Digital Commons Network^™

Synthesis Of Oligopeptide Fragments For An Skp1 Mimetic, Jarret Curtis

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Radical-Containing Particles Activate Dendritic Cells And Enhance Th17 Inflammation In A Mouse Model Of Asthma, Pingli Wang, Paul Thevenot, Jordy Saravia, Terry Ahlert, Stephania A. Cormier

Faculty Publications

We identified a previously unrecognized component of airborne particulate matter (PM) formed in combustion and thermal processes, namely, environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs). The pulmonary health effects of EPFRs are currently unknown. In the present study, we used a model EPFR-containing pollutant-particle system referred to as MCP230. We evaluated the effects of MCP230 on the phenotype and function of bone marrow - derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) in vitro and lung dendritic cells (DCs) in vivo, and the subsequent T-cell response. We also investigated the adjuvant role of MCP230 on airway inflammation in a mouse model of asthma. MCP230 decreased intracellular …

Elimination Of The Nlrp3-Asc Inflammasome Protects Against Chronic Obesity-Induced Pancreatic Damage, Yun Hee Youm, Ayinuer Adijiang, Bolormaa Vandanmagsar, David Burk, Anthony Ravussin, Vishwa Deep Dixit

Faculty Publications

Clinical evidence that the blockade of IL-1β in type-2 diabetic patients improves glycemia is indicative of an autoinflammatory mechanism that may trigger adiposity-driven pancreatic damage. IL-1β is a key contributor to the obesity-induced inflammation and subsequent insulin resistance, pancreatic β-cell dysfunction, and the onset of type 2 diabetes. Our previous studies demonstrated that the ceramides activate the Nod-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (Nlrp3) inflammasome to cause the generation of mature IL-1β and ablation of the Nlrp3 inflammasome in diet-induced obesity improves insulin signaling. However, it remains unclear whether the post-translational processing of active IL-1β in pancreas is regulated …

Rapid Expansion Of Oceanic Anoxia Immediately Before The End-Permian Mass Extinction, Gregory A. Brennecka, Achim D. Herrmann, Thomas J. Algeo, Ariel D. Anbar

Faculty Publications

Periods of oceanic anoxia have had a major influence on the evolutionary history of Earth and are often contemporaneous with mass extinction events. Changes in global (as opposed to local) redox conditions can be potentially evaluated using U system proxies. The intensity and timing of oceanic redox changes associated with the end-Permian extinction horizon (EH) were assessed from variations in 238U/ 235U δ 238U) and Th/U ratios in a carbonate section at Dawen in southern China. The EH is characterized by shifts toward lower δ 238U values (from -0.37‰ to -0.65‰), indicative of an expansion of oceanic anoxia, and higher …

Rumi Functions As Both A Protein O-Glucosyltransferase And A Protein O-Xylosyltransferase, Hideyuki Takeuchi, Rodrigo C. Fernańdez-Valdivia, Devin S. Caswell, Aleksandra Nita-Lazar, Nadia A. Rana, Thomas P. Garner, Thomas K. Weldeghiorghis, Megan A. Macnaughtan, Hamed Jafar-Nejad, Robert S. Haltiwanger

Faculty Publications

Mutations in rumi result in a temperature-sensitive loss of Notch signaling in Drosophila. Drosophila Rumi is a soluble, endoplasmic reticulum-retained protein with a CAP10 domain that functions as a protein O-glucosyltransferase. In human and mouse genomes, three potential Rumi homologues exist: one with a high degree of identity to Drosophila Rumi (52%), and two others with lower degrees of identity but including a CAP10 domain (KDELC1 and KDELC2). Here we show that both mouse and human Rumi, but not KDELC1 or KDELC2, catalyze transfer of glucose from UDPglucose to an EGF repeat from human factor VII. Similarly, human Rumi, but …

Faculty Senate Newsletter, October 2011, Louisiana State University And Agricultural & Mechanical College

LSU Faculty Senate Publications

Message from President: Once upon a time, assumptions were events that happened in monasteries, convents, and, occasionally, martyr scenes. In later, more corrupt times, assumptions transpired in mortgage broker offices. Nowadays, in our slickly cynical period, the literal meaning of the term—the taking up [of whatever happens to be in the vicinity]—has returned with a vengeance as academe allows itself to draw in a steady stream of unexamined postulates. At the upper end of the assumption hierarchy are the nostrums promulgated by the ever coming-and-going political figures who allegedly lead higher education from Regents’ offices, legislative chambers, and occasionally the …

