Cell Biology Commons^™

Understanding The Expression And Role Of Pros-1 In The Male Gonad Of C. Elegans, Jack Bozik

Undergraduate Theses

The gene pros-1 is a transcription factor that is highly expressed within neuronal sheath cells, glial cells, and excretory canal cells. pros-1 plays a role in cell determination of those cell types in the nematode C. elegans, which promotes organismal development. But the degree to which pros-1 presence is important is still not fully understood, because there are many genes involved in development that when mutated or damaged can result in unexpected phenotypes or even total loss of function to a certain developmental mechanism. What makes pros-1 valuable to research is that it is a functional homologue to a …

Transcriptional Silencing Of Cdk18 And Its Role In Lung Carcinogenesis Of Brg1-Mutant Lung Cancers, Loryn M. Phillips

Biology ETDs

BRG1 is mutated in 10% of lung cancers, making this mutation clinically relevant. The downstream effects of BRG1 included significantly affecting the cell cycle control and chromosomal replication pathway. CDK18, a cyclin-dependent kinase, was determined to be the gene with significantly decreased expression (p

Proposing An Rna Interference (Rnai)-Based Treatment For Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv) By Analyzing The Post-Transcriptional Gene Targeting Of Sars-Cov-2, Hepatitis C Virus, And A549 Lung Cancer Cells, Arjun Jagdeesh

Undergraduate Research Posters

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that infects CD4+ T cell lymphocytes in humans, leading to the development of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) if left untreated. While current treatment methods, including antiretroviral combination treatments, effectively limit HIV replication, HIV can evade these treatments due to its high mutation rate. Long-term antiretroviral treatment can also be toxic to patients, meaning patients would benefit from a new mechanism of HIV treatment. RNA interference (RNAi) is an antiviral pathway found in mammals, plants, and insects that involves a small-interfering RNA that is incorporated into a protein complex called the RNA-induced Silencing Complex …

Investigating Roles Of 2 Novel Eklf Targets Involved In Erythropoiesis, Rose M. Gott

ETD Archive

Erythrocytes are primarily comprised of the oxygen carrying protein hemoglobin. Genetic mutations causing defects in the proper synthesis of hemoglobin result in various anemias. It is during the last phases of terminal erythroid differentiation that hemoglobin levels rise, making it a focus for therapeutic research. Fetal hemoglobin is comprised of ⍺-globin and gamma globin, then after a change in gene expression called hemoglobin switching which takes place after birth, adult hemoglobin is comprised of ⍺-globin and beta globin. We investigated hemoglobin switching and erythroid terminal differentiation by focusing on the master erythroid transcription factor Erythroid Krüppel-like Factor (EKLF). Data led …

Predicting Gene Function Of Unknown Yeast Orfs Through Phylogenetic Comparative Analysis, Lewis Barr

Graduate Research Showcase

Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) has been an instrumental model system for an extraordinary diverse array of research applications for over a century now. The S. cerevisiae genome was fully sequenced in 1996, and, as a result, 6,753 potential proteins were identified. These putative proteins were established by investigating likely open reading frames within the genome. Over the past few decades, nearly 5,000 open reading frames (ORFs) and their expressed proteins have been described, and the remaining undefined open reading frames are labeled as open reading frames of unknown function (ORFans). To better understand the remaining gaps within the S. …

The Bioethical Significance Of “The Origin Of Man’S Ethical Behavior” (October 1941, Unpublished) By Ernest Everett Just And Hedwig Anna Schnetzler Just, Theodore Walker Jr.

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Abstract –

E. E. Just (1883-1941) is an acknowledged “pioneer” in cell biology, and he is perhaps the pioneer in study of egg cell fertilization. Here we discover that Just also made pioneering contributions to general biology and evolutionary bioethics.

Within Just’s published contributions to observational cell biology, there are substantial fragments of his theory of ethical behavior, a theory with roots in cell biology. In addition to such previously available fragments, Just’s fully developed theory is now available. This recently discovered unpublished book-length manuscript argues for the biological origins of ethical behavior (evolving from cells to humans, within a …

Zero Textbook Cost Syllabus For Bio 3005 (Molecular And Cellular Biology), Krista Dobi, Kim Macklin

Open Educational Resources

The biology of cells is examined with an emphasis on the relationship between organelle structure and function. Activity of the nucleus, cell structure, division and growth, and tools for studying genes will be discussed. Laboratory experiments are performed with isolated organelles or intact cells. Techniques include cell fractionation, bio-chemical assays, and DNA isolation and modification. Students will also read and analyze articles from scientific journals.

