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Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology

The Childhood Acute Illness And Nutrition (Chain) Network Nested Case-Cohort Study Protocol: A Multi-Omics Approach To Understanding Mortality Among Children In Sub-Saharan Africa And South Asia, James M. Njunge, Kirkby Tickell, Abdoulaye Hama Diallo, Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayeem Bin Shahi, Md Amran Gazi, Ali Faisal Saleem, Zaubina Kazi, Syed Ali, Caroline Tigoi, Ezekiel Mupere Nov 2022

The Childhood Acute Illness And Nutrition (Chain) Network Nested Case-Cohort Study Protocol: A Multi-Omics Approach To Understanding Mortality Among Children In Sub-Saharan Africa And South Asia, James M. Njunge, Kirkby Tickell, Abdoulaye Hama Diallo, Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayeem Bin Shahi, Md Amran Gazi, Ali Faisal Saleem, Zaubina Kazi, Syed Ali, Caroline Tigoi, Ezekiel Mupere

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Introduction: Many acutely ill children in low- and middle-income settings have a high risk of mortality both during and after hospitalisation despite guideline-based care. Understanding the biological mechanisms underpinning mortality may suggest optimal pathways to target for interventions to further reduce mortality. The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network ( www.chainnnetwork.org) Nested Case-Cohort Study (CNCC) aims to investigate biological mechanisms leading to inpatient and post-discharge mortality through an integrated multi-omic approach.
Methods and analysis; The CNCC comprises a subset of participants from the CHAIN cohort (1278/3101 hospitalised participants, including 350 children who died and 658 survivors, and …


The Analysis Of Folate-Dependent Transcription Factor Zinc Finger Protein 410, Feifan Xu Apr 2021

The Analysis Of Folate-Dependent Transcription Factor Zinc Finger Protein 410, Feifan Xu

Senior Honors Theses

A previous study that introduced dietary folate to mice in the form of folic acid to determine if gene activity would be altered based on this biological molecule demonstrated that mice without folic acid had cognition deficits, and this phenomenon was correlated with altered gene expression in their brains. The included bioinformatic analysis revealed two main transcription factors that bind to proteins in the nucleus, and one is known as the Zinc Finger Protein 410 (Zfp410). Due to the lack of literature explaining the function of this transcription factor, this project is intended to analyze Zfp410 in detail from scratch. …


An Analysis Of Crispr-Cas Gene Editing In Agriculture, Ashley Laliberte Apr 2020

An Analysis Of Crispr-Cas Gene Editing In Agriculture, Ashley Laliberte

Honors Scholar Theses

The CRISPR-Cas system is a promising form of gene editing, especially for the agriculture industry. The ability to make single-nucleotide edits within a gene of interest, without the need to introduce foreign DNA, is a powerful tool for designing healthier and more efficient crops and food animals. This system provides opportunity for increased nutritional value, decreased food waste, and more economically and environmentally sustainable food production. Though this biotechnology is facing mechanistic limitations due to off-target effects and inefficient homology-directed repair, vast improvements have already been made to improve its efficacy. The CRISPR-Cas system is already the most advanced form …


The Role Of Diet In The Onset Of Depression: A Biochemical Connection Between Nutrition And Mental Health, Katlin Wildeman Apr 2020

The Role Of Diet In The Onset Of Depression: A Biochemical Connection Between Nutrition And Mental Health, Katlin Wildeman

Senior Honors Theses

Depression is a major clinical concern, having a complex onset and the presence of multiple, often unidentifiable causes. Depression affects millions of individuals worldwide, with a high prevalence in regions of the world with a Western-style diet as compared to regions with a Mediterranean diet. A Western-style diet consists of foods high in sugar, fat, and processed meats and grains, whereas the Mediterranean diet contains significantly more vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and whole grains. The link between diet and mental health disorders has implications for individuals of all ages who are hesitant to turn to medication. In addition to presenting …


Biology Of Exosomes And Their Microrna Cargos In Human And Bovine Milk, Amy Lynn Leiferman Jun 2018

Biology Of Exosomes And Their Microrna Cargos In Human And Bovine Milk, Amy Lynn Leiferman

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Exosomes are small, cargo-containing vesicles secreted by cells to facilitate intercellular communication. Of exosome cargos, microRNAs are especially interesting because of their involvement in gene regulation. Recently, our lab has shown that exosomes and their microRNA cargo are absorbed through the diet and elicit effects exogenously. Human and animal milk contain exosomes, which may have implications in infant and adult nutrition. There is evidence that bovine milk exosomes enhance growth of murine C2C12 myotube cell cultures, but whether this translates to muscle in vivo is unknown. The USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference is lacking up-to-date information about human …


