Life Sciences Commons^™

A Comparison Of In Vitro Studies Between Cobalt(Iii) And Copper(Ii) Complexes With Thiosemicarbazone Ligands To Treat Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Duaa R. Alajroush, Chloe B. Smith, Brittney F. Anderson, Ifeoluwa T. Oyeyemi, Stephen J. Beebe, Alvin A. Holder

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer, and disproportionately affects African American women. TNBC cells lack the common hormone receptors that many pre-existing cancer treatments target. Fortunately, metal-based complexes with thiosemicarbazone ligands have gained significant attention for their potential as anti-cancer agents. Cobalt(III) complex ([Co(phen)2(MeATSC)](NO3)3•1.5H2O•C2H5OH]) and Copper(II) complex ([Cu(acetylethTSC)Cl]Cl•0.25C2H5OH) specifically have properties of high toxicity, which can contribute to decreased cancer cell activity. The effects of these complexes are currently being investigated on cancerous and non-cancerous breast cell lines. The cytotoxic effect of the cobalt(lll) complex and the copper(ll) complex was analyzed …

Machine Learning As A Tool For Early Detection: A Focus On Late-Stage Colorectal Cancer Across Socioeconomic Spectrums, Hadiza Galadima, Rexford Anson-Dwamena, Ashley Johnson, Ghalib Bello, Georges Adunlin, James Blando

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of various machine learning (ML) algorithms in predicting late-stage colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnoses against the backdrop of socio-economic and regional healthcare disparities. Methods: An innovative theoretical framework was developed to integrate individual- and census tract-level social determinants of health (SDOH) with sociodemographic factors. A comparative analysis of the ML models was conducted using key performance metrics such as AUC-ROC to evaluate their predictive accuracy. Spatio-temporal analysis was used to identify disparities in late-stage CRC diagnosis probabilities. Results: Gradient boosting emerged as the superior model, with the top predictors for late-stage CRC diagnosis being anatomic site, …

Synergistic Effects Of Nanosecond Pulsed Plasma And Electric Field On Inactivation Of Pancreatic Cancer Cells In Vitro, Edwin A. Oshin, Zobia Minhas, Ruben M. L. Colunga Biancatelli, John D. Catravas, Richard Heller, Siqi Guo, Chunqi Jiang

Bioelectrics Publications

Nanosecond pulsed atmospheric pressure plasma jets (ns-APPJs) produce reactive plasma species, including charged particles and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), which can induce oxidative stress in biological cells. Nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) has also been found to cause permeabilization of cell membranes and induce apoptosis or cell death. Combining the treatment of ns-APPJ and nsPEF may enhance the effectiveness of cancer cell inactivation with only moderate doses of both treatments. Employing ns-APPJ powered by 9 kV, 200 ns pulses at 2 kHz and 60-nsPEF of 50 kV/cm at 1 Hz, the synergistic effects on pancreatic cancer cells (Pan02) …

Evidence Of Direct Interaction Between Cisplatin And The Caspase-Cleaved Prostate Apoptosis Response-4 Tumor Suppressor, Krishna K. Raut, Samjhana Pandey, Gyanendra Kharel, Steven M. Pascal

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4) tumor suppressor protein has gained attention as a potential therapeutic target owing to its unique ability to selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells, sensitize them to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and mitigate drug resistance. It has recently been reported that Par-4 interacts synergistically with cisplatin, a widely used anticancer drug. However, the mechanistic details underlying this relationship remain elusive. In this investigation, we employed an array of biophysical techniques, including circular dichroism spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, to characterize the interaction between the active caspase-cleaved Par-4 (cl-Par-4) fragment and cisplatin. Additionally, elemental analysis was …

Structural Insights Into The Cl-Par-4 Protein: Ionic Requirements, Conformational Transitions, And Interaction With Cisplatin, Krishna Kumar Raut

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Cancer continues to be the leading global cause of death, with challenges in early diagnosis, drug resistance, non-specific drug targeting, and cancer recurrence and metastasis posing formidable obstacles in cancer therapy. In this context, Prostate Apoptosis Response-4 (Par-4), a pro-apoptotic tumor suppressor protein, emerged as a promising therapeutic target due to its ability to selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells, thereby minimizing the drug-associated adverse effects. However, a comprehensive understanding of the structural features of Par-4, specifically the caspase-cleaved fragment (cl-Par-4), is crucial for therapeutic advancements.

