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A Novel Molecular Relationship Between Parn And Pld That, When Deregulated, Contributes To The Aggressive Phenotype Of Breast Cancer Cell Lines., Taylor Elaine Miller Jan 2017

A Novel Molecular Relationship Between Parn And Pld That, When Deregulated, Contributes To The Aggressive Phenotype Of Breast Cancer Cell Lines., Taylor Elaine Miller

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The removal of mRNA transcript poly(A) tails by 3'-5' exonucleases is the rate-limiting step for controlled mRNA decay in eukaryotes. Poly(A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN) is one such exonuclease that degrades poly(A) tails, and although its in vitro activity is well-characterized, PARN’s patho-physiological roles in the cell are not well understood. Prior studies have found a possible role for PARN in cancer, in that PARN expression levels in human breast cancer tissues are often decreased compared to normal control tissues. Indeed, data mined from the ONCOMINE cancer array database showed that PARN is downregulated in patient invasive breast carcinoma samples compared to …


Genomic Vs. Non-Genomic Role Of The Ahr In Human Immunoglobulin Expression, Nasser Alhamdan Jan 2017

Genomic Vs. Non-Genomic Role Of The Ahr In Human Immunoglobulin Expression, Nasser Alhamdan

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The immunoglobulin heavy chain gene (Igh) in various animal models is regulated by numerous regulatory elements including the 3’Igh regulatory region (3’IghRR). Several transcription factors are involved in modulating the 3’IghRR including the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). The AhR is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates the transcription of genes involved in the metabolism of environmental toxicants such as TCDD. TCDD binds AhR and regulates immunoglobulin (Ig) expression in B cells. This modulation appears to be directly mediated by binding of the AhR to dioxin response elements (DRE) within the 3’IghRR. In human B cells, IgG secretion inhibited by TCDD …


Effects Of Socs1 And Socs3 Peptide Mimetics On Macrophage Phagocytosis Of Malignant Cells, Colt Dylan Capan Jan 2017

Effects Of Socs1 And Socs3 Peptide Mimetics On Macrophage Phagocytosis Of Malignant Cells, Colt Dylan Capan

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Macrophages play a key role in both the innate and adaptive immune system responses to foreign materials. Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins are known as regulators of the immune response through various JAK/STAT pathways. This study examined the roles of SOCS1 and SOCS3 peptide mimetics on the phagocytosis of fluorescently labeled malignant target cell by RAW264.7 murine macrophages. The malignant cells used were Neuro-2a cells, a murine neuroblastoma cell line. A prominent “eat me” signal found in neuroblastoma cells is calreticulin (CRT), which permits macrophages to recognize and then phagocytize the malignant cells. When M1 (pro-inflammatory) polarized macrophages were …


Exploring The Role Of Lipin1 In Mitophagy Process Using Lipin1 Deficient-Egfp Tagged Lc3 Transgenic Mice, Abdullah Ali Alshudukhi Jan 2017

Exploring The Role Of Lipin1 In Mitophagy Process Using Lipin1 Deficient-Egfp Tagged Lc3 Transgenic Mice, Abdullah Ali Alshudukhi

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Lipin1 (phosphatidic acid phosphatase) is a key molecule in the cells with two functions: first, it converts phosphatidic acid into diacylglycerol in the cytosol which in turn makes triglycerides. Second, in nucleus lipin1 acts as a transcriptional factor which regulates the expression of genes involved in the fatty acid oxidation and lipid metabolism. Clinically, Lpin1 gene mutations have been detected in patients with severe rhabdomyolysis accompanied with aggregated and dysfunctional mitochondria in their type II muscle fiber. Previously, we have observed that mice with lipin1 deficiency had aggregated mitochondria and abnormal autophagosomes formations by electron microscopy. The mechanism underlying the …


