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Emerging Roles Of Jak-Stat Signaling Pathways In Adipocytes, Allison J. Richard, Jacqueline M. Stephens Aug 2011

Emerging Roles Of Jak-Stat Signaling Pathways In Adipocytes, Allison J. Richard, Jacqueline M. Stephens

Faculty Publications

Twenty years ago, adipocytes were largely considered to be inert energy-storage depots. We now know that fat cells are highly insulin-sensitive with significant endocrine functions. Alterations in adipocyte development or function can contribute to metabolic disease, in particular type 2 diabetes. The current obesity epidemic that plagues many nations provides a strong rationale for understanding basic adipocyte biology. The JAK-STAT signaling pathway mediates the action of a variety of hormones that have profound effects on adipocyte development and function. In addition, adipocytes secrete hormones that utilize this signaling pathway. This review summarizes research on the expression and function of JAKs …

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Potassium, Phosphorus, Or Nitrogen Limit Root Allocation, Tree Growth, Or Litter Production In A Lowland Tropical Forest, S. Joseph Wright, Joseph B. Yavitt, Nina Wurzburger, Benjamin I. Turner, Edmund V.J. Tanner, Emma J. Sayer, Louis S. Santiago, Michael Kaspari, Lars O. Hedin, Kyle E. Harms, Milton N. Garcia, Marife D. Corre Aug 2011

Potassium, Phosphorus, Or Nitrogen Limit Root Allocation, Tree Growth, Or Litter Production In A Lowland Tropical Forest, S. Joseph Wright, Joseph B. Yavitt, Nina Wurzburger, Benjamin I. Turner, Edmund V.J. Tanner, Emma J. Sayer, Louis S. Santiago, Michael Kaspari, Lars O. Hedin, Kyle E. Harms, Milton N. Garcia, Marife D. Corre

Faculty Publications

We maintained a factorial nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) addition experiment for 11 years in a humid lowland forest growing on a relatively fertile soil in Panama to evaluate potential nutrient limitation of tree growth rates, fine-litter production, and fine-root biomass. We replicated the eight factorial treatments four times using 32 plots of 40×40 m each. The addition of K was associated with significant decreases in stand-level fineroot biomass and, in a companion study of seedlings, decreases in allocation to roots and increases in height growth rates. The addition of K and N together was associated with significant …

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Role Of Ph In A Nitric Oxide-Dependent Increase In Cytosolic Cl - In Retinal Amacrine Cells, Emily Mcmains, Evanna Gleason Aug 2011

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 …

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Identification Of Cytochrome P450 2c2 Protein Complexes In Mouse Liver, Bin Li, Peter Yau, Byron Kemper Aug 2011

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 …

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Temporal And Spatial Variability In Culturable Pathogenic Vibrio Spp. In Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, Following Hurricanes Katrina And Rita, Olivia D. Nigro, Aixin Hou, Gayatri Vithanage, Roger S. Fujioka, Grieg F. Steward Aug 2011

Temporal And Spatial Variability In Culturable Pathogenic Vibrio Spp. In Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, Following Hurricanes Katrina And Rita, Olivia D. Nigro, Aixin Hou, Gayatri Vithanage, Roger S. Fujioka, Grieg F. Steward

Faculty Publications

We investigated the abundance, distribution, and virulence gene content of Vibrio cholerae, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. vulnificus in the waters of southern Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana on four occasions from October 2005 to September 2006, using selective cultivation and molecular assays. The three targeted pathogenic vibrios were generally below the detection level in January 2006, when the water was cold (13°C), and most abundant in September 2006, when the lake water was warmest (30°C). The maximum values for these species were higher than reported previously for the lake by severalfold to orders of magnitude. The only variable consistently correlated with …

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Some Low Homogenization Pressures Improve Certain Probiotic Characteristics Of Yogurt Culture Bacteria And Lactobacillus Acidophilus La-K1, T. Muramalla, K. J. Aryana Aug 2011

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 …

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Genetic Architecture Of Aluminum Tolerance In Rice (Oryza Sativa) Determined Through Genome-Wide Association Analysis And Qtl Mapping, Adam N. Famoso, Keyan Zhao, Randy T. Clark, Chih Wei Tung, Mark H. Wright, Carlos Bustamante, Leon V. Kochian, Susan R. Mccouch Aug 2011

