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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Characterization Of A Membrane-Bound Insect Transferrin, Diana Najera
Characterization Of A Membrane-Bound Insect Transferrin, Diana Najera
Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference
Characterization of a Membrane-Bound Insect Transferrin
Diana G. Najera, Michelle E. Coca, Kayla E. Nutsch, and Maureen J. Gorman
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University
Transferrins are extracellular proteins that bind iron. Vertebrate transferrins have well-characterized roles in iron transport and immunity, but the functions of transferrins in most other animals are poorly understood. The goals of this study are to identify the functions of transferrin-3 (Tsf3) from Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), and to determine whether Tsf3 is conserved in other species of insects. Our experimental approach has been to predict important features of the protein, analyze …
Pilot Studies Of Two Possible Iron Uptake Mechanisms In Insect Cells, Michelle Coca
Pilot Studies Of Two Possible Iron Uptake Mechanisms In Insect Cells, Michelle Coca
Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference
Pilot Studies of Two Possible Iron Uptake Mechanisms in Insect Cells
Michelle E. Coca, Diana G. Najera, and Dr. Maureen J. Gorman
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
College of Arts and Sciences
Iron plays an important role in energy metabolism and other essential physiological processes; however, because iron can also be toxic, its uptake by cells must be strictly regulated. In humans, there is a well-understood pathway of iron uptake and multiple poorly understood pathways. How iron is transported into insect cells is unknown. The goal of this study was to test two models of iron uptake by cultured …
Boron Uptake In Salt Cedars Via Aquaporins, Alexcis Barnes
Boron Uptake In Salt Cedars Via Aquaporins, Alexcis Barnes
Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference
Salt Cedar (Tamarix) is a dicot plant highly tolerant to the chemical boron. This is interesting because for most plants boron is an essential yet toxic metalloid. Plants have a hard time excluding it. The goal of the project is to identify a potential protein sequence (order of amino acids forming a protein) for an aquaporin that allows the transport of boron, moving through a pore. In addition to selecting the sequences, a 3D model of the protein has been constructed to see how boron is entering the cells through the channels of these proteins. A dynamic model …