Life Sciences Commons^™

Integrative Genomic And Transcriptomic Analysis For Pinpointing Recurrent Alterations Of Plant Homeodomain Genes And Their Clinical Significance In Breast Cancer, Huimei Yu, Yuanyuan Jiang, Lanxin Liu, Wenqi Shan, Xiaofang Chu, Zhe Yang, Zeng-Quan Yang

Oncology Faculty Publications

A wide range of the epigenetic effectors that regulate chromatin modification, gene expression, genomic stability, and DNA repair contain structurally conserved domains called plant homeodomain (PHD) fingers. Alternations of several PHD finger-containing proteins (PHFs) due to genomic amplification, mutations, deletions, and translocations have been linked directly to various types of cancer. However, little is known about the genomic landscape and the clinical significance of PHFs in breast cancer. Hence, we performed a large-scale genomic and transcriptomic analysis of 98 PHF genes in breast cancer using TCGA and METABRIC datasets and correlated the recurrent alterations with clinicopathological features and survival of …

Myofilament Calcium Sensitivity: Consequences Of The Effective Concentration Of Troponin I, Jalal K. Siddiqui, Svetlana B. Tikunova, Shane D. Walton, Bin Liu, Meredith Meyer, Pieter P. De Tombe, Nathan Neilson, Peter M. Kekenes-Huskey, Hussam E. Salhi, Paul M.L. Janssen, Brandon J. Biesiadecki, Jonathan P. Davis

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Control of calcium binding to and dissociation from cardiac troponin C (TnC) is essential to healthy cardiac muscle contraction/relaxation. There are numerous aberrant post-translational modifications and mutations within a plethora of contractile, and even non-contractile, proteins that appear to imbalance this delicate relationship. The direction and extent of the resulting change in calcium sensitivity is thought to drive the heart toward one type of disease or another. There are a number of molecular mechanisms that may be responsible for the altered calcium binding properties of TnC, potentially the most significant being the ability of the regulatory domain of TnC to …

Vamorolone, A Dissociative Steroidal Compound, Reduces Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Expression In Glioma Cells And Increases Activity And Survival In A Murine Model Of Cortical Tumor., Elizabeth Wells, Madhuri Kambhampati, Jesse M Damsker, Heather Gordish-Dressman, Sridevi Yadavilli, Oren J Becher, Jamila Gittens, Mojca Stampar, Roger J. Packer, Javad Nazarian

Genomics and Precision Medicine Faculty Publications

Corticosteroids, such as dexamethasone, are routinely used as palliative care in neuro-oncology for their anti-inflammatory benefits, however many patients experience dose limiting side effects caused by glucocorticoid response element (GRE)-mediated transcription. The purpose of this study was to use a murine model to investigate a new steroid alternative, vamorolone, which promises to reduce side effects through dissociating GRE-mediated transcription and NF-κB -mediated anti-inflammatory actions. To compare vamorolone to dexamethasone in reducing pro-inflammatory signals in vitro, murine glioma cells were treated with dexamethasone, vamorolone or vehicle control. Changes in mRNA expression were assessed using the nanostring inflammatory platform. Furthermore, drug …

Sirt1 Regulates Glial Progenitor Proliferation And Regeneration In White Matter After Neonatal Brain Injury., Beata Jablonska, Marcin Gierdalski, Li-Jin Chew, Teresa Hawley, Mackenzie Catron, Arturo Lichauco, Juan Cabrera-Luque, Tracy Yuen, David Rowitch, Vittorio Gallo

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Regenerative processes in brain pathologies require the production of distinct neural cell populations from endogenous progenitor cells. We have previously demonstrated that oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) proliferation is crucial for oligodendrocyte (OL) regeneration in a mouse model of neonatal hypoxia (HX) that reproduces diffuse white matter injury (DWMI) of premature infants. Here we identify the histone deacetylase Sirt1 as a Cdk2 regulator in OPC proliferation and response to HX. HX enhances Sirt1 and Sirt1/Cdk2 complex formation through HIF1α activation. Sirt1 deacetylates retinoblastoma (Rb) in the Rb/E2F1 complex, leading to dissociation of E2F1 and enhanced OPC proliferation. Sirt1 knockdown in culture …

