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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Testing Of Indazole Inhibitors Of Kasa, A Vital Enzyme Of M. Tuberculosis, Karissa Highlander Apr 2023

Testing Of Indazole Inhibitors Of Kasa, A Vital Enzyme Of M. Tuberculosis, Karissa Highlander

Student Research Submissions

Tuberculosis is a disease that affects the lungs caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). Although drug treatment options exist, increased rates of antibiotic resistant strains have become more prevalent in recent years, driving a need for new treatment approaches. KasA, a β-ketoacyl synthase, has been found to synthesize parts of the cell wall and been identified as an attractive drug target. Previous medicinal chemistry research has been completed to synthesize six effective competitive inhibitors of KasA that would potentially block the enzyme from binding the substrate, preventing elongation of the backbone and creation of the mycolic fatty acids that …


Characterization Of Toxoplasma Gondii Calcium Regulator Proteins Tggt1_253640 And Tggt1_222060 For Toxoplasma Gondii Growth And Invasion, Abigail Delapenha Apr 2023

Characterization Of Toxoplasma Gondii Calcium Regulator Proteins Tggt1_253640 And Tggt1_222060 For Toxoplasma Gondii Growth And Invasion, Abigail Delapenha

Student Research Submissions

Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic apicomplexan parasite infecting humans and livestock. Infection in immunocompromised individuals can cause neurological damage and infection during pregnancy can lead to fetal death. These parasites engage in a complex life cycle, involving repeated invasion of the host cell and egress from the host cell. Calcium signaling is an important regulatory mechanism for many essential processes in the parasite, including gliding motility (actomyosin-dependent mode of motion), invasion, and egress. Our work here focuses on two previously uncharacterized calcium regulator proteins (TGGT1_253640 and TGGT1_222060). To characterize the role of these proteins in parasite viability and calcium regulation, …


Localization Of Ctg-Repeat-Containing Transgenes In Drosophila Melanogaster Myotonic Dystrophy Models, Andrea Waltrip Apr 2023

Localization Of Ctg-Repeat-Containing Transgenes In Drosophila Melanogaster Myotonic Dystrophy Models, Andrea Waltrip

Student Research Submissions

Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1, DM1, is a multi-systemic muscle wasting disorder that results from expression of expanded CTG repeats in the DMPK gene in humans. Three transgenic Drosophila melanogaster lines have been created containing 60, 250, or 480 CTG repeats to model DM1. The transgenic repeats are expressed using the GAL4/UAS system. Expression of long-repeat transgenes ((CTG)250 and i(CTG)480) produces phenotypes consistent with DM1, relative to control lines ((CTG)60). The precise chromosomal location of insertion of the transgenes has not been reported. We used classical genetic approaches to localize CTG-repeat transgene insertion to a specific …


Apoptosis Induction In Jurkat T-Lymphocytes By Proton Pump Inhibitors (Ppis), Shreya Murali, Randall Reif Apr 2023

Apoptosis Induction In Jurkat T-Lymphocytes By Proton Pump Inhibitors (Ppis), Shreya Murali, Randall Reif

Student Research Submissions

Apoptosis, commonly known as programmed cell death, constantly occurs in humans. As a cancer cell increases in acidity, apoptosis is induced. In healthy cells, proton pump proteins allow for H+ ions to permeate cellular membranes, regulating pH. However, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), such as omeprazole, prevent proton movement. In previous studies, omeprazole induced cell death in Jurkat T lymphocytes; however, there was no confirmation of whether the cells died through apoptosis, or through necrosis, where the cell bursts. By using Annexin-V staining, the effects of omeprazole, dexlansoprazole, and esomeprazole on apoptosis induction can be measured. Cell death was observed …