Optimization Of A Genomic Editing System Using Crispr/Cas9-Induced Site-Specific Gene Integration, Jillian L. Mccool Ms., Nick Hum, Gabriela G. Loots

STAR Program Research Presentations

The CRISPR-Cas system is an adaptive immune system found in bacteria which helps protect against the invasion of other microorganisms. This system induces double stranded breaks at precise genomic loci (1) in which repairs are initiated and insertions of a target are completed in the process. This mechanism can be used in eukaryotic cells in combination with sgRNAs (1) as a tool for genome editing. By using this CRISPR-Cas system, in addition to the “safe harbor locus,” ROSAβ26, the incorporation of a target gene into a site that is not susceptible to gene silencing effects can be achieved through few …

Principles Of Biology, Robert Bear, David Rintoul, Bruce Snyder, Martha Smith-Caldas, Christopher Herren, Eva Horne

Open Access Textbooks

This textbook is designed specifically for Kansas State's Biology 198 Class. The course is taught using the studio approach and based on active learning. The studio manual contains all of the learning objectives for each class period and is the record of all student activities. Hence, this textbook is more of a reference tool while the studio manual is the learning tool.

The textbook was originally published and is also available to download at http://cnx.org/contents/db89c8f8-a27c-4685-ad2a-19d11a2a7e2e@24.1.It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 license.

Human Anatomy And Physiology Preparatory Course (1st Edition), Carlos Liachovitzky

Open Educational Resources

The overall purpose of this preparatory course textbook is to help students familiarize with some terms and some basic concepts they will find later in the Human Anatomy and Physiology I course.

The organization and functioning of the human organism generally is discussed in terms of different levels of increasing complexity, from the smallest building blocks to the entire body. This Anatomy and Physiology preparatory course covers the foundations on the chemical level, and a basic introduction to cellular level, organ level, and organ system levels. There is also an introduction to homeostasis at the beginning.

Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing In The College Classroom: Knowledge, Attitudes, And Concerns Of Introductory Biology Students, Nicanor Austriaco

Biology Faculty Publications

Pioneered by companies like 23andMe.com, deCODEme.com, and Navigenics.com, direct-to-consumer genetic testing refers to genetic tests that are marketed directly to consumers via television, print media, or the Internet. This kind of testing provides access to a customer’s genetic information without necessarily involving either a medical health care professional or a genetic counselor in the process. In recent years, a course offered to medical and graduate students at Stanford University has included an option for students to undergo personal genotyping, raising the possibility that direct-to-consumer genetic testing could also be incorporated into undergraduate biology courses to enhance student learning. In this …

Deletion Of Aif1 But Not Of Yca1/Mca1 Protects Saccharomyces Cerevisiae And Candida Albicans Cells From Caspofungin-Induced Programmed Cell Death, Nicanor Austriaco, Christopher Chin, Faith Donaghey, Kathrine Helming, Morgan Mccarthy, Stephen Rogers

Biology Faculty Publications

Caspofungin was the first member of a new class of antifungals called echinocandins to be approved by a drug regulatory authority. Like the other echinocandins, caspofungin blocks the synthesis of β(1,3)-D-glucan of the fungal cell wall by inhibiting the enzyme, β(1,3)-D-glucan synthase. Loss of β(1,3)-D-glucan leads to osmotic instability and cell death. However, the precise mechanism of cell death associated with the cytotoxicity of caspofungin was unclear. We now provide evidence that Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells cultured in media containing caspofungin manifest the classical hallmarks of programmed cell death (PCD) in yeast, including the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the …

A Force Of Nature: Molecular Mechanisms Of Mechanoperception In Plants, Gabriele B. Monshausen, Elizabeth S. Haswell

Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations

The ability to sense and respond to a wide variety of mechanical stimuli-gravity, touch, osmotic pressure, or the resistance of the cell wall-is a critical feature of every plant cell, whether or not it is specialized for mechanotransduction. Mechanoperceptive events are an essential part of plant life, required for normal growth and development at the cell, tissue, and whole-plant level and for the proper response to an array of biotic and abiotic stresses. One current challenge for plant mechanobiologists is to link these physiological responses to specific mechanoreceptors and signal transduction pathways. Here, we describe recent progress in the identification …

Lysophosphatidic Acid Stimulates Lymphangiogenesis In Human Lymphatic Endothelial Cells, John Macbeth, Donna Nofziger-Plank

Featured Research

Lymphangiogenesis is the process by which new lymphatic vessels sprout and grow from existing vessels whether under developmental, immunological, or cancerous conditions. Proper lymphatic vessel formation is important in working alongside normal angiogenesis in order to help regulate the body’s tissue fluid as well as aid in immunosurveillance. Various factors regulate lymphangiogenesis such as members of the vascular endothelial growth factor family (VEGF). Another factor that has recently been identified to play a role in lymphangiogenesis is the bio-active phospholipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) however the molecular mechanism by which LPA regulates lymphangiogenesis has not been well characterized. In this study, …

The Survivin And Ciap1 Anti-Apoptotic Proteins Are Differentially Downregulated In Response To Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, Vicki Mercado, Jay L. Brewster

Featured Research

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an organelle tasked with synthesis and transport of 50% of new cellular proteins. Dysfunction within this organelle creates signals for repair, adaptation, and in severe cases, cellular apoptosis. Multiple human diseases have been associated with ER dysfunction, and the activation of apoptosis in important populations of cells. Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) proteins are cytosolic proteins that play an anti-apoptotic role in the cytosol. The relationship between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and the expression/stability of IAPs is not well characterized. The objective of this study was to characterize the affect of ER stress on the expression/stability …

Evaluating Itpr-Dependence Of Apoptotic Signaling From The Endoplasmic Reticulum, Agustin Vargas, Jay L. Brewster

Featured Research

Stress within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) can be induced by misfolded proteins accumulating in the lumen of this organelle. Signaling of ER stress to other parts of the cell results in altered gene expression, physiological adaptation, and with sustained stress, apoptosis (cell suicide). ER stress is often studied with highly toxic compounds that create severe ER stress rapidly, and a condition that is likely not physiologically relevant within an organism. In this study, we examine the apoptotic signaling induced by moderate ER stress, and in particular the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (ITPR). The ITPR regulates Ca2+ release from the ER lumen, …

Carbon Black And Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Differentially Activate Oxidative Stress And Apoptosis In A549 Human Alveolar Epithelial Cells, Sarah Alvarado, Brianna Manes, Jay L. Brewster

Featured Research

Recent studies have demonstrated that variation between particulate matter compositions have universally adverse effects on cells and living tissues. Carbon black and titanium dioxide are two such particulates that we are continuously exposed to, yet there is limited research to examine the potential deleterious effects on living tissue. The objective of this study is to characterize the effect of carbon black (CB) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) particulates on A549 human alveolar epithelial lung cells. CB and TiO2 powders were dispersed throughout a solution of water and bovine serum albumin by high-powered sonication. The effects of these particulates on A549 cells …

The Regulatory Effect Of Semaphorin 7a On Proliferation And Migration In Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells, Steven R. Flemming, Donna Nofziger-Plank

Featured Research

Semaphorin 7A (SEMA 7A), a factor originally identified as regulating axon growth, has recently been implicated as a pro-angiogenic factor. The molecular mechanisms for this ability to stimulate angiogenesis have not been identified. This study examines if SEMA 7A can have a direct effect on vascular endothelial cells or whether it indirectly induces angiogenesis through stimulation and recruitment of macrophages as has been suggested. Using a human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), the ability of SEMA 7A to affect proliferation and migration was examined. HUVECs were exposed to SEMA 7A directly or to conditioned media collected from macrophages exposed to …

Plant Cytoskeleton: Della Connects Gibberellins To Microtubules, Ram Dixit

Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations

A new study reveals that DELLA proteins directly interact with the prefoldin complex, thus regulating tubulin subunit availability in a gibberellin-dependent manner. This finding provides a mechanistic link between the growth-promoting plant hormone gibberellin and cortical microtubule organization.

