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

Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons

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

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology

Establishment Of Methods For Isolation Of Pnmt+ Cardiac Progenitor Cells, Namita Varudkar Jan 2014

Establishment Of Methods For Isolation Of Pnmt+ Cardiac Progenitor Cells, Namita Varudkar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Millions of patients suffer each year from endothelial dysfunction and/or debilitating myocardial damage resulting in decreased quality of life and increased risk of death or disablement. Current pharmacological approaches are only partly effective at treating cardiovascular disease, and hence, better strategies are needed to provide significant improvements in treatment options. Cardiac stem/progenitor cells have the potential to regenerate myocardial tissue and repair damaged heart muscle. There are many different types of cardiac progenitor cells, and each may have certain unique properties and characteristics that would likely be useful …


Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles: Their Phosphatase Activity And Its Control, Atul Dhall Jan 2014

Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles: Their Phosphatase Activity And Its Control, Atul Dhall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cerium oxide nanoparticles are established scavengers of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. They have many potential biomedical applications that depend on their physicochemical properties and mode of preparation. Recent studies have found these nanoparticles possess phosphatase mimetic activity. Studying such catalytic activities will qualify their biomedical applications and render information on their bioavailability and potential toxicity. Two oxidation states of cerium exist in these nanoparticles (3+ or 4+). It is hypothesized that the oxidation state of cerium in the nanoparticles determines the amount of adsorbed water on the crystal lattices. This in turn governs their activity as phosphatases. Nanoparticles with …


In Vitro Characterization Of Unmodified And Pyroglutamylated Alzheimer's Amyloid Beta Peptide, Jason Matos Jan 2014

In Vitro Characterization Of Unmodified And Pyroglutamylated Alzheimer's Amyloid Beta Peptide, Jason Matos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plaques of amyloid β peptide (Aβ) are a hallmark trait of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the precise role of Aβ aggregates is not well understood. Recent studies have identified that naturally occurring N-terminal truncation and pyroglutamylation of Aβ significantly increases its neurotoxicity by an unknown mechanism. Content of pyroglutamylated Aβ (pE-Aβ) in AD brains has been shown to reach up to 50% of total Aβ. Modified pE-Aβ co-aggregates with Aβ by a seeding mechanism and forms structurally distinct and highly toxic oligomers. We studied structural transitions of the full-length Aβ1-42, its pyroglutamylated form AβpE3-42, their 9:1 (Aβ1-42/AβpE3-42) and 1:1 molar …


Purification And Characterization Of A Novel Selenocysteine Lyase From Enterococcus Faecalis, Samantha Nelson Jan 2014

Purification And Characterization Of A Novel Selenocysteine Lyase From Enterococcus Faecalis, Samantha Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A previous study identified Enterococcus faecalis as one of two bacteria known to have the selD gene and other selenium related genes without having the genes necessary to make selenocysteine or selenouridine. EF2570, a gene in the cluster, was later shown to be upregulated during biofilm formation and also responsible for a selenite- and molybdate-dependent increase in biofilm formation in vitro. The protein encoded was identified as a selenium dependent molybdenum hydroxylase (SDMH), enzymes that contain a labile selenium atom required for activity. While the process of inserting selenocysteine into a protein is well known, the process by which a …


The Anti-Toxin Properties Of Grape Seed Phenolic Compounds, Patrick Cherubin Jan 2014

The Anti-Toxin Properties Of Grape Seed Phenolic Compounds, Patrick Cherubin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Ricinus communis, Shigella dysentariae, and Vibrio cholerae produce AB toxins which share the same basic structural characteristics: a catalytic A subunit attached to a cell-binding B subunit. All AB toxins have cytosolic targets despite an initial extracellular location. AB toxins use different methods to reach the cytosol and have different effects on the target cell. Broad-spectrum inhibitors against these toxins are therefore hard to develop because they use different surface receptors, entry mechanisms, enzyme activities, and cytosolic targets. We have found that grape seed extract provides resistance to five different AB toxins: diphtheria toxin (DT), P. …