syndrome (Trisomy 21) and Turners syndrome (monosomy X). However, aneuploidy is surprisingly common in wild yeast populations. In recent years, there has been debate as to whether yeast contain an innate dosage compensation response that operates at the gene, chromosome, or the whole-genome level, or if natural isolates are robust to aneuploidy without such a mechanism. In this study, we tested for differential gene expression in 20 aneuploid and 16 euploid lines of yeast from two previous mutation accumulation experiments, where selection was minimized and therefore aneuploidies arose spontaneously. We found no evidence for whole-chromosome dosage compensation in aneuploid yeast but did find some evidence for attenuation of expression on a gene-by-gene basis. We additionally found that aneuploidy has no effect on the expression of the rest of the genome (i.e. "trans" genes), and that very few mutually exclusive aneuploid lines shared differentially expressed genes. However, we found there was a small set of genes that exhibited a shared expression response in the euploid lines, suggesting an effect of mutation accumulation on gene expression. Our findings contribute to our understanding of aneuploidy in yeast and support the hypothesis that there is no innate dosage compensation mechanism at the whole-chromosome level.

genetics↗