Enhanced Neurogenesis In Subventricular Zone Of Rats That Voluntarily Ingest Fluoxetine And Simavastatin Combination Treatment, Tiffany L. Flannery Jan 2017

Enhanced Neurogenesis In Subventricular Zone Of Rats That Voluntarily Ingest Fluoxetine And Simavastatin Combination Treatment, Tiffany L. Flannery

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Stroke is one of the leading causes of deaths as the risk factors, both controllable and uncontrollable, are many. We first concentrated on a stress-free way to deliver the drugs. Our preference was to have the animals ingest the drugs, which led us to a reliable method for orally administering medication to the animal models. Using three different drug combinations, we tested the effects on neurogenesis without stroke. We found the drug combination of Fluoxetine/Statin/Ascorbic acid increases neurogenesis 19 fold when compared with control. Lastly, we looked at the gene changes in the cortex of the animal models that had …


Survey Of A Neotropical Anuran Assemblage (Pacaya-Samiria Reserve, Peru), Eric Woebbe Jan 2017

Survey Of A Neotropical Anuran Assemblage (Pacaya-Samiria Reserve, Peru), Eric Woebbe

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The Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve of Peru is one of the largest protected areas of the Amazon rainforest, yet it has hosted only a few studies of frogs and toads (anurans). The primary goals of my study are: 1) To conduct an inventory of the local anuran species, 2) to quantify richness among habitats, 3) to compare differences in beta diversity across a river versus a continuous landscape, and 4) to compare difference in body size between nocturnal and diurnal individuals. After eight weeks of daytime and nighttime surveys during the dry season, a total of 601 individuals were identified across …


Is Mitochondrial Development Impaired In Hyperoxic Rats And Does This Underpin The Blunting Of The Acute Hypoxic Ventilatory Response?, Tariq Hasan Fayyad Jan 2017

Is Mitochondrial Development Impaired In Hyperoxic Rats And Does This Underpin The Blunting Of The Acute Hypoxic Ventilatory Response?, Tariq Hasan Fayyad

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Carotid body (CB) responses to hypoxia are low at birth and increase over time to mature responses. Using an in vitro rat CB-carotid sinus nerve (CSN) preparation, Kholwadwala and Donnelly (1992) demonstrated that the CSN activity in response to hypoxia increased from low levels to robust adult responses after two weeks. This time course of maturation was paralleled by an increase in TASK channel sensitivity to hypoxia in the O2-sensing Type I cells (Kim et al, 2011). Previous studies have indicated that a fall in Type I cell mitochondrial volume and an increase in the rate of oxidative phosphorylation may …


Vitamin D3 And Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling Proteins Reduces Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines In An Alzheimer's Disease Like-Model Consisting Of Microglial And Neuronal Co-Cultures, Alexander Evdokiou Jan 2017

Vitamin D3 And Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling Proteins Reduces Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines In An Alzheimer's Disease Like-Model Consisting Of Microglial And Neuronal Co-Cultures, Alexander Evdokiou

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This study examined the inflammatory effects of amyloid-beta (A[beta]42) in a microglial-neuronal co-culture system and determined whether 1a, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3) along with suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 and SOCS 3 mimetics would attenuate the inflammatory response to A[beta]42. This culture system, when seeded with A[beta]42, serves as an in vitro model for Alzheimer's disease (AD). In a neuronal-microglia co-culture, A[beta]42 stimulated microglia to secrete TNF-a, but with the addition of 1,25-(OH)2D3, TNF-a levels dropped by nearly eight-fold and to near zero values in the presence of both 1,25-(OH)2D3 and SOCS1 and SOCS 3 mimetics. The reduction of the inflammatory …


Cx43 Expression Increases In Response To Increased Temperature Incubation In The Developing Chicken Embryonic Brain, Erick A. Barrios Jan 2017

Cx43 Expression Increases In Response To Increased Temperature Incubation In The Developing Chicken Embryonic Brain, Erick A. Barrios