The Hemostatic Effects Of Acute Exposure To Colored Cornstarch Powder During A 5k Run, Robert C. Allsbrook

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

PURPOSE: To examine the acute hemostatic effects of particulate matter (PM) in the form of colored corn starch powder during a 5 kilometer race. METHODS: 10 recreationally active adults completed two 5k runs, one with color and one without color. 10 mL blood samples were taken 6 hours prior to the trial and immediately following the trial. PAI-1 activity, FVIII antigen, and tPA activity were measured using an ELISA. RESULTS: No significant main effects or interaction effects (P<0.05) were observed among any of the variables although a trend (P = 0.082) was observed for increased PAI-1 activity during exercise in the color condition. CONCLUSIONS: There is a trend towards increased PAI-1 activity levels during exercise during color runs that could be due to increased inflammation. Furthermore, the lack of increased FVIII:ag and tPA activity suggests that the intensity of the exercise may not have been adequate and further research should be conducted in this area.

Selective Suppression Of The Α Isoform Of P38 Mapk Rescues Late-Stage Tau Pathology, Nicole Maphis, Shanya Jiang, Guixiang Xu, Olga N. Kokiko-Cochran, Saktimayee M. Roy, Linda J. Van Eldik, D. Martin Watterson, Bruce T. Lamb, Kiran Bhaskar

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Background: Hyperphosphorylation and aggregation of tau protein are the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease and related tauopathies. We previously demonstrated that the microglial activation induces tau hyperphosphorylation and cognitive impairment via activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) in the hTau mouse model of tauopathy that was deficient for microglial fractalkine receptor CX3CR1.

Method: We report an isoform-selective, brain-permeable, and orally bioavailable small molecule inhibitor of p38α MAPK (MW181) and its effects on tau phosphorylation in vitro and in hTau mice.

Results: First, pretreatment of mouse primary cortical neurons with MW181 completely blocked inflammation-induced p38α MAPK activation and AT8 …

Dna Methylation Signatures Of Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation Are Associated With Complex Diseases, Symen Ligthart, Carola Marzi, Stella Aslibekyan, Michael M. Mendelson, Karen N. Conneely, Toshiko Tanaka, Elena Colicino, Lindsay L. Waite, Roby Joehanes, Weihua Guan, Jennifer A. Brody, Cathy Elks, Riccardo Marioni, Min A. Jhun, Golareh Agha, Jan Bressler, Cavin K. Ward-Caviness, Brian H. Chen, Tianxiao Huan, Kelly Bakulski, Elias L. Salfati, Whi-Empc Investigators, Giovanni Fiorito, Charge Epigenetics Of Coronary Heart Disease, Simone Wahl, Katharina Schramm, Jin Sha, Dena G. Hernandez, Allan C. Just, Jennifer A. Smith, Donna K. Arnett

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Chronic low-grade inflammation reflects a subclinical immune response implicated in the pathogenesis of complex diseases. Identifying genetic loci where DNA methylation is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation may reveal novel pathways or therapeutic targets for inflammation.

Results: We performed a meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) of serum C-reactive protein (CRP), which is a sensitive marker of low-grade inflammation, in a large European population (n = 8863) and trans-ethnic replication in African Americans (n = 4111). We found differential methylation at 218 CpG sites to be associated with CRP (P < 1.15 × 10^–7) in the discovery panel …

Erratum To: Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia In Infants With G6pd C.563c>T Variant, Bushra Moiz, Amna Nasir, Sarosh Ahmed Khan, Saleema Amin Kherani, Maqbool Qadir

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

No abstract provided.

