Peter Piermarini

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Peter Piermarini

Professor and Associate Chair of Entomology

piermarini.1@osu.edu

330-263-3641

Office:

250 Wooster Science Building

1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691

Professional Information

Degrees & Credentials:

Ph.D. Zoology University of Florida, 2002

B.S. in Biology James Madison University, 1995

Interests & Expertise:

Insect Physiology and Molecular Biology

Medical and Veterinary Entomology

Biography:

Research Area

My research investigates the molecular mechanisms of fluid secretion by the renal (Malpighian) tubules of mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae). Aedes mosquitoes are one of the most important vectors for spreading the viral-based illnesses of yellow fever and dengue fever to humans, whereas Anophelesmosquitoes are the primary vectors of malaria. Malpighian tubules are the kidneys of insects. Our kidneys filter our blood to produce a urine, but the Malpighian tubules of insects must actively secrete fluid to produce a urine. I am interested in elucidating how mosquitoes produce urine, because it is vital to their survival after consuming a human blood meal. That is, the Malpighian tubules excrete the excess fluid and salts absorbed from the blood they ingest. If we can identify key genes/proteins involved with urine production by mosquito Malpighian tubules, then we may be able to interfere with this process via genetic disruption or pharmacological agents, thereby making it less likely for a mosquito to bite another person and spread disease.

Piermarini lab research is highlighted in Ohio State News

APR 19, 2022
Nanoparticles prove effective against the yellow fever mosquito. Carbon black is fatal for its larvae in standing water, by Tatyana Woodall, Ohio State News, woodall.52@osu.edu. Recently published in the journal Insects, this new paper describes how mosquitoes have evolved a natural resistance to some chemical insecticides.

On-Line Veterinary Entomology Certificate Courses

Content for each course delivered in a series of on-line lectures and readings. Each module has a 15 question quiz to test comprehension; each quiz requires a score of 70% to earn a certificate (multiple attempts are allowed). For additional details please contact Dr. Peter Piermarini: piermarini.1@osu.edu

Introduction to Veterinary Entomology 2.0
An introduction to the fascinating world of Veterinary Entomology and arthropod pests that impact the health of domestic animals. This course is approved for CE credit by the Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board (OVMLB) on an hour per hour basis. It can be completed in 3-6 hours.
Click to register for the course ($35 enrollment fee)

Veterinary Entomology: Mites and Ticks 2.0
The goals of this on-line course are to introduce you to mites and ticks, as well as highlight some fascinating aspects about their basic biology and the impacts they have on animal and human health (with an emphasis on domestic animals). This course is approved for CE credit by the OVMLB on an hour per hour basis. It can be completed in 2-3 hours.
Click to register for the course ($20 enrollment fee):

Veterinary Entomology: Nematocera (Sand Flies, Black Flies, Mosquitoes & Biting Midges)
The goals of this on-line course are to introduce you to nematoceran flies, as well as highlight some fascinating aspects about their basic biology and the impacts they have on animal and human health (with an emphasis on domestic animals). This course is approved for CE credit by the OVMLB on an hour per hour basis. It can be completed in 1-2 hours.
Click to register for the course ($20 enrollment fee)

Courses Taught

2012-Present ENTMLGY 4607: Veterinary Entomology On-line (taught every semester). This 7-week on-line undergraduate course introduces students to the fascinating world of arthropod pests and vectors that affect the health of domestic animals.
2016-Present ENTMLGY 6703: Molecular Techniques and Data Analysis (cotaught every other even year with Dr. Larry Phelan). This 7-week graduate course introduces students to key molecular and metabolomics techniques used in the field of Entomology. Students participate in a hands-on laboratory project that allows them to integrate various experimental approaches to test a hypothesis.
2020-Present ENTMLGY 7890: Special Topics in Entomology (cotaught every other even year with Drs. Megan Meuti and Sarah Short). In this semester long graduate seminar course students read and lead discussions on the most recent literature on mosquito biology.

