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Full-Text Articles in Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering
Engineered Switch Protein Inspired By Novel Protein Affinity Transition Mode, Liang Fang
Engineered Switch Protein Inspired By Novel Protein Affinity Transition Mode, Liang Fang
Doctoral Dissertations
Many natural proteins involved in complex biological processes such as ligand binding and protein folding demonstrate multiple, allosterically-regulated conformational states, with protein activity regulated by effector molecules. The alpha L integrin and its inserted domain (I domain) is one example of such a protein. The binding of the effector molecule such as talin or filamin to the cytoplasmic domain of the integrin increases the binding affinity between I- domain and its ligand intercellular adhesion molecule-1, known as ICAM-1.There are multiple models attempting to describe the mechanism responsible for the change in binding affinity. According to research conducted by our lab, …
Extracellular Matrix Control Of Breast Cancer Metastasis And Dormancy, Lauren Barney
Extracellular Matrix Control Of Breast Cancer Metastasis And Dormancy, Lauren Barney
Doctoral Dissertations
To metastasize, a cell must travel through circulation to a secondary tissue, and this process causes 90% of all cancer deaths. Although inefficient, metastasis is not random, and only capable seeds in hospitable soils are capable of outgrowing into detectable metastases. The overall hypothesis in this work is that the secondary tissue microenvironment, particularly the extracellular matrix (ECM), mediates metastasis. We posit that the ability of metastatic cells to survive dormancy, exit quiescence, and colonize a tissue depends upon the ability of the soil to sustain survival, and subsequently trigger outgrowth. We created a simple biomaterial platform with systematic control …