Dietary-Resistant Starch Improves Maternal Glycemic Control In Goto-Kakizaki Rat, Li Shen, Michael J. Keenan, Anne Raggio, Cathy Williams, Roy J. Martin

Faculty Publications

Scope: Dietary prebiotics show potential in anti-diabetes. Dietary resistant starch (RS) has a favorable impact on gut hormone profiles, including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) consistently released, a potent anti-diabetic incretin. Also RS reduced body fat and improved glucose tolerance in rats and mice. In the current project, we hypothesize that dietary-resistant starch can improve insulin sensitivity and pancreatic β cell mass in a type 2 diabetic rat model. Altered gut fermentation and microbiota are the initial mechanisms, and enhancement in serum GLP-1 is the secondary mechanism. Methods and results: In this study, GK rats were fed an RS diet with 30% …

Dietary-Resistant Starch Improves Maternal Glycemic Control In Goto-Kakizaki Rat, Li Shen, Michael J. Keenan, Anne Raggio, Cathy Williams, Roy J. Martin

Faculty Publications

Scope: Dietary prebiotics show potential in anti-diabetes. Dietary resistant starch (RS) has a favorable impact on gut hormone profiles, including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) consistently released, a potent anti-diabetic incretin. Also RS reduced body fat and improved glucose tolerance in rats and mice. In the current project, we hypothesize that dietary-resistant starch can improve insulin sensitivity and pancreatic β cell mass in a type 2 diabetic rat model. Altered gut fermentation and microbiota are the initial mechanisms, and enhancement in serum GLP-1 is the secondary mechanism. Methods and results: In this study, GK rats were fed an RS diet with 30% …

Louisiana Agriculture Fall, 2011, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

The Relation Between Children‟S Socio-Economic Status And Their Performance On The Passive Subtest Of The Diagnostic Evaluation Of Language Variation – Norm Referenced, Maggie Faulk Deville

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Lsu Research Fall 2011, Louisiana State University And Agricultural And Mechanical College

Research Magazine

LSU Research is published annually by the Office of Research & Economic Development, Louisiana State University.

Pparγ-Independent Increase In Glucose Uptake And Adiponectin Abundance In Fat Cells, Olga Dubuisson, Emily J. Dhurandhar, Rashmi Krishnapuram, Heather Kirk-Ballard, Alok K. Gupta, Vijay Hegde, Elizabeth Floyd, Jeffrey M. Gimble, Nikhil V. Dhurandhar

Faculty Publications

Although thiazolidinediones (TZD) effectively improve hyperglycemia and increase adiponectin, a proinsulin-sensitizing adipokine, they also increase adipogenesis via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ induction, which may be undesirable. Recent safety concerns about some TZD have prompted the search for next generation agents that can enhance glycemic control and adiponectin independent of PPARγ or adipogenesis. Reminiscent of TZD action, a human adenovirus, adenovirus 36 (Ad36), up-regulates PPARγ, induces adipogenesis, and improves systemic glycemic control in vivo. We determined whether this effect of Ad36 requires PPARγ and/or adipogenesis. Glucose uptake and relevant cell signaling were determined in mock-infected or human adenoviruses Ad36 or Ad2-infected …

F11rs Sgb No. 1 (Election Code), Loga, Beadle, Frias, Sullivan

Student Senate Enrolled Legislation

A BILL

To amend the Student Government Election Code

A Once And Future Gulf Of Mexico Ecosystem: Restoration Recommendations Of An Expert Working Group, Charles H. Peterson, Felicia C. Coleman, Jeremy B. C. Jackson, R. Eugene Turner, Gilbert T. Rowe, Richard T. Barber, Karen A. Bjorndal, Robert S. Carney, Robert K. Cowen, Jonathan M. Hoekstra, James T. Hollibaugh, Shirley B. Laska, Richard A. Luettich, Jr., Craig W. Osenberg, Stephen E. Roady, Stanley Senner, John M. Teal, Ping Wong

Faculty Publications

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) well blowout released more petroleum hydrocarbons into the marine environment than any previous U.S. oil spill (4.9 million barrels), fouling marine life, damaging deep sea and shoreline habitats and causing closures of economically valuable fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. A suite of pollutants—liquid and gaseous petroleum compounds plus chemical dispersants—poured into ecosystems that had already been stressed by overfishing, development and global climate change. Beyond the direct effects that were captured in dramatic photographs of oiled birds in the media, it is likely that there are subtle, delayed, indirect and potentially synergistic impacts of these …

