Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Method For Obtaining Antifungal And Herbicidal Compounds That Target The First Committed Step In Shingolipid Long-Chain Base Biosynthesis, Robert C. Dickson, Robert L. Lester

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Patents

The invention provides the LCB1 and LCB2 genes of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that encode subunits of the enzyme serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT), the first enzyme leading to synthesis of the long-base component of the sphingolipids. The present specification describes the isolation of the LCB1 and LCB2 genes. The invention further relates to methods of using these genes to either inhibit SPT activity or to inhibit synthesis of the enzyme. Furthermore, the invention relates to methods for constructing strains of S. cerevisiae or other organisms that can be used to select and to test for compounds that either inhibit SPT activity …

A Comparison Of Olfactory Organ Development And Feeding Behavior In Larval Fathead Minnows, Pimephales Promelas Rafinesque, Robert Molloy

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The early recruitment and use of the chemoreceptive senses, olfaction and gustation, are important for early behavior development in fathead minnows and the ability of larvae to survive after hatching. Chemoreception is used in the location of food, avoidance of predators, and for intraspecific communication. Furthermore, some studies have shown the olfactory system to be adversely impacted by environmental contaminants and low pH. Since the fathead minnow is a commercially raised baitfish in the aquaculture industry, and serves as a standard test organism for bioassays and reaction studies of aquatic contamination by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, an understanding …

Method And Compositions For Treating Age Related Disorders, John M. Carney, Robert A. Floyd

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Patents

Compositions containing as the active ingredient a spin-trapping reagent, preferably α-phenyl butyl nitrone (PBN) or spin-trapping derivatives thereof, in a suitable pharmaceutical carrier for administration to a patient are disclosed for treating or preventing symptoms associated with aging or other conditions associated with oxidative tissue damage. Other spin-trapping agents can also be used, such as 5,5-dimethyl pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) or α-(4-pyridyl 1-oxide)-N-tert-butylnitrone (POBN), and other spin-trapping derivatives thereof. These compositions and methods are useful in the treatment of age-related disorders, pre-surgical and/or pre-anesthetic preparation or administration of chemotherapeutic agents, and in the treatment of disorders or trauma of the brain, …

Cellular Basis Of Decreased Immune Responses To Pneumococcal Vaccines In Aged Mice, Manju Garg, Wei Luo, Alan M. Kaplan, Subbarao Bondada

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Previously, model systems were developed in our laboratory to study murine immune responses to the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine Pnu-Imune, both in vivo and in vitro (M. Garg and B. Subbarao, Infect. Immun. 60:2329-2336, 1992; M. Garg, A. M. Kaplan, and S. Bondada, J. Immunol. 152: 1589-1596, 1994). Using these systems, we found that aged mice did not respond to the vaccine in vivo or in vitro. Cell separation studies showed that the unresponsiveness of the aged spleen cells to the vaccine was not due to an intrinsic B-cell defect or to T-cell-mediated immunosuppression but resulted from an accessory cell …

Opposing Motor Activities Are Required For The Organization Of The Mammalian Mitotic Spindle Pole, Tirso Gaglio, Alejandro Saredi, James B. Bingham, M Josh Hasbani, Steven R. Grill, Trina A. Schroer, Duane A. Compton

Dartmouth Scholarship

We use both in vitro and in vivo approaches to examine the roles of Eg5 (kinesin-related protein), cytoplasmic dynein, and dynactin in the organization of the microtubules and the localization of NuMA (Nu-clear protein that associates with the Mitotic Apparatus) at the polar ends of the mammalian mitotic spindle. Perturbation of the function of Eg5 through either immunodepletion from a cell free system for assembly of mitotic asters or antibody microinjection into cultured cells leads to organized astral microtubule arrays with expanded polar regions in which the minus ends of the microtubules emanate from a ring-like structure that contains NuMA. …

Attachment Of Toxoplasma Gondii To Host Cells Is Host Cell Cycle Dependent., Jane Grimwood, Jose R. Mineo, Lloyd H. Kasper

Dartmouth Scholarship

The initial attachment of Toxoplasma tachyzoites to target host cells is an important event in the life cycle of the parasite and hence critical in the pathogenesis of this infection. The efficiency of Toxoplasma attachment to synchronized populations of Chinese hamster ovary cells and bovine kidney cells was investigated by using a glutaraldehyde-fixed host cell assay system. For both cell lines, parasite attachment increased as the synchronized host cells proceeded from the G1 phase to the mid-S phase and then decreased as the cells entered the G2-M boundary. Postulating that these differences in attachment reflect the upregulation of a specific …

