Molecular Biology Commons^™

The Role Of Developmental Timing Regulators In Progenitor Proliferation And Cell Fate Specification During Mammalian Neurogenesis, Jennifer S. Romer-Seibert

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Developmental timing is a key aspect of tissue and organ formation in which distinct cell types are generated through a series of steps from common progenitors. These progenitors undergo specific changes in gene expression that signifies both a distinct progenitor type and developmental time point that thereby specifies a particular cell fate at that stage of development. The nervous system is an important setting for understanding developmental timing because different cell types are produced in a certain order and the switch from stem cells to progenitors requires precise timing and regulation. Notable examples of such regulatory molecules include the RNA-binding …

Insight Into Translational Activation In Yeast Mitochondria, Julia Lynn Jones

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Mitochondrial function depends on over a thousand proteins, of which the majority are nuclear DNA-encoded and approximately one percent are mitochondrial DNA-encoded. The mitochondrial DNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains eight protein-encoding genes, seven of which are required for proper function of the respiratory complexes and one encodes a ribosomal protein. The bigenomic nature of the oxidative phosphorylation complexes requires coordinated expression and regulation from both the nuclear and the mitochondrial genomes. It is currently unclear how this regulatory network operates. However, it is thought that nuclear genome-encoded messengers localized to the mitochondria aid in this coordination.

A family of proteins …

Till Death Do Us Part: The Marriage Of Autophagy And Apoptosis., Katrina F Cooper

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

Autophagy is a widely conserved catabolic process that is necessary for maintaining cellular homeostasis under normal physiological conditions and driving the cell to switch back to this status quo under times of starvation, hypoxia, and oxidative stress. The potential similarities and differences between basal autophagy and stimulus-induced autophagy are still largely unknown. Both act by clearing aberrant or unnecessary cytoplasmic material, such as misfolded proteins, supernumerary and defective organelles. The relationship between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and autophagy is complex. Cellular ROS is predominantly derived from mitochondria. Autophagy is triggered by this event, and by clearing the defective organelles effectively, …