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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Type Ix Secretion System : Characterization Of An Effector Protein And An Insight Into The Role Of C-Terminal Domain Dimeration In Outer Membrane Translocation., Lahari Koneru Dec 2017

Type Ix Secretion System : Characterization Of An Effector Protein And An Insight Into The Role Of C-Terminal Domain Dimeration In Outer Membrane Translocation., Lahari Koneru

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia are two of the primary pathogens that are associated in the etiology and progression of chronic periodontitis. In T. forsythia, KLIKK proteases are the recently identified group of proteolytic enzymes that are secreted through Type IX secretion system (T9SS). Among, these KLIKK proteases a synergistic relationship was observed between karilysin and mirolysin in invading the host complement system for the survival of the bacteria. Since, karilysin has been already characterized, in this study we propose to study about mirolysin through structural, biochemical and biological characterization. The obtained results from the experiments has shown the …


The Dlk1-Meg3 Locus In Malignant Cells Of Proposed Primordial Germ Cell Origins., Zachariah Payne Sellers Aug 2017

The Dlk1-Meg3 Locus In Malignant Cells Of Proposed Primordial Germ Cell Origins., Zachariah Payne Sellers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are hypothesized to deposit hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) along their migration route through the embryo during the early stages of embryogenesis. PGCs also undergo global chromatin remodeling, including the erasure and reestablishment of genomic imprints, during this migration. While PGCs do not spontaneously form teratomas, their malignant development into germ cell tumors (GCTs) in vivo is often accompanied by the retention of hypomethylation at the IGF2-H19 imprinting control differentially methylated region (DMR). Previous studies in bimaternal embryos determined that proper genomic imprinting at two paternally imprinted loci was necessary for their growth and development: Igf2-H19 and …


Characterization Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis Mfa1 Fimbriae., Jae Yong Lee Aug 2017

Characterization Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis Mfa1 Fimbriae., Jae Yong Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Porphyromonas gingivalis, an obligate anaerobic bacterium associated with chronic periodontitis, utilizes various virulence factors to achieve pathogenicity, one of which is the Mfa1 fimbriae. As a surface structure comprising Mfa1 major subunit along with accessory fimbrial proteins Mfa2-5, the Mfa1 fimbriae has been shown to mediate the adherence of P. gingivalis to antecedent bacterial colonizers of the oral cavity to cause increased virulence. However, the spatial relationships amongst the individual subunits and their assembly mechanism have remained unclear. Through immuno-electron microscopy, Mfa1-4 were localized on the surface of P. gingivalis with Mfa1 localizing throughout the fimbriae and Mfa2 in …


Characterizing Reactive Glutamines In Fibrinogen And Elucidating Factor Xiii Substrate Specificity., Kelly Njine Mouapi Aug 2017

Characterizing Reactive Glutamines In Fibrinogen And Elucidating Factor Xiii Substrate Specificity., Kelly Njine Mouapi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fibrinogen is the most abundant protein involved in blood coagulation and has been associated with many pathological implications in cardiovascular disease. At the final stages of blood clot formation, the transglutaminase Factor XIIIa introduces γ-glutamyl-ε-lysinyl covalent bonds between reactive glutamines and lysines in fibrin, which results in a tighter clot network that is resistant to fibrinolysis. Factor XIIIa crosslinks specific reactive glutamines on fibrinogen, selecting more reactive glutamines in the αC region of fibrinogen than any other chain. Although crosslinking pairs in the αC region have been identified, little is known about the extent of crosslinking and the role played …


Mechanism Investigation Of Pseudouridine Synthases Trub And Rlua With Rna Containing 5-Fluorouridine And 4-Thiouridine., Uyen T. Duong Aug 2017

Mechanism Investigation Of Pseudouridine Synthases Trub And Rlua With Rna Containing 5-Fluorouridine And 4-Thiouridine., Uyen T. Duong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pseudouridine synthases (Ψ synthases) are the enzymes that catalyze the isomerization of uridine (U) to pseudouridine (Ψ), which is the most prevalent post-transcriptional modification of RNA. The Ψ synthases fall into six different families that share no significant global sequence similarity; however, they all involve a conserved aspartic acid residue which is absolutely essential for activity. Tyrosine is a conserved residue in the active site in five of the six families of Ψ synthases (phenylalanine in the TruD family) and was hypothesized as the general base for the isomerization reaction. To confirm the function of Tyr-96, Y96F RluA was assayed …


Role Of Mir-29b-1 And Mir-29a In Endocrine-Resistant Breast Cancer., Penn Muluhngwi May 2017

Role Of Mir-29b-1 And Mir-29a In Endocrine-Resistant Breast Cancer., Penn Muluhngwi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Therapies targeting estrogen receptor α (ERα) including selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), e.g., tamoxifen (TAM); selective estrogen receptor downregulators (SERDs), e.g., fulvestrant (ICI 182,780); and aromatase inhibitors (AI), e.g., letrozole, are successfully used in treating breast cancer patients whose initial tumor expresses ERα. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of endocrine therapies is limited as ~ 40% of breast cancer patients will eventually acquire resistance to them. The role of miRNAs in the progression of endocrine-resistant breast cancer is of keen interest in developing biomarkers and therapies to counter metastatic disease. This dissertation begins with a review on miRNAs implicated …


Burkholderia Cenocepacia J2315-Mediated Destruction Of Staphylococcus Aureus Nrs77 Biofilms., Rachel Thompson May 2017

Burkholderia Cenocepacia J2315-Mediated Destruction Of Staphylococcus Aureus Nrs77 Biofilms., Rachel Thompson

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited disorder that affects over 30,000 people in the US and more than 70,000 people worldwide. Recurring bacterial infections in CF patients result in tissue damage that dramatically lowers respiratory function and are ultimately fatal. The formation of bacterial biofilms in the mucus and on lung epithelial tissue allows pathogens to be protected from antibiotics and the host immune system, making treatment of infection difficult. The interactions between CF pathogens in co-culture biofilms are not well understood and were examined in this study. Staphylococcus aureus and Burkholderia cenocepacia, two common CF pathogens, were used …


Improving Cardiac Cell Therapy: Role Of Hdac1 In Directing Cmc Cell Fate Decisions And Therapeutic Efficacy., John Zhao May 2017

Improving Cardiac Cell Therapy: Role Of Hdac1 In Directing Cmc Cell Fate Decisions And Therapeutic Efficacy., John Zhao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiac mesenchymal stromal cell (CMC) administration has improved cardiac function in pre-clinical animal models of heart failure. Specifically, both transdifferentiation and secretion of paracrine signaling molecules are potential mechanisms by which transplanted cells exert their cardiac reparative effects. The inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDACs) has been shown to enhance the cardiogenic differentiation capacity of various progenitor cell types. In the current study the consequences of HDAC1 inhibition on CMC in vitro differentiation, in vivo cardiac reparative capabilities, and in vitro cytokine secretion were investigated using either genetic depletion of HDAC1 or pharmacological inhibition with entinostat. CMCs depleted of HDAC1 exhibit …