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Articles 1 - 30 of 35
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Molecular Mechanisms Involved In Inflammatory Angiogenesis Induced By Monocyte Chemotactic Protein Induced Protein-1 (Mcpip1), Arpita Roy
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Major diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity and tumor growth are known to involve inflammatory angiogenesis. MCP-induced protein 1 (MCPIP1) encoded by ZC3H12A gene, was reported to promote angiogenesis and is addressed in my dissertation as MCPIP. The mechanism/s involved in the angiogenic differentiation induced by MCPIP was however unknown. The aim of this study was to bridge this gap in our knowledge and delineate the molecular mechanisms and sequential processes involved in angiogenesis mediated via MCPIP. To determine if angiogenesis induced by inflammatory cytokines, TNF-, IL-1 and IL-8 is mediated via induction of MCPIP, knockdown of MCPIP by …
The Effects Of Phosphatidylserine On Reaction Time And Cognitive Function Following An Exercise Stress, Adam John Wells
The Effects Of Phosphatidylserine On Reaction Time And Cognitive Function Following An Exercise Stress, Adam John Wells
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Phosphatidylserine (PS) is an endogenously occurring phospholipid that has been shown to have cognition and mood enhancing properties in humans, possibly through its role as an enzyme co-factor in cellular signal transduction. Specifically, PS has been identified as activator of classical isoforms of protein kinase C, an enzyme known to be involved in the growth and differentiation of neural cells, and is therefore thought to play a role in the protection of neurons. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of supplementation with PS and caffeine on measures of cognition, reaction time and mood prior to and …
Phosphatidic Acid Increases Lean Body Tissue And Strength In Resistance Trained Men, David Williams
Phosphatidic Acid Increases Lean Body Tissue And Strength In Resistance Trained Men, David Williams
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Phosphatidic Acid (PA) is a natural phospholipid compound derived from lecithin which is commonly found in egg yolk, grains, fish, soybeans, peanuts and yeast. It has been suggested that PA is involved in several intracellular processes associated with muscle hypertrophy. Specifically, PA has been reported to activate protein synthesis through the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway and thereby may enhance the anabolic effects of resistance training. To our knowledge, no one has examined the effect of PA supplementation in humans while undergoing a progressive resistance training program. To examine the effect of PA supplementation on lean soft tissue …
Quantifying The Impacts Of Oyster Reef Restoration On Oyster Coverage, Wave Attenuation And Seagrass Fragment Retention In Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, Stephanie Garvis
Quantifying The Impacts Of Oyster Reef Restoration On Oyster Coverage, Wave Attenuation And Seagrass Fragment Retention In Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, Stephanie Garvis
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The goal of this project was to determine the effects of oyster reef restoration on oyster coverage, wave height dissipation and seagrass recruitment. First, to assess the current versus historical coverage of natural, dead and restored oyster reefs within Mosquito Lagoon, aerial photographs from 2009, provided by Saint Johns River Water Management District, were digitized using ArcGIS software. Live reefs, restored reefs and dead reefs were screen digitized using a reef ‘signature’ in order to estimate the area of each type of reef. The 2009 maps were used as a guide to digitizing the historical aerial photographs (1943, 1951, 1967, …
Expression Of Lipase From Mycobacterium Tuberculosis In Nicotiana Tobacum And Lactuca Sativa Chloroplasts, Bethany Lloyd
Expression Of Lipase From Mycobacterium Tuberculosis In Nicotiana Tobacum And Lactuca Sativa Chloroplasts, Bethany Lloyd
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), is a global threat and the leading cause of death among individuals infected with HIV. TB treatment requires multi-drug cocktails, due to the increasing rates of drug resistance of the bacterium. With multi-drug cocktails, strains have been documented to be resistant to all major drugs in the fight against TB. Since the strains are drug resistant, it calls for an increasing need for vaccine and treatment development for the purpose of preventing and managing the disease. The most widely distributed vaccine against TB is Bacillus Calmette-Gue´rin (BCG). Apart from being …
Livelihoods Support Programs, Conservation Attitudes, And Tropical Biodiversity: An Evaluation Of Biocomplexity In Southeastern Ghana, Edem Kodzo Ekpe
