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Articles 1 - 30 of 141
Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology
Omani Camels From A Cultural And Genomics Perspective, Al Muatasim Al Zadjali
Omani Camels From A Cultural And Genomics Perspective, Al Muatasim Al Zadjali
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Dromedarian camel, Camelus dromedarius, is native to the Arabian Peninsula, including the Sultanate of Oman. These camels are used for food, milk, as well as show and racing competitions. Despite their economic and cultural importance research on camels in Oman is limited. The goal of this study was to examine their genomic variation, relationship with camels in other parts of the Arabian Peninsula, and to determine if selective breeding has led to the establishment of distinct breeds in Oman. Information was compiled from multiple sources to produce a comprehensive review on the breeding, management, economic and cultural use, …
Interactions Between Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia Illucens) And Pathogenic Bacteria In Culled Potato Waste, Matthew A. Moyet
Interactions Between Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia Illucens) And Pathogenic Bacteria In Culled Potato Waste, Matthew A. Moyet
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The focus of this dissertation is to investigate the feasibility and safety of rearing black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) on culled potato waste in the presence of pathogens. World food and feed supplies remain insufficient while the demand for alternative protein sources is steadily increasing. Recycling organic waste into ingredients of animal feeds using black soldier larvae, which are omnivorous saprotrophs native to North America, is a rapidly emerging technology that shows great promise for creating circular agricultural systems. To optimize this technology on an industrial scale, assessment of rearing conditions on different feeding substrates and the …
Pipecolic Acid And Novel Insights Into Cerebral Malaria, Akua E. Mensah
Pipecolic Acid And Novel Insights Into Cerebral Malaria, Akua E. Mensah
Theses
Cerebral malaria (CM), a severe manifestation of Plasmodium infection, prompts our investigation into the nuanced role of pipecolic acid in its pathophysiology. To unravel the molecular intricacies, we conducted in vitro lysine labeling techniques of mice infected with P. berghei ANKA parasites, and human P. falciparum grown in vitro, aiming to discern the impact of Plasmodium on pipecolic acid production. Previous observations indicated an elevation in pipecolic acid levels correlating with neurological decline in children with CM. In our study, confirming elevated pipecolic acid presence in the plasma and brain tissues of CM patients and the animal model of CM, …
Remodeling Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer's Aggressive Profile And Metabolic Signature By Natural Alkaloid Berberine, Tara Elizabeth Jarboe
Remodeling Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer's Aggressive Profile And Metabolic Signature By Natural Alkaloid Berberine, Tara Elizabeth Jarboe
NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations
Anaplastic thyroid cancer is a rare, fatal cancer with a five-year survival of 4%. Universally diagnosed at stage IV, anaplastic thyroid cancer is characterized by its lack of differentiation, rapid proliferative rate, highly inflammatory tumor microenvironment, and metabolic dysregulation. Refractory to all established therapies, anaplastic thyroid cancer requires a novel therapeutic approach that targets all of these drivers of anaplastic thyroid cancer carcinogenesis. We propose natural alkaloid berberine as a therapeutic with multitarget efficacy to alter mitochondrial metabolism and reprogram anaplastic thyroid cancer’s aggressive phenotype. Our in vitro model uses monocyte cell line U937, anaplastic thyroid cancer cell lines T238 …
Preliminary Investigation Of Differences In Host Mitochondria Membrane Potential During Toxoplasma Gondii Infection, Bryan L. Ortega
Preliminary Investigation Of Differences In Host Mitochondria Membrane Potential During Toxoplasma Gondii Infection, Bryan L. Ortega
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan with a broad host range of hosts, including various warm-blooded mammals, including humans. While infections can often be asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, they can pose significant risks to those who are immunocompromised, as well as pregnant women. Toxoplasmosis represents a significant burden on public health in the United States, with over 800,000 annual infections reported, often leading to severe complications such as symptomatic eye disease and congenital infections. Recent attention has developed regarding its potential association with human neuropathies such as Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and mood disorders. This project investigated differences in host …
