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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
O-Glcnac Post Translational Modification Of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (Hif) Proteins, Hailey Elisabeth Grisham
O-Glcnac Post Translational Modification Of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (Hif) Proteins, Hailey Elisabeth Grisham
Honors Theses
O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) post-translational modification (O- GlcNAcylation), plays a vital role in many metabolic pathways, including those of numerous diseases. New research methods and basic functional roles of O-GlcNAc post- translational modification on metabolism, human health, and cancer are quickly developing, but a vast amount of research remains on the specificity of this pathway towards specific proteins. In this study, T47D breast cancer cells were used as an in vitro model to investigate the effects of O-GlcNAc modification on hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) proteins.
Targeting Metastatic Breast Cancer With Statin Drugs And Coq10, Jacob Thrasher
Targeting Metastatic Breast Cancer With Statin Drugs And Coq10, Jacob Thrasher
Honors Theses
Statin drugs are commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol levels in patients, but recently statins have been under investigation as a potential anti-cancer drug. Statins are HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors and subsequently inhibit the mevalonate pathway and cholesterol synthesis. Since cholesterol trafficking is vital in the growth and metastasis of cancer, statin drugs are being studied to explore their effects on cancer cells. CoQ10, one of the products from the mevalonate pathway, also has shown some potential anti-cancer properties, but its use to combat cancer is controversial. While some studies have shown that CoQ10 supplements can be synergistic with other cancer treatment …
Cm-Dii And Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cell Responses To Chemotherapeutic Agents, Ashten M.C. Anderson
Cm-Dii And Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cell Responses To Chemotherapeutic Agents, Ashten M.C. Anderson
Honors Theses
CM-DiI is a lipophilic, red fluorescent dye used for staining and tracking the migration of cells. CM-DiI makes it possible to visualize cells in histological regions and can therefore be very useful for the tracking of cancer cell proliferation and metastasis in vivo. The ability to track and quantitate cancer cell proliferation in vivo is essential for cancer drug discovery. If CM-DiI labeled cancer cells respond to chemotherapy agents similar to unlabeled cancer cells, it facilitates screening of potential anti-cancer compounds using CM-DiI labeled cells in a xenotransplanted, transgenic zebrafish model (Danio rerio). To investigate whether CM-DiI labeling would affect …
Inhibition Of Blood Coagulation Factor Xii: Evaluation Of Flavonoids As A Drug Candidate, Betsy Crosswhite
Inhibition Of Blood Coagulation Factor Xii: Evaluation Of Flavonoids As A Drug Candidate, Betsy Crosswhite
Honors Theses
This study investigated natural product inhibitors of blood coagulation Factor XII (FXII). FXII initiates the Kallikrein Kinin-System (KKS) within the intrinsic coagulation pathway. Increased expression of this system leads to proinflammatory and procoagulant activities. Inflammation occurs through downstream activation in the KKS. Following the activation of FXII-dependent pathway, bradykinin (BK) binds to the BK receptor 2 (B2) and produces inflammatory signaling. Abnormally increased BK can result in life threatening Hereditary Angioedema (HAE), characterized by severe reoccurring swelling. FXII is critical for pathogenic thrombosis, but is dispensable for hemostasis. This unique property of FXII makes it an attractive drug target. We …
Effects Of Predation On The Biochemical Constituents Of The Bleached Soft Coral Sinularia Polydactyla, Carley Elizabeth Cole
Effects Of Predation On The Biochemical Constituents Of The Bleached Soft Coral Sinularia Polydactyla, Carley Elizabeth Cole
Honors Theses
Climate change can indirectly affect the level of predation on soft corals. As sea temperatures rise, more and more bleaching events are occurring, which can affect the production of chemical defenses and the concentrations of the biochemical constituents that make up the soft corals. These changes may make the soft corals more attractive to predators. This phenomenon is suggested by the environmental stress theory (EST), which states that under stressful conditions, more of an organism's energy is allocated to survival rather than to other factors, such as reproduction or predator deterrence. To test the effect of predation on already bleached …
Technique For The Synthesis Of Difluorinated Organic Molecules Using Magnesium Bases, Cassidy S. Baldwin
Technique For The Synthesis Of Difluorinated Organic Molecules Using Magnesium Bases, Cassidy S. Baldwin
Honors Theses
The presence of fluorine in organic molecules can confer biological advantages which are often exploited in drug development. For example, fluorine has been shown to limit drug metabolism and enhance drug distribution. However, the development of fluorinated pharmaceutics poses synthetic challenges. These challenges are especially pronounced when developing molecules with a difluoromethyl group. One difluoromethyl functional group of particular interest is the α,α-difluoro-β-amino carbonyl group, which has been seen in potential drug leads. The previous methods of accessing this group are inefficient and complex. The goal of this project was to develop a new technique to access this group by …
Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Ii Activity And Expression In The Aged Mouse Hippocampus, James Mitchum
Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Ii Activity And Expression In The Aged Mouse Hippocampus, James Mitchum
Honors Theses
CaM Kinase II (Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II) is a serine/threonine-specific protein kinase enzyme that acts as a critical regulator of learning and memory. It has previously been shown that the inability of CaMKII to maintain activation is connected to memory deficits within the aging brain. While the connection between CaMKII dysfunction and learning and memory impairments is well established, little is known about the changes that cause CaMKII dysfunction. Our research set out to investigate if CaMKII is altered during the process of aging. Specifically, we looked at activity, regulation, and stability by conducting experiments to quantify CaMKII levels of …
Perceptions Regarding Concussions In Collegiate Football At The University Of Mississippi, Madison Frerker
Perceptions Regarding Concussions In Collegiate Football At The University Of Mississippi, Madison Frerker
Honors Theses
Concussions are a form of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) that can occur from any force to the head or body that causes the brain to move within the skull. Concussions are common in the sport of football due to the highly physical nature of the sport, and injured athletes can experience a wide array of symptoms. Like other players participating with powerhouse football programs, those at the University of Mississippi are at risk of concussion throughout their collegiate career. Whether players and fans perceive the risks of concussion equally has not been previously studied. Considering the passionate history of …
Design And Synthesis Of Novel Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators, Mary Paige Thrash
Design And Synthesis Of Novel Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators, Mary Paige Thrash
Honors Theses
Cannabinoid (CB) receptors are validated drug targets in the endocannabinoid signaling system associated with a number of human pathologies, and the development of novel and selective small molecule CB ligands is warranted. A lead molecule HL-010, a member of the 4H-thieno[3,2-b]pyrrole-5-carboxamide class of compounds, was previously identified through CB homology modeling and virtual screening protocols as a potential high affinity ligand for cannabinoid receptors. Validation of the in silico data was realized with the evaluation of both CB1 and CB2 receptor binding and functional activity assessment: HL-010 was found to be a potent (~10 nM) and selective CB2 receptor agonist …
Cardiolipin Profiling In Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells, Meghan Houston Mcneely
Cardiolipin Profiling In Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells, Meghan Houston Mcneely
Honors Theses
Six human breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, LM, BoM, T47D, MCF7, and MCF7-BoM) were treated with three differentially targeted phospholipase inhibitors (bromoenol lactone, tricyclodecan-9-yl-xanthogenate, and halopemide) as well as various dietary oils (canola oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, sesame oil, and soybean oil). Cell viability assays were performed to examine the effects of each inhibitor and oil in varying concentrations on the proliferation of each breast cancer cell line. The goal was to detect changes in cardiolipin concentration within each cell line after exposure to a series of various phospholipase inhibitors and oils. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was …
Neurotoxicity Of Asimina Triloba, Myriam Sanders
Neurotoxicity Of Asimina Triloba, Myriam Sanders
Honors Theses
Neurodegenerative diseases are thought to be brought on by genetic and environmental factors including exposure to compounds and extracts found in plants. Many substances extracted from plants have been shown to induce cell death in neurons. This experiment tests different plant compounds to determine if they induce death in neurons in cell culture. In particular, we focused on extracts and compound from the Asimina Triloba plant- a plant that had anecdotally been connected with Parkinson's Disease-like effects. Cultured neurons were treated with increasing concentrations of the compounds and extracts. Twenty-four hours after treatment, viability was assessed. Results show that while …
Development Of A Scn1a Null Zebrafish Model For Screening Potential Anti-Epileptic Natural Products, Patricia Ann Lipson
Development Of A Scn1a Null Zebrafish Model For Screening Potential Anti-Epileptic Natural Products, Patricia Ann Lipson
Honors Theses
Epilepsy affects around 50 million people in the world. Thus, it is imperative that new more effective and safe treatments be found. This study was designed to use zebrafish to screen potential anti-epileptic natural products. We utilized two scn1Lab null zebrafish models (morpholino-injected fish where scn1Lab was transiently knocked down and a transgenic scn1Lab -/- fish line). Alternatively, we used AB wildtype fish to test compounds in a chemically-induced seizure model. Natural compounds including cannabidiol, CBD, and Tapinanthus globiferous, TG, extracts were screened for their anti-seizure activity. When scn1Lab -/- fish were treated with CBD (0.075 and 0.3 mg/L) from …