Digital Commons Network^™

Ms 096 Guide To Ernst Knobil, Phd Papers (1942-2000), Ernst Knobil (1926-2000)

Manuscript Finding Aids

The notebooks from Dr. Knobil's research laboratories comprise the largest series (X). General Files, Series IV, contains material including correspondence, lectures and speeches from the early 1980s to 2000. It was retained in the alphabetical order it was received. Material in Series II was labeled Harvard and deals primarily with Dr. Knobil's tenure at Harvard University in the 1950s. Material about his Deanship of the University of Texas Medical School at Houston can be found in Series III and IV. See more at MS 096.

Ms 112 Guide To The Joseph L. Belsky, Md Papers (1947-1996), Joseph L. Belsky M.D.

Manuscript Finding Aids

Dr. Joseph Lewis Belsky was Chief of Medicine for the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC), a committee formed to study the long-term effects of radiation exposure on the residents of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan, from 1969-1972. (The ABCC was subsequently renamed the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF)). See more at MS 112.

Ms 113 Guide To Raymond D. Pruitt Papers (1930-1993), Raymond D. Pruitt (1912-1993)

Manuscript Finding Aids

The bulk of the Raymond D. Pruitt Papers consists of original manuscripts and/or copies of his professional and personal writings. A bibliography compiled from his curriculum vitae, documents in the papers and a PubMed search is provided. The major portion of his published and non-published documents cited in the bibliography are in this collection. Also included are photographs used in some of the printed articles and correspondence about some of his writings. See more at MS 113.

Wingless Activity In The Precursor Cells Specifies Neuronal Migratory Behavior In The Drosophila Nerve Cord, Krishna Moorthi Bhat

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Neurons and their precursor cells are formed in different regions within the developing CNS, but they migrate and occupy very specific sites in the mature CNS. The ultimate position of neurons is crucial for establishing proper synaptic connectivity in the brain. In Drosophila, despite its extensive use as a model system to study neurogenesis, we know almost nothing about neuronal migration or its regulation. In this paper, I show that one of the most studied neuronal pairs in the Drosophila nerve cord, RP2/sib, has a complicated migratory route. Based on my studies on Wingless (Wg) signaling, I report that the …

Insider Express, Houston Academy Of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library

Insider Express (2003-2013)

No abstract provided.

Human Tob, An Antiproliferative Transcription Factor, Is A Poly(A)-Binding Protein-Dependent Positive Regulator Of Cytoplasmic Mrna Deadenylation, Nader Ezzeddine, Tsung-Cheng Chang, Wenmiao Zhu, Akio Yamashita, Chyi-Ying A Chen, Zhenping Zhong, Yukiko Yamashita, Dinghai Zheng, Ann-Bin Shyu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In mammalian cells, mRNA decay begins with deadenylation, which involves two consecutive phases mediated by the PAN2-PAN3 and the CCR4-CAF1 complexes, respectively. The regulation of the critical deadenylation step and its relationship with RNA-processing bodies (P-bodies), which are thought to be a site where poly(A)-shortened mRNAs get degraded, are poorly understood. Using the Tet-Off transcriptional pulsing approach to investigate mRNA decay in mouse NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, we found that TOB, an antiproliferative transcription factor, enhances mRNA deadenylation in vivo. Results from glutathione S-transferase pull-down and coimmunoprecipitation experiments indicate that TOB can simultaneously interact with the poly(A) nuclease complex CCR4-CAF1 and …

The Routine Use Of Preoperative Non-Contrast Chest Computerized Tomography And Carotid Arteries Doppler Prior To Cardiac Surgery, Qing Fan, Kyung-Won Park, Zhiqiang Du, Kevin A Morano, Liming Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Yeast prions are a group of non-Mendelian genetic elements transmitted as altered and self-propagating conformations. Extensive studies in the last decade have provided valuable information on the mechanisms responsible for yeast prion propagation. How yeast prions are formed de novo and what cellular factors are required for determining prion "strains" or variants--a single polypeptide capable of existing in multiple conformations to result in distinct heritable phenotypes--continue to defy our understanding. We report here that Sse1, the yeast ortholog of the mammalian heat-shock protein 110 (Hsp110) and a nucleotide exchange factor for Hsp70 proteins, plays an important role in regulating [PSI+] …

Relative Contributions Of Enterococcus Faecalis Og1rf Sortase-Encoding Genes, Srta And Bps (Srtc), To Biofilm Formation And A Murine Model Of Urinary Tract Infection, Kelvin D Kemp, Kavindra V Singh, Sreedhar R Nallapareddy, Barbara E Murray

