Life Sciences Commons^™

Unveiling The Ancestral Function Of A Neuroendocrine Regulator, Pou-I/Pit1: Insights From Gene Expression Analysis In The Sea Anemone Nematostella Vectensis, Miguel Agostinho Pina Da Silva

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cnidaria (i.e., sea anemones, jellyfish, corals) and Bilateria (i.e., vertebrates, sea stars, fruit flies), are sister groups that diverged around 600 million years ago. Despite the long evolutionary time, many cellular differentiation mechanisms, cell types, tissues and behaviors are conserved. Such as neurons, mechanosensory hair cells, feeding behaviors, peristaltic movements, and sleep. Recent advances in genomics, molecular biology and microscopy have fueled an increased interest in understanding cnidarian nervous and neuroendocrine systems. Understanding the developmental mechanisms and the mode of operation of Cnidarian nervous systems helps to reconstruct the ancestral nervous system of the last common ancestor of Cnidaria and …

Systems Dynamics Of The Anterior Cingulate Cortex And Hippocampus In Behavioral Switching, Spatial Working Memory, And Disease, Ryan Wirt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The electrophysiological properties of the hippocampus (HC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) are the central focus of research on learning, memory, and neurological disease. Previous research has shown that HC is essential for forming new memories, spatial navigation, and temporal processing. While the function of ACC, located within the medial prefrontal cortex, remains controversial, it has a role in long-term memory recall, processing pain, monitoring current state, learning, schema updates, and information integrations. Interactions between the ACC and HC occur during social memory, spatial working memory performance, and long-term memory recall. Notably, the HC and ACC are among the first …

Harnessing The Power Of Trained Immunity In The Setting Of Pancreatic Cancer: A Novel Mechanism Of Immune Trafficking And Tumor Control., Anne Elena Geller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the success of immunotherapy in many types of cancer, pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has yet to benefit. Innate immune cells are critical to antitumor immunosurveillance and recent studies have revealed that these populations possess a form of memory, termed trained innate immunity, which occurs through transcriptomic, epigenetic, and metabolic reprograming. Though trained innate immunity has mostly been investigated in the context of infection, the induction of trained innate immunity could also protect against tumors, and specifically pancreatic tumors. Here, we demonstrate that yeast-derived particulate β-glucan, a known inducer of trained immunity, traffics to the pancreas following IP administration. This causes …

Examining Early Interactions Between Innate Airway Resident Immune Cells And Mtb-Specific Factors During Pulmonary Infection With Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Micah D. Dunlap

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the leading cause of death by an infectious agent in the world today, infecting roughly one quarter of humans. Despite this, the mechanisms of early pathogenesis and host protective innate immune responses remain poorly understood and uncharacterized.

Lung resident Alveolar Macrophages (AMs) are the first host contact with Mtb bacilli after inhalation and are thus key mediators of the early pulmonary immune response. AMs are generally believed to reside entirely in the airway, but it was recently demonstrated that they have the capacity to egress and enter into granulomas during pulmonary infection with hypervirulent Mtb. Furthermore, …

Plasmodium Impairs Antibacterial Innate Immunity To Systemic Infections In Part Through Hemozoin-Bound Bioactive Molecules., Christopher Lynn Harding

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite efforts to decrease the global health burden of malaria, infections with Plasmodium species continue to cause over 200 million episodes of malaria each year which resulted in 405,000 deaths in 2018 [1]. One complication of malaria is increased susceptibility to invasive bacterial infections. Plasmodium infections impair host immunity to non-Typhoid Salmonella (NTS) through activities of heme oxygenase I (HO-I) )-induced release of immature granulocytes and myeloid cell-derived IL-10. Yet, it is not known if these mechanisms are specific to NTS. We show here, that Plasmodium yoelii 17XNL (Py) infected mice had impaired clearance of systemic Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) during …