Genetic Architecture Of Aluminum Tolerance In Rice (Oryza Sativa) Determined Through Genome-Wide Association Analysis And Qtl Mapping, Adam N. Famoso, Keyan Zhao, Randy T. Clark, Chih Wei Tung, Mark H. Wright, Carlos Bustamante, Leon V. Kochian, Susan R. Mccouch

Faculty Publications

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is a primary limitation to crop productivity on acid soils, and rice has been demonstrated to be significantly more Al tolerant than other cereal crops. However, the mechanisms of rice Al tolerance are largely unknown, and no genes underlying natural variation have been reported. We screened 383 diverse rice accessions, conducted a genome-wide association (GWA) study, and conducted QTL mapping in two bi-parental populations using three estimates of Al tolerance based on root growth. Subpopulation structure explained 57% of the phenotypic variation, and the mean Al tolerance in Japonica was twice that of Indica. Forty-eight regions associated …

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Infrared Laser Ablation Sample Transfer For Maldi And Electrospray, Sung Gun Park, Kermit King Murray Aug 2011

Infrared Laser Ablation Sample Transfer For Maldi And Electrospray, Sung Gun Park, Kermit King Murray

Faculty Publications

We have used an infrared laser to ablate materials under ambient conditions that were captured in solvent droplets. The droplets were either deposited on a MALDI target for off-line analysis by MALDI time-of-flight mass spectrometry or flow-injected into a nanoelectrospray source of an ion trap mass spectrometer. An infrared optical parametric oscillator (OPO) laser system at 2.94 μm wavelength and approximately 1 mJ pulse energy was focused onto samples for ablation at atmospheric pressure. The ablated material was captured in a solvent droplet 1-2 mm in diameter that was suspended from a silica capillary a few millimeters above the sample …

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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 Aug 2011

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 …

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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 Aug 2011

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 …

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Spatial Ecology Of The Palm-Leaf Skeletonizer, Homaledra Sabelella (Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae), James T. Cronin Jul 2011

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 …

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Ψ-Ra: A Parallel Sparse Index For Genomic Read Alignment, M. Oǧuzhan Külekci, Wing Kai Hon, Rahul Shah, Jeffrey Scott Vitter, Bojian Xu Jul 2011

Ψ-Ra: A Parallel Sparse Index For Genomic Read Alignment, M. Oǧuzhan Külekci, Wing Kai Hon, Rahul Shah, Jeffrey Scott Vitter, Bojian Xu

Faculty Publications

Background: Genomic read alignment involves mapping (exactly or approximately) short reads from a particular individual onto a pre-sequenced reference genome of the same species. Because all individuals of the same species share the majority of their genomes, short reads alignment provides an alternative and much more efficient way to sequence the genome of a particular individual than does direct sequencing. Among many strategies proposed for this alignment process, indexing the reference genome and short read searching over the index is a dominant technique. Our goal is to design a space-efficient indexing structure with fast searching capability to catch the massive …

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A Genetically Tagged Psb27 Protein Allows Purification Of Two Consecutive Photosystem Ii (Psii) Assembly Intermediates In Synechocystis 6803, A Cyanobacterium, Haijun Liu, Johnna L. Roose, Jeffrey C. Cameron, Himadri B. Pakrasi Jul 2011

A Genetically Tagged Psb27 Protein Allows Purification Of Two Consecutive Photosystem Ii (Psii) Assembly Intermediates In Synechocystis 6803, A Cyanobacterium, Haijun Liu, Johnna L. Roose, Jeffrey C. Cameron, Himadri B. Pakrasi

Faculty Publications

Photosystem II (PSII) is a large membrane bound molecular machine that catalyzes light-driven oxygen evolution from water. PSII constantly undergoes assembly and disassembly because of the unavoidable damage that results from its normal photochemistry. Thus, under physiological conditions, in addition to the active PSII complexes, there are always PSII subpopulations incompetent of oxygen evolution, but are in the process of undergoing elaborate biogenesis and repair. These transient complexes are difficult to characterize because of their low abundance, structural heterogeneity, and thermodynamic instability. In this study, we show that a genetically tagged Psb27 protein allows for the biochemical purification of two …

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Preliminary Assessment Of Hybridization And Introgression Of Morone Species In The Toledo Bend Reservoir, Louisiana, Kelsey L. Daroca Jul 2011

