Aspergillus flavus is an opportunistic fungus that affects many crops including corn. A. flavus colonizes the ear of the corn, causing a disease known as Aspergillus ear rot (AER). AER contributes to yield loss in two ways; through fungal infection, which results in decreased kernel weight, and through contamination of the grain with aflatoxins. A. flavus has the ability to produce toxic secondary metabolites called aflatoxins which are harmful to humans and animals when consumed. Contamination with aflatoxin can result in reduced price, or rejection of grain depending on FDA regulatory limits. Due to their ability to compete with and displace toxigenic strains, atoxigenic (non‐toxin producing) strains of A. flavus have been used as a biological control, such as the Syngenta product Afla‐Guard®. The evaluation of local populations of A. flavus strains enables researchers to gather information about what is present in the field (atoxigenic or toxigenic) and can help make more informed management recommendations. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to evaluate the characteristics of an unknown isolate of A. flavus isolated from corn in West Tennessee in comparison to known atoxigenic (1 isolate from Afla‐Guard®) and toxigenic isolates (2 isolates). Each isolate was grown on barley seed and plated onto MDRB media three times (i.e. 3 replications) along with a negative control (autoclaved barley) (total of 15 plates). Radial growth and colony morphology of each isolate were evaluated at 3‐ and 5‐days after plating in a laboratory setting. Based on observations of the activity of the TN field collected isolate, it was predicted to grow slower than the Afla‐Guard®/atoxigenic isolate. Preliminary results demonstrate that the Afla‐Guard®/atoxigenic isolate did outgrow the TN strain as hypothesized. Additional research is required to determine the toxicity of the TN strain, as well as evaluation of other naturally occurring strains in TN in relation to potential use as biological controls.
The recently discovered severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐Cov‐2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), a respiratory disease affecting the human population worldwide. SARS‐CoV‐2 replication requires the RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) complex, composed of non‐structural proteins (nsp) 7, 8, and 12. Nsp 7 and 8 function as a primase, whereas nsp12 functions as RdRp for replication and transcription. This polymerase is the target of the antiviral drug remdesivir, an adenosine monophosphate analog. During RNA replication catalyzed by RdRp, remdesivir is covalently attached to the growing RNA strand, resulting in chain termination. Here, we designed a 3‐dimensional (3D) model of the SARS‐COV‐2 nsp12‐nsp7‐nsp8 RdRp complex bound to template‐primer double‐stranded (ds)RNA and remdesivir using Jmol and PDB 7BV2 cryo‐EM structure (Yin et al., 2020). The 3D model shows the nsp12 subunit bound to dsRNA template and growing RNA strand that forms a corkscrew‐like structure within the center channel. The model highlights specific residues aspartic acid 760, valine557, and serine861 within the active site and the interactions of the template‐primer RNA strands with remdesivir. An additional 3D model illustrates the structural similarity of remdesivir to adenosine monophosphate. These 3D models enable students to visualize complex biomolecules and understand mechanisms of therapeutics.
Lane College, a Historically Black College in Jackson, TN, is partnering with Lincoln Elementary as part of the College's 10 Blocks Project Initiative. Students in the Lane College Science Club, affiliated with the ASBMB Student Chapters, demonstrated a science interactive with second graders at Lincoln Elementary School. During the Fall 2020 semester, Science Club students, including S‐ STEM Scholars, and faculty advisors visited the school. Due to the devastating and unforeseen circumstance of the COVID‐19 pandemic, the faculty and students took a different approach for the annual interactive experiments. During this visit, Science club students worked with second graders where they demonstrated two fun and relevant experiments which represented the coexistence of germs on their hands and the spread of COVID‐19. Following the CDC guidelines, only 25 children were able to participate in this event that occurred in the gym. The two experiments used were a part of the Coronavirus Kit from the Science Tools. Within the first experiment, four volunteers were selected to participate in four hand‐washing experiences. Each volunteer was given blue glow powder to put on their hands. One volunteer performed a cold‐water rinse without rubbing their hands, while another performed a hot water rinse without rubbing their hands. Another volunteer did a cold water and soap hand wash, while the last volunteer performed a hot water and soap hand wash. The results were observed with a UV light to see if there were any glow germ residues from each participant. The result showed the volunteer who performed the hot water and soap hand wash had very little germ residue left. Our second experiment involved three balloons and three scoops of glow germ powder mixed with water in a spray bottle. Three volunteers were selected to draw on the balloons which represent people. One of the science club members held the balloon, while another person sprayed it from a 1‐foot distance. We repeated this process twice at a three feet distance with one balloon covered with a napkin. Then we observed the outcome of all three balloons. The results showed that the balloon covered with the napkin had very little residue as opposed to the other balloons standing at a similar distance without being provided with the napkins as a face cover. The children were amazed and enthusiastic by both demonstrations and were able to understand the necessary safety precautions for preventing the spread of COVID‐19.
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