Study Of Pharmaceutical Tablets Using Raman Mapping, Kyle Joseph Pauly

Honors Theses

Covalent bonds are the strongest type of bonds holding molecules together. Based on the pattern of bonding of the molecule, the atoms associated with the bond will vibrate at a specific frequency. Utilizing vibrational spectroscopy, such as Raman spectroscopy, these unique vibrational frequencies can be used to detect the presence of analytes over a selected area. Furthermore, the intensities of the vibrational modes can be tracked to comparatively quantify the concentration of analytes at various locations. This is a method of great importance due to its ability to compare pharmaceutical tablets synthesized with different techniques. Here, the presence and concentration …

Profiling Transcription And Retrotransposition Of Mouse L1 Subfamilies, Lingqi Kong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transposable elements, also called jumping genes, comprise almost 45% of the human genome. In contrast, only 1% of the human genome is protein-coding sequences. The function and advantages of maintaining such massive copies of transposable elements in the human genome are still unclear. Long interspersed element 1 (L1), the most substantial group and the only active autonomous transposable element in the human genome, has revealed its unique roles in many diseases. The insertional mutagenesis induced by L1 retrotransposition events could threaten human genomic stability and generate unexpected mutations. L1 overexpression has been documented in both somatic and germline cells and, …

Infection Potential Of Rickettsia Felis Via Ingestion, Matthew M. Schexnayder

LSU Master's Theses

Rickettsia felis is the etiologic agent of flea-borne spotted fever (FBSF) in humans and a poorly described cause of fever in animals. It is transmitted by its primary arthropod vector and reservoir host, the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis. Known routes of Rickettsia felis transmission between Rickettsia felis-infected cat fleas and vertebrate hosts include cutaneous bites and contamination of cutaneous wounds with infective flea feces. The bulk of FBSF infections occur in young children in Africa, though infections of people at all ages all over the world have been confirmed. As mammals and young children frequently come into contact …

Contribution Of Retrotransposons To Breast Cancer Malignancy, Isaac D. Raplee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The components contributing to cancer progression, especially the transition from early to invasive are unknown. Consequently, the biological reasons are unclear as to why some patients diagnosed with atypia and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) never progress into invasive breast cancer. The “one gene at a time” approach does not sufficiently predict progression. To elucidate the early stage progression to invasive ductal cancer, expression signature of transcripts and transposable elements in micropunched samples of formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue was conducted. A bioinformatics pipeline to analyze poor quality, short reads (>36 nts) from RNA-Seq data was created to compare …

Is Breastfeeding Truly Best? Evolutionary, Physiological, & Cultural Factors That Shape Breastfeeding Practices, Emily J. Green

Honor Scholar Theses

No abstract provided.

Genomics And Transcriptomics Approaches To Understanding Drug Resistance Mechanisms In The Malaria Parasite Plasmodium Falciparum, Justin Allan Gibbons

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for about 500,000 deaths a year and is evolving resistance to the front-line treatment of artemisinin-based combination therapy. Resistance is currently confined to South East Asia, however millions of lives will be at risk if resistance spreads to Africa. Understanding the mechanism of resistance to artemisinins would aid containment strategies to prevent the spread of artemisinin resistance. There is also an urgent need to accelerate drug discovery since drug resistance has already been documented to all existing antimalarials. Here, I report on our efforts to understand the function of the gene k13, the …

Stress-Dependent Regulation Of A Major Node Of The Insulin-Like Peptide Network That Modulates Survival, Rashmi Chandra

Wayne State University Dissertations

Chronic stress disrupts insulin signaling, predisposing human populations to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, and other metabolic and neurological disorders, including post-traumatic disorders (PTSD). Thus, efficient recovery from stress optimizes survival. However, stress recovery in humans is difficult to study, but is much easier to dissect in model organisms. The worm genetic model Caenorhabditis elegans can switch between stressed and non-stressed states, and this switch is largely regulated by insulin signaling. Previously, the Alcedo lab proposed that insulin-like peptides (ILPs), which exist as multiple members of a protein family in both C. elegans and humans, implements a combinatorial coding strategy …

Trypanosoma Cruzi Trypomastigote Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-Anchored Mucins And A Synthetic Alpha-Gal-Containing Neoglycoprotein As Potential Biomarkers And Vaccines For Chagas Disease, Igor Leandro Estevao

