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Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology

Fused In Sarcoma Regulates Glutamate Signaling And Oxidative Stress Response, Chiong-Hee Wong, Abu Rahat, Howard C Chang Jan 2024

Fused In Sarcoma Regulates Glutamate Signaling And Oxidative Stress Response, Chiong-Hee Wong, Abu Rahat, Howard C Chang

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

Mutations in fused in sarcoma (fust-1) are linked to ALS. However, how these ALS causative mutations alter physiological processes and lead to the onset of ALS remains largely unknown. By obtaining humanized fust-1 ALS mutations via CRISPR-CAS9, we generated a C. elegans ALS model. Homozygous fust-1 ALS mutant and fust-1 deletion animals are viable in C. elegans. This allows us to better characterize the molecular mechanisms of fust-1-dependent responses. We found FUST-1 plays a role in regulating superoxide dismutase, glutamate signaling, and oxidative stress. FUST-1 suppresses SOD-1 and VGLUT/EAT-4 in the nervous system. FUST-1 also regulates synaptic AMPA-type glutamate receptor …


Dpc29 Promotes Post-Initiation Mitochondrial Translation In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Kyle A. Hubble, Michael F. Henry Feb 2023

Dpc29 Promotes Post-Initiation Mitochondrial Translation In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Kyle A. Hubble, Michael F. Henry

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

Mitochondrial ribosomes synthesize essential components of the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system in a tightly regulated process. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mitochondrial mRNAs require specific translational activators, which orchestrate protein synthesis by recognition of their target gene's 5'-untranslated region (UTR). Most of these yeast genes lack orthologues in mammals, and only one such gene-specific translational activator has been proposed in humans-TACO1. The mechanism by which TACO1 acts is unclear because mammalian mitochondrial mRNAs do not have significant 5'-UTRs, and therefore must promote translation by alternative mechanisms. In this study, we examined the role of the TACO1 orthologue in yeast. We …


An Expanded Toolkit For Gene Tagging Based On Mimic And Scarless Crispr Tagging In, David Li-Kroeger, Oguz Kanca, Pei-Tseng Lee, Sierra Cowan, Michael T Lee, Manish Jaiswal, Jose Luis Salazar, Yuchun He, Zhongyuan Zuo, Hugo J Bellen Aug 2018

An Expanded Toolkit For Gene Tagging Based On Mimic And Scarless Crispr Tagging In, David Li-Kroeger, Oguz Kanca, Pei-Tseng Lee, Sierra Cowan, Michael T Lee, Manish Jaiswal, Jose Luis Salazar, Yuchun He, Zhongyuan Zuo, Hugo J Bellen

Faculty Publications

We generated two new genetic tools to efficiently tag genes in Drosophila. The first, Double Header (DH) utilizes intronic MiMIC/CRIMIC insertions to generate artificial exons for GFP mediated protein trapping or T2A-GAL4 gene trapping in vivo based on Cre recombinase to avoid embryo injections. DH significantly increases integration efficiency compared to previous strategies and faithfully reports the expression pattern of genes and proteins. The second technique targets genes lacking coding introns using a two-step cassette exchange. First, we replace the endogenous gene with an excisable compact dominant marker using CRISPR making a null allele. Second, the insertion is replaced …


Mutations Of Conserved Non-Coding Elements Of Pitx2 In Patients With Ocular Dysgenesis And Developmental Glaucoma., Meredith E. Protas, Eric Weh, Tim Footz, Jay Kasberger, Scott C. Baraban, Alex V. Levin, L. Jay Katz, Robert Ritch, Michael A. Walter, Elena V. Semina, Douglas B. Gould Sep 2017

Mutations Of Conserved Non-Coding Elements Of Pitx2 In Patients With Ocular Dysgenesis And Developmental Glaucoma., Meredith E. Protas, Eric Weh, Tim Footz, Jay Kasberger, Scott C. Baraban, Alex V. Levin, L. Jay Katz, Robert Ritch, Michael A. Walter, Elena V. Semina, Douglas B. Gould

