Molecular Biology Commons^™

The Mechanism Of Regulation Of Autosomal Heterochromatic Genes In Drosophila Melanogaster Males By Rox Rna And Msl Proteins, Satya Kiran Koya

Wayne State University Dissertations

In humans and flies, males and females have different set of sex chromosomes contributing to different levels of X-linked gene expression. To equalize X-linked gene dosage between sexes, both humans and flies developed independent strategies which are called dosage compensation. Human females randomly inactivate one of their X chromosome into barr body and Drosophila males up regulate their single X chromosome two fold. Both strategies equalize of X linked gene dose between sexes.

In Drosophila, dosage compensation is brought about by the ribonucleoprotein Male Specific Lethal (MSL) complex that binds hundreds of sites along the X chromosome and modifies …

The Sumoylation Of The Non-Structural Protein 1 Of The Influenza A Virus Plays A Dual Role During Viral Infection, Jason Michael Chacon

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The potential for a highly pathogenic influenza pandemic remains a concern for global health. The ability of the influenza virus to undergo antigenic shift and genetic drift give circulating strains of influenza the high probability of developing resistance to current antiviral therapies. Emerging strains of higher virulence, to which the infected person has not had any previous exposure to viral antigens, pose a greater threat of serious illness and death. Currently, there is no antiviral therapy that is effective against all strains of influenza, emphasizing the need to develop new strategies that target cellular systems required for viral replication to …

Il-2rβ T450 Phosphorylation Is A Positive Regulator For Receptor Complex Stability And Activation Of Signaling Molecules, Blanca Estela Ruiz-Medina

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Homeostasis of the immune system is required for proper defense against pathogenic insult. Cells of the innate and adaptive compartments provide a strictly regulated response to clear infections while allowing for self-tolerance. Dysregulation of the components of the immune system can lead to immunodeficiency, autoimmunity, and cancer. Key players of the immune response are T, B, and NK cells, which become strongly activated by IL2 through its receptor. The β subunit of the receptor becomes tyrosine, serine, and threonine phosphorylated upon induction with IL2. Phosphorylation of tyrosine residues has been extensively studied, however, the putative regulatory role of serine and …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Neuropilin-Ligand Binding, Matthew W. Parker

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Neuropilin (Nrp) is an essential cell surface receptor with dual functionality in the cardiovascular and nervous systems. The first identified Nrp-ligand family was the Semaphorin-3 (Sema3) family of axon repulsion molecules. Subsequently, Nrp was found to serve as a receptor for the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family of pro-angiogenic cytokines. In addition to its physiological role, VEGF signaling via Nrp directly contributes to cancer stemness, growth, and metastasis. Thus, the Nrp/VEGF signaling axis is a promising anti-cancer therapeutic target. Interestingly, it has recently been shown that Sema3 and VEGF are functionally opposed to one another, with Sema3 possessing potent …

Dephosphorylation Of Iqg1 By Cdc14 Temporally Regulates Actin Ring Formation, Daniel Patrick Miller

Masters Theses

"Cytokinesis is the final step in cell division when the cell separates the cytoplasm by contracting a ring composed of filamentous actin (F-actin) and type II myosin. Iqg1, an IQGAP family member, is an essential scaffolding protein in budding yeast (S. cerevisiae) required for actin recruitment to, and contraction of, the actomyosin ring. Actin is recruited by the calponin homology domain (CHD) in anaphase after Iqg1 is localized to the bud neck. Consensus sites for the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) Cdc28 were identified flanking the CHD. This led us to the hypothesis that phosphorylation of Iqg1 by Cdc28 negatively regulates actin …

Characterization And Identification Of Novel Regulators Of The Synthesis Of Phospholipids, Cunqi Ye

Wayne State University Dissertations

Phospholipids are the most abundant lipids in cell membranes. The synthesis of phospholipids is crucial for cellular membrane biogenesis and nearly all aspects of cellular processes. Understanding the regulation of synthesis of phospholipids is beneficial to our fundamental knowledge of cell biology as well as human health.

Regulation of the synthesis of phospholipids is intensively studied in the yeast S. cerevisiae. Most notably, the synthesis of phospholipids is coordinated with the synthesis of inositol, a precursor of inositol-containing lipids, by controlling expression of the genes encoding phospholipid biosynthetic enzymes. In addition to this well-characterized regulatory circuit controlled by the …

Regulation Of Inositol Biosynthesis And Cellular Consequences Of Inositol Depletion: Implications For The Mechanism Of Action Of Valproate, Rania M. Deranieh

Wayne State University Dissertations

Inositol is a six-carbon cyclitol that is ubiquitous in biological systems. It is a precursor for the synthesis of numerous biologically important compounds, including inositol phosphates and phosphoinositides that are essential for cell function and viability. Inositol compounds play a role in membrane formation, gene regulation, signaling, regulation of ion channels, and membrane trafficking. Furthermore, inositol regulates hundreds of genes, including those involved in the biosynthesis of inositol and phospholipids. While transcriptional regulation of inositol biosynthesis has been extensively studied and well characterized, regulation of inositol biosynthesis at the enzymatic level has not been addressed. The current study shows that …

Sex And Heterochromatin: An Investigation Of Sexual Dimorphism In Drosophila Melanogaster, Manasi S. Apte

Wayne State University Dissertations

Over 30% of Drosophila genome is assembled into heterochromatin. Heterochromatin is relatively gene poor, transcriptionally less active and remains condensed during interphase. Previous studies established that roX RNA and some of the Male Specific Lethal (MSL) proteins, all components of the dosage compensation complex, are required for full expression of autosomal heterochromatic genes in male flies but not in females. This was surprising since heterochromatin is generally not thought to be sexually dimorphic. The genetic basis for the regulation of sex-specific heterochromatin was completely unknown.