This dissertation investigated the effects of various ions, both monovalent and divalent, on the …

Modified Vaccine Vectors To Understand Adjuvant Functions Of Listeria During Chronic Schistosomiasis, Stephanie K. Norwood

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Vaccination is one of the most effective strategies employed to prevent infectious diseases. Successful vaccination is dependent upon the induction of a specific, robust, and prolonged immune response. One of the major challenges faced by vaccine development is vaccine failure due to host-related factors that can modulate the immune system, which leads to non-responsiveness to vaccinations. The generation of new vaccine strategies is imperative to combat these effects. Live bacterial vectors are one approach used as they can elicit humoral immunity, cellular immunity, or both. Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram positive, intracellular pathogen that is an effective bacterial vaccine vector …

E-Cadherin Force Transmission And Stiffness Sensing, Mazen Mezher

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

E-cadherin is the chief mediator of cell-cell adhesion between epithelial cells and is a known mechanosensor. Force transmission and stiffness sensing are two crucial aspects of E-cadherin mechanobiology.

E-cadherin has an extracellular adhesive region, a transmembrane region and an intracellular region that binds to adhesion-associated proteins. Here, we assessed how different factors affect the level of force transmission (i) from inside the cell such as adhesion-associated proteins, (ii) on the cell membrane, such as growth factor receptors and (iii) outside the cell, such as different binding partners in adhesion. To study the level of force transmission inside the cell, we …

Gene Expression Under Combined Hypoxia And Acidosis In Chondrosarcoma, Michael Stacey, Kostika Vangjeli, Christopher Osgood

Bioelectrics Publications

Chondrosarcomas are the second most common cause of bone cancer and are removed surgically with wide margins. On recurrence, they are resistant to chemo and radiation therapy and new treatment options are critically required. This tumor type produces hyaline cartilage, a cartilage normally formed under hypoxic and acidic environment due to lack of vasculature in cartilage. Paradoxically, chondrosarcomas arise in the well vascularized, oxygen rich environment of the bone. Hypoxia and acidosis are two stressors where the cellular effects are typically reported separately even though cells experience combined effects of hypoxia and acidosis. Given the mechanistic links between hypoxia and …

Identification Of Proteins Involved In Cell Membrane Permeabilization By Nanosecond Electric Pulses (Nsep), Giedre Silkuniene, Uma Mangalanathan, Alessandra Rossi, Peter A. Mollica, Andrei G. Pakhomov, Olga N. Pakhomova

Bioelectrics Publications

The study was aimed at identifying endogenous proteins which assist or impede the permeabilized state in the cell membrane disrupted by nsEP (20 or 40 pulses, 300 ns width, 7 kV/cm). We employed a LentiArray CRISPR library to generate knockouts (KOs) of 316 genes encoding for membrane proteins in U937 human monocytes stably expressing Cas9 nuclease. The extent of membrane permeabilization by nsEP was measured by the uptake of Yo-Pro-1 (YP) dye and compared to sham-exposed KOs and control cells transduced with a non-targeting (scrambled) gRNA. Only two KOs, for SCNN1A and CLCA1 genes, showed a statistically significant reduction in …

Combined 3d Bioprinting And Tissue-Specific Ecm System Reveals The Influence Of Brain Matrix On Stem Cell Differentiation, Martina Zamponi, Peter A. Mollica, Yara Khodour, Julie S. Bjerring, Robert D. Bruno, Patrick C. Sachs

Medical Diagnostics & Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

We have previously shown that human and murine breast extracellular matrix (ECM) can significantly impact cellular behavior, including stem cell fate determination. It has been established that tissue-specific extracellular matrix from the central nervous system has the capacity to support neuronal survival. However, the characterization of its influence on stem cell differentiation and its adaptation to robust 3D culture models is underdeveloped. To address these issues, we combined our 3D bioprinter with hydrogels containing porcine brain extracellular matrix (BMX) to test the influence of the extracellular matrix on stem cell differentiation. Our 3D bioprinting system generated reproducible 3D neural structures …

A Single-Cell Atlas Of Bovine Skeletal Muscle Reveals Mechanisms Regulating Intramuscular Adipogenesis And Fibrogenesis, Leshan Wang, Peidong Gao, Chaoyag Li, Qianglin Liu, Zeyang Yao, Yuxia Li, Xujia Zhang, Jiangwen Sun, Constantine Simintiras, Matthew Welborn, Kenneth Mcmillin, Stephanie Oprescu, Shihuan Kuang, Xing Fu

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Background: Intramuscular fat (IMF) and intramuscular connective tissue (IMC) are often seen in human myopathies and are central to beef quality. The mechanisms regulating their accumulation remain poorly understood. Here, we explored the possibility of using beef cattle as a novel model for mechanistic studies of intramuscular adipogenesis and fibrogenesis.

