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Regulation Of Antigenic Variation In Trypanosoma Brucei, Imaan A. Benmerzouga Jan 2013

Regulation Of Antigenic Variation In Trypanosoma Brucei, Imaan A. Benmerzouga

ETD Archive

Trypanosoma brucei is a protozoan parasite that causes sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in cattle. When inside the mammalian host, T. brucei cells stay in extracellular spaces and regularly switch their surface antigen, Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG), to escape the host's immune responses. To ensure the effectiveness of VSG switching, T. brucei expresses a single type of VSG at any time exclusively from one of 20 identical VSG expression sites located next to the telomere. Monoallelic expression of VSG and VSG switching are important for T. brucei's pathogenesis. Our major goal is to understand the mechanisms of antigenic variation …


Genome-Wide Angiotensin Ii Regulated Microrna Expression Profiling ; A Smooth Muscle-Specific Microrna Signature, Jacqueline R. Kemp Jan 2013

Genome-Wide Angiotensin Ii Regulated Microrna Expression Profiling ; A Smooth Muscle-Specific Microrna Signature, Jacqueline R. Kemp

ETD Archive

Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) activation and phenotypic modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are common characteristics associated with human diseases, such as pulmonary hypertension, atherosclerosis and stroke. While elevation of the RAS hormone product, angiotensin II (AngII) is a well-established risk in these diseases the mechanism of activation of RAS and modulation of VSMC phenotype by AngII is vague, suggesting that novel global regulators may mediate the risk by AngII. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent one such class of potential global regulators. MiRNAs are small (╠â22 nt), endogenous, non-coding RNAs that act as post-transcriptional regulators of physiological processes. MiRNAs primarily function by …


Identification Of New Genes Involved In Meiosis By A Genetic Screen, Sneharthi Banerjee Jan 2013

Identification Of New Genes Involved In Meiosis By A Genetic Screen, Sneharthi Banerjee

ETD Archive

Budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains a group of proteins named ZMM that constitutes a link between recombination and Synaptonemal Complex (SC) assembly. Yeast mutants that lack ZMM proteins have defects in recombination, SC formation and nuclear division progression. Meiotic cell cycle progression in zmm mutants is modulated by temperature. This conditional behavior is different at high and low temperatures. In my work so far, I have tried to identify new zmm-like genes involved in meiosis. To that end, I have carried out a genome-wide screen in the budding yeast S. cerevisiae. I have identified sporulation temperature sensitive zmm-like truncation mutants …


Chimeric Glutathione S-Transferases: Properties And Thermodynamic Stability, Rita M. Rozmarynowycz Jan 2013

Chimeric Glutathione S-Transferases: Properties And Thermodynamic Stability, Rita M. Rozmarynowycz

ETD Archive

No abstract provided.


Activated Neutrophils Mediate Kim-1 Shedding And Renal Remodelling, Shreyas Lingadahalli Jan 2013

Activated Neutrophils Mediate Kim-1 Shedding And Renal Remodelling, Shreyas Lingadahalli

ETD Archive

Kidney performs a complex task of concentrating the urine, retention of salts and protein and excretion of metabolic toxins and by the virtue of its function, is always under the chemical stress and subject to constant tissue damage. Post injury, nephrons have the ability to regain their function by remodeling including, clearing of apoptotic and necrotic debris. Kidney Injury Molecule-1(KIM-1/TIM-1/HAVCR-1) is a phosphatidylserine receptor that recognizes the apoptotic bodies and directs them to the lysosomal degradation. KIM-1 a type I transmembrane glycoprotein, although not constitutively expressed, is expressed in injured epithelial cells. It is known that the extracellular domain is …


Induction Of Liver Abcg5/Abcg8 Expression Is An Important Determinant Of The Macrophage-To-Feces Reverse Cholesterol Transport Response To Treatment With Ezetimibe, Jessica B. Altemus Jan 2013

Induction Of Liver Abcg5/Abcg8 Expression Is An Important Determinant Of The Macrophage-To-Feces Reverse Cholesterol Transport Response To Treatment With Ezetimibe, Jessica B. Altemus

ETD Archive

Reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) consists of the transfer of cholesterol from peripheral tissues for excretion in the feces. The RCT from macrophages in atherosclerotic lesions is an important determinant of arterial wall atherosclerotic lesion formation. Previous studies by our group have shown that treatment with ezetimibe (EZ), a potent inhibitor of cholesterol absorption from the intestine, results in a 2-6 fold increase in RCT. To determine whether EZ may increase RCT by mechanisms that are independent of its well established cholesterol absorption inhibitory effects, we examined the expression of genes involved in the RCT pathway in the jejunum and liver …


Responses To Low Double-Strand Break Levels In Budding Yeast Meiosis, Scott A. Gaskell Jan 2013

Responses To Low Double-Strand Break Levels In Budding Yeast Meiosis, Scott A. Gaskell

ETD Archive

During meiosis, one round of DNA replication is followed by two rounds of chromosome segregation, producing four haploid gametes from each diploid precursor cell. Self-inflicted DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) occur in prophase of meiosis I. A subset of DSBs are repaired using the homologous chromosome as template for homologous recombination, generating crossovers/chiasmata. When processing of DSBs is defective, the recombination checkpoint delays onset of the first meiotic cell division. Here, I have investigated mechanisms by which the budding yeast S. cerevisiae responds to low levels of initiating DSBs. A novel checkpoint is identified that is specifically triggered by low DSB …


Bioinformatic Analysis And In Vitro Expression Of Malaria Parasite Translocon And Ribonuclease Binding-Like Rhoptry Genes, Moses Z. Timta Jan 2013

Bioinformatic Analysis And In Vitro Expression Of Malaria Parasite Translocon And Ribonuclease Binding-Like Rhoptry Genes, Moses Z. Timta

ETD Archive

Malaria caused by the parasite Plasmodium, still remains a significant public health problem worldwide, due to lack of a vaccine and emerging drug and insecticide resistance, among malaria parasites and mosquito vectors, respectively. Rhoptry proteins of Plasmodium enable merozoite invasion of host erythrocytes. However, only a few of these proteins have been characterized. Thirty-six P. yoelii merozoite rhoptry proteins were identified as putative rhoptry proteins by proteome analysis. Some of these proteins have been characterized while others still remain an intense area of active research. Molecular characterization and understanding of these novel proteins may assist in vaccine development, design of …