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Articles 1981 - 2010 of 3685

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Molecular Characterization Of Neural Apoptosis, Ken C. Walls Jan 2009

Molecular Characterization Of Neural Apoptosis, Ken C. Walls

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Neural cell death plays a critical role in normal nervous system development and dysregulated neural stem cell death contributes to brain malformation, tumorgenesis, and possibly, neurodegenerative disease. The two major forms of cell death in the nervous system are apoptotic and autophagic. Altered clearance of proteins may lead to neuronal dysfunction and neuron loss via apoptotic and/or autophagic pathways. The research presented here examined the molecular regulation of the autophagic and apoptotic pathways in vivo and in vitro by using models of lysosome dysfunction and hypoxia. In vivo investigation of lysosome dysfunction-induced death utilized the cathepsin D (CD)-deficient mouse model. …

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Scaffolding-Mediated Capsid Size Determination In Bacteriophages, Jenny Ren-Jye Chang Jan 2009

Scaffolding-Mediated Capsid Size Determination In Bacteriophages, Jenny Ren-Jye Chang

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Bacteriophage P2 encodes a scaffolding protein (gpO), which is required for correct assembly of P2 procapsids from the major capsid protein (gpN). The 284-residue gpO also acts as a protease, cleaving itself into an N-terminal fragment, O*, which remains in the capsid following maturation. gpO is a classical serine protease, with a catalytic triad comprised of Asp 19, His 48 and Ser 107, located in its N-terminal domain. The C-terminal 90 amino acids of gpO, which contains a predicted &alpha-helical segment between residues 197 and 257, are required and sufficient for capsid assembly. This fragment exists as a multimer in …

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A Functional Analysis Of The Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Sushma Jyotika Bhakta Jan 2009

A Functional Analysis Of The Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Sushma Jyotika Bhakta

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The retroviral life cycle is separated into two distinct phases of infection. In the first phase, viral enzymes and proteins allow the virus to establish infection. The virus usurps host machinery in the second stage to produce infectious virus. In both phases of the replication cycle, the envelope (Env) glycoprotein (gp) is a key component of infectivity. Env plays a pivotal role in viral entry, by mediating attachment and facilitating fusion of the viral and cellular membranes, and during assembly, where Env must be incorporated into budding virions in order to produce infectious virions. The Env cytoplasmic domain (CD) interacts …

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Parenting Second First Children: What Early Childhood Professionals Need To Know About Mothers Who Have Relinquished A Child For Adoption, Laura A. Bloom Jan 2009

Parenting Second First Children: What Early Childhood Professionals Need To Know About Mothers Who Have Relinquished A Child For Adoption, Laura A. Bloom

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The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to examine the experiences of birthmothers who relinquished a child for adoption and determine if this affected their subsequent parenting. The questions that guided the study were: (1.) How do birthmothers describe their experience of relinquishing a child for adoption?; (2.) How do birthmothers describe their experience of parenting subsequent children?; (3.) How do mothers who have relinquished a child for adoption perceive their parenting skills?; and (4.) What do mothers who have relinquished a child for adoption want early childhood professionals to know about their subsequent parenting experience? Three birthmothers who put …

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Parenting Practices And Desire For A Child Among Mothers Living With Hiv, Natalie De La Cruz Jan 2009

Parenting Practices And Desire For A Child Among Mothers Living With Hiv, Natalie De La Cruz

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One-quarter of adults living with HIV/AIDS in the US are women, most of whom are facing decisions regarding their reproductive future. Despite clear challenges and complexities facing HIV-positive women, most research suggests that they maintain strong desires and intentions for motherhood. This research explores the correlates of desire for another child, with a specific emphasis on examining the relationship between current parenting experiences and future childbearing desires, among a predominantly black sample of HIV-positive women (n=96) participating in the Making Our Mothers Stronger (MOMS) Project. Predictors of contraceptive use and consistency between contraceptive practices and fertility desires are also explored …

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Genetic Complexity And Population Diversity Of Plasmodium Falciparum In The Peruvian Amazon, Patrick Lee Sutton Jan 2009

Genetic Complexity And Population Diversity Of Plasmodium Falciparum In The Peruvian Amazon, Patrick Lee Sutton

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GENETIC COMPLEXITY AND POPULATION DIVERSITY OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM IN THE PERUVIAN AMAZON PATRICK LEE SUTTON MICROBIOLOGY GRADUATE PROGRAM ABSTRACT Characterizing the genetic complexity of immunologically relevant proteins, expressed during the life cycle of P. falciparum, is essential for identifying and advancing potential vaccine candidates. The current malaria immunity paradigm is rooted in high transmission studies which have investigated the impact of high genetic diversity on the development of humoral responses. Given the dynamic nