Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Regulation Of The Microtubule Cytoskeleton And Cell Wall Development In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Christy J. Fornero

Theses and Dissertations

Regulation of the cortical microtubule cytoskeleton is critical for organized plant cell division. Arabidopsis ton1 and ton2 mutants display random cell division plane placement and lack the plant-specific cortical microtubule array that encircles the nucleus prior to mitosis. In wild type plants, this preprophase band (PPB) of cortical microtubules precisely marks the future division plane. The specific roles of TON1 and TON2 in PPB formation are not yet known. It is suspected that TON1 Recruiting Motif (TRM) proteins may be involved in TON1 and TON2 recruitment to the PPB. Here we describe results for the targeted disruption of a group …

Lorelei Localization And Ovule Ultrastructure In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Juleen May Dickson

Theses and Dissertations

Communication between the male and female gametophyte is vital to successful fertilization during sexual reproduction in plants. One of the proteins known to be important for communication between the male and female gametophyte is LORELEI (LRE). Several studies have shown that there are defects in pollen tube guidance and synergid degeneration, however this is the first study that shows that cell wall thickness in the female gametophyte may also be affected. Previous confocal studies have documented that LRE is present both in the filiform apparatus and found in puncta throughout the cytoplasm. This study confirmed this, but our studies suggest …

An Assessment Of Bsa Protein Hydrogel Biocompatibility In The Vertebrate Intestinal Tract, Ryan Joseph Garde

Theses and Dissertations

The fields of biomedicine and pharmacology have a mission to design methods to treat disease while minimizing adverse side effects using novel drug delivery systems. In developing new therapeutic systems, it is crucial to test that drug delivery systems target pathological cells and tissue and is non-toxic in healthy tissue. One promising method for targeted drug delivery is the use of hydrogels as carriers. Here, we studied the effects of bovine serum albumin (BSA) hydrogel consumption to assess the potential for hydrogel use in treating intestinal disease via oral administration. We investigated intestinal architecture and cell populations following hydrogel treatments …

Understanding The Molecular And Cellular Functions Of Odd-Skipped Related 1 In Outflow Tract Development, Menglan Xiang

Theses and Dissertations

The cardiac outflow tract (OFT) is a transient conduit that connects the embryonic heart chambers to the vascular network. Transcription factor Osr1 promotes the proliferation and cell cycle progression of second heart field (SHF), an essential cell population that contribute to the developing OFT. In this study, we investigated the role of Osr1 in OFT development on cellular and molecular levels using a systems biology approach. We observed OFT rotation and elongation defects, as well as double-outlet right ventricle and overriding aorta as a result of SHF-specific deletion of Osr1. Using genetic inducible fate mapping, we showed that Osr1-expressing SHF …

Regorafenib Enhances Lethality Of Sildenafil And Curcumin In Colorectal Cancer Cells, Kervin Benjamin Owusu

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, more than 130,000 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC) each year and an estimated 50,000 people will die from the disease. Standard of care (SOC) therapies for CRC combine multiple cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drugs. These combinations have varying degrees of effectiveness and can often result in significant patient morbidity. For second recurrence patients, the multi-kinase inhibitor, regorafenib, is an approved agent, but is often poorly tolerated at current doses. In the current study, we propose to develop therapeutic regime of combining agents with modest toxicity profiles: curcumin and sildenafil with regorafenib. Using clinically achievable enterohepatic …

Eralpha Isoforms Modulate The Tumorigenicity Of 24r,25(Oh)2d3 In Estrogen-Responsive Cancer, Anjali Verma

Theses and Dissertations

Over 200,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed every year. Nearly 20% of these patients supplement their diets with some form of vitamin D. This high frequency of vitamin D supplement use may be due in part to research suggesting that cancer patients with higher serum vitamin D₃ levels have better prognoses than patients with low serum vitamin D_3. However, double-blind clinical trials on the efficacy of vitamin D₃ supplementation in breast cancer have been inconclusive. A recent meta-analysis showed evidence of reduced cancer recurrence in patients taking vitamin D₃ supplements who had ‘estrogen receptor positive’ …

Investigation Of The Interactions Between The Dream Complex And Hpv16, Kevin Ko

Theses and Dissertations

According to the American Cancer Society, it has been estimated that in 2019 alone, there will be approximately 53,000 new cases of oropharyngeal cancers. Oropharyngeal cancers are the largest subset of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs), which are the sixth most common cancer across worldwide populations. They, along with other HNSCCs, fall under a category of cancers known as Human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers, and it has been found that upwards of 70% of these cancers can be attributed to high-risk HPV infections.

Specifically, the high-risk HPV gene, E7, plays a key role in relieving cell cycle repression by …