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Chagas disease (CD), caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is a neglected tropical disease that kills or permanently disable thousands of people annually. About 6-8 million people are estimated to be infected worldwide. Although many efforts have been made for the development of an effective immunotherapy, currently there is no vaccine to prevent or treat CD in humans. Despite their toxicity, the two current drugs for CD, benznidazole (BZN) and nifurtimox (NFX), have medium-to-high efficacy in the chronic stage of the disease and could save or improve the lives of thousands of patients. However, negative seroconversion in treated patients, as …

The Role Of Fibrillin-1 In Eye Development And Disease, Wendell Brooks Jones

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ciliary zonule of the human eye consists of a circumferential array of fibers that connect the ocular lens to the nonpigmented ciliary epithelium (NPCE) located at the inner wall of the eye. Zonular fibers consist of bundles of beaded filaments called microfibrils. Microfibrils are major structural elements of the extracellular matrix and are present in pure form in the ciliary zonule. Microfibrils are composed principally of fibrillin-1 (FBN-1); a large extracellular matrix glycoprotein. In humans, mutations in FBN1 underlie Marfan syndrome; a pleiotropic connective tissue disorder that profoundly affects the eye. Ocular manifestations include ectopia lentis (dislocated lenses), cataracts, …

Understanding The Impact Of Hiv-1 Genetic Diversity On The Function Of Nef And Its Role In Serinc5 Antagonism, Aaron Leslie Johnson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

HIV-1 Nef is a key pathogenic protein, allowing HIV-1 to evade the host immune system by downregulating MHC-I and CD4. Furthermore, it was recently discovered that Nef counteracts the host factor SERINC5 to increase HIV-1 infectivity, but the mechanistic details of the Nef:SERINC5 interaction still need to be explored. Throughout this dissertation, I will explore the hypothesis that the genetic diversity that defines HIV-1 has a pronounced effect on the HIV-1 protein Nef, altering its function between and within group M subtypes. To address this hypothesis I investigated how MHC-I and CD4 downregulation differ among all non-recombinant group M subtypes. …

Transcriptomics Of Learning, Pablo Iturralde

Theses

Learning is a basic and important component of behavior yet we have very little empirical information about the interaction between mechanisms of learning and evolution. In our work, we are testing hypotheses about the neurogenetic mechanisms through which animal learning abilities evolve. We are able to test this directly by using experimentally evolved populations of flies, which differ in learning ability. These populations were previously evolved within the lab by creating worlds with different patterns of change following theoretically predicted effects on which enhanced learning will evolve. How has evolution acted to modulate genes and gene expression in the brain …

Out Of The Shell: Exploring The Phagocytic Capabilities Of The B Cell And Isolated Lymphoid Follicle-Lie Structures In The Red-Eared Slider, Trachemys Scripta, Marc A. Ashford Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Management of immunity is crucial for survival in all living organisms. While there is a large amount of research for established model organisms, such as the mouse model, much less is known about reptiles. When compared to immunity in mammals, we discover many differences such as susceptibility to certain pathogens, alteration of immune processes due to environmental temperature, the total absence of certain lymphoid organs contained in mammals, among many others. Despite this, the reptile has shown in many studies that they are worthy systems to study immunity in an evolutionary perspective and recent studies may show that they may …

Development And Preclinical Evaluation Of Long-Lasting Cocaine Hydrolases For Cocaine Overdose And Cocaine Use Disorder Treatment, Ting Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Cocaine is a plant-based illicit drug commonly involved in substance use disorder. Although cocaine overdose and cocaine use disorders cause adverse health consequences to individuals and the economic burden on their family and society, there are no FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved medications for treatment. Recently, it has been recognized that delivery of cocaine hydrolase (CocH) is a promising therapeutic strategy. Human butyrylcholinesterase (hBChE), the primary enzyme involved in cocaine metabolism in human, have advantages over other candidates for the development of CocH. Previous studies in our laboratory have designed and characterized hBChE mutants that have ~4,000-fold improved catalytic …

A Novel Population Of Cardiovascular Progenitors Persist In Neonates As Mesendodermal Cells, Julia Kim

