Donna Huber, Author at Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases

ATP synthase-associated coiled-coil-helix-coiled-coil-helix (CHCH) domain-containing proteins are critical for mitochondrial function in Toxoplasma gondii

Donna Huber on October 5, 2023

Coiled-coil-helix-coiled-coil-helix (CHCH) domains consist of two pairs of cysteine residues that are oxidized to form disulfide bonds upon mitochondrial import. Proteins containing these domains play important roles in mitochondrial ultrastructure and in the biogenesis, function, and stability of electron transport chain complexes. Interestingly, recent investigations of the Toxoplasma gondii ATP synthase identified subunits containing CHCH domains. As …

Time-resolved proximity biotinylation implicates a porin protein in export of transmembrane malaria parasite effectors

Donna Huber on September 29, 2023

The malaria-causing parasite, Plasmodium falciparum completely remodels its host red blood cell (RBC) through the export of several hundred parasite proteins, including transmembrane proteins, across multiple membranes to the RBC. However, the process by which these exported membrane proteins are extracted from the parasite plasma membrane for export remains unknown. To address this question, we …

Characterization of the extracellular vesicles, ultrastructural morphology, and intercellular interactions of multiple clinical isolates of the brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri

Donna Huber on September 27, 2023

Introduction: As global temperatures rise to unprecedented historic levels, so too do the latitudes of habitable niches for the pathogenic free-living amoeba, Naegleria fowleri. This opportunistic parasite causes a rare, but >97% fatal, neurological infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. Despite its lethality, this parasite remains one of the most neglected and understudied parasitic protozoans. Methods: To better understand …

Sheptide A: an antimalarial cyclic pentapeptide from a fungal strain in the Herpotrichiellaceae

Donna Huber on September 20, 2023

As part of ongoing efforts to isolate biologically active fungal metabolites, a cyclic pentapeptide, sheptide A (1), was discovered from strain MSX53339 (Herpotrichiellaceae). The structure and sequence of 1 were determined primarily by analysis of 2D NMR and HRMS/MS data, while the absolute configuration was assigned using a modified version of Marfey’s method. In an …

Synergy between a cytoplasmic vWFA/VIT protein and a WD40-repeat F-box protein controls development in Dictyostelium

Donna Huber on September 14, 2023

Like most eukaryotes, the pre-metazoan social amoeba Dictyostelium depends on the SCF (Skp1/cullin-1/F-box protein) family of E3 ubiquitin ligases to regulate its proteome. In Dictyostelium, starvation induces a transition from unicellular feeding to a multicellular slug that responds to external signals to culminate into a fruiting body containing terminally differentiated stalk and spore cells. These transitions are subject …

Validation of a multiplex microsphere immunoassay for detection of antibodies to Trypanosoma cruzi in dogs

Donna Huber on September 5, 2023

The vector-borne protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi causes Chagas disease in humans, dogs, and many other mammalian hosts. Canine Chagas disease is increasingly diagnosed in dogs of the southern United States where triatomine insect vectors occur, and there are limited veterinary testing options; only the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test is offered at a single accredited …

Chagas disease research in the news

Donna Huber on August 23, 2023

DDN Dialogues Rick Tarleton was recently interviewed for the Drug Discovery News podcast. Listen as he talks about his research into new drug treatments for Chagas disease. A written transcript is available on DDN's website. KFF Health News Rick Tarleton, along with Drew Etheridge's lab, was featured in a KFF Health News story about Chagas …

cGAS-STING Pathway Activation during Trypanosoma cruzi Infection Leads to Tissue-Dependent Parasite Control

Donna Huber on August 21, 2023

Host cell invasion by Trypanosoma cruzi is a markedly silent process, with limited host transcriptional changes indicative of innate immune recognition, except for a modest type I IFN (IFN-I) response. In this study, we show that T. cruzi-induced IFN-β production was nearly abolished in primary murine cGAS-/- or stimulator of IFN genes (STING)-deficient (STINGGt) …

Interorganellar Communication Through Membrane Contact Sites in Toxoplasma gondii

Donna Huber on August 6, 2023

Apicomplexan parasites are a group of protists that cause disease in humans and include pathogens like Plasmodium spp., the causative agent of malaria, and Toxoplasma gondii, the etiological agent of toxoplasmosis and one of the most ubiquitous human parasites in the world. Membrane contact sites (MCSs) are widespread structures within eukaryotic cells but their …

Effects of doxycycline dose rate and pre-adulticide wait period on heartworm-associated pathology and adult worm mass

Donna Huber on July 25, 2023

Background: The American Heartworm Society canine guidelines recommend treatment with doxycycline prior to adulticide administration to reduce levels of Wolbachia and its associated metabolites, which are known to be a leading cause of pulmonary pathology. Studies have determined that doxycycline administered at 10 mg/kg BID for 28 days is an effective dose for eliminating Wolbachia, but …

Author: Donna Huber