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Metabolic Preconditioning Of Mammalian Cells: Approaches For Increasing Biostability After Desiccation, Apurva Shrihari Borcar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Selected species in nature are able to tolerate prolonged periods of severe water stress. Survival of cellular desiccation in these anhydrobiotic organisms is conferred by a number of mechanisms including accumulation of stabilizing solutes, such as trehalose, and expression of Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins. An additional feature shared by some anhydrobiotic animals is the capacity to suppress mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in preparation for desiccation. These mechanisms improve the physiological robustness of cells to stress. The primary aim of this dissertation is to evaluate forms of metabolic preconditioning and to test the most propitious as a means to improve desiccation …