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Characterizing The Roles Of Nuclear Proteins Dbc1, G9a, And Glp In Adipocyte Function And Metabolic Health, Ashley Ann Able Oct 2019

Characterizing The Roles Of Nuclear Proteins Dbc1, G9a, And Glp In Adipocyte Function And Metabolic Health, Ashley Ann Able

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Obesity is a metabolic disorder characterized by excess energy storage in adipose tissue and it increases the risk for Type 2 diabetes. Impaired or altered adipocyte function during obesity can contribute to metabolic dysfunction. DBC1 (deleted in breast cancer 1) and EHMTs 1 and 2 (euchromatic histone lysine methyltransferases 1 and 2) have been shown to have a role in fat cell development and function. DBC1 is typically localized in the nucleus and can regulate a variety of epigenetic modifiers, transcription factors, and nuclear receptors. EHMTs 1 and 2, also known respectively as GLP and G9a, were initially classified as …


Studies On Development Of End Rot In Sweetpotato, Ratchanee Pattaravayo Jan 2016

Studies On Development Of End Rot In Sweetpotato, Ratchanee Pattaravayo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

End rot development in sweetpotato is caused by several pathogens and exacerbated by unfavorable environments. A critical need exists to know what factors in the environment trigger end rot development and how to manage the crop to minimize the incidence of end rots which are the overall objectives of this study. This research was divided into three studies: 1) Effect of environmental factors on expression of end rot in sweetpotato roots. Factorial combinations consisted of flooding/non-flooding; skinned/non-skinned; cured/non-cured; recommended storage/ambient storage are environmental variables not tested previously together in a systematic way. Results showed that curing at 29oC and 85-90% …


Extraction And Biochemical Characterization Of Alligator Mississippiensis Glycosaminoglycans And An Ex-Vivo Murine Pilot Study To Test Their Potential Effect On A Selected Panel Of Genes Associated With Cystic Fibrosis, Jose Daniel Estrada Andino Jan 2016

Extraction And Biochemical Characterization Of Alligator Mississippiensis Glycosaminoglycans And An Ex-Vivo Murine Pilot Study To Test Their Potential Effect On A Selected Panel Of Genes Associated With Cystic Fibrosis, Jose Daniel Estrada Andino

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder with a median survival age of 40.7 years. Chronic airway inflammation and dehydration are critical features of CF. The size and structure-dependent hydration and anti-inflammatory properties of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) such as hyaluronic acid (HA) may help ameliorate these symptoms. The GAGs contained in farmed Alligator mississippiensis by-products offer a potential to improve waste management practices and increase revenue in the alligator industry, through their development for use in biomedical applications. This study aimed to efficiently extract and characterize GAGs from alligator carcasses (ACS), backstraps (ABS), feet (AFT) and eyeballs (AEB), to evaluate their …


Role Of An Adenylyl Cyclase Isoform In Alcohol's Effect On Cyclic Amp Regulated Gene Expression In Mammalian Cells, Rebecca Ann Hill Jan 2016

Role Of An Adenylyl Cyclase Isoform In Alcohol's Effect On Cyclic Amp Regulated Gene Expression In Mammalian Cells, Rebecca Ann Hill

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research suggests that the cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling pathway including CREB-CRE regulated expression of various genes is implicated in the predisposition to and development of alcoholism in humans. Alcohol also induces changes in inflammatory and immune responses; these changes increase the incidence of pneumonias and other infections, which can negatively affect recovery from infections. Cyclic AMP (cAMP) is known for its immunosuppressive effects and is also required for proper development of the immune system. Previous work in our laboratory has demonstrated that ethanol enhances the activity of adenylyl cyclase (AC) in an isoform-specific manner; type 7 AC (AC7) is most …


Genetics Of Resistance To Aflatoxin Accumulation In Corn (Zea Mays), Ramesh Dhakal Jan 2015

Genetics Of Resistance To Aflatoxin Accumulation In Corn (Zea Mays), Ramesh Dhakal

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Aflatoxin accumulation in corn continues to be a major problem in all southeastern corn growing states. Development of resistant inbreds and hybrids is a sustainable approach to reduce aflatoxin contamination. Mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance to Aspergillus flavus infection and aflatoxin accumulation in maize and developing markers associated with them can be helpful to speed up the breeding program. An F2:3 mapping population developed from the cross between Mp715 and B73 and a genetic linkage map was constructed using 136 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers spanning the whole genome. QTL for aflatoxin resistance were identified in both …


Vibrio Parahaemolyticus Interactions With Chitin In Response To Environmental Factors, Vanessa Molina Jan 2013

Vibrio Parahaemolyticus Interactions With Chitin In Response To Environmental Factors, Vanessa Molina

