USDA-ARS research molecular biologist Dana Nayduch

Nayduch, based in Manhattan, Kansas, will speak at 4:10 p.m., Wednesday, March 1 in 122 Briggs Hall. Her lecture also will be virtual. The Zoom link:
https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672

"Dana is doing very cool work with house flies and looking at how bacteria in the fly are trading antibiotic resistance genes amongst themselves," said the seminar host, medical entomologist-geneticist Geoffrey Attardo, assistant professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. "It's an interesting and scary system as antibiotic resistance is so high due to antibiotic usage in livestock rearing."

"House flies (Musca domestica L.)  are ubiquitous, cosmopolitan pests inhabiting urban, rural and agricultural environments throughout the world. In these habitats acquire microbes from septic substrates that are used for feeding and reproduction. Flies subsequently harbor and disseminate these microorganisms which may pose a risk to human and animal health," Nayduch says in her abstract. "Our research characterizes and analyzes microbial communities of house flies using culture-based and molecular approaches in order to better understand their roles in the transmission of important bacterial disease agents and/or antimicrobial resistance. Because the microbial communities within house flies represent a snapshot of the microbes found in their local habitat, we also gain valuable insight into existing and emerging microbial threats to humanand animal health through our surveys which can help in predicting and preventing disease."

A pre-seminar will take place from 3:30 to 4:10 in 158 Briggs.

Nayduch, an authority on fly-microbe interactions, joined USDA in August of 2011. She is a member of the USDA-ARS Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research Unit, researching molecular and microbiological studies of Culicoides midges and house flies. She works with several laboratories on comparative transcriptomic and microbiomic studies of Muscid flies.

Nayduch received her bachelor's degree in animal science from Rutgers University and her doctorate in zoology from Clemson University, where she studied house flies as vectors for pathogens. She served as a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University School of Public Health, working on molecular-genetic studies of tsetse flies. She then joined Georgia Southern University (GSU) as an assistant professor of biology in 2004, advancing to associate professor in 2009. At GSU she received NIH-R15 funding to study house fly-microbe molecular interactions.

Nayduch, active in the Entomological Society of America (ESA), is the vice president-elect of the Medical, Urban and Veterinary Entomology (MUVE) Section. A peer reviewer for the Journal of Medical Entomology and an editorial board member and subject editor for Annals for ESA, she organized and edited the first special collection for Annals: “Filth Fly-Microbe Interactions."

The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's winter seminars are held on Wednesdays at 4:10 p.m. in 122 Briggs Hall. All are virtual. A pre-seminar coffee is held from 3:30 to 4:10 p.m. in 158 Briggs. Urban landscape entomologist Emily Meineke, assistant professor, coordinates the seminars. (See schedule.) She may be reached at ekmeineke@ucdavis.edu for technical issues.

Cindy McReynolds, who received her doctorate in pharmacology/toxicology from UC Davis in 2021, is the chief executive officer of EicOsis Human Health LLC.

EicOsis, based in Davis, is a leader in the clinical development of soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors (sEH), an innovative approach to treating chronic inflammation and pain.  Hammock's pioneering work on the sEH inhibitors spans 50 years.

“Dr. McReynolds will lead EicOsis through the commercialization of its new therapeutic solution for chronic conditions that affects tens of millions of people, including those with neuropathic pain but also osteoarthritis, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease,” said Glenn Croston, chief operating officer.  “Dr. McReynolds has deep experience advancing drugs through preclinical and clinical development, including EicOsis' leading drug EC5026. In addition, she has published extensively on the science of sEH as an important new drug target.” 

McReynolds, who received her doctorate in pharmacology/toxicology from UC Davis in 2021, studying with Hammock, said “it's been an amazing opportunity being involved with EicOsis as an early preclinical stage company and seeing the transition of our lead candidate to clinical 

“The scientific validation of our approach supports a truly disruptive product that could provide a safe, non-addictive, and effective treatment for pain and neurodegeneration, and I look forward to leading the company as we obtain clinical validation,” she said. “We have an experienced and dedicated team that has a long history of working together, and I am excited to continue working together in this exciting next stage.”

EicOsis has “completed the human phase 1a safety trials with no adverse effects," said Hammock, who holds a joint appointment with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

“As co-founder, Cindy has played a key role building EicOsis into a leader in therapeutics targeting sEH,” Hammock said.  "Cindy's scientific insight, drive, and commitment ideally positions her to take EicOsis to the next level and builds on the vast body of science validating our approach. I know Cindy will continue to deliver great results for EicOsis and for a great many patients."

Hammock, in his role as CSO, “will continue to deliver cutting edge progress in translating soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors into clinical results,” Croston announced. A member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Inventors, Hammock co-founded and built the company to translate these findings into "a revolutionary new solution for chronic inflammation and pain."