Livelihoods Support Programs, Conservation Attitudes, And Tropical Biodiversity: An Evaluation Of Biocomplexity In Southeastern Ghana, Edem Kodzo Ekpe
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Human activities are a major driver of biodiversity degradation and loss, especially in tropical forest areas, where forest-fringe towns and villages depend on the forests for their livelihoods. In order to reduce threats that human activities pose to biodiversity, livelihoods support programs are employed as economic incentives for biodiversity conservation. These programs support the livelihoods activities of local communities, with the aim of triggering favorable attitudes and behaviors towards conservation, and ultimately reduce biodiversity degradation. Their effectiveness as conservation tools has not been evaluated. I investigated the effects of livelihoods programs on conservation attitudes and the consequent effects on biodiversity …
Dispersal, Gene Flow, And Adaptive Evolution During Invasion: Testing Range-Limit Theory With The Asian Tiger Mosquito, Kimberly Medley
Dispersal, Gene Flow, And Adaptive Evolution During Invasion: Testing Range-Limit Theory With The Asian Tiger Mosquito, Kimberly Medley
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Understanding the factors that make non-native species successful invaders is an important step towards mitigating spread. At the same time, species invasions can serve as natural experiments to test range-limit theory. Range-limit theory postulates declines in local abundance (abundant center model) and genetic diversity (central-peripheral hypothesis) towards range edges because of underlying environmental gradients. Such declines constrain adaptation to marginal habitats via gene swamping. However, broader evolutionary theory predicts intermediate rates of immigration into range-edge populations can relieve genetic drift and improve adaptive potential. I tested hypotheses generated from theory while illuminating aspects affecting of the invasion of the Asian …
Effect Of Predation Risk And Food Availability On Parental Care And Nest Survival In Suburban And Wildland Florida Scrub-Jays, Joseph M. Niederhauser
Effect Of Predation Risk And Food Availability On Parental Care And Nest Survival In Suburban And Wildland Florida Scrub-Jays, Joseph M. Niederhauser
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Individual organisms often use cues from their natural environments to determine many behavioral and life-history "decisions." These "decisions" are usually adaptive, i.e. a response to selection, because the environmental cues on which they are based reliably correlate with increased fitness over time. When the selected behavioral response to a natural cue no longer provides a fitness benefit, then selection for a new response may occur but individuals maintaining the previously selected response may suffer reduced survival and reproduction. Especially in human-modified landscapes individuals making a maladaptive behavioral or life-history choice based on those formerly reliable environmental cues may be faced …
Signals Delivered By Interleukin-7 Regulate The Activities Of Bim And Jund In T Lymphocytes, Shannon Moore Ruppert
Signals Delivered By Interleukin-7 Regulate The Activities Of Bim And Jund In T Lymphocytes, Shannon Moore Ruppert
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is an essential cytokine for lymphocyte growth that has the potential for promoting proliferation and survival. While the survival and proliferative functions of IL-7 are well established, the identities of IL-7 signaling components in pathways other than JAK/STAT, that accomplish these tasks remain poorly defined. To this end, we used IL-7 dependent T-cells to examine those components necessary for cell growth and survival. Our studies revealed two novel signal transducers of the IL-7 growth signal: BimL and JunD. IL-7 promoted the activity of JNK (Jun N-terminal Kinase), and that JNK, in turn, drove the expression of JunD, a …
Phylogenetic Community Structure Of Aquatic Beetle Assemblages In A Multi-Wetland Experiment, Sandor Lawrence Kelly
Phylogenetic Community Structure Of Aquatic Beetle Assemblages In A Multi-Wetland Experiment, Sandor Lawrence Kelly
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Phylogenetic Community Structure (PCS) metrics are becoming more common in community ecology. PCS metrics estimate the phylogenetic relatedness among members of an ecological community or assemblage. If ecological traits are conserved, then phylogenetic clustering (i.e., taxa are more closely related than expected by chance) indicates habitat filtering as the key process in community assembly. On the other hand, a pattern of phylogenetic overdispersion (i.e., taxa are more distantly related than expected by chance) suggests competition is dominant. Most studies to date have used PCS of unmanipulated ecosystems, but the value of PCS metrics will be best revealed in experiments. This …
