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Articles 1 - 6 of 6
Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology
Delineating The Exocytic Fusion Machinery Required For Mast Cell Exocytosis, Pratikshya Adhikari
Delineating The Exocytic Fusion Machinery Required For Mast Cell Exocytosis, Pratikshya Adhikari
Dissertations
Mast cells undergo exocytosis to release a wide array of inflammatory mediators by utilizing membrane fusion proteins-SNAREs (soluble-N-ethyl-maleimide sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) along with essential regulatory Munc18 and Munc13 proteins. Accumulating evidence in mast cell biology suggests the existence of distinct pools of mast cell mediators. However, the precise mechanism underlying the release of each mast cell mediator is not clear. To determine whether different exocytic machineries are required for differential mediator release, I used reconstitution to investigate the differential role of Munc18s in fusion machinery regulation. Munc18a and Munc18c stimulated VAMP2 and VAMP3-mediated lipid mixing, whereas Munc18b only …
Dicer Represses Antiviral Innate Immunity Pathways In Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells, Chandan Gurung
Dicer Represses Antiviral Innate Immunity Pathways In Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells, Chandan Gurung
Dissertations
Recent studies have demonstrated that embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are deficient in expressing type I interferons (IFN), the cytokines that play key roles in antiviral responses. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms and biological implications of this finding are poorly understood. In this study, I used a synthetic RNA-based assay that can simultaneously assess multiple forms of antiviral responses in ESCs. Dicer is an enzyme essential for RNA interference (RNAi), which is used as a major antiviral mechanism in invertebrates but not clear in vertebrates. RNAi activity is detected in wild-type ESCs but is abolished in Dicer knockout ESCs (D−/−ESCs) as …
Human 5’-Tailed Mirtrons Are Processed By Rnasep, Mohammad Farid Zia
Human 5’-Tailed Mirtrons Are Processed By Rnasep, Mohammad Farid Zia
Dissertations
Approximately a thousand microRNAs (miRNAs) are documented from human cells. A third appear to transit non-canonical pathways that typically bypass processing by Drosha, the dedicated nuclear miRNA producing enzyme. The largest class of non-canonical miRNAs are mirtrons which eschew Drosha to mature through spliceosome activity. While mirtrons are found in several configurations, the vast majority of human mirtron species are 5’-tailed. For these mirtrons, a 3’ splice site defines the 3’ end of their hairpin precursor while a “tail” of variable length separates the 5’ base of the hairpin from the nearest splice site. How this tail is removed is …
Molecular Characterization Of Galectin From Amblyomma Americanum In Context Of Α-Gal Syndrome, Sumar Beauti
Molecular Characterization Of Galectin From Amblyomma Americanum In Context Of Α-Gal Syndrome, Sumar Beauti
Honors Theses
The lone star tick Amblyomma americanum is a vector of various disease-causing pathogens and tick-borne alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) with rapidly expanding populations in the south- and northeast regions of the United States. This study aimed to molecularly characterize galectin and determine its involvement in galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-gal) synthesis, transport, reproductive fitness, and microbial homeostasis in this tick. The lone star tick galectin possesses two conserved carbohydrate recognition domains and shares homology with other Ixodid tick galectins. Time and tissue-dependent expression data shows that galectin is constantly expressed in salivary glands, midgut, and ovary tissues. An RNA interference approach was used to …
Uncovering The Identity And Metabolism Of Bacterial Coa-Rna, Joseph R. Spangler
Uncovering The Identity And Metabolism Of Bacterial Coa-Rna, Joseph R. Spangler
Dissertations
Coenzyme A is an indispensable molecule in all known life with roles in metabolism, gene regulation, and macromolecule synthesis. As CoA is derived from RNA itself, it’s incorporation into RNA by in vitro methods has proven useful in research probing the origin of life based on the RNA World theory. The discovery in contemporary bacteria of RNA modified with CoA, however, provided an unexpected twist to previously well-characterized bacterial systems. The identity of sequences associated with CoA-RNA has been elusive since their discovery in 2009 based on the difficulties in isolation while maintaining RNA quality. The aim of this study …
Antiviral Responses In Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells: Differential Development Of Cellular Mechanisms In Type I Interferon Production And Response, Ruoxing Wang
Dissertations
Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have been recognized as a promising cell source for regenerative medicine. Intensive research over the past decade has led to the possibility that ESC-derived cells will be used for the treatment of human diseases. However, increasing evidence indicates that ESC-derived cells generated by the current differentiation methods are not fully functional. It is recently recognized that ESC-derived cells lack innate immunity to a wide range of infectious agents and inflammatory cytokines. When used in patients, ESC-derived cells would be placed in wounded sites that are exposed to various pathogens and inflammatory cytokines; therefore, their viability and …