Personalized Molecular Therapies For Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Overcoming Heterogeneity To Optimize Treatment Response And Clinical Outcomes, Zuan-Fu Lim
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Lung cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers. Novel, paradigm shifting treatments including immunotherapy and targeted therapies have recently been developed to cull the deadly effects of lung cancer, but many challenges remain. There remains a significant unmet need to accurately predict and optimally select for patients who will respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) treatment. In Chapter 2 of this dissertation, we investigated a novel live single cell cytokine profiling lab-on-chip platform, IsoLight, using peripheral CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells for ICI biomarker development. A total of 55,175 single T-lymphocytes were analyzed in this proof-of-concept study. We found that an …
Development Of Novel Methods To Study Host-Microbe Interactions In The Larval Zebrafish Gastrointestinal Tract, Anh K. Trinh Nguyen
Development Of Novel Methods To Study Host-Microbe Interactions In The Larval Zebrafish Gastrointestinal Tract, Anh K. Trinh Nguyen
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
The dynamic nature and inaccessible location of the intestine pose significant challenges to the study of intestinal physiology and pathology. Zebrafish larvae, possessing optical transparency and genetic tractability, offer an accessible and clinically relevant model for investigating dynamic events in the intestine via time-lapse imaging. In the first part of this work, I discuss our efforts to optimize the parameters of a foodborne infection assay using paramecia as a vehicle. This method provides an effective, high-throughput alternative to infection via immersion or oral gavage, and replicates the most common route of transmission of gastrointestinal (GI) infection in humans. The foodborne …
Characterization Of The Effects Of The Pyrazolopyrimidine Inhibitor Grassofermata (Nav-2729) In The Eukaryotic Pathogen Trypanosoma Brucei, Kristina Marie Parman
Characterization Of The Effects Of The Pyrazolopyrimidine Inhibitor Grassofermata (Nav-2729) In The Eukaryotic Pathogen Trypanosoma Brucei, Kristina Marie Parman
All Dissertations
The protozoan pathogen, Trypanosoma brucei, is the causative agent of sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in livestock in sub-Saharan Africa. T. brucei cycles between tsetse fly and mammalian hosts, and it is adapted to survive in diverse host tissues. Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG) plays a key role in immune evasion in the mammalian host. The VSG membrane anchor requires two myristates, 14-carbon saturated fatty acids (FAs) that are scarce in the host. T. brucei can synthesize FAs de novo, but also readily takes up exogenous FAs, despite lacking homologs to fatty acid uptake proteins found in other …
Endothelial Interleukin-17 Receptor D (Il17rd) Promotes Western Diet-Induced Aortic Myeloid Cell Infiltration, Shivangi Pande
Endothelial Interleukin-17 Receptor D (Il17rd) Promotes Western Diet-Induced Aortic Myeloid Cell Infiltration, Shivangi Pande
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Interleukin-17 (IL17) family is a group of cytokines implicated in the etiology of several inflammatory diseases. Interleukin-17 receptor D (IL17RD), also known as Sef (similar expression to fibroblast growth factor), belonging to the family of IL17 receptors, has been shown to modulate IL17A-associated inflammatory phenotypes. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that IL17RD promotes endothelial cell activation and consequent monocyte adhesion. We utilized primary human aortic endothelial cells and demonstrated that RNAi targeting of IL17RD suppressed transcript levels by 83% compared to non-targeted controls. Further, RNAi knockdown of IL17RD decreased the adhesion of THP-1 cells …
Functional Analysis Of Two Campoletis Sonorensis Ichnovirus Vinnexins In Drosophila Melanogaster, Peng Zhang
Functional Analysis Of Two Campoletis Sonorensis Ichnovirus Vinnexins In Drosophila Melanogaster, Peng Zhang
All Dissertations
Campoletis sonorensis Ichnovirus (CsIV) is produced by the ichneumonid parasitoid Campoletis sonorensis (the primary host). Female parasitoid wasps restrictedly replicate viruses in their ovaries and inject them into a larval lepidopteran (secondary host) during oviposition. This symbiotic virus of C. sonorensis is essential for successful parasitization. CsIV is characterized by having a large, segmented double-stranded DNA genome with a large number of genes, many of which are associated with one of five multigene families. The CsIV vinnexin gene family is one of them and has four members, including CsIV-vnxD and CsIV-vnxG. Vinnexins are homologues of insect Innexins, which form gap …
