Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
- Keyword
-
- Breast cancer (4)
- Glutamine (3)
- Brain (2)
- Metastasis (2)
- Sub-clones (2)
-
- 3D Learning (1)
- Aging brain (1)
- Alanine (1)
- Alpha-synuclein (1)
- Alzheimer's disease (1)
- Amyloid (1)
- Amyloid plaques (1)
- Amyloid-beta (1)
- Antioxidant (1)
- Antioxidants (1)
- Argumentation (1)
- Argumentative Task (1)
- Astrocytes (1)
- Athletics (1)
- BSA (1)
- Biochemistry (1)
- Biochemistry Education (1)
- Bone (1)
- Bone cancer (1)
- CSP1 (1)
- Cadherin (1)
- Calcium (1)
- Cancer (1)
- Cancer cells (1)
- Celiac (1)
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 20 of 20
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Breast Cancer Sub-Clones That Metastasize To Lung And Bone Exhibit Different Metabolic Preferences, Mollie Merrell
Breast Cancer Sub-Clones That Metastasize To Lung And Bone Exhibit Different Metabolic Preferences, Mollie Merrell
Honors Theses
Metastasis is responsible for the majority of cancer related deaths. In breast cancer the lungs and bones are the major sites for metastasis. Previous studies used the metastatic aggressive MDA-MB-231 breast cancer line to isolate sub-clones that preferentially invade the lungs (LM line) or bones (BoM line). While genes associated with the tissue specific metastasis have been identified, it is unknown if metabolic adaptations contribute to the growth of the LM and BoM lines in their respective organs. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that the LM and BoM lines exhibit differences in glucose and glutamine …
The Raphe-Hippocampal Tract And Its Age Differences: Diffusion Tensor Imaging And Probabilistic Tractography Study, Ashley Sekul
The Raphe-Hippocampal Tract And Its Age Differences: Diffusion Tensor Imaging And Probabilistic Tractography Study, Ashley Sekul
Honors Theses
The raphe-hippocampal tract links the raphe nuclei to the hippocampus and is responsible for the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin. The hippocampus is key in regulating emotional and stress responses. This study utilized diffusion tensor imaging which uses Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to provide scans of the brain for analyzing differences in the raphe-hippocampal tract as one ages. In this specific study, 491 samples were visually analyzed to gather data about the fractional anisotropy of the raphe nuclei in both male and female brains ranging from 6 to 85 years old. Through the ranking of images, some were discarded, and …
Glucose Metabolism Of Breast Cancer Sub-Clones That Preferentially Metastasize To The Lungs And Bone, Anna G. Skubiz
Glucose Metabolism Of Breast Cancer Sub-Clones That Preferentially Metastasize To The Lungs And Bone, Anna G. Skubiz
Honors Theses
Malignant breast cancers exhibit preferential metastasis to bone and lung (1). While changes in gene expression in lung-specific (LM) and bone-specific metastasis (BoM) lines derived from the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer line have been identified, few metabolic genes are differentially expressed; thus it is unknown if tissue-specific metabolic reprogramming occurs. Two hallmarks of cancer cells are an altered metabolic phenotype characterized by enhanced conversion of glucose to lactate in spite of adequate oxygen availability for complete mitochondrial oxidation of this substrate (referred to as aerobic glycolysis or the Warburg effect) and a greater dependence on glutamine. These changes in primary tumor …
The Effects Of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 (Igf-1) And Insulin-Like Growth Factor Receptor (Igfr) Regulation On Cognition And Structure Of Astrocytes, Sariya Khan
Honors Theses
Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a neuroendocrine signaling hormone that plays an integral role in bone and tissue growth and development. Inhibition of this hormone is known to disrupt the chemistry of the brain, resulting in cognitive impairments such as those seen in many common neurodegenerative diseases. While much research has been conducted on neurons and their relation with IGF-1, the role of astrocytes still needs to be explored. Our research investigates how astrocytes are affected as a result of IGF-1 regulation. Preliminary studies in our laboratory established a connection between IGF-1 and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and in …
Dimerization Of Neural Cadherin In The Presence Of Low Calcium, Kyler Pisciotta
