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Author: Donna Huber

HaloPROTAC3 does not trigger the degradation of the halotagged parasitophorous vacuole membrane protein UIS4 during Plasmodium liver stage development

Donna Huber on May 26, 2025

Targeted protein degradation (TPD) is a novel strategy for developing therapeutics against pathogens. Prior to causing malaria, Plasmodium parasites replicate within hepatocytes as liver stages, surrounded by a parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM). We hypothesized that TPD can be employed to trigger host-driven degradation of essential liver stage PVM proteins and lead to parasite death. To …

Protocol for detecting peptide hormones in mosquito tissues

Donna Huber on May 24, 2025

Peptide hormones in insects are primarily expressed in specialized brain, ventral nerve chord, and midgut cells. When released, peptide hormones play crucial roles in regulating physiology, reproduction, and behavior. Here, we present a protocol for detecting peptide hormones in mosquito tissues such as the brain, midgut, and hemolymph. We describe steps for tissue preparation, immunocytochemistry, …

In the News: Rick Tarleton

Donna Huber on May 13, 2025

Researchers secure funding to advance Chagas disease research (News-Medical.net) Investigators are studying Chagas disease with a One Health approach (DVM360) UGA and Texas A&M Researchers tackle Chagas disease in dogs and humans (WUGA) Countable Labs Launches Single-Molecule DNA Counting System, PCR Application (GenomeWeb)

UGA biochemists create new tool to study biological process in parasites

Donna Huber on May 8, 2025

Click on image below to view photo gallery with captions. Researchers in the University of Georgia’s West Laboratory are interested in how unicellular parasites thrive in their environments. Focusing on post-translational modifications of proteins, particularly a crucial process called glycosylation, researchers are gaining insights into how this basic life process in parasites can lead to better …

Scientists use ‘One Health’ model to fight Chagas disease

Donna Huber on May 7, 2025

The parasite that causes Chagas disease can cause inflammation in the heart, as shown in white here in a mouse model. (Image courtesy of Fernando Sanchez) Supported by almost $4 million in new funding, researchers at the University of Georgia and Texas A&M are using improved detection and treatment methods to understand Chagas disease, a …

A symbiotic gene stimulates aggressive behavior favoring the survival of parasitized caterpillars

Donna Huber on April 28, 2025

Animals often exhibit increased aggression in response to starvation, while parasites often manipulate host behavior. In contrast, underlying molecular mechanisms for these behavioral changes are mostly unknown. The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, is an agricultural pest that feeds on cruciferous plants as larvae, while Cotesia vestalis is a parasitoid wasp that parasitizes diamondback moth larvae. …

Regulatory T cell memory: implications for malaria

Donna Huber on April 23, 2025

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) can persist as memory cells (mTregs) in both infectious and non-infectious settings. However, their functional behavior, phenotypic stability, and suppressive properties upon antigen re-exposure remain poorly understood. Emerging evidence suggests that mTregs exhibit enhanced proliferation and suppressive capacity upon re-encountering the same antigen, a feature that may be critical in recurrent …

Lysosome and plasma membrane Piezo channels of Trypanosoma cruzi are essential for proliferation, differentiation and infectivity

Donna Huber on April 23, 2025

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, is a parasitic protist that affects millions of people worldwide. Currently there are no fully effective drugs or vaccines available. Contact of T. cruzi infective forms with their host cells or with the extracellular matrix increases their intracellular Ca2+ concentration suggesting a mechano-transduction process. We report here …

Serial ‘deep-sampling’ PCR of fragmented DNA reveals the wide range of Trypanosoma cruzi burden among chronically infected human, macaque, and canine hosts, and allows accurate monitoring of parasite load following treatment

Donna Huber on April 15, 2025

Infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is generally well-controlled by host immune responses, but appears to be rarely eliminated. The resulting persistent, low-level infection results in cumulative tissue damage with the greatest impact generally in the heart in the form of chagasic cardiomyopathy. The relative success in immune control of T. cruzi infection usually …

Chet Joyner receives Fred C. Davison Early Career Scholar Award

Donna Huber on April 11, 2025

Chester Joyner, assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s infectious diseases department and member of CTEGD, is integrating molecular biology, immunology and vaccine development to develop new therapies needed to treat and prevent malaria. His work addresses some of the biggest challenges in the field by studying Plasmodium vivax dormancy in the liver, investigating why …