Molecular Biology Commons^™

Inflammatory Gene Expression In Women Diagnosed With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Myles K. Taylor

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. The pathophysiology of PCOS has conventionally thought to originate from androgen excess. However, recent evidence suggests that androgen excess is a downstream consequence to inflammatory dysregulation and subsequent metabolic abnormalities. Inflammatory mRNA gene expression of TNFa and IL-1ß in mononuclear cells isolated from women diagnosed with PCOS was explored using qPCR. Additionally, the correlations between body mass index (BMI) and fasting glucose on mRNA expression of TNFa and IL-1ß were explored. mRNA expression of both TNFa and IL-1ß were found to be significantly higher in PCOS …

Molecular And Functional Analysis Of The Pixb Gene In Xenorhabdus Nematophila, John Lucas

Theses and Dissertations

Xenorhabdus nematophila and the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae form a mutualistic relationship facilitating the infection, death and consumption of an insect host. The infective juvenile (IJ) form of S. carpocapsae invades the insect host through natural openings and proceeds to the hemocoel where exposure to hemolymph stimulates the release of X. nematophila from the anterior vesicle. Excreted X. nematophila releases immunosuppressive compounds and insect toxins into the insect hemolymph that facilitates death of the host. As X. nematophila reaches high cell density it secretes exoenzymes that degrade insect tissues and produces antibiotics that reduce microbial competition. S. carpocapsae utilizes the …

The Effects Of Phytohormones And Isoprenoids In Dihydroartemisinin-Induced Dormancy In The Erythrocytic Stages Of Plasmodium Falciparum, Marvin Duvalsaint Duvalsaint

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Our ability to control malaria has been challenged by increasing antimalarial resistance. Plasmodium falciparum undergoes dormancy in the blood stages which is hypothesized to be a means by which they are able to survive under drug pressure. This helps select for resistant parasites which grow following removal of drug. The mechanisms behind dormancy and the subsequent recrudescence are not fully understood but translating knowledge from related organisms which undergo a similar phenomenon might shed some light. Higher plants utilize dormancy during the early development stages to survive under unfavorable conditions, increasing fitness of the seedling and ensuring viability when this …

Mitochondrial Heteroplasmy Contributes To The Dynamic Atovaquone Resistance Response In Plasmodium Falciparum, Sasha Victoria Siegel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Of the considerable challenges researchers face in the control and elimination of malaria, the development of antimalarial drug resistance in parasite populations remains a significant hurdle to progress worldwide. Atovaquone is used in combination with proguanil (Malarone) as an antimalarial treatment in uncomplicated malaria, but is rendered ineffective by the rapid development of atovaquone resistance during treatment. Previous studies have established that de novo mutant parasites confer resistance to atovaquone with a substitution in amino acid 268 in the cytochrome b gene encoded by the parasite mitochondrial genome, yet much is still unknown about how this resistance develops, and whether …

The Rodent Parvovirus H-1 And Its Potential In Combination With Tien Hsien Liquid As A Treatment For Breast Cancer, Hayley I. Spires

Selected Honors Theses

Breast cancer is responsible for 12% of cancer diagnoses each year, and it is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in women worldwide. Current treatments have provided some success in combatting the disease but are not considered a final solution. The framework for how researchers approach cancer has continued to change, and this includes the introduction of oncolytic viruses as novel therapeutics for cancer. The rodent parvovirus H-1 has shown strong potential in clinical and subclinical trials, but its S phase dependency limits its usefulness against cancer stem cell populations. Tien Hsien Liquid is commerically available, nontoxic, and has shown …

Dynamic Host-Pathogen Interactions Result In Fungal Epitope Unmasking, Alex Hopke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Molecular camouflage is used by a diverse set of pathogens to disguise their identity and avoid recognition by protective host receptors. The opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans is a good example, as it masks the inflammatory component β-glucan in its cell wall to evade detection by the immune receptor Dectin-1. Interestingly, it has been seen that β-glucan becomes unmasked during infection in vivo, though the underlying mechanisms remained unclear. Exposure levels of this epitope may be important, as Dectin-1 mediates protection from some strains of C. albicans and alterations in the organization and composition of the Candida cell wall …

Innate Immunity In Chickens: In Vivo Responses To Different Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns, Kristen Alicia Byrne