The Dynamic Functions Of Bax Are Dependent On Key Structural And Regulatory Features, Rebecca Boohaker
The Dynamic Functions Of Bax Are Dependent On Key Structural And Regulatory Features, Rebecca Boohaker
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Bax is an essential mediator of cell fate. Since its discovery in 1985 as a protein that interacts with the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, key elements related to its function, structure and regulation remains to be determined. To this end, mitochondrial metabolism was examined in non-apoptotic Bax-deficient HCT-116 cells as well as primary hepatocytes from Bax-deficient mice. Although mitochondrial density and mitochondrial DNA content was the same in Bax-containing and Bax -deficient cells, MitoTracker staining patterns differed, suggesting the existence of Bax -dependent functional differences in mitochondrial physiology. Oxygen consumption and cellular ATP levels were reduced in Bax -deficient cells, while …
A Novel Link Between Akt1 And Twist1 In Ovarian Tumor Cell Motility And Invasiveness, Nirav Shah
A Novel Link Between Akt1 And Twist1 In Ovarian Tumor Cell Motility And Invasiveness, Nirav Shah
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Ovarian cancer results in more deaths per year than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. The low survival rate is partly due to the lack of early detection and the susceptibility to relapse. The AKT serine threonine kinase plays a pivotal role in hallmark cellular processes for the progression of ovarian cancer, including tumor cell growth and migration. Therapeutic targeting of pan-AKT has been problematic, in part due to feedback mechanisms and crosstalk with other pathways. The hypothesis for this study is that AKT 1, -2 and -3 isoforms may have different roles and regulate cell processes in …
Factors Limiting Native Species Establishment On Former Agricultural Lands, Annalisa M. Weiler-Lazarz
Factors Limiting Native Species Establishment On Former Agricultural Lands, Annalisa M. Weiler-Lazarz
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Restoration of abandoned, nonnative species-dominated agricultural lands provides opportunities for conserving declining shrubland and grassland ecosystems. Land-use legacies, such as elevated soil fertility and pH from agricultural amendments, often persist for years and can favor nonnative species at the expense of native species. Understanding the factors that limit native species establishment on abandoned agricultural lands can provide important insights for restoration and conservation of native species on human-modified lands. I conducted two field experiments on abandoned agricultural lands: a former pasture on Martha’s Vineyard, MA and a former citrus grove at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR) in Titusville, FL. …
Manipulation Of Host Signal Transduction Pathways And Cytoskeleton Functions By Invasive Bacterium Listeria Monocytogenes And Chlamydia Trachomatis, Shahanawaz Jiwani
Manipulation Of Host Signal Transduction Pathways And Cytoskeleton Functions By Invasive Bacterium Listeria Monocytogenes And Chlamydia Trachomatis, Shahanawaz Jiwani
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Infectious disease remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Many bacteria that cause disease have the capacity to enter into eukaryotic cells such as epithelial cells and tissue macrophages. Gaining access into the intracellular environment is one of the most critical steps in their survival and/or in pathogenesis. The entry mechanisms employed by these organisms vary considerably, but most mechanisms involve sabotaging and manipulating host cell functions. Invasion of epithelial cells involves triggering host signal transduction mechanisms to induce cytoskeleton rearrangement, thereby facilitating bacterial uptake. My work focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms employed by bacterial …
Transplantation Of Pluripotent Stem Cells Confers Cardiac Protection In Dox-Induced Heart Failure Through Notch-1 Pathway, Hilda Merino-Chavez
Transplantation Of Pluripotent Stem Cells Confers Cardiac Protection In Dox-Induced Heart Failure Through Notch-1 Pathway, Hilda Merino-Chavez
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Doxorubicin (DOX) is the antineoplastic drug of preference used to treat a wide variety of malignancies, with high survival rates among treated patients. However, the benefits of this drug have become less appealing due to the side effects that occur such as DOX-induced cardiomyopathy (DIC) and an increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI). Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore the therapeutic options to treat DIC. In this context, adult stem cells have been used as a source to reduce cardiomyocyte apoptosis in DIC; however, the effects of transplanted embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells …
Landscaping Perceptions And Behaviors: Socio-Ecological Drivers Of Nitrogen In The Residential Landscape, Leesa Souto
Landscaping Perceptions And Behaviors: Socio-Ecological Drivers Of Nitrogen In The Residential Landscape, Leesa Souto
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Driven by individual influences such as beliefs, attitudes, personal norms, and abilities, as well as by social influences like community norms, mandates, and the market, suburban homeowners are motivated to select and maintain a turf grass landscape. In many areas of Florida, effective suburban lawn maintenance requires regular inputs of nitrogenous fertilizer, some of which is lost to the environment, contributing to water quality degradation and ecosystem dysfunction. Reducing nitrogen inputs to aquatic systems requires a better understanding of the links between residential landscape management and the potential for fertilizer loss. This dissertation examines the linkages between the human behaviors …
Defective Dynamics Of Mitochondria In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis And Huntington's Disease, Wenjun Song
Defective Dynamics Of Mitochondria In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis And Huntington's Disease, Wenjun Song
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Mitochondria play important roles in neuronal function and survival, including ATP production, Ca2+ buffering, and apoptosis. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a common event in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Huntington's disease (HD); however, what causes the mitochondrial dysfunction remains unclear. Mitochondrial fission is mediated by dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) and fusion by mitofusin 1/2 (MFN1/2) and optic atrophy 1 (OPA1), which are essential for mitochondrial function. Mutations in the mitochondrial fission and fusion machinery lead to neurodegeneration. Thus, whether defective mitochondrial dynamics participates in ALS and HD requires further investigation. ALS is a fatal …
Dubious Role Of Mycobacterium Paratuberculosis In Pathogenesis Of Type I Diabetes, Saisathya Thanigachalam
Dubious Role Of Mycobacterium Paratuberculosis In Pathogenesis Of Type I Diabetes, Saisathya Thanigachalam
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Background: Type 1 Diabetes mellitus (TIDM) is a chronic disorder in which the insulin producing beta cells are selectively self-destroyed. Although the etiology of the disease has not been determined, genetic dispositions such as SLC11A1 polymorphism in suffering patients have been reported. The role of pathogenic microorganisms such as Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) in TIDM has also been recently debated. MAP is already known to cause paratuberculosis in cattle and now it is a strong suspect of causing autoimmune diseases in humans such as Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune Thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune diabetes. We hypothesis that molecular …
Novel Immunogens Of Cellular Immunity Revealed Using In Vitro Human Cell-Based Approach, Brian Schanen
Novel Immunogens Of Cellular Immunity Revealed Using In Vitro Human Cell-Based Approach, Brian Schanen
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In the last 150 years, tremendous headway has been made in our understanding of the human immune system. Pioneers in the field such as Paul Ehrlich, Elie Metchnikoff, Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch and Walter Reed carried out seminal studies that established the groundwork for our understanding of humoral and cellular immunity in humans. However, this direct line of evidence into human immunology was diverted in the mid-20th century with the adoption of a model which allowed for investigators to use a reductionist-approach with the promise to resolve immunity at a molecular level. This revolutionary model was the scientific commercialization of …
Limk1 Promotes Mt1-Mmp Expression And Localization To The Plasma Membrane, Richard Ottman
Limk1 Promotes Mt1-Mmp Expression And Localization To The Plasma Membrane, Richard Ottman
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
LIM Kinase 1 (LIMK1), a serine/threonine kinase, modulates actin polymerization and microtubule assembly. The function of LIMK1 is regulated by kinases that are activated by Rho and Rac GTPases. LIMK1 is overexpressed in various cancerous cell types and tissues and its overexpression promotes increased invasion and metastasis of breast and prostate cancer cells. Membrane-Type Matrix Metalloproteinase 1 (MT1-MMP) is a member of the zinc-binding collagenase family, which is involved in extracellular matrix breakdown and activation of secreted MMP-2. The balance between activation and inhibition of MT1- MMP and MMP-2 helps maintaining normal extracellular matrix turnover. However, it has been shown …
