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Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology

Temperature Dependence Of Transcription Initiation In Archaea, Ming-Hsiao Wu May 2013

Temperature Dependence Of Transcription Initiation In Archaea, Ming-Hsiao Wu

Student Research Symposium

TFB1 and TFB2 are two Transcription Factor B (TFB) found in Pyrococcus furious (Pfu), a hyperthermophile archaeon. TFB1 is the primary TFB in Pfu, and highly conserved with eukaryotic TFIIB. TFB2 lacks some residues in B-reader region which interacts with promoter DNA and recognizes the transcription start site. Exposure to heat-shock increases the mRNA level of Pfu TFB2 in vivo; however, mRNA level of Pfu TFB1 stays the same. In Pfu, different TFBs may be used for regulating transcription. It is hypothesized that TFB2 is involved in heat-shock reaction and increases the transcription efficiency of heat-shock promoters. In our in …


Spectroscopic Studies Of Cu2+ And Zn2+ Binding To Prodigiosin Analogs, Karen Chichetu, Papireddy Kancharla, Shilah Bonnett, Kevin Reynolds May 2013

Spectroscopic Studies Of Cu2+ And Zn2+ Binding To Prodigiosin Analogs, Karen Chichetu, Papireddy Kancharla, Shilah Bonnett, Kevin Reynolds

Student Research Symposium

Prodigiosins are a family of secondary metabolites that were first isolated from the bacterium Serratia marascens. These natural compounds are red pigmented and characterized by a tri-pyrrole skeleton with a C-4 methoxy group. They have been reported to have good biological properties that include anticancer, antimalarial, antimicrobial and immunosuppressive activities. We have synthesized analogs of the natural prodigiosins (prodiginines) to produce a library of biologically active compounds which have improved biological activity and reduced cytotoxicity in human cells. In this work we studied the interaction between prodiginines and Cu2+ and Zn2+ using UV and Mass Spectroscopy techniques. Early results show …


Finding Rna-Dna Hybrid Viruses, Jeremy Filip, Geoffery S. Diemer, Kenneth M. Stedman May 2013

Finding Rna-Dna Hybrid Viruses, Jeremy Filip, Geoffery S. Diemer, Kenneth M. Stedman

Student Research Symposium

Until extremely recently it was thought that recombination between DNA and RNA viruses was practically nonexistent. The discovery of the "RNA-DNA Hybrid Virus" (RDHV) genome in a metavirome from a hightemperature acidic lake changed this view (Diemer and Stedman, 2012). We, and others, have discovered multiple examples of this recombination "hiding in plain sight" in multiple both published and unpublished metagenomes from many different environments and recent publications (Rosario et al., 2012 a Tae Woong Whon et al, 2012, Mitsuhiro Yoshida et al., 2013, and several others through personal communication). Comparing the proteins within these hybrid viruses against each other …


Polyethylenimine-Enhanced Alumina Nanoscale Adjuvant For Cancer Vaccine, Naoko Uno, Haiyan Li, Hong-Ming Hu, Jun Jiao May 2013

Polyethylenimine-Enhanced Alumina Nanoscale Adjuvant For Cancer Vaccine, Naoko Uno, Haiyan Li, Hong-Ming Hu, Jun Jiao

Student Research Symposium

Aluminum oxide nanoparticles (Al2O3 NPs) have been shown to increase the efficiency of cell-mediated immune response. Specifically, CD8 and CD4 immune response is required for T cell activation by dendritic cells. These nanoparticles, when functionalized with peptides and other molecules, can be used as vaccine in cancer treatment. In this study, Al2O3 NPs were attached to E6/E7 proteins. HPV-induced cervical cancer expresses E6/E7 antigens. E6/E7 proteins were attached using surface modification of the Al2O3 NPs; different types of molecules were tested to see which adhered the highest amount of protein and produced the strongest cell response. Protein measurements were done …