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Faculty Scholarship

Mutations in FOXC1 and PITX2 constitute the most common causes of ocular anterior segment dysgenesis (ASD), and confer a high risk for secondary glaucoma. The genetic causes underlying ASD in approximately half of patients remain unknown, despite many of them being screened by whole exome sequencing. Here, we performed whole genome sequencing on DNA from two affected individuals from a family with dominantly inherited ASD and glaucoma to identify a 748-kb deletion in a gene desert that contains conserved putative PITX2 regulatory elements. We used CRISPR/Cas9 to delete the orthologous region in zebrafish in order to test the pathogenicity of …


A Conserved Three-Nucleotide Core Motif Defines Musashi Rna Binding Specificity, Nancy Zearfoss, Laura Deveau, Carina Clingman, Eric Schmidt, Emily Johnson, Francesca Massi, Sean Ryder Sep 2015

A Conserved Three-Nucleotide Core Motif Defines Musashi Rna Binding Specificity, Nancy Zearfoss, Laura Deveau, Carina Clingman, Eric Schmidt, Emily Johnson, Francesca Massi, Sean Ryder

Sean P. Ryder

Musashi (MSI) family proteins control cell proliferation and differentiation in many biological systems. They are overexpressed in tumors of several origins, and their expression level correlates with poor prognosis. MSI proteins control gene expression by binding RNA and regulating its translation. They contain two RNA recognition motif (RRM) domains, which recognize a defined sequence element. The relative contribution of each nucleotide to the binding affinity and specificity is unknown. We analyzed the binding specificity of three MSI family RRM domains using a quantitative fluorescence anisotropy assay. We found that the core element driving recognition is the sequence UAG. Nucleotides outside …


Hnrnp A1 And Secondary Structure Coordinate Alternative Splicing Of Mag, Nancy Zearfoss, Emily Johnson, Sean Ryder May 2015

Hnrnp A1 And Secondary Structure Coordinate Alternative Splicing Of Mag, Nancy Zearfoss, Emily Johnson, Sean Ryder

Sean P. Ryder

Myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) is a major component of myelin in the vertebrate central nervous system. MAG is present in the periaxonal region of the myelin structure, where it interacts with neuronal proteins to inhibit axon outgrowth and protect neurons from degeneration. Two alternatively spliced isoforms of Mag mRNA have been identified. The mRNA encoding the shorter isoform, known as S-MAG, contains a termination codon in exon 12, while the mRNA encoding the longer isoform, known as L-MAG, skips exon 12 and produces a protein with a longer C-terminal region. L-MAG is required in the central nervous system. How inclusion of …


Evolution Of The Influenza A Virus Genome During Development Of Oseltamivir Resistance In Vitro, Nicholas Renzette, Daniel Caffrey, Konstantin Zeldovich, Ping Liu, Glen Gallagher, Daniel Aiello, Alyssa Porter, Evelyn Kurt-Jones, Daniel Bolon, Yu-Ping Poh, Jeffrey Jensen, Celia Schiffer, Timothy Kowalik, Robert Finberg, Jennifer Wang Mar 2015

Evolution Of The Influenza A Virus Genome During Development Of Oseltamivir Resistance In Vitro, Nicholas Renzette, Daniel Caffrey, Konstantin Zeldovich, Ping Liu, Glen Gallagher, Daniel Aiello, Alyssa Porter, Evelyn Kurt-Jones, Daniel Bolon, Yu-Ping Poh, Jeffrey Jensen, Celia Schiffer, Timothy Kowalik, Robert Finberg, Jennifer Wang

Glen R. Gallagher

Influenza A virus (IAV) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Current antiviral therapies include oseltamivir, a neuraminidase inhibitor that prevents the release of nascent viral particles from infected cells. However, the IAV genome can evolve rapidly, and oseltamivir resistance mutations have been detected in numerous clinical samples. Using an in vitro evolution platform and whole-genome population sequencing, we investigated the population genomics of IAV during the development of oseltamivir resistance. Strain A/Brisbane/59/2007 (H1N1) was grown in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells with or without escalating concentrations of oseltamivir over serial passages. Following drug treatment, the H274Y …