Withaferin A And Immune Checkpoint Blocker Therapy For The Treatment Of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Roukiah Khalil
Withaferin A And Immune Checkpoint Blocker Therapy For The Treatment Of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Roukiah Khalil
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Lung cancer is the first cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women with an overall five-year survival rate of 28%. Although immune checkpoint blockers (ICBs) are currently FDA-approved for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), only 17-20% of patients achieve durable responses by the induction of immunologic memory. The lack of response in most patients can be attributed to the tumor-intrinsic or tumor-extrinsic immune resistance mechanisms. A biomarker of importance is the Programmed Death Ligand-1 (PD-L1), as higher PD-L1 expression is usually associated with a better response to ICBs. Although studies have attempted to combine ICBs …
Immunomodulatory Effects Of Resolvin D2 In A Model Of Infection, Prem Yugandhar Kadiyam Sundarasivarao
Immunomodulatory Effects Of Resolvin D2 In A Model Of Infection, Prem Yugandhar Kadiyam Sundarasivarao
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations
Dysregulated hyperinflammatory host immune response to underlying bacterial infections is a characteristic of sepsis. In sepsis, bacteria often trigger abnormal hyperinflammatory responses which can cause multiple organ failure and if sustained can lead to an immunosuppressive phase where the host is susceptible to secondary infections caused by opportunistic bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). In our studies, we used a 2-hit model of cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) followed by P. aeruginosa secondary lung infection to investigate cellular and molecular mechanisms in the beneficial action of resolvin D2 (RvD2). Resolvins of the D-series are a group of fatty acids known …
The Effects Of Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediator Lipoxin A4 On Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilms And Interactions With Monocytes, Julianne M. Thornton
The Effects Of Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediator Lipoxin A4 On Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilms And Interactions With Monocytes, Julianne M. Thornton
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is an opportunistic pathogen known as a major cause of hospital-acquired secondary infections, commonly causing chronic respiratory infections in immunocompromised individuals, especially those with cystic fibrosis, and often found in wound infections. P. aeruginosa uses the quorum sensing pathway to readily form protective biofilms, which reduce the efficacy of antibiotics and access by host immune cells to eradicate the pathogen. Specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) are lipids endogenously produced by the host immune response to infection to aid in infection resolution. One SPM, Lipoxin A4 (LxA4), has been shown to be a robust quorum sensing inhibitor.
The …
Investigating The Antibacterial And Immunomodulatory Properties Of Lactobacillus Acidophilus Postbiotics, Rachael M. Wilson
Investigating The Antibacterial And Immunomodulatory Properties Of Lactobacillus Acidophilus Postbiotics, Rachael M. Wilson
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations
Probiotics are nonpathogenic microorganisms that have been extensively studied for their ability to prevent various infectious, gastrointestinal, and autoimmune diseases. The mechanisms underlying these probiotic effects have not been elucidated. However, we and other researchers have evidence suggesting that probiotic bacteria secrete metabolites that are antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. As such, we developed a methodology to collect the secreted metabolites from a probiotic bacterium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and tested this cell free filtrate (CFF) both in vitro and in vivo. Using this CFF, we have demonstrated that L. acidophilus secretes a molecule(s) that has specific bactericidal activity against the opportunistic pathogen, Pseudomonas …
Probing Amyloid-Beta Protein Structure And Dynamics With A Selective Antibody, Shikha Grover
Probing Amyloid-Beta Protein Structure And Dynamics With A Selective Antibody, Shikha Grover
Dissertations
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. The AD brain is characterized by significant neuronal loss and accumulation of insoluble fibrillar amyloid-β protein (Aβ) plaques and tau protein neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. However, over the last decade, many studies have shown that the neurodegenerative effect of Aβ may in fact be caused by various soluble oligomeric forms as opposed to the insoluble fibrils. Furthermore, the data suggest that a pre-fibrillar aggregated form, termed protofibrils, mediates direct neurotoxicity, and triggers a robust neuroinflammatory response.
