Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- HIV-1 (3)
- Apoptosis (2)
- Aurora B (2)
- Bacillus anthracis (2)
- C. elegans (2)
-
- Chromatin (2)
- Retroviruses (2)
- AGAP1 protein (1)
- APC-Cdh1 (1)
- APOBEC1 editing targets (1)
- APOBEC3 proteins (1)
- AWC neurons (1)
- Afferent neurons (1)
- Amygdala (1)
- Amyloid fibrils (1)
- Amyloid-β 42 (Aβ42) (1)
- Anaphase Promoting Complex (1)
- Antiviral drug therapy (1)
- Antiviral factors (1)
- Anxiety (1)
- Apoptosis signaling (1)
- Ashkenazi Jews (1)
- Association field (1)
- Bacillus (1)
- Bacillus cereus (1)
- Bacillus spore (1)
- Biofilm formation (1)
- Brain derived neurotrophic factor (1)
- CALF-1 (1)
- CART neuropeptide (1)
Articles 1 - 30 of 36
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Impact Of Host Factors On Retroviral Evolution And The Identification Of A Novel Receptor That Was Used By An Ancient Primate Retrovirus, Steven J. Soll
The Impact Of Host Factors On Retroviral Evolution And The Identification Of A Novel Receptor That Was Used By An Ancient Primate Retrovirus, Steven J. Soll
Student Theses and Dissertations
The resurrection of inactive endogenous retroviruses allows us to learn about interactions between extinct pathogens and their hosts that occurred millions of years ago. Two of these paleoviruses, chimpanzee endogenous retrovirus 1 and 2 (CERV1 and CERV2), are relatives of modern murine leukemia viruses that are found in the genomes of a variety of old world primates, but are absent from the human genome. The nonexistence of human CERV1 and CERV2 homologues is peculiar given the numerous apparent cross-species transmissions that occurred between ancestors of old world monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees. It is possible that antiviral proteins were able to …
Genome-Wide Decoding Of Mrnp And Mirna Maps, Sung Wook Chi
Genome-Wide Decoding Of Mrnp And Mirna Maps, Sung Wook Chi
Student Theses and Dissertations
The limited number of primary transcripts in the genome has promoted interest in the possibility that much of the complexity in the regulation of gene expression may be determined by RNA regulation controlled by RNA-binding proteins (RNABPs) and/or microRNAs (miRNAs). However, applying biochemical methods to understand such interactions in living tissues is major challenge. Here we developed a genome-wide means of mapping messenger ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) sites in vivo, by high-throughput sequencing of RNA isolated by crosslinking immunoprecipitation (HITS-CLIP). HITS-CLIP analysis of the neuron-specific splicing factor Nova provides genome-wide maps of Nova-RNA interactions in vivo and leads to a new finding …
Proteome-Wide Prediction Of Acetylation Substrates, Amrita Basu
Proteome-Wide Prediction Of Acetylation Substrates, Amrita Basu
Student Theses and Dissertations
Eukaryotic DNA is found packaged with proteins and RNA, which forms a substance called chromatin. This packaging is dynamic and regulates access to DNA for essential cellular processes such as transcription, replication, and repair. In recent years, studies have shown that regulated changes in the chemical and physical properties of chromatin often lead to dynamic changes in multiple cellular processes by affecting the accessibility of the DNA. These changes can be brought about in part through posttranslational modifications of histone proteins, which are involved in disrupting chromatin contacts or by recruiting effector proteins to chromatin. Acetylation is one of the …
Characterization Of The Functional Role Of The Intracellular Cholesterol Transporter Stard4 In Knockout Mice, And Investigation Of Epigenetic Modulation Of Apoa-I Transcription, Joshua Riegelhaupt
Characterization Of The Functional Role Of The Intracellular Cholesterol Transporter Stard4 In Knockout Mice, And Investigation Of Epigenetic Modulation Of Apoa-I Transcription, Joshua Riegelhaupt
Student Theses and Dissertations
Cholesterol is crucial for mammalian survival by playing important roles, such as regulating membrane fluidity and as a precursor for the synthesis of steroid and sex hormones, bile acids, and Vitamin D. In addition, cellular and organismal regulation of cholesterol is important for health. For example, increased levels of plasma LDL cholesterol are a risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke. Intracellular cholesterol levels are regulated by a variety of mechanisms, but numerous studies indicate a very important role for transcriptional regulation by Sterol Regulatory Binding Proteins (SREBPs), Liver X Receptors (LXRs) and Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) or ER …
Synaptic Specificity In The Zebrafish Lateral Line, Aaron Nagiel
Synaptic Specificity In The Zebrafish Lateral Line, Aaron Nagiel
Student Theses and Dissertations