“We'd like to thank Bruce for his incredible leadership in the field and as CEO of EicOsis," said Chris Somerville, board member of EicOsis Human Health.  "We're looking forward to his continued scientific leadership and to his continued support in Cindy's new role."

McReynolds, who has researched the biological activity of lipid mediators for the past 12 years, said her current efforts “focus on understanding the roles of lipid mediators in inflammation especially relating to pain and degenerative disease. My research focuses on developing tools for use in in vitro and in vivo knockout studies to understand their role in inflammation with a focus on mechanism of pharmacokinetics.”

Always aiming for a scientific career, McReynolds received a bachelor's degree (1999) in animal science from UC Davis and a master's degree (2001) in animal science from Washington State University (WSU). Her career advanced from senior research associate, Celera (formerly Axys) in South San Francisco to senior associate scientist of Miikana, Fremont, to project coordinator of Arete Therapeutics, South San Francisco, to UC Davis researcher.

At UC Davis, she served as the scientific program manager (2010-2017) for the Center for Integrative Toxicology, and as a graduate student researcher. She won a UC Davis Staff Assembly Citation of Excellence in Research in 2021. She earlier received the UC Davis 1999  Outstanding Senior Award, and several awards fromWSU: the 2000 Dr.Erb Outstanding Graduate Student Award; the 2001 Teaching Assistant of the Year, and the 2001 Outstanding Graduate Student. While a graduate student, she was supported by a National Institutes of Health Chemical Biology Training Grant.

Sarjeet Gill, now a UC Riverside distinguished emeritus professor, and Hammock co-discovered sEH in 1969 in mice when they were researching insect developmental biology and green insecticides in the UC Berkeley lab of John Casida (1929-2018). Both hold doctorates from UC Berkeley.

Hammock explained that the enzyme is a key regulatory enzyme involved in the metabolism of fatty acids. It regulates a new class of natural chemical mediators, which in turn regulates inflammation, blood pressure,  pain and other key biologies.   Hammock's 50-year research has led to the discovery that many regulatory molecules are controlled as much by degradation as biosynthesis. "The epoxy fatty acids rapidly degraded by the sEH," Hammock said, "control blood pressure, fibrosis, immunity, tissue growth, depression, pain, and inflammation, to name a few processes."

Approximately 50 million Americans (20 percent of the population) suffer from chronic pain, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The annual economic toll is $560 billion, encompassing direct medical expenses, lost productivity, and disability claims. Pain research is now one of the top priorities of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

EicOsis (pronounced eye-co-sis), derives its name from eicosanoid, “the major backbone of chemical mediators in the arachidonate cascade,” said McReynolds. “It symbolizes the epoxide group in chemistry, which is key to the anti-inflammatory chemical mediators and where the biochemical target called soluble epoxide hydrolase works.”

EicOsis won the “Sacramento Region Innovator of the Year” award in the medical health/biopharmaceutical category in 2019.

Kyle Lewald, doctoral candidate

His title: "Using Genomic Data to Understand and Prevent the Spread of Tuta absoluta." He will be introduced by Chiu, professor and vice chair, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. A pre-seminar coffee will take place from 3:30 to 4:10 in Briggs 158. 

T. absoluta, a species of moth in the family Gelechilidae, is a pest of tomato crops in its larval stage. It is also known as a tomato leafminer.

"Tuta absoluta is a serious agricultural pest of tomato plants," Lewald says in his abstract. "While initially discovered in Peru, it has rapidly invaded tomato fields around the world over the past century, causing widespread damage to the industry. The recent affordability of whole genome sequencing of insects opens the door to a wide number of applications to understand and control this pest."

"Using long read sequencing, we produced and annotated a highly contiguous T. absoluta genome assembly. Sequencing of individuals collected across many locations in Latin America allowed us to investigate population structure and diversity levels, as well as identify divergence times and possible migration events occurring between regions. Understanding these historical events can be key to predicting and preventing future invasion events. We also used comparative genomics between morphologically similar gelechiid species to develop efficient molecular diagnostics, allowing field researchers and stakeholders to identify Tuta absoluta rapidly to support quarantine and treatment efforts."

Lewald's research interests include studying population genetics and developing molecular diagnostics of pest insects. He received his bachelor's degree in molecular and cell biology from UC Berkeley in 2016. After studying circadian rhythms in sorghum with UC Berkeley professor Frank Harmon, he became interested in animal clock systems and joined the Chiu Lab in 2018.  