Antibodies targeting the various conformation of Aβ are important therapeutic agents to prevent the progression …
Generation Of Chimeric Rhinoviruses Presenting Sars-Cov-2 Broadly Neutralizing Epitopes And Their Antigenicity Characterization, Danish Ansari
Generation Of Chimeric Rhinoviruses Presenting Sars-Cov-2 Broadly Neutralizing Epitopes And Their Antigenicity Characterization, Danish Ansari
Biotechnology Theses
The global COVID pandemic is not yet fully under control as there were over 21 million new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections and over 50,000 deaths globally as of January of 2022. A heavily mutated variant of concern, Omicron is responsible for most of these cases which demands an urgency for a new vaccine. NIH reports over 180 vaccine candidates that use various strategies currently in development. However, a recurring concern with these vaccines is that the continuous viral mutations decrease the efficacy of vaccines. Therefore, we proposed to construct a human rhinovirus (HRV) based chimeric virus containing highly conserved, broadly …
Investigating Mirna Regulation Of The Human Apobec3 Enzymes, William Dietrich
Investigating Mirna Regulation Of The Human Apobec3 Enzymes, William Dietrich
All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects
The human apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide 3 (APOBEC3, A3) are a family of proteins consisting of seven enzymes, A3A, B, C, D, F, G and H, which function as cytosine deaminases. The enzymes’ purpose in the cell is to mutate viral DNA during infection hindering or stopping replication of viruses such as human papillomavirus, herpes simplex virus, and HIV-1. Several of the A3 enzymes have also been implicated in contributing to cancers such as head and neck and breast cancers by mutating cellular genomic DNA, making the ability to control A3 expression an attractive target for cancer …
Sex-Dependent Effects Of Induced Acute Inflammation On Glucose Homeostasis And Rna Editing Enzymes, Christian A. Rivas
Sex-Dependent Effects Of Induced Acute Inflammation On Glucose Homeostasis And Rna Editing Enzymes, Christian A. Rivas
MSU Graduate Theses
The first line of defense against bodily insults, like pathogen invasion, is the innate immune system. Innate immunity sets in motion countless cascades that result in inflammation. Inflammation simultaneously affects multiple biological processes like metabolism and gene expression. Males and females react differently to inflammation. To understand both molecular and physiological sex differences in inflammation, we examined how inflammation affects gene expression and glucose metabolism. Adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR1) is upregulated by inflammation and catalyzes RNA editing, a process where nucleotides encoded by the genome are modified. ADAR1 also controls the innate immune reaction by decreasing activity of …
Dna Methylation And The Response To Infection In Introduced House Sparrows, Melanie Gibson
Dna Methylation And The Response To Infection In Introduced House Sparrows, Melanie Gibson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Epigenetics is the study of molecular modification of a genome without changing its base pairs. The most studied type of epigenetic mechanism is DNA methylation, which is capable of turning a gene “on” or “off.” Epigenetic potential is the capacity to which an individual can have methylation on its genome. The more CpGs available, the greater the epigenetic potential. In invasive species, genetic variation has been observed to be paradoxical: not much of it exists on a genomic level, but epigenetically, phenotypic variation can occur. The focus on shift in gene expression in this study is on Toll-Like Receptor 4 …
Tissue And Sex-Dependent Regulation Of Innate Immunity And Rna Editing In Mice, Kelsey R. Kendrick
Tissue And Sex-Dependent Regulation Of Innate Immunity And Rna Editing In Mice, Kelsey R. Kendrick
MSU Graduate Theses
Inflammation occurs as a result of insult or infection within the body. Individual cells respond to inflammation by upregulating genes that help mediate the immune response, such as ADAR1. ADAR1 helps regulate the immune response but also catalyzes a process called RNA editing. RNA editing alters the sequence of select mRNAs to alter the encoded proteins. The result is altered function of the encoded protein, which is often beneficial for the cell. Our goal was to determine how inflammation affects the function of ADAR1. Since we know that the effects of inflammation vary between different organs and sexes, we examined …
Investigating The Involvement Of The Tick Vector In The Induction Of Alpha-Galactose Hypersensitivity (Alpha-Gal Syndrome, Red Meat Allergy) In The United States., Gary Crispell
Dissertations
Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS or sometimes called red meat allergy) is a result of the development of specific IgE antibodies to the oligosaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-gal) after a person has had exposure to tick bites. This dissertation investigates four common tick species found in North America: the lone-star tick (Amblyomma americanum), the Gulf-Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum), the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), and the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) for the presence of α-gal by utilizing a combination of immunoproteomic approaches and carbohydrate analysis techniques.
