Recently Dr. Steven Fong and Mr. George McArthur visited Hampden-Sydney from VCU to describe their work in synthetic biology, an emerging field in which microscopic DNA “parts” (genes, regulatory elements, etc.) are standardized in a way so that they may be easily assembled into biological “devices” that can work to colve problems in environmental science, energy, and other fields.  Fong and McArthur lead “Virginia United”, a consortium of undergrads from Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Virginia State, and Bluefield State College (WV) that have prepared a significant synthetic biology project for presentation at the annual International Genetically-Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition at MIT.

Dr. Fong explains synthetic biology to the audience

Dr. Fong described a field in its infancy in which the only limit to what can be done is the creativity of the research team.  The seminar spurred an interesting discussion on the ethics of synthetic biology research and what controls, if any, the biological community would place on this kind of work in the future.  H-SC and Longwood University are working together to begin synthetic biology undergraduate research work, and Fong and McArthur did an outstanding job of conveying their enthusiasm and passion for this work to the H-SC community.

The Virginia Tech genetics project being performed in the Hampden-Sydney genetics class has come to its conclusion.  Different mutant lines of Arabidopsis thaliana were grown in the presence or absence of root gnat larvae for 14 days to assess how compromised plant growth would be when genes for chemical plant defenses were disrupted.  Students made some interesting findings that suggest that a particular class of compounds (glucosinolates) may play a critical role in the mediation of overall plant defenses.  The data has been analyzed by H-SC students and will be sent to Blacksburg for use in the research work being done there on plant defense systems.

Wild-type (left) versus glucosinolate-deficient plants after root gnat infestation

examining mutant plant growth

Wild-type (left) versus control plants deficient in overall chemical defenses following root gnat infestation

Travis Clark ’11, collected a specimen of Crossopriza lyoni while working as a lifeguard at the college swimming pool. Native to southeast Asia, this rare species has been found previously in North America only in Texas, Florida and Kansas. Not only is this a new record for Virginia, but for all of North America east of the Mississippi River!

On October 9, junior biology major Osric Forrest attended the 12th annual Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference of Undergraduate Scholarship.  There he delivered a poster presentation of the summer research he conducted under the guidance of Dr. Kristian Hargadon.  Osric’s work involved the characterization of two immature dendritic cell lines and their responsiveness to maturation/activation stimuli.  Using real time RT-PCR and ELISA techniques, Osric demonstrated that both the JAWSII and DC2.4 cell lines are effective in vitro models for studying dendritic cell maturation.  These cells are therefore very useful tools for studying a variety of aspect of dendritic cell biology.  Dr. Hargadon’s current research will utilize these dendritic cell lines to evaluate the influence of tumor cells on dendritic cell maturation and activation, processes that are critical for generating effective immune responses.  Our preliminary data demonstrates that tumor cells can suppress dendritic cell activation, and we are currently evaluating the extent of tumor-induced immunosuppression and the mechanism by which it occurs.  This information will offer insights into the basis for tumor-induced immunosuppression and may identify novel targets for anti-cancer immunotherapy.  Osric and other Hampden-Sydney students are actively pursuing this line of research with Dr. Hargadon.  Osric will be presenting another poster of his research in November at the VA Branch meeting of the American Society for Microbiology at Lynchburg College, and Dr. Hargadon will be delivering an oral presentation at this meeting as well!

Osric presenting his poster at the MARCUS meeting

This semester 9 students taking Microbiology with Dr. Kristian Hargadon have been learning diagnostic techniques for the identification of bacterial species.  As part of a semester-long project, these students have recently been giving an unknown bacterium and are now applying the techniques they are learning in the laboratory to identify their organism at the species level.  Techniques to be used include differential staining techniques to visualize their microorganism as well as biochemical testing to determine metabolic and enzymatic properties of their bacterium.  Upon identifying their unknown organism, students will prepare a written report that describes their laboratory research as well as the significance of their bacterium.

Now don't they look like they're having fun???

The H-SC Genetics class’ work with Virginia Tech researchers continued this with a visit from Professor Dorothea Tholl and her undergraduate student Brendan Karlstrand.

