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Deborah Threadgill, PhD
Research Assistant Professor of Genetics


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Research Interests

Campylobacter jejuni genetics
We have been focusing on the molecular genetics of the human pathogen Campylobacter jejuni a major cause of gastroenteritis associated with the consumption of contaminated foods particularly chicken or chicken products. C. jejuni has also been implicated in the induction of the neuropathogenic conditions known as Guillain Barre syndrome and Miller Fisher syndrome. In particular our interests are the many sugar containing structures produced by the bacterium including lipooligosaccharide, capsule, and numerous glycoproteins which are suggested to be important for pathogenesis of both the gastroenteritis and neurological conditions. We have been examining the environmental regulators impacting production of these structures through both lectin screening and transcriptional profiling utilizing cDNA arrays (provided through collaboration with Alain Stintzi, University of Ottawa).

Comparative Genomics of other Campylobacter species
In addition to C. jejuni many other Campylobacter species are human and/or animal pathogens. Recently we have begun to use the genomic sequences available for several enteric Campylobacter species to investigate the oral pathogen Campylobacter rectus. C. rectus has been associated recently with pre-term births and related low birth weight in humans.

Probiotic Studies Related to Colon Cancer
In addition to our continuing work with a human gastrointestinal pathogen, and related organisms we have recently initiated studies in collaboration with researchers at North Carolina State University involving the use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Beneficial bacteria such as those in the LAB family, have been suggested for use in several pathologic conditions including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colon cancer. We are using both engineered and wild-type LAB in mouse models of chronic colitis and human colon cancer to assess how these organisms might eventually be used therapeutically.


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Publications

Threadgill, DS, Kraus, JP, Krawetz, SA, and Womack, JE. 1991. Evidence for the evolutionary origin of human chromsome 21 from comparative gene mapping in the bovine and the mouse. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 88:154-158.

Georges, M, Gunawardana, A, Threadgill, DW, Lathrop, M, Olsaker, I, Mishra, A, Sargeant, LL, Schoeberlein, A, Steeley, MR, Terry, C, Threadgill, DS, Zhao, X, Holm, T, Fries, R and Womack, JE. 1991. Characterization of a set of variable number of tandem repeat markers conserved in Bovidae. Genomics 11:24-32.

Threadgill, DS, and Womack, JE. 1991. Mapping HSA 3 loci in cattle: additional support for the ancestral synteny of HSA 3 and 21. Genomics 11:1143-1148.

Threadgill, DS, and Womack, JE. 1991. Mapping HSA 10 homologous loci in the bovine. Cytogenet. Cell Genet. 57:123-126.

Threadgill, DS, and Womack, JE. 1991. The bovine pancreatic spasmolytic polypeptide gene maps to syntenic group U10: implications for the evolution of the human breast cancer estrogen inducible locus. J. Heredity 82: 496-498.

Sherman, GB, Wolfe, MW, Farmerie, TA, Clay, CM, Threadgill, DS, Sharp, DC, and Nilson, JH. 1992. A single gene encodes the b-subunits of equine lutenizing hormone and chorionic gonadotropin. Mol. Endo. 6: 951-959.

Threadgill, DS, Steagall, WK, Flaherty, MT, Fuller, FJ, Perry, ST, Rushlow, KE, LeGrice, SFJ, and Payne, SL. 1993. Characterization of equine infectious anemia virus dUTPase: growth properties of a dUTPase-deficient mutant. J. of Virology 67:2592-2600.

Threadgill, DS, Threadgill, DW, Moll, YD, Weiss, JA, Zhang, N, Davey, HW, Wildeman, AG, and Womack, JE. 1994. Syntenic assignment of human chromosome 1 homologous loci in the bovine. Genomics 22:626-630.

Shao, H, Robek, MD, Threadgill, DS, Mankowski, LS, Cameron, CE, Fuller, FJ, and Payne, SL. 1997. Characterization and mutational studies of equine infectious anemia virus dUTPase. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1339:181-191.

Threadgill, DS, McCormick, LL, McCool, TL, Greenspan, NS, and Schreiber, JR. 1998. Mitogenic synthetic polynucleotides suppress the antibody response to a bacterial polysaccharide. Vaccine 16:76-82.

Shapiro, DA, Threadgill, DS, Copfer, MJ, Corey, DA, McCool, TL, McCormick, LL, Magnuson, TR, Greenspan, NS, and Schreiber, JR. 1998. Gamma 3 gene-disrupted mice selectively deficient in the dominant IgG subclass made to bacterial polysaccharides undergo normal isotype switching after immunization with polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines. J. Immunol. 161:3393-3399.

Poly, F., Threadgill, D., and Stintzi, A. 2004. Identification of Campylobacter jejuni ATCC 43431 specific genes by whole microbial genome comparisons. J. Bacteriol. 186 :4781-95.

Palyada, K., Threadgill, D., and Stintzi, A. 2004. Iron Acquisition and Regulation in Campylobacter jejuni. J. Bacteriol. 186: 4714-29.

Poly F, Threadgill D, Stintzi A. 2005 Genomic Diversity in Campylobacter jejuni: Identification of C. jejuni 81-176-Specific Genes. J Clin Microbiol. 43(5):2330-8.

Rinella ES, Eversley CD, Carroll IM, Andrus JM, Threadgill DW, Threadgill DS. 2006. Human epithelial-specific response to pathogenic Campylobacter jejuni. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 262:236-43.


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Trainees

Post-Doctoral Fellows

2001 - 2005: Jason Andrus (PhD, 2001, North Carolina State University) SPIRE postdoctoral fellow, presently an Asst. Professor at Augusta State University

2004-present: Ian Carroll (PhD, 2003, Trinity College Dublin)

2006-present: Michael LaGier (PhD 2002, University of Albany) SPIRE postdoctoral fellow

Graduate Students
2002-2003: Angelika Jahrig (completed one year of research for MS)

Research Staff
2005-present: Angelika Jahrig (MS, 2003, University of Applied Sciences at Bingen/ Germany)

Undergraduate Trainees

1999: Amy Williams (Vanderbilt University)

1999: Beth Lavender (Abilene Christian University)

2000: Shannon Duke (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

2001-2002: Jessica Hartman (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

2001: Rusty Mankinen (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

2001-2002: Christina Powers (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

2001-2003: Jayna Patel (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

2002-2003: Priyesh Patel (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

2002: Nadyah John (BS/MD student at Howard University, summer only)

2003: Michele Hernandez (PMABS summer student, Fayetteville State University)

2004: Cherita Stanford (PMABS summer student, Fayetteville Technical Institute)

2004: Leslie Hubbard (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

2005: Leslie Kennedy (PMABS summer student, Elizabeth City State University)

2005-2006: Kristy Ellis (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) completed Biology Honors Spring 2006

2006: Letycia Nunoz-Argote (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

2006-present Sarah Hoyt (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

High School Students

1999: Lindsey Gosma (Tennessee Governor's High School Summer Program)

1999: Steven Ratcliff (Tennesse Governor's High School Summer Program)

2001-2002: Erica Wilson (North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics)

2002-2003: Krupa Patel (North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics)

2006-2007 Ashley Trudeau (North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics)

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Contact Information
4341C Medical Biomolecular Research Building, CB 7264
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7264

Office: 919.843.4680
Fax: 919.966.3015

Website: http://www.bacterialab.org
Email: Deborah_Threadgill<at>med.unc.edu


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