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Investigating The Epigenetic Mechanisms Regulating Gene Expression And Dna Methylation In Rainbow Trout And Zebrafish, Khalid Walid Freij Jan 2023

Investigating The Epigenetic Mechanisms Regulating Gene Expression And Dna Methylation In Rainbow Trout And Zebrafish, Khalid Walid Freij

All ETDs from UAB

With the expansion of the aquaculture industry, sustainable shifts in aquaculture must be made to access nutrients essential to human health in response to a decline in marine resources for aquafeeds. Along with shifts in aquafeed composition, selective breeding programs aid in enhancing production-related traits, like growth and feed efficiency, and disease resistance to improve overall profits. Dietary components are important in relation to the growth and metabolism of fishes. Recent research has focused on the benefits of micronutrient supplementation (e.g., choline, methionine, selenium, etc.) on growth performance in fishes. Rainbow trout are a commercially important aquaculture species in the …


Predictive Modeling Of Ocular Surface Disease States Using Multiple Inflammatory Biomarkers, John L. Bradley Jan 2015

Predictive Modeling Of Ocular Surface Disease States Using Multiple Inflammatory Biomarkers, John L. Bradley

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT Purpose The aim of this study was to adapt conjunctival impression cytology (CIC) and RNA isolation and processing procedures for gene expression analysis of ocular surface inflammatory biomarkers. The RNA yield and quality should be sufficient to enable quantitative real-time PCR of no less than 12 key target genes, with the goal of differentiating among dry eye groups. This study used the optimized inflammatory biomarker gene expression assay in a patient study to identify differences between dry eye and control participants. Materials and Methods CIC was used to collect conjunctival surface cells from 53 qualifying dry eye and control …


Defining The Role Of Trps1 In Phosphate Mediated Mineralization, Maria Kuzynski Jan 2015

Defining The Role Of Trps1 In Phosphate Mediated Mineralization, Maria Kuzynski

All ETDs from UAB

Mineralization is a tightly controlled bi-phasic process that occurs when crystals of calcium and phosphate (Pi) are laid down within the extracellular matrix. However, the molecular networks regulating the initiation and progression of this process have not been well characterized. Pi, as one of the components of mineral crystals and a signaling molecule that regulates expression of mineralization-related genes, is essential to the mineralization process. In our studies, we discovered a novel function for Pi in this process: Pi is sufficient to induce secretion of matrix vesicles, which support the initiation of mineralization. Furthermore, we determined that this induction is …


Gene Expression Signatures In Tree Shrew Sclera In Different Visual Conditions, Lin Guo Jan 2014

Gene Expression Signatures In Tree Shrew Sclera In Different Visual Conditions, Lin Guo

All ETDs from UAB

The sclera is a target tissue that receives signals that are initiated in the retina, cascade through retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and choroid, and cause scleral extra cellular matrix remodeling. Biomechanical alterations of the sclera are produced by these biochemical changes, and in turn control the axial length of the eye. This dissertation project examined scleral gene expression changes in mRNA level of juvenile tree shrews. Three specific aims were investigated: specific aim one tested the hypothesis that three different GO visual conditions that all produce axial elongation and myopia: minus-lens wear, form deprivation, and continuous darkness, will produce similar …


Gene Expression Signatures In Tree Shrew Retina, Rpe, And Choroid During Experimental Myopia And Recovery, Li He Jan 2014

Gene Expression Signatures In Tree Shrew Retina, Rpe, And Choroid During Experimental Myopia And Recovery, Li He

All ETDs from UAB

During the development of induced myopia and recovery, the emmetropization mechanism is stimulated to modulate ocular growth. Emmetropization signals originate in the retina, are transmitted and transformed by retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and choroid, and reach sclera to induce tissue remodeling. Induced myopia occurs in response to myopiagenic stimuli - minus lens, form deprivation, and darkness - (three GO conditions) which increase ocular elongation; recovery from lens-induced myopia (STOP) occurs when minus-lens wear is discontinued after complete compensation, slowing ocular elongation. This dissertation examined gene expression signatures in the retina, RPE, and choroid under GO and STOP conditions to examine …


Molecular Profiling In Cervical Carcinogenesis And Progression, Kathryn Elizabeth Royse Jan 2014

Molecular Profiling In Cervical Carcinogenesis And Progression, Kathryn Elizabeth Royse

All ETDs from UAB

Coexisting lesions can reduce genomic heterogeneity in precancer progression analysis by reducing variation and bias that can mask gene effects. Our goal was to use novel methodologies to depict the neoplastic stage effect (Normal v. LSIL v. HSIL) in cervical precancer. We analyzed the neoplastic stage effect via in silico and in vivo methodologies. For in silico analyses, we calculated differential expression (DE) estimates from a systematic review of DNA methylation and gene expression literature. Significant genes (FC≤2.0 or p-value≥0.05) were grouped by histology for pathway analysis. For in vivo analyses, we performed RNA-seq on microdissected FFPE coexisting cervical tissue …


Intrinsic Properties Of Rna Polymerase I And Trans-Acting Factors Control Transcription Elongation Efficiency, Olga V. Viktorovskaya Jan 2013

Intrinsic Properties Of Rna Polymerase I And Trans-Acting Factors Control Transcription Elongation Efficiency, Olga V. Viktorovskaya

All ETDs from UAB

Transcription of ribosomal (r) DNA by RNA polymerase I (Pol I) is the initial step of ribosome synthesis. Pol I transcription is unique in its high rate of initiation, specific organization within the nucleolus and tight connection to cell growth and proliferation. Moreover, transcription elongation by Pol I is functionally coupled with rRNA processing and assembly of the ribosomes. Regulatory insights into transcription elongation by Pol I and its interface with rRNA processing are limited, despite decades of research. To fulfill that gap, we asked several important questions: Do the obvious functional divergences between Pol I and other eukaryotic polymerases …


Patterns Of Differential Mrna And Protein Expression During Minus Lens Compensation And Recovery In Tree Shrew Sclera, Hong Gao Jan 2009

Patterns Of Differential Mrna And Protein Expression During Minus Lens Compensation And Recovery In Tree Shrew Sclera, Hong Gao

All ETDs from UAB

During the juvenile period of human development, an emmetropization mechanism uses visual signals to precisely guide the axial length elongation rate of the eyes to the optical power to keep the images in sharp focus. However, almost a third of the U.S. population develops axial myopia, in which the eye is elongated relative to the focal plane. The aims of the study were to examine 27 genes and 6 proteins in tree shrew sclera for potential differential expression patterns during minus lens compensation and dur-ing recovery. The study hypothesized that, in response to hyperopia produced by a -5 D lens, …