Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Association Of Genetic Variation, Gene Expression, And Protein Abundance Within The Natriuretic Peptide Pathway, Bipin Sunkara

Honors College Theses

Background: The natriuretic peptide (NP) system is a critical physiologic pathway in heart failure, but there is marked individual variability in its functioning which may be genetic in origin. We investigated how genetic variations in NP pathway genes correlate with gene expression and protein abundance.

Methods: DNA, RNA, and tissue from human kidney (n=77) were obtained. Kidney was chosen as target tissue because each of the four candidate genes and proteins (natriuretic peptide receptor 1 (NPR1), NPR2, NPR3 and membrane metallo-endopeptidase (MME)) are expressed there. DNA samples were genotyped for 120 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in these four genes using …

Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis Using Transcervically Derived And Immunomagnetically Isolated Trophoblast Cells, Swati Bajpayee

Honors College Theses

Trophoblast cells migrate from the placenta into the endocervical canal early in the first trimester and can be collected non-invasively by transcervical sampling (TCS), potentially providing fetal DNA for prenatal genetic diagnosis. Experiments were conducted to separate fetal cells from maternal cells within the TCS specimens and use the fetal cells to perform genetic analysis. Trophoblast cells were efficiently isolated from TCS specimens during weeks 5-18 of gestation using HLA-G antibody coupled to magnetic nanoparticles. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that 99% of isolated cells expressed the chorionic gonadotropin β subunit (β-CG), while the non-bound cell fraction expressed none. Immunomagnetically isolated cells …

The Role Of Micrornas In Breast Cancer Migration, Invasion And Metastasis, Joy Tang, Fazlul H. Sarkar, Aamir Ahmad

Honors College Theses

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a major class of small, noncoding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression by targeting mRNAs to trigger either translational repression or mRNA degradation. They have recently been more widely investigated due to their potential role as targets for cancer therapy. Many miRNAs have been implicated in several human cancers, including breast cancer. miRNAs are known to regulate cell cycle and development, and thus may serve as useful targets for exploration in anticancer therapeutics. The link between altered miRNA signatures and breast cancer development and metastasis can be observed either through the loss of tumor suppressor miRNAs, such …