Dr. Tholl introduces her research work to the class

The students were introduced to the fungus gnat (Bradysia) and how its larvae feed on the roots of the Arabisopsis thaliana plants they starting growing 2 weeks ago.  Different lines of A. thaliana were planted with mutations in genes that affect the plant’s ability to defend itself against being eaten by these larvae, and the goal of the project is to understand the effect these mutations will have on plant chemical defense mechanisms.

Dr. Tholl shows the students how to prepare the plants for infestation

Thinning out the plants

Cutting the bridal veil-----in this case, it'll be used for insect netting

The students carefully infested half of their plants with the fungus gnat larvae provided and left the other half uninfested for comparison.  The results after 2 weeks exposure will be used for both the H-SC Genetics class and for Dr. Tholl’s research program at Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech student Brendan Karlstrand demonstrates to the class how to isolate and infest the plants with fungus gnat larvae

One of our summer research students, Jonathan Park ’12, has received a Travel Award from the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) to partially defer the expenses to travel to the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) in Philadelphia in December.  Jonathan was among a group of students selected from across the nation for this award.  His research was conducted with Professor Mike Wolyniak over the summer and made some intriguing observations on the role played by a pair of proteins found in the membrane of the cell nucleus in the regulation of how cells control their division.  Congratulations to Jonathan for his hard work in attaining this honor!

On a field trip to the Featherfin Wildlife Management Area last week, the Biology of Arthropods class collected a wide diversity of arachnid and myriapod species, but the most striking were two specimens, a male and a female, of the giant millipede Narceus americanus. This species ranges from southern Canada to Florida, and recent work on its DNA has shown that there are actually a half-dozen genetically isolated populations involved, whose distribution has waxed and waned over the past million years with the comings and goings of continental glaciers.

Narceus americanus, about as thick as a pencil and 5 inches long, is the largest North American millipede.

As shown by the picture below, N. americanus is often attacked by the glow-worm Phengodes. The glow-worm runs the millipede down, flips it over and with a bite severs the ventral nerve cord to disable the potent chemical defenses of the millipede.  The paralyzed millipede is then reduced to soup by regurgitated enzymes and sucked up by the glow-worm.

The glow-worm Phenogodes is a specialist on Narceus. See text above for details.

On Thursday September 23, Dr. Jared Heffron visited the Hampden-Sydney College Biology Department to give a seminar entitled “Reawakening Anthrax Spores” which focused on his recent research involving the pathogenic bacterium Bacillus antrhracis.  Dr. Heffron graduated from H-SC in 2004 with Honors in Biology and recently earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology at Virginia Tech.  Dr. Heffron delivered an exciting, enthusiastic talk about his research on B. anthracis, particularly as it related to the role of the SleB protein in germination of bacterial endospores into active microorganisms.  Dr. Heffron’s research has led to several publications in peer-reviewed journals, and he recently received a National Academy of Science Research Associate Fellowship to continue his work as a postdoctoral fellow in the Bacteriology Division of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, where he will be working toward the generation of a combined vaccine against Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of Bubonic plague.  Dr. Heffron was also quick to point out in his talk just how well he had been prepared as a scientist, a writer, and a speaker during his time at H-SC.  He is living proof that as the saying goes, “You really can do anything with a degree from Hampden-Sydney!”

The genetics class has begun an exciting original project in coordination with the Partnership for Research and Education in Plants (PREP) program at Virginia Tech.  The project, coordinated by Dr. Erin Dolan and featuring the research program of Dr. Dorothea Tholl, both Virginia Tech professors, seeks to understand the roles of various genes in the ability of plants to defend themselves from insect herbivores.  Using the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana, the class will design and conduct original experiments and, by doing so, directly contribute to an active Virginia Tech research program.

On September 20 Dr. Dolan visited H-SC to introduce the project and help the students begin their A. thaliana plantings:

Dr. Dolan introduces the project to the genetics class

The class will compare the ability of a number of A. thaliana strains with mutations to key regulatory genes to assess which genes play the most significant role in defending the plants against herbivory against insects.

Preparing the soil for planting

Potting the soil

Planting the seeds

We will update how the class is doing with their research as the semester progresses.