Dimerization Of Neural Cadherin In The Presence Of Low Calcium, Kyler Pisciotta
Honors Theses
Cell-cell linkage is a necessity for proper tissue function and stability in many biological systems. One moiety that allows for the proper linking of cells to one another is a family of molecules known as cadherins. This family of proteins can be found within the membrane of many different types of cells and the extracellular portions of the cadherin proteins interact with those of other cells to link adjacent cells together via the formation of a dimer complex. The presence of calcium (Ca2+) is of crucial importance for the formation of this cadherin dimer. In this study, we …
Crystallization Efforts For An Engineered Nickel-Binding Protein, Gold-Bovine Serum Albumin Nanoclusters, And An Artificial De Novo Tetramer Hydrogenase Mimic, Skyler Crane
Honors Theses
Protein crystallization is fundamental to modern research efforts given its ability to determine a protein’s structure as well as the interactions that structure allows and relies upon. This process, though lacking direct application, provides necessary information for subsequent research efforts for which applicationsmay be explored. As such, efforts were taken to crystallize nickel-binding protein (NBP) reengineered from Copper Storage Protein 1 (Csp1) in its apo and metal bound form, Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) in its apo and gold bound form (Au-BSA), and an artificial de novo tetramer hydrogenase mimic peptide to better inform future research actions for these respective molecules. …
Intrinsic Buffer Hydroxyl Radical Dosimetry For Hydroxyl Radical Protein Footprinting, Addison Roush
Intrinsic Buffer Hydroxyl Radical Dosimetry For Hydroxyl Radical Protein Footprinting, Addison Roush
Honors Theses
Hydroxyl radical protein footprinting (HRPF) coupled to mass spectrometry is a powerful technique for the analysis of protein topography as it generates covalent mass labels that can survive downstream sample handling, and it is sensitive to the solvent accessibility of amino acid sidechains. Of the multiple platforms for HRPF, fast photochemical oxidation of proteins (FPOP) utilizes a pulsed 248 nm KrF excimer laser to label proteins by photolyzing hydrogen peroxide. FPOP is the most widely used HRPF platform because it labels proteins faster than unfolding can occur. Variations in FPOP sample conditions make it difficult to compare results between experiments …
Studies Of Salvinorin-Based Antagonists To Elucidate Pertinent Interactions For Kappa Opioid Receptor Antagonism, Madeline Keane
Studies Of Salvinorin-Based Antagonists To Elucidate Pertinent Interactions For Kappa Opioid Receptor Antagonism, Madeline Keane
Honors Theses
Opioid abuse, leading to addiction and related deaths, has created a chronic epidemic in the United States for the past 30 years. This crisis has sprung from reliance on the prescription of opioid analgesics as the primary method for the management of pain in the 1990s. At that time, these drugs, specifically Purdue Pharma’s OxyContin, were marketed as non-addictive. Due to this systemic minimization of the addictive properties of opioid analgesics, as prescription rates increased, opioid-related mortality rates climbed. This epidemic continues to be pervasive, as opioid-related overdose resulted in 47,600 deaths in 2017. In addition to the opioid epidemic, …
Cell Proliferation And Viability Inhibition By Resveratrol On Breast Cancer Cell Lines, Kyle Ford Gordon Jr
Cell Proliferation And Viability Inhibition By Resveratrol On Breast Cancer Cell Lines, Kyle Ford Gordon Jr
Honors Theses
Antioxidants are well-known for their various health benefits. They are able to protect cells from being damaged by free radicals that are produced by vital biochemical processes. It has long been known that antioxidants are important in our everyday health, but their potential as disease preventers and potential therapeutic agents is a relatively new field of study. Resveratrol, a natural polyphenol and well-known antioxidant, is found in plants, fruits, and products derived from them, like red wine. Resveratrol has been shown to have various properties, including antiaging, anti-aggregation of platelets, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities. Because of their many health benefits, …
The Effects Of Largazole, A Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor, On Breast Cancer Cell Viability And Metastasis, Hannah Mccowan