Evolution Of The Influenza A Virus Genome During Development Of Oseltamivir Resistance In Vitro, Nicholas Renzette, Daniel R. Caffrey, Konstantin B. Zeldovich, Ping Liu, Glen R. Gallagher, Daniel Aiello, Alyssa J. Porter, Evelyn A. Kurt-Jones, Daniel N. Bolon, Yu-Ping Poh, Jeffrey D. Jensen, Celia A. Schiffer, Timothy F. Kowalik, Robert W. Finberg, Jennifer P. Wang Jan 2015

Evolution Of The Influenza A Virus Genome During Development Of Oseltamivir Resistance In Vitro, Nicholas Renzette, Daniel R. Caffrey, Konstantin B. Zeldovich, Ping Liu, Glen R. Gallagher, Daniel Aiello, Alyssa J. Porter, Evelyn A. Kurt-Jones, Daniel N. Bolon, Yu-Ping Poh, Jeffrey D. Jensen, Celia A. Schiffer, Timothy F. Kowalik, Robert W. Finberg, Jennifer P. Wang

Celia A. Schiffer

Influenza A virus (IAV) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Current antiviral therapies include oseltamivir, a neuraminidase inhibitor that prevents the release of nascent viral particles from infected cells. However, the IAV genome can evolve rapidly, and oseltamivir resistance mutations have been detected in numerous clinical samples. Using an in vitro evolution platform and whole-genome population sequencing, we investigated the population genomics of IAV during the development of oseltamivir resistance. Strain A/Brisbane/59/2007 (H1N1) was grown in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells with or without escalating concentrations of oseltamivir over serial passages. Following drug treatment, the H274Y …


Nuclear Pore Component Nup98 Is A Potential Tumor Suppressor And Regulates Posttranscriptional Expression Of Select P53 Target Genes, Stephan Singer, Ruiying Zhao, Anthony M. Barsotti, Anette Ouwehand, Mina Fazollahi, Elias Coutavas, Kai Breuhahn, Olaf Neumann, Thomas Longerich, Tobias Pusterla, Maureen A. Powers, Keith M. Giles, Peter J. Leedman, Jochen Hess, David Grunwald, Harmen J. Bussemaker, Robert H. Singer, Peter Schirmacher, Carol Prives Nov 2014

Nuclear Pore Component Nup98 Is A Potential Tumor Suppressor And Regulates Posttranscriptional Expression Of Select P53 Target Genes, Stephan Singer, Ruiying Zhao, Anthony M. Barsotti, Anette Ouwehand, Mina Fazollahi, Elias Coutavas, Kai Breuhahn, Olaf Neumann, Thomas Longerich, Tobias Pusterla, Maureen A. Powers, Keith M. Giles, Peter J. Leedman, Jochen Hess, David Grunwald, Harmen J. Bussemaker, Robert H. Singer, Peter Schirmacher, Carol Prives

David Grünwald

The p53 tumor suppressor utilizes multiple mechanisms to selectively regulate its myriad target genes, which in turn mediate diverse cellular processes. Here, using conventional and single-molecule mRNA analyses, we demonstrate that the nucleoporin Nup98 is required for full expression of p21, a key effector of the p53 pathway, but not several other p53 target genes. Nup98 regulates p21 mRNA levels by a posttranscriptional mechanism in which a complex containing Nup98 and the p21 mRNA 3'UTR protects p21 mRNA from degradation by the exosome. An in silico approach revealed another p53 target (14-3-3sigma) to be similarly regulated by Nup98. The expression …


Large-Scale Identification Of Chemically Induced Mutations In Drosophila Melanogaster., Nele A Haelterman, Lichun Jiang, Yumei Li, Vafa Bayat, Hector Sandoval, Berrak Ugur, Kai Li Tan, Ke Zhang, Danqing Bei, Bo Xiong, Wu-Lin Charng, Theodore Busby, Adeel Jawaid, Gabriela David, Manish Jaiswal, Koen J T Venken, Shinya Yamamoto, Rui Chen, Hugo J Bellen Oct 2014

Large-Scale Identification Of Chemically Induced Mutations In Drosophila Melanogaster., Nele A Haelterman, Lichun Jiang, Yumei Li, Vafa Bayat, Hector Sandoval, Berrak Ugur, Kai Li Tan, Ke Zhang, Danqing Bei, Bo Xiong, Wu-Lin Charng, Theodore Busby, Adeel Jawaid, Gabriela David, Manish Jaiswal, Koen J T Venken, Shinya Yamamoto, Rui Chen, Hugo J Bellen