Biochemical Studies Of Abce1, Lynn Sims
Biochemical Studies Of Abce1, Lynn Sims
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The growth and survival of all cells require functional ribosomes that are capable of protein synthesis. The disruption of the steps required for the function of ribosomes represents a potential future target for pharmacological anti-cancer therapy. ABCE1 is an essential Fe-S protein involved in ribosomal function and is vital for protein synthesis and cell survival. Thus, ABCE1 is potentially a great therapeutic target for cancer treatment. Previously, cell biological, genetic, and structural studies uncovered the general importance of ABCE1, although the exact function of the Fe-S clusters was previously unclear, only a simple structural role was suggested. Additionally, due to …
Species And Habitat Interactions Of The Gopher Tortoise: A Keystone Species?, Christopher Catano
Species And Habitat Interactions Of The Gopher Tortoise: A Keystone Species?, Christopher Catano
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Species-species and species-habitat interactions have been demonstrated to be important in influencing diversity across a variety of ecosystems. Despite generalities in the importance of these interactions, appropriate mechanisms to explain them are absent in many systems. In sandhill systems of the southeast U.S., gopher tortoises have been hypothesized to be a crucial species in the maintenance of diversity and function. However, the mechanisms and magnitude in which they influence their communities and habitats have rarely been empirically quantified. I examined how habitat structure influences tortoise abandonment of burrows and how tortoise densities influence nonvolant vertebrate community diversity. Tortoise burrow abandonment …
Relating Ancient Maya Land Use Legacies To The Contemporary Forest Of Caracol, Belize, Jessica N. Hightower
Relating Ancient Maya Land Use Legacies To The Contemporary Forest Of Caracol, Belize, Jessica N. Hightower
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Human land use legacies have significant and long lasting impacts across landscapes. However, investigating the impacts of ancient land use legacies ( > 400 years) remains problematic due to the difficulty in detecting ancient land uses, especially those beneath dense canopies. The city of Caracol, one of the most important Maya archaeological sites in Belize, was abandoned after the collapse of the Maya civilization (ca. A.D. 900), leaving behind numerous structures, causeways, and agricultural terraces that persist beneath the dense tropical forest of western Belize. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology enables detection of below canopy Maya archaeological features, providing an …
Life History Response To Infection And The Potential For Dishonest Signals In The Ground Cricket, Allonemobius Socius, Emily Copeland
Life History Response To Infection And The Potential For Dishonest Signals In The Ground Cricket, Allonemobius Socius, Emily Copeland
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In order to maximize fitness, individuals must partition their limited resources among competing physiological processes, creating negative statistical associations between processes known as “life-history trade-offs”. Evidence indicates that individuals tend to decrease their reproductive investment when confronted with a significant immunological challenge in order to increase investment in immune defense. This trade-off is often accompanied by a significant decrease in the sexual signal, which provides an honest signal of the male’s infection status to potential mates. However, if individual residual reproductive value is low, they may instead increase their reproductive investment to maximize reproductive success before the end of their …
Placing Birds On A Dynamic Evolutionary Map: Using Digital Tools To Update The Evolutionary Metaphor Of The "Tree Of Life", Sonia Stephens
Placing Birds On A Dynamic Evolutionary Map: Using Digital Tools To Update The Evolutionary Metaphor Of The "Tree Of Life", Sonia Stephens
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation describes and presents a new type of interactive visualization for communicating about evolutionary biology, the dynamic evolutionary map. This web-based tool utilizes a novel map-based metaphor to visualize evolution, rather than the traditional "tree of life." The dissertation begins with an analysis of the conceptual affordances of the traditional tree of life as the dominant metaphor for evolution. Next, theories from digital media, visualization, and cognitive science research are synthesized to support the assertion that digital media tools can extend the types of visual metaphors we use in science communication in order to overcome conceptual limitations of traditional …