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The rise in mortality due to cardiovascular disease has increased the need to develop an efficient regenerative therapeutic for heart failure. Numerous cell-based therapies have been investigated for myocardial regeneration; however, an optimal progenitor has yet to be discovered. Identifying a resident cell population with enhanced ability to differentiate into multiple lineages would greatly contribute to the field of stem cell-based regenerative therapy. Evidence suggests that endogenous cardiovascular progenitor cells (CPCs) that have been isolated from the heart itself express ISL1, KDR, and MESP1, and are capable of differentiating into all major cardiac lineages. The earlier developmental stage at which …

Development Of An In Silico Kir Genotyping Algorithm And Its Application To Population And Cancer Immunogenetic Analyses, Howard Rosoff

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Gene content determination and variant calling in the complex KIR genomic region are useful for immune system function analysis, pathogenesis and disease risk factor elucidation, immunotherapy development, evolutionary investigations, and human migration modeling. Sequence-specific oligonucleotide and sequence-specific primer PCR methods are the de facto standards for KIR presence/absence identification, but the current platforms are unsuitable for SNP calling, impractical for KIR typing large cohorts of DNA samples, and inapplicable for typing repositories in which sequence data, but not cells or cell analytes, are available. Alternative typing methods, such as in silico sequence-based typing, can address the problems associated with amplicon-based …

The Molecular And Cellular Basis For Cold Sensation, Daniel Brenner

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ability to sense changes in temperature is crucial to surviving harsh environments. Over the last decade several ion channels that have been proposed to be cold sensitive have been identified, most notably TRPM8 and TRPA1. Although these molecules have been extensively studied in vitro, their exact roles in cold sensation in vivo are still debated. This uncertainty is in large part due to problems with the standard methods of testing cold sensitivity in vivo, which often rely on subjective measures of cold responsiveness. Experiments using these subjective measures have been repeated by different groups and have yielded conflicting results, …

Detecting Enzootic Leishmaniasis And American Trypanosomiasis In Stray Dogs In El Paso County, Texas And The Potential For Autochthonous Transmission To Humans, Evan James Kipp

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Cutaneous leishmaniasis and Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) are two vector-borne, protozoal zoonoses whose emergence into the southern United States is a public health problem of increasing significance. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is caused by several species of intracellular protozoa in the genus Leishmania and is most often characterized by the formation of large, ulcerative skin lesions that can result in considerable scarring and permanent disfigurement. Infection with Leishmania is prevalent throughout the world in tropical and sub-tropical regions and in areas where people are regularly exposed to the hematophagous sand fly vectors that transmit the disease. Chronic infection with Trypanosoma cruzi, the …

Development Of An Efficient Human Hepatocyte Culture Platform For Assessing Novel Therapeutic Efficacy Against Plasmodium Liver Parasites, Steven Patrick Maher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Malaria is a critical and global public health problem, affecting over 200 million people every year, resulting in over 500,000 deaths. A vaccine is not currently available and only one drug, primaquine, is effective against the dormant stages of Plasmodium vivax. Preclinical assessment of novel therapeutic drugs and vaccines is hampered by the lack of an in vitro liver model for P. falciparum and P. vivax. To provide a stable human hepatocyte-based culture platform for parasite development, we engineered a microfluidic bilayer device capable of both simple and complex culture methods, including perfusion and co-culture, to better understand the requirements …

Role Of Cardiac Catecholamines In Embryos And Adults Under Stress, Candice Baker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease is responsible for the loss of one life every 38 seconds and accounts for 26.6 percent of all infants that die of congenital birth defects. Adrenergic hormones are critically important regulators of cardiovascular physiology in embryos and adults. They are key mediators of stress responses and have profound stimulatory effects on cardiovascular function, and dysregulation of adrenergic function has been associated with many adverse cardiac conditions, including congenital malformations, arrhythmias, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and sudden cardiac death. Despite intensive study, the specific roles these hormones play in the developing heart is not well-understood. Further, there is …

Fzd6, Matn2 And Slc25a32, Possible Candidate Genes In Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip And Palate, Nevena Cvjetkovic