The Effects Of Largazole, A Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor, On Breast Cancer Cell Viability And Metastasis, Hannah Mccowan
Honors Theses
Histone deacetylase enzymes modify epigenetic characteristics of a genome by removing acetyl groups from histone proteins in chromatin. Histone deacetylase inhibitors work by stopping this activity which can have various results in a cell including apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, differentiation, and migration. The purpose of these experiments was to see how largazole, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, affected cell viability for breast cancer and associated metastatic cell lines in both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. The experiment was completed by setting up two 96-well plates with varying concentrations of largazole and conducting a sulforhodamine viability assay. The specific cell lines used in …
A Study Of The Antioxidant Versus Pro-Oxidant Nature Of The Amyloid Beta Peptide And An Analysis Of The Natural Products, Isorhamnetin And Narignenin, As Antioxidants, Kaylee Holmes
Honors Theses
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder with no cure. Due to the widespread effects of this disease, abundant research efforts have gone towards finding a cure. The amyloid beta (Ab) peptide has been shown to be a potential cause of the disease due to destructive effects on tissues that it can have both by itself and through reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. This study was performed in order to assess the structural properties of Ab42monomers, fibrils and oligomers, to assess the antioxidant versus pro-oxidant behavior of the Ab peptide, and to assess the antioxidant nature of the natural …
Characterization Of A Split-Nluc Assay For Monitoring Changes In Alpha-Synuclein Solubility In Living Cells, Baolong Truong
Characterization Of A Split-Nluc Assay For Monitoring Changes In Alpha-Synuclein Solubility In Living Cells, Baolong Truong
Honors Theses
Alpha-synuclein is the primary constituent of Lewy Bodies, protein aggregates associated with Parkinson’s Disease, Dementia with Lewy Bodies, and Multiple Systems Dystrophy. Given the terminal nature of these synucleinopathies, the need for an assay that can report on alpha-synuclein aggregation levels in living systems is critical. Western blotting represents one potential approach to this problem; however, this technique can often be limited by selectivity of available antibodies and experimental reproducibility. Herein, we describe a novel luminescence-based assay capable of detecting alpha-synuclein solubility in bacterial cells. This platform can report on the influence of disease-relevant mutations and small molecules. Antibodies are …
Synthesis Of Novel Temozolomide-Fatty Acid Imide Hybrid Compounds For The Chemotherapeutic Treatment Of Glioblastoma Multiforme, Janice Pakkianathan
Synthesis Of Novel Temozolomide-Fatty Acid Imide Hybrid Compounds For The Chemotherapeutic Treatment Of Glioblastoma Multiforme, Janice Pakkianathan
Honors Theses
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive form of brain cancer that originates from glial cells, which make up the supportive tissue surrounding neurons. Temozolomide (TMZ) is the current chemotherapeutic drug administered to treat GBM as it works to inhibit the growth of the cancer cells. This research study focused on developing a method for synthesizing novel hybrid compounds that combines TMZ with various fatty acids known to have anticancer properties, forming a series of imide compounds with potential chemotherapeutic effects. Before synthesizing the compounds, various methods for synthesizing an imide from a primary amide were tested to ensure that TMZ …
The Effects Of Transgenic Alterations Of Bicarbonate-Utilizing Enzymes In Escherichia Coli On The Activity Of Acetyl-Coa Carboxylase, Aniko Alicia Nowakowski
The Effects Of Transgenic Alterations Of Bicarbonate-Utilizing Enzymes In Escherichia Coli On The Activity Of Acetyl-Coa Carboxylase, Aniko Alicia Nowakowski
Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
Understanding How Human Lipoxygenases Bind Molecular Oxygen And Arachidonic Acid Substrate, Austin Paul Primeaux
Understanding How Human Lipoxygenases Bind Molecular Oxygen And Arachidonic Acid Substrate, Austin Paul Primeaux
Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