Striatal Dopaminergic Innervation Regulates Subthalamic Beta-Oscillations And Cortical-Subcortical Coupling During Movements: Preliminary Evidence In Subjects With Parkinson’S Disease, Andrea Canessa, Nicolo G. Pozzi, Gabriele Arnulfo, Joachim Brumberg, Martin M. Reich, Gianni Pezzoli, Maria F. Ghilardi, Cordula Matthies, Frank Steigerwald, Jens Volkman, Ioannis U. Isais

Publications and Research

Activation of the basal ganglia has been shown during the preparation and execution of movement. However, the functional interaction of cortical and subcortical brain areas during movement and the relative contribution of dopaminergic striatal innervation remains unclear. We recorded local field potential (LFP) activity from the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and high-density electroencephalography (EEG) signals in four patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) off dopaminergic medication during a multi-joint motor task performed with their dominant and non-dominant hand. Recordings were performed by means of a fully-implantable deep brain stimulation (DBS) device at 4 months after surgery. Three patients also performed a single-photon …

Hnrnpa2 Is A Novel Histone Acetyltransferase That Mediates Mitochondrial Stress-Induced Nuclear Gene Expression, Manti Guha, Satish Srinivasan, Kip Guja, Edison Mejia, Miguel Garcia-Diaz, F. Brad Johnson, Gordon Ruthel, Brett A. Kaufman, Eric F. Rappaport, M. Rebecca Glineburg, Ji-Kang Fang, Andres J. Klein-Szanto, Hiroshi Nakagawa, Jeelan Basha, Tapas Kundu, Narayan G. Avadhani

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Reduced mitochondrial DNA copy number, mitochondrial DNA mutations or disruption of electron transfer chain complexes induce mitochondria-to-nucleus retrograde signaling, which induces global change in nuclear gene expression ultimately contributing to various human pathologies including cancer. Recent studies suggest that these mitochondrial changes cause transcriptional reprogramming of nuclear genes although the mechanism of this cross talk remains unclear. Here, we provide evidence that mitochondria-to-nucleus retrograde signaling regulates chromatin acetylation and alters nuclear gene expression through the heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein A2 (hnRNAP2). These processes are reversed when mitochondrial DNA content is restored to near normal cell levels. We show that the mitochondrial stress-induced …

Regulatory Mechanisms In Borrelia Burgdorferi-Induced Arthritis, Emily Siebers Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

Lyme arthritis is a common symptom of Lyme borreliosis that involves inflammation of the synovial joints. Elucidating the immune events involved in Lyme arthritis is complicated by the fact that not all individuals infected with B. burgdorferi develop arthritis. Additionally, Lyme arthritis manifests in different severities between affected individuals. It is known that an inflammatory response is initiated by B. burgdorferi infection and that inflammatory T cells contribute to the development of arthritis. However, the anti-inflammatory mechanisms that regulate the pathogenic T cells’ response are not entirely understood. Here, the hypothesis that a dysregulated immune response results in an excessive …

A Novel Codon-Optimized Siv Gag-Pol Immunogen For Gene-Based Vaccination, Catherine M. Crosby, Eric A. Weaver, Reeti Khare, Michael A. Barry

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) is a robust pathogen used in non-human primates to model HIV vaccines. SIV encodes a number of potential vaccine targets. By far the largest and most conserved protein target in SIV is its gag-pol protein that bears many epitopes to drive multivalent immune T cell responses. While gag-pol is an attractive antigen, it is only translated after a frame shift between gag and pol with the effect that gag and pol are expressed at an approximate 10/1 ratio. The codon bias of native lentiviral genes are also mismatched with the abundance of tRNAs in mammalian cells …

Nanoparticle Toxicity And Molecular Mechanisms In Fish: A Case Study With Silver Nanoparticles, Jiejun Gao

Open Access Dissertations

Nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used in a myriad of commercial and industrial products making their entry to the environment a likely event. NPs have unique physical-chemical properties that result from their small size and high surface area to volume ratio, making them highly reactive and potentially toxic. In Chapter 1, we summarize the effects and mechanisms of metal-based NPs on the vascular system. In vitro studies have shown that NPs are anti-angiogenic because they cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis of endothelial cells resulting in increased permeability and decreased proliferation and migration. Whole animal studies examining the effects of NPs …

Gonadal Intersex In Teleosts: Mechanisms, Molecular Biomarkers And Diagnostic Assays, Ahmed M.E. Abdel-Moneim Mohamed

Open Access Dissertations

Natural and synthetic estrogenic and androgenic compounds are continuously released into aquatic ecosystems. Exposure of teleost fishes to these contaminants can negatively impact sex differentiation and reproductive output. Specifically, development of gonadal intersex in gonochoristic (fixed sex) fish species has been studied extensively in relation to exposure to this class of compounds. The main objectives of this dissertation were to: 1) conduct field and laboratory studies to investigate the molecular signaling pathways behind the development of gonadal intersex; and 2) establish molecular biomarkers and assays for testing the ability of environmental pollutants to develop this condition using a battery of …