Preliminary Assessment Of Hybridization And Introgression Of Morone Species In The Toledo Bend Reservoir, Louisiana, Kelsey L. Daroca

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

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A Response To Mooi, Williams And Gill, Edward O. Wiley, Prosanta Chakrabarty, Matthew T. Craig, Matthew P. Davis, Nancy I. Holcroft, Richard L. Mayden, W. M.Leo Smith Jul 2011

A Response To Mooi, Williams And Gill, Edward O. Wiley, Prosanta Chakrabarty, Matthew T. Craig, Matthew P. Davis, Nancy I. Holcroft, Richard L. Mayden, W. M.Leo Smith

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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Arabidopsis Pht1;5 Mobilizes Phosphate Between Source And Sink Organs And Influences The Interaction Between Phosphate Homeostasis And Ethylene Signaling, Vinay K. Nagarajan, Ajay Jain, Michael D. Poling, Anthony J. Lewis, Kashchandra G. Raghothama, Aaron P. Smith Jul 2011

Arabidopsis Pht1;5 Mobilizes Phosphate Between Source And Sink Organs And Influences The Interaction Between Phosphate Homeostasis And Ethylene Signaling, Vinay K. Nagarajan, Ajay Jain, Michael D. Poling, Anthony J. Lewis, Kashchandra G. Raghothama, Aaron P. Smith

Faculty Publications

Phosphorus (P) remobilization in plants is required for continuous growth and development. The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) inorganic phosphate (Pi) transporter Pht1;5 has been implicated in mobilizing stored Pi out of older leaves. In this study, we used a reverse genetics approach to study the role of Pht1;5 in Pi homeostasis. Under low-Pi conditions, Pht1;5 loss of function (pht1;5-1) resulted in reduced P allocation to shoots and elevated transcript levels for several Pi starvation-response genes. Under Pi-replete conditions, pht1;5-1 had higher shoot P content compared with the wild type but had reduced P content in roots. Constitutive overexpression of Pht1;5 had …

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Regulation Of The Edwardsiella Ictaluri Type Iii Secretion System By Ph And Phosphate Concentration Through Esra, Esrb, And Esrc, Matthew L. Rogge, Ronald L. Thune Jul 2011

Regulation Of The Edwardsiella Ictaluri Type Iii Secretion System By Ph And Phosphate Concentration Through Esra, Esrb, And Esrc, Matthew L. Rogge, Ronald L. Thune

Faculty Publications

A recently described Edwardsiella ictaluri type III secretion system (T3SS) with functional similarity to the Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 T3SS is required for replication in channel catfish head-kidney-derived macrophages (HKDM) and virulence in channel catfish. Quantitative PCR and Western blotting identified low pH and phosphate limitation as conducive to expression of the E. ictaluri T3SS, growth conditions that mimic the phagosomal environment. Mutagenesis studies demonstrated that expression is under the control of the EsrAB two-component regulatory system. EsrB also induces upregulation of the AraC-type regulatory protein EsrC, which enhances expression of the EscB/EseG chaperone/effector operon in concert with EsrB and …

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Acquisition Of Rickettsia Felis By Cat Fleas During Feeding, Kathryn E. Reif, Michael T. Kearney, Lane D. Foil, Kevin R. Macaluso Jul 2011

Acquisition Of Rickettsia Felis By Cat Fleas During Feeding, Kathryn E. Reif, Michael T. Kearney, Lane D. Foil, Kevin R. Macaluso

Faculty Publications

Evidence for horizontal routes of transmission for Rickettsia felis has come from detection of R. felis infection in vertebrates and multiple blood-feeding arthropods; however, infection of cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis, during blood feeding has not been demonstrated. In this study, the ability of cat fleas to acquire R. felis through an infectious blood meal with subsequent vertical transmission was examined. Utilizing an artificial feeding system, Rickettsia-naive fleas were exposed to R. felis-infected blood meals and monitored for subsequent infection at weekly intervals for 4 weeks. At 7 days postexposure (dpe) ∼52% of fleas successfully acquired rickettsiae and R. felis DNA; …

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Louisiana Agriculture Summer, 2011 Jul 2011

Louisiana Agriculture Summer, 2011

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

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Altered Gene Expression And Spongiotrophoblast Differentiation In Placenta From A Mouse Model Of Diabetes In Pregnancy, J. M. Salbaum, C. Kruger, X. Zhang, N. Arbour Delahaye, G. Pavlinkova, D. H. Burk, C. Kappen Jul 2011

