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Full-Text Articles in Medical Molecular Biology
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 …