Molecular Biology Commons^™

Mitochondrial Structure And Function As A Therapeutic Target In Malignant Mesothelioma, Brian Cunniff

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a rare tumor associated with occupational exposure to asbestos with no effective treatment regime. Evaluation of mitochondrial function in human MM cell lines revealed a common tumor phenotype: in comparison to immortalized or primary human mesothelial cells, MM tumor cells displayed a more oxidized mitochondrial environment, increased expression of mitochondrial antioxidant enzymes, and altered mitochondrial metabolism. Earlier work by our laboratory indicated that increases in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) in MM cell lines supports expression of FOXM1, an oncogenic transcription factor that contributes to increased cell proliferation and chemoresistance. These studies sought to investigate targeting …

Helicase-Ssb Interactions In Recombination-Dependent Dna Repair And Replication, Christian Jordan

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Dda, one of three helicases encoded by bacteriophage T4, has been well- characterized biochemically but its biological role remains unclear. It is thought to be involved in origin-dependent replication, recombination-dependent replication, anti- recombination, recombination repair, as well as in replication fork progression past template-bound nucleosomes and RNA polymerase. One of the proteins that most strongly interacts with Dda, Gp32, is the only single-stranded DNA binding protein (SSB) encoded by T4, is essential for DNA replication, recombination, and repair.

Previous studies have shown that Gp32 is essential for Dda stimulation of replication fork progression. Our studies show that interactions between Dda …

Role Of Heme Oxygenase In Modulating Expression Of Ros-Regulatory Enzymes In Medicago Truncatula, Parna Ghosh

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Heme Oxygenase (HO) is an enzyme universally found in animals, plants and microbes. In plants, the role of heme oxygenase in the synthesis of the phytochrome chromophore is well recognized and has been extensively studied; however its role in regulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants is just beginning to be explored, particularly in legumes. Legumes interact with Rhizobium bacteria to form symbiotic nitrogen fixing nodules. ROS plays an important role in the development of roots as well as symbiotic nodules. In the model legume Medicago truncatula, ROS in the root is regulated in part by the LATD/NIP gene. …

Estrogen Receptor Beta Is A Negative Regulator Of Mammary Cell Proliferation, Xiaozheng Song

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The mammary gland cell growth and differentiation are under the control of both systemic hormones and locally produced growth factors. Among all these important hormones and growth factors, estrogen plays a central role in mammary gland development. The biological function of estrogen is mediated by estrogen receptor α (ERα) and estrogen receptor β (ERβ). Both ERα and ERβ are expressed in the mammary gland, but with distinct expression patterns. In the mammary gland, ERα has been proved to be the estrogen receptor that mediates the mitogenic function of estrogen. However the function of ERβ in mammary cell proliferation is less …

Regulation Of Β-Casein Gene Expression By Octamer Transcription Factors And Utilization Of Β-Casein Gene Promoter To Produce Recombinant Human Proinsulin In The Transgenic Milk, Xi Qian

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

β-Casein is a major milk protein, which is synthesized in mammary alveolar secretory epithelial cells (MECs) upon the stimulation of lactogenic hormones, mainly prolactin and glucocorticoids (HP). Previous studies revealed that the proximal promoter (-258 bp to +7 bp) of the β-casein gene is sufficient for induction of the promoter activity by HP. This proximal region contains the binding sites for the signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5), glucocorticoid receptor (GR), and octamer transcription factors (Oct). STAT5 and GR are essential downstream mediators of prolactin and glucocorticoid signaling, respectively. This study investigated the functions of Oct-1 and Oct-2 …

A Novel Approach For The Identification Of Cytoskeletal And Adhesion A-Kinase Anchoring Proteins, Laura Taylor Director

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs) are signaling scaffolds which provide spatial and temporal organization of signaling pathways in discrete subcellular compartments. Through tethering the cyclic-AMP dependent protein kinase A (PKA), AKAPs target PKA activity to distinct regions in the cell, bringing PKA in close proximity to its target proteins. This provides a high level of specificity and regulation of PKA and its role in mediating a number of biological processes, one of which is cell migration. Cell migration is a highly dynamic and fundamental process, when misregulated can lead to a number of pathologies. The process of cell migration requires integration …