He has published his work in several journals: 

• Lewald, K. M., A. Abrieux, D. A. Wilson, Y. Lee, W. R. Conner et al., 2021 Population genomics of Drosophila suzukii reveal longitudinal population structure and signals of migrations in and out of the continental United States. G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics jkab343.
• Lewald, K. M., and J. C. Chiu, 2020 Harnessing Transcriptomics to Study Insect Biology, in Transcriptomics in Entomological Research, CABI, Oxfordshire, UK.
• Tabuloc, C. A., K. M. Lewald, W. R. Conner, Y. Lee, E. K. Lee et al., 2019 Sequencing of Tuta absoluta genome to develop SNP genotyping assays for species identification. Journal of Pest Science. 
• Gao, J., J. Sasse, K. M. Lewald, K. Zhalnina, L. T. Cornmesser et al., 2018 Ecosystem Fabrication (EcoFAB) Protocols for The Construction of Laboratory Ecosystems Designed to Study Plant-microbe Interactions. JoVE 57170.

The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's winter seminars are held on Wednesdays at 4:10 p.m. in 122 Briggs Hall. All are virtual. A pre-seminar coffee is held from 3:30 to 4:10 p.m. in 158 Briggs. Urban landscape entomologist Emily Meineke, assistant professor, coordinates the seminars. (See schedule.) She may be reached at ekmeineke@ucdavis.edu for technical issues.

This caterpillar image graces the cover of the February edition of the journal Environmental Entomology. (Photo by Samuel Jaffe)

The paper, “Specialist Herbivore Performance on Introduced Plants During Native Host Decline,”  is co-authored by Ria Manderino of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation,  Upperville, VA and Samuel Jaffe of The Caterpillar Lab, Marlborough, N.H. 

“Our publication highlights the importance of multispecies assessments of host plant acceptance,” said Horne, who studies plant-insect interactions, urban ecology, global change biology, natural history and community science in the laboratory of urban landscape entomologist Emily Meineke, assistant professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. 

 “We tested three related species, two of them congeners, on their ability to accept alternative host plants in the face of the loss of their primary host," Horne said. "We found a diversity of responses even among these three species. Further downstream, landscape managers may be able to use our results to make decisions about which plantings will help support native herbivores.”

Jaffe provided the cover image of a Sphinx kalmiae, commonly known as "laurel sphinx."

The abstract:

Ash (Fraxinus spp.) is in rapid decline across the northeastern USA due to the invasive emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire). Three recently co-occurring confamilial species may serve as alternative larval host plants for ash-reliant Lepidoptera. These prospective hosts are nonnative shrubs often planted in managed suburban landscapes and are sometimes invasive or naturalized in North America. Given the imminent decline of ash trees, we considered potential downstream effects on insect herbivores historically specialized on ash foliage. We measured the performance of three ash-specialist hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) on native white ash (Fraxinus americana L.) and alternative host plants: common lilac (Syringa vulgaris L.), weeping forsythia [Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl], and European privet (Ligustrum vulgare L.). We found the nonnative host plants provided varied support for larval survival to pupation, with biomass and growth rate affected differently by both plant and insect identity. Nearly all caterpillars reared on one alternative host, European privet, exhibited distinct malformations of the wing buds at pupation. Given caterpillar presence on privet in the field, privet may constitute an ecological trap (i.e., when female moths select a sub-optimal host, offspring survival and fitness are reduced). This work demonstrates how performance testing can reveal species-specific effects of host plant loss on mono- or oligophagous insects. For some ash specialists, alternative nonnative host plants may be suboptimal, but some cultivated host plants may be able to support certain specialist insects during native host decline. We suggest that landscaping decisions can be tailored to support threatened insect species."

Horne is a 2021 graduate of Colby College, Waterville, Maine, where she majored in biology (evolution and ecology), and environmental science (conservation biology),receiving magna cum laude (with distinction) in both majors.  Her thesis: “Reduced Performance of Ash-Specialist Caterpillars on Nonnative, Cultivated Oleaceous Plants.”

Horne joined the Meineke lab in 2021 after serving as an education staff member and undergraduate researcher at The Caterpillar Lab, Marlborough, NH from 2018-2021. The environmental education organization focuses on inviting people—youth and adults alike—to share in stories of ecology, evolution, and natural history. Horne presented at more than 30 venues, including elementary school classrooms, botanical gardens, and children's museums, "with a goal to ignite in us a curiosity of the world we live in, from the smallest leaf-miners to the tallest trees."

Horne gained experience in conservation and education in the spring of 2020 when she participated in the Round River Conservation Studies in Maun, Botswana. The environmental organization operates at the nexus of conservation and education to explore the complex relationship between conservation, people, and wildlife, mostly in Mababe, Botswana. "We worked with local experts to design and maintain wildlife monitoring systems to be used to substantiate economic and environmental decisions," she related.