Life Sciences Commons^™

Providing Experimental Evidence For Mouse Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase As A Novel And Unique Adult Neural Stem Cell Marker, Caroline Dean Curtis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the prevalence of neurodegenerative pathologies in our society today it is imperative that we begin to look at novel approaches to the underlying problem of dying neurons that are not replaced. Adult neural stem cells exist naturally and could potentially be manipulated into targeted repair of damaged brains, given substantial research. The first step in this process is to find a way to specifically mark the earliest subset of these cells, the quiescent adult neural stem cells. Here we provide evidence for the existence of a novel and unique qANSC marker in mouse telomerase reverse transcriptase (mTERT). mTERT has …

The Effect Of Wild Blueberry Bioactives On Endothelial Cell Migration And Angiogenesis: An In Vitro Mechanistic, Genomic And Proteomic Approach, Panagiotis Tsakiroglou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study is to investigate the effects of wild blueberry fractions (Anthocyanins and Phenolic acids) on vascular function and physiology. More specifically the potential effects of the above fractions and their combination in physiological concentrations on endothelial cell migration, angiogenesis, gene expression and proteins synthesis of markers related to the above processes. The objectives are to study whether anthocyanins, phenolic acids and their combinations (ACNs:PAs) affect: a) cell proliferation, b) speed of endothelial cell migration, c) angiogenesis, d) gene expression of genes critical for cell migration and angiogenesis such as RAC1, RHOA, AKT1, eNOS and VEGF and …

Characterization Of Phosphorylated G Protein Function And Membrane Culstering By Super Resolution Imaging, Sarah A. Alamer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Heterotrimeric G proteins play crucial roles in various signal transduction pathways, where they act as molecular switches in transducing a signal from G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) at the plasma membrane to downstream effectors. Although their mechanism of action is mostly concentrated at the plasma membrane, their dynamic membrane organization and how it is regulated are not understood. Due to the diffraction limited resolution of fluorescence microscopy, studying the precise organization of membrane proteins can be challenging. In this study, we took advantage of super-resolution fluorescence photoactivation localization microscopy (FPALM) to overcome this challenge. Dictyostelium discoideum was used as a …

Effect Of Arsenic Exposure On Early Eye Development In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Remy S. Babich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Arsenic is a metalloid that contaminates drinking water supplies worldwide. Due to concerns for human health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have established a safe level in drinking water of ≤ 10 ppb. Arsenic has been shown to have carcinogenic effects in humans at high and low doses. Chronic exposure may result in dermal conditions such as hyperkeratosis and hyperpigmentation. Recently, arsenic exposure has also been linked to lower IQ values in children. The effect of arsenic on neurogenesis, specifically eye development, has not been widely explored. This study aimed to examine the …

Pi3k/Akt Signaling Activates Hsf1 To Preserve Proteostasis And Sustain Growth, Zijian Tang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Signaling through oncogenic PI3K/AKT kinase pathway is crucial to cell and organ growth. Phosphorylation by AKT has long been perceived as a key factor to enhance protein biosynthesis that enables cell growth and survival. Here, we report that HSF1, the master regulator of the proteotoxic stress response (PSR), is a new AKT substrate. Beyond mobilizing the PSR under heat shock, the AKT-mediated HSF1 activation supports robust growth. In a mouse model of human megalencephaly, expression of a constitutively active PI3KCAsuffices to drive brain overgrowth, and strikingly, it also provokes proteomic chaos including protein aggregation and amyloidogenesis. Deletion of Hsf1 …

Tarbp2 -Mediated Post-Transcriptional Regulation Of Gene Expression During Murine Embryonic Development And Spermatogenesis, Sri Ramulu N. Pullagura

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Micro RNAs (miRNAs), which are ~22 nucleotide (nt) long RNA molecules and several RNA binding proteins (RBPs) engage in an RNA dependent post-transcriptional gene silencing process known as RNA interference (RNAi). In the canonical miRNA biogenesis pathway, an enzyme known as DICER cleaves the ~70nt pre-miRNA to a ~22nt long miRNA that is loaded into the RNAi effector mechanism, the RNA induced silencing complex (RISC).

Several in vitro studies provide suggestive evidence that mammalian double stranded RNA binding proteins (dsRBPs), such as TARBP2, act as DICER cofactors in miRNA processing and RISC loading to promote RNAi activity. A screen attempting …