Molecular Biology Commons^™

Characterization And Role Of Msaabcr In Biofilm Development And Virulence In Staphylococcus Aureus, Gyan Sundar Sahukhal

Dissertations

Community-acquired, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains often cause localized infections in immune-compromised hosts, but some strains show enhanced virulence leading to severe infections even among healthy individuals with no predisposing risk factors. The genetic basis for this enhanced virulence has yet to be determined. S. aureus possesses a wide variety of virulence factors, the expression of which is carefully coordinated by a variety of regulators. Several virulence regulators have been well characterized, but others have yet to be thoroughly investigated. Previously, the msa gene as a regulator of several virulence genes, biofilm development, and antibiotic …

Antiviral Responses In Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells: Differential Development Of Cellular Mechanisms In Type I Interferon Production And Response, Ruoxing Wang

Dissertations

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have been recognized as a promising cell source for regenerative medicine. Intensive research over the past decade has led to the possibility that ESC-derived cells will be used for the treatment of human diseases. However, increasing evidence indicates that ESC-derived cells generated by the current differentiation methods are not fully functional. It is recently recognized that ESC-derived cells lack innate immunity to a wide range of infectious agents and inflammatory cytokines. When used in patients, ESC-derived cells would be placed in wounded sites that are exposed to various pathogens and inflammatory cytokines; therefore, their viability and …

Investigating The Role Of The Pgf2 Alpha/Calcineurin-Signaling Pathway In The Regulation Of Adipogenesis, Damodaran Annamalai

Dissertations

Prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) is a potent physiological inhibitor of adipocyte differentiation. In previous studies, we demonstrated that PGF2α inhibits adipogenesis via activation of the calcium-regulated protein phosphatase, calcineurin. In this current study, we have now extended these findings to identify the IL-11 cytokine and the Nurr1 orphan nuclear hormone receptor as functionally important downstream transcriptional targets of the PGF2α/calcineurin-pathway involved in the inhibition of adipocyte differentiation. In the case of IL-11, we show that this cytokine acts in an autocrine fashion to inhibit adipogenesis via the essential actions of the gp130 cytokine co-receptor signaling subunit. Further, by using a well-characterized …

The Role Of Af9 And Af9-Mediated Protein Interactions In Hematopoiesis And Leukemogenesis, Alyson Anne Lokken

Dissertations

The AF9 protein is one of the most common chromosomal translocation partners of the MLL gene in MLL leukemia. Wild-type AF9 is a member of the pTEFb transcription elongation complex, and interacts with gene regulatory proteins such as AF4/AF5q31, DOT1L, Pc3/CBX8 and BCoR. These interactions are retained in the oncogenic MLL-AF9 fusion protein, and may be required for leukemic transformation.

Using bone marrow progenitor cells isolated from conditional Af9 knockout mice, we examined in vitro differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells to the erythroid, myeloid and megakaryocytic lineages in the presence or absence of Af9. Based on previously published studies, we …