Teaching Interests
BSC 450/550 Comparative Animal
Physiology
BSC 451/551 Mammalian Physiology
Research Interests
My research interests center around
efforts to better understand how aquatic species respond
and adapt to their environment. I consider the
environment in this case to include both biotic factors,
such as infection by pathogens, and abiotic factors,
such as temperature and salinity variations and
pollutant exposures. My students and I approach our
research from a biochemical/molecular perspective; thus,
research projects carried out in my lab now use
molecular techniques almost exclusively.
Currently, there are three main
research areas in my lab. The first revolves around the
development of DNA microarrays as a tool to study how
mussels and fish respond to pollutant exposure. My
students and I rely on the use of subtractive
hybridization techniques to isolate cDNAs of genes that
are differentially expressed in response to exposure to
polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. The cloned cDNAs are
then used to make DNA arrays with which we are able to
probe the effect of various stressors on the expression
patterns of many genes simultaneously. The long-term
goal is to better understand the molecular adaptations
that allow some aquatic species to tolerate extremes in
environmental conditions.
The second area is in the development
and use of quantitative PCR to study shrimp viruses.
Most of the shrimp eaten in the United States now are
farm-raised and imported. The biggest problem limiting
shrimp aquaculture production is viral diseases. We
developed a real-time RT-PCR method based on the use of
molecular beacons to quantify the titer of Taura
Syndrome Virus in shrimp. We are now using the method to
measure changes in viral titer over time and to quantify
differences in titer in shrimp belonging to different
genetic stocks that vary in their resistance to TSV. The
goals are to gain a better understanding of the viral
infection cycle and why certain shrimp stocks are more
resistant to TSV-induced mortality.
The third area is in the development
and use of DNA fingerprinting technology to trace
sources of fecal coliform bacteria in the environment.
High bacterial counts due to fecal pollution cause the
closure of recreational waters and oyster beds. To
remediate the problem when closures occur, it is
necessary to know the source of the fecal pollution.
Potential sources include humans as well as pets, and
farm and wildlife animals. My lab, in collaboration with
that of Dr. R.D. Ellender, is developing DNA-fingerprint
databases that can be used to trace the animal origin of
fecal coliform bacteria in recreational waters in
Mississippi.
My
personal webpages provide additional information on
my research interests, courses taught, graduate students
and administration of the graduate student program in
Biological Sciences.
Representative Publications
Clay, L.A Clay, S.Y Wang, W.R.
Wolters, B.C. Peterson & G. Waldbieser. 2005. Molecular
characterization of the insulin-like growth factor-I
(IGF-I) gene in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus).
Biochim. Biophys. Acta - Gene Struct. Expr. (in press)
Hassan, W.M., S.Y. Wang and R.D.
Ellender. 2005. Methods to increase fidelity of
repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR fingerprint-based
bacterial source tracking efforts. App. Environ.
Microbiol. 71:512-518.
Lu, Y., S.Y. Wang and J.M. Lotz. 2004.
The use of differential display to isolate viral genomic
sequence for rapid development of PCR-based detection
methods - a test case using Taura syndrome virus. J.
Virol. Meth. 121:107-114.
Biesiot, P.M., S.Y. Wang, H.M. Perry &
C. Trigg. 1999. Organic reserves in the midgut gland and
fat body of the giant deep-sea isopod Bathynomus
giganteus. J. Crustacean Biol. 19: 450-458.
Wang, S.Y., P.M. Biesiot & D.M.
Skinner. 1999. Toward an understanding of satellite DNA
function in Crustacea. Amer. Zool. 39: 471-486.
|