Altered Gene Expression And Spongiotrophoblast Differentiation In Placenta From A Mouse Model Of Diabetes In Pregnancy, J. M. Salbaum, C. Kruger, X. Zhang, N. Arbour Delahaye, G. Pavlinkova, D. H. Burk, C. Kappen

Faculty Publications

Aims/hypothesis: Pregnancies complicated by diabetes have a higher risk of adverse outcomes for mothers and children, including predisposition to disease later in life, e.g. metabolic syndrome and hypertension. We hypothesised that adverse outcomes from diabetic pregnancies may be linked to compromised placental function, and sought to identify cellular and molecular abnormalities in diabetic placenta. Methods: Using a mouse model of diabetic pregnancy, placental gene expression was assayed at mid-gestation and cellular composition analysed at various stages. Genome-wide expression profiling was validated by quantitative PCR and tissue localisation studies were performed to identify cellular correlates of altered gene expression in diabetic …

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Transcriptional Profiles Uncover Aspergillus Flavus-Induced Resistance In Maize Kernels, Meng Luo, Robert L. Brown, Zhi Yuan Chen, Abebe Menkir, Jiujiang Yu, Deepak Bhatnagar Jul 2011

Transcriptional Profiles Uncover Aspergillus Flavus-Induced Resistance In Maize Kernels, Meng Luo, Robert L. Brown, Zhi Yuan Chen, Abebe Menkir, Jiujiang Yu, Deepak Bhatnagar

Faculty Publications

Aflatoxin contamination caused by the opportunistic pathogen A. flavus is a major concern in maize production prior to harvest and through storage. Previous studies have highlighted the constitutive production of proteins involved in maize kernel resistance against A. flavus' infection. However, little is known about induced resistance nor about defense gene expression and regulation in kernels. In this study, maize oligonucleotide arrays and a pair of closely-related maize lines varying in aflatoxin accumulation were used to reveal the gene expression network in imbibed mature kernels in response to A. flavus' challenge. Inoculated kernels were incubated 72 h via the laboratory-based …

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Infectivity Period Of Mice Inoculated With Human Adenoviruses, Rashmi Krishnapuram, Heather Kirk-Ballard, Aamri Zuberi, Nikhil V. Dhurandhar Jun 2011

Infectivity Period Of Mice Inoculated With Human Adenoviruses, Rashmi Krishnapuram, Heather Kirk-Ballard, Aamri Zuberi, Nikhil V. Dhurandhar

Faculty Publications

Due to non-productive infections, mice are not a good model to study some human adenoviruses. However, mice provide an excellent model to study the metabolic effects of human adenovirus, Ad36. Research interest in Ad36 is increasing rapidly, and consequently an increase in the use of mice as a model is anticipated. However, little is known about the transmission potential of Ad36 from infected mice to other laboratory animals or personnel. While underestimating the infectivity could promote inadvertent spread of Ad36, overstating it could drain valuable laboratory resources and animals. Therefore, we determined the duration of infectivity in female C57BL/6J mice …

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Understory Bird Communities In Amazonian Rainforest Fragments: Species Turnover Through 25 Years Post-Isolation In Recovering Landscapes, Philip C. Stouffer, Erik I. Johnson, Richard O. Bierregaard, Thomas E. Lovejoy Jun 2011

Understory Bird Communities In Amazonian Rainforest Fragments: Species Turnover Through 25 Years Post-Isolation In Recovering Landscapes, Philip C. Stouffer, Erik I. Johnson, Richard O. Bierregaard, Thomas E. Lovejoy

Faculty Publications

Inferences about species loss following habitat conversion are typically drawn from short-term surveys, which cannot reconstruct long-term temporal dynamics of extinction and colonization. A long-term view can be critical, however, to determine the stability of communities within fragments. Likewise, landscape dynamics must be considered, as second growth structure and overall forest cover contribute to processes in fragments. Here we examine bird communities in 11 Amazonian rainforest fragments of 1-100 ha, beginning before the fragments were isolated in the 1980s, and continuing through 2007. Using a method that accounts for imperfect detection, we estimated extinction and colonization based on standardized mist-net …

