the TAI lab
QuadraIsland

the TAI lab

at the University of Western Ontario

Publications

link to Google Scholar profile

Gowanlock, S. N. and Lam, V. H. K., Tepe, Z. G., Park, D. E., Tai, V., Salazar, J. E., Pham, T., Khan, Y., Nelson, S., Horn, C., Zuanazzi, D., Yang, D., Price, L. B., Kaul, R., Sowerby, L., Troyer, R. M., Liu, C. M. and Prodger, J. L. 2026. The adult nasal mucosa is defined by distinct immune profiles that modulate in-vitro SARS-CoV-2 infection. Respiratory Research. doi: 10.1186/s12931-026-03697-0

Penney, R., Buchanan, L. B., *Rojas-Vargas, J., Lin, J., Khan, Y., Davidson, J., Wilson, C. A., Tai, V., Russo, T. A., Hope, T. J., Wilcox, H., Monari, B., Ravel, J., Al, K. F., Dave, S., Wang, P. Z. T., Burton, J. P., and Prodger, J. L. 2026. Pathological phimosis is associated with foreskin immune cell infiltration but not microbiota composition. mSphere. 11: e00725-25. doi: 10.1128/msphere.00725-25

Rojas-Vargas, J., Wilcox, H., Monari, B., Gajer, P., Zuanazzi, D., Shouldice, A., Parmar, R., Haywood, P., Tai, V., Krakowsky, Y., Potter, E., Ravel, J., Prodger, J. L. 2025. The neovaginal microbiota, symptoms, and local immune correlates in transfeminine individuals with penile inversion vaginoplasty. Cell Reports. 44: 116546. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116546

Subirats, J., Sharpe, H., Tai, V., Fruci, M., Topp, E. 2023. Metagenome meta-analysis reveals an increase in the abundance of some multidrug efflux pumps and mobile genetic elements in chemically-polluted environments. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 89: e01047-23. doi: 10.1128/aem.01047-23

Savage, R.-L., Maud, J. L., Kellogg, C. T. E., Hunt, B. P. V., and Tai, V.  2022.  Symbiont diversity in the eukaryotic microbiomes of marine crustacean zooplankton.  Journal of Plankton Research.  45: 338-359. doi: 10.1093/plankt/fbad003

Chmiel, J. A., Carr, C., Stuivenberg, G., Venema, R., Chanyi, R. M., Al, K. A., Giguere, D., Say, H., Akouris, P. P., Romero, S. A. D., Kwong, A., Tai, V., Koval, S. F., Razvi, H., Bjazevic, J., and Burton, J. P.  2022.  New perspectives on an old grouping: the genomic and phenotypic variability of Oxalobacter formigenes and the implications for calcium oxalate stone prevention.  13: 1011102. Frontiers in Microbiology doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1011102

Okamoto, N., Keeling, P. J., Leander, B. S., and Tai, V. 2022. Microbial communities in sandy beaches from the three domains of life differ by microhabitat and intertidal location. Molecular Ecology 31: 3210-3227. doi: 10.1111/mec.16453

Brown, L. P., Murray, R. Scott, A., Tien, Y.-C., Lau, C. H.-F., Tai, V., Topp, E. 2022. Responses of the soil bacterial community, resistome, and mobilome to a decade of annual exposure to macrolide antibiotics. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 88: e00316-22. doi: 10.1128/aem.00316-22

Erratt, K., Creed, I., Favot, E. J., Todoran, I., Tai, V., Smol, J., Trick, C. 2021. Paleolimnological evidence reveals climate-induced preeminence of cyanobacteria in a temperate meromictic lake. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 79: 558–565. doi: 10.1139/cjfas-2021-0095

Erratt, K., Creed, C., Chemali, C., Ferrara, A. J., Tai, V., and Trick, C. 2021. Performance and competitiveness of red vs. green phenotypes of a cyanobacterium grown under artificial lake browning. Algae. 36: 195-206. doi: 10.4490/algae.2021.36.7.19

Kolísko, K., Flegontova, O., Karnkowska, A., Lax, G., Maritz, J., Pánek, T., Táborský, P., Carlton, J., Cepička, I., Horák, A., Lukeš, J., Simpson, A., and Tai, V. 2020. EukRef Excavates: Six curated SSU ribosomal RNA gene databases. Databases. 2020:baaa080. doi:10.1093/database/baaa080