The proper wiring of the vertebrate brain represents an extraordinary developmental challenge, requiring billions of neurons to select their appropriate synaptic targets. In view of this complexity, simple vertebrate systems provide necessary models for understanding how synaptic specificity arises. The posterior lateral-line organ of larval zebrafish consists of polarized hair cells organized in discrete clusters known as neuromasts. Here I show that each afferent neuron of the posterior lateral line establishes specific contacts with hair cells of the same hair-bundle polarity. I quantify this specificity by modeling the neuron as a biased selector of hair-cell polarity and find evidence for …
Genome-Scale Genetics: Lessons From Founder Populations, Eimear Elizabeth Kenny
Genome-Scale Genetics: Lessons From Founder Populations, Eimear Elizabeth Kenny
Student Theses and Dissertations
The potential benefits of using population isolates in genetic mapping due to reduced genetic and environmental heterogeneity are offset by the challenges posed by these populations for traditional association methods. Population isolates often contain large amounts of direct and cryptic relatedness that confound baseline assumptions of independence among genotypes and phenotypes and require specialized approaches to account for this sample structure. We examined three such approaches for association testing: (i) scoring allele transmission to offspring within families (ii) incorporating a permutation-based association score between families into the test statistic and finally (iii) incorporation of a kinship matrix to capture the …
Mechanisms Of Presynaptic Cav2 Calcium Channel Localization In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Yasunori Saheki
Mechanisms Of Presynaptic Cav2 Calcium Channel Localization In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Yasunori Saheki
Student Theses and Dissertations
Neurotransmitter release at nerve terminals is a fundamental aspect of communication in the nervous system. Voltage changes in the presynaptic membrane are sensed by presynaptic voltage-gated calcium channels that mediate calcium influx at the nerve terminals to execute exocytosis of various kinds of neurotransmitters. Defects in presynaptic calcium channels lead to many neurological disorders, emphasizing the importance of these channels in the regulation of neuronal activities in the brain. Previous physiological studies have focused on opening kinetics of the channels and their modulation by auxiliary subunits. Cell biological questions such as trafficking and clustering of the channels at the presynaptic …
Mitotic Exit Control In Budding Yeast: Regulators And Dynamics, Ying Lu
Mitotic Exit Control In Budding Yeast: Regulators And Dynamics, Ying Lu
Student Theses and Dissertations
In budding yeast, the phosphatase Cdc14 is released from nucleolus to promote mitotic exit (ME). Cdc14 release and ME is controlled by mitotic cyclin-Cdk oscillation, the FEAR network including a non-proteolytic function of separase (Esp1), and the Mitotic Exit Network (MEN) indirectly activated by spindle elongation through cohesin cleavage by the proteolytic function of Esp1. The MEN contributes strongly to ME efficiency. Esp1 contributes to Cdc14 release and ME kinetics mainly through cohesin cleavage: the Esp1 requirement can be largely bypassed if cells are provided Esp1-independent means of separating sister chromatids. In the absence of Esp1 activity we observed only …
Dissecting The Contribution Of The Carboxyl-Terminal Domain And Tail Of Hiv-1 Integrase To Viral Dynamics And Enzymatic Function, Kevin Dominic Mohammed
Dissecting The Contribution Of The Carboxyl-Terminal Domain And Tail Of Hiv-1 Integrase To Viral Dynamics And Enzymatic Function, Kevin Dominic Mohammed
Student Theses and Dissertations
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type-1 (HIV-1) is the causative agent of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Combination antiviral therapy has proven to be particularly effective at suppressing viral replication, yet complete eradication of the virus from an infected individual remains elusive. Recently, a new class of antiviral drugs targeting the viral integrase (IN) has been added to the HAART (high active antiretroviral therapy) regimen. This novel drug class exerts its inhibitory effect by targeting one aspect of the dual-staged integration reaction. In contrast to the other two viral targets of HAART, the reverse transcriptase (RT) and protease (PR) enzymes, …
Dynamic And Integrative Properties Of The Primary Visual Cortex, Justin N. J. Mcmanus
Dynamic And Integrative Properties Of The Primary Visual Cortex, Justin N. J. Mcmanus
Student Theses and Dissertations
