Animal Experimentation and Research Commons^™

An Immunomodulating Mycotoxin Interferes With The Development Of Autoimmune Diabetes In Diabetes-Prone Bb/Wor Rats, Honggang Liu

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Various fungal products have immunomodulating activity and some have been studied regarding prevention of transplantation rejection. Prior to this investigation, the mycotoxin, gliotoxin (GT), has never been investigated as an immunotherapeutic drug for autoimmune disease. GT is a fungal secondary metabolite and a member of the epipolythiodioxopiperazine (ETP) family which has been shown to inhibit phagocytosis, induction of cytolytic T cells and the proliferation of T cells following mitogen stimulation. GT also induces in vitro apoptosis in certain immune cell types. More importantly, GT exhibits selective activity towards cells of hemopoietic origin.

Autoimmune diseases are disorders caused by immune responses …

Regulation Of Melanogenesis In B16 Mouse Melanoma Cells By Protein Kinase C (Pkc), Harish Mahalingam

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The pigment cell-specific expression of tyrosinase and TRP1 has been shown to be important for the production of melanin in pigmented cells. Using a pigmented cell line, B16 mouse melanoma, we obtained evidence that PKC plays a major role in regulating melanogenesis. Chronic treatment with phorbol dibutyrate (PDBu) leads to downregulation of PKC activity and protein levels. This is accompanied by a loss of pigmentation which is correlated with a 50% reduction and a complete loss of TRP1 and tyrosinase respectively. Similar results were obtained with Northern and Western blotting indicating that PKC may regulate the steady state levels of …