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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Virus-Host Co-Evolution: Determining The Origin Of Human Cytomegalovirus Us27 And Us28, Jessica A. Scarborough, Juliet Spencer, John Paul
Virus-Host Co-Evolution: Determining The Origin Of Human Cytomegalovirus Us27 And Us28, Jessica A. Scarborough, Juliet Spencer, John Paul
Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) are the largest family of cell surface proteins, found in organisms from yeast to humans. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a widespread pathogen that is particularly skilled at evading immune detection and defense mechanisms, largely due to extensive co-evolution with its host’s immune system. One aspect of this co-evolution involves the acquisition of four virally encoded GPCR homologs: US27, US28, UL33 and UL78. In this research, phylogenetic analysis was used to investigate the origins of the US27 and US28 genes, which are adjacent in the viral genome. The results indicate that both US27 and US28 share the …
Investigating How Cmvil-10 Isoforms Differ In Cell Signaling And Receptor Engagement, Alec Starzinski
Investigating How Cmvil-10 Isoforms Differ In Cell Signaling And Receptor Engagement, Alec Starzinski
Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD
Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a herpesvirus that infects a majority of the world’s population. There are many viral gene products that aid in virus infection and the establishment of the lifelong latency. UL111A, is a viral gene which, through alternate intron splicing, codes for two protein products cmvIL-10 and LAcmvIL-10 that mimic the structure of human interleukin-10 (hIL-10) to varying degrees. cmvIL-10 has been shown to have a wide range of physiological effects, whereas the effects of LAcmvIL-10 appear to be much more limited in scope. This study seeks to measure the expression levels of LAcmvIL-10 during lytic infection of …
Development Of A Non-Invasive Liquid Biopsy For Detection Of Cmvil-10, Alexander Shin, Margarette Mariano, Juliet Spencer
Development Of A Non-Invasive Liquid Biopsy For Detection Of Cmvil-10, Alexander Shin, Margarette Mariano, Juliet Spencer
Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a prevalent type of herpes virus in our population. HCMV infection has no effect on the majority of people, but in some cases HCMV is strongly correlated with various medical outcomes, such as breast cancer. We focus on the UL111A gene product of HCMV, which encodes the secreted protein cmvIL-10. CmvIL-10 is a homolog of human cytokine IL-10 (hIL-10), which has immunosuppressive effects and promotes proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells in vitro. We are measuring cmvIL-10 in human blood and have found elevated levels of cmvIL-10 in cancer patients. Here, we are investigating the …
Mass Extinctions Increase Evenness Of Genus Diversity Across Ecological Modes, Catherine Lau
Mass Extinctions Increase Evenness Of Genus Diversity Across Ecological Modes, Catherine Lau
Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD
In the Big Five mass extinctions, species were eliminated from ecological modes (groups of species in the same habitat with the same motility method and feeding strategy) with greater species diversity preceding these events. Using Knope et al.'s (2015) data set of 18,621 marine animal genera, I asked: When diversity rebounds, does it recover to a similar distribution of genus diversity across modes or to a more even distribution spanning different modes? With each event, the difference in diversity among modes decreases, so evenness increases over time. Mass extinctions contribute to the broad range of diversity we see today.
Use Of Novel Mutant Viral Proteins To Investigate Chemokine Receptor Signaling, Joy Kim
Use Of Novel Mutant Viral Proteins To Investigate Chemokine Receptor Signaling, Joy Kim
Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD
Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a widespread pathogen that causes lifelong latent infection. HCMV rarely causes disease in healthy adults. However, immune-compromised individuals like transplant recipients and AIDS patients can suffer from life-threatening disease. HCMV encodes four G-protein coupled receptors, US27, US28, UL33, and UL78. GPCRs have seven transmembrane α-helices and play vital roles in cellular communication networks. Viral GPCRs may exploit these signaling pathways, and US27 was found to increase cellular proliferation and enhance CXCR4 signaling. Here, US27 deletion mutants are being used to define domains of the viral protein critical for impacting CXCR4 function. These results are expected to …