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Deletion mutants of the two sortase genes of Enterococcus faecalis OG1RF were constructed. srtC (renamed here bps for biofilm and pilus-associated sortase) was previously shown to be necessary for the production of Ebp pili and important for biofilm formation and endocarditis. Here, we report that a srtA deletion mutant showed a small (5%) yet significant (P = 0.037) reduction in biofilm relative to OG1RF, while a DeltasrtA Deltabps double mutant showed a much greater reduction (74% versus OG1RF and 44% versus the Deltabps mutant). In a murine urinary tract infection (UTI), the 50% infective doses of both the DeltasrtA Deltabps …

Is A 3-Mm Intrafractional Margin Sufficient For Daily Image-Guided Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy Of Prostate Cancer?, Adam D Melancon, Jennifer C O'Daniel, Lifei Zhang, Rajat J Kudchadker, Deborah A Kuban, Andrew K Lee, Rex M Cheung, Renaud De Crevoisier, Susan L Tucker, Wayne D Newhauser, Radhe Mohan, Lei Dong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: To determine whether a 3-mm isotropic target margin adequately covers the prostate and seminal vesicles (SVs) during administration of an intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment fraction, assuming that daily image-guided setup is performed just before each fraction.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In-room computed tomographic (CT) scans were acquired immediately before and after a daily treatment fraction in 46 patients with prostate cancer. An eight-field IMRT plan was designed using the pre-fraction CT with a 3-mm margin and subsequently recalculated on the post-fraction CT. For convenience of comparison, dose plans were scaled to full course of treatment (75.6 Gy). Dose coverage …

The Resurgence Of The Adora2b Receptor As An Immunotherapeutic Target In Pancreatic Cancer, Inah Lee, James J Knierim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Subfields of the hippocampus display differential dynamics in processing a spatial environment, especially when changes are introduced to the environment. Specifically, when familiar cues in the environment are spatially rearranged, place cells in the CA3 subfield tend to rotate with a particular set of cues (e.g., proximal cues), maintaining a coherent spatial representation. Place cells in CA1, in contrast, display discordant behaviors (e.g., rotating with different sets of cues or remapping) in the same condition. In addition, on average, CA3 place cells shift their firing locations (measured by the center of mass, or COM) backward over time when the animal …

Insider Express, Houston Academy Of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library

Insider Express (2003-2013)

No abstract provided.

Library Offers Clinical Memberships, Methodist First To Join, Vol.5 (5) September - October 2007, Houston Academy Of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library

The Insider (2003-2008)

No abstract provided.

Mutations In The Cofilin Partner Aip1/Wdr1 Cause Autoinflammatory Disease And Macrothrombocytopenia, Benjamin T Kile, Athanasia D Panopoulos, Roslynn A Stirzaker, Douglas F Hacking, Lubna H Tahtamouni, Tracy A Willson, Lisa A Mielke, Katya J Henley, Jian-Guo Zhang, Ian P Wicks, William S Stevenson, Paquita Nurden, Stephanie S Watowich, Monica J Justice

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A pivotal mediator of actin dynamics is the protein cofilin, which promotes filament severing and depolymerization, facilitating the breakdown of existing filaments, and the enhancement of filament growth from newly created barbed ends. It does so in concert with actin interacting protein 1 (Aip1), which serves to accelerate cofilin's activity. While progress has been made in understanding its biochemical functions, the physiologic processes the cofilin/Aip1 complex regulates, particularly in higher organisms, are yet to be determined. We have generated an allelic series for WD40 repeat protein 1 (Wdr1), the mammalian homolog of Aip1, and report that reductions in Wdr1 function …

Downregulation Of Rap1gap Contributes To Ras Transformation, Oxana Tsygankova, Gregory V. Prendergast, Kanchan Puttaswamy, Yan Wang, Michael D. Feldman, Hongbin Wang, Marcia S. Brose, Judy L. Meinkoth

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Although abundant in well-differentiated rat thyroid cells, Rap1GAP expression was extinguished in a subset of human thyroid tumor-derived cell lines. Intriguingly, Rap1GAP was downregulated selectively in tumor cell lines that had acquired a mesenchymal morphology. Restoring Rap1GAP expression to these cells inhibited cell migration and invasion, effects that were correlated with the inhibition of Rap1 and Rac1 activity. The reexpression of Rap1GAP also inhibited DNA synthesis and anchorage-independent proliferation. Conversely, eliminating Rap1GAP expression in rat thyroid cells induced a transient increase in cell number. Strikingly, Rap1GAP expression was abolished by Ras transformation. The downregulation of Rap1GAP by Ras required the …