Crosstalk Among Lncrnas, Micrornas And Mrnas In The Muscle ‘Degradome’ Of Rainbow Trout, Bam Paneru, Ali Ali, Rafet Al-Tobasei, Brett Kenney, Mohamed Salem Jan 2018

Crosstalk Among Lncrnas, Micrornas And Mrnas In The Muscle ‘Degradome’ Of Rainbow Trout, Bam Paneru, Ali Ali, Rafet Al-Tobasei, Brett Kenney, Mohamed Salem

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

In fish, protein-coding and noncoding genes involved in muscle atrophy are not fully characterized. In this study, we characterized coding and noncoding genes involved in gonadogenesis-associated muscle atrophy, and investigated the potential functional interplay between these genes. Using RNA- Seq, we compared expression pattern of mRNAs, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs of atrophying skeletal muscle from gravid females and control skeletal muscle from age-matched sterile individuals. A total of 852 mRNAs, 1,160 lncRNAs and 28 microRNAs were differentially expressed (DE) between the two groups. Muscle atrophy appears to be mediated by many genes encoding ubiquitin- proteasome system, autophagy related …


Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling Of Students’ Dietary Intentions/Behaviors, Bmi, And The Healthfulness Of Convenience Stores, Tanya Horacek, Elif Dede Yildirim, Kendra Kattelmann, Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Onikia Brown, Sarah Colby, Geoffrey Greene, Sharon Hoerr, Tandalayo Kidd, Mallory Koenings, Jesse Morrell, Melissa D. Olfert, Beatrice Phillips, Karla Shelnutt, Adrienne White Jan 2018

Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling Of Students’ Dietary Intentions/Behaviors, Bmi, And The Healthfulness Of Convenience Stores, Tanya Horacek, Elif Dede Yildirim, Kendra Kattelmann, Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Onikia Brown, Sarah Colby, Geoffrey Greene, Sharon Hoerr, Tandalayo Kidd, Mallory Koenings, Jesse Morrell, Melissa D. Olfert, Beatrice Phillips, Karla Shelnutt, Adrienne White

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: When dietary behaviors are habitual, intentions are low, and environmental cues, such as the consumer food environment, might guide behavior. How might intentions to eat healthily and ultimately actual dietary behaviors, be influenced by the consumer food environment (including the availability and affordability of healthy foods) in convenience stores? This study will determine pathways between the healthfulness of convenience stores and college students’ dietary intentions/behaviors, and body mass index (BMI). Methods: Through multilevel structural equation modeling, a comparison was made of students’ healthful meal intentions (HMI); intake (fruits/vegetables, %kcal/fat, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and whole-grains); and measured BMI; as well …


Integrated Analysis Of Lncrna And Mrna Expression In Rainbow Trout Families Showing Variation In Muscle Growth And Fillet Quality Traits, Ali Ali, Rafet Al-Tobasei, Brett Kenney, Timothy D. Leeds, Mohamed Salem Jan 2018

Integrated Analysis Of Lncrna And Mrna Expression In Rainbow Trout Families Showing Variation In Muscle Growth And Fillet Quality Traits, Ali Ali, Rafet Al-Tobasei, Brett Kenney, Timothy D. Leeds, Mohamed Salem

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Muscle yield and quality traits are important for the aquaculture industry and consumers. Genetic selection for these traits is difficult because they are polygenic and result from multifactorial interactions. To study the genetic architecture of these traits, phenotypic characterization of whole body weight (WBW), muscle yield, fat content, shear force and whiteness were measured in ~500 fish representing 98 families from a growth-selected line. RNA-Seq was used to sequence the muscle transcriptome of different families exhibiting divergent phenotypes for each trait. We have identified 240 and 1,280 differentially expressed (DE) protein-coding genes and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), respectively, in fish …


The Effect Of Transformed Escherichia Coli On The Mouse Intestine Microbiome: The Microbial Metabolic Enhancement Hypothesis, Bryar P. Kader May 2016

The Effect Of Transformed Escherichia Coli On The Mouse Intestine Microbiome: The Microbial Metabolic Enhancement Hypothesis, Bryar P. Kader

Senior Honors Theses

Metabolic disorders affect around thirty-four percent of the population in the United States. Among these disorders is lactose intolerance, which results from diminished production of the human lactase enzyme. This disorder and others like it are genetically determined and cannot be cured. However, the use of transformed bacteria implanted in the colon may provide a means by which the faulty pathway can be bypassed. To test whether transformed bacteria have the capability to aid in the digestion of normally indigestible compounds, a transformed strain of Escherichia coli overexpressing the beta-galactosidase enzyme encoded by the lacZ gene was colonized in the …


