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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Role Of Mitofusins In The Osteoclast Lineage, Anna Ballard
The Role Of Mitofusins In The Osteoclast Lineage, Anna Ballard
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Mitochondria exist in a highly dynamic network in many cell types, and mutations in mitochondrial transmembrane GTPase mitofusin2 (MFN2), a key factor that mediates mitochondrial tethering, cause defects in the nervous system. Intriguingly, the skeleton has been overlooked in patients with such mutations. Because expression of MFN2 and its homolog, mitofusin1 (MFN1) increase with maturation of osteoclasts (OCs), which are rich in mitochondria, we sought to determine the role of mitofusins in the OC lineage. Double knockout of Mfn1 and Mfn2 in OC precursors by Lysozyme-M cre reveals that mitofusin activity is required for OC function and maintenance of bone …
Mitochondrial Dynamics Controls T Cell Fate Through Metabolic Programming, Michael Buck
Mitochondrial Dynamics Controls T Cell Fate Through Metabolic Programming, Michael Buck
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Activated effector T (TE) cells augment anabolic pathways of metabolism, such as aerobic glycolysis, while memory T (TM) cells engage catabolic pathways, like fatty acid oxidation (FAO). However, signals that drive these differences remain unclear. Mitochondria are metabolic organelles that actively transform their ultrastructure. Therefore, we questioned whether mitochondrial dynamics controls T cell metabolism. We show that TE cells have punctate mitochondria, while TM cells maintain fused networks. The fusion protein Opa1 is required for TM, but not TE cells after infection, and enforcing fusion in TE cells imposes TM cell characteristics and enhances antitumor function. Our data suggest that, …
Evolution Of Ecological Dominance Of Yeast Species In High-Sugar Environments, Kathryn Marie Williams
Evolution Of Ecological Dominance Of Yeast Species In High-Sugar Environments, Kathryn Marie Williams
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Two challenging goals of evolutionary biology are to understand how evolutionary innovations evolve and how they contribute to the success of lineages. Evolutionary innovations may arise following whole genome duplication (WGD) events and they are suspected to contribute to the success of lineages by creating ecological opportunity. However, direct evidence for duplicated genes involved in evolutionary innovations remains rare, and the relationship between evolutionary innovations and the success of lineages may be very complex. In this study, I explore the relationship of evolutionary innovation, WGD, and the ecological dominance of yeast species in high-sugar environments. In budding yeast, a major …