Douglas (Doug) E. Brackney
Department of Environmental Sciences
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
123 Huntington Street
P.O. Box 1106
New Haven, CT 06504-1106
Voice: (203) 974-8475 Fax: (203) 974-8502
E-mail: Doug.Brackney@ct.gov
https://brackneylab.wordpress.com/
Expertise:
Dr. Brackney has expertise in the
areas of virus-vector interactions, mosquito and tick innate immunity, RNA
interference, autophagy and novel surveillance techniques specifically
xenosurveillance.
Education:
B.S. University of Wisconsin,
Madison (2001) Medical Microbiology and Immunology
Ph.D. Colorado State University,
Fort Collins (2007) Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology
Post
Graduate Career:
Post-Doctoral Fellow University of
New Mexico, 2007-2011
Research Scientist Colorado State
University, 2011-2014
Assistant Agricultural Scientist II,
2014-2019
Associate Agricultural Scientist, 2019-present
Past
Research:
Past research includes projects that
have examined the interactions between arthropod-borne viruses and the vector mosquitoes
which transmit them, specifically, in the context of mosquito factors
involved in conditioning virus susceptibility. These projects have focused on innate
immunity, midgut serine proteases, RNA interference, and autophagy. Previous
projects have also evaluated the transmission forces shaping West Nile virus
and Powassan virus populations. In
addition, Dr. Brackney has worked with collaborators at Colorado State
University developing and testing a novel surveillance technique, termed
xenosurveillance, which utilizes the innate feeding behavior of mosquitoes to
collect human blood samples in a simple and non-invasive manner.
Current
Research:
Dr. Brackney’s current research
projects are focused on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms
mediating virus-vector interactions using state-of-the-art techniques such as
next-generation sequencing, and high-throughput
RNAi screens. The three principle areas of interest are:
-
Elucidating key mosquito and viral factors responsible for mediating virus attachment and penetration of the mosquito midgut.
-
Elucidating the role of autophagy during flavivirus and alphavirus infection of arthropod vectors.
-
Determine if and which host and vector factors influence the population structure of arboviruses.
Publications:
2017
Grubaugh, N.D., Fauver, J.R., Rückert, C., Weger-Lucarelli, J., Garcia-Luna, S., Murrieta, R.A., Gendernalik, A., Smith, D.R., Brackney, D.E., and G.D. Ebel. Mosquitoes transmit unique West Nile virus populations during each feeding episode. Cell Rep. 2017 Apr 25;19(4):709-718. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.03.076.
Fauver, J.R., Gendernalik, A., Weger-Lucarelli, J., Grubaugh, N.D., Brackney, D.E., Foy, B.D., and G.D. Ebel. The use of xenosurveillance to detect human bacteria, parasites and viruses in mosquito bloodmeals. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 2017 May. doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.17-0063
Doug E. Brackney. Implications of autophagy on arbovirus infection of mosquitoes. Cur. Opin. Insect Sci. 2017 Aug; 22:1-6. doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2017.05.001
2016
Doug E. Brackney and Philip Armstrong. Transmission and evolution of tick-borne viruses. Current Opinion in Virology. 2016 Dec; 21:67-74. doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2016.08.005
Grubaugh, N.D., Rückert, C, Armstrong, P.M., Bransfield, A, Anderson, J.F., Ebel, G.D., and D.E. Brackney. Transmission bottlenecks and RNAi collectively influence Powassan virus evolution. Virus Evolution. 2016 Oct 26;2(2). doi: 10.1093/ve/vew033.
Fauver, J.R, Grubaugh, N.D., Krajacich, B.J., Weger-Lucarelli, J., Lakin, S.M., Fakoli, L.S., Bolay, F.K., Diclaro, J.W., Dabiré, K.R., Foy, B.D., Brackney, D.E., Ebel, G.D., and M.D. Stenglein. West African Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes harbor a taxonomically diverse virome including new insect-specific flaviviruses, mononegaviruses, and totiviruses. Virology. 2016. 498:288-299.
2015
Brackney D.E., Schirtzinger E.E., Harrison T.D., Ebel G.D., and K.A. Hanley. Modulation of flavivirus population diversity by RNA interference. J Virol. 2015 Apr 1;89(7)
Grubaugh N.D., Sharma S., Krajacich B.J., Fakoli II L.S., Bolay F.K., DiClaro II J.W., Johnson W.E., Ebel G.D., Foy B.D., D.E. Brackney. Xenosurveillance: a novel mosquito-based approach for examining the human-pathogen landscape. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2015 Mar 16;9(3).