Tlr4 Signaling Is Involved In Brain Vascular Toxicity Of Pcb153 Bound To Nanoparticles, Bei Zhang, Jeong June Choi, Sung Yong Eum, Sylvia Daunert, Michal Toborek May 2013

Tlr4 Signaling Is Involved In Brain Vascular Toxicity Of Pcb153 Bound To Nanoparticles, Bei Zhang, Jeong June Choi, Sung Yong Eum, Sylvia Daunert, Michal Toborek

Graduate Center for Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

PCBs bind to environmental particles; however, potential toxicity exhibited by such complexes is not well understood. The aim of the present study is to study the hypothesis that assembling onto nanoparticles can influence the PCB153-induced brain endothelial toxicity via interaction with the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). To address this hypothesis, TLR4-deficient and wild type control mice (males, 10 week old) were exposed to PCB153 (5 ng/g body weight) bound to chemically inert silica nanoparticles (PCB153-NPs), PCB153 alone, silica nanoparticles (NPs; diameter, 20 nm), or vehicle. Selected animals were also subjected to 40 min ischemia, followed by a 24 h reperfusion. …


Computational Prediction Of The Agregated Structure Of Denatured Lysozyme, Pongsathorn Chotikasemsri Dec 2009

Computational Prediction Of The Agregated Structure Of Denatured Lysozyme, Pongsathorn Chotikasemsri

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Mis-folded proteins and their associated aggregates are a contributing factor in some human diseases. In this study we used the protein lysozyme as a model to define aggregation structures under denaturing conditions. Sasahara et al. (2007), Frare et al. (2009, 2006), and Rubin et al. (2008) observed conditions where heat denatured lysozyme formed fibril structures that were observed to be 8-17 nanometers in diameter under the electron microscope. Even though the crystal structure of lysozyme is known, the denatured form of this protein is still unknown. Therefore, we used Rosetta++ protein folding and blind docking software to create in silico …


Gene Alterations By Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Agonists In Human Colorectal Cancer Cells, Maria Cekanova, X Li, J Yuan, K B. Kim, Seung J. Baek Apr 2008

Gene Alterations By Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Agonists In Human Colorectal Cancer Cells, Maria Cekanova, X Li, J Yuan, K B. Kim, Seung J. Baek

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is a nuclear transcription factor that controls the genes involved in metabolism and carcinogenesis. In the present study, we examined the alteration of gene expression in HCT-116 human colorectal cancer cells by PPARgamma agonists: MCC-555 (5 microM), rosiglitazone (5 microM), and 15-deoxy-Delta12,14-prostaglandin J2 (1 microM). The long-oligo microarray data revealed a list of target genes commonly induced (307 genes) and repressed (32 genes) by tested PPARgamma agonists. These genes were analyzed by Onto-Express software and KEGG pathway analysis and revealed that PPARgamma agonists are involved in cell proliferation, focal adhesion, and several signaling pathways. …


Desulfovibrio Desulfuricans G20 Tetraheme Cytochrome Structure At 1.5 A˚ And Cytochrome Interaction With Metal Complexes, Mrunalini Pattarkine, J J. Tanner, C A. Bottoms, Y H. Lee, Judy D. Wall May 2006

Desulfovibrio Desulfuricans G20 Tetraheme Cytochrome Structure At 1.5 A˚ And Cytochrome Interaction With Metal Complexes, Mrunalini Pattarkine, J J. Tanner, C A. Bottoms, Y H. Lee, Judy D. Wall

Faculty Works

The structure of the type I tetraheme cytochrome c3 from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20 was determined to 1.5 A˚ by X-ray crystallography. In addition to the oxidized form, the structure of the molybdate-bound form of the protein was determined from oxidized crystals soaked in sodium molybdate. Only small structural shifts were obtained with metal binding, consistent with the remarkable structural stability of this protein. In vitro experiments with pure cytochrome showed that molybdate could oxidize the reduced cytochrome, although not as rapidly as U(VI) present as uranyl acetate. Alterations in the overall conformation and thermostability of the metal-oxidized protein were investigated …


Soluble Fibrin Inhibits Monocyte Adherence And Cytotoxicity Against Tumor Cells: Implications For Cancer Metastasis, John Biggerstaff, Brandy Weidow, Jacqueline Vidosh, Judith Dexheimer, Shonak Patel, Pretesh Patel Jan 2006

