Resume

• 2015

  Hillsborough Community College

  Florida Department of Health

  Bureau of Public Health Labs

  Unversity of Missouri-Columbia

  University of South Florida

  University of Missouri-Columbia

  Hillsborough Community College

  Medical Laboratory Scientist

  Tampa/St. Petersburg

  Florida Area

  Florida Department of Health

  Lead Scientist

  Tampa

  Florida

  Florida Department of Health

  Bureau of Public Health Labs

  University of South Florida

  Duties: To characterize Plasmodium parasite dormancy in vivo in the rodent malaria model and look for novel biomarkers of ring-stage dormancy. Test novel anti-malarial compounds for efficacy in vitro and in vivo against malaria parasites.\n \nSkills/expertise: Mosquito infections and dissections

  handling in vivo rodent models

  cell culture (bacteria and parasite)

  and molecular techniques (ie. PCR

  RT-PCR

  qPCR

  gel electrophoresis

  fluorescence microscopy).

  Postdoctoral Fellow

  United States

  University of Missouri-Columbia

  University of South Florida

  Duties: Oversea the drug discovery experiments for the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) Grant. My duties were similar to a research and development manager. Design experiments to test novel anti-malarial compounds for efficacy in vitro and in vivo against malaria parasites. Develop experimental protocols. Supervise technical staff and graduate students. Collaborate with colleagues both nationally and internationally. Write grants and manuscripts. Present data to the department and at international meetings.\n\nSkills/expertise: Writing manuscripts and grants. Handling in vivo rodent models

  cell culture (bacteria and parasite)

  and molecular biology techniques (ie. PCR

  RT-PCR

  qPCR

  gel electrophoresis

  fluorescence microscopy

  light microscopy).

  Research Associate

  United States

  United States

  Adjunct Instructor

  College of Public Health

  University of South Florida

  University of Missouri-Columbia

  Duties: To characterize novel malaria sporozoite genes that could potentially be vaccine candidates.\n\nSkills/expertise: Mosquito infections and dissections

  in vivo avian models

  cell culture (bacteria and parasite)

  and molecular techniques (ie. PCR

  RT-PCR

  gel electrophoresis

  fluorescent microscopy

  Western blot analysis

  SDS-PAGE).

  Doctoral Fellow

  Unversity of Missouri-Columbia

  Member

  United Faculty of Florida

  Member

  American Society for Microbiology

  Member

  Florida Public Health Association

  Member

  American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

• 2003

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

  Veterinary Pathobiology/Parasitology

  University of Missouri-Columbia

• 2000

  Master of Science (MS)

  Veterinary Biomedical Science

  University of Missouri-Columbia

• 1995

  English

  Minor

  Human Biology

  New Mexico State University

  Bachelor's of Science

  Animal Sciences

  New Mexico State University

  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

  Biology

  General

  New Mexico State University

  Nutrition and Drugs

  Emerging Infectious Diseases

  Public Health Biology

  Genetics

  Molecular Aspects of Diseases of Public Health Importance

  Microbiology

  Public Health Parasitology

• Student Affairs

  Public Health

  Qualitative Research

  Molecular Biology

  In Vivo

  Cell Biology

  Life Sciences

  PCR

  Grant Writing

  Lifesciences

  Higher Education

  Teaching

  Science

  Western Blotting

  Microscopy

  Cell Culture

  Research

  In Vitro

  University Teaching

  Statistics

  The novel Plasmodium gallinaceum sporozoite protein

  Pg93

  is preferentially expressed in the nucleus of oocyst sporozoites.

  Brenda T. Beerntsen

  Anthony A. James

  To study gene expression differences between oocyst and salivary gland sporozoites

  cDNA libraries previously constructed from the two sporozoite populations of the avian malaria parasite

  Plasmodium gallinaceum

  were used in a subtractive hybridization protocol to isolate Pg93

  a novel oocyst sporozoite gene. Pg93 encodes a putative approximately 76 kDa translated protein that was predicted to localize to the nucleus. Transcriptional analysis indicates that Pg93 is preferentially expressed in oocyst sporozoites versus salivary gland sporozoites. Immunolocalization assays confirm both the nuclear prediction and transcriptional analysis

  suggesting that Pg93 is a nuclear protein. BLAST sequence analysis indicates that Pg93 represents a novel gene that has significant homology with a Plasmodium falciparum hypothetical protein and translated Plasmodium knowlesi and Plasmodium vivax nucleotide sequences. This is the first characterization of a Plasmodium nuclear protein that shows preferential expression in one sporozoite population as compared with the other population.

  The novel Plasmodium gallinaceum sporozoite protein

  Pg93

  is preferentially expressed in the nucleus of oocyst sporozoites.

  Brenda T. Beerntsen

  Ruguang Ou

  Michael Kariuki

  Plasmodium falciparum malaria is a significant problem around the world today

  thus there is still a need for new control methods to be developed. Because the sporozoite displays dual infectivity for both the mosquito salivary glands and vertebrate host tissue

  it is a good target for vaccine development.

  Transcript and protein expression profile of PF11_0394

  a Plasmodium falciparum protein expressed in salivary gland sporozoites.

  Brenda Beerntsen

  Ruguang Ou

  Michael Kariuki

  Maggie Schlarman

  Efforts to control malaria are demanding due to drug-resistant parasites

  insecticide-resistant mosquitoes and poor health infrastructure in malaria-endemic countries. Therefore

  the research and development of additional malaria control methods are crucial. For host-parasite interactions

  surface antigens and secreted proteins are likely to be involved in infectivity and invasion of host tissues and therefore can be effective targets for control by vaccines

  drug therapy

  or novel mosquito control methods. In an effort to identify and characterize genes that may have a role in host-parasite interaction

  this study describes the expression profile of Plasmodium falciparum PF3D7_1363700.