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Surface Modification Of Droplet Polymeric Microfluidic Devices For The Stable And Continuous Generation Of Aqueous Droplets, Balamurugan Subramanian, Namwon Kim, Wonbae Lee, David A. Spivak, Dimitris E. Nikitopoulos, Robin L. Mccarley, Steven A. Soper Jun 2011

Surface Modification Of Droplet Polymeric Microfluidic Devices For The Stable And Continuous Generation Of Aqueous Droplets, Balamurugan Subramanian, Namwon Kim, Wonbae Lee, David A. Spivak, Dimitris E. Nikitopoulos, Robin L. Mccarley, Steven A. Soper

Faculty Publications

Droplet microfluidics performed in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microfluidic devices resulted in significant wall wetting by water droplets formed in a liquid-liquid segmented flow when using a hydrophobic carrier fluid such as perfluorotripropylamine (FC-3283). This wall wetting led to water droplets with nonuniform sizes that were often trapped on the wall surfaces, leading to unstable and poorly controlled liquid-liquid segmented flow. To circumvent this problem, we developed a two-step procedure to hydrophobically modify the surfaces of PMMA and other thermoplastic materials commonly used to make microfluidic devices. The surface-modification route involved the introduction of hydroxyl groups by oxygen plasma treatment of …

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The Gp130 Receptor Cytokine Family: Regulators Of Adipocyte Development And Function, Ursula A. White, Jacqueline M. Stephens Jun 2011

The Gp130 Receptor Cytokine Family: Regulators Of Adipocyte Development And Function, Ursula A. White, Jacqueline M. Stephens

Faculty Publications

Gp130 cytokines are involved in the regulation of numerous biological processes, including hematopoiesis, immune response, inflammation, cardiovascular action, and neuronal survival. These cytokines share glycoprotein 130 as a common signal transducer in their receptor complex and typically activate STAT3. Most gp130 cytokines have paracrine or endocrine actions, and their levels can be measured in circulation in rodents and humans. In recent years, various laboratories have conducted studies to demonstrate that gp130 cytokines can modulate adipocyte development and function. Therefore, these studies suggest that some gp130 cytokines may be viable anti obesity therapeutics. In this review, we will summarize the reported …

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Two Distinct Ferritin-Like Molecules In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa: The Product Of The Bfra Gene Is A Bacterial Ferritin (Ftna) And Not A Bacterioferritin (Bfr), Huili Yao, Grace Jepkorir, Scott Lovell, Pavithra V. Nama, Saroja Weeratunga, Kevin P. Battaile, Mario Rivera Jun 2011

Two Distinct Ferritin-Like Molecules In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa: The Product Of The Bfra Gene Is A Bacterial Ferritin (Ftna) And Not A Bacterioferritin (Bfr), Huili Yao, Grace Jepkorir, Scott Lovell, Pavithra V. Nama, Saroja Weeratunga, Kevin P. Battaile, Mario Rivera

Faculty Publications

Two distinct types of ferritin-like molecules often coexist in bacteria, the heme binding bacterioferritins (Bfr) and the non-heme binding bacterial ferritins (Ftn). The early isolation of a ferritin-like molecule from Pseudomonas aeruginosa suggested the possibility of a bacterioferritin assembled from two different subunits [Moore, G. R., et al. (1994) Biochem. J. 304, 493-497]. Subsequent studies demonstrated the presence of two genes encoding ferritin-like molecules in P. aeruginosa, designated bfrA and bfrB, and suggested that two distinct bacterioferritins may coexist [Ma, J.-F., et al. (1999) J. Bacteriol. 181, 3730-3742]. In this report, we present structural evidence demonstrating that the product of …

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Intracellular Targeting Specificity Of Novel Phthalocyanines Assessed In A Host-Parasite Model For Developing Potential Photodynamic Medicine, Sujoy Dutta, Benson G. Ongarora, Hairong Li, Maria Graca H. Da Vicente, Bala K. Kolli, Kwang Poo Chang Jun 2011

Intracellular Targeting Specificity Of Novel Phthalocyanines Assessed In A Host-Parasite Model For Developing Potential Photodynamic Medicine, Sujoy Dutta, Benson G. Ongarora, Hairong Li, Maria Graca H. Da Vicente, Bala K. Kolli, Kwang Poo Chang