Recent Publications

Aretz CD, Kharade SV, Chronister K, Rusconi Trigueros R, Martinez Rodriguez EJ, Piermarini PM, Denton JS, Hopkins CR. Further SAR on the (Phenylsulfonyl)piperazine Scaffold as Inhibitors of the Aedes aegypti Kir1 (AeKir) Channel and Larvicides. ChemMedChem. 2021 Jan 19;16(2):319-327. doi: 10.1002/cmdc.202000598. Epub 2020 Oct 28. PubMed PMID: 32926544; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7856040.
Kalsi M, Walter A, Lee B, DeLaat A, Trigueros RR, Happel K, Sepesy R, Nguyen B, Manwill PK, Rakotondraibe LH, Piermarini PM. Stop the crop: Insights into the insecticidal mode of action of cinnamodial against mosquitoes. Pestic Biochem Physiol. 2021 Jan;171:104743. doi: 10.1016/j.pestbp.2020.104743. Epub 2020 Nov 8. PubMed PMID: 33357565; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7770332.
Manwill PK, Kalsi M, Wu S, Martinez Rodriguez EJ, Cheng X, Piermarini PM, Rakotondraibe HL. Semi-synthetic cinnamodial analogues: Structural insights into the insecticidal and antifeedant activities of drimane sesquiterpenes against the mosquito Aedes aegypti. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2020 Feb;14(2):e0008073. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008073. eCollection 2020 Feb. PubMed PMID: 32101555; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7062286.
Inocente EA, Nguyen B, Manwill PK, Benatrehina A, Kweka E, Wu S, Cheng X, Rakotondraibe LH, Piermarini PM. Insecticidal and Antifeedant Activities of Malagasy Medicinal Plant (Cinnamosma sp.) Extracts and Drimane-Type Sesquiterpenes against Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes. Insects. 2019 Oct 25;10(11). doi: 10.3390/insects10110373. PubMed PMID: 31731570; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6920793.
Aretz CD, Morwitzer MJ, Sanford AG, Hogan AM, Portillo MV, Kharade SV, Kramer M, McCarthey JB, Trigueros RR, Piermarini PM, Denton JS, Hopkins CR. Discovery and Characterization of 2-Nitro-5-(4-(phenylsulfonyl)piperazin-1-yl)- N-(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)anilines as Novel Inhibitors of the Aedes aegypti Kir1 ( AeKir1) Channel. ACS Infect Dis. 2019 Jun 14;5(6):917-931. doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.8b00368. Epub 2019 Mar 15. PubMed PMID: 30832472; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7241282.
Kalsi M, Gillen C, Piermarini PM. Heterologous Expression of Aedes aegypti Cation Chloride Cotransporter 2 (aeCCC2) in Xenopus laevis Oocytes Induces an Enigmatic Na⁺/Li⁺ Conductance. Insects. 2019 Mar 14;10(3). doi: 10.3390/insects10030071. PubMed PMID: 30875796; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6468792.
Rusconi Trigueros R, Hopkins CR, Denton JS, Piermarini PM. Pharmacological Inhibition of Inward Rectifier Potassium Channels Induces Lethality in Larval Aedes aegypti. Insects. 2018 Nov 15;9(4). doi: 10.3390/insects9040163. PubMed PMID: 30445675; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6315791.
Kolosov D, Tauqir M, Rajaruban S, Piermarini PM, Donini A, O'Donnell MJ. Molecular mechanisms of bi-directional ion transport in the Malpighian tubules of a lepidopteran crop pest, Trichoplusia ni. J Insect Physiol. 2018 Aug - Sep;109:55-68. doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2018.06.005. Epub 2018 Jun 15. PubMed PMID: 29908900.
Kolosov D, Piermarini PM, O'Donnell MJ. Malpighian tubules of Trichoplusia ni: recycling ions via gap junctions and switching between secretion and reabsorption of Na⁺ and K⁺ in the distal ileac plexus. J Exp Biol. 2018 Mar 7;221(Pt 5). doi: 10.1242/jeb.172296. PubMed PMID: 29361596.
Miller JR, Koren S, Dilley KA, Puri V, Brown DM, Harkins DM, Thibaud-Nissen F, Rosen B, Chen XG, Tu Z, Sharakhov IV, Sharakhova MV, Sebra R, Stockwell TB, Bergman NH, Sutton GG, Phillippy AM, Piermarini PM, Shabman RS. Analysis of the Aedes albopictus C6/36 genome provides insight into cell line utility for viral propagation. Gigascience. 2018 Mar 1;7(3):1-13. doi: 10.1093/gigascience/gix135. PubMed PMID: 29329394; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5869287.
Inocente EA, Shaya M, Acosta N, Rakotondraibe LH, Piermarini PM. A natural agonist of mosquito TRPA1 from the medicinal plant Cinnamosma fragrans that is toxic, antifeedant, and repellent to the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2018 Feb;12(2):e0006265. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006265. eCollection 2018 Feb. PubMed PMID: 29425195; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5823474.

Complete List of Published Research:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/peter.piermarini.1/bibliography/public/

Documents:

Piermarini--Abbreviated CV--20230202.pdf

Works