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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Erk1/2 Do Not Phosphorylate Proteins In Mitochondria And Myofilaments, Tanner Napierala
Erk1/2 Do Not Phosphorylate Proteins In Mitochondria And Myofilaments, Tanner Napierala
Student Scholars Day Posters
Heart disease continues to be the most prevalent health issue in the United States. Previous studies have demonstrated the cardio-protective benefit of an increase in extracellular signal regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) activity in mice. In this study, genetically modified mice with knockouts of both the DUSP6 and DUSP8 genes (DKO) were used to study whether increased ERK1/2 phosphorylation in DKO mice changes the expression of these death-related proteins. We found out the increase in ERK1/2 phosphorylation mainly stayed in cytoplasm and the expression levels of BCl-2 and Bax were not altered. We also investigated whether myofilament proteins could …
Predator Odor Stress On Stress And Metabolic Endocrine, Morgan Block, Katie Wilk
Predator Odor Stress On Stress And Metabolic Endocrine, Morgan Block, Katie Wilk
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It is known that the brain and gut ‘talk’ to each other, which is important for both physical and mental health as shown by associations between metabolic syndrome and mental illness in humans. Neuropeptides found in both the brain and gut are active in this communication and may mediate links between stress, metabolism, and psychopathology. This study aims to determine whether single exposure to predator odor is able to produce long-term changes in the endocrine system as measured by plasma concentrations of the “stress hormone” corticosterone and “hunger hormone” ghrelin. Male and female mice were exposed to one hour of …
Testing The Ancestral Function Of Divergent Candida Albicans Virulence-Associated Proteins Via Expression In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Mutants, Curtis Mack
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Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen and a member of the normal human microbiota. It is closely related to the harmless fungus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Some genes associated with the virulent nature of C. albicans are similar to genes in S. cerevisiae. Three of these genes, PHO13, NRG1, and TUP1 are known to repress the change from yeast to filamentous growth in C. albicans, an important virulence trait. However, similar genes in S. cerevisiae are known to have functional differences. Our goal was to see if the ancestral function of these genes have drifted apart by examining …
The Role Of Erk 1/2 Proteins In Diabetic Cardiomyopathy, Megan Coble
The Role Of Erk 1/2 Proteins In Diabetic Cardiomyopathy, Megan Coble
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Diabetes is characterized by inadequate utilization of glucose due to a lack of insulin. Cardiomyopathy is defined as chronic disease of the heart muscle. A correlation between diabetes and the onset of cardiomyopathy has been suggested though a complete understanding of this relationship remains to be determined. Induction of diabetes within mice via the injection of streptozotocin will allow for thorough investigation of this correlation. Enhancement of the proteins ERK 1/2, via the deletion of genes DUSP 6/8, has been shown to be a protective agent against various heart pathologies. By inducing diabetes within both wild type and DUSP 6/8 …
Scoliosis And Its Treatment In Adults, Hilary Skalski
Scoliosis And Its Treatment In Adults, Hilary Skalski
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Scoliosis is a greater than ten-degree curve in the spine in the coronal plane. There are many types of scoliosis, with the most common being adolescent idiopathic. The most common type in adults is degenerative scoliosis, caused by the wear and tear of the spine. In adults, treatment options are selected based on symptoms caused by the curvature. Treatments include lifestyle changes, medications, physical therapy and surgery. Two common surgical treatments are a laminectomy for decompression or a spinal fusion. The dissection of a 92-year-old male cadaver revealed scoliosis of lumbar vertebrae one through five (L1-5). A post-mortem laminectomy then …
Early Cell-Cell Coupling Impairs Stem Cell Retention When Co-Cultured With Hypoxic Cardiomyocytes, Jack Tietema
Early Cell-Cell Coupling Impairs Stem Cell Retention When Co-Cultured With Hypoxic Cardiomyocytes, Jack Tietema
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Rationale: Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) induce beneficial effects in the heart following hypoxia but loss of these cells would diminish their effect. We hypothesized that coupling between BM-MSC and cardiomyocytes (CM) through gap junctions (GJ) during hypoxia may play an important role in stem cell retention. Methods and Results: Both human and murine BM-MSC express connexin43 (Cx43), a critical protein in the formation of GJ. FACS analysis revealed that BM-MSC exhibited a significant reduction in apoptosis (3-5 fold; p