Faculty Publications

Photodynamic therapy, unlikely to elicit drug-resistance, deserves attention as a strategy to counter this outstanding problem common to the chemotherapy of all diseases. Previously, we have broadened the applicability of this modality to photodynamic vaccination by exploiting the unusual properties of the trypanosomatid protozoa, Leishmania, i.e., their innate ability of homing to the phagolysosomes of the antigen-presenting cells and their selective photolysis therein, using transgenic mutants endogenously inducible for porphyrin accumulation. Here, we extended the utility of this host-parasite model for in vitro photodynamic therapy and vaccination by exploring exogenously supplied photosensitizers. Seventeen novel phthalocyanines (Pcs) were screened in vitro …

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Iron-Sulfur Proteins Are The Major Source Of Protein-Bound Dinitrosyl Iron Complexes Formed In Escherichia Coli Cells Under Nitric Oxide Stress, Aaron P. Landry, Xuewu Duan, Hao Huang, Huangen Ding Jun 2011

Iron-Sulfur Proteins Are The Major Source Of Protein-Bound Dinitrosyl Iron Complexes Formed In Escherichia Coli Cells Under Nitric Oxide Stress, Aaron P. Landry, Xuewu Duan, Hao Huang, Huangen Ding

Faculty Publications

Protein-bound dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNICs) have been observed in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells under nitric oxide (NO) stress. The identity of proteins that bind DNICs, however, still remains elusive. Here we demonstrate that iron-sulfur proteins are the major source of protein-bound DNICs formed in Escherichia coli cells under NO stress. Expression of recombinant iron-sulfur proteins, but not proteins without iron-sulfur clusters, almost doubles the amount of protein-bound DNICs formed in E. coli cells after NO exposure. Purification of recombinant proteins from the NO-exposed E. coli cells further confirms that iron-sulfur proteins, but not proteins without iron-sulfur clusters, are modified, forming …

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Branchless Trichomes Links Cell Shape And Cell Cycle Control In Arabidopsis Trichomes, Remmy Kasili, Cho Chun Huang, Jason D. Walker, L. Alice Simmons, Jing Zhou, Chris Faulk, Martin Hülskamp, John C. Larkin Jun 2011

Branchless Trichomes Links Cell Shape And Cell Cycle Control In Arabidopsis Trichomes, Remmy Kasili, Cho Chun Huang, Jason D. Walker, L. Alice Simmons, Jing Zhou, Chris Faulk, Martin Hülskamp, John C. Larkin

Faculty Publications

Endoreplication, also called endoreduplication, is a modified cell cycle in which DNA is repeatedly replicated without subsequent cell division. Endoreplication is often associated with increased cell size and specialized cell shapes, but the mechanism coordinating DNA content with shape and size remains obscure. Here we identify the product of the BRANCHLESS TRICHOMES (BLT) gene, a protein of hitherto unknown function that has been conserved throughout angiosperm evolution, as a link in coordinating cell shape and nuclear DNA content in endoreplicated Arabidopsis trichomes. Loss-of-function mutations in BLT were found to enhance the multicellular trichome phenotype of mutants in the SIAMESE (SIM) …

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Vesicular Stomatitis Virus-Simian Retrovirus Type 2 Vaccine Protects Macaques From Detectable Infection And B-Cell Destruction, Rajeev Gautam, Arun Iyer, Meredith Hunter, Arpita Das, Tessa Williams, Jason Dufour, Cristian Apetrei, K. Gus Kousoulas, Preston A. Marx Jun 2011

Vesicular Stomatitis Virus-Simian Retrovirus Type 2 Vaccine Protects Macaques From Detectable Infection And B-Cell Destruction, Rajeev Gautam, Arun Iyer, Meredith Hunter, Arpita Das, Tessa Williams, Jason Dufour, Cristian Apetrei, K. Gus Kousoulas, Preston A. Marx

Faculty Publications

Natural infection with simian retrovirus (SRV) has long been recognized in rhesus macaques (RMs) and may result in an AIDS-like disease. Importantly, SRV infections persist as a problem in recently imported macaques. Therefore, there is a clear need to control SRV spread in macaque colonies. We developed a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-SRV vaccine consisting of replication-competent hybrid VSVs that express SRV gag and env in separate vectors. The goal of this study was to assess the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the VSV-SRV serotype 2 vaccine prime-boost approach in RMs. The VSV-SRV vector (expressing either SRV gag or env) …

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