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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Prion Characterization Using Cell Based Approaches, Vadim Khaychuk
Prion Characterization Using Cell Based Approaches, Vadim Khaychuk
Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics
Prions are the causative agents of a group of lethal, neurodegenerative conditions that include sheep scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and human Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Prions are derived from the conversion of a normal, primarily alpha-helical, cellular prion protein (PrPC), to an infectious, beta sheet-rich conformer (PrPSc). Many unresolved issues surround the process of PrP conversion, and we know very little about cellular responses to these unique pathogens. Our lack of knowledge relates, in part, to the difficulty of infecting cells in vitro with prions. While expression of PrPC is an absolute requirement for prion …
Signaling Mechanisms Involved In The Generation Of Human Peripheral Itregs, Mary Catherine Reneer
Signaling Mechanisms Involved In The Generation Of Human Peripheral Itregs, Mary Catherine Reneer
Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics
Maintaining balance in the human immune system is critical for the body’s ability to discriminate between foreign and self-antigens. This balance is achieved, in part, by a subpopulation of T cells known as induced regulatory T cells (iTregs). Dysregulation of this population may contribute to the onset and progression of cancer, chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Therefore, manipulation of iTreg development holds promising therapeutic potential; however, studying this vital population has proven difficult due to low numbers, heterogeneous cell populations, substantial phenotypic differences between mouse and human cells, and the high plasticity seen in iTregs. These current limitations have prevented …
Crosstalk Between Gastrointestinal Epithelial Cells And Resident Microbiota Promotes Immune Homeostasis, Eric William Rogier
Crosstalk Between Gastrointestinal Epithelial Cells And Resident Microbiota Promotes Immune Homeostasis, Eric William Rogier
Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics
The gastrointestinal tract houses one of the most dense and diverse communities of bacteria on the planet. The mutualistic relationship between the host and commensal microbe permits the microbe an ideal environment to grow and provides the host with increased caloric intake, maturation of the adaptive immune system, and resistance against invading pathogens. To maintain a system in which both parties benefit, the epithelium has evolved numerous strategies to ensure epithelial cells respond to microbes appropriately and that potentially hazardous commensals remain distanced from the soma proper. Breakdown of these propitiating mechanisms elicits unchecked inflammation and can lead to pathology …
Regulation Of Hepatic Gene Expression During Liver Development And Disease, Hui Ren
Regulation Of Hepatic Gene Expression During Liver Development And Disease, Hui Ren
Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics
My first project was to investigate the role of Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1 (HNF1) and Nuclear Factor I (NFI) on alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) promoter activity during liver development. AFP is highly expressed in the fetal liver, silenced at birth, and remains at very low levels in the adult liver. A GA substitution located at -119 of the human AFP promoter is associated with hereditary persistence of AFP (HPAFP) expression in the adult liver (Hum Molec Genet, 1993, 2:379). The -120 region harbors overlapping binding sites for HNF1 and NFI. While it has been shown that the GA substitution increases HNF1 binding, …