Methods: Skeletal muscle single-cell RNAseq was performed on three cattle breeds, including Wagyu (high IMF), Brahman (abundant IMC but scarce IMF), and Wagyu/Brahman cross. Sophisticated bioinformatics analyses, including clustering analysis, gene set enrichment analyses, gene regulatory network construction, RNA velocity, pseudotime analysis, and cell-cell communication analysis, were performed to elucidate …

Enhancing The Conformational Stability Of The Cl-Par-4 Tumor Suppressor Via Site-Directed Mutagenesis, Samjhana Pandey, Krishna K. Raut, Andrea M. Clark, Antoine Baudin, Lamya Djemri, David S. Libich, Komala Ponniah, Steven M. Pascal

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Intrinsically disordered proteins play important roles in cell signaling, and dysregulation of these proteins is associated with several diseases. Prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4), an approximately 40 kilodalton proapoptotic tumor suppressor, is a predominantly intrinsically disordered protein whose downregulation has been observed in various cancers. The caspase-cleaved fragment of Par-4 (cl-Par-4) is active and plays a role in tumor suppression by inhibiting cell survival pathways. Here, we employed site-directed mutagenesis to create a cl-Par-4 point mutant (D313K). The expressed and purified D313K protein was characterized using biophysical techniques, and the results were compared to that of the wild-type (WT). We have …

Telp Theory: Elucidating The Major Observations Of Rieger Et Al. 2021 In Mitochondria, James Weifu Lee

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The transmembrane-electrostatically localized protons (TELP) theory may represent a complementary development to Mitchell's chemiosmotic theory. The combination of the two together can now excellently explain the energetics in mitochondria. Our calculated transmembrane-attractive force between an excess proton and an excess hydroxide explains how TELP may stay within a 1-nm thin layer at the liquid-membrane interface. Consequently, any pH sensor (sEcGFP) located at least 2–3 nm away from the membrane surface will not be able to see TELP. This feature as predicted from the TELP model was observed exactly in the experiment of Rieger et al., 2021. In contrast to their …

Npgreat: Assembly Of The Human Subtelomere Regions With The Use Of Ultralong Nanopore Reads And Linked Reads, Eleni Adam, Desh Ranjan, Harold Riethman

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Background: Human subtelomeric DNA regulates the length and stability of adjacent telomeres that are critical for cellular function, and contains many gene/pseudogene families. Large evolutionarily recent segmental duplications and associated structural variation in human subtelomeres has made complete sequencing and assembly of these regions difficult to impossible for many loci, complicating or precluding a wide range of genetic analyses to investigate their function.

Results: We present a hybrid assembly method, NanoPore Guided REgional Assembly Tool (NPGREAT), which combines Linked-Read data with mapped ultralong nanopore reads spanning subtelomeric segmental duplications to potentially overcome these difficulties. Linked-Read sets of DNA sequences identified …

Modification Of The Tumor Microenvironment Enhances Anti-Pd-1 Immunotherapy In Metastatic Melanoma, Guilan Shi, Megan Scott, Cathryn G. Mangiamele, Richard Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

Resistance to checkpoint-blockade treatments is a challenge in the clinic. Both primary and acquired resistance have become major obstacles, greatly limiting the long-lasting effects and wide application of blockade therapy. Many patients with metastatic melanoma eventually require further therapy. The absence of T-cell infiltration to the tumor site is a well-accepted contributor limiting immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy. In this study, we combined intratumoral injection of plasmid IL-12 with electrotransfer and anti-PD-1 in metastatic B16F10 melanoma tumor model to increase tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and improve therapeutic efficacy. We showed that effective anti-tumor responses required a subset of tumor-infiltrating CD8⁺ and CD4 …

Engineering Of Ideal Systems For The Study And Direction Of Stem Cell Asymmetrical Division And Fate Determination, Martina Zamponi

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The cellular microenvironment varies significantly across tissues, and it is constituted by both resident cells and the macromolecules they are exposed to. Cues that the cells receive from the microenvironment, as well as the signaling transmitted to it, affect their physiology and behavior. This notion is valid in the context of stem cells, which are susceptible to biochemical and biomechanical signaling exchanged with the microenvironment, and which plays a fundamental role in establishing fate determination and cell differentiation events. The definition of the molecular mechanisms that drive stem cell asymmetrical division, and how these are modulated by microenvironmental signaling, is …