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) on host cells recognize motifs known as pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) that are common to groups of microbes. Examples include LPS on Gram-negative bacteria, the structural motif PGN common to all bacteria, MDP the smallest immunostimulatory unit of PGN, and poly I:C the dsRNA analog. PAMP recognition by and stimulation of the innate immune system is crucial to an individual’s ability to quickly limit microbial growth and stimulate the adaptive immune system. Characterization of the in vivo immune responses initiated by PAMPs has not been directly addressed. Using growing feathers (GF) as a novel intradermal …

Immune Modulating Functions By Soypeptide Lunasin In Cancer Immunotherapy, Chun-Yu Tung

Open Access Dissertations

Chemotherapy is currently the mainstay of treatment for most cancer patients. Despite its efficacy in eliminating cancer cells, a high percentage of chemotherapy patients eventually relapse or suffer progression of the disease. Immunosurveillance is capable of recognizing and eliminating continuously arising transformed mutant cells, and thus cancer immunotherapy is one of the emerging therapeutic strategies that harnesses the power of the immune system to eradicate chemotherapy-resistant cancerous cells. However, the adverse side effects of chemotherapy impede the therapeutic effects of immunotherapy. Our previous studies demonstrate that lymphoma patients are refractory to clinical immunotherapy because of chemotherapy-induced immune dysfunction. In addition, …

Proteomic Characterization Of Eggshell Membranes And Their Effect On Poultry Physiology And Immunity, Sarbjeet Kaur Makkar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of antibiotics in poultry growth and disease control has led to antibiotics resistant problem in human beings, which is a big concern among consumers. With the necessity for judicious use of antibiotics in poultry production, alternative strategies to improve disease resistance in poultry production are necessary. The research is more inclined towards using the natural products available to grow healthier and antibiotic free meat animals. In the context of exploring natural and sustainable resource of alternative to antibiotics, the biochemical milieu of eggshell membranes (ESM) were analyzed by using mass spectrometry techniques including matrix assisted laser desorption ionization …

Preeclampsia: The Roles Of Acute Inflammation And Intrauterine Stress, Nicholas Parchim

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Preeclampsia (PE) is a severe, acute disease of pregnancy affecting approximately 8% of pregnant women after week 20 of gestation. PE is characterized by hypertension and renal damage reflected by proteinuria and has significant morbidity to both mother and fetus. Maternal symptoms range from headaches, nausea, edema, to visual changes, but once maternal symptoms present, damage to the fetus has begun. Mothers who progress untreated through the disease can also experience a condition called eclampsia characterized by seizure, coma, and, ultimately, death. PE-affected newborns experience features similar to prematurity—abnormal lung and renal development, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), and, possibly, fetal …

A Requirement For Y841 In Jak3 Enzymatic Activity And Hematopoietic Cancers, George Steven Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A medical need exists for successfully treating people afflicted with leukemia, especially those who develop drug resistant forms. Relapse leukemia cases are particularly high within Hispanic populations where this disease is among the most frequently occurring cancer. Fourteen somatic mutations have been reported in Janus tyrosine kinase 3 (Jak3), including M511I and A573V, from patients with various forms of leukemia. To monitor drug sensitivity, a model system was developed. Indeed, many of these mutations have been shown to possess transforming ability in cell lines such as the IL-3 dependent pro-B cell line Ba/F3. As such, Ba/F3 cells were transformed to …

Functional Consequences Of Ama1-Ron2 Interaction During Host Cell Invasion By Toxoplasma., Shruthi Krishnamurthy

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

T.gondii is a model organism of the phylum Apicomplexa that infects one third of the human population. While the majority of infections are asymptomatic or manifest with mild flu-like symptoms, toxoplasmosis can be fatal in immunocompromised individuals and in the developing fetus. The lytic cycle of tachyzoite-stage parasites causes damage to the host by repeated rounds of host cell invasion, intracellular replication and lysis of the host cell upon egress.

Invasion is a key step for the parasite to maintain its intracellular lifestyle. Apical Membrane Antigen 1 (AMA1) is an adhesin released from a unique set of secretory organelles called …

Role Of Vav2 In Podocyte Inflammasome Activation And Glomerular Injury During Hyperhomocysteinemia, Sabena Conley

Theses and Dissertations

Hyperhomocysteinemia (hHcys) is a widely known pathogenic factor in the progression of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and it is also associated with an increased risk for injurious cardiovascular pathologies during ESRD. HHcys is linked to the formation and activation of the NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, characterized as a critical early mechanism initiating the inflammatory response. NADPH oxidase (NOX)-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediate the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in podocytes in response to elevated levels of homocysteine (Hcys) in vitro and in vivo. However, it remains unknown how NLRP3 inflammasome activation is triggered by NOX. The …