Molecular Biology Commons^™

In Vitro Assessment Of The Toxicity Of Cocaine And Its Metabolites In The Human Umbilical Artery, Tessa L. Long

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An in vitro model was used to assess the effect of cocaine and its metabolites on the umbilical artery. Objectives were to pharmacologically confirm the presence of adrenergic innervation using tyramine, evaluate the ability of cocaine, benzoylecgonine, norcocaine and cocaethylene to potentiate vasoconstriction by serotonin and norepinephrine, examine the ability of ketanserin to block the enhanced vasoconstriction produced by cocaine, and determine displacement of 3 H-ketanserin by serotonin, norepinephrine, tyramine and mianserin. The vasoconstrictive effect of tyramine (100 μM) was enhanced in the presence of cocaine by 257%. Vasoconstrictive effects of serotonin and norepinephrine were significantly enhanced by cocaine by …

Characterization Of The Biological Functions Of Human Recombinant Zona Pellucida Protein 3, Yu Wen Juan

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Recombinant human zona pellucida protein 3 (rhZP3), expressed. isolated and purified from PA-1 cells, is characterized for its biological activity and the role in the signal transduction pathway. Characterization of the biological activity of rhZP3 was detected by hemizona assay and immunofluorescence staining of acrosome reaction The results indicated that rhZP3 exhibited an inhibition in the binding assay (HZI 43.6 +/-3.3; n = 9; 30 ng/mL rhZP3) and induction of acrosome reaction (198.6% +/- 77.2% increase from baseline; n = 29; 30 ng/mL rhZP3). It was further confirmed by the transmission electron microscopy that there was no difference in morphology …

Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (Lif): Murine Preimplantation Embryo Development, Implantation Rates, And Skeletal Development, Michael Hayes Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a pleiotropic cytokine which demonstrates perplexing physiological effects. It has been demonstrated that LIF is essential for implantation in mice. Little is known relating to the manner by which LIF effects pre-implantation and post-implantation development. The objectives of this project were to determine the effects LIF on pre-implantation development, to determine the effects that it may have on implantation rates, successful pregnancy rates, and resorption rates, and to determine the effects that LIF has on the skeletal development of mice. For the embryo transfer experiments, embryos were exposed to test compounds in the transfer medium …

Expression, Isolation And Purification Of Human Zona Pellucida Protein 3, Ting-Fung Chi

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Mammalian fertilization involves interactions of sperm surface receptors with the ligands of the zona pellucida, an extracellular matrix surrounding the ovulated oocytes. In humans, the zona pellucida is composed of three major glycoproteins. One of them, ZP3, participates in the primary sperm binding and in the subsequent triggering of the spermatozoa's acrosome reaction. Studies on the role of this specific protein in the human fertilization process are hampered by the limited amount of available biologically functional proteins.

By use of a pcDNA 3.1(+) expression vector, a transfecting-vector was constructed containing a 1.3 kb histidine tagged hZP3 cDNA. This histidine tagged …

Land Use Patterns In Relation To Lake Water Quality In The Great Pond Watershed, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Great Pond (2012, 2010, 1998)

Lakes are natural resources, which have many effects on the land surrounding them, They support adjacent communities by providing water and regulating temperatures, helping to define the surrounding ecosystem, and serving as sources of drinking water as well as recreation. The prolonged presence of human activity in a watershed can disturb the physical and chemical cycles of the lake and its surrounding ecosystems (Henderson-Sellers and Markland 1987). Over time, lakes undergo a process called eutrophication, a natural aging process during which the nutrient levels increase and dissolved oxygen levels decrease (Smith and Smith 1998). As the lake ages or becomes …