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCLP) is a common birth defect with a multifactorial etiology. Despite decades of research, the genetic underpinnings of NSCLP still remain largely unexplained. A genome wide association study (GWAS) of a large NSCLP African American family with seven affected individuals across three generations found evidence for linkage at 8q21.3-24.12 (LOD = 2.98). This region contained three biologically relevant candidate genes: Frizzled-6 (FZD6) (LOD = 2.8), Matrilin-2 (MATN2) (LOD = 2.3), and Solute Carrier Family 25, Member 32 (SLC26A32) (LOD = 1.6). Sequencing of the coding regions and the 5’ and 3’ …

The Role Of Human Endogenous Retroviruses In Renal Cell Carcinoma, Michele D. Tisdale

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Human endogenous retroviruses make up approximately 8-9% of the human genome. A number of expressed HERVs, those that are actively transcribing, have been associated with various cancers. Suppression mechanisms that control HERV expression often fail or become more permissive in tissues where expression should be restricted. Previous studies have identified HERV expression in breast cancer tissues, whereas normal tissue HERV expression remained suppressed. In addition, studies of DNA hypermethylation have correlated with the ability to contribute to cancer development. Hypermethylation of several tumor suppressor genes occurs frequently in cancers and alterations in promoter regions could contribute to the development of …

Feline Lentivirus: Molecular Analysis And Epidemiology In Southern African Lions, Hayley Rebecca Adams

Doctoral Dissertations

Feline immunodeficiency virus is a retrovirus of domestic cats causing significant lifelong infection. Infection has also been detected in nondomestic species, including African lions. It is endemic in certain populations in east and southern Africa. Infection leads to immunologic dysfunction and immunosuppressive disease in domestic cats; however, little research exists about the pathogenic effects of infection in lions and its epidemiological impact on free-ranging and captive populations. Little is known about the lentivirus in these populations at the molecular and host level. Analysis of the virus from these populations is necessary for development of detection assays that are both sensitive …

Quantitation Of Teratogenic Effects Of 5-Fluorouracil Administered To Mice In Vivo Or In Submerged Limb Culture, Theresa A. Sanders

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study demonstrates the use of submerged limb culture in teratologic testing. Pregnant mice were treated on day 11 of gestation (E11, plug date = E0) with 10, 20 or 40 mg of 5-fluorouracil (FU) per kg body weight. On E17, treated and untreated fetuses were examined for gross malformations and were fixed in 95% ethanol. Reduction of limb size and digital defects, including ectrodactyly (ED), syndactyly (SD), microdactyly and polydactyly were dose-dependent. In parallel studies, pregnant mice were treated on the morning of E11 and embryos were removed either 7h (E11) or 24h (E12) later for submerged limb culture. …

Determination Of Lead Content In Apical Tissue Following Root Canal Obturation With Sargenti's Formula, G. Merle Hickok

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Four Stump-tail monkeys were used to help determine if the lead in Sargenti's formula diffuses out into the apical tissue while confined entirely within the root canal. In each animal two teeth were filled with Sargenti's formula 1-2 millimeters short of the radiographic apex, and two teeth were filled with gutta percha and Proco-Sol sealer for controls, making a total sample size of sixteen. The time ranged from 48 hours to 120 days. Lead analysis using the spectrophotometric method showed a higher lead content in the teeth filled with Sargenti's formula than with the gutta percha controls.

Some Aspects Of Cranial Bone Growth In The Puberal Macaca Mulatta Monkey: As Evidenced By Metallic Implants And Cephalometric Roentgenography And The Application Of A Geological Lapidary Technique For The Semi-Serial Thin Sectioning Of Undecalcified Bone, Lee Eugene Olsen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate cranial and facial bone growth in the puberal Macaca mulatta monkey over a six month period utilizing the methods of metallic implantation combined with serial cephalometric roentgenography and a bichromatic vital staining method.

The employment of the vital stains, alizarin Red S and anthracene blue, over the six month period of the study, failed to stain the actively growing bone as evidenced by gross and microscopic analysis of the undecalcified bone preparations.

Interimplant measurements were made across certain bone sutures and the following results were obtained: The zygomaticotemporal sutures showed marked growth …