Development And Implementation Of A Biochemistry Argumentation Task To Promote Scientific Literacy Among Undergraduate Students, Lukas Hall
Honors Theses
Science education reform efforts at the postsecondary level have been lacking regardless of meaningful reform at the K-12 level. Of these reforms, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) serve to reframe effective science teaching and learning as three-dimensional (3D). That is, 3D instruction integrates core disciplinary ideas, cross-cutting concepts, and science practices to support students’ science learning. There have been calls to extend this 3D model to the postsecondary level. The purpose of this study was to design, implement, and evaluate a 3D task in a university-level biochemistry course. The task was implemented as a homework assignment to 107 students …
Application Of Β-Chloroenals: One-Pot Syntheses To Create Highly Variable, Functional, And Biologically Interesting Molecules, Julia Powell Siewert
Application Of Β-Chloroenals: One-Pot Syntheses To Create Highly Variable, Functional, And Biologically Interesting Molecules, Julia Powell Siewert
Honors Theses
Pyrroles and pyrazoles are privileged structures which provide a molecular framework found in many different classes of bioactive compounds, thus rendering their syntheses useful in pharmaceutical drug development. Additionally, being able to selectively create these molecules with interesting substituents allows for different pharmacological and biological activities, such as antitumor and antibiotic effects. Our group has used β-chloroenals in the application of many different unique synthetic strategies in the past, and here I show that chloroenals can be used to synthesize novel 1,2,5 trisubstituted pyrroles as well as 1,5 di- and 1,4,5 trisubstituted pyrazoles in fewer steps and with milder conditions …
The Effects Of Signaling Molecules To Agrobacterium Tumefaciens Tumorigenesis At Plant Wound Sites, Nicole Walker
The Effects Of Signaling Molecules To Agrobacterium Tumefaciens Tumorigenesis At Plant Wound Sites, Nicole Walker
Honors Theses
Agrobacterium tumefaciens can live independently within soil before infecting its host (McCullen and Binns, 2006). The bacterium infects the plant through the rhizosphere, an area of soil along the plant root surface which contains microorganisms, making up the “external metabolome” (Bais et al. 2006). As these bacteria live in the rhizosphere, they are exposed to a multitude of chemical signals. These chemical signals include several conditions that must be met before the virulence machinery is expressed. These conditions include signaling from phenols and sugars as well as low PO4 levels and low pH. Upon wounding, sugars and phenols are released …
Identifying Metabolites As Markers Of Fatigue In Athletes, Christopher D. George
Identifying Metabolites As Markers Of Fatigue In Athletes, Christopher D. George
Honors Theses
Fatigue in athletes caused by inadequate rest and other stressors can be severely detrimental to their health, and yet there is no reliable way to measure and track fatigue. Many classical measures of fatigue like body mass and resting heart rate are not reliable ways to track the physical fatigue of an athlete because they can change with many factors. In addition, it is not known how academic stress on top of physical stress affects fatigue. Metabolomics is a relatively new area of study and tracking metabolites offers the possibility to produce biomarkers to assess fatigue. This study collected saliva …
Evaluating A Culprit: A Review Of The Biochemical Mechanisms Of Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance, Callie Cinque
Evaluating A Culprit: A Review Of The Biochemical Mechanisms Of Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance, Callie Cinque
Honors Theses
Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance (NCGI) has evaded biological and chemical mechanisms since it was first reported in 1978. Celiac Disease, a multi-system immune mediated disorder has long served as the most similar counterpart to NCGI. Less cases of celiac disease are going undiagnosed reflecting an improvement on sensitive and decisive diagnostic tools. However, NCGI has been significantly growing as a diagnosis over the past decade with little match or similarity to the markers found in celiac disease patients. Critical evaluation of NCGI theories, experimentation, and existing hypotheses is necessary. This review seeks to synthesize multiple disciplines of gluten research and enhance …