Publications by authors named "Bryan T Piatkowski"

The senescent cell (SC) fate is linked to aging, multiple disorders and diseases, and physical dysfunction. Senolytics, agents that selectively eliminate 30-70% of SCs, act by transiently disabling the senescent cell anti-apoptotic pathways (SCAPs), which defend those SCs that are pro-apoptotic and pro-inflammatory from their own senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Consistent with this, a JAK/STAT inhibitor, Ruxolitinib, which attenuates the pro-inflammatory SASP of senescent human preadipocytes, caused them to become "senolytic-resistant".

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With technological advancements, human's desire to explore space is growing and more people are staying longer at the international space station (ISS). The impact of microgravity on stem cells (SC) is not fully understood. We explored the impact of microgravity on gene expression profile of cultured mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) at the ISS.

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Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are key mediators of cell-cell communication and are involved in transferring specific biomolecular cargo to recipient cells to regulate their physiological functions. A major challenge in the understanding of EV function in vivo is the difficulty ascertaining the origin of the EV particles. The recent development of the "Snorkel-tag," which includes EV-membrane-targeted CD81 fused to a series of extra-vesicular protein tags, can be used to mark EVs originating from a specific source for subsequent isolation and characterization.

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We present 49 metagenome assemblies of the microbiome associated with (peat moss) collected from ambient, artificially warmed, and geothermally warmed conditions across Europe. These data will enable further research regarding the impact of climate change on plant-microbe symbiosis, ecology, and ecosystem functioning of northern peatland ecosystems.

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peat mosses have an extraordinary impact on the global carbon cycle as they control long-term carbon sequestration in boreal peatland ecosystems. species engineer peatlands, which harbour roughly a quarter of all terrestrial carbon, through peat accumulation by constructing their own niche that allows them to outcompete other plants. Interspecific variation in peat production, largely resulting from differences in tissue decomposability, is hypothesized to drive niche differentiation along microhabitat gradients thereby alleviating competitive pressure.

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The relative importance of introgression for diversification has long been a highly disputed topic in speciation research and remains an open question despite the great attention it has received over the past decade. Gene flow leaves traces in the genome similar to those created by incomplete lineage sorting (ILS), and identification and quantification of gene flow in the presence of ILS is challenging and requires knowledge about the true phylogenetic relationship among the species. We use whole nuclear, plastid, and organellar genomes from 12 species in the rapidly radiated, ecologically diverse, actively hybridizing genus of peatmoss (Sphagnum) to reconstruct the species phylogeny and quantify introgression using a suite of phylogenomic methods.

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The flavonoids, one of the largest classes of plant secondary metabolites, are found in lineages that span the land plant phylogeny and play important roles in stress responses and as pigments. Perhaps the most well-studied flavonoids are the anthocyanins that have human health benefits and help plants attract pollinators, regulate hormone production, and confer resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. The canonical biochemical pathway responsible for the production of these pigments is well-characterized for flowering plants yet its conservation across deep divergences in land plants remains debated and poorly understood.

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Species in the genus Sphagnum create, maintain, and dominate boreal peatlands through 'extended phenotypes' that allow these organisms to engineer peatland ecosystems and thereby impact global biogeochemical cycles. One such phenotype is the production of peat, or incompletely decomposed biomass, that accumulates when rates of growth exceed decomposition. Interspecific variation in peat production is thought to be responsible for the establishment and maintenance of ecological gradients such as the microtopographic hummock-hollow gradient, along which sympatric species sort within communities.

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Considerable progress has been made in ecological and evolutionary genetics with studies demonstrating how genes underlying plant and microbial traits can influence adaptation and even 'extend' to influence community structure and ecosystem level processes. Progress in this area is limited to model systems with deep genetic and genomic resources that often have negligible ecological impact or interest. Thus, important linkages between genetic adaptations and their consequences at organismal and ecological scales are often lacking.

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As one of the earliest plant groups to evolve stomata, hornworts are key to understanding the origin and function of stomata. Hornwort stomata are large and scattered on sporangia that grow from their bases and release spores at their tips. We present data from development and immunocytochemistry that identify a role for hornwort stomata that is correlated with sporangial and spore maturation.

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Infection of mice with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (Salmonella) causes systemic inflammatory disease and enlargement of the spleen (splenomegaly). Splenomegaly has been attributed to a general increase in the numbers of phagocytes, lymphocytes, as well as to the expansion of immature CD71+Ter119+ reticulocytes. The spleen is important for recycling senescent red blood cells (RBCs) and for the capture and eradication of blood-borne pathogens.

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