publications Archives - Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases

Glycosomal Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase CRISPR/Cas9-Deletion and Its Role in Trypanosoma cruzi Metacyclogenesis and Infectivity in Mammalian Host

Donna Huber on March 12, 2026

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, possesses glycosomes-unique organelles that house key metabolic enzymes, several of which are promising therapeutic targets. Among them, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) plays a central role in succinic fermentation, the main pathway for NAD+ regeneration within the organelle. Using CRISPR/Cas9 editing, the PEPCK gene was disrupted in T. cruzi, …

Protist oxygen-sensing and the role of prolyl hydroxylase-regulation of E3(SCF) ubiquitin ligases

Donna Huber on March 6, 2026

A primary mechanism for sensing O2 in animals involves the O2-dependent prolyl hydroxylase PHD2, which generates a degron on the transcription co-factor HIF-α. In protists, its apparent evolutionary predecessor, PhyA, is dedicated to the modification of Skp1. Skp1 is a subunit of the E3(SCF) family of ubiquitin ligases whose impact on the proteome is mediated by …

Integrated Approaches to Surveillance of Lymphatic Filariasis and Other Infectious Diseases in the Pacific Islands

Donna Huber on February 27, 2026

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a mosquito-borne neglected tropical disease targeted by the World Health Organization (WHO) for global elimination as a public health problem. Sixteen Pacific Island countries and territories were historically endemic, and eight have now met the WHO criteria for elimination as a public health problem. Elimination as a public health problem does …

No effector is an island: joint action of Toxoplasma gondii secreted effectors in host immune subversion

Donna Huber on February 16, 2026

Combinatorial suppression of IFN-γ signaling by T. gondii nuclear effectors. The molecular dialogue between host and pathogen is defined by competition for the intracellular niche. Toxoplasma gondii exemplifies this mastery by deploying secreted effectors to remodel host cell biology and neutralize immune defenses. Yet a striking paradox has emerged, in which, despite exporting only …

Imaging Ca2+ Signaling in Trypanosoma cruzi with Genetically Encoded Ca2+ Indicators

Donna Huber on February 3, 2026

Genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) are proteins used to monitor calcium ion (Ca2+) changes in living cells. They can be targeted to the cytosol or to organelles for continuous measurements in vivo. In this chapter, we present an overview of the methods that our lab used to detect Ca2+ changes in Trypanosoma cruzi elicited by stimulation …

Progress Toward Eradication of Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease) – Worldwide, January 2024-June 2025

Donna Huber on January 1, 2026

Dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease), caused by the parasite Dracunculus medinensis, is acquired by drinking water containing small water fleas infected with D. medinensis larvae or eating inadequately cooked aquatic animals. Efforts to eradicate D. medinensis, including the Guinea Worm Eradication Program (GWEP), began at CDC in 1980. In 1986, with an estimated 3.5 million cases …

Global characterization of Dictyostelium discoideum gene and protein expression changes under hypoxic conditions

Donna Huber on December 29, 2025

Background: Aerobic eukaryotes utilize O2 to oxidize metabolites and generate ATP. The response to oxygen deprivation leads to migration to locations with more favorable concentrations (aerotaxis), differentiation, metabolic reprogramming, or more global stress responses. In mammals, changes in gene expression are particularly well studied, with the involvement of the Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF-1), which regulates the transcription of …

Glycoregulation of E3(SCF) ubiquitin ligases in unicellular eukaryotes

Donna Huber on December 17, 2025

Skp1 is an essential adaptor within the Skp1/Cul1/F-box (SCF) class of E3 polyubiquitin ligases that regulate protein degradation in all eukaryotes. Skp1 is also a target of a 5-enzyme glycosylation pathway in parasites and other unicellular eukaryotes. Glycosylation of Skp1 is contingent upon oxygen-dependent hydroxylation of a critical Pro residue by a homolog of the …

PGDD 2.0: Plant Genome Duplication Database with updated content and tools

Donna Huber on November 26, 2025

Polyploidy and small-scale duplication have repeatedly reshaped plant genomes, making synteny and colinearity indispensable for evolutionary inference. We present PGDD 2.0 (accessible at chibba.agtec.uga.edu and pgdd2.org), a major update to the Plant Genome Duplication Database (PGDD) that now aggregates >120 complete telomere-to-telomere (T2T) assemblies, including many chromosome-scale genomes spanning all major Viridiplantae lineages. Each genome …

Four nudivirus core genes present in the genome of Venturia canescens are required for virus-like particle formation and prevention of encapsulation of parasitoid wasp eggs

Donna Huber on November 20, 2025

Venturia canescens is a parasitoid wasp that harbors a domesticated endogenous virus (DEV) and parasitizes host insects like Ephestia kuehniella. The V. canescens DEV evolved from an alphanudivirus and produces virus-like particles (VLPs) in females that protect wasp eggs from a host immune defense called encapsulation. In contrast, very few DEV genes required for VLP formation and function …

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