Download Biology News EPOC & the Desert Iguana Department News

Biology News
Volume 1 Issue 15
A publication of EWU Department of Biology
Department News
Faculty/Staff Comings & Goings
Dona Boggs will be on leave Fall and Winter
quarters AY2008.
Robin O’Quinn, visiting assistant professor of
biology, comes in as a 1-year temporary replacement for Craig Miller, who returned to the
University of Idaho. She will teach introductory
biology for majors. Robin received her BS in Plant
Biology from UC Davis and PhD from WSU. The
search for the permanent position that starts Fall
2008 has been posted, with a decision to be made
by Spring 2008.
Carissa Gusman assumed the position of
Secretary Senior in November. Carissa is a 2007
Eastern graduate, with a degree in Communications.
Faculty Grants
Steve Hayes, adjunct faculty, received a grant
from the Department of Fish & Wildlife to review
and analyze burbot stock and redband trout.
Allan Scholz, professor of biology, has been
awarded three new grant contracts over the last
few months: (1) Bioenergetics Model for Northern
Pike-Box Canyon from the Kalispel Tribe; (2)
Hatchery Kokanne Stock Evaluation for the
Spokane Tribe; and (3) Lake Roosevelt Research
also for the Spokane Tribe.
Fall 2007
EPOC & the Desert Iguana
Tom Hancock, assistant professor of biology,
will have a paper published in Physiological and
Biochemical Zoology:
Hancock, T.V. and Gleeson T.T. 2008.
Contributions to elevated metabolism during
recovery: Dissecting the excess post-exercise
oxygen consumption (EPOC) in the desert
iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis). Physiological and
Biochemical Zoology, 81(3).
Abstract: The excess post-exercise oxygen
consumption (EPOC), a measure of recovery
costs, is known to be large in ectothermic
vertebrates such as the desert iguana
(Dipsosaurus dorsalis), especially following
vigorous activity. To analyze the cause of these
large recovery costs in a terrestrial ectotherm,
Dipsosaurus were run for 15 s at maximal
intensity (2.33 m/s) while oxygen uptake was
monitored via open flow respirometry. Muscle
metabolites (adenylates, phosphocreatine and
lactate) were measured at rest and at 0, 3, 10,
and 60 min of recovery. Cardiac and ventilatory
activity during rest and recovery were measured,
as was whole body lactate and blood lactate that
were used to estimate total muscle activity.
(continued on page 2)
Table of Contents
Faculty Participate in Library Grant
Prakash Bhuta, professor of biology, Karen
Carlberg, professor of biology, Margaret
“Peggy” O’Connell, professor of biology, and
Robin O’Quinn, visiting assistant professor of
biology, were selected to participate in a library
grant on information literacy. The aim of the
project is to improve student research skills. See
article on page 3 for details.
Department News
EPOC & the Desert Iguana
Alumni Gene Stacking Research
Library Research Skills
Biology Department Seminars
Alumni Update
Hollister-Stier Awards
Contact Us
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Biology News
Mini Chromosome Technology
Allows Gene Stacking
In 2001, Gary Rudgers (PhD), BS in Biology
(1993), got in on the ground floor of Chromatin,
Inc., a Chicago-based company that develops
and markets proprietary technology which
enables entire chromosomes to be designed
and incorporated into plant cells. These minichromosomes can be used in any plant to
simultaneously introduce multiple genes while
maintaining precise control of gene expression.
Chromatin’s mini-chromosome technology can
be used to deliver genes that benefit the
agricultural, nutritional, energy, pharmaceutical,
and chemical sectors.
Gary has moved up in Chromatin from the
position of Senior Scientist to Director of
Laboratory Operations and Molecular Biology.
Gary is co-author of a recently-published
paper:
Carlson, S.R., Rudgers, G.W., Zieler, H., Mach,
J.M., Luo, S., Grunden, E., Krol, C.,
Copenhaver, G.P., & Preuss, D. (2007).
Meiotic transmission of an in vitro-assembled
autonomous maize minichromosome. PLos
Genetics, 3(10), October 2007.
This research involves gene stacking, in
which scientists build an engineered minichromosome with all the desired traits. The
entire genetic sequence is inserted into the
cell, effectively adding a new chromosome to
the plant’s genetic makeup. These new traits
will be passed to future generations through
natural cellular processes. Scientists can stack
as many genes in the chromosomes as they
want, allowing many genetic changes to be
made at once. And since the new genes don’t
change any of the plant’s existing genetic
material, plant characteristics are more
predictable.
Currently, scientists insert single genes into a
plant’s nucleus. Through natural cellular
processes that gene is randomly inserted into
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chromosomes. Depending on where the
gene is inserted, the resulting trait may be
positive or negative as it interacts with other
genes in the chromosome. In other words,
the plant’s original genetic code has been
changed and the results are unpredictable.
Gene stacking technology allows scientists
to custom-design plants that have traits such
as drought resistance, insect repellence, and
rot resistance – all at the same time and with
a degree of accuracy never before possible.♦
EPOC (cont. from page 1)
This vigorous activity was supported primarily
by glycolysis (65%) and phosphocreatine
hydrolysis (29%) with only a small
contribution from aerobic metabolism (2.5%).
