Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2011

Brigham Young University

Cancer

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

C-Met Initiates Epithelial Scattering Through Transient Calcium Influxes And Nfat-Dependent Gene Transcription, Peter R. Langford Dec 2011

C-Met Initiates Epithelial Scattering Through Transient Calcium Influxes And Nfat-Dependent Gene Transcription, Peter R. Langford

Theses and Dissertations

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) signaling drives epithelial cells to scatter by breaking cell-cell adhesions and migrating as solitary cells, a process that parallels epithelial-mesenchymal transition. HGF binds and activates the c-Met receptor tyrosine kinase, but downstream signaling required for scattering remains poorly defined. This study addresses this shortcoming in a number of ways.A high-throughput in vitro drug screen was employed to identify proteins necessary in this HGF-induced signaling. Cells were tested for reactivity to HGF stimulation in a Boyden chamber assay. This tactic yielded several small molecules that block HGF-induced scattering, including a calcium channel blocker. Patch clamping was used …


Antioxidants In Cancer Research And Prevention: Assay Comparison, Structure-Function Analysis, And Food Product Analysis, Andrew Robert Garrett Jun 2011

Antioxidants In Cancer Research And Prevention: Assay Comparison, Structure-Function Analysis, And Food Product Analysis, Andrew Robert Garrett

Theses and Dissertations

Recent epidemiological studies have suggested that the development and progression of several chronic diseases may be initiated or augmented by oxidative stress. Reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species react readily with and can damage nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids. While biological systems are equipped antioxidant defenses to cope with oxidative stress, oxidative damage may still occur when oxidative stress overwhelms antioxidant defenses. This damage, if left unchecked, may lead to a variety of degenerative diseases, including heart disease, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease and cancer. Several assays have been designed to describe the antioxidant activity of various phytochemicals, vitamins, and …