Comparison Of Th1 Cytokines And T Cell Markers Gene Expressions Between Virulent And An Attenuated Eiav Vaccine Strain, Talia R. Henkle

Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

The equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is closely related to HIV and has been used as a model to identify protective mechanisms against lentivirus infection. In horses, EIA infection progresses for about a year before infected horses manage to control virus replication. This naturally-gained protection is absolutely dependent on active immune responses as evidenced by the fact that immunosuppressive drugs can induce the recurrence of disease. As the resolution of initial viremia correlates with the appearance of virus specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), we believe that cellular immune responses play a key role in controlling EIAV in the horse. In …

Stress-Induced Proteolysis Of Fkbp10: Mutational Analysis And Functional Implications, Lindsey A. Murphy

Featured Research

Cellular signaling is a complex system of communication that regulates cell function through a variety of molecular messengers. When cell survival is threatened by changes in environment or by malfunction of internal regulatory pathways, signals are initiated to restore homeostasis. Deficient protein processing within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) causes an accumulation of misfolded proteins and stress signaling. The resulting stress signaling includes both adaptive signals (unfolded protein response) and in cases of severe ER stress apoptotic signals induced via the mitochondria. FKBP10 is a key ER luminal peptidy-prolyl isomerase (rotamase) that mediates protein folding. The production of chaperone proteins and …

The Characterization Of Genes Involved In Response To The Phenol Derivative And Xenoestrogen Bisphenol-A In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Sasha N. Farina

CMC Senior Theses

Bisphenol A is an estrogenic compound that is found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins; humans are continuously exposed to the compound and it is believed to possess the same carcinogenic effects as estrogen (Iso, 2006). In this study, I used Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism to identify mechanisms by which BPA acts based on the genomic profiling of kinase genes from a Mat-α haploid deletion library. Kinases regulate many other proteins, so the identification of a single mutant could identify an entire affected pathway of genes. I conducted a systematic screen of these mutants using the phenotype of …

Common-Path Multimodal Optical Microscopy, Marla Tipping, Chandra S. Yelleswarapu, Sri-Rajasekhar Kothapalli, Alexey Veraksa, D.V.G.L.N. Rao

Biology Faculty Publications

We have developed a common-path multimodal optical microscopy system that is capable of using a single optical source and a single camera to image amplitude, phase, and fluorescence features of a biological specimen. This is achieved by varying either contrast enhancement filters at the Fourier plane and/or neutral density/fluorescence filters in front of the CCD camera. The feasibility of the technique is demonstrated by obtaining brightfield, fluorescence, phase-contrast, spatially filtered, brightfield + fluorescence, phase +fluorescence, and edge-enhanced+fluorescence images of the same Drosophila embryo without the need for image registration and fusion. This comprehensive microscope has the capability of providing both …

Electrophysiology, Cell Calcium, And Mechanisms Of Hepatocyte Volume Regulation, Walid E. Khalbuss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The electrophysiologic technique (Reuss, L., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82:6014, 1985) was modified to measure changes in steady-state hepatocyte volume during osmotic stress. Hepatocytes in mouse liver slices were loaded with tetramethylammonium ion (TMA$\sp{+}$) during transient exposure of cells to nystatin. Intracellular TMA$\sp{+}$ activity (a$\sp{\rm i}\sb{\rm TMA}$) was measured with TMA$\sp{+}$-sensitive, double-barreled microelectrodes. Loading hepatocytes with TMA$\sp{+}$ did not change their membrane potential (V$\sb{\rm m}$), and under steady-state conditions a$\sp{\rm i}\sb{\rm TMA}$ remained constant over 4 min in single impalements. Hyperosmotic solutions (50, 100, & 150 mM sucrose added to media) and hyposmotic solutions (sucrose in media reduced by …

Organization And Polarity Of Protoplasm, John P. Munson

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

In higher forms of life, we usually concede the presence of an organ specialized for the performance of a function. In these higher forms coordination of organs, which entails a regular sequence in their functions, is readily made out; and it seems a mere platitude to say, of these, that organization determines the functions of the organism. To what extent can functions exist in the absence of organization; does the one precede the other; or have function and organization developed simultaneously, out of matter devoid of both structure and function? In my studies on the cell, I have kept these …