Aerobic recovery lasted 43.8 ± 4.6 min, and
EPOC measured 0.166 ± 0.025 mL oxygen /
gram. This was a large proportion (98%) of
the total suprabasal metabolic cost of the
activity to the animal. The various
contributions to EPOC following this short but
vigorous activity were quantified and a
majority of EPOC was accounted for. The
two primary causes of EPOC were
phosphocreatine repletion (32-50%) and
lactate glycogenesis (30-47%). Four other
components played smaller roles: ATP
repletion (8-13%), elevated ventilatory activity
(2%), elevated cardiac activity (2%), and
oxygen store resaturation (1%).
Tom identifies that these findings are
important because recovery from intense
exercise is very costly on a per-distance
basis, and is especially costly in an anaerobic
specialist such as the desert iguana. This
paper identifies and quantifies the biochemical pathways which are responsible for this
cost, and provides a contrast to a more
aerobic system (like humans) where the
components contributing to costly recovery
are quite different. ♦
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Biology News
Biology Faculty Selected
for Library Grant
Upcoming Biology
Department Seminars
Four Biology Department faculty were selected
to participate in a year-long project on improving
student research skills. EWU Libraries received an
EWU Strategic Planning grant that partners with
Biology and History Departments to strengthen
research components within existing curricula.
Prakash Bhuta, Karen Carlberg, Peggy
O’Connell, and Robin O’Quinn were selected to
(1) define research skills required for biology
students and (2) Redesign the research
component of at least three undergraduate
courses: a lower division course for majors and
non-majors; a course required for all majors; and
an advanced or capstone course for majors.
Meeting for the first time on October 2, the group
will have five seminar sessions in which they’ll
discuss methods of inquiry pertaining to the
selected courses. Methods for teaching students
how to conduct library research will be reviewed,
along with discussion on engaging students in
library research. Faculty will work alone and in
small groups to apply identified concepts to the
revised courses.
Courses identified for redesign are: BIOL 270
(Biological Investigation), BIOL 301 (Microbiology),
BIOL 304 (Vertebrate Zoology), and BIOL 490
(Animal Physiology – Sr. Capstone). These
courses will be piloted by Spring 2008 and will
include assessment of student development of
library research competencies. Watch future
issues of Biology News for results of this project. ♦
Starting February 8 at 2:30 p.m., alternate Fridays are
seminar days. Starting in Science Building Room 175
with social networking, presentations will begin at 3:00
p.m. in Science Building Room 137. Students, faculty,
alumni, and the public are invited to attend. The
tentative schedule (subject to change) is:
2/8/08
Developmental Plasticity in a Vertebrate – Dr.
Jason Podrabsky (Portland State University)
2/22/08 Aquatic Ecology Symposium – an all-day
information-fest at the Riverpoint campus in
Spokane (detail in the Winter 2008 newsletter)
2/29/08 Managing Trout Fisheries in Eastern British
Columbia – Dr. Brian Chan (British Columbia
Ministry of the Environment)
4/11/08 New Developments in RNA Technology – Clay
Malinak (Spokane Falls Community College)
4/25/08 Neurophysiology of Human Diet – Dr. Sue
Ritter (Washington State University)
5/9/08
Wildlife Ecology – Nancy Straub (Gonzaga
University)
Be sure to check http://www.ewu.edu/biology for upto-date presentation information. ♦
UPDATED ALUMNI UPDATE
Dawn Maghakian, Master of Science (Human Genetics/Bioinformatics emphasis), 2005
Updating the Summer 2007 Biology News information, in November Dawn transferred from Stanford
Hospital & Clinics to Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Siemens Clinical Laboratory in Berkeley,
California. Returning to her love of “working hands-on in science,” Dawn’s position is Clinical Molecular
Scientist 2.
Dawn holds certifications of:
 Clinical Genetic Molecular Biologist (California)
 Clinical Specialist in Molecular Biology (NCA)
 Technologist in Molecular Pathology (ASCP)
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Biology News
Hollister-Stier Textbook
Assistance Awards
The following students earned textbook
awards for fall quarter:
Margaret Marshall
Thania Montero
Krista Morrow
Emily Ryser
Darlene Soderberg
Elmera Takhtrawan
Congratulations Students! Thank you,
Hollister-Stier, for your generosity in helping
our students.
Watch for the Winter 2008 Biology
News … Riparian & Wetlands
Symposium, Science Olympiad Club,
MESA students, and more.
Contact Us
Biology News is a quarterly publication of
the Eastern Washington University Department of Biology. To contribute items of
interest – news, features, alumni updates –
please contact:
Sue Murphy, Operations Manager
EWU Biology Department
258 Science Building
Cheney, WA 99004
PH: (509) 359-6809
FAX: (509) 359-6867
[email protected]
Visit us on the Web at
http://www.ewu.edu/x21796.xml
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Department of Biology
258 Science Building
Cheney, WA 99004-2440