Whole Genome Sequencing As A Tool For Identifying Phenotypic Properties And Underlying Genetic Mechanisms In Staphylococcus Pseudintermedius, Matthew C. Riley

Doctoral Dissertations

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is a Gram-positive bacterial opportunistic pathogen commonly associated with dermal infections in canines, but capable of causing serious disease in other species. Reports of human infections caused by S. pseudintermedius along with an increase in resistance to multiple antibiotics highlights the importance of this organism. Whole genome sequencing can allow large scale investigation of genetic mechanisms underlying phenotypic properties that contribute to the expansion of successful S. pseudintermedius clonal lineages.

The increase in multidrug and methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) may result from horizontal transfer of genetic material between bacterial isolates, yet is thought to be rare in Staphylococci …

Massive Pulmonary Embolism Presenting As Seizures, Shahrukh Hashmani, Fateh Ali Tipoo Sultan, Murtaza Kazmi, Amammarah Yasmeen

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Pulmonary embolism can present in various ways, though seizure activity has been rarely reported. We report a 38 years old male who had met a road traffic accident, underwent surgery, presented a month later with seizures, chest pain, shortness of breath and low blood pressure. Massive pulmonary embolism was diagnosed on CTPA, with classical features on ECG and echocardiogram and the patient was successfully managed with thrombolysis. Massive pulmonary embolism (MPE) should be kept in mind in patients who present with seizures, chest pain and haemodynamic instability.

Narrative Review Of Vitamin D And Its Specific Impact On Balance Capacity In Older Adults, Ray Marks

Publications and Research

Introduction and Aims: Falls injuries among older adults, a widespread well-established contributor to high disability levels, excess morbidity and mortality rates, have many causes. This review examines the association between vitamin D levels and postural stability or balance control—a fairly consistent predictor of falls among older adults.

Materials and Method: All relevant English language peer reviewed research publications detailing the relationship between vitamin D levels and balance control among the elderly were sought. Key words included “Vitamin D and Balance or Postural Control.” Databases used were Academic Search Complete, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science.

Results: Analysis showed no consistent …

Pulmonary Infections After Tuberculosis, Kauser Jabeen

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Aims and Objective: Despite effective treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients, destruction of lung parenchyma may lead to complications including repeated infections. These infections are often misdiagnosed or wrongly identified as TB recurrence, and hence are not treated effectively. The frequency and severity of these infections vary with the extent of damage, and are much more prominent in patients with post-TB bronchiectasis and fibrocavitary diseases. This presentation will focus on the epidemiology, treatment, and management of post-TB infections and challenges, and the impact of these infections on public health in high-TB-burden countries.
Methods: Published literature and review articles were evaluated …

Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate Oxidase 2 Regulates Lps-Induced Inflammation And Alveolar Remodeling In The Developing Lung., Heather Menden, Sheng Xia, Sherry M. Mabry, Angels Navarro, Michael F. Nyp, Venkatesh Sampath

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

In premature infants, sepsis is associated with alveolar simplification manifesting as bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The redox-dependent mechanisms underlying sepsis-induced inflammation and alveolar remodeling in the immature lung remain unclear. We developed a neonatal mouse model of sepsis-induced lung injury to investigate whether nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 2 (NOX2) regulates Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated inflammation and alveolar remodeling. Six-day-old NOX2

Mycobacterial Contamination Of Bronchoscopes: Challenges And Possible Solutions In Low Resource Settings, Dania Khalid Saeed, Sadia Shakoor, Seema Irfan, Rumina Hasan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

The use of bronchoscopes has increased in tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics to circumvent the diagnostic challenges that are associated with low sputum volume and smear-negative TB. In healthcare facilities situated in low income countries that have a high burden of TB, adequate decontamination of bronchoscopes is a challenge and often overlooked to save on time and costs. This amplifies the risk of outbreaks and pseudo-outbreaks due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and nontuberculosis mycobacteria. In this minireview, we review published literature of contaminated bronchoscopes causing pseudo-outbreaks of M. tuberculosis and nontuberculosis mycobacteria in an effort to determine common sources, and possible mitigation strategies …

