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Physiology

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2021

Articles 1 - 12 of 12

Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology

Late-Life Exercise Mitigates Skeletal Muscle Epigenetic Aging, Kevin A. Murach, Andrea L. Dimet-Wiley, Yuan Wen, Camille R. Brightwell, Christine M. Latham, Cory M. Dungan, Christopher S. Fry, Stanley J. Watowich Dec 2021

Late-Life Exercise Mitigates Skeletal Muscle Epigenetic Aging, Kevin A. Murach, Andrea L. Dimet-Wiley, Yuan Wen, Camille R. Brightwell, Christine M. Latham, Cory M. Dungan, Christopher S. Fry, Stanley J. Watowich

Center for Muscle Biology Faculty Publications

There are functional benefits to exercise in muscle, even when performed late in life, but the contributions of epigenetic factors to late-life exercise adaptation are poorly defined. Using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS), ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and mitochondrial-specific examination of methylation, targeted high-resolution methylation analysis, and DNAge™ epigenetic aging clock analysis with a translatable model of voluntary murine endurance/resistance exercise training (progressive weighted wheel running, PoWeR), we provide evidence that exercise may mitigate epigenetic aging in skeletal muscle. Late-life PoWeR from 22–24 months of age modestly but significantly attenuates an age-associated shift toward promoter hypermethylation. The epigenetic age of muscle …


Modulation Of Glucose Homeostasis By Nucleotide P2y2 Receptor And Biological Sex, Hailee Anne Marino Aug 2021

Modulation Of Glucose Homeostasis By Nucleotide P2y2 Receptor And Biological Sex, Hailee Anne Marino

MSU Graduate Theses

Recent insights into the pathological role of Nucleotide P2Y2 receptor suggest P2Y2R involvement in high fat diet-induced obesity and potentiates insulin resistance. However, these recent insights do not demonstrate how P2Y2R modulates glucose homeostasis under physiological conditions. Further, it remains unknown how sex biological factors influence P2Y2R receptor signaling in the regulation of glucose homeostasis. The research objective for the present study is to elucidate the novel roles of P2Y2 in fasting blood glucose and glucose tolerance (basal insulin sensitivity) under resting conditions in males and females. We expected that under physiological …


High And Low Toxin Producing Strains Of Karenia Brevis Differ Significantly In The Redox Proteome, Lipid Profiles, And Xanthophyll Cycle Pigments, Ricardo Colon Jun 2021

High And Low Toxin Producing Strains Of Karenia Brevis Differ Significantly In The Redox Proteome, Lipid Profiles, And Xanthophyll Cycle Pigments, Ricardo Colon

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The dinoflagellate Karenia brevis, blooms annually in the Gulf of Mexico, producing a suite of neurotoxins known as the brevetoxins. The cellular toxin content of K. brevis, however, is highly variable between or even within strains. I investigated biochemical differences between high (KbHT) and low (KbLT) toxin producing cultures both derived from the Wilson strain, related to energy-dependent quenching (qE) by photosystem II, and the content of reduced thiols of the proteome. By characterizing the xanthophyll content of the two strains I was able to determine that KbLT performs qE inconsistently. To investigate the …


Synphilin-1 And Its Effects On Pathogenesis Of Parkinson’S Disease, Mirghani Mohamed Jun 2021

Synphilin-1 And Its Effects On Pathogenesis Of Parkinson’S Disease, Mirghani Mohamed

Honors Scholar Theses

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative and movement disorder primarily caused by the degradation of dopaminergic neurons. Known markers of neurodegeneration in PD are Lewy Bodies, which are fibrillar aggregates that are found in the brains of PD patients. Lewy Bodies can accumulate from specific mutations in the SNCA gene that codes for alpha-synuclein, a protein enriched in presynaptic neurons. A mutated SNCA gene can cause conformational aggregates of alpha-synuclein to form toxic species mediating neuronal death. Research into alpha-synuclein has led to the discovery of a binding partner known as synphilin-1 that is also found in protein aggregates …


Temperature Regulation Of Plant Hormone Signaling During Stress And Development, Christian Castroverde, Damaris Dina Jun 2021

Temperature Regulation Of Plant Hormone Signaling During Stress And Development, Christian Castroverde, Damaris Dina

Biology Faculty Publications

Global climate change has broad-ranging impacts on the natural environment and human civilization. Increasing average temperatures along with more frequent heat waves collectively have negative effects on cultivated crops in agricultural sectors and wild species in natural ecosystems. These aberrantly hot temperatures, together with cold stress, represent major abiotic stresses to plants. Molecular and physiological responses to high and low temperatures are intricately linked to the regulation of important plant hormones. In this review, we shall highlight our current understanding of how changing temperatures regulate plant hormone pathways during immunity, stress responses and development. This article will present an overview …


Identifying The Cell Composition And Clonal Diversity Of Supratentorial Ependymoma Using Single Cell Rna-Sequencing, James He May 2021

Identifying The Cell Composition And Clonal Diversity Of Supratentorial Ependymoma Using Single Cell Rna-Sequencing, James He

Honors Scholar Theses

Ependymoma is a primary solid tumor of the central nervous system. Supratentorial ependymoma (ST-EPN), a subtype of ependymomas, is driven by an oncogenic fusion between the ZFTA and RELA genes in 70% of cases. We introduced this fusion into neural progenitor cells of mice embryos via in utero electroporation of a non-viral binary piggyBac transposon system containing ZFTA-RELA. From preliminary data in the LoTurco lab, inducing the expression of ZFTA-RELA into different neural progenitor cells produces tumors of varying lethality and cellular composition. To define the cellular composition and subclonal diversity of ST-EPN tumors, we used single cell RNA-sequencing …