Identification And Characterization Of The Thrombin Binding Sites On Fibrin, David A. Meh, Kevin R. Siebenlist, Michael W. Mosesson

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Thrombin binds to fibrin at two classes of non-substrate sites, one of high affinity and the other of low affinity. We investigated the location of these thrombin binding sites by assessing the binding of thrombin to fibrin lacking or containing γ′ chains, which are fibrinogen γ chain variants that contain a highly anionic carboxyl-terminal sequence. We found the high affinity thrombin binding site to be located exclusively in D domains on γ′ chains (K_a, 4.9 × 10⁶⁻¹; n, 1.05 per γ′ chain), whereas the low affinity thrombin binding site was in the fibrin E …

Activation Of The Human Thymidine Kinase (Tk) Promoter By Simian Virus 40 Large T Antigen Requires Both The T Antigen Prb Family-Binding Domain And Tk Promoter Sequences Resembling E2f-Binding Sites., Michelle M. Anderson, Jun Chen, Charles N. Cole, Susan E. Conrad

Dartmouth Scholarship

Infection of quiescent cells with the DNA tumor virus simian virus 40 induces expression of the cellular thymidine kinase (TK) gene a minimum of 10- to 20-fold, and this induction depends upon the viral protein large T antigen (T-Ag). To define both human TK promoter elements and T-Ag functional domains required for transcriptional induction, we have established a system in which stable Rat-1 transfectants harboring TK promoter-luciferase hybrid genes are infected with recombinant adenoviruses expressing either wild-type or mutant forms of T-Ag and luciferase expression is measured as an indicator of promoter activity. The results show that (i) a 135-bp …

The Protective Role Of Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Against Adriamycin-Induced Acute Cardiac Toxicity In Transgenic Mice, Hsiu-Chuan Yen, Terry D. Oberley, Satit Vichitbandha, Ye-Shih Ho, Daret K. St. Clair

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

Adriamycin (ADR) is a potent anticancer drug known to cause severe cardiac toxicity. Although ADR generates free radicals, the role of free radicals in the development of cardiac toxicity and the intracellular target for ADR-induced cardiac toxicity are still not well understood. We produced three transgenic mice lines expressing increased levels of human manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), a mitochondrial enzyme, as an animal model to investigate the role of ADR-mediated free radical generation in mitochondria. The human MnSOD was expressed, functionally active, and properly transported into mitochondria in the heart of transgenic mice. The levels of copper-zinc SOD, catalase, and …

Interleukin-10 Inhibits Tumor Metastasis Through An Nk-Cell Dependent Mechanism, Li-Mou Zheng, David M. Ojcius, F. Garaud, C. Roth, E. Maxwell, Z. Li, H. Rong, J. Chen, X. Y. Wang, J. J. Catino, I. King

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a recently described pleiotropic cytokine secreted mainly by type 2 helper T cells. Previous studies have shown that IL-10 suppresses cytokine expression by natural killer (NK) and type 1 T cells, thus down-regulating cell-mediated immunity and stimulating humoral responses. We here report that injected IL-10 protein is an efficient inhibitor of tumor metastasis in experimental (B16-F10) and spontaneous (M27 and Lox human melanoma) metastasis models in vivo at doses that do not have toxic effects on normal or cancer cells. Histological characterization after IL-10 treatment confirmed the absence of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells and macrophages at …

Plasma Factor Xiii Binds Specifically To Fibrinogen Molecules Containing Γ‘ Chains, Kevin R. Siebenlist, David A. Meh, Michael W. Mosesson

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The difference between peak 1 and peak 2 fibrinogen lies in their γ chains. Peak 1 molecules contain 2 γA chains; peak 2 molecules contain 1 γA and 1 γ‘ chain, the latter of which contains a 20 amino acid extension (γ‘ 408−427) replacing the carboxyl-terminal 4 amino acids of the γA chain (γA 408−411). While the existence of γ‘ chains in plasma fibrinogen molecules has been known for many years, their function remains unknown. When fibrinogen is purified from plasma, the factor XIII zymogen (A₂B₂) copurifies with it and is found only in the peak …