Natural Phaeosphaeride A Derivatives Overcome Drug Resistance Of Tumor Cells And Modulate Signaling Pathways, Victoria Abzianidze, Natalia Moiseeva, Diana Suponina, Sofya Zakharenkova, Nadezhda Rogovskaya, Lidia Laletina, Alvin A. Holder, Denis Krivorotov, Alexander Bogachenkov, Alexander Garabadzhiu, Anton Ukolov, Vyacheslav Kosorukov

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

n the present study, natural phaeosphaeride A (PPA) derivatives are synthesized. Anti-tumor studies are carried out on the PC3, K562, HCT-116, THP-1, MCF-7, A549, NCI-H929, Jurkat, and RPMI8226 tumor cell lines, and on the human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cell line. All the compounds synthesized turned out to have better efficacy than PPA towards the tumor cell lines listed. Among them, three compounds exhibited an ability to overcome the drug resistance of tumor cells associated with the overexpression of the P-glycoprotein by modulating the work of this transporter. Luminex xMAP technology was used to assess the effect of five synthesized compounds …

Bone Morphogenetic Proteins Shape TReg Cells, Piotr Kraj

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family includes cytokines controlling cell behavior, differentiation and homeostasis of various tissues including components of the immune system. Despite well recognized importance of TGF-β in controlling T cell functions, the immunomodulatory roles of many other members of the TGF-β cytokine family, especially bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), start to emerge. Bone Morphogenic Protein Receptor 1α (BMPR1α) is upregulated by activated effector and Foxp3+ regulatory CD4+ T cells (Treg cells) and modulates functions of both of these cell types. BMPR1α inhibits generation of proinflammatory Th17 cells and sustains peripheral Treg cells. This finding underscores the importance of …

Electroporation And Cell Killing By Milli- To Nanosecond Pulses And Avoiding Neuromuscular Stimulation In Cancer Ablation, Emily Gudvangen, Vitalii Kim, Vitalij Novickij, Federico Battista, Andrei G. Pakhomov

Bioelectrics Publications

Ablation therapies aim at eradication of tumors with minimal impact on surrounding healthy tissues. Conventional pulsed electric field (PEF) treatments cause pain and muscle contractions far beyond the ablation area. The ongoing quest is to identify PEF parameters efficient at ablation but not at stimulation. We measured electroporation and cell killing thresholds for 150 ns–1 ms PEF, uni- and bipolar, delivered in 10- to 300-pulse trains at up to 1 MHz rates. Monolayers of murine colon carcinoma cells exposed to PEF were stained with YO-PRO-1 dye to detect electroporation. In 2–4 h, dead cells were labeled with propidium. Electroporation and …

Assessment Of Combined Modality Therapy For Non-Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma: A Simulation Study Concerning Concurrent Chemo-Brachytherapy, Hadi Rezaei, Hesameddin Mostaghimi, Ali Reza Mehdizadeh

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Although surgery is the treatment of choice for early-stage non-small-cell lung carcinoma, almost two-thirds of patients do not have acceptable pulmonary function for extensive surgeries. The alternative approach for this large group of patients is sublobar resection along with low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy (BT). However, patients with resected lungs have a high risk of recurrence and are often treated with platinum-based (Pt-based) chemotherapy (CT). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the absorbed doses of lung and other thoracic organs, considering concurrent chemo-BT with LDR sources in two modalities: conventional vs. unconventional Pt-based CT. We used the MCNPX code for simulations …

In Vivo Metabolic Analysis Of The Anticancer Effects Of Plasma-Activated Saline In Three Tumor Animal Models, Miao Qi, Dehui Xu, Shuai Wang, Bing Li, Sansan Peng, Qiaosong Li, Hao Zhang, Runze Fan, Hai-Lan Chen, Michael G. Kong

Bioelectrics Publications

In recent years, the emerging technology of cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) has grown rapidly along with the many medical applications of cold plasma (e.g., cancer, skin disease, tissue repair, etc.). Plasma-activated liquids (e.g., culture media, water, or normal saline, previously exposed to plasma) are being studied as cancer treatments, and due to their advantages, many researchers prefer plasma-activated liquids as an alternative to CAP in the treatment of cancer. In this study, we showed that plasma-activated-saline (PAS) treatment significantly inhibited tumor growth, as compared with saline, in melanoma, and a low-pH environment had little effect on tumor growth in …