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We used the chicken embryo model to examine whether altered incubation temperature during chicken embryo development would alter the protein expression of heat shock protein 70 (hsp70), hsp90, and connexin 43 (cx43) in the brain. We incubated eggs in either optimal (37.6° C, Con), increased (39.6° C, +2), or decreased (35.6° C, -2) temperature conditions until they reached embryonic day 16 (E16). The -2 condition significantly increased incidence of embryonic mortality. As shown in the literature, the development of the eggs was accelerated or decelerated due to increased or decreased temperature respectively. To control for this, we incubated eggs at …


Infection Prevalence In A Novel Ixodes Scapularis Population In Northern Wisconsin, Mary Lynn Westwood Jan 2017

Infection Prevalence In A Novel Ixodes Scapularis Population In Northern Wisconsin, Mary Lynn Westwood

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Ixodes scapularis (i.e. the blacklegged or deer tick) is an important vector of emerging human pathogens. Over the past few decades, the incidence of blacklegged tick-associated zoonotic diseases have increased in accordance with an expansion of the blacklegged tick geographic range. Data concerning the infection prevalence of blacklegged ticks in this region is highly variable and fragmentary. Using a novel population of these ticks, constituting part of the invasion front in Vilas County, Wisconsin, I examined infection prevalence and vector aspects of their ecology. During the summer of 2016, I collected 461 blacklegged ticks and screened them using a standard …


Impacts Of Invasive Alliaria Petiolata On Two Native Pieridae Butterflies, Anthocharis Midea And Pieris Virginiensis, Danielle Marie Thiemann Jan 2017

Impacts Of Invasive Alliaria Petiolata On Two Native Pieridae Butterflies, Anthocharis Midea And Pieris Virginiensis, Danielle Marie Thiemann

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Invasion of Alliaria petiolata has negative direct and indirect impacts on the systems in which they invade. This study focuses on further identifying impacts which this non-native A. petiolata has on herbivores whose range they have invaded. Oviposition on A. petiolata by the specialist butterfly, Pieris virginiensis, is known to be a mismatch event leading to larval death from sinigrin and alliarinoside. To observe if the related specialist, Anthocharis midea, falls into the same oviposition sink paired plot comparisons between native Cardamine concatenata and non-native A. petiolata were conducted. Early in the season paired-plot comparisons showed a preference for native …


The Impact Of Socs1 And Socs3 Peptide Mimetics On Rho And Cdc42 Proteins Expression, F-Actin Cytoskeleton Rearrangements, And Cytokines Production Of Uninfected And Hsv-1 Infected M1 And M2 Raw 264.7 Murine Macrophages, Maha A. Elwardany Jan 2017

The Impact Of Socs1 And Socs3 Peptide Mimetics On Rho And Cdc42 Proteins Expression, F-Actin Cytoskeleton Rearrangements, And Cytokines Production Of Uninfected And Hsv-1 Infected M1 And M2 Raw 264.7 Murine Macrophages, Maha A. Elwardany

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The immune system plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of HSV-1 during the lytic phase of the disease, orchestrating the inflammatory response, retaining the virus in its latent phase and preventing the recurrence of HSV-1 infection. Macrophages display a vital role in the innate and adaptive immune responses during multiple phases of HSV-1 infection. Polarized macrophages are categorized into two distinct classes with diverse functions. The classically activated M1 can engulf and destroy the microbial agents, produce proinflammatory cytokines, and participate in the pathogenesis of many inflammatory diseases. The alternatively activated M2 induces anti-inflammatory mediators and stimulates tissue remodeling …


Urinary Metabolomics To Detect Polycystic Kidney Disease At Early Stage, Amnah Mahmoud Obidan Jan 2017

Urinary Metabolomics To Detect Polycystic Kidney Disease At Early Stage, Amnah Mahmoud Obidan