The Effects Of Lead Acetate On Host Susceptibility To Trypanosoma Cruzi, Tabitha Ellis

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Trypanosoma cruzi. a protozoan parasite, causes American trypanosomiasis or Chagas' disease. The infective stage of this parasite resides in the hindgut of the reduviid bug (family Reduviidae), which is both host and vector, and is transmitted to the mammalian host through fecal material released during a blood meal. Chagas' disease, an acute to chronic infection resulting in fever, malaise, and heart and liver enlargement, is becoming a concern in the United States due to the large increase in Latin American immigrants, and the lack of safe and effective therapeutic treatment and vaccination. Another growing concern in the United States involves …

Antibody Response To Heat Shock Proteins Of Trypanosoma Cruzi And Histopathology In Mice Infected And Maintained At Elevated Environmental Temperature, Ahmed Arif

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Trypanosoma cruzi is an obligate intracellular parasite infecting 18-20 million people in Latin America. It is the causative agent of Chagas' disease, commonly referred to as American Trypanosomiasis. The C3H murine model is widely used to study experimental Chagas' disease. It is well documented that when these highly susceptible mice are infected with the Brazil strain of T. cruzi and maintained at room temperature (RT), mice die between day 35-45 of infection. However, when held at an elevated temperature of 36°C, C3H mice survive an otherwise lethal infection with T. cruzi. When held at 36°C, the body temperature of the …

An Investigation Of Hexatylis Contracta Blomquist (Southern Heartleaf): Individuals, Hybrids, Populations And Species, Patrick Carroll

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Hexastylis contracta Blomquist is a rare herbaceous perennial plant endemic to southeastern North America. The plant exhibits a disjunct distribution, being found on the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee and Kentucky and also 300 km east in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. This plant was the subject of a population inventory supported through the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission (KNPC) which expanded the number of known populations of the species (28) by 68%, with 47 populations now known to exist. A morphological analysis of this species was done using principal components analysis. This analysis was used to answer questions …

Differential Expression Of The Toxr Regulon In Classical And E1 Tor Biotypes Of Vibrio Cholerae Is Due To Biotype-Specific Control Over Toxt Expression., Victor J. Dirita, Melody Neely, Ronald K. Taylor, Paul M. Bruss

Dartmouth Scholarship

The two major disease-causing biotypes of Vibrio cholerae, classical and El Tor, exhibit differences in their epidemic nature. Their behavior in the laboratory also differs in that El Tor strains produce two major virulence factors, cholera toxin (CT) and the toxin coregulated pilus (TCP), only under very restricted growth conditions, whereas classical strains do so in standard laboratory medium. Expression of toxin and TCP is controlled by two activator proteins, ToxR and ToxT, that operate in cascade fashion with ToxR controlling the synthesis of ToxT. Both biotypes express equivalent levels of ToxR, but only classical strains appear to express ToxT …

Toxin-Coregulated Pilus, But Not Mannose-Sensitive Hemagglutinin, Is Required For Colonization By Vibrio Cholerae O1 El Tor Biotype And O139 Strains., K Helene Thelin, Ronald K. Taylor

Dartmouth Scholarship

The relative contributions of toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP) and cell-associated mannose-sensitive hemagglutinin (MSHA) to the colonization ability of Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor biotype strains and O139 Bengal strains was determined by using isogenic parental and in-frame deletion mutant pairs in the infant mouse cholera model. Both the El Tor and O139 tcpA mutant strains showed a dramatic defect in colonization as indicated by their competitive indices, whereas deletion of mshA had a negligible effect on colonization in either background.

Genome Research And Traditional Intellectual Property Protection -- A Bad Fit?, Kate H. Murashige

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Dr. Murashige addresses the need for a patent system more closely tailored to the needs of biotechnology. For example, the obviousness requirement may interfere with using patents to recoup high costs of work when it could arguably be done by researchers of ordinary skill.

Social Issues Of Genome Innovation And Intellectual Property, Elaine Alma Draper

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Dr. Draper's focus is the use of personal information derived from genome research. She identifies several potential problems, including access to and control of genetic information, employment discrimination and social stratification. She also recommends possible solutions.