Tuberculosis In Vulnerable Populations In Eastern Mediterranean Region-Implications For Control, Sadia Shakoor, Rumina Hasan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objectives: Socially and economically disadvantaged or "vulnerable" people are at high risk of tuberculosis (TB) and also contribute to active chains of TB transmission. Included in such vulnerable populations are children, women, prisoners, people living with human immunodeficiency virus, the homeless, and displaced people. The ongoing active transmission of TB among such populations is made more difficult to assess and control by difficult access, health inequities, poverty, and other chronic and debilitating health conditions at individual, domestic, and community levels.
Methods: The 22 Eastern Mediterranean Region member states encompass diverse sociopolitical and socioeconomic situations with far-reaching effects on vulnerable populations …

Alternate Efflux Pump Mechanism May Contribute To Drug Resistance In Extensively Drug-Resistant Isolates Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Akbar Kanji, Rumina Hasan, Ambreen Zaver, Asho Ali, Kehkashan Imtiaz, Mussarat Ashraf, Taane G. Clark, Ruth Mc Nerney, Samreen Shafiq, Zahra Hasan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

No abstract provided.

Hiv Glycoprotein Gp120 Impairs Fast Axonal Transport By Activating Tak1 Signaling Pathways, Sarah H. Berth, Nichole Mesnard-Hoaglin, Bin Wang, Hajwa Kim, Yuyu Song, Maria Sapar, Gerardo Morfini, Scott T. Brady

Publications and Research

Sensory neuropathies are the most common neurological complication of HIV. Of these, distal sensory polyneuropathy (DSP) is directly caused by HIV infection and characterized by length-dependent axonal degeneration of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Mechanisms for axonal degeneration in DSP remain unclear, but recent experiments revealed that the HIV glycoprotein gp120 is internalized and localized within axons of DRG neurons. Based on these findings, we investigated whether intra-axonal gp120 might impair fast axonal transport (FAT), a cellular process critical for appropriate maintenance of the axonal compartment. Significantly, we found that gp120 severely impaired both anterograde and retrograde FAT. Providing a …

Gene Expression Profiling And The Role Of Hsf1 In Ovarian Cancer In 3d Spheroid Models, Trillitye Paullin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological cancer, with over 200,000 women diagnosed each year and over half of those cases leading to death. These poor statistics are related to a lack of early symptoms and inadequate screening techniques. This results in the cancer going undetected until later stages when the tumor has metastasized through a process that requires the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). In lieu of traditional monolayer cell culture, EMT and cancer progression in general is best characterized through the use of 3D spheroid models. In this study, we examine gene expression changes through microarray analysis in …

Self-Complementary Adeno-Associated Virus Vectors Improve Transduction Efficiency Of Corneal Endothelial Cells, Anja K. Gruenert, Marta Czugala, Christian Mueller, Marco Schmeer, Martin Schleef, Friedrich E. Kruse, Thomas A. Fuchsluger

Christian Mueller

Transplantation of a donor cornea to restore vision is the most frequently performed transplantation in the world. Corneal endothelial cells (CEC) are crucial for the outcome of a graft as they maintain corneal transparency and avoid graft failure due to corneal opaqueness. Given the characteristic of being a monolayer and in direct contact with culture medium during cultivation in eye banks, CEC are specifically suitable for gene therapeutic approaches prior to transplantation. Recombinant adeno-associated virus 2 (rAAV2) vectors represent a promising tool for gene therapy of CEC. However, high vector titers are needed to achieve sufficient gene expression. One of …

A Dna Methylation Biomarker Of Alcohol Consumption, C. Liu, R. E. Marioni, Å. K. Hedman, L. Pfeiffer, P. -C. Tsai, L. M. Reynolds, A. C. Just, Q. Duan, C. G. Boer, T. Tanaka, C. E. Elks, S. Aslibekyan, J. A. Brody, B. Kühnel, C. Herder, L. M. Almli, D. Zhi, Y. Wang, T. Huan, C. Yao, M. M. Mendelson, R. Joehanes, L. Liang, S. -A. Love, W. Guan, S. Shah, A. F. Mcrae, A. Kretschmer, H. Prokisch, K. Strauch, Donna K. Arnett