Aebp2 As An Epigenetic Regulator For Neural Crest Cells, Hana Kim, Keunsoo Kang, Muhammad B. Ekram, Tae Young Roh, Joomyeong Kim

Faculty Publications

Aebp2 is a potential targeting protein for the mammalian Polycomb Repression Complex 2 (PRC2). We generated a mutant mouse line disrupting the transcription of Aebp2 to investigate its in vivo roles. Aebp2-mutant homozygotes were embryonic lethal while heterozygotes survived to adulthood with fertility. In developing mouse embryos, Aebp2 is expressed mainly within cells of neural crest origin. In addition, many heterozygotes display a set of phenotypes, enlarged colon and hypopigmentation, similar to those observed in human patients with Hirschsprung's disease and Waardenburg syndrome. These phenotypes are usually caused by the absence of the neural crest-derived ganglia in hindguts and melanocytes. …

Enhancing Arabidopsis Leaf Growth By Engineering The Brassinosteroid Insensitive1 Receptor Kinase, Man Ho Oh, Jindong Sun, Dong Ha Oh, Raymond E. Zielinski, Steven D. Clouse, Steven C. Huber

Faculty Publications

The BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1 (BRI1) receptor kinase has recently been shown to possess tyrosine kinase activity, and preventing autophosphorylation of the tyrosine-831 regulatory site by site-directed mutagenesis enhances shoot growth. In this study, we characterized the increased leaf growth of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants expressing BRI1(Y831F)-Flag compared with BRI1-Flag (both driven by the native promoter and expressed in the bri1-5 weak allele background) and provide insights into the possible mechanisms involved. On average, relative leaf growth rate was increased 16% in the Y831F plants (in the bri1-5 background), and the gain of function of the Y831F-directed mutant was dominant in the …

Stat5a Expression In Swiss 3t3 Cells Promotes Adipogenesis In Vivo In An Athymic Mice Model System, William C. Stewart, Lisa A. Pearcy, Z. Elizabeth Floyd, Jacqueline M. Stephens

Faculty Publications

Many studies from our laboratories and others have shown that STAT5 expression and activity are increased during adipogenesis of murine and human adipocytes. Ectopic expression of STAT5A in fibroblasts or preadipocytes can confer or enhance adipogenesis. To determine whether STAT5A also plays a role in adipogenesis in vivo, we injected athymic mice with Swiss 3T3 cells expressing an empty pBABE retrovirus, Swiss cells expressing a pBABE retrovirus-containing STAT5A, or 3T3-F442A preadipocytes. Athymic mice injected with either 3T3-F442A cells or Swiss 3T3 cells expressing STAT5A resulted in fat pad formation at the site of injection. However, mice injected with Swiss cells …

Faculty Senate Newsletter, September 2011, Louisiana State University And Agricultural & Mechanical College

LSU Faculty Senate Publications

Message from President: It would be fair enough to borrow from Shakespeare and proclaim the long budget crisis, which bodes to run from 2008 until 2013, as the fully nuclear winter of our discontent. Alas for the spirits of sorrow, the perpetual summer of our tropical state leaves us without adequate imagery to describe the gloom that pervades a campus that has been daunted by the people’s penury and demoralized by unaccountable private critics of exposed public servants. As Shakespeare well understood when he analyzed King Richard III, the deformity of the world eventually deforms even the strongest soul. Several …

Calophya Latiforceps, A New Species Of Jumping Plant Lice (Hemiptera: Calophyidae) Associated With Schinus Terebinthifolius (Anacardiaceae) In Brazil, D. Burckhardt, J. P. Cuda, V. Manrique, R. Diaz, W. A. Overholt, D. A. Williams, L. R. Christ, M. D. Vitorino

Faculty Publications

Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi, is a perennial woody plant native to Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay that is recognized as one of the most invasive weeds in Florida. A new species of leaflet galling psyllid was discovered attacking Brazilian peppertree in Bahia, Brazil in March 2010. In this paper, a formal morphological description of the new psyllid Calophya latiforceps sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Calophyidae) is presented along with molecular evidence confirming new species designation. This previously unknown natural enemy may have potential as a biological control agent for the Brazilian peppertree. Copyright © 2011 BioOne All rights reserved.