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Urinary metabolomics abilities in detection of biological effects (i.e., toxicity, disease) is compounded by high background variability. Previously, we showed mild kidney dysfunction was detectable under the stress imposed by furosemide (diuretic). Here we tested whether furosemide (FUR) can enhance the sensitivity to detect autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) at an early stage. ADPKD is one of the most common inherited renal disorders and is characterized by the growth of numerous cysts in the kidneys. Urinary metabolomics analyses, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, were conducted in control (WT) and diseased mice (RC) at 7 and 24 weeks of …


Cytokine Expression, Cytoskeleton Organization, And Viability Of Sim-A9 Microglia Exposed To Staphylococcus Aureus-Derived Lipoteichoic Acid And Peptidoglycan, Erin Roberts Jan 2017

Cytokine Expression, Cytoskeleton Organization, And Viability Of Sim-A9 Microglia Exposed To Staphylococcus Aureus-Derived Lipoteichoic Acid And Peptidoglycan, Erin Roberts

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In these experiments, SIM-A9 microglia were exposed to Staphylococcus aureus cell wall components lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and peptidoglycan (PGN) at a concentration of 5 ug/mL for six, twelve, eighteen, and twenty-four hours and the cytokine expression, cytoskeleton organization, and cell viability of the cells were observed. Following LTA and PGN exposure, TNF-a; secretion increased at each time interval and was highest observed at 24 hours. No significant IL-10 secretion was detected. Over the 24 hour period, cell viability and cytotoxicity of LTA and PGN treatment groups were not significantly different from the control, indicating the observed inflammatory cytokine response was …


Effects Of Myrrh On Hsv-1 Using Plaque Assay, Badrieah Mohammad Alamri Jan 2017

Effects Of Myrrh On Hsv-1 Using Plaque Assay, Badrieah Mohammad Alamri

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Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a highly infective human pathogen which infects a wide range of population in North America and worldwide. HSV-1 infection has two phases, lytic and latent. Recurrence of HSV-1 is a major challenge to clinicians to control the infection especially in immune depleted individuals. Acyclovir (ACV) is an antiviral drug used to treat HSV-1 infection. Low solubility of ACV in water, mutation of viral thymidine kinase, and mutation of viral DNA polymerase are major problems that cause usage limitations of ACV. Myrrh has been used as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory natural product in middle …


The Hypercapnic Ventilatory Response And Behavior In Ca2+-Activated K+ (Bk) Channel Knock Out Mice And T-Cell Death-Associated Gene 8 (Tdag8) Receptor Knock Out Mice, Christine Annette Ratliff-Rang Jan 2017

The Hypercapnic Ventilatory Response And Behavior In Ca2+-Activated K+ (Bk) Channel Knock Out Mice And T-Cell Death-Associated Gene 8 (Tdag8) Receptor Knock Out Mice, Christine Annette Ratliff-Rang

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Some acid sensing areas in the brain control the expression of breathing and anxiety/fear including the locus coeruleus (LC) (Redmond & Huang, 1979) and the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS). It has been found that knocking out T-cell death-associated gene 8 (TDAG8), a chemosensor, attenuates CO2 induced fear phenotypes in mice. However their hypercapnic ventilatory response (HCVR) has not yet been looked at. Also, BK channels are large-conductance, calcium-activated potassium channels that are activated by increases in concentration of intracellular calcium ions. It has been found that BK KO rats have an increase in their HCVR (Patrone et al., 2014) however …


Feeding Selectivity Of An Algivore (Tropheus Brichardi) In Lake Tanganyika, Robin Richardson-Coy Jan 2017

Feeding Selectivity Of An Algivore (Tropheus Brichardi) In Lake Tanganyika, Robin Richardson-Coy