  Expression profile of the plasmodium falciparum intra-erythrocytic stage protein

  PF3D7_1363700.

  Brenda T. Beerntsen

  Ruguang Ou

  Michael Kariuki

  Because malaria is still a significant problem worldwide

  additional control methods need to be developed. The Plasmodium sporozoite is a good target for control measures because it displays dual infectivity for both mosquito and vertebrate host tissues. The Plasmodium falciparum gene

  PFE0565w

  was chosen as a candidate for study based on data from PlasmoDB

  the Plasmodium database

  indicating that it is expressed both at the transcriptional and protein levels in sporozoites

  likely encodes a putative surface protein

  and may have a potential role in the invasion of host tissues. Additional sequence analysis shows that the PFE0565w protein has orthologs in other Plasmodium species

  but none outside of the genus Plasmodium. PFE0565w expresses transcript during both the sporozoite and erythrocytic stages of the parasite life cycle

  where an alternative transcript was discovered during the erythrocytic stages. Data show that transcript is not present during axenic exoerythrocytic stages. Despite transcript being present in several life cycle stages

  the PFE0565w protein is present only during the salivary gland sporozoite stage. Because the PFE0565w protein is present in salivary gland sporozoites

  it could be a novel candidate for a pre-erythrocytic stage vaccine.

  PFE0565w

  a Plasmodium falciparum protein expressed in salivary gland sporozoites.

  Dennis E. Kyle

  Nikesh Kumar

  Katherine Kennedy

  Misty Scheel

  Artemisinin (ART) is the recommended first line therapy for treating uncomplicated and drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum

  the most pathogenic form of malaria. However

  treatment failure following ART monotherapy is not uncommon and resistance to this rapidly acting drug has been reported in the Thai-Cambodian border. Recent in vitro studies have shown that following treatment with dihydroartemisinin (DHA)

  the development of ring-stage parasites is arrested for up to 20 days. These arrested (i.e. dormant) rings could be responsible for the recrudescence of infection that is observed following ART monotherapy. To develop a better understanding of the stage-specific effects of ART and determine if dormancy occurs in vivo

  the ART derivative artesunate (AS) was used to treat mice infected with the synchronous rodent malaria parasites P. vinckei petteri (non-lethal) and P. v. vinckei (lethal). Results show that in both the non-lethal and lethal strains

  ring-stage parasites are the least susceptible to treatment with AS and that the day of treatment has more of an impact on recrudescence than the total dose administered. Additionally

  24 hrs post-treatment with AS

  dormant forms similar in morphology to those seen in vitro were observed. Finally

  rate of recrudescence studies suggest that there is a positive correlation between the number of dormant parasites present and when recrudescence occurs in the vertebrate host. Collectively

  these data suggest that dormancy occurs in vivo and contributes to recrudescence that is observed following AS treatment. It is possible that this may represent a novel mechanism of parasite survival following treatment with AS.

  Effects of artesunate on parasite recrudescence and dormancy in the rodent malaria model Plasmodium vinckei.

  Dennis E. Kyle

  Tina S. Mutka

  Andri Monastyrskyi

  Kenneth O. Udenze

  4(1H)-Quinolones with liver stage activity against Plasmodium berghei.

  Brenda T. Beerntsen

  David A. Fidock

  MF Walter

  Mayandi Sivaguru

  The Plasmodium sporozoite is infective for mosquito salivary glands and vertebrate host tissues. Although it is a key developmental stage of the malaria parasite

  relatively few sporozoite surface or secreted proteins have been identified and characterized. Herein

  we describe the molecular and cellular characterization of a novel surface molecule that is preferentially-expressed in salivary gland sporozoites as compared to oocyst and hemolymph sporozoites. This molecule

  designated the sporozoite and erythrocytic stages (SES) protein (formerly known as Pg4)

  exhibits a spiral surface labeling pattern that spans over a known sporozoite surface antigen

  the circumsporozoite protein

  with only minor co-localization. SES consists of 551 amino acids encoding a putative 63.2kDa protein that has been shown to be expressed not only on particular sporozoite stages

  but also during the asexual and gametocyte stages. This novel protein also has three domains of unknown function that are conserved in at least eight Plasmodium spp. that represent human

  avian

  non-human primate

  and rodent malarias.

  A ubiquitous Plasmodium protein displays a unique surface labeling pattern in sporozoites

  The goal for developing new antimalarial drugs is to find a molecule that can target multiple stages of the parasite's life cycle

  thus impacting prevention

  treatment

  and transmission of the disease. The 4(1H)-quinolone-3-diarylethers are selective potent inhibitors of the parasite's mitochondrial cytochrome bc1 complex. These compounds are highly active against the human malaria parasites Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. They target both the liver and blood stages of the parasite as well as the forms that are crucial for disease transmission

  that is

  the gametocytes

  the zygote

  the ookinete

  and the oocyst. Selected as a preclinical candidate

  ELQ-300 has good oral bioavailability at efficacious doses in mice

  is metabolically stable

  and is highly active in blocking transmission in rodent models of malaria. Given its predicted low dose in patients and its predicted long half-life

  ELQ-300 has potential as a new drug for the treatment

  prevention

  and

  ultimately

  eradication of human malaria.

  Quinolone-3-diarylethers: a new class of antimalarial drug.

  Scientific \n

  Alexis

  LaCrue

  Florida Department of Health