Arabidopsis Rtnlb1 And Rtnlb2 Reticulon-Like Proteins Regulate Intracellular Trafficking And Activity Of The Fls2 Immune Receptor, Hyoung Yool Lee, Christopher Hyde Bowen, George Viorel Popescu, Hong Gu Kang, Naohiro Kato, Shisong Ma, Savithramma Dinesh-Kumar, Michael Snyder, Sorina Claudia Popescu

Faculty Publications

Receptors localized at the plasma membrane are critical for the recognition of pathogens. The molecular determinants that regulate receptor transport to the plasma membrane are poorly understood. In a screen for proteins that interact with the FLAGELIN-SENSITIVE2 (FLS2) receptor using Arabidopsis thaliana protein microarrays, we identified the reticulon-like protein RTNLB1. We showed that FLS2 interacts in vivo with both RTNLB1 and its homolog RTNLB2 and that a Ser-rich region in the N-terminal tail of RTNLB1 is critical for the interaction with FLS2. Transgenic plants that lack RTNLB1 and RTNLB2 (rtnlb1 rtnlb2) or overexpress RTNLB1 (RTNLB1ox) exhibit reduced activation of FLS2-dependent …

Decoding The Genome With An Integrative Analysis Tool: Combinatorial Crm Decoder, Keunsoo Kang, Joomyeong Kim, Jae Hoon Chung, Daeyoup Lee

Faculty Publications

The identification of genome-wide cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) and characterization of their associated epigenetic features are fundamental steps toward the understanding of gene regulatory networks. Although integrative analysis of available genome-wide information can provide new biological insights, the lack of novel methodologies has become a major bottleneck. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis tool called combinatorial CRM decoder (CCD), which utilizes the publicly available information to identify and characterize genome-wide CRMs in a species of interest. CCD first defines a set of the epigenetic features which is significantly associated with a set of known CRMs as a code called 'trace code', …

Direct Anthelmintic Effects Of Cereus Jamacaru (Cactaceae) On Trichostrongylid Nematodes Of Sheep: In Vivo Studies, A. F. Vatta, C. Kandu-Lelo, I. O. Ademola, J. N. Eloff

Faculty Publications

Following claims of anthelmintic activity of Cereus jamacaru DC (Cactaceae) by a commercial farmer, in vivo studies were conducted to determine the possible direct anthelmintic effects of the plant on ovine gastrointestinal nematodes. Eighteen sheep were infected with 4000 Haemonchus contortus and 6000 Trichostrongylus colubriformis larvae given in three divided doses over a period of three days. Once the infections were patent, the sheep were allocated to three groups and were drenched once a week for six weeks with fresh blended C. jamacaru plant material at a single (32.3. g/sheep) or double dose (64.6. g/sheep) or they remained as undrenched …

Intraspecific Aflatoxin Inhibition In Aspergillus Flavus Is Thigmoregulated, Independent Of Vegetative Compatibility Group And Is Strain Dependent, Changwei Huang, Archana Jha, Rebecca Sweany, Catherine Derobertis, Kenneth E. Damann

Faculty Publications

Biological control of preharvest aflatoxin contamination by atoxigenic stains of Aspergillus flavus has been demonstrated in several crops. The assumption is that some form of competition suppresses the fungus's ability to infect or produce aflatoxin when challenged. Intraspecific aflatoxin inhibition was demonstrated by others. This work investigates the mechanistic basis of that phenomenon. A toxigenic and atoxigenic isolate of A. flavus which exhibited intraspecific aflatoxin inhibition when grown together in suspended disc culture were not inhibited when grown in a filter insert-plate well system separated by a.4 or 3 μm membrane. Toxigenic and atoxigenic conidial mixtures (50:50) placed on both …

Inhibition Of Neutrophil Apoptosis By Pai-1, Jaroslaw W. Zmijewski, Hong Beom Bae, Jessy S. Deshane, Cynthia B. Peterson, David D. Chaplin, Edward Abraham

Faculty Publications

Increased circulating and tissue levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) are often present in severe inflammatory states associated with neutrophil activation and accumulation and correlate with poor clinical outcome from many of these conditions. The mechanisms by which PAI-1 contributes to inflammation have not been fully delineated. In the present experiments, we found that addition of PAI-1 to neutrophil cultures diminished the rate of spontaneous and TNFrelated apoptosis-inducing ligand-induced apoptotic cell death. The effects of PAI-1 on cell viability were associated with activation of antiapoptotic signaling pathways, including upregulation of PKB/Akt, Mcl-1, and Bcl-xL. Although urokinase-plasminogen activator receptor, lipoprotein …

Role Of Ph In A Nitric Oxide-Dependent Increase In Cytosolic Cl - In Retinal Amacrine Cells, Emily Mcmains, Evanna Gleason