The Role Of Nutrition And Hormone Signaling In Extended Larval Development And Obesity In Starvation-Selected Drosophila Melanogaster, Jennifer M. Clark May 2021

The Role Of Nutrition And Hormone Signaling In Extended Larval Development And Obesity In Starvation-Selected Drosophila Melanogaster, Jennifer M. Clark

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Brief periods of starvation are a common stressor that most animals encounter in the wild and must be able to survive in order to maximize their fitness. Starvation resistance of the adult fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is thought to be primarily conferred by adult fat stores, body size, metabolic rate, behavior, and activity levels. Additionally, flies selected for starvation resistance also often show delayed pupariation, which is usually indicative of altered hormone signaling. How starvation selection extends development and if it contributes to adult starvation resistance remains incompletely studied. Identifying the targets of starvation selection that cause extended development and …


Lighting The Way: Recent Insights Into The Structure And Regulation Of Phototropin Blue Light Receptors, Jaynee E. Hart, Kevin H. Gardner Mar 2021

Lighting The Way: Recent Insights Into The Structure And Regulation Of Phototropin Blue Light Receptors, Jaynee E. Hart, Kevin H. Gardner

Publications and Research

The phototropins (phots) are light-activated kinases that are critical for plant physiology and the many diverse optogenetic tools that they have inspired. Phototropins combine two bluelight- sensing Light–Oxygen–Voltage (LOV) domains (LOV1 and LOV2) and a C-terminal serine/threonine kinase domain, using the LOV domains to control the catalytic activity of the kinase. While much is known about the structure and photochemistry of the light-perceiving LOV domains, particularly in how activation of the LOV2 domain triggers the unfolding of alpha helices that communicate the light signal to the kinase domain, many questions about phot structure and mechanism remain. Recent studies have made …


The Tumor Suppressor Par-4 Regulates Hypertrophic Obesity, Nathalia Araujo Jan 2021

The Tumor Suppressor Par-4 Regulates Hypertrophic Obesity, Nathalia Araujo

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Prostate Apoptosis Response-4 (Par-4) is a tumor suppressor ubiquitously expressed in all tissues and able to selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Although well established in the context of cancer, relatively little is known about the function of Par-4 in the healthy and non-tumorigenic context. Observations from our lab showed that Par-4 knockout mouse lines were obese and displayed adipocyte hypertrophy under a normal chow diet when compared to Par-4 wild-type mice. These Par-4 knockout mice exhibited hepatic steatosis and hyperinsulinemia as secondary consequences of obesity. Par-4 knockout mice displayed increased intestinal dietary fat absorption and its subsequent storage in …


Characterization Of The Whale Shark (Rhincodon Typus) Melanocortin-2 Receptor, Brianne Hoglin Jan 2021

Characterization Of The Whale Shark (Rhincodon Typus) Melanocortin-2 Receptor, Brianne Hoglin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Among bony vertebrates, the melanocortin-2 receptor ortholog is unique among the family of five melanocortin receptors on the basis that it is dependent on its accessory protein, MRAP1, for trafficking and activation, and is selective for activation by ACTH alone. Previous studies on the MC2R orthologs of select cartilaginous fish, the elephant shark (Callorhinchus milii) and the red stingray (Dasyatis akajei), revealed divergent traits in a less obligatory relationship on MRAP1 and its ability to be activated by ACTH or the MSH-sized peptides. However, observed traits were not consistent between these two cartilaginous fish species, posing …


A Novel Review Of Heat Shock Protein 110 Kda: A Basis For Research And Continued Experimentation Through Biochemical Analysis, Crist W. Cuffee Jan 2021

A Novel Review Of Heat Shock Protein 110 Kda: A Basis For Research And Continued Experimentation Through Biochemical Analysis, Crist W. Cuffee

Theses and Dissertations

Heat shock protein 110 kDa, Hsp110, is a distinct cellular protector, different in form and function from Hsp70, a close relative of Hsp110. Functioning primarily as a holdase or in tandem with other molecular chaperones, a review of current accomplishments elucidates the uniqueness of this protein and the continued mysteries that surrounds it. Found only in eukaryotes, Hsp110 has been linked to many diseases, ranging from parasitic infection to neurodegenerative disorders. While still lacking, studies of this protein have provided much in the realm of speculation on the mechanisms behind Hsp110s’ contribution to different pathologies. This review will serve as …


Transcriptional Programming By Thyroid Hormone Receptor Beta Maintains Normal Cell Identity And Suppresses Tumor Growth, Noelle Elizabeth Gillis Jan 2021

Transcriptional Programming By Thyroid Hormone Receptor Beta Maintains Normal Cell Identity And Suppresses Tumor Growth, Noelle Elizabeth Gillis

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The overall incidence of thyroid cancer has more than tripled over the past several decades, as has aggressive disease and mortality. The direct relationship between thyroid disease, thyroid hormone levels, and development of thyroid cancer is incomplete. Recent meta-analyses have indicated a higher risk of thyroid cancer for patients with thyroid diseases that reflect an altered thyroid-pituitary signaling axis, which can have profound impacts on the physiology of the thyroid gland. These largely unanswered questions regarding altered thyroid hormone signaling and its consequences for thyroid tumor growth present a significant clinical challenge. This dilemma may come from a lack of …