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Algivorous fish remove attached algae (periphyton) from the benthos in near shore areas of lakes. Periphyton has a complex three-dimensional structure dominated by Bacillariophyta (diatoms), Chlorophyta (green algae), and Cyanophyta (cyanobacteria). These three phyla vary in nutritional quality with diatoms providing essential fatty acids that consumers need for growth and reproduction. Selection of specific phyla may be driven by nutritional quality or it may be a function accessibility due to both mouth morphology of the fish and location of the algae in the periphyton community. I investigated whether Tropheus brichardi, an algivorous cichlid of Lake Tanganyika, selectivity feeds on …


Thermal Burn Injury Induced Microvesicle Particle Release, Katherine Erin Fahy Jan 2017

Thermal Burn Injury Induced Microvesicle Particle Release, Katherine Erin Fahy

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Microvesicle particles (MVP) are found to be important for cellular communication because they contain many bioactive proteins, lipids, cytokines, and nucleic acids. We have previously found that ultraviolet B radiation (UVB) and a Platelet-activating factor agonist (CPAF) can stimulate the release of MVP in keratinocytes. We hypothesized that there may also be an increase in MVP released after thermal burn and that could be involved in pathogenesis of the systemic effects found in some patients. In this thesis various keratinocyte cell lines, mice and human ex vivo skin were used as model systems to test our hypotheses. It was determined …


The Impacts Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Herbivory On The Forage Quality Of Forest Vegetation, Jonathan David Becker Jan 2017

The Impacts Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Herbivory On The Forage Quality Of Forest Vegetation, Jonathan David Becker

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White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are abundant across North America. Deer impact ecosystems, both directly and indirectly. These impacts are driven by the foraging preferences of deer. The energy, protein, mineral, fiber, and secondary metabolite content of plants are important factors that inform the selective herbivory of deer. I examined the interactions between forage quality and deer impacts in northern Wisconsin using deer exclosures. I examined the forage quality of four focal species (Acer saccharum, Maianthemum canadense, Dryopteris intermedia and Carex pensylvanica) in both control and exclosure plots. Forage quality parameters measured were energy, protein, ash, phosphorus, silica, fiber, and saponins. …


Extracellular Microvesicles As A Novel Biomarker For Wound Healing, Walid Omran Mari Jan 2017

Extracellular Microvesicles As A Novel Biomarker For Wound Healing, Walid Omran Mari

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Introduction: Wound healing is a sophisticated dynamic process that involves complex coordination among a variety of resident cells in a suitable extracellular environment. Chronic wounds are defined as wounds that fail to heal within a period of 3 months. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is a closed suction drainage system is used to enable mass transport of fluid from the body as an adjunct to surgical procedures. (Oasis-ultra) is a triple layer extracellular matrix containing different types of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) like heparin sulfate, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate. In addition, it has adhesion molecule such as fibronectin and laminin along …


Antimicrobial Activity Of Fractionated Borohydride-Capped And Electrochemical Colloidal Silver, Marjorie M. Markopoulos Jan 2017

Antimicrobial Activity Of Fractionated Borohydride-Capped And Electrochemical Colloidal Silver, Marjorie M. Markopoulos

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Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and ionic silver (Ag+) are known to be broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents. Recent studies show these agents may be an alternative to the most widely used drinking water disinfectant, chlorine. Chlorine is a toxic industrial chemical with a lethal concentration of 430 ppm after 30 minutes. Additionally, chlorine can react with naturally occurring materials to produce a number of disinfection byproducts such as chloroform and trihalomethanes. Some of these byproducts pose cancer risks in addition to other negative impacts to human health. These would be eliminated with the use of Ag+ or AgNPs. The main goal of this …


Effect Of Exposure Of Raw264.7 Macrophages To Salmonella Typhimurium Components On Cell Viability, Cytoskeleton Re-Arrangement And Cytokine Secretion, Khalid Abdullah Alyahya Jan 2017

Effect Of Exposure Of Raw264.7 Macrophages To Salmonella Typhimurium Components On Cell Viability, Cytoskeleton Re-Arrangement And Cytokine Secretion, Khalid Abdullah Alyahya