Olmstead, A. D., Montoya, V., Chui, C. K., Dong, W., Joy, J. B., Tai, V, Poon, A. F. Y., Nguyen, T., Brumme, C. J., Martinello, M., Matthews, G. V., Harrigan, P. R., Dore, G. J., Applegate, T. L., Grebely, J., and Howe, A. 2019. A systematic, deep sequencing-based methodology for identification of mixed-genotype hepatitis C virus infections. Infection, Genetics and Evolution. 69: 76-84. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2019.01.016

Ysseldyk, R., Greenaway, K. H., Hassinger, E., Zutrauen, S., Lintz, J., Bhatia, M. P., Frye, M., Starkenburg, E. and Tai, V. 2019. A leak in the academic pipeline: identity and health among postdoctoral women. Frontiers in Psychology. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01297

Gile G. H., James, E. R.. Tai, V., Harper, J. T., Merrell, T. L., Boscaro, V., Husnik, F., Scheffrahn, R. H. and Keeling, P. J. 2018. New species of Spirotrichonympha from Reticulitermes and the relationships among genera in Spirotrichonymphea (Parabasalia). Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. doi: 10.1111/jeu.12447

Thompson L. R., Sanders, J. G., McDonald, D., Amir, A., Ladau, J., Locey, K. J. et al. 2017. A communal catalogue reveals Earth’s multiscale microbial diversity. Nature. 551: 457-463. doi: 10.1038/nature24621

Tai, V., Carpenter, K. J., Weber, P. K., Nalepa, C. A., Perlman, S. J., and Keeling, P. J. 2016. Genome evolution and nitrogen fixation in bacterial ectosymbionts of a protist inhabiting wood-feeding cockroaches. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 82: 4682-4695. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00611-16

Strassert, J. F. H, Tikhonenkov, D. V., Pombert, J.-F., Kolisko, M., Tai, V., Mylnikov, A. P., and Keeling, P. J. 2016. Moramonas marocensis gen. nov., sp. nov.: a jakobid flagellate isolated from desert soil with a bacteria-like, but bloated mitochondrial genome. Open Biology. 6: 150239. doi: 10.1098/rsob.150239

Tai, V., James, E. R., Nalepa, C. A., Scheffrahn, R. H., Perlman, S. J., and Keeling, P. J. 2015. The role of host phylogeny varies in structuring the microbial communities in the hindguts of lower termites. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 81: 1059-1070. doi: 10.1128/AEM.02945-14

Tai, V., Gile, G. H., Pan, J., James, E. R., Carpenter, K. J., Scheffrahn, R. H., Keeling, P. J. 2014. The phylogenetic position of Kofoidia loriculata (Parabasalia) and its implications for the evolution of the Cristamonadea. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. 62: 255-259. doi: 10.1111/jeu.12163

Tai, V., James, E. R., Perlman, S. J., and Keeling, P. J. 2013. Single-cell barcoding using sequences from the small subunit rRNA and internal transcribed spacer region identifies new species of Trichonympha and Trichomitopsis from the hindgut of the termite Zootermopsis angusticollis. PLoS ONE. 8: e58728. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058728

James, E. R., Tai, V., Scheffrahn, R. H., and Keeling, P. J. 2013. Trichonympha burlesquei from Reticulitermes virginicus and evidence against a cosmopolitan distribution of Trichonympha agilis in many termite hosts. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 63: 3873-3876. doi: 10.1099/ijs.0.054874-0

Tai, V., Poon, A. F. Y., Paulsen, I. T., and Palenik, B. 2011. Selection in coastal Synechococcus (Cyanobacteria) populations evaluated from environmental metagenomes. PLoS ONE. 6(9): e24249. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024249

Tai, V., Burton, R. S., and Palenik, B. 2011. Temporal and spatial distributions of marine Synechococcus in the Southern California Bight assessed by hybridization to bead-arrays. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 426: 133-147. doi: 10.3354/meps09030

