Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Table Of Contents

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Apolipoprotein E In Regulating Tau Pathogenesis And Neurodegeneration In A Tauopathy Mouse Model, Yang Shi

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

APOE4 is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). APOE4 increases brain amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology relative to other APOE isoforms. However, whether APOE independently influences tau pathology, the other pathological hallmark of AD and other tauopathies, or tau-mediated neurodegeneration, is not clear. By generating P301S tau transgenic mice on either a human APOE knock in (KI) or APOE knockout (KO) background, we show that the presence of human APOE, regardless of APOE isoforms, leads to various degrees of brain atrophy in 9-month old P301S mice, whereas APOE ablation strongly protects against neurodegeneration. In particular, P301S/E4 mice develop …

Cryo-Em Structures Of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus Reveal Mechanisms Of Virus Disassembly And Antibody Neutralization, Saif Hasan, Chengqun Sun, Arthur S. Kim, Yasunori Watanabe, Chun-Liang Chen, Thomas Klose, Geeta Buda, Max Crispin, Michael S. Diamond, William B. Klimstra, Michael G. Rossmann

Department of Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Alphaviruses are enveloped pathogens that cause arthritis and encephalitis. Here, we report a 4.4-Å cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), an alphavirus that causes fatal encephalitis in humans. Our analysis provides insights into viral entry into host cells. The envelope protein E2 showed a binding site for the cellular attachment factor heparan sulfate. The presence of a cryptic E2 glycan suggests how EEEV escapes surveillance by lectin-expressing myeloid lineage cells, which are sentinels of the immune system. A mechanism for nucleocapsid core release and disassembly upon viral entry was inferred based on pH changes and capsid …

Canvass: A Crowd-Sourced, Natural-Product Screening Library For Exploring Biological Space, Sara E. Kearney, Gergely ZahoráNszky-KőHalmi, Kyle R. Brimacombe, Mark J. Henderson, Caitlin Lynch, Tongan Zhao, Kanny K. Wan, Zina Itkin, Christopher Dillon, Min Shen, Dorian M. Cheff, Tobie D. Lee, Danielle Bougie, Ken Cheng, Nathan P. Coussens, Dorjbal Dorjsuren, Richard T. Eastman, Ruili Huang, Michael J. Iannotti, Surendra Karavadhi, Carleen Klumpp-Thomas, Jacob S. Roth, Srilatha Sakamuru, Wei Sun, Steven A. Titus, Adam Yasgar, Ya-Qin Zhang, Jinghua Zhao, Rodrigo B. Andrade, M. Kevin Brown, Robert B. Grossman

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Natural products and their derivatives continue to be wellsprings of nascent therapeutic potential. However, many laboratories have limited resources for biological evaluation, leaving their previously isolated or synthesized compounds largely or completely untested. To address this issue, the Canvass library of natural products was assembled, in collaboration with academic and industry researchers, for quantitative high-throughput screening (qHTS) across a diverse set of cell-based and biochemical assays. Characterization of the library in terms of physicochemical properties, structural diversity, and similarity to compounds in publicly available libraries indicates that the Canvass library contains many structural elements in common with approved drugs. The …

Lakeshore Modification Reduces Secondary Production Of Macroinvertebrates In Littoral But Not Deeper Zones, Marlene Pätzig, Yvonne Vadeboncoeur, Mario Brauns

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Littoral macroinvertebrates are an integral component of lake food webs, but their productivity may be affected by shoreline alteration. We hypothesized that human modification of lake shores simplifies habitat diversity, which, in turn, affects littoral macroinvertebrate production and patterns of depth–production relationships. Furthermore, we expected that lakeshore modification would favor nonnative species, potentially compensating for negative effects of lakeshore modification on production of native taxa. To test these ideas, we estimated benthic macroinvertebrate production in the upper littoral, middle littoral, and profundal zones of a large lowland lake (Lake Scharmützelsee) in Northeast Germany. We collected samples between April and November …

The Study Of Alcoholic Liver Diseases, Seun Emmanuel Owoseni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Excessive alcohol consumption is the primary contributing factor in the development of alcoholic liver diseases (ALD). Nicotine contained in tobacco is a major addictive alkaloid, which enhances the effects of ALDs. The major enzyme involved in nicotine metabolism is cytochrome P450 2A5 (CYP2A5) which is produced in the liver. Alcohol can stimulate the CYP2A5 enzyme. We utilized cyp2a5-/- knockout mice in this research to examine the effects of CYP2A5.