Faculty Publications

Nitric oxide (NO) synthase-expressing neurons are found throughout the vertebrate retina. Previous work by our laboratory has shown that NO can transiently convert inhibitory GABAergic synapses onto cultured retinal amacrine cells into excitatory synapses by releasing Cl - from an internal store in the postsynaptic cell. The mechanism underlying this Cl -release is currently unknown. Because transport of Cl - across internal membranes can be coupled to proton flux, we asked whether protons could be involved in the NO-dependent release of internal Cl -. Using pH imaging and whole cell voltage-clamp recording, we addressed the relationship between cytosolic pH and …

Identification Of Cytochrome P450 2c2 Protein Complexes In Mouse Liver, Bin Li, Peter Yau, Byron Kemper

Faculty Publications

Interactions of microsomal cytochromes P450 (CYPs) with other proteins in the microsomal membrane are important for their function. In addition to their redox partners, CYPs have been reported to interact with other proteins not directly involved in their enzymatic function. In this study, proteins were identified that interact with CYP2C2 in vivo in mouse liver. Flag-tagged CYP2C2 was expressed exogenously in mouse liver and was affinity purified, along with associated proteins which were identified by MS and confirmed by Western blotting. Over 20 proteins reproducibly copurified with CYP2C2. The heterogeneous sedimentation velocity of CYP2C2 and associated proteins by centrifugation in …

Some Low Homogenization Pressures Improve Certain Probiotic Characteristics Of Yogurt Culture Bacteria And Lactobacillus Acidophilus La-K1, T. Muramalla, K. J. Aryana

Faculty Publications

Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Streptococcus salivarius ssp. thermophilus, and Lactobacillus acidophilus are dairy cultures widely used in the manufacture of cultured dairy products. Commonly used homogenization pressures in the dairy industry are 13.80 MPa or less. It is not known whether low homogenization pressures can stimulate bacteria to improve their probiotic characteristics. Objectives were to determine the effect of homogenization at 0, 3.45, 6.90, 10.34, and 13.80 MPa on acid tolerance, bile tolerance, protease activity, and growth of L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus LB-12, S. salivarius ssp. thermophilus ST-M5, and L. acidophilus LA-K. The cultures were individually inoculated in cool autoclaved …

Dietary Whey Protein Decreases Food Intake And Body Fat In Rats, June Zhou, Michael J. Keenan, Jack N. Losso, Anne M. Raggio, Li Shen, Kathleen L. Mccutcheon, Richard T. Tulley, Marc R. Blackman, Roy J. Martin

Faculty Publications

We investigated the effects of dietary whey protein on food intake, body fat, and body weight gain in rats. Adult (11-12 week) male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three dietary treatment groups for a 10-week study: control. Whey protein (HP-W), or high-protein content control (HP-S). Albumin was used as the basic protein source for all three diets. HP-W and HP-S diets contained an additional 24% (wt/wt) whey or isoflavone-free soy protein, respectively. Food intake, body weight, body fat, respiratory quotient (RQ), plasma cholecystokinin (CCK), glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1), peptide YY (PYY), and leptin were measured during and/or at the end …

Up-Regulation Of P-Glycoprotein Reduces Intracellular Accumulation Of Beta Amyloid: Investigation Of P-Glycoprotein As A Novel Therapeutic Target For Alzheimer's Disease, Alaa H. Abuznait, Courtney Cain, Drury Ingram, David Burk, Amal Kaddoumi

Faculty Publications

Objectives: Several studies have suggested the efflux transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp) to play a role in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease through the clearance of amyloid beta (Aβ) from the brain. In this study, we aimed to investigate the possibility of P-gp as a potential therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease by examining the impact of P-gp up-regulation on the clearance of Aβ, a neuropathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Methods: Uptake studies for 125I-radiolabelled Aβ 1-40, and fluorescent immunostaining technique for P-gp and fluorescent imaging of Aβ 1-40 were carried out in LS-180 cells following treatment with drugs known to induce P-gp …

Spatial Ecology Of The Palm-Leaf Skeletonizer, Homaledra Sabelella (Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae), James T. Cronin

Faculty Publications

Understanding the processes that determine the distribution of populations is a fundamental goal in ecology. In this study, I determined the relative contribution of space and the biotic and abiotic environment to the distribution of the palm-leaf skeletonizer Homaledra sabalella (PLS; Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae) among patchily distributed dwarf palmettos (Sabal minor; Arecaceae). Based on surveys conducted at two sites in the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area, Louisiana, I found that the distribution of the PLS was primarily related to local environmental conditions - number of PLS increased with palmetto height, was greater in dry versus wet habitats, and varied in an inconsistent …