Faculty Publications

Forward genetic screens using chemical mutagens have been successful in defining the function of thousands of genes in eukaryotic model organisms. The main drawback of this strategy is the time-consuming identification of the molecular lesions causative of the phenotypes of interest. With whole-genome sequencing (WGS), it is now possible to sequence hundreds of strains, but determining which mutations are causative among thousands of polymorphisms remains challenging. We have sequenced 394 mutant strains, generated in a chemical mutagenesis screen, for essential genes on the Drosophila X chromosome and describe strategies to reduce the number of candidate mutations from an average of …


Nack Is An Integral Component Of The Notch Transcriptional Activation Complex And Is Critical For Development And Tumorigenesis, Kelly L Weaver, Marie-Clotilde Alves-Guerra, Ke Jin, Zhiqiang Wang, Xiaoqing Han, Prathibha Ranganathan, Xiaoxia Zhu, Thiago Dasilva, Wei Liu, Francesca Ratti, Renee M Demarest, Cristos Tzimas, Meghan Rice, Rodrigo Vasquez-Del Carpio, Nadia Dahmane, David J Robbins, Anthony J Capobianco Sep 2014

Nack Is An Integral Component Of The Notch Transcriptional Activation Complex And Is Critical For Development And Tumorigenesis, Kelly L Weaver, Marie-Clotilde Alves-Guerra, Ke Jin, Zhiqiang Wang, Xiaoqing Han, Prathibha Ranganathan, Xiaoxia Zhu, Thiago Dasilva, Wei Liu, Francesca Ratti, Renee M Demarest, Cristos Tzimas, Meghan Rice, Rodrigo Vasquez-Del Carpio, Nadia Dahmane, David J Robbins, Anthony J Capobianco

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

The Notch signaling pathway governs many distinct cellular processes by regulating transcriptional programs. The transcriptional response initiated by Notch is highly cell context dependent, indicating that multiple factors influence Notch target gene selection and activity. However, the mechanism by which Notch drives target gene transcription is not well understood. Herein, we identify and characterize a novel Notch-interacting protein, Notch activation complex kinase (NACK), which acts as a Notch transcriptional coactivator. We show that NACK associates with the Notch transcriptional activation complex on DNA, mediates Notch transcriptional activity, and is required for Notch-mediated tumorigenesis. We demonstrate that Notch1 and NACK are …


Electroporation-Mediated Delivery Of A Naked Dna Plasmid Expressing Vegf To The Porcine Heart Enhances Protein Expression, W. G. Marshall Jr., B. A. Boone, J. D. Burgos, S. I. Gografe, M. K. Baldwin, M. L. Danielson, M. J. Larson, D. R. Caretto, Y. Cruz, B. Ferraro, L. C. Heller, K. E. Ugen, M. J. Jaroszeski, R. Heller Jan 2010

Electroporation-Mediated Delivery Of A Naked Dna Plasmid Expressing Vegf To The Porcine Heart Enhances Protein Expression, W. G. Marshall Jr., B. A. Boone, J. D. Burgos, S. I. Gografe, M. K. Baldwin, M. L. Danielson, M. J. Larson, D. R. Caretto, Y. Cruz, B. Ferraro, L. C. Heller, K. E. Ugen, M. J. Jaroszeski, R. Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

Gene therapy is an attractive method for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. However, using current strategies, induction of gene expression at therapeutic levels is often inefficient. In this study, we show a novel electroporation (EP) method to enhance the delivery of a plasmid expressing an angiogenic growth factor (vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF), which is a molecule previously documented to stimulate revascularization in coronary artery disease. DNA expression plasmids were delivered in vivo to the porcine heart with or without coadministered EP to determine the potential effect of electrically mediated delivery. The results showed that plasmid delivery through EP significantly …


The C. Elegans Heterochronic Gene Lin-46 Affects Developmental Timing At Two Larval Stages And Encodes A Relative Of The Scaffolding Protein Gephyrin, A. S.-R. Pepper, Jill E. Mccane, Kevin Kemper, Dennis Au Yeung, Rosalind C. Lee, Victor Ambros, Eric G. Moss Apr 2004