Anti-α-gal IgM antibodies (M86) were used in immunoblotting to detect …
A Novel Transmembrane Ligand Inhibits T Cell Receptor Activation, Yujie Ye
A Novel Transmembrane Ligand Inhibits T Cell Receptor Activation, Yujie Ye
Doctoral Dissertations
T lymphocytes (T cells) play essential roles in the adaptive immune system. Each mature T cell expresses one type of functional T cell receptor (TCR). The TCR recognizes antigens bound to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in antigen presenting cells. The resulting stimulation signal crosses the transmembrane domain of TCR and initiates downstream signaling cascades. The human immune system relies on TCRs to recognize a variety of pathogens. Normally, TCR can distinguish the self-antigens from pathogenic antigens. However, dysfunction or aberrant expression of TCRs causes different inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, which afflict millions of people annually (Chapter I). Current treatments …
T-Cell Antigen Receptors In Multiple Sclerosis, Lisa Lanée Keyes Jones
T-Cell Antigen Receptors In Multiple Sclerosis, Lisa Lanée Keyes Jones
Biomedical Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is T-cell mediated autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation, demyelination, and degeneration of axons in the brain and spinal cord. A T cell-mediated immune response in MS is directed against myelin components and possibly other antigens in genetically susceptible individuals and is triggered by a viral infection. The T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) on T cells is responsible for antigen recognition and determines specificity. Our overall hypothesis is to determine whether clonally expanded T cells in patients with MS recognize viral or self-antigens and to determine whether molecular mimicry is involved in the development of the disease. To study …
The Role Of The Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 2 In Pancreatic Cancer: Mechanisms Of Tumor Immunosuppression And Intestinal Radioprotection, Carolina Garcia Garcia
The Role Of The Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 2 In Pancreatic Cancer: Mechanisms Of Tumor Immunosuppression And Intestinal Radioprotection, Carolina Garcia Garcia
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease with dismal prognosis. The only curative option for patients is surgery, but over 80% of patients are not surgical candidates. Unfortunately, PDAC is resistant to the three remaining options. PDAC is characterized by a profoundly hypoxic and immunosuppressive stroma, which contributes to its therapeutic recalcitrance. Alpha-smooth muscle actin+ (αSMA+) cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the most abundant stromal component, as well as mediators of stromal deposition. The hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF1 and HIF2) coordinate responses to hypoxia, yet, despite their known association to poor patient outcomes, their functions within the PDAC tumor microenvironment (TME) …
Innate Immunity In The Pathobiology And Treatment Of Infectious And Neurodegenerative Diseases, Mai Mostafa
Innate Immunity In The Pathobiology And Treatment Of Infectious And Neurodegenerative Diseases, Mai Mostafa
Theses & Dissertations
Mononuclear phagocytes (MPs; monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells) are the governors of innate immunity which is the body’s first line of defense against microbial pathogens. They act beneficial or detrimental. They are crucial for an effective non-specific immune response to invading pathogens by engulfing, destroying, then eliciting an adaptive specific immune response. Given their pivotal functions in the host immune defense, studying MP immune responses in disease is paramount important for understanding disease pathobiology and uncovering therapeutic strategies.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the driver of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) amongst …
Lipid Rafts, Exosomal Vesicles And Anti-Giardial Therapies, Brian Ivan Grajeda
Lipid Rafts, Exosomal Vesicles And Anti-Giardial Therapies, Brian Ivan Grajeda
