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Study Of Primary Cilium Structure And Intraflagellar Transport, Shufeng Sun

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Primary cilia are hair-like protrusions that stem from the basal bodies in the cytoplasm and extend into the extracellular space to sense signals. Intraflagellar transport (IFT) functions to transport cargo molecules into and out of the ciliary compartment to assemble, maintain, and disassemble the cilia. Accurate knowledge of the three-dimensional (3D) structure of primary cilia and precise details of the IFT profile is the foundation for understanding the sensory functions of primary cilia. This work covers three aspects of primary cilia. Firstly, we obtained and analyzed the overall 3D architecture of the complete primary cilia axoneme region using serial section …

Quantification Of Hfshr Signaling To Determine Lipid Raft Residency, Gregory Geisel

Honors Theses

Human follicle stimulating hormone (hFSH) is a gonadotropin responsible for regulating reproductive systems by stimulation of Sertoli cells in males and granulosa cells in females. The hFSH receptor (hFSHR) is a seven transmembrane receptor that belongs to the G protein coupled receptor family. The receptor is functionally connected to a G protein on the inside of the cell. Once FSH activates its receptor, a cascade of signaling begins, resulting in the activation of adenylyl cyclase, which increases the intracellular levels of cAMP. In addition, hFSHR stimulation also activates the p44/42 MAP kinase. The spike in cAMP activates the enzyme protein …

Use Of Photobiomodulation In Osteoclast Formation: Possible Intervention For The Treatment Of Osteoporosis, Lisa Lauren Anderson-Antle

Theses and Dissertations

After critically examining the literature to gain a robust understanding for the pathogenesis of bone loss, specifically osteoporosis, the development of a possible new intervention to prevent or treat osteoporosis was explored. The purpose of this dissertation was to pilot test a new protocol designed to answer the broad research question: Does Near-Infrared Light Emitting Diode (NIR-LED) treatment affect Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor Kappa-B Ligand (RANKL) induced osteoclastogenesis in a cell culture model?

Osteoporosis is defined as a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and an increased susceptibility to …

Developmental Cis-Regulatory Analysis Of The Cyclin D Gene In The Sea Urchin Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus, Christopher Michael Mccarty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Proper execution of animal development requires that it be integrated with cell division. In part, this is made possible due to cell cycle regulatory genes becoming dependent upon developmental signaling pathways that regulate their transcription. Cyclin D genes are important bridges linking the regulation of the cell cycle to development because these genes regulate the cell cycle, growth and differentiation in response to intercellular signaling. In this dissertation, a cis-regulatory analysis of a cyclin D gene, Sp-CycD, in the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, is presented. While the promoters of vertebrate cyclin D genes have been analyzed, the cis-regulatory sequences across …

Localization Of The Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Receptor In Lipid Raft Domains, Tyler Esposito

Honors Theses

Lipid raft domains have been shown to be important in receptor signaling, especially for G Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCR). Follicle stimulating hormone is a vital reproductive signal that relies on effective signaling of its GPCR. The goal of this study was to test whether or not the follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) utilizes lipid raft domains when signaling. The main methods used were fluorescent antibodies and various forms of microscopy, including confocal microscopy. A fluorescent antibody for the FSHR (mAb 106.105) allowed us to perform these studies. In the first experiment, cells treated with FSH and stained with the receptor …

Genomic And Physical Analysis Of Rnr1-Containing Autophagosomes During Environmental Stress, Tamir Danon

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Physical & Genetic Analysis of Rnr1 autophagosomes during the DNA damage response

Mechanisms Of Age-Related Inflammation And Cancer : The Synergistic Effect Of Oxidants And Calcium, Donald A. Mccarthy

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The accumulation of senescent cells during the process of aging has been implicated as causal in numerous age-related pathologies. Senescent cells adopt a secretory phenotype consisting of many factors including matrix remodeling enzymes, growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines. Their secretory nature is the primary reason that they are associated with disease, but it remains unclear why they become so inflammatory. Using primary human fibroblasts cultured to senescence, we mechanistically determined why senescent cells are such potent inducers of inflammation. Our findings indicate that the early production of the cytokine Interleukin 1-α (IL-1α) is central to this transition. We found that …

Elucidating The Role Of Apoptosis During Cyclical Body Regeneration In Botryllus Schlosseri, Meredith Adamo

Honors Theses

Apoptosis is the principal form of programmed cell death by which multicellular animals rid themselves of old cells in order to allow new cells to grow. The colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri is a model system for homeostatic cell death and regeneration. During its unique, weekly budding cycle known as blastogenesis, new buds are produced asexually and eventually replace the old adult zooid generation through resorption via circulating phagocytes. Using polyester wax-embedded tissue sections, we have shown that TUNEL-positive (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase nick end-labeling), apoptotic cells are observed within circulating phagocytes in all stages of the colony’s death phase (takeover), including …

Human Common Fragile Sites, Identification, And Analysis Of Breaks Using Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, William Joseph Fitzsimmons

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Common fragile sites, which are areas of the genome prone to breaks under replication stress, are frequently altered in tumor cells. Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain why common fragile sites break: (1)AT-rich segments with high flexibility in the fragile site fold into secondary structures, leading to replication fork stalling and chromosomal breakage, and (2) Fragile site regions lack sufficient origins of replication, which paired with replication stress results in failure to complete replication before mitosis and eventual breakage of unreplicated DNA. To test these hypotheses, we mapped 30 break locations in each of two yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) …

The Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (Sasp) And Redox-Dependent Invasion Of Metastatic Cancer Cells, Brooke A. Pati