Lucas, A. J. Dupont, C. L., Tai, V., Largier, J. L., Palenik, B., and Franks, P. J. S. 2011. The green ribbon: Multi-scale physical control of phytoplankton productivity and community structure over a narrow continental shelf. Limnology and Oceanography. 56: 611-626. doi: 10.4319/lo.2011.56.2.0611

Tai, V., Paulsen, I. T., Phillipy, K., Johnson D. A., and Palenik, B. 2009. Whole genome microarray analyses of Synechococcus-Vibrio interactions. Environmental Microbiology. 11: 2698-2709. doi: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2009.01997.x

Tai, V. and Palenik, B. 2009. Temporal variation of Synechococcus clades at a coastal Pacific Ocean monitoring site. The ISME Journal. 3: 903-915. doi: 10.1038/ismej.2009.35

Tetu, S. G., Brahamsha, B., Johnson, D. A., Tai, V., Phillippy, K., Palenik, B., and Paulsen, I. T. Microarray analysis of phosphate regulation in the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. WH8102. 2009. The ISME Journal. 3: 835-849. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1993.tb00914.x

Palenik, B., Ren, Q., Tai, V., and Paulsen, I. T. 2009. Coastal Synechococcus metagenome reveals major roles for horizontal gene transfer and plasmids in population diversity. Environmental Microbiology. doi: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2008.01772.x

Palenik, B., Grimwood, J., Aerts, A., Rouze, P., Salamovd, A., Putnam, N., Dupont, C., Jorgensen, R., Derelle, E., Rombauts, S., Zhou, K., Otillar, R., Merchant, S. S., Podell, S., Gaasterland, T., Napoli, C., Gendler, K., Manuell, A.,Tai, V., Vallon, O., Piganeau, G., Jancek, S., Heijde, M., Jabbari, K., Bowler, C., Lohr, M., Robbens, S., Werner, G., Dubchak, I., Pazour, G. J., Ren, Q., Paulsen, I., Delwiche, C., Schmutz, J., Rokhsar, D., Van de Peer, Y., Moreau, H., and Grigoriev, I. V. 2007. The tiny eukaryote Ostreococcus provides genomic insights into the paradox of plankton speciation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U. S. A. 104: 7705-7710. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0611046104

Calderwood, D. A., Tai, V., Di Paolo, G., De Camilli, P., and Ginsberg, M. H. 2004. Competition for talin results in trans-dominant inhibition of integrin activation. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 279: 28889-28895. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M402161200

Tadokoro, S., Shattil, S. J., Eto, K., Tai, V., Liddington, R. C., de Pereda, J. M., Ginsberg, M. H., and Calderwood, D. A. 2003. Talin binding to integrin β tails: a final common step in integrin activation. Science. 302: 103-106. doi: 10.1126/science.1086652

Tai, V., Lawrence, J. E., Lang, A. S., Chan, A. C., Culley, A. I., and Suttle, C. A. 2003. Characterization of HaRNAV, a novel single-stranded RNA virus causing lysis of Heterosigma akashiwo (Raphidophyceae). Journal of Phycology. 39: 343-352. doi: 10.1046/j.1529-8817.2003.01162.x

Tai, V., Lindstrom, S. C., and Saunders, G. W. 2001. Phylogeny of the Dumontiaceae (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta) and associated families based on SSU rDNA and internal transcribed spacer sequence data. Journal of Phycology. 37: 184-196. doi: 10.1046/j.1529-8817.2001.037001184.x


Publications, non-peer reviewed

Núñez-Pons, L., Tai, V., and Roth, M. S. 2024. Editorial: Women in coevolution 2022. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 12: 1445501. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1445501

Tai, V. and Keeling, P. J. 2013. Termite hindguts and the ecology of microbial communities in the sequencing age. Journal Eukaryotic Microbiology. 60: 421-428. doi: 10.1111/jeu.12048

Benham, C. Cawood, A. M., Cook, G. S., Darnell, A., Davison, P. C., Goldstein, M. C., Johnson, A. E., Konotchick, T., Maldonado, E. M., Pasulka, A. L., Prairie, J. C., Moseman, S. M., Tai, V.,Tanner, C. A., Vardi, T., Whitty, T. S., and Levin, L. A. 2008. Marine Metapopulations (book review). Marine Ecology. 29: 319-320. doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0485.2008.00243.x