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The lack of reliable measures of alcohol intake is a major obstacle to the diagnosis and treatment of alcohol-related diseases. Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation may provide novel biomarkers of alcohol use. To examine this possibility, we performed an epigenome-wide association study of methylation of cytosine-phosphate-guanine dinucleotide (CpG) sites in relation to alcohol intake in 13 population-based cohorts (n_total=13 317; 54% women; mean age across cohorts 42–76 years) using whole blood (9643 European and 2423 African ancestries) or monocyte-derived DNA (588 European, 263 African and 400 Hispanic ancestry) samples. We performed meta-analysis and variable selection in …

Caloric Restriction Preserves Memory And Reduces Anxiety Of Aging Mice With Early Enhancement Of Neurovascular Functions, Ishita Parikh, Janet Guo, Kai-Hsiang Chuang, Yu Zhong, Ralf G. Rempe, Jared D. Hoffman, Rachel Armstrong, Björn Bauer, Anika M. S. Hartz, Ai-Ling Lin

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Neurovascular integrity plays an important role in protecting cognitive and mental health in aging. Lifestyle interventions that sustain neurovascular integrity may thus be critical on preserving brain functions in aging and reducing the risk for age-related neurodegenerative disorders. Here we show that caloric restriction (CR) had an early effect on neurovascular enhancements, and played a critical role in preserving vascular, cognitive and mental health in aging. In particular, we found that CR significantly enhanced cerebral blood flow (CBF) and blood-brain barrier function in young mice at 5-6 months of age. The neurovascular enhancements were associated with reduced mammalian target of …

Targeted Gene Delivery To The Enteric Nervous System Using Aav: A Comparison Across Serotypes And Capsid Mutants, Matthew J. Benskey, Nathan C. Kuhn, James J. Galligan, Joanna Garcia, Shannon E. Boye, William W. Hauswirth, Christian Mueller, Sanford L. Boye, Fredric P. Manfredsson

Christian Mueller

Recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are one of the most widely used gene transfer systems in research and clinical trials. AAV can transduce a wide range of biological tissues, however to date, there has been no investigation on targeted AAV transduction of the enteric nervous system (ENS). Here, we examined the efficiency, tropism, spread, and immunogenicity of AAV transduction in the ENS. Rats received direct injections of various AAV serotypes expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) into the descending colon. AAV serotypes tested included; AAV 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, or 9 and the AAV2 and AAV8 capsid mutants, AAV2-Y444F, AAV2-tripleY-F, …

Targeted And Controlled Anticancer Drug Delivery And Release With Magnetoelectric Nanoparticles, Alexandra Rodzinski

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A major challenge of cancer treatment is successful discrimination of cancer cells from healthy cells. Nanotechnology offers multiple venues for efficient cancer targeting. Magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENs) are a novel, multifaceted, physics-based cancer treatment platform that enables high specificity cancer targeting and externally controlled loaded drug release. The unique magnetoelectric coupling of MENs allows them to convert externally applied magnetic fields into intrinsic electric signals, which allows MENs to both be drawn magnetically towards the cancer site and to electrically interface with cancer cells. Once internalized, the MEN payload release can be externally triggered with a magnetic field. MENs uniquely allow …

Ebola Vp40 In Exosomes Can Cause Immune Cell Dysfunction, Michelle Pleet, Allison Mathiesen, Catherine Demarino, Yao Akpamagbo, Robert Barclay, Sergey N. Iordanskiy, +6 Additional Authors

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Ebola virus (EBOV) is an enveloped, ssRNA virus from the family Filoviridae capable of causing severe hemorrhagic fever with up to 80–90% mortality rates. The most recent outbreak of EBOV in West Africa starting in 2014 resulted in over 11,300 deaths; however, long-lasting persistence and recurrence in survivors has been documented, potentially leading to further transmission of the virus. We have previously shown that exosomes from cells infected with HIV-1, HTLV-1 and Rift Valley Fever virus are able to transfer viral proteins and non-coding RNAs to naïve recipient cells, resulting in an altered cellular activity. In the current manuscript, we …