2014
Krajacich, B.J., Slade, J.R., Mulligan, R.F., LaBrecque, B., Alout, H., Grubaugh, N.D., Meyers. J.I., Fakoli, L.S., Bolay, F.K., Brackney, D.E, Burton, T.A., Seaman, J.A., Diclaro, J.W. 2nd, Dabiré, R.K., and B.D. Foy. Sampling Host-Seeking Anthropophilic Mosquito Vectors in West Africa: Comparisons of An Active Human-Baited Tent-Trap against Gold Standard Methods. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 2014 Nov; pii: 14-0303.
Alout, H., Krajacich, B.J., Meyers J.I., Grubaugh, N.D., Brackney, D.E., Kobylinski, K.C., Diclaro, J.W. 2nd, Bolay, F.K., Fakoli, L.S., Diabate’, A., Dabire, R.K., Bougma, R.W., B.D. Foy. Evaulation of ivermectin mass drug administration for malaria transmission control across different West African environments. Malar J. 2014 Nov 3; 13(1):417
2013
Prasad, A.N.*, Brackney D.E.*, and G.D.Ebel. Mosquito Innate Immunity to West
Nile Virus. Viruses. 2013. 5(12).
3142-3170; doi:10.3390/v5123142
(* these authors contributed equally).
2012
Macalalad, A.R., Zody, M.C.,
Charlebois, P., Lennon, N.J., Newman, R.M., Malboeuf, C.M., Ryan, E.M.,
Boutwell, C.L., Power, K.A., Brackney,
D.E., Pesko, K.N., Levin, J.Z., Ebel, G.D., Allen, T.M., Birren, B.W., and
M.R. Henn. Highly sensitive and specific detection of rare variants in mixed
viral populations from massively parallel sequence data. PLoS Comput Biol. 2012
Mar. 15; 8(3):e1002417.
2011
Brackney
D.E.,
K.N. Pesko, I. K. Brown, E.R. Deardorff, J. Kawatachi, and G.D. Ebel. West Nile
virus genetic diversity is maintained during transmission by Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus
mosquitoes. PLoS One. 2011 Sept. 12; 6(9):e24466.
2010
Brackney
D.E., J.C.
Scott, F. Sagawa, J.E. Woodward, N.A. Miller, F.D. Schilkey, J. Mudge, J.
Wilusz, K.E. Olson, C.D. Blair, and G.D. Ebel. C6/36 Aedes albopictus cells have a dysfunctional antiviral RNA
interference response. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2010 Oct 26; 4(10):e856.
Scott J.C., D.E. Brackney, C.L. Campbell,V. Bondu-Hawkins, B. Hjelle, G.D. Ebel, K.E. Olson, and C.D. Blair. Comparison of Dengue Virus Type 2-Specific Small RNAs from RNA Interference-Competent and –Incompetent Mosquito Cells. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2010 Oct 26; 4(10):e848.
Fitzpatrick K.A., E. Deardorff, K. Pesko, D.E. Brackney, E. Bedrick, P.Y. Shi, and G.D. Ebel. Population variation of West Nile virus confers a host-specific fitness benefit in mosquitoes. Virology. 2010 Aug 15;404(1):89-95.
Brackney D.E., J. Isoe, G. Zamora, W.C. Black IV, B.D. Foy, R. Miesfeld, and K.E. Olson. Genome annotation and comparative analysis of Aedes aegypti midgut serine proteases. J Insect Physiol. 2010 Jul;56(7):736-44.
Brackney D.E., I.K. Brown, R.A. Nofchissey, K.A. Fitzpatrick, and G.D. Ebel. Homogeneity of Powassan virus populations in naturally infected Ixodes scapularis. Virology. 2010 Jul 5;402(2):366-71.
2009
Brackney D.E., J. E. Beane, and G.D. Ebel. RNA interference targeting West Nile virus in mosquito midguts promotes virus diversification. PLoS Pathog. 2009. Jul. 5(7).
2008
Brackney
D.E.,
R.A. Nofchissey, K.A. Fitzpatrick, I.K. Brown, and G.D. Ebel. Stable Prevalence
of Powassan Virus in Ixodes scapularis
in a Northern Wisconsin Focus. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 2008 Dec; 79(6): 971-973.
Brackney D.E., B.D. Foy, and K.E. Olson. The Effects of Midgut Serine Proteases on Dengue Virus Type 2 Infectivity of Aedes aegypti. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2008 Aug; 79 (2): 267-274.
Campbell C.L., K.M. Keene, D.E. Brackney, K.E. Olson, C.D. Blair J. Wilusz and B.D. Foy. Aedes aegypti uses RNA interference in defense against Sindbis virus infection. BMC Microbiology. 2008. March 17; 8:47.
Magalhaes, T., D.E. Brackney, J.C. Beier and B.D. Foy. Silencing an Anopheles gambiae Catalase and Sulfhydryl Oxidase Increases Mosquito Mortality After a Bloodmeal. Arch Insect Biochem Physiol. 2008 Jul; 68 (3): 134-143.