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Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology
Regulation Of The Wnt/Wingless Receptor Lrp6/Arrow By The Deubiquitylating Complex Usp46, Zachary T. Spencer
Regulation Of The Wnt/Wingless Receptor Lrp6/Arrow By The Deubiquitylating Complex Usp46, Zachary T. Spencer
Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations
The evolutionarily conserved Wnt/Wingless signal transduction pathway is critical for the proper development of all animals and implicated in numerous diseases in adulthood. Upon binding of the Wnt/Wingless ligand, a cascade of events culminates in inactivation of the destruction complex, a negative regulator of the pathway, and the subsequent formation of singalosomes which mediate pathway activation. A critical component of signalosome formation is the Wnt/Wingless receptor LRP6/Arrow. Upon canonical pathway activation, LRP6/Arrow undergoes activation via phosphorylation by several kinases and complexes with another Wnt/Wingless receptor Frizzled, along with several cytoplasmic components. While many studies have investigated the regulatory mechanisms of …
Molecular And Genetic Studies Of Robo2 Transcriptional Regulation In The Central Nervous System Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Muna Abdal Rahim Abdal Rhida
Molecular And Genetic Studies Of Robo2 Transcriptional Regulation In The Central Nervous System Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Muna Abdal Rahim Abdal Rhida
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Drosophila Robo2 axon guidance receptor is a member of the evolutionarily conserved Roundabout (Robo) protein family that is involved in directing axons that cross the midline to the other side of the animal body. Robo2 roles mainly depend on two factors: The functional domains of the Robo2 protein, which is extensively studied, and the dynamic transcription of robo2 in various subsets of cells throughout embryogenesis which is not fully understood. Thus, knowing robo2 enhancers that transcriptionally regulate robo2 during embryogenesis is significant. To investigate robo2 potential enhancers, we screened 17 transgenic lines of Drosophila that were generated by Janelia Research …
Investigation For Novel Anti-Apoptotic Factors In The Neurons Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Haylie Rachel Lam
Investigation For Novel Anti-Apoptotic Factors In The Neurons Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Haylie Rachel Lam
Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects
No abstract provided.
Studies Of Norspermidine Uptake In Drosophila Suggest The Existence Of Multiple Polyamine Transport Pathways, Michael Dieffenbach
Studies Of Norspermidine Uptake In Drosophila Suggest The Existence Of Multiple Polyamine Transport Pathways, Michael Dieffenbach
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Polyamines are a class of essential nutrients involved in many basic cellular processes such as gene expression, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. Without polyamines, cell growth is delayed or halted. Cancerous cells require an abundance of polyamines through a combination of synthesis and transport from the extracellular environment. An FDA-approved drug, D,L-α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), blocks polyamine synthesis but is ineffective at inhibiting cell growth due to polyamine transport. Thus, there is a need to develop drugs that inhibit polyamine transport to use in combination with DFMO. Surprisingly, little is known about the polyamine transport system in humans and other eukaryotes. Understanding the …
Axonal Transport And Life Cycle Of Mitochondria In Parkinson's Disease Model, Hyun Sung
Axonal Transport And Life Cycle Of Mitochondria In Parkinson's Disease Model, Hyun Sung
Open Access Dissertations
In neurons, normal distribution and selective removal of mitochondria are essential for preserving compartmentalized cellular function. Parkin, an E3 ubiquitin ligase associated with familial Parkinson’s disease, has been implicated in mitochondrial dynamics and removal. However, it is not clear how Parkin plays a role in mitochondrial turnover in vivo, and whether the mature neurons possess a compartmentalized Parkin-dependent mitochondrial life cycle. Using the live Drosophila nervous system, here, I investigate the involvement of Parkin in mitochondrial dynamics; organelle distribution, morphology and removal. Parkin deficient animals displayed less number of axonal mitochondria without disturbing organelle motility behaviors, morphology and metabolic state. …
An Analysis Of The Interaction Between Sin3 And Methionine Metabolism In Drosophila, Mengying Liu
An Analysis Of The Interaction Between Sin3 And Methionine Metabolism In Drosophila, Mengying Liu
Wayne State University Dissertations
Chromatin modification and cellular metabolism are tightly connected. The mechanism for this cross-talk, however, remains incompletely understood. SIN3 controls histone acetylation through association with the histone deacetylase RPD3. In this study, my major goal is to explore the mechanism of how SIN3 regulates cellular metabolism.