To determine if roX RNAs localize directly at the heterochromatic regions that they regulate, I …

Global Sphingolipid Profile Of Giardia Lamblia During Stage Differentiation: The Influence Of Sphingomyelin Abundance On Viable Cyst Production, Trevor Thomas Duarte

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Giardia lamblia is a protozoan parasite and a major cause of the waterborne-illness, giardiasis, worldwide. Giardiasis is endemic in developing countries and is a leading cause of non-viral- and non-bacterial-associated intestinal disorders. Acute symptoms of giardiasis include diarrhea, cramps, and malabsorption. The disease is often self-limiting, although the infection can result in long-term disorders such as chronic fatigue, stunted cognitive skills, and failure to thrive even after the parasite has been cleared.

This parasite exists in two morphologic forms--infective trophozoites and transmissible, water-resistant cyst, which is passed by the fecal-oral route and is likely to be spread by contaminated drinking …

Ether Bridge Formation And Chemical Diversification In Loline Alkaloid Biosynthesis, Juan Pan

Theses and Dissertations--Plant Pathology

Loline alkaloids, found in many grass-Epichloë symbiota, are toxic or feeding deterrent to invertebrates. The loline alkaloids all share a saturated pyrrolizidine ring with a 1-amine group and an ether bridge linking C2 and C7. The steps in biosynthesis of loline alkaloids are catalyzed by enzymes encoded by a gene cluster, designated LOL, in the Epichloë genome. This dissertation addresses the enzymatic, genetic and evolutionary basis for diversification of these alkaloids, focusing on ether bridge formation and the subsequent modifications of the 1-amine to form different loline alkaloids.

Through gene complementation of a natural lolO mutant and comparison …

Regulation Of Ty1 Retrovirus-Like Transposon Rna Localization And Translation, Ryan Joseph Palumbo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Replication of the Ty1 retrovirus-like transposon of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is stringently regulated to reduce the frequency of deleterious retrotransposition events. However, under stress conditions, Ty1 retrotransposition can lead to adaptive genomic alterations. To characterize host regulation of Ty1 retrotransposition, I analyzed ribosome profiling data and showed that Ty1 RNA is efficiently translated. Moreover, the ribosome biogenesis factors BUD21, DBP7, HCR1, LOC1, MRT4, and PUF6 are required for optimal expression of the Ty1 protein Gag.

Molecular Actions Of The Novel Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Cg-1521 In Models Of Inflammatory Breast Cancer, Namita Chatterjee

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and particularly lethal form of breast cancer. Despite aggressive therapeutic approaches, the 5-year survival rate is only 34%. As this disease is severely understudied, we have investigated the therapeutic potential of the novel hydroxamic acid-derived histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), CG-1521 in comparison to a structurally similar compound, Trichostatin A (TSA) in two IBC cell lines: SUM149PT and SUM190PT. In these cells, CG-1521 and TSA induce dose- and time-dependent induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis regardless of the presence of 17β-estradiol (E2). Interestingly, the cell lines have considerably different sensitivities to these treatments …

A Structure-Function Analysis Of The Arabidopsis Chloroplast Import Protein Attic20, James H. Campbell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Arabidopsis thaliana protein Tic20 (atTic20) is a member of the translocon at the inner envelope membrane of chloroplasts. Evidence to date suggests it is part of the main preprotein conducting aperture in the complex, but its exact role is still debated. To help characterize its role, a protocol optimizing yield and purity of recombinantly expressed atTic20 was developed, and a series of experiments was performed to examine its secondary structure and its ability to interact with chloroplast transit peptides. The attempt to increase protein yield was successful, with growth at 20^oC in the auto-inducing media ZYP-5052 showing the …

Characterizing Dsrna Production In Virus-Infected Fish Cells, Amal Brek Aloufi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Viral dsRNA is produced by almost all viruses sometime during their replicative cycle. These viral nucleic acids are potent inducers of both innate and adaptive immune responses, and are therefore considered important immuno-modulators. Previous studies have shown that viruses produce dsRNA when replicating in mammalian cells; however, to date no one has demonstrated viral dsRNA production in virus infected fish cells. Therefore, the goal of this study is to investigate dsRNA production by fish viruses in fish cells, verifying production and performing initial characterization of the dsRNA molecules being produced. Three different rainbow trout cell lines were used in this …

Molecular Phylogenetic Relationships Of North American Dermacentor Ticks Using Mitochondrial Gene Sequences, Kayla L. Perry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dermacentor is a recently evolved genus of hard ticks (Family Ixodiae) that includes 36 known species worldwide. Despite the importance of Dermacentor species as vectors of human and animal disease, the systematics of the genus remain largely unresolved. This study focuses on phylogenetic relationships of the eight North American Nearctic Dermacentor species: D. albipictus, D. variabilis, D. occidentalis, D. halli, D. parumapertus, D. hunteri, and D. andersoni, and the recently re-established species D. kamshadalus, as well as two of the Neotropical Dermacentor species D. nitens and D. dissimilis (both formerly Anocentor). We sequenced portions of the mitochondrial …