The ability to derive meaning from complex, ambiguous sensory input requires the integration of information over both space and time, as well as cognitive mechanisms to dynamically shape that integration. We have studied these processes in the primary visual cortex (V1), where neurons have been proposed to integrate visual inputs along a geometric pattern known as the association field (AF). We first used cortical reorganization as a model to investigate the role that a specific network of V1 connections, the long-range horizontal connections, might play in temporal and spatial integration across the AF. When retinal lesions ablate sensory information from …
Structural And Molecular Correlates Of Individual Differences In Anxiety Behavior And The Stress Response, Melinda Miller
Structural And Molecular Correlates Of Individual Differences In Anxiety Behavior And The Stress Response, Melinda Miller
Student Theses and Dissertations
Although many people are exposed to stressful experiences during their lifetime, only 5-35% will be diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). While most animal models of stress are effective at producing behavioral changes in an entire group of animals, they fail to account for individual differences in the human stress response or for the variability in baseline anxiety. Animal models of acute and chronic stress increase anxiety behavior and induce structural and neurochemical changes in brain regions necessary for learning, memory, fear responses, and executive function; the hippocampus, amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). In the following experiments, we measured …
Mechanistic Insights Into The Stimulation Of Dot1l-Mediated Methylation Of Histone H3 By Semisynthetically Ubiquitylated Histone H2b, Robert Kendall Mcginty
Mechanistic Insights Into The Stimulation Of Dot1l-Mediated Methylation Of Histone H3 By Semisynthetically Ubiquitylated Histone H2b, Robert Kendall Mcginty
Student Theses and Dissertations
Post-translational modification of histones plays an integral role in regulation of chromatin-templated processes through modulation of chromatin structure and function. One such modification, ubiquitylation of histone H2B on lysine 120 (uH2B), has been correlated with enhanced methylation of lysine 79 (K79) of histone H3 by K79-specific methyltransferase, disruptor of telomeric silencing-like (Dot1L/KMT4). However, the specific function of uH2B in this crosstalk pathway was not understood, in part due to the challenges associated with isolating or generating homogeneously ubiquitylated H2B for use in biochemical studies. As both modifications are integral to transcriptional regulation and DNA damage repair, full elucidation of their …
Regulation Of Surface Proteins Assembly On The Wall Of Gram-Positive Bacteria, Assaf Raz
Regulation Of Surface Proteins Assembly On The Wall Of Gram-Positive Bacteria, Assaf Raz
Student Theses and Dissertations
Cell wall peptidoglycan-anchored surface proteins are essential virulence factors in many Gram-positive bacteria. Attachment of these proteins to the peptidoglycan is achieved through a transpeptidation reaction, whereby sortase cleaves a conserved Cterminal LPXTG motif and attaches the protein to the peptidoglycan precursor lipid II. This thesis deals with the spatial regulation of the sorting reaction, and the role sortase localization plays in the correct distribution of surface proteins. We have introduced a new immunofluorescence procedure to study the distribution of sub-surface antigens in Streptococcus pyogenes, which utilizes the phage lysin PlyC to permeabilize the cell wall of to antibodies. We …
Variability And Dynamics Of Apoptotic Events In Single Cells, Patrick Bhola
Variability And Dynamics Of Apoptotic Events In Single Cells, Patrick Bhola
Student Theses and Dissertations
Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death that is necessary for development and organism homeostasis. The early stages of apoptosis are marked by the permeabilization of the mitochondrial outer membrane, the release of cytochrome c and Smac from mitochondria, and the activation of the caspase family of proteases. The permeabilization of the mitochondria outer membrane is thought to represent the commitment of a cell to an apoptotic fate, and the subsequent release of mitochondrial proteins is an “all or none†phenomenon that is completed in an individual cell within minutes. Although the cellular decision to commit to apoptosis is …
Regulation Of Anaphase Promoting Complex Coactivators, Jonathan Robbins
Regulation Of Anaphase Promoting Complex Coactivators, Jonathan Robbins
Student Theses and Dissertations