Anion Induced Blue To Purple Transition In Bacteriorhodopsin, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Anil K. Singh

Faculty Works

Purple membrane (PM, λ" role="presentation">λmax" role="presentation">max 570 nm) of H. halobium on treatment with sulphuric acid changes its colour to blue (λ" role="presentation">λmax" role="presentation">max 608 nm). The purple chromophore can be regenerated from the blue chromophore by exogeneous addition of anions such as CI−" role="presentation">− and HPO42−" role="presentation">2−4. Chloride ion is found to be more effective than the dibasic phosphate ion in regenerating the purple chromophore. Nevertheless, one thing common to the anion regeneration is that both CI−" role="presentation">− and HPO42−" role="presentation">2−4 show marked pH effect. At pH 1.0 the efficiency of …

The Relationship Between The Fibrinogen D Domain Self-Association/Cross-Linking Site (Gammaxl) And The Fibrinogen Dusart Abnormality (Aalpha R554c-Albumin): Clues To Thrombophilia In The "Dusart Syndrome", Michael W. Mosesson, Kevin R. Siebenlist, James F. Hainfeld, J. S. Wall, C. Soria, J. P. Caen

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Cross-linking of fibrinogen at its COOH-terminal gamma chain cross-linking site occurs in the presence of factor XIIIa due to self-association at a constitutive D domain site ("gammaXL"). We investigated the contribution of COOH-terminal regions of fibrinogen Aalpha chains to the gammaXL site by comparing the gamma chain cross-linking rate of intact fibrinogen (fraction I-2) with that of plasma fraction I-9, plasmic fraction I-9D, and plasmic fragment D1, which lack COOH-terminal Aalpha chain regions comprising approximately 100, approximately 390, and 413 residues, respectively. The cross-linking rates were I-2 > I-9 > 1-9D = D1, and indicated that the terminal 100 or more Aalpha …

Evidence For Intramolecular Cross-Linked Aα·Γ Chain Heterodimers In Plasma Fibrinogen, Kevin R. Siebenlist, Michael W. Mosesson

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

A peptide band of ∼105 kDa migrating near the γ dimer position of disulfide bond reduced human plasma fibrinogen prepared from fresh single donor or outdated plasma was identified by SDS−PAGE. The band, amounting to ∼2% of the total Aα/γ chain population, was thrombin and plasmin sensitive and reacted with antibodies to Aα or γ chains but not with antibodies to Bβ chains, plasminogen, or factor XIII. Amino acid sequencing revealed a double sequence corresponding to that of Aα and γ chains, indicating that the band consists of covalently cross-linked Aα·γ chain heterodimers. Aα·γ heterodimers were identified as a component …

Churg-Strauss Syndrome With Intestinal Perforation, Javaid A. Khan, Imran Hassan, Shahid Pervez, Wasim Jafri, Shaista Khan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Acute Low Ph On Feeding And Locomotor Activity Of Larval Fathead Minnows, Pimephales Promelas, Sharon Ore

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Lowered pH conditions in aquatic environments can have a negative impact on many aquatic organisms. In fish it has been shown that acidic water conditions may result in altered gill morphology, reduced reproductive success, changes in locomotor and feeding behavior and even death. Juveniles and adults have been the primary focus of research. However, the larval stage is potentially the most sensitive to toxicity. It is also important ontogenetically as several crucial development thresholds, such as first feeding, occur during this period. The impact of acute low pH on feeding performance was investigated in larval fathead minnows one to fifteen …

A Simple Procedure For Determining The Aqueous Half-Lives Of Pyrrolic Metabolites Of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids, R. A. Cooper, R. J. Huxtable

Roland A. Cooper

2,4-Disulfonyl Phenyl Butyl Nitrone, Its Salt And Their Use As Pharmaceuticals, John M. Carney

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Patents

2,4-disulfonyl α-phenyl-tert-butyl nitrone and its pharmaceutically acceptable salts are disclosed. These materials are useful as pharmaceutical agents for oral or parenteral, e.g. intravenous administration to patients suffering from acute central nervous system oxidation as occurs in a stroke or from gradual central nervous system oxidation which can exhibit itself as progressive central nervous system function loss. The materials are also used to ameliorate the side effects of oxidative-damage causing antineoplastic disease treatments.