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Innate immune system plays an important role in individual's protection against pathogens and in activation of adaptive immune system. Utilizing RAW 264.7 murine macrophages as an innate immune response representative in this study, we analyzed the effect of invasive pathogen's components (e.g. flagellin) on the arrangement of macrophage's cytoskeleton, on viability of immune cells and on secretion of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and on fluorescence intensity of cytoskeleton after rearrangement. Additionally, we studied the similarity and differences between bacterial (Salmonella typhimurium) and synthetic TLR4 agonist (synthetic lipid-A) on viability, fluorescence intensity, cytokine secretion, and cytoskeleton rearrangements. Similarly, we studied the …


Upstream Regulators Of Vrac Activation In Human 1321n1 Astrocytoma Cells, Courtney Elyse Moore Jan 2017

Upstream Regulators Of Vrac Activation In Human 1321n1 Astrocytoma Cells, Courtney Elyse Moore

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Cells rely on a constant volume not only for structural stability but also for normal homeostatic processes to occur. In the brain and CNS, cells can regain their normal volume through a process termed regulatory volume decrease (RVD). A key component of a cells' response to cell swelling is the activation of channel(s) responsible for the efflux of chloride current, ICl,swell. Volume regulated anion channels (VRAC) which mediate ICl,swell have been implicated in controlling cell volume during RVD, but the mechanisms which activate this channel are not completely understood. In this study, I examined the role of G protein-coupled signaling …


Investigating The Role Of An Sk Channel Activator On Survival And Motor Function In The Sod1-G93a, Als Mouse Model, Matthew Thomas Dancy Jan 2017

Investigating The Role Of An Sk Channel Activator On Survival And Motor Function In The Sod1-G93a, Als Mouse Model, Matthew Thomas Dancy

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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal, adult-onset progressive degenerative motor neuron disease that is characterized by muscle atrophy and weakness due to the loss of upper and lower motor neurons. Average survival time for individuals diagnosed with the disease is three to five years; currently there is no cure and only one drug approved by the Food and Administration (FDA). Scientists have proposed various theories in order to solve the mystery which surrounds ALS. One of these theories hypothesizes how hyperexcitability and excitotoxicity leads to the death of motor neurons. In this study, we will address ways of combatting …


Cx43 Expression Increases In Response To Increased Temperature Incubation In The Developing Chicken Embryonic Brain, Erick A. Barrios Jan 2017

Cx43 Expression Increases In Response To Increased Temperature Incubation In The Developing Chicken Embryonic Brain, Erick A. Barrios

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We used the chicken embryo model to examine whether altered incubation temperature during chicken embryo development would alter the protein expression of heat shock protein 70 (hsp70), hsp90, and connexin 43 (cx43) in the brain. We incubated eggs in either optimal (37.6°C, Con), increased (39.6°C, +2), or decreased (35.6°C, -2) temperature conditions until they reached embryonic day 16 (E16). The -2 condition significantly increased incidence of embryonic mortality. As shown in the literature, the development of the eggs was accelerated or decelerated due to increased or decreased temperature respectively. To control for this, we incubated eggs at optimal temperature (37.6°C) …


Dnp63a Suppresses Cell Invasion By Targeting Rac1 Through Mir-320a, Amjad Ahmed Aljagthmi Jan 2017

Dnp63a Suppresses Cell Invasion By Targeting Rac1 Through Mir-320a, Amjad Ahmed Aljagthmi

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DNp63a, a member of the p53 family of transcription factors, is overexpressed in a number of cancers and known to play a role in proliferation, differentiation, migration and invasion. DNp63a has been shown to regulate several microRNAs that play a role in both development and cancer, but to date there has not been a global analysis of p63- regulated miRNA. Using next-generation sequencing of small RNA from wild type and sip63 transfected HaCaT cells, our laboratory recently identified a number of DNp63a- regulated miRNAs by RNA-Seq studies which may serve as biomarkers of cancer progression. We identified a novel miRNA, …