Ubiquitin-mediated proteolytic degradation is fundamental to eukaryotic cell cycle progression. From late mitosis through early G1, the Anaphase Promoting Complex (APC) is essential for cell-cycle relevant proteolytic degradation, and its activity is targeted to appropriate substrates by the evolutionarily conserved coactivators Cdc20 and Cdh1. After an initial wave of APC-Cdc20 activity, APC-Cdh1 degrades multiple mitotic proteins from mitotic exit through G1; inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdh1 by CDK and Polo kinase may allow accumulation of Cdh1 targets in the subsequent cell cycle. I demonstrate lethality of exact endogenous gene replacement of CDH1 with the CDK-unphosphorylatable CDH1-m11 allele; neither polo kinase sites …
Mechanisms For Maintaining Cell Identity In C.Elegans Olfactory Neurons, Bluma J. Lesch
Mechanisms For Maintaining Cell Identity In C.Elegans Olfactory Neurons, Bluma J. Lesch
Student Theses and Dissertations
Maintenance of cell identity is a complex process that depends on developmentally determined transcriptional states and on environmental input. In neurons, which are both highly differentiated and highly sensitive to external stimuli, maintenance of identity is especially challenging. In this thesis, I describe the isolation and characterization of several genes involved in maintaining the identities of two olfactory neuron subtypes, AWCON and AWCOFF, in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The AWCON and AWCOFF identities are specified by a stochastic decision during embryogenesis, but several of the genes involved in this embryonic decision are subsequently downregulated. Additional mechanisms must therefore act to …
Biochemical And Structural Analysis Of The Nucleoporin Nup214 And Its Involvement In Mrna Export, Johanna Napetschnig
Biochemical And Structural Analysis Of The Nucleoporin Nup214 And Its Involvement In Mrna Export, Johanna Napetschnig
Student Theses and Dissertations
In order to gain a deeper understanding of the role of nups in leukemogenesis, and to make sense of the architecture and regulation of the mRNA export machinery at the NPC, I set out to biochemically and structurally characterize Nup214. In this thesis, I present the crystal structure of the human Nup214 N-terminal domain at 1.65 Ã… resolution. The structure reveals a sevenbladed !-propeller fold followed by a 30-residue C-terminal extended peptide segment (CTE). The CTE folds back onto the !-propeller and binds to its bottom face. Conserved surface patches on the Nup214 NTD reveal putative proteininteraction sites, one of …
Reconstitution And Characterization Of Human Endogenous Retrovirus-K, Young Nam Lee
Reconstitution And Characterization Of Human Endogenous Retrovirus-K, Young Nam Lee
Student Theses and Dissertations
Retroviruses are a family of clinically significant and scientifically fascinating viruses that infect a wide array of organisms from all vertebrate classes. The two hallmark events in the life cycle of retroviruses are the reverse transcription of the single stranded RNA (ssRNA) genome generating a double stranded DNA (dsDNA) and the integration of this dsDNA into the host genome. Because integration is irreversible and the infected cells are usually difficult to target for elimination in the host, the infection is generally permanent. HIV-1, the most important and well-studied member of all retroviruses, is the causative agent of acquired immune deficiency …
Role Of Ubiquitin And Ubiquitin Ligases In Retroviral Budding, Maria Zhadina
Role Of Ubiquitin And Ubiquitin Ligases In Retroviral Budding, Maria Zhadina
Student Theses and Dissertations
The final stage in the production of infectious retroviral particles is the scission of membrane tethers connecting nascent virions to the host cell. Efficient retrovirus release requires late domains, short peptide motifs within the structural Gag proteins that engage the cellular Class E vacuolar protein sorting (VPS) machinery. Three classes of late domains have been described in retroviruses, each with its own cellular interaction partners: PT/SAP domains bind Tsg101, LxxLF or YPXL domains bind ALIX, and PPxY domains bind Nedd4-like HECT ligases, a class of ubiquitin ligase enzymes. The functional link between HECT ligases and the VPS pathway has not …
A Molecular Mechanism For Endocytic Recycling Of The M5 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor, Jacob T. Bendor
A Molecular Mechanism For Endocytic Recycling Of The M5 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor, Jacob T. Bendor
Student Theses and Dissertations
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (MRs), a family of five G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), play an essential role in the regulation of mammalian physiology. In the brain, MR-mediated neurotransmission is required for the control of movement and motivated behavior by the basal ganglia, and MR dysfunction may contribute to schizophrenia, Alzheimerʼs disease, and motor disorders. Functional studies of the muscarinic receptors have been hampered by a lack of selective pharmacology, poor receptor immunoreactivity and a wide, overlapping pattern of expression. MRs are characterized by the presence of a large third intracellular loop domain (i3), the sequence of which is divergent between MR …
