Ruby Harrison

Postdoctoral fellow at UGA CTEGD studying trypanosome-triatomine interactions. I enjoy reading papers from the 1940s and impromptu goofy experiments in lab.

[UGA CTEGD @CTEGD]

Registration for the Molecular Parasitology & Vector Biology Symposium ends on FRIDAY APRIL 22. Whether you are attending in person or via Zoom, registration is required.
https://t.co/g5UAWGXoZX

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

A colleague gave me this gift today very appropriate for #WorldChagasDay!

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

New paper out! Mosquito consumption of proteins solubilized in sugar solutions dramatically prolongs vitellogenesis, inducing quasi-continual egg production. This was a fun study with interesting results!

https://t.co/N1JJDlPSpB

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

Huge congratulations to my co-author @wangyin9598, who truly worked around the clock to make this happen, and so glad I was able to contribute to this study as well. This project was so fun and exciting! https://t.co/PqrPBrsZEJ

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

Great new paper out, published yesterday in PNAS. We were just talking about the mosquito protein G12 in lab last week, wondering if it aids in blood meal digestion and if anyone has looked at its structure/function. Well, here it is!

https://t.co/27eLd3hErf

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

@horacezhl Awesome idea, I would love to see the result! I knew a professor (Walt Goodman) who did MRI scans of Manduca sexta for a study!

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

@Girl_into_bugs Thanks a million Yan!!

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

@WolbDutra One thing I've often wondered about is that your paper is the only one I could find to report near-normal egg formation for females fed isolated, washed human RBCs (lacking Ile). Could it be possible that Wolbachia provision female mosquitoes with that essential amino acid?

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

https://t.co/98KVDaw8dh

Finally out! My study showing that many whole proteins, but not peptides or amino acids, promote mosquito vitellogenesis. Hemoglobin containing isoleucine (i.e. not sourced from primates/ungulates) supports normal egg formation too, previously unknown.

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

@WolbDutra Thanks so much! After reading your 2017 paper, I tried feeding our Ae. aegypti infant formula as well (although didn't report in this study). They absolutely loved it. I found they also love drinking reconstituted powdered coffee creamer, they filled up like little snowballs.

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

@CourtneyMurdoc3 Congrats to Kerri!

[CREATE-NEO @create_neo]

We are pleased to announce a a virtual seminar series titled (rather cleverly) “Virtual Seminar Series on Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases”. These seminars will occur on the second Tuesday each month (January-August 2021) at 11 AM central time USA. @create_neo

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

@LauraJoanKraft The tragic thing is a big part of the cull are mosquitoes I accidentally fed deactivated dengue virus to 😭

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

Had to cull a lot of samples today, I was hogging all the room in the -80C and used up every freezer box we had!

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

@LauraJoanKraft These are all just from March until now, for one of three ongoing projects! 😱

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

@LauraJoanKraft Haha it's probably too cute for them. Give them some garbage to chew on instead?

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

Before you feed to repletion today, take a moment to enjoy this classic experiment from Marc Klowden in which he girdled mosquito abdomens to demonstrate how abdominal distention mediates host-seeking. Happy Thanksgiving!

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

No less than three laminar flow hoods in our lab, but so many of us are doing aseptic work we have to double up sometimes!

[Ruby Harrison @RubyHar70376283]

Congrats Michael!