Biology subjects

McClure, E.

Publications and source records attributed to McClure, E..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Inflammasome Activation and IL-1β Release in Alveolar Macrophages Infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa is Reduced in Hypoxia

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important agent of acute or chronic airway infections. A complex set of genetic and environmental factors determine the outcome of a P. aeruginosa airway infection. P. aeruginosa can undergo genetic adaptation to fine tune the expression of a type III secretion system (T3SS) and other virulence factors in response to selective pressures encountered during infection. Genetic and environmental factors predispose many patient groups for P. aeruginosa infections, including people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF). CF is a genetic disorder resulting in areas of hypoxia and thick mucus that fosters P. aeruginosa airway infection. Resident alveolar macrophages (AMs) help coordinate immune responses to P. aeruginosa in airways by producing proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1{beta}, which can be important for infection resistance. AMs infected with laboratory strains of P. aeruginosa detect the T3SS and activate the NLRC4 inflammasome, resulting in IL-1{beta} release. Studies of inflammasome responses in AMs to a clinical CF isolate of P. aeruginosa have not been reported. Here, we characterized the CF clinical isolate DH1137 and found that it has a downregulated but functional T3SS, is adapted to grow in hypoxia, and induces significant production of the inflammasome cytokines IL-1{beta} and IL-1 during lung infection in a CF mouse model. Inflammasome gene expression was primed in AMs by LPS stimulation, and upon DH1137 infection these cells released IL-1[beta]. Intriguingly, we found that infection of AMs with DH1137 in hypoxia resulted in significantly dampened inflammasome activation compared to normoxia. These data describe a new mechanism that P. aeruginosa may exploit to evade immune detection by tissue-resident lung macrophages in the context of CF.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2025

Beyond Coral Cover: A framework for assessing the condition of coral reef habitats and informing conservation targets

The goal of ecosystem management is to maintain healthy and resilient ecosystems over time. These attributes can be summarised under a general term widely used in management plans: ecosystem condition, defined as the overall quality of an ecosystem relative to a desired or reference state. However, measuring and monitoring ecosystem condition remains a challenge. Monitoring ecosystem condition requires a suite of ecological indicators that simultaneously capture the complexity and variability of ecological processes, while being informative and usable in management and decision-making contexts. Such indicators need to be holistic, measurable, sensitive and scalable. Here we outline a resilience-based monitoring framework for coral reefs that consolidates monitoring data and research insights into a relevant, integrated format. The framework includes indicators of ecosystem state (coral cover) and key processes (represented by recovery performance, macroalgae prevalence, community composition, and coral juvenile density). Indicators are generated and scaled from monitoring data by applying explicit, reef-specific thresholds, providing a simple but comprehensive set of ecosystem condition values. Using cases from the Great Barrier Reef, we demonstrate how the framework integrates these indicators for detailed assessments of reef habitat condition and its potential role in management. Based on these case studies, we discuss important considerations for applying this framework worldwide, acknowledging current limitations related to data availability, resolution, and the length of time series.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2025

B cells specific for polyomavirus-derived oncoprotein are predictive of Merkel cell carcinoma progression

Merkel cell carcinomas typically arise from clonal integration of the Merkel cell polyomavirus. Immunogenic viral oncoproteins then lead to tumorigenesis. Oncoprotein-specific T cells are essential for anti-MCC immunity, but it is unclear whether B cells promote tumor control. Here, we analyzed the frequency and phenotype of viral oncoprotein-specific and total B cells in 47 blood samples and 19 unmatched tumors from MCC patients-- of which 8 out 19 progressed. The phenotype of blood B cells did not correlate with MCC patient outcomes. In contrast, all 11 patients with robust oncoprotein-specific antibody-secreting and/or germinal center B cells in tumors experienced long-term MCC control. In vitro, B cells engineered to be specific for viral oncoproteins increased the sensitivity of oncoprotein-specific CD4+ T cells by over 50-fold. Together, our findings suggest that cancer-specific B cells promote anti-tumor immunity via increased T cell responses and that cancer-specific B cell augmentation could be therapeutically relevant. Statement of SignificanceThe link between cancer-specific B cells in anti-tumor immunity and clinical outcomes remains poorly defined. Here, we show that tumor-associated B cells specific for a viral oncoprotein expressed in MCC patient tumors predict disease control with remarkable accuracy, establishing their potential as active participants in tumor immunity.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2024

Moving in pain - A preliminary study evaluating the immediate effects of experimental knee pain on locomotor biomechanics.

Pain changes how we move, but it is often confounded by other factors due to disease or injury. Experimental pain offers an opportunity to isolate the independent affect of pain on movement. We used cutaneous electrical stimulation to induce experimental knee pain during locomotion to study the short-term motor adaptions to pain. While other models of experimental pain have been used in locomotion, they lack the ability to modulate pain in real-time. Twelve healthy adults completed the single data collection session where they experienced six pain intensity conditions (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 out of 10) and two pain delivery modes (tonic and phasic). Electrodes were placed over the lateral infrapatellar fat pad and medial tibial condyle to deliver the 10 Hz pure sinusoid via a constant current electrical stimulator. Pain intensity was calibrated prior to each walking bout based on the target intensity and was recorded using an 11-point numerical rating scale. Knee joint angles and moments were recorded over the walking bouts and summarized in waveform and discrete outcomes to be compared with baseline walking. Knee joint angles changed during the swing phase of gait, with higher pain intensities resulting in greater knee flexion angles. Minimal changes in joint moments were observed but there was a consistent pattern of decreasing joint stiffness with increasing pain intensity. Habituation was limited across the 30-90 second walking bouts and the electrical current needed to deliver the target pain intensities showed a positive linear relationship. Experimental knee pain shows subtle biomechanical changes and favourable habituation patterns over short walking bouts. Further exploration of this model is needed in real-world walking conditions and over longer timeframes to quantify motor adaptations.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Identifying states of collateral sensitivity during the evolution of therapeutic resistance in Ewings sarcoma

Advances in the treatment of Ewings sarcoma (EWS) are desperately needed, particularly in the case of metastatic disease. A deeper understanding of collateral sensitivity, where the evolution of therapeutic resistance to one drug aligns with sensitivity to another drug, may improve our ability to effectively target this disease. For the first time in a solid tumor, we produced a temporal collateral sensitivity map that demonstrates the evolution of collateral sensitivity and resistance in EWS. We found that the evolution of collateral resistance was predictable with some drugs, but had significant variation in response to other drugs. Using this map of temporal collateral sensitivity in EWS, we can see that the path towards collateral sensitivity is not always repeatable, nor is there always a clear trajectory towards resistance or sensitivity. Identifying transcriptomic changes that accompany these states of transient collateral sensitivity could improve treatment planning for EWS patients.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2019

A low-cost, open source, self-contained bacterial EVolutionary biorEactor (EVE)

The morbidostat automatically adjusts antibiotic concentration as a bacterial population evolves resistance. Although this device has advanced our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological processes that drive antibiotic resistance, no low-cost and open-source systems are available for educators. Here, we present the EVolutionary biorEactor (EVE), an accessible alternative to other morbidostats for use in low-resource classrooms that requires minimal engineering and programming experience. We first compare our system to others, emphasizing how it differs in design and cost. We then describe how we validated the EVE by evolving replicate Escherichia coli populations under chloramphenicol challenge and comparing our results to those in the published literature. Lastly, we detail how high school students used the EVE to learn about bacterial growth and antibiotic resistance.

bioengineering↗