Versatile Applications Of Transcriptional Pulsing To Study Mrna Turnover In Mammalian Cells, Chyi-Ying A Chen, Yukiko Yamashita, Tsung-Cheng Chang, Akio Yamashita, Wenmiao Zhu, Zhenping Zhong, Ann-Bin Shyu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Development of transcriptional pulsing approaches using the c-fos and Tet-off promoter systems greatly facilitated studies of mRNA turnover in mammalian cells. However, optimal protocols for these approaches vary for different cell types and/or physiological conditions, limiting their widespread application. In this study, we have further optimized transcriptional pulsing systems for different cell lines and developed new protocols to facilitate investigation of various aspects of mRNA turnover. We apply the Tet-off transcriptional pulsing strategy to investigate ARE-mediated mRNA decay in human erythroleukemic K562 cells arrested at various phases of the cell cycle by pharmacological inhibitors. This application facilitates studies of the …

Computational Identification And Functional Validation Of Regulatory Motifs In Cartilage-Expressed Genes, Sherri R Davies, Li-Wei Chang, Debabrata Patra, Xiaoyun Xing, Karen Posey, Jacqueline Hecht, Gary D Stormo, Linda J Sandell

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Chondrocyte gene regulation is important for the generation and maintenance of cartilage tissues. Several regulatory factors have been identified that play a role in chondrogenesis, including the positive transacting factors of the SOX family such as SOX9, SOX5, and SOX6, as well as negative transacting factors such as C/EBP and delta EF1. However, a complete understanding of the intricate regulatory network that governs the tissue-specific expression of cartilage genes is not yet available. We have taken a computational approach to identify cis-regulatory, transcription factor (TF) binding motifs in a set of cartilage characteristic genes to better define the transcriptional regulatory …

Regulation Of Mucin Gene Expression By Creb Via A Nonclassical Retinoic Acid Signaling Pathway, Seung-Wook Kim, Jeong Soo Hong, Seung-Hee Ryu, Wen-Cheng Chung, Joo-Heon Yoon, Ja Seok Koo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Vitamin A and its metabolite retinoic acid (RA) are essential elements for normal lung development and the differentiation of lung epithelial cells. We previously showed that RA rapidly activated cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in a nonclassical manner in normal human tracheobronchial epithelial (NHTBE) cells. In the present study, we further demonstrated that this nonclassical signaling of RA on the activation of CREB plays a critical role in regulating the expression of airway epithelial cell differentiation markers, the MUC2, MUC5AC, and MUC5B genes. We found that RA rapidly activates the protein kinase Calpha isozyme and transmits the activation signal …

Western Diet, But Not High Fat Diet, Causes Derangements Of Fatty Acid Metabolism And Contractile Dysfunction In The Heart Of Wistar Rats, Christopher R Wilson, Mai K Tran, Katrina L Salazar, Martin E Young, Heinrich Taegtmeyer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Obesity and diabetes are associated with increased fatty acid availability in excess of muscle fatty acid oxidation capacity. This mismatch is implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiac contractile dysfunction and also in the development of skeletal-muscle insulin resistance. We tested the hypothesis that 'Western' and high fat diets differentially cause maladaptation of cardiac- and skeletal-muscle fatty acid oxidation, resulting in cardiac contractile dysfunction. Wistar rats were fed on low fat, 'Western' or high fat (10, 45 or 60% calories from fat respectively) diet for acute (1 day to 1 week), short (4-8 weeks), intermediate (16-24 weeks) or long (32-48 weeks) …

The Ham-Tmc Library Welcomes You!, Vol.21 (1) July - September 2007, Houston Academy Of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library

Library Lines (1998-2009)

No abstract provided.

Insider Express, Houston Academy Of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library

Insider Express (2003-2013)

No abstract provided.

Ebpr Is Important For Biofilm Formation By Activating Expression Of The Endocarditis And Biofilm-Associated Pilus Operon (Ebpabc) Of Enterococcus Faecalis Og1rf, Agathe Bourgogne, Kavindra V Singh, Kristina A Fox, Kathryn J Pflughoeft, Barbara E Murray, Danielle A Garsin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We identify ef1090 (renamed ebpR) and show its importance for the transcriptional regulation of expression of the Enterococcus faecalis pilus operon, ebpABC. An ebpR deletion (DeltaebpR) mutant was found to have reduced ebpABC expression with loss of pilus production and a defect in primary adherence with, as a consequence, reduced biofilm formation.