The C. Elegans Heterochronic Gene Lin-46 Affects Developmental Timing At Two Larval Stages And Encodes A Relative Of The Scaffolding Protein Gephyrin, A. S.-R. Pepper, Jill E. Mccane, Kevin Kemper, Dennis Au Yeung, Rosalind C. Lee, Victor Ambros, Eric G. Moss

Dartmouth Scholarship

The succession of developmental events in the C. elegans larva is governed by the heterochronic genes. When mutated, these genes cause either precocious or retarded developmental phenotypes, in which stage-specific patterns of cell division and differentiation are either skipped or reiterated, respectively. We identified a new heterochronic gene, lin-46, from mutations that suppress the precocious phenotypes caused by mutations in the heterochronic genes lin-14 and lin-28. lin-46 mutants on their own display retarded phenotypes in which cell division patterns are reiterated and differentiation is prevented in certain cell lineages. Our analysis indicates that lin-46 acts at a step immediately downstream …


Prolonged Cyclooxygenase-2 Induction In Neurons And Glia Following Traumatic Brain Injury In The Rat, K I Strauss, M F Barbe, R M Marshall Demarest, R Raghupathi, S Mehta, R K Narayan Aug 2000

Prolonged Cyclooxygenase-2 Induction In Neurons And Glia Following Traumatic Brain Injury In The Rat, K I Strauss, M F Barbe, R M Marshall Demarest, R Raghupathi, S Mehta, R K Narayan

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) is a primary inflammatory mediator that converts arachidonic acid into precursors of vasoactive prostaglandins, producing reactive oxygen species in the process. Under normal conditions COX2 is not detectable, except at low abundance in the brain. This study demonstrates a distinctive pattern of COX2 increases in the brain over time following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Quantitative lysate ribonuclease protection assays indicate acute and sustained increases in COX2 mRNA in two rat models of TBI. In the lateral fluid percussion model, COX2 mRNA is significantly elevated (>twofold, p < 0.05, Dunnett) at 1 day postinjury in the injured cortex and bilaterally in the hippocampus, compared to sham-injured controls. In the lateral cortical impact model (LCI), COX2 mRNA peaks around 6 h postinjury in the ipsilateral cerebral cortex (fivefold induction, p < 0.05, Dunnett) and in the ipsilateral and contralateral hippocampus (two- and six-fold induction, respectively, p < 0.05, Dunnett). Increases are sustained out to 3 days postinjury in the injured cortex in both models. Further analyses use the LCI model to evaluate COX2 induction. Immunoblot analyses confirm increased levels of COX2 protein in the cortex and hippocampus. Profound increases in COX2 protein are observed in the cortex at 1-3 days, that return to sham levels by 7 days postinjury (p < 0.05, Dunnett). The cellular pattern of COX2 induction following TBI has been characterized using immunohistochemistry. COX2-immunoreactivity (-ir) rises acutely (cell numbers and intensity) and remains elevated for several days following TBI. Increases in COX2-ir colocalize with neurons (MAP2-ir) and glia (GFAP-ir). Increases in COX2-ir are observed in cerebral cortex and hippocampus, ipsilateral and contralateral to injury as early as 2 h postinjury. Neurons in the ipsilateral parietal, perirhinal and piriform cortex become intensely COX2-ir from 2 h to at least 3 days postinjury. In agreement with the mRNA and immunoblot results, COX2-ir appears greatest in the contralateral hippocampus. Hippocampal COX2-ir progresses from the pyramidal cell layer of the CA1 and CA2 region at 2 h, to the CA3 pyramidal cells and dentate polymorphic and granule cell layers by 24 h postinjury. These increases are distinct from those observed following inflammatory challenge, and correspond to brain areas previously identified with the neurological and cognitive deficits associated with TBI. While COX2 induction following TBI may result in selective beneficial responses, chronic COX2 production may contribute to free radical mediated cellular damage, vascular dysfunction, and alterations in cellular metabolism. These may cause secondary injuries to the brain that promote neuropathology and worsen behavioral outcome.