The Next "Killer" Algae? Assessing And Mitigating Invasion Risk For Aquarium Strains Of The Marine Macroalgal Genus Chaetomorpha, Rachel Odom
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Biological invasions threaten the ecological integrity of natural ecosystems. Anthropogenic introductions of non-native species can displace native flora and fauna, altering community compositions and disrupting ecosystem services. One often-overlooked vector for such introductions is the release of aquarium organisms into aquatic ecosystems. Following detrimental aquarium-release invasions by the "killer alga" Caulerpa taxifolia, aquarium hobbyists and professions began promoting the use of other genera of macroalgae as "safe" alternatives. The most popular of these marine aquarium macroalgae, the genus Chaetomorpha, is analyzed here for invasion risk. Mitigation strategies are also evaluated. I found that the propensity for reproduction by vegetative fragmentation …
Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Act As A Unique Catalyst And Scavenge Nitric Oxide And Peroxynitrite And Decrease Rns In Vitro And In Vivo, Janet Dowding
Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Act As A Unique Catalyst And Scavenge Nitric Oxide And Peroxynitrite And Decrease Rns In Vitro And In Vivo, Janet Dowding
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs)(nanoceria) have been shown to possess a substantial oxygen storage capacity via the interchangeable surface reduction and oxidation of cerium atoms, cycling between the Ce4+ and Ce3+ redox states. Reduction of Ce4+ to Ce3+ causes oxygen vacancies or defects on the surface of the crystalline lattice structure of the particles, generating a cage for redox reactions to occur. The study of the chemical and biological properties of CeO2 NPs has expanded recently, and the methods used to synthesize these materials are also quite diverse. This has led to a plethora of studies describing various preparations of …
Conservation And Population Biology: Genetics, Demography And Habitat Requirements Of The Atlantic Coast Beach Mice, Haakon Myklevoll Kalkvik
Conservation And Population Biology: Genetics, Demography And Habitat Requirements Of The Atlantic Coast Beach Mice, Haakon Myklevoll Kalkvik
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The conservation biology field seeks to preserve biodiversity and the processes shaping that variation. Conservation biology is intimately tied to evolutionary research, in order to identify evolutionary distinct lineages that may be in danger of disappearing. Interestingly, patterns and processes of lineage divergence and persistence change with respect to spatial and temporal scale. I seek to evaluate biodiversity, the factors that have shaped this heterogeneity, and how this variability persists. To accomplish this I used a phylogeographic approach as well as niche and population modeling on the Peromyscus maniculatus species group found widely distributed in North America. My emphasis was …
Beyond Building A Tree: Phylogeny Of Pitvipers And Exploration Of Evolutionary Patterns, Allyson Fenwick
Beyond Building A Tree: Phylogeny Of Pitvipers And Exploration Of Evolutionary Patterns, Allyson Fenwick
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
As generic and higher-scale evolutionary relationships are increasingly well understood, systematists move research in two directions: 1) understanding specieslevel relationships with dense taxon sampling, and 2) evaluating evolutionary patterns using phylogeny. In this study I address both foci of systematic research using pitvipers, subfamily Crotalinae. For direction one, I evaluate the relationships of 96% of pitvipers by combining independent sets of molecular and phenotypic data. I find the inclusion of species with low numbers of informative characters (i.e. less than 100) negatively impacts resolution of the phylogeny, and the addition of independent datasets has no effect on or a small …
Amelioration Of Amyloid Burden In Advanced Human And Mouse Alzheimer's Disease Brains By Oral Delivery Of Myelin Basic Protein Bioencapsulated In Plant Cells, Neha Kohli
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
One of the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the amyloid plaque deposition in aging brains by aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides. In this study, the effect of chloroplast derived myelin basic protein (MBP) fused with cholera toxin subunit B (CTB) was investigated in advanced diseased stage of human and mouse AD brains. The CTB-fusion protein in chloroplasts facilitates transmucosal delivery in the gut by the natural binding ability of CTB pentameric form with GM1 receptors on the intestinal epithelium. Further, bioencapsulation of the MBP within plant cells confers protection from enzymes and acids in the digestive system. Here, …