Life Sciences Commons^™

Neuroprotective Effects Of Anthocyanins On Neuronal Death Induced By Inhibition Of Bcl-2 And Oxidative Stress, Natalie A. Kelsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have devastating consequences to the afflicted patients. A major cellular pathophysiology underlying these diseases is mitochondrial oxidative stress (MOS) leading to neuronal death. Here, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of a novel class of nutraceuticals, anthocyanins, against MOS-induced death in primary cultures of rat cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs). Anthocyanins are natural antioxidants whose neuroprotective potential has yet to be examined in detail. Kuromanin and callistephin are anthocyanins derived from black rice and strawberries, respectively. Glutathione (GSH)-sensitive MOS and intrinsic apoptosis were induced in CGNs by the Bcl-2 inhibitor, HA14-1. Callistephin and …

Overexpression Of Amyloid Precursor Protein Induces Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress And Activates The Intrinsic Apoptosis Pathway, Matthew G. Bartley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic form of cognitive disability and is caused by trisomy of chromosome 21. Within chromosome 21 is the gene, amyloid precursor protein (APP). Proteolysis of APP into toxic and aggregate-prone, beta-amyloid fragments underlies the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Individuals with DS develop the neuropathology that can be diagnosed as AD; however, the role of APP overexpression in this comorbidity is presently unclear. Here, we elucidated the mechanism of cell death induced by overexpression of wild type APP. Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with a DsRed-APP fusion construct displayed caspase-3 activation and nuclear …

Greening The Green Revolution: Moving Beyond Chemicals To Sustainable Agricultural Practices, Elizabeth G. Crawley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Agriculture has dominated the economy of many developing countries for centuries, which has led to development policies that center on agricultural development. An obvious approach to improved production is to decrease agricultural losses in the fields and increase efficiency to markets. This study focuses on the developmental role of pesticides and chemical fertilizers on non-traditional agricultural export farming and the adoption of IPM techniques. With farmers in the Comayagua Valley of Honduras, an Asian vegetable production center for the country, as the study population, the costs and benefits of planting oriental vegetables was examined. Statistical analysis was used to examine …

Neuronal Calcium Regulation And Cellular Stress In A Malignant Hyperthermia Disease Model, Jason Santiago

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Calcium ions (Ca2+) are essential signaling molecules and must be carefully regulated to preserve specificity in function. One indispensible Ca2+ signaling protein is the ryanodine receptor (RyR) calcium release channel. RyR1 is essential for muscle contraction, and RyR1mutations can lead to severe muscle disorders such as malignant hyperthermia (MH). Recently, a mouse model of human MH (Y522S-RyR1) has been developed. In skeletal muscle, Y522S-RyR1 exhibits an increased sensitivity to activation resulting in Ca2+ leak, mitochondrial disorganization, and cellular stress. Although RyR1 expression is limited in the brain, the cerebellum may be particularly vulnerable to this disease because RyR1 is highly …

Investigating Instructors' Conceptions Of Evolution Through The Development Of The Classroom Test Of Evolutionary Reasoning, Patricia Eileen Palko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to assess the evolutionary understanding of high school biology teachers, an instrument entitled the Classroom Test of Evolutionary Reasoning (CTER) was developed. Content, response process, relations to another variable (the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection, or CINS), and internal structure evidence were compiled. The second version of the CTER was found to have adequate reliability and validity estimates to allow it to continue to be used as a measurement tool for an understanding of evolution. When assessing a sample of teachers (n = 724), the mean score was 6.35 out of a possible 13 points. The sample was …

Development Of Ultra-Sensitive Fluorescence Photoamplification Assays For The Detection Of Molecular Recognition Events, Tiffany Priscilla Gustafson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the course of this research a novel method which couples the molecular recognition-triggered photoamplification chain in diaryl ketone adducts of dithiane with a "turn-off" or "turn-on" fluorescence-based assay for the detection of biological targets and ligands, regardless of their nature, through a molecular recognition event has been developed. This research has included several key steps, the most significant being: (1) the design of fluorophore adducts or dyads which recover fluorescence upon photocleavage for a "turn-on" assay and the identification of fluorophores which are quenched upon the photochemical release of a quencher for a "turn off" assay; (2) Optimization of …

Mechanistic Importance Of Redox Potentials And Conformational Flexibility In Electron-Transferring Flavoproteins, Michael Anthony Swanson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The mitochondrial matrix flavoproteins electron transfer flavoprotein (ETF) and electron transfer flavoprotein-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (ETF-QO) are responsible for linking fatty acid β-oxidation with the main mitochondrial respiratory chain. Electrons derived from flavoprotein dehydrogenases are transferred sequentially through ETF and ETF-QO to ubiquinone and then into the respiratory chain via complex III. In this study, the effects of changes in ETF-QO redox potentials on its activity and the conformational flexibility of ETF were investigated.

ETF-QO contains one [4Fe-4S]^2+,1+ and one flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). In the porcine protein, threonine 367 is hydrogen bonded to N1 and O2 of the flavin ring …