Plasmonic-Based Biosensor For The Early Diagnosis Of Prostate Cancer, Thakshila Liyanage, Bayan Alharbi, Linh Quan, Aurora Esquela-Kerscher, Gymama Slaughter

Bioelectrics Publications

A tapered optical fiber (TOF) plasmonic biosensor was fabricated and used for the sensitive detection of a panel of microRNAs (miRNAs) in human serum obtained from noncancer and prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Oncogenic and tumor suppressor miRNAs let7a, let-7c, miR-200b, miR-141, and miR-21 were tested as predictive cancer biomarkers since multianalyte detection minimizes false-positive and false-negative rates and establishes a strong foundation for early PCa diagnosis. The biosensing platform integrates metallic gold triangular nanoprisms (AuTNPs) laminated on the TOF to excite surface plasmon waves in the supporting metallic layer and enhance the evanescent mode of the fiber surface. …

Alkaline Plasma-Activated Water (Paw) As An Innovative Therapeutic Avenue For Cancer Treatment, Bolun Pang, Zhijie Liu, Sitao Wang, Yuting Gao, Miao Qi, Dehui Xu, Renwu Zhou, Dingxin Liu, Michael G. Kong

Bioelectrics Publications

Plasma-activated water (PAW) is considered to be an effective anticancer agent due to the diverse aqueous reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS: ROS and RNS), but the drawback of low dose and short duration of RONS in acidified PAW limits their clinical application. Herein, this Letter presents an innovative therapeutic avenue for cancer treatment with highly-effective alkaline PAW prepared by air surface plasma. This anticancer alkaline formulation is comprised of a rich mixture of highly chemical RONS and exhibited a prolonged half-life compared to acidified PAW. The H₂O₂, NO₂-, and ONOO^-/O_{2 …}

Trials And Tribulations Of Humanizing Mice For Cancer Research, Brittney Ruedlinger, Steven Warsof, Eric Feliberti, Mary Beth Hughes, Ayobami ‘Edwin’ Oshin, Chunqi Jiang, Brittany P. Lassiter, Siqi Guo, Stephen J. Beebe

The Graduate School Posters

Cancers are aggressive, evasive, and ruthless killers, claiming millions of lives every year. Cancers are heterogeneous and there is often no single, clearly defined problem as they harness and manipulate a multitude of fundamental mechanisms at the very essence of life. To investigate these mechanisms and vet potential interventive therapies, humanized mice offer a unique model as a prelude to the use of nanosecond pulse stimulation (NPS), a pulse power technology applying nanosecond duration, high electric field pulses, to ablate human tumors. Immunodeficient mouse strains, NSG and NSG-SGM3, were engrafted with human immune cells and human tumors, which would allow …

Cyclophilin D Is A Sensor Of Nano-Pulse Stimulation, Brittney Ruedlinger, Bani Hani Maisoun, Lucas Potter, Nicola Lai, Stephen J. Beebe

The Graduate School Posters

Nano-Pulse Stimulation (NPS), a pulsed power-derived technology, stimulates structural and functional changes in plasma membranes and cellular organelles. NPS induces a Ca²⁺ influx and opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) that dissipates the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ_m) and, when sustained, induces regulated cell death. Here we show that in rat cardiomyoblasts (H9C2) cyclophilin D (CypD) is a mitochondrial sensor for NPS as defined by observations that loss of ΔΨ_m is Ca²⁺ and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) dependent and cyclosporin A (CsA)-sensitive, which are diagnostic qualities for effects on CypD and the mPTP. …

Influence Of Monovalent And Divalent Ions In The Conformational Change Of Caspase-Cleaved Par-4 (Cl-Par-4) Tumor Suppressor Protein, Krishna K. Raut, Komala Ponniah, Steven M. Pascal

College of Sciences Posters

Prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4) is a pro-apoptotic tumor suppressor protein. We have shown that this 38 kDa full-length Par-4 (Fl-Par-4) protein is predominantly intrinsically disordered in vitro. In vivo, Par-4 is cleaved by caspase-3 at Asp-131 to generate a 24 kDa functionally active cleaved Par-4 (cl-Par-4) fragment. The cl-Par-4 protein inhibits the NF-κB-mediated cell survival pathway and causes selective apoptosis in various tumor cells. Our laboratory is interested in how the disorder-order balance within Fl-Par-4 and cl-Par-4 may be related to the balance between cell survival and cell death. Currently, we are using biophysical techniques such as circular …