Methionine metabolism generates the major methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) for histone methylation. In collaboration with others, I report that reduced levels of some enzymes involved in methionine metabolism and histone demethylases lead to lethality, as well as wing development and cell proliferation defects in Drosophila melanogaster. Additionally, disruption of methionine metabolism can directly affect histone …
A Novel Role For Repetitive Sequences In Recognition Of The Drosophila Melanogaster X Chromosome, Sonal Suresh Joshi
A Novel Role For Repetitive Sequences In Recognition Of The Drosophila Melanogaster X Chromosome, Sonal Suresh Joshi
Wayne State University Dissertations
In humans and fruit flies, males have one X chromosome while females have two. This imbalance in gene dosage is potentially lethal, and the process of dosage compensation corrects it. The MSL (Male Specific Lethal) complex, which is composed of five proteins and one of two functionally redundant long non-coding roX (RNA on the X) RNAs, brings about dosage compensation in Drosophila melanogaster. In fruit fly dosage compensation, all the genes on the single male X chromosome are upregulated approximately twofold, via chromatin modifications, to equalize gene dosage with the two X chromosomes of females. This process calls for highly …
Drosophila Cyclin J And The Somatic Pirna Pathway Cooperate To Regulate Germline Stem Cells, Paul Michael Albosta
Drosophila Cyclin J And The Somatic Pirna Pathway Cooperate To Regulate Germline Stem Cells, Paul Michael Albosta
Wayne State University Dissertations
Cyclin J (CycJ) is a highly conserved cyclin that is uniquely expressed specifically in ovaries in Drosophila. Deletion of the genomic region containing CycJ and adjacent genes resulted in a genetic interaction with neighboring piRNA pathway gene, armitage (armi). Here I assessed oogenesis in CycJ null in the presence or absence of mutations in armi or other piRNA pathway genes. Although CycJ null flies had decreased egg laying and hatching rates, ovaries appeared normal indicating that CycJ is dispensable for oogenesis under normal conditions. Further double mutant analysis of CycJ and neighbor armi, as well as two other piRNA pathway …
A Protective Role Of Autophagy In A Drosophila Model Of Friedreich's Ataxia (Frda), Luan Wang
A Protective Role Of Autophagy In A Drosophila Model Of Friedreich's Ataxia (Frda), Luan Wang
Wayne State University Dissertations
Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA) is an inherited autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease. It affects 1 in every 50,000 people in central Europe and North America. FRDA is caused by deficiency of Frataxin, an essential mitochondrial iron chaperone protein, and the associated oxidative stress damages. Autophagy, a housekeeping process responsible for the bulk degradation and turnover of long half-life proteins and organelles, is featured by the formation of double-membrane vacuoles and lysosomal degradation. Previous researches indicate that Danon’s disease, the inherited neural disorder disease that shares similar symptoms with FRDA, is due to the malfunction of autophagy. Based on this, we raise the …
Sex And Heterochromatin: An Investigation Of Sexual Dimorphism In Drosophila Melanogaster, Manasi S. Apte
Sex And Heterochromatin: An Investigation Of Sexual Dimorphism In Drosophila Melanogaster, Manasi S. Apte
Wayne State University Dissertations
Over 30% of Drosophila genome is assembled into heterochromatin. Heterochromatin is relatively gene poor, transcriptionally less active and remains condensed during interphase. Previous studies established that roX RNA and some of the Male Specific Lethal (MSL) proteins, all components of the dosage compensation complex, are required for full expression of autosomal heterochromatic genes in male flies but not in females. This was surprising since heterochromatin is generally not thought to be sexually dimorphic. The genetic basis for the regulation of sex-specific heterochromatin was completely unknown.
To determine if roX RNAs localize directly at the heterochromatic regions that they regulate, I …
The Drosophila Interactions Database: Integrating The Interactome And Transcriptome, Thilakam Murali
The Drosophila Interactions Database: Integrating The Interactome And Transcriptome, Thilakam Murali
Wayne State University Dissertations
In this thesis I describe the integration of heterogeneous interaction data for Drosophila into DroID, the Drosophilainteractions database, making it a one-stop public resource for interaction data. I have also made it possible to filter the interaction data using gene expression data to generate context-relevant networks making DroID a one-of-a kind resource for biologists. In the two years since the upgraded DroID has been available, several studies have used the heterogeneous interaction data in DroID to advance our understanding of Drosophila biology thus validating the need for such a resource for biologists. In addition to this, I have identified …