The cyp2a5-/- mice and wild-type (WT) mice were fed liquid ethanol diet with or without nicotine to induce ALD. Nicotine enhancing effects on ALD were observed in WT mice but not …

The Role Of Tumor Suppressor Dear1 In The Acquisition Of Mammary Stem/Progenitor Cell Properties, Uyen Le

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in America. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), one of the earliest pre-invasive forms of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), has a 30-50% risk of progressing to IDC. Understanding the mechanisms regulating progression from DCIS to IDC would help identify biomarkers to stratify patients at higher risk of progression or metastasis. Cumulative literature suggests the earliest phase of dissemination from the primary tumor is driven by the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program. DEAR1 is a tumor suppressor gene which is mutated, undergoes loss of heterozygosity in breast cancer, and is downregulated in DCIS …

Il-24 Promotes Apoptosis Through Camp-Dependent Pka Pathways In Human Breast Cancer Cells, Leah Persaud, Jason Mighty, Xuelin Zhong, Ashleigh Francis, Marifer Mendez, Hilal Muharam, Stephen M. Redenti, Dibash Das, Bertal Huseyin Aktas, Moira Sauane

Publications and Research

Interleukin 24 (IL-24) is a tumor-suppressing protein, which inhibits angiogenesis and induces cancer cell-specific apoptosis. We have shown that IL-24 regulates apoptosis through phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha (eIF2α) during endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in cancer. Although multiple stresses converge on eIF2α phosphorylation, the cellular outcome is not always the same. In particular, ER stress-induced apoptosis is primarily regulated through the extent of eIF2α phosphorylation and activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) action. Our studies show for the first time that cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) activation is required for IL-24-induced cell death in a variety of …

Pvsripo Effect On Cancer, Vishal Jindal, Matthew Lee, Darshan Rola, Mir Saleem

Biology Faculty Articles

PVSRIPO, a variant of the poliovirus, is a revolutionary virus that demonstrates key characteristics for oncolytic virotherapy due to its ability to attack glioblastomas. The first criteria that PVSRIPO demonstrates is tumor-targeting tropism. PVSRIPO binds to nectin-like molecule 5 (Necl-5), a poliovirus receptor (PVR), found on different types of cancers such as lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and glioblastomas. This allows the virus to have a high binding affinity to tumor cells. Secondly, after modifying the poliovirus by substituting its internal ribosome entry site (IRES) with the Human Rhinovirus 2's (HRV2) IRES, the poliovirus becomes PVSRIPO, an attenuated version of the …

Cell Specific Control Of The Pallidostriatal Pathway, Shubha Verma '19

Student Publications & Research

Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disorder of the basal ganglia. The main cause for Parkinson’s Disease is the depletion of dopamine, a neurotransmitter. The basal ganglia contains four major nuclei: the substantia nigra, the subthalamic nucleus, the external globus pallidus, and the striatum. These nuclei communicate with each other by the use of neurons.

Stem Cell Generated Β-Cells: A Possible Solution To The Growing Problem Of Type 1 Diabetes, Danielle Rae Steffen

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Type 1 diabetes is a growing problem throughout the world. At this time, there is no functional cure, only various treatment options. However, in recent years there has been a significant increase in both the quantity and quality of research into potential cures for type 1 diabetes. This has led to a variety of new possibilities, the most promising of which are β-cells generated from the patient’s own stem cells.

Cleveland Clinic Florida - Summer Scholar Program, Marina Handal

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• Cleveland Clinic Florida’s Summer Scholar Program is designed to allow students to gain shadowing experience in the medical field via the clinical and hospital settings.
• Students are assigned 3 rotations total within the 6-week span of the program; high school assignments run for a total of 3 weeks.
• Rotations include Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Neurosurgery, ICC, Emergency Medicine, and various other subspecialties.
• Students can expect to be at the Weston hospital Monday-Friday 8 am- 5 pm (varies based on rotation/clinic hours/surgery schedule).
• Attend weekly lectures that consist of discussion of the ethics of medicine, educational path to becoming a …

Medical University Of Graz - Summer Internship 2018, Nada Belal

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• Assist a transplant team at Medical University of Graz for 6 weeks
• Mainly general surgery and transplantation procedures, but can observe and assist in other types of operations, as well.
• Great opportunity to apply all that you have learned in the classroom through hands-on experience.

