Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Modeling Of Cns Cancer With A Focus On The Immune Component, Daniel Zamler

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

The knowledge surrounding cancers of the central nervous system remains poorly developed, in particular with regard to the immune component. The works contained in this thesis look at craniopharyngioma, glioblastoma, and several forms of brain metastasis. While some attention is given to the tumor cells themselves, as well as the patient setting which these studies model, the immune component of disease progression and treatment plays a strong role in each and is the primary focus of the works contained.

Craniopharyngioma is a relatively rare tumor in adults. Although histologically benign, it can be locally aggressive and may require additional therapeutic …

Heme Peroxidase Hpx-2 Protects Caenorhabditis Elegans From Pathogens, Yi Liu

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Heme-containing peroxidases are important components of innate immunity. Many of them functionally associate with NADPH oxidase (NOX)/dual oxidase (DUOX) enzymes by using the hydrogen peroxide they generate in downstream reactions. In Caenorhabditis elegans, a ShkT-containing peroxidase, SKPO-1, and the dual oxidase, BLI-3, contribute to resistance against the human pathogen Enterococcus faecalis, likely functioning in conjunction with each other. However, the exact mechanism(s) by which peroxidases and NOX/DUOXs contribute to pathogen resistance remain unclear. Here, we demonstrated that another peroxidase, HPX-2 (Heme-PeroXidase 2), is required for resistance against some, but not all pathogens. Tissue specific …

Induction Of Stronger And Long Lasting Vaccine Immunity To Tuberculosis, Pearl Bakhru

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Tuberculosis is a major cause of death due to an infection in mankind. BCG vaccine protects against childhood tuberculosis although, it fails to protect against adult tuberculosis. BCG vaccine localizes to immature phagosomes of macrophages, and avoids lysosomal fusion, which decreases peptide antigen production. Peptides are essential for macrophage-mediated priming of CD4 and CD8 T cells respectively through MHC-II and MHC-I pathways. Furthermore, BCG reduces the expression of MHC-II in macrophages of mice after infection, through Toll-like receptor-1/2 (TLR-1/2) mediated signaling. In my first aim, I hypothesized that BCG-induced reduction of MHC-II levels in macrophages can decrease CD4 T cell …