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a naturally occurring chitinoclastic human pathogen that adsorbs to substrates, including chitinous copepods and oysters, as part of its ecology, a phenomenon that is important in its responses to changes in environmental factors such as temperature and salinity. Little is known about acute responses of V. parahaemolyticus when subjected to abrupt environmental changes such as those encountered during postharvest oyster treatments such as icing, exposure to mammalian host conditions, and transport via ballast water. The following in vitro studies investigated V. parahaemolyticus adsorption and gene expression as a function of substrate, temperature, and salinity as a model …


Ecological Genomics Of High Altitude Adaptation In Rufous-Collared Sparrows (Zonotrichia Capensis), Zachary A. Cheviron Jan 2008

Ecological Genomics Of High Altitude Adaptation In Rufous-Collared Sparrows (Zonotrichia Capensis), Zachary A. Cheviron

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Adaptation is among the most prominent subjects in evolutionary biology. Despite its ubiquity in nature, many details of how adaptation occurs in natural populations remain poorly understood. Of particular interest are the genes and biochemical pathways that underlie adaptive phenotypes and how plasticity in these systems contributes to adaptive evolution. In this dissertation, I address these questions by investigating the molecular genetic basis of high-altitude adaptation in the Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis), a species with a broad altitudinal distribution in the Andes. First, I examined the role that variable selection pressures along elevational gradients play in the population genetic structure …


Molecular Diversity And Coat Protein Expression Of Sweet Potato Leaf Curl Virus, Dina Lida Gutierrez Reynoso Jan 2008

Molecular Diversity And Coat Protein Expression Of Sweet Potato Leaf Curl Virus, Dina Lida Gutierrez Reynoso

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Leaf curl virus diseases have been reported in sweetpotato throughout the world. One of the causal agents is Sweet potato leaf curl virus (SPLCV) which belongs to the genus Begomovirus (family Geminiviridae). In the United States, SPLCV has been found infecting an ornamental sweetpotato and several breeding lines but not in sweetpotatoes grown for commercial production. SPLCV does not cause symptoms on Beauregard, the predominant sweetpotato cultivar in the US, but it can reduce its yield. Since SPLCV could become an important constraint for sweetpotato production; diagnosis, identification, and characterization are essential steps to develop an effective management program. The …


Metabolism And Gene Expression During Diapause In Athropods, Julie Annette Reynolds Jan 2007

Metabolism And Gene Expression During Diapause In Athropods, Julie Annette Reynolds

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Arthropods may enter diapause to escape environmental insult. Diapause is an endogenously controlled dormant state defined by developmental arrest and species-specific physiological changes (e.g., metabolic depression and upregulation of compounds that protect cell structure and function). Although physiological changes have been documented for a number of species in diapause, biochemical and molecular regulation of diapause remains largely unexplained. Aerobic metabolism in diapause, Artemia franciscana, embryos is reduced up to 92 % compared with post-diapause embryos. Differences in isolated mitochondria are insufficient to account for respiratory depression because mitochondria in diapause embryos are structurally similar to mitochondria in post-diapause embryos. Respiratory …


Substrate Utilization In Skeletal Muscle And Adipose Tissue, Lauren M. Sparks Jan 2006

Substrate Utilization In Skeletal Muscle And Adipose Tissue, Lauren M. Sparks

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Obesity and Type 2 diabetes are associated with high fat diet (HFD), reduced mitochondrial mass and function and insulin resistance as characterized by glucose disposal and relative to body fatness. We hypothesized that (a) HFD affects expression of genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and function, (b) carbohydrate metabolism and storage is under transcriptional control and (c) both overall fatness and characteristics of adipose tissue influence the interplay between free fatty acids (FFAs) and insulin-stimulated glucose disposal. To test hypotheses “a” and “b”, we fed 10 insulin-sensitive males an isoenergetic HFD for 3 days with muscle biopsies before and after intervention. …


Voluntary Exercise In The C57b1/6j Mouse: Phenotypic Effects Of Varying Dietary Fat Levels And Hippocampal Gene Expression Differences Between High-Level And Low-Level Exercisers, Leslie Debardeleben Mclaughlin Jan 2005

Voluntary Exercise In The C57b1/6j Mouse: Phenotypic Effects Of Varying Dietary Fat Levels And Hippocampal Gene Expression Differences Between High-Level And Low-Level Exercisers, Leslie Debardeleben Mclaughlin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The drive to exercise voluntarily likely results from complex interactions between genes in many organ systems and various psychological parameters, such as motivation and the perception of fatigue. Reproducible variations in exercise intensity and duration are well established in laboratory rodents, but the genes responsible remain largely unknown. Also, to date, studies addressing the adaptive changes to exercise that might prevent dietary-induced obesity have focused primarily on energy intake and nutrient oxidation/partitioning, as opposed to genetics. We hypothesize that increased voluntary physical activity may be a normal mechanism in certain rodent strains to deter dietary-induced obesity and that in an …