Connexin Hemichannel Activation By S-Nitrosoglutathione Synergizes Strongly With Photodynamic Therapy Potentiating Anti-Tumor Bystander Killing, Chiara Nardin, Chiara Peres, Sabrina Putti, Tiziana Orsini, Claudia Colussi, Flavia Mazzarda, Marcello Raspa, Ferdinando Scavizzi, Anna Maria Salvatore, Francesco Chiani, Abraham Tettey-Matey, Yuanyuan Kuang, Guang Yang, Mauricio A. Retamal, Fabio Mammano

Bioelectrics Publications

In this study, we used B16-F10 cells grown in the dorsal skinfold chamber (DSC) preparation that allowed us to gain optical access to the processes triggered by photodynamic therapy (PDT). Partial irradiation of a photosensitized melanoma triggered cell death in non-irradiated tumor cells. Multiphoton intravital microscopy with genetically encoded fluorescence indicators revealed that bystander cell death was mediated by paracrine signaling due to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release from connexin (Cx) hemichannels (HCs). Intercellular calcium (Ca²⁺) waves propagated from irradiated to bystander cells promoting intracellular Ca²⁺ transfer from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to mitochondria and rapid activation of …

Effect Of He Plasma Jet Versus Surface Plasma On The Metabolites Of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells, Dehui Xu, Ning Ning, Yujing Xu, Wenjie Xia, Hai-Lan Chen, Michael G. Kong

Bioelectrics Publications

Cold atmospheric plasma, including plasma jet and surface plasma, can promote the apoptosis of cancer cells without causing significant damage to surrounding normal cells, which was hopeful to be applied to the clinical cancer therapy. However, experimental plasma devices used directly to clinical experiments has challenges in technology and methods, especially the difference in killing tumor cells efficiency of these two common plasma sources. Therefore, it is great necessity to explore the differences in treating tumors between different plasma sources. This paper achieved good killing efficiency by using two kinds of cold atmospheric plasma generating devices, namely plasma jet and …

Tick Extracellular Vesicles Enable Arthropod Feeding And Promote Distinct Outcomes Of Bacterial Infection, Adela S. Oliva Chávez, Xiaowei Wang, Liron Marnin, Nathan K. Archer, Holly L. Hammond, Erin E. Mcclure Carroll, Dana K. Shaw, Brenden G. Tully, Amanda D. Buskirk, Shelby L. Ford, L. Rainer Butler, Preeti Shahi, Kateryna Morozova, Cristina C. Clement, Lauren Lawres, Anya J. O'Neal, Choukri Ben Mamoun, Kathleen L. Mason, Brandi E. Hobbs, Glen A. Scoles, Eileen M. Barry, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Utpal Pal, Jesus G. Valenzuela, Marcelo B. Sztein, Marcela F. Pasetti, Michael L. Levin, Michail Kotsyfakis, Steven M. Jay, Jason F. Huntley, Lloyd S. Miller, Laura Santambrogio, Joao H.F. Pedra

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Extracellular vesicles are thought to facilitate pathogen transmission from arthropods to humans and other animals. Here, we reveal that pathogen spreading from arthropods to the mammalian host is multifaceted. Extracellular vesicles from Ixodes scapularis enable tick feeding and promote infection of the mildly virulent rickettsial agent Anaplasma phagocytophilum through the SNARE proteins Vamp33 and Synaptobrevin 2 and dendritic epidermal T cells. However, extracellular vesicles from the tick Dermacentor andersoni mitigate microbial spreading caused by the lethal pathogen Francisella tularensis. Collectively, we establish that tick extracellular vesicles foster distinct outcomes of bacterial infection and assist in vector feeding by acting …

Tetraspanins As Potential Therapeutic Candidates For Targeting Flaviviruses, Waqas Ahmed, Girish Neelakanta, Hameeda Sultana

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Tetraspanin family of proteins participates in numerous fundamental signaling pathways involved in viral transmission, virus-specific immunity, and virus-mediated vesicular trafficking. Studies in the identification of novel therapeutic candidates and strategies to target West Nile virus, dengue and Zika viruses are highly warranted due to the failure in development of vaccines. Recent evidences have shown that the widely distributed tetraspanin proteins may provide a platform for the development of novel therapeutic approaches. In this review, we discuss the diversified and important functions of tetraspanins in exosome/extracellular vesicle biology, virus-host interactions, virus-mediated vesicular trafficking, modulation of immune mechanism(s), and their possible role(s) …