Digital Commons Network^™

Role Of Ecdysoneless In Erbb2/Her2 Mediated Breast Oncogenesis, Shalis A. Ammons

Theses & Dissertations

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in women in the United States. The human Epidermal Growth Factor 2 (ErbB2) gene amplification and/or receptor overexpression subtype of breast cancer accounts for 25% of all breast cancers. A crucial regulator of the ErbB2 signaling pathway is the heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) and its interacting protein complex. One such complex is the R2TP/Prefoldin-like complex that is composed of four proteins, RUVBL1, RUVBL2, PIH1D1, and RPAP3 and seven prefoldin-like proteins. This complex has been shown to be involved in telomere elongation, ribosome biogenesis, protein stability; etc. We and …

A Putative Dual Role For Yorkie In Hippo Pathway Signaling, Caroline Hall

Senior Honors Projects

The Hippo pathway inactivates genes involved in organ size and when aberrant, can lead to cancer. To control organ size, the Hippo pathway inhibits Yorkie (Yki), a transcriptional coactivator that works with Scalloped (Sd), a DNA binding protein. When active, Yki translocates into the nucleus and initiates transcription. Conversely, when inactive, Yki remains in the cytoplasm. However, my work shows that cytoplasmic, inactive Yki interacts with other proteins in the Hippo pathway by recruiting them to the plasma membrane. Accordingly, this study challenges the notion that cytoplasmic Yki is inactive and instead, may play a dual role in the Hippo …

Alternative Regulation Of Myc In Lung Cancer, Patrick N. Backman

Open Access Theses

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, accounting for 27% of all cancer induced deaths1. In an attempt to create a effective targeted therapy for the treatment of lung cancer, a strategy used to treat an activated KrasG12D/+;p53 R172H/+ transgenic lung cancer mouse model was to deliver a known tumor suppressive microRNA (miRNA) to stop tumor growth. The tumor suppressive miRNA let-7 was lentivirally delivered in the form of its primary transcript, pri-let-7a-1, and resulted in increased lung size and inflammation compared to lungs exposed to a control lentivirus. It was identified …

Imaging Anti-Proliferative Compounds With Flt-Pet, Christopher Mchugh

Wayne State University Dissertations

Imaging is critical in the detection and management of malignancies, and positron emission tomography (PET) is an imaging approach that provides information regarding cancer physiology through the tracking of molecular pathways and receptors. 3’-fluoro-3’-deoxythymidine (FLT) is a PET tracer designed to image cellular proliferation, which is a hallmark of cancer. FLT has been used to study the response of cancer to a variety of treatments such as chemotherapy, targeted agents, and radiation.

Here we explored FLT retention as a biomarker to monitor the anti-proliferative effect of the synthetic glucocorticoid (GC) dexamethasone (Dex) on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The basis …

The Role Of Integrin Alpha 6 On Tumor Metastasis, Shauntell N. Luke Ms.

Honors College Theses

Cancer research is a large topic in science, because over 14 million people are diagnosed worldwide, and of those, 8 million will die annually. Traditional therapies are the mainstays of treatment strategies, but a cure less invasive or with less side effects have not yet been identified. In order to develop a better cure, we need to understand the tumor and molecules present in its tissues. Integrins, cell surface proteins that aid in cell communication, have been found in the tumor tissues of several types of cancers, including prostate, lung and bone. Integrin alpha-6 (ITGA6), in particular, has been found …

Comparative Proteomic Analysis Of Extracellular Vesicles From Prostate Cancer-Derived Cell Lines, Gloria Polanco

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the leading non-cutaneous malignancy and the second deadliest among American men. PCa mortality rates among African American men are much higher than any other ethnic group, and the same is true for men of African ancestry world-wide. There is also a lack of reliable diagnostic markers and effective treatment options. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been observed to play an important role in cancer processes such as promotion of tumor growth and metastasis. They are also a promising source of diagnostic markers. This study addresses these problems by studying the proteome of EVs derived from PCa cells …