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Giardia lamblia, a protozoan parasite, is a major cause of waterborne infection, worldwide. While the trophozoite form of this parasite induces pathological symptoms in the gut, the cyst forms transmit the infection via contaminated water. Since Giardia is a non-invasive parasite, the actual mechanism by which it causes infection remains elusive. We have previously reported that Giardia assembles cholesterol and GM1 glycolipid-enriched lipid rafts (LRs) that participate in encystation and cyst production. To further delineate the role of LRs in pathogenesis, we isolated LRs from Giardia and subjected them to proteomic analysis. Various cellular proteins including the virulent proteinsâe.g., giardins, …
Time Course Investigation Of The Dermal Leukocyte Response To Lipoteichoic Acid In Chickens, Ian Gilbert
Time Course Investigation Of The Dermal Leukocyte Response To Lipoteichoic Acid In Chickens, Ian Gilbert
Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses
Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) is component of the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria that stimulates inflammation during bacterial infection. However, few studies have investigated the in vivo immune response to LTA, and none of the in vivo studies done have been performed in birds. For this project, the pulp (a skin-derivative) of growing feathers (GFs) of chickens were used as a test site to investigate the in vivo effects of intradermally injected LTA. In Study 1, the pulp of 12 GFs of 11-week-old Light-brown Leghorn (LBL) males were injected with 10 μL of differing concentrations of LTA (0.1, 1.0, 10, 100 …
Feasibility Of Tubulin As A Control For Gene Expression Following Transfection In Mouse Monocyte/Macrophage-Like Cells, Ankita Chabra
Feasibility Of Tubulin As A Control For Gene Expression Following Transfection In Mouse Monocyte/Macrophage-Like Cells, Ankita Chabra
Honors Program Theses and Research Projects
Transfection, which is the ability to modify host cells’ genetic content, has broad application in studying normal cellular processes, molecular mechanism of disease and gene therapy. There are several transfection techniques, and all require either a control or a reference gene. Commonly used controls for transfection experiments are housekeeping genes, which maintain expression for a given cell/tissue, experimental conditions, and treatment. However, recent research has uncovered that expression levels of housekeeping genes may vary depending on the gene, cell type and experimental conditions. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that housekeeping genes are inadequate internal standards for measuring gene expression …
Evaluation Of Oasl And Herc5’S Role In The Non-Lytic Clearance Of Influenza A Virus From Club Cells, Steve Crisafulli
Evaluation Of Oasl And Herc5’S Role In The Non-Lytic Clearance Of Influenza A Virus From Club Cells, Steve Crisafulli
West Chester University Master’s Theses
Influenza A virus (IAV) is a highly infectious pathogen responsible for causing severe respiratory illness and death in humans and animals worldwide. Due to highly effective strategies to negate host antiviral defenses, IAV leads to the death of nearly all infected cells. Furthermore, IAV induces high levels of genome-damaging oxidative stress within infected cells and suppresses the cellular mismatch repair (MMR) mechanism, thereby inhibiting expression of key antiviral genes, which further contributes to cell death. However, recent studies have demonstrated that a subset of respiratory epithelial cells, called club cells, are able to non-lytically clear IAV and continue to survive …
The Impact Of Nitric Oxide On Dendritic Cell Metabolism, Julia Priscilla Snyder
The Impact Of Nitric Oxide On Dendritic Cell Metabolism, Julia Priscilla Snyder
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
Dendritic cells (DCs) are sentinel immune cells capable of directly sensing and responding to pathogens. Upon pathogen recognition, DCs undergo a process of activation that allows them to participate in the proinflammatory response at the site of infection and to initiate the adaptive immune response through antigen presentation to T cells. Because activated DCs serve as the critical link between innate and adaptive immunity, modulating DC activation could be a powerful tool in various clinical contexts such as vaccine design. DC activation is accompanied by widespread changes in metabolism including the rapid upregulation of glycolysis, which is sustained in DCs …