Soluble Fibrin Inhibits Monocyte Adherence And Cytotoxicity Against Tumor Cells: Implications For Cancer Metastasis, John Biggerstaff, Brandy Weidow, Jacqueline Vidosh, Judith Dexheimer, Shonak Patel, Pretesh Patel

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology

Background Soluble fibrin (sFn) is a marker for disseminated intravascular coagulation and may have prognostic significance, especially in metastasis. However, a role for sFn in the etiology of metastatic cancer growth has not been extensively studied. We have reported that sFn cross-linked platelet binding to tumor cells via the major platelet fibrin receptor αIIbβ3, and tumor cell CD54 (ICAM-1), which is the receptor for two of the leukocyte β2 integrins (αLβ2 and aMβ2). We hypothesized that sFn may also affect leukocyte adherence, recognition, and killing of tumor cells. Furthermore, in a rat experimental metastasis model sFn pre-treatment of tumor cells …


Studies On The Formation Of Dna-Cationic Lipid Composite Films And Dna Hybridization In The Composites, Murali Sastry, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Krishna N. Ganesh May 2001

Studies On The Formation Of Dna-Cationic Lipid Composite Films And Dna Hybridization In The Composites, Murali Sastry, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Krishna N. Ganesh

Faculty Works

The formation of composite films of double-stranded DNA and cationic lipid molecules (octadecylamine, ODA) and the hybridization of complementary single-stranded DNA molecules in such composite films are demonstrated. The immobilization of DNA is accomplished by simple immersion of a thermally evaporated ODA film in the DNA solution at close to physiological pH. The entrapment of the DNA molecules in the cationic lipid film is dominated by attractive electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged phosphate backbone of the DNA molecules and the protonated amine molecules in the thermally evaporated film and has been quantified using quartz crystal microgravimetry (QCM). Fluorescence studies …


Cationic Surfactant Mediated Hybridization And Hydrophobization Of Dna Molecules At The Liquid/Liquid Interface And Their Phase Transfer, Murali Sastry, Ashavani Kumar, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Krishna N. Ganesh Jan 2001

Cationic Surfactant Mediated Hybridization And Hydrophobization Of Dna Molecules At The Liquid/Liquid Interface And Their Phase Transfer, Murali Sastry, Ashavani Kumar, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Krishna N. Ganesh

Faculty Works

Hybridization of complementary oligonucleotides mediated by a cationic surfactant at the water/hexane interface leads to hydrophobic, double-helical DNA which may be readily phase transferred to the organic phase and cast into thin films on solid substrates.


Hybridization Of Dna By Sequential Immobilization Of Oligonucleotides At The Air-Water Interface, Murali Sastry, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Anand Gole, K. N. Ganesh Nov 2000

Hybridization Of Dna By Sequential Immobilization Of Oligonucleotides At The Air-Water Interface, Murali Sastry, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Anand Gole, K. N. Ganesh

Faculty Works

The hybridization of DNA by sequential electrostatic and hydrogen-bonding immobilization of single-stranded complementary oligonucleotides at the air-water interface with cationic Langmuir monolayers is demonstrated. The complexation of the single-stranded DNA molecules with octadecylamine (ODA) Langmuir monolayers was followed in time by monitoring the pressure-area isotherms. A large (and slow) expansion of the ODA monolayer was observed during each stage of complexation in the following sequence: primary single-stranded DNA followed by complementary single-stranded DNA followed by the intercalator, ethidium bromide. Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of the ODA-DNA complex were formed on different substrates and characterized using quartz-crystal microgravimetry (QCM), Fourier transform infrared …


Anion Induced Blue To Purple Transition In Bacteriorhodopsin, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Anil K. Singh Jun 1996

Anion Induced Blue To Purple Transition In Bacteriorhodopsin, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Anil K. Singh

Faculty Works

Purple membrane (PM, λ" role="presentation">λmax" role="presentation">max 570 nm) of H. halobium on treatment with sulphuric acid changes its colour to blue (λ" role="presentation">λmax" role="presentation">max 608 nm). The purple chromophore can be regenerated from the blue chromophore by exogeneous addition of anions such as CI−" role="presentation">− and HPO42−" role="presentation">2−4. Chloride ion is found to be more effective than the dibasic phosphate ion in regenerating the purple chromophore. Nevertheless, one thing common to the anion regeneration is that both CI−" role="presentation">− and HPO42−" role="presentation">2−4 show marked pH effect. At pH 1.0 the efficiency of …