Cleveland Clinic Summer Scholar Program, Mahnoor Asif

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• The program lasts a total of 6 weeks, and you rotate through 3 different departments
• Dress code: Business professional attire + Cleveland Clinic white coat
• Every day will be different in terms of activity and length depending on your rotation site, if you have to do rounds, how early your first patient is coming into the clinic, etc. However, an average day will be from 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

The University Of Texas Md Anderson Cancer Center - Biology Summer Internship, Marla Fortoul

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• 10 week program
• MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas
• Students will be matched with a faculty mentor in any number of areas of biomedical research where a project will be assigned.
• Participants work alongside the mentor in a lab or clinic on projects designed by faculty to reflect current research.
• Workshops and lectures provide opportunities to connect with faculty, residents, postdoctoral and clinical fellows, and other participants.
• Through the program, students assess goals related to careers in oncology research and patient care.
• Symposium in which participants present talks and posters on their research projects to peers and …

Ussouthcom's Office Of The Command Surgeon - Pathway Internship Experience, Alexander Jakub Martinek

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview: The Office of the Command Surgeon enables and synchronizes health engagement activities utilizing the whole of government approach to enhance regional health preparedness and increase our partner nations’ military and security forces’ medical capabilities.

Protein Modeling, Alesa Chabbra

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• The program is designed to answer the question "How can modeling using protein visualization software and 3D printing best demonstrate links between protein structure and function?"
• Done in collaboration with CREST and Center for BioMolecular Modeling

Science Alive, Allan Barraza, Ahjay Bhatia, Gwen Bui, Sophia Nguyen

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• Introduces STEM concepts to young students
• Encourage their pursuit of higher education
• Be role models
• Make friends

Cleveland Clinic Summer Scholars Program, Vanessa Cruise

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• Currently available to: High school juniors going into senior year and pre-med college freshmen that have completed their first year of college
• College freshman program is a 6 week program (3 rotations, 2 weeks long each). Rotations can be aligned with your preferred specialties if resources allow.

Practicum In Biology I: Gastroenterology Site, Roksana Hesari

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• Instructor - Dr. Mark Jaffe, DPM
• Didactic and experiential learning in applied settings
• Primary research literature exposure in field of interest
• Weekly face-to-face lectures for three hours
• Practicum site shifts for minimum 5 hours weekly
• Partnerships with Alvin Sherman Library and Career Services Department

Osteogenesis Of Dental Stem Cells, Jerry Ennolikara

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Program Overview:

• This research lab is dedicated to the study of bioengineering bone tissue, an application of biology research within medicine known as "regenerative medicine," through a variety of in-vivo and in-vitro projects.
• The primary focus of our lab is to replace a lifetime of bone graft surgeries associated with cleft palate, a congenital disorder where the palatal process of the maxilla fails to fuse during development, with a noninvasive injectable treatment.
• The lab upholds the central motif of tissue engineering of "cells, scaffolds, and growth factors" with our research utilizing periodontal ligamental stem cells/human gingival mesenchymal stem cells; 3D …

Developing A Backup Plan: Implementing A Career-Planning Course For Undergraduate Biology Majors., Julianne M. Winters, Haizhi Wang, Laura E. Duwel, Elizabeth A. Spudich, Jennifer S. Stanford

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Career-planning courses are known to be effective career interventions for undergraduates, but their effect on developing alternate career plans was previously unknown. Forming alternate career plans increases the likelihood that students have viable career options available to them upon graduation because it encourages students to realistically consider multiple possibilities. Here we describe a one-term career-planning course developed in the context of an undergraduate biology curriculum. We assessed whether this course promoted development of primary and alternate career plans using a pre/post survey. We saw a significant increase in the percentage of students indicating they had plans aimed at achieving primary …

The Wilbarger Protocol, Brittany Hatlestad

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is ever-increasing in children with and without disabilities. The prevalence of such a diagnosis has given rise to many different therapeutic practices. The most prescriptive, the Wilbarger protocol, will be the topic of this technique and literature review with discussions of what sensory problems are, the Wilbarger protocol, the deep pressure and proprioceptive portion of the protocol, oral tactile techniques, mechanisms of the protocol, the limitations, other options for treatment, and will conclude by looking to future research.

Role Of Genes In Obesity, Hanna Mathew, Mir Saleem

Biology Faculty Articles

Obesity is the outcome of an extreme difference between the energy intake and the energy expended, which leads to severe weight gain. The two main factors of obesity are environmental influences and genetics, but the extent of the genetic contribution to obesity continues to be unknown. Multiple studies using different tools have been used to support the significance of the genetic influence on obesity, such as twin and adoption studies, race/ethnicity, and mouse models. The use of mouse models has allowed for the greatest expansion of knowledge on the genetics behind obesity, and advancements continue to be made to this …

The Learning Loss Effect In Genetics: What Ideas Do Students Retain Or Lose After Instruction?, Amber Todd, William L. Romine

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Modern genetics is a relatively new domain, but it is increasingly important for students to have a firm grasp on the content, because genetic technologies are becoming more commonplace. In a previous study, we used the Learning Progression-based Assessment of Modern Genetics to assess high school students’ knowledge of genetics concepts after an intensive inquiry-based genetics instructional period. Given that this type of intensive inquiry-based instruction is unique, we are now investigating how students’ knowledge of genetics changes after instruction (i.e., learning loss effect). Using a six-measure longitudinal design, we found that students retained significant gains in five of the …

Eye Tissue Regeneration: Seam As A Cure For Prevalent Eye Disease, Molly Bute

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

SEAM (Self-formed ectodermal autonomous multizone) is a form of eye tissue regeneration discovered by Japanese scientists in 2016. This tissue regeneration encompasses tissues from all areas of the human eye. The SEAM forms tissues using stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells were used in the first study, and produces four concentric zones. The SEAM that has been created was shown to cure corneal blindness in animal models, and has the potential to cure a multitude of human eye diseases in the future.