Phenylbutyl Nitrone Compositions And Methods For Prevention Of Gastric Ulceration, John M. Carney, Robert A. Floyd

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Patents

Compositions containing PBN, or active derivatives thereof, in a suitable pharmaceutical carrier for administration to a patient, are disclosed for treating or preventing gastric ulceration caused by ingestion of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. Based on animal studies, the dosage is in the range of 3 to 300 mg/kg and is administered prior to, simultaneously, or shortly after ingestion of the NSAID compounds(s). In the preferred embodiment, the range is between 10 and 30 mg/kg, depending on the dosage unit required to protect the mucosa. The preferred method of administration is orally, alone or in combination with the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. It is believed …

Disruption Of The Cbfa2 Gene Causes Necrosis And Hemorrhaging In The Central Nervous System And Blocks Definitive Hematopoiesis., Qing Wang, Terryl Stacy, Michael M Binder, Miguel Marin-Padilla, Arlene H. Sharpe, Nancy A. Speck

Dartmouth Scholarship

The CBFA2 (AML1) gene encodes a DNA-binding subunit of the heterodimeric core-binding factor. The CBFA2 gene is disrupted by the (8;21), (3;21), and (12;21) chromosomal translocations associated with leukemias and myelodysplasias in humans. Mice lacking a CBF alpha 2 protein capable of binding DNA die between embryonic days 11.5 and 12.5 due to hemorrhaging in the central nervous system (CNS), at the nerve/CNS interfaces of cranial and spinal nerves, and in somitic/intersomitic regions along the presumptive spinal cord. Hemorrhaging is preceded by symmetric, bilateral necrosis in these regions. Definitive erythropoiesis and myelopoiesis do not occur in Cbfa2-deficient embryos, and disruption …

Toxoplasma Gondii-Induced Immune Suppression By Human Peripheral Blood Monocytes: Role Of Gamma Interferon., Jacqueline Y. Channon, Lloyd H. Kasper

Dartmouth Scholarship

The ability of Toxoplasma gondii to evade the host immune response during primary infection in humans is poorly understood. In murine toxoplasmosis, infected spleen macrophages release soluble factors that mediate a transient immunosuppression, which may allow the parasite to become established. When an enriched population of human monocytes from seronegative individuals was incubated with toxoplasmas in vitro, soluble factors that mediated market suppression of mitogen-induced lymphocyte DNA synthesis were released. Irradiated tachyzoites that do not undergo replication were sufficient stimuli for near-maximal soluble factor release. Up to 50% of the soluble factor-mediated suppression is attributable to a gamma interferon (IFN-gamma)-dependent …

Antibody To The Ligand For Cd40 (Gp39) Inhibits Murine Aids-Associated Splenomegaly, Hypergammaglobulinemia, And Immunodeficiency In Disease-Susceptible C57bl/6 Mice., Kathy A. Green, Karen M. Crassi, Jon D. Laman, Arjan Schoneveld, Rendall R. Strawbridge, Teresa M. Foy, Randolph J. Noelle, William R. Green

Dartmouth Scholarship

Infection of genetically susceptible C57BL/6 mice with the LP-BM5 isolate of murine retroviruses cause profound splenomegaly, hypergammaglobulinemia, lymphadenopathy, and an immunodeficiency syndrome which includes the development of terminal B-cell lymphomas. Because many of these and the other manifestations of LP-BM5 virus-induced disease are similar to those seen in AIDS, this syndrome has been named murine AIDS, or MAIDS. Previous reports have shown that the onset of MAIDS depends on the presence of both CD41 T cells and B cells and have suggested that CD41 T-cell-B-cell interactions are important to disease pathogenesis. Here, we assessed the possibility that interactions between CD40 …

A Tandem Duplication Within The Fibrillin 1 Gene Is Associated With The Mouse Tight Skin Mutation., Linda D. Siracusa, Rodney Mcgrath, Qing Ma, John J. Moskow, Jayanthi Manne, Paul J. Christner, Arthur M. Buchberg, Sergio A. Jimenez

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Mice carrying the Tight skin (Tsk) mutation have thickened skin and visceral fibrosis resulting from an accumulation of extracellular matrix molecules. These and other connective tissue abnormalities have made Tskl + mice models for scleroderma, hereditary emphysema, and myocardial hypertrophy. Previously we localized Tsk to mouse chromosome 2 in a region syntenic with human chromosome 15. The microfibrillar glycoprotein gene, fibrillin 1 (FBN1), on human chromosome 15q, provided a candidate for the Tsk mutation. We now demonstrate that the Tsk chromosome harbors a 30- to 40-kb genomic duplication within the Fbn1 gene that results in a larger than normal in-frame …