Structural And Functional Characterization Of B. Anthracis Udp-Glcnac 2-Epimerase And Salmonella Secreted Effector I, Shyam Bhaskaran
Structural And Functional Characterization Of B. Anthracis Udp-Glcnac 2-Epimerase And Salmonella Secreted Effector I, Shyam Bhaskaran
Student Theses and Dissertations
Structural biology has been an exceptionally powerful tool in the study of bacterial pathogenesis, not only in elucidating the molecular basis of disease as the first step towards the design of therapeutics but also in many cases leading to insights into hostpathogen biology that would not have been possible otherwise (Remaut & Waksman 2004). In this work such an approach has been taken towards the study of the Bacillus anthracis cell-wall enzyme UDP-GlcNAc 2-Epimerase and the Salmonella secreted virulence effector SseI. UDP-GlcNAc 2-Epimerase is an essential B. anthracis enzyme required for formation of the peptidoglycan cell wall precursor UDP-ManAc. We …
Unzipping Amyloid Fibrils: How A Novel Calcium-Binding Protein, Nucb1, Prevents The Formation Of Amyloid Fibrils, Neeraj Kapoor
Unzipping Amyloid Fibrils: How A Novel Calcium-Binding Protein, Nucb1, Prevents The Formation Of Amyloid Fibrils, Neeraj Kapoor
Student Theses and Dissertations
Nucleobindin 1 (NUCB1) is a widely expressed multi-domain Ca2+-binding protein whose precise physiological and biochemical functions are not well understood. We engineered and heterologously expressed a soluble form of NUCB1 (sNUCB1) and characterized its biophysical and biochemical properties. We show that sNUCB1 exists as a dimer in solution and that each monomer binds two divalent Ca2+ cations. Ca2+-binding causes conformational changes in sNUCB1 as judged by circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy experiments. Earlier reports suggested that NUCB1 might interact with heterotrimeric G protein α-subunits. We show that dimeric Ca2+-free sNUCB1 binds to heterologously expressed Gαi1 and that Ca2+-binding inhibits this …
Characterization Of A Novel Chromatinâ€Induced Mechanism That Couples Microtubule Disassembly And Nuclear Reâ€Formation, Eileen Madeleine Woo
Characterization Of A Novel Chromatinâ€Induced Mechanism That Couples Microtubule Disassembly And Nuclear Reâ€Formation, Eileen Madeleine Woo
Student Theses and Dissertations
Upon completion of mitosis, the disassembly of spindle components and reassembly of nuclear structures occur simultaneously around chromatin. Previous studies have suggested that an important step in this process is the inactivation of the Aurora B kinase by the Triple Aâ€ATPase Cdc48/p97, which physically extracts the protein from chromatin at anaphase. Aurora B is the catalytic subunit of the Chromosome Passenger Complex (CPC), which promotes microtubule polymerization and spindle formation from mitotic chromosomes. Removal of the CPC from chromosomes at anaphase is required for proper nuclear reassembly, but the molecular basis for this requirement remains unclear. On the whole, the …
Regulation Of Chromosome Segregation By The Chromosomal Passenger Complex, Boo Shan Tseng
Regulation Of Chromosome Segregation By The Chromosomal Passenger Complex, Boo Shan Tseng
Student Theses and Dissertations
Life depends on faithful DNA segregation. The molecular underpinnings controlling this segregation are not fully understood. Here I describe the role of the chromosomal passenger complex (CPC) in the regulation of chromosome segregation, using Xenopus egg extracts. The CPC contains the kinase Aurora B, which is well known for its phosphorylation of serine 10 on histone H3 (H3S10). While this phosphorylation is a hallmark of M-phase, its functional significance is enigmatic. In the first part of my thesis, I, with my collaborators, provide a molecular function for this phosphorylation in the chromosomal dissociation of HP1 (heterochromatin protein 1) in M-phase. …
Localization And Function Of Rna Interference In The Cerebral Cortex, John T. G. Pena
Localization And Function Of Rna Interference In The Cerebral Cortex, John T. G. Pena
Student Theses and Dissertations
During the course of adult cortical plasticity, a number of signal transduction mechanisms are brought into play. To study regulatory genes implicated in this process, we inhibited gene expression by harnessing the machinery of RNA interference (RNAi) pathway via small hairpin RNAs (shRNA) delivered by viral vectors. Using this technology we sought to influence plasticity of the mouse vibrissal barrel cortex. In this model system, chronic whisker plucking reliably leads to the expansion of the cortical representation of the adjacent non-deprived whiskers. The mechanism underlying this process involves changes in synaptic efficacy and sprouting of axon collaterals. Initial studies describing …