The New Hero Of Upper Limb Prosthetics, Erin Miskell

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

This paper looks at the history and future of upper extremity prosthesis. The goal of this paper was to compare three different up and coming technological advances in the field of prosthesis that may help the devices to become more life-like for their users. Of the three different approaches looked at, the Open Bionics Hero Arm is praised as being the best option.

De Novo Sequence And Copy Number Variants Are Strongly Associated With Tourette Disorder And Implicate Cell Polarity In Pathogenesis, Sheng Wang, Jeffrey D. Mandell, Yogesh Kumar, Nawei Sun, Montana T. Morris, Juan Arbelaez, Cara Nasello, Shan Dong, Clif Duhn, Xin Zhao, Zhiyu Yang, Shanmukha S. Padmanabhuni, Dongmei Yu, Robert A. King, Andrea Dietrich, Najah Khalifa, Niklas Dahl, Alden Y. Huang, Benjamin M. Neale, Giovanni Coppola, Carol A. Mathews, Jeremiah M. Scharf, Tourette International Collaborative Genetics Study (Tic Genetics), Tourette Syndrome Genetics Southern And Eastern Europe Initiative (Tsgenesee), Tourette Association Of America International Consortium For Genetics (Taaicg), Thomas V. Fernandez, Joseph D. Buxbaum, Silvia De Rubeus, Dorothy E. Grice, Jinchuan Xing, Gary A. Heiman, Jay A. Tischfield, Peristera Paschou, A Jeremy Wilsey, Matthew W. State

Department of Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We previously established the contribution of de novo damaging sequence variants to Tourette disorder (TD) through whole-exome sequencing of 511 trios. Here, we sequence an additional 291 TD trios and analyze the combined set of 802 trios. We observe an overrepresentation of de novo damaging variants in simplex, but not multiplex, families; we identify a high-confidence TD risk gene, CELSR3 (cadherin EGF LAG seven-pass G-type receptor 3); we find that the genes mutated in TD patients are enriched for those related to cell polarity, suggesting a common pathway underlying pathobiology; and we confirm a statistically significant excess of de novo …

Dietary Docosahexaenoic Acid Prevents Silica-Induced Development Of Pulmonary Ectopic Germinal Centers And Glomerulonephritis In The Lupus-Prone Nzbwf1 Mouse, Melissa A. Bates, Peyman Akbari, Kristen N. Gilley, James G. Wagner, Ning Li, Anna K. Kopec, Kathryn A. Wierenga, Daven Jackson-Humbles, Christina Brandenberger, Andrij Holian, Abby D. Benninghoff, Jack R. Harkema, James J. Pestka

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Ectopic lymphoid structures (ELS) consist of B-cell and T-cell aggregates that are initiated de novo in inflamed tissues outside of secondary lymphoid organs. When organized within follicular dendritic cell (FDC) networks, ELS contain functional germinal centers that can yield autoantibody-secreting plasma cells and promote autoimmune disease. Intranasal instillation of lupus-prone mice with crystalline silica (cSiO₂), a respirable particle linked to human lupus, triggers ELS formation in the lung, systemic autoantibodies, and early onset of glomerulonephritis. Here we tested the hypothesis that consumption of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid with anti-inflammatory properties, influences the temporal profile …

The Effect Of Wild Blueberry Bioactives On Endothelial Cell Migration And Angiogenesis: An In Vitro Mechanistic, Genomic And Proteomic Approach, Panagiotis Tsakiroglou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study is to investigate the effects of wild blueberry fractions (Anthocyanins and Phenolic acids) on vascular function and physiology. More specifically the potential effects of the above fractions and their combination in physiological concentrations on endothelial cell migration, angiogenesis, gene expression and proteins synthesis of markers related to the above processes. The objectives are to study whether anthocyanins, phenolic acids and their combinations (ACNs:PAs) affect: a) cell proliferation, b) speed of endothelial cell migration, c) angiogenesis, d) gene expression of genes critical for cell migration and angiogenesis such as RAC1, RHOA, AKT1, eNOS and VEGF and …