Life Sciences Commons^™

Restoration Of Β-Hexosaminidase A Deficiency Through The Use Of Molecular Chaperones, Anthony Fund

Honors Program Projects

Tay-Sachs disease (TSD, also known as GM2-gangliosidosis) is an autosomal-recessive neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disease caused by a mutation in the HEX A gene which codes for the lysosomal enzyme β-hexosaminidase A (Hex A)7,8. For patients with TSD, GM2-gangliosides cannot be properly broken down, and, as a result, accumulate in their neurons, causing severe neurological complications5.

Currently, there is no cure for TSD. Although all past treatment options have been ineffective, the novel pharmacological chaperone therapy has shown promise as a means for effective treatment by improving the folding and transportation of Hex A. Here, pharmacological chaperone therapy for TSD was …

Study Of Alpha Mangostin As A Chemoprotective Agent For Breast Cancer Via Activation Of The P53 Pathway, Vanessa Van Oost

Honors Program Projects

Breast carcinoma is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women and causes over 400,000 deaths each year worldwide. Current treatments such as chemotherapy are not selective for cancerous tissues but are destructive to normal tissues as well. This causes a range of side effects including pain, nausea, hair loss, weakness, and more. Inactivation of p53 is a very common mutation within human cancer cells. The ability to activate the p53 pathway which protects cells from tumor formation is lost in 50% of cancers. Due to the prevalence of this mutation, p53 is a uniquely valuable target for applied research. Alpha …

Exploring The Effects Of Protein Kinase C-Alpha Gene Knockout On The Proliferation Of Human Embryonic Kidney Cells, Emma J. Kuntz

Honors Program Projects

Signaling molecules have important roles in many cellular functions, but because these pathways are incredibly complex, the exact mechanisms often remain unknown. One signaling molecule, protein kinase C alpha (PKCa), is involved in cell proliferation and is expressed at high levels in many cancers. Interestingly, its activity as a tumor promoter or tumor suppressor varies depending on the cell type for reasons not yet fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the role of PKCa in cell proliferation in order to better understand its function as a signaling molecule. To asses this, a knockout line was generated using CRISPR-Cas9 and …

Using Α-Mangostin From Garcinia Mangostana To Block Cell Death Caused By Paclitaxel In Proliferating Bhk Cells, Andrea Wojciechowski

Honors Program Projects

One of the most commonly found mutations in cancers is a mutation in p53. A mutation in p53 does not allow the cell to correct DNA damage or mutations properly, leading to uncontrolled growth and a tumor. α-Mangostin is a p53 activator found in a fruit from Southeast Asia, and when applied to cells, it will arrest them in the S phase. Paclitaxel is a chemotherapy that kills cells as they enter mitosis. Arrested cells will not enter mitosis and therefore will not be killed by paclitaxel. Because of mutated dysfunctional p53, cancer cells are not susceptible to arrest by …

Defining Environmental Stresses That Activate The Rna Repair Operon In Salmonella Typhimurium, Caleb M. Gulledge

Honors Program Projects

Background

RNA polymerase holoenzyme (Eσ) mediates transcription in eubacteria, and is composed of five constant subunits (α₂ββ’ω) and a variable sigma (σ) subunit that is responsible for promoter recognition and initiation of transcription. An alternative sigma factor in Salmonella Typhimurium, σ⁵⁴ (also called RpoN), is mechanistically different than classical σ⁷⁰-type sigmas, requiring a different promoter consensus sequence, an activator, and ATP hydrolysis. The Rtc RNA repair operon lies within the regulon of RpoN in S. Typhimurium, but has no known physiological function. Previous work characterized similar systems in archaea and humans, which were determined to …

Connections Between The Effects Of Various Chemicals On The Development Of Drosophila Melanogaster And Homo Sapiens, Amy J. Brenner

Honors Program Projects

This study, funded by the Elbert Pence and Fanny Boyce grant, attempts to draw conclusions between the effects of selected chemicals on Drosophila melanogaster and their potential effects on humans. It explores the effects of theobromine, caffeine, ethylene glycol, and ammonia on adult D. melanogaster and its developmental stages. Effects of these four chemicals on D. melanogaster are expected to provide insight into possible effects on humans.

The study was run in triplicate with vials containing different concentrations of each chemical being tested, with a control group vial containing no added chemicals. Observation of each vial was documented daily, noting …

Locating The Modifier Of Segregation Distorter In Drosophila Melanogaster, Samuel Craven

Honors Program Projects

The Drosophila melanogaster meiotic drive system Segregation Distorter (SD) has been a topic of great interest over the past decades due to its implications for fertility issues in fruit flies and other species as well. Several genes have been associated with this system; however, little research has focused on a particular one of these genes—the Modifier of SD. The location of this modifier gene is still unknown, so multiple deleted segments of DNA that compose a suspect area along the 2nd chromosome were tested here to see if some level of distortion is established in the absence of these segments. …