Mechanisms Of Controlled Proteolysis During Drosophila Spermatogenesis: Coordinate Action Of Apoptotic Caspases And The Ubiquitin-Proteasome System, Maya Bader
Student Theses and Dissertations
The regulation of apoptosis, or programmed cell death has been the subject of a vast body of research because of its implication in normal development, tissue homeostasis and a wide range of diseases. The major point of focus for understanding apoptosis regulation is the activation of its primary executioner: the caspase. This family of proteolytic enzymes has been shown to be tightly controlled, as many different proteins govern their transcription, stability, activation, and activity. Consequently, caspase regulation is extremely complex, and is further complicated by a discrepancy between different cell types and paradigms. Caspases have also been shown to have …
Lipid Chemistry And Mechanical State Of The Membrane Modulate Ion Channel Function, Daniel Schmidt
Lipid Chemistry And Mechanical State Of The Membrane Modulate Ion Channel Function, Daniel Schmidt
Student Theses and Dissertations
My research focused on voltage-dependent K+ (Kv) channels. Kv channels serve many di erent functions in di erent cells, but most notably underlie action potentials in electrically excitable cells, such as neurons and muscle (Hodgkin and Huxley, 1952, 1945). Kv channel gating is governed by the transmembrane voltage, they are therefore voltage-dependent switches for ionic current (Hille, 2001). Changes in the transmembrane voltage are sensed by the channel's voltage sensor domains, which contain charged amino acids (most often arginines) called gating charges. Shortly before I started to work on my PhD project, the crystal structure of the eukaryotic Kv1.2 channel …
Structural Studies On The Regulation Of Sporulation In Bacillus And Antibiotic Sulfation, Matthew J. Bick
Structural Studies On The Regulation Of Sporulation In Bacillus And Antibiotic Sulfation, Matthew J. Bick
Student Theses and Dissertations
The microbial world is rich with complexity. Bacteria have evolved several mechanisms to help them survive the harshest environments on earth. These range from complex developmental transformations to the synthesis of small molecule antibiotics that can fend off competing species. Both of these topics will be the focus of this thesis, specifically the regulation of endospore formation in Bacillus and the generation of a sulfated small molecule antibiotic from an uncultured soil bacterium. Using standard molecular biology methods and the techniques of X-ray crystallography, synthetic chemistry, and protein semisynthesis, we have: (1) Solved the X-ray crystal structure of a Geobacillus …
Identification And Characterization Of Apobec1 Mrna Editing Targets: A Transcriptomics Approach, Brad Randall Rosenberg
Identification And Characterization Of Apobec1 Mrna Editing Targets: A Transcriptomics Approach, Brad Randall Rosenberg
Student Theses and Dissertations
RNA editing is generally defined as the alteration of an RNA sequence from that encoded by the genome through nucleotide insertion, deletion or modification. The Apolipoprotein B mRNA Editing Catalytic polypeptide 1 (APOBEC1) cytidine deaminase is an mRNA editing enzyme that modifies a specific cytidine in the apolipoprotein B (apoB) transcripts of small intestine enterocytes. APOBEC1-mediated cytidine to uridine editing generates an inframe stop codon and results in translation of a truncated apoB isoform with distinct functions in lipid transport. Other physiological mRNA targets of APOBEC1 editing have remained largely unknown. This thesis presents the development of an RNA-Seq method …
Cell Death Mechanisms In Drosophila Differentiated Photoreceptor Neurons, Alexis Robert Gambis
Cell Death Mechanisms In Drosophila Differentiated Photoreceptor Neurons, Alexis Robert Gambis
Student Theses and Dissertations
Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a form of physiological cell death that is essential for normal development and homeostasis. At the end of pupal development of the Drosophila retina, cell death terminates and photoreceptor neurons complete their differentiation process. We use these terminally differentiated photoreceptor neurons as a system to study neurodegeneration. We first adapt and develop fluorescent tools for photoreceptor visualization in vivo. These tools enable a recessive genetic screen to search for genes required for the survival of differentiated photoreceptors. Many redox and mitochondrial genes were found to protect photoreceptors from late cell death. Here, we focus …