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West Virginia University

Theses/Dissertations

2001

Cellular biology

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Studies Of The Mammalian Ovarian Endothelin System, Marietta Felicidad Wright Dec 2001

Studies Of The Mammalian Ovarian Endothelin System, Marietta Felicidad Wright

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

In porcine ovaries, endothelin-1 (ET-1) may have an autocrine/paracrine role in follicular development. Endothelin-converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1) converts big endothelin-1 to ET-1. In situ hybridization was used to determine the ovarian compartment that synthesizes ECE-1. ECE-1 mRNA was detected in granulosa cells of large (10 mm) and medium (3 mm) antral follicles. This study, in conjunction with previous studies suggests a novel autocrine role of ET-1 as a possible local ovarian factor of follicular development. ET-1 may play a role during prostaglandin (PG) F2 alpha-induced luteal regression in the cow. Effects of PGF2 alpha treatment were examined during early and mid-luteal …


Effects Of Type-I Collagen Fractional Composition And Pyridinium Crosslink Content On Cortical Bone Strength In The Human Femur, Michael Blair Rice May 2001

Effects Of Type-I Collagen Fractional Composition And Pyridinium Crosslink Content On Cortical Bone Strength In The Human Femur, Michael Blair Rice

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Type-I collagen's role in the formation of bone and its inherent strength have been well documented by studies in genetic diseases such as Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Type-I collagen's role in healthy bone, and the changes that occur to collagen during aging, which may eventually lead to osteoporosis, is less understood. Changes that may occur include differences in collagen production and in its processing such as differences in glycosylation and the hydroxylation of specific amino acid residues. Changes in the reducible and non-reducible crosslink content, or changes in the ratio of crosslinks to total collagen may also occur. The present study investigated …


Identification, Localization And Metal-Catalyzed Induction Of Specific Metallothionein Isoforms Expressed By The Adult Human Lens, Brian Patrick Opperman May 2001

Identification, Localization And Metal-Catalyzed Induction Of Specific Metallothionein Isoforms Expressed By The Adult Human Lens, Brian Patrick Opperman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Purpose. Metallothioneins (MT s) are a large family of proteins involved in multiple protective pathways, including binding of toxic metals and oxidative stress. Previously we detected increased expression of MT IIA in age-related human cataractous lenses. As a first step towards defining the function of MTs in the lens, we sought to establish the expression patterns of those MT isoforms expressed by the adult human lens and identify those toxic heavy metal inducers of MT IIA. Conclusions. This data establishes the spectrum of MTs expressed by the human lens, defines their spatial expression patterns (mRNA and protein level) and establishes …


Functional Domain Contributions To Signaling Specificity Between The Non-Receptor Tyrosine Kinases C-Src And C-Yes, Justin Matthew Summy Jan 2001

Functional Domain Contributions To Signaling Specificity Between The Non-Receptor Tyrosine Kinases C-Src And C-Yes, Justin Matthew Summy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

c-Src and c-Yes are two widely expressed and highly homologous members of the Src family of non-receptor tyrosine kinases and are involved in a diverse range of cellular signaling pathways. They are frequently activated in human cancers, and thus represent potential targets for anti-tumor drug design. The high level of homology between these two kinases includes not only sequence similarity, but also overlapping regulation and function. Despite the redundancies between c-Src and c-Yes, however, specificity in signaling has been demonstrated between the two proteins. It was hypothesized in these studies that differences in the signaling capacities of c-Src and c-Yes …