Funding Crisis In Title Vii Diversity Programs, Paula N O'Neill, Alvin H Strelnick

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

14-3-3 Proteins Interact With The Beta-Thymosin Repeat Protein Csp24, Terry Crow, Juan-Juan Xue-Bian, Joseph T Neary

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Conditioned stimulus pathway protein 24 (Csp24) is a beta-thymosin-like protein that is homologous to other members of the family of beta-thymosin repeat proteins that contain multiple actin binding domains. Actin co-precipitates with Csp24 and co-localizes with it in the cytosol of type-B photoreceptor cell bodies. Several signal transduction pathways have been shown to regulate the phosphorylation of Csp24 and contribute to cellular plasticity. Here, we report the identification of the adapter protein 14-3-3 in lysates of the Hermissenda circumesophageal nervous system and its interaction with Csp24. Immunoprecipitation experiments using an antibody that is broadly reactive with several isoforms of the …

The Ham-Tmc Library Is Undergoing Changes, Vol.5 (4) July - August 2007, Houston Academy Of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library

The Insider (2003-2008)

No abstract provided.

Making Minimally Invasive Thr Safe: Conclusions From Biomechanical Simulation And Analysis, P C. Noble, J D. Johnston, J A. Alexander, M T. Thompson, M M. Usrey, E M. Heinrich, G C. Landon, K B. Mathis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The use of smaller surgical incisions has become popularized for total hip arthroplasty (THR) because of the potential benefits of shorter recovery and improved cosmetic appearance. However, an increased incidence of serious complications has been reported. To minimize the risks of minimally invasive approaches to THR, we have developed an experimental approach which enables us to evaluate risk factors in these procedures through cadaveric simulations performed within the laboratory. During cadaveric hip replacement procedures performed via posterior and antero-lateral mini-incisions, pressures developed between the wound edges and the retractors were approximately double those recorded during conventional hip replacement using Charnley …

Inducible Caspase 9 Suicide Gene To Improve The Safety Of Allodepleted T Cells After Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplantation, Siok-Keen Tey, Gianpietro Dotti, Cliona M. Rooney, Helen E. Heslop, Malcolm K. Brenner

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Addback of donor T cells following T cell-depleted stem cell transplantation (SCT) can accelerate immune reconstitution and be effective against relapsed malignancy. After haploidentical SCT, a high risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) essentially precludes this option, unless the T cells are first depleted of alloreactive precursor cells. Even then, the risks of severe GVHD remain significant. To increase the safety of the approach and thereby permit administration of larger T cell doses, we used a suicide gene, inducible caspase 9 (iCasp9), to transduce allodepleted T cells, permitting their destruction should administration have adverse effects. We made a retroviral vector encoding …

Summary Report: Stray Current Corrosion Control Evaluation, Texas Medical Center

TMC Reports

Report on various facilities at the Texas Medical Center that are impacted by metro light rail transit operations

Quality Of Weight Loss Advice On Internet Forums, Kevin O Hwang, Kiran Farheen, Craig W Johnson, Eric J Thomas, Ann S Barnes, Elmer V Bernstam

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Adults use the Internet for weight loss information, sometimes by participating in discussion forums. Our purpose was to analyze the quality of advice exchanged on these forums.

METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of messages posted to 18 Internet weight loss forums during 1 month in 2006. Advice was evaluated for congruence with clinical guidelines; potential for causing harm; and subsequent correction when it was contradictory to guidelines (erroneous) or potentially harmful. Message- and forum-specific characteristics were evaluated as predictors of advice quality and self-correction.

RESULTS: Of 3368 initial messages, 266 (7.9%) were requests for advice. Of 654 provisions …

Quality Of Weight Loss Advice On Internet Forums, Kevin O Hwang, Kiran Farheen, Craig W Johnson, Eric J Thomas, Ann S Barnes, Elmer V Bernstam

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Adults use the Internet for weight loss information, sometimes by participating in discussion forums. Our purpose was to analyze the quality of advice exchanged on these forums. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of messages posted to 18 Internet weight loss forums during 1 month in 2006. Advice was evaluated for congruence with clinical guidelines; potential for causing harm; and subsequent correction when it was contradictory to guidelines (erroneous) or potentially harmful. Message- and forum-specific characteristics were evaluated as predictors of advice quality and self-correction. RESULTS: Of 3368 initial messages, 266 (7.9%) were requests for advice. Of 654 provisions …

Epstein-Barr Virus Infection Of Langerhans Cell Precursors As A Mechanism Of Oral Epithelial Entry, Persistence, And Reactivation, Dennis M. Walling, Autumn J. Ray, Joan E. Nichols, Catherine M. Flaitz, C. Mark Nichols

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous human herpesvirus associated with many malignant and nonmalignant human diseases. Life-long latent EBV persistence occurs in blood-borne B lymphocytes, while EBV intermittently productively replicates in mucosal epithelia. Although several models have previously been proposed, the mechanism of EBV transition between these two reservoirs of infection has not been determined. In this study, we present the first evidence demonstrating that EBV latently infects a unique subset of blood-borne mononuclear cells that are direct precursors to Langerhans cells and that EBV both latently and productively infects oral epithelium-resident cells that are likely Langerhans cells. These data …