Other Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Microvascular Stenosis In Critical Limb Ischemia: Role Of Partial Endothelial To Mesenchymal Transition, Jacqueline M. Chevalier

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is a widespread and debilitating manifestation of atherosclerosis. Unfortunately, revascularization strategies are often precluded or unsuccessful, resulting in amputation. A major reason for treatment failure is likely co-existing abnormalities in ­­the microvasculature. However, the specific microvascular defects present in end-stage PAD in humans remain unknown.

The purpose of this study was to delineate abnormalities in the microvascular wall in the critically ischemic skeletal muscle of patients with CLI.

To elucidate the microvascular landscape in CLI, we studied human tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscles harvested from below-knee amputations of 10 individuals with CLI. Control muscles are from …

Towards The Development Of A Maga Reporter Gene Expression Construct For Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Karina Quiaoit

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Development of methods to monitor cellular activity with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a powerful tool for studying disease progression and monitoring therapy. This thesis investigates components necessary for development of reporter gene expression for MRI, to track Nkx2.5 transcription factor activity during tumour growth and, in the future, to calibrate MR contrast against a well-known optical reporter gene, like firefly luciferase. In human MCF-7 breast cancer cells, Nkx2.5 is induced by all-trans retinoic acid (tRA) and activates a minimal promoter of the rat sodium iodide symporter (rNISmin) gene. Here, we used firefly luciferase reporter gene expression to examine a …