Biological Sciences

Throughout your lifetime renewable tissues and those which are exposed to prolonged inflammation experience an accumulation of senescent cells. These cells have previously been shown to acquire the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) that promotes proliferation and tumorigenesis of epithelial cells, thus increasing the invasive ability of tumor cells (1). SASP is characterized by an upregulation in mRNA levels of a number of secretory factors, such as growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines. It has been shown that lifetime exposure to oxidative stress can influence cell cytoskeleton reorganization and influence aging processes (2). In addition matrix metalloproteinases are key SASP factors that …

Single Cell Analysis For The Characterization Of Cell Populations Using A Live Cell Array, Maureen Ann Walling

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In the past decade, the shift from whole cell population analyses towards single cell measurement methods and techniques is based on experimental results that reveal significant levels of non-genetic heterogeneity in clonal cell populations. This heterogeneity manifests in multiple aspects of cell activity and is, in part, a result of stochastic noise in processes leading to gene expression, namely transcription and translation. The growing understanding of this occurrence has led to the development of methods to monitor and analyze heterogeneity for a more thorough description of cell populations and overall activity.

Tissue Specific Effects Of Adipose Stem Cells (Asc) In A Melanoma Tumor Environment, Drew Michael Nedderman

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This study determined the tissue-specific effect of adipose stem cells (ASC) within a melanoma environment for development of a cell-based melanoma therapy. Analysis included a subcutaneous B16-F1 melanoma model using thirty-one C57BL/6 wild-type mice. Melanoma xenografts were treated with cell-based therapies of CFDA-SE-labeled human fibroblasts HF20x (control), non-differentiated ndASC or hematopoietic-differentiated HdASC. No tumor regression was observed in presence of cell-based therapies, thus, the HdASC group demonstrated an increase in tumor growth accompanied with an up-regulated macrophage response, and increased angiogenesis. In addition, this group demonstrated a decrease in Melan-A tumor marker and interferon-γ expression suggesting that ASC-supported tumor angiogenesis …

Alterations In Calcium Homeostasis And The Insulin-Like Growth Factor Signaling Pathway Induced By Carcinogenic Polycyclic And Halogenated Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Human Mammary Epithelial Cells, Stacey L. Tannheimer

Pharmaceutical Sciences ETDs

Breast cancer is a major health concern for women, with only a small percent of the risk factors currently identified. It has been estimated that environmental factors may contribute to up to 80% of breast cancer cases. Many environmental carcinogens, such as polycyclic and halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs and HAHs), are proven mammary carcinogens in animal models. Therefore, these studies were conducted to elucidate potential roles of PAHs and HAHs in alterations in known signaling pathways in human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC). Carcinogenic PAHs have previously been shown to produce sustained alterations in the calcium (Ca2') homeostasis of lymphocytes Therefore, …

Alterations In Human B Cell Calcium Homeostasis By Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: Possible Associations With Cytochrome P450 Metabolism And Increased Tyrosine Phosphorylation, Barbara J. Mounho

Pharmaceutical Sciences ETDs

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are known immunotoxicants in animals, and are suspect toxins to the human immune system. The mechanism(s), however, by which PAHs exert immunosuppression have not been fully elucidated. Previous studies conducted in our laboratory have shown that PAHs, such as 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)- anthracene (DMB A) and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) may exert their immunotoxic effects by altering intracellular calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis in lymphocytes. Intracellular Ca2+ is an important second messenger in the immune response, and the mobilization of Ca2+ is critical in the transduction of intracellular signals from the plasma membrane to the nucleus. The overall objective of this project …

Biochemical And Molecular Characterization Of The Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (Psma), John Karl Troyer

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer death in males in the United States. Additionally, the number of deaths attributed to prostate cancer is increasing at a rate of approximately 8% a year. Development of new diagnostic and therapy strategies are needed in order to improve the life expectancy of patients with this disease. One tool which may allow for improvements in prostate cancer diagnosis and therapy is the monoclonal antibody (MAb) 7E11-C5.3 which was first described in 1987. Since then, the antigen recognized by MAb 7E11-C5.3 has been named the prostate specific …

Extracellular Matrix Proteins Of The Nurse Cell Capsule In Trichinella Spiralis Infections, Mary Louise Taylor

Dissertations and Theses

The infectious first-stage larvae of the nematode Trichinella spiralis is an intracellular parasite of altered skeletal muscle. Invasion of the muscle cell initiates a series of morphological changes in the host muscle cell which ultimately results in a specialized unit called the nurse cell. The completed nurse cell consists of a collagenous capsule, matrix of altered sarcoplasm, and a circulatory rete.

The purpose of this study was to determine the types of collagen present in the nurse cell capsule. Additionally, the presence of the glycoproteins, laminin and tenascin was determined. This study also sought to demonstrate the location of the …

Mobilization Of Iron Enhances The Iron-Dependent Biochemical Reactivity Of Asbestos In Vitro And Contributes To The Cytotoxicity Of Asbestos In Cultured Cells, Loren Glen Lund

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Asbestos related research began approximately 60 years ago, yet, the mechanism(s) by which asbestos exerts its biological effects is not well understood. The hypothesis upon which this dissertation is based is that mobilization of iron from asbestos enhances the iron-dependent biochemical reactivity of asbestos in vitro and contributes to asbestos-dependent cytotoxicity. The specific aims for this hypothesis were, 1) to determine whether iron was responsible for the biochemical reactivity of asbestos in vitro and asbestos-induced cytotoxicity in cultured cells, and 2) to determine whether mobilization of iron from asbestos enhanced the reactions catalyzed by asbestos in vitro and contributes to …

The Effects Of The Cyclic 3'5'-Monophosphate Of Adenosine And Its Dibutyryl Derivative On The In-Vitro Immunization Of Mouse Spleen Cell Suspensions, James A. Blanks

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Abstract unavailable.