Effect Of Hyperglycemia And Thiazolidinediones On Cardiac Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (Ace2) And Neprilysin (Nep) In Db/Db Diabetic Mice., Rucha Fadnavis Jan 2017

Effect Of Hyperglycemia And Thiazolidinediones On Cardiac Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (Ace2) And Neprilysin (Nep) In Db/Db Diabetic Mice., Rucha Fadnavis

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Type 2 diabetes mellitus is strongly associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Despite availability of several antidiabetic medications, the cardiovascular outcomes remain unchanged. Activation of renin angiotensin system is one of the critical factors in development of diabetic complications. Hyperglycemia causes an increase in tissue and circulating Angiotensin II. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE2) and neprilysin (NEP) are angiotensin (1-7) forming enzymes. ACE2 was first cloned from heart failure patients and has cardioprotective and renoprotective properties. Combination of angiotensin receptor antagonism and NEP inhibition is a new therapeutic strategy for treatment of heart failure. The aim of this study was …


Determinants Of Host Use In Tachinid Parasitoids (Diptera: Tachinidae) Of Stink Bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) In Southwest Ohio, Matthew W. Duncan Jan 2017

Determinants Of Host Use In Tachinid Parasitoids (Diptera: Tachinidae) Of Stink Bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) In Southwest Ohio, Matthew W. Duncan

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Tachinid parasitoids in the subfamily Phasiinae are important natural enemies of heteropteran bugs. Host location by these flies occurs via antennal reception to the pheromones of their hosts; however little is known regarding the mechanisms which underlie host selection. Halyomorpha halys, the invasive brown marmorated stink bug, represents a potential novel host species in North America. This study was conducted to determine the suitability of H. halys as a host for phasiine species, and to assess cues used in host selection by the species Gymnoclytia occidua. Field attraction to pentatomid pheromones by both phasiines and pentatomids in Southwest Ohio were …


Role Of Erk3 In Regulating Rhogdi1-Paks Signaling Axis, Hitham Abdulrahman Aldharee Jan 2017

Role Of Erk3 In Regulating Rhogdi1-Paks Signaling Axis, Hitham Abdulrahman Aldharee

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Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 3 (ERK3) is an atypical protein kinase of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family. In comparison to well-investigated ERK1/2 (classical) MAPKs, much less has been discovered about ERK3 signaling and its cellular functions. Recent studies have shown that ERK3 is overexpressed in various types of cancers such as lung cancer and breast cancer and that ERK3 promotes cancer cell migration and invasion. How ERK3 regulates cancer cell motility and invasiveness, however, is still largely unknown. RhoGTPases, including Rho, Cdc42 and Rac1, play critical roles in regulating cell motility and invasiveness through activating downstream effectors such as p21-activated …


Vitamin D3 And Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling Proteins Reduces Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines In An Alzheimer’S Disease Like-Model Consisting Of Microglial And Neuronal Co-Cultures, Alexander Evdokiou Jan 2017

Vitamin D3 And Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling Proteins Reduces Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines In An Alzheimer’S Disease Like-Model Consisting Of Microglial And Neuronal Co-Cultures, Alexander Evdokiou

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This study examined the inflammatory effects of amyloid-ß (Aß42) in a microglial-neuronal co-culture system and determined whether 1a, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3) along with suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 and SOCS 3 mimetics would attenuate the inflammatory response to Aß42. This culture system, when seeded with Aß42, serves as an in vitro model for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In a neuronal-microglia co-culture, Aß42 stimulated microglia to secrete TNF-a, but with the addition of 1,25-(OH)2D3, TNF-a levels dropped by nearly eight-fold and to near zero values in the presence of both 1,25-(OH)2D3 and SOCS1 and SOCS 3 mimetics. The reduction of the inflammatory …