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Dr. Ellen Aho's Research

Current research team: Nimna Ranatunga, Paul Cortez, Kate Peterson

Project description: We are examining bacteria belonging to the genus Neisseria. Two species within this genus cause the human diseases meningitis and gonorrhoeae, while other species are normal flora in the human nasopharynx. The differences in how the disease-causing and harmless species interact with host cells are not well understood. Previous Concordia research teams have cloned, characterized, and studied the evolutionary relationships among a family of neisserial genes that code for a surface structure called a pilus. This structure helps bacteria attach to human cells and it may be expressed differently in pathogenic and nonpathogenic Neisseria. More recently, Kate, Paul, and Nimna have used reverse transcriptase PCR to study the expression of these pilin genes. The next phase of our project will involve using real-time PCR to do quantitative gene expression studies.

Recent presentations:

October 26, 2007: Kate, Nimna, and Paul presented their summer work as part of the Biology Department Student Lecture Series, 9:20am, Jones Science Building Room 212.

October 27, 2007: The team presented a poster entitled Examination of pilE gene expression in commensal Neisseria species utilizing reverse transcriptase-PCR at the Northwest Regional Undergraduate Affiliate Network Meeting held at Minnesota State University Moorhead October 26-27.

Publications by previous Concordia teams:

Aho, E.L., R.Urwin, A.E. Batcheller, A.M. Holmgren, K.Havig, A.M. Kulakoski, E.E. Vomhof, N.S. Longfors, C.B. Erickson, Z. K. Anderson, J.M. Dawlaty, and J. J. Mueller. 2005. Neisserial pilin genes display extensive interspecies diversity. FEMS Microbiology Letters 249:327-334.

Batcheller A., A. Denault (faculty advisor E. Aho). 2003. Identification of two tandemly arranged pilin-like genes in Neisseria elongata. Proceedings of the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (CD format).

Aho, E. L., A.M. Keating, and S. M. McGillivray. 1999. A comparative analysis of pilin genes from pathogenic and nonpathogenic Neisseria species. Microbial Pathogenesis 28:81-88.

Aho E. L., J. W. Botten, R. J. Hall, M. K. Larsen and J. K. Ness. 1997. Characterization of a class II pilin expression locus in Neisseria meningitidis: evidence for increased diversity among pilin genes in pathogenic Neisseria species. Infection and Immunity 65:2613-2620.

Aho, E. L. and L. P. Kelly. 1995. Identification of a glutathione peroxidase homolog in Neisseria meningitidis. DNA Sequence: The Journal of Sequencing and Mapping 6:55-60.

Aho, E. L. , A. S. Bohling, P. D. Jones and D. A. Pipho. 1994. The molecular biology of neisserial pilin proteins. North Dakota Academy of Science Proceedings 48:66.

See Dr. Aho's CV for a listing of additional publications and presentations.


Current research team: Nimna Ranatunga, Paul Cortez, Kate Peterson


Project description: We are examining bacteria belonging to the genus Neisseria. Two species within this genus cause the human diseases meningitis and gonorrhoeae, while other species are normal flora in the human nasopharynx. The differences in how the disease-causing and harmless species interact with host cells are not well understood. Previous Concordia research teams have cloned, characterized, and studied the evolutionary relationships among a family of neisserial genes that code for a surface structure called a pilus. This structure helps bacteria attach to human cells and it may be expressed differently in pathogenic and nonpathogenic Neisseria. More recently, Kate, Paul, and Nimna have used reverse transcriptase PCR to study the expression of these pilin genes. The next phase of our project will involve using real-time PCR to do quantitative gene expression studies.
Recent presentations:
October 26, 2007: Kate, Nimna, and Paul presented their summer work as part of the Biology Department Student Lecture Series, 9:20am, Jones Science Building Room 212.

October 27, 2007: The team presented a poster entitled Examination of pilE gene expression in commensal Neisseria species utilizing reverse transcriptase-PCR at the Northwest Regional Undergraduate Affiliate Network Meeting held at Minnesota State University Moorhead October 26-27.

Publications by previous Concordia teams:
Aho, E.L., R.Urwin, A.E. Batcheller, A.M. Holmgren, K.Havig, A.M. Kulakoski, E.E. Vomhof, N.S. Longfors, C.B. Erickson, Z. K. Anderson, J.M. Dawlaty, and J. J. Mueller. 2005. Neisserial pilin genes display extensive interspecies diversity. FEMS Microbiology Letters 249:327-334.
Batcheller A., A. Denault (faculty advisor E. Aho). 2003. Identification of two tandemly arranged pilin-like genes in Neisseria elongata. Proceedings of the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (CD format).
Aho, E. L., A.M. Keating, and S. M. McGillivray. 1999. A comparative analysis of pilin genes from pathogenic and nonpathogenic Neisseria species. Microbial Pathogenesis 28:81-88.
Aho E. L., J. W. Botten, R. J. Hall, M. K. Larsen and J. K. Ness. 1997. Characterization of a class II pilin expression locus in Neisseria meningitidis: evidence for increased diversity among pilin genes in pathogenic Neisseria species. Infection and Immunity 65:2613-2620.
Aho, E. L. and L. P. Kelly. 1995. Identification of a glutathione peroxidase homolog in Neisseria meningitidis. DNA Sequence: The Journal of Sequencing and Mapping 6:55-60.
Aho, E. L. , A. S. Bohling, P. D. Jones and D. A. Pipho. 1994. The molecular biology of neisserial pilin proteins. North Dakota Academy of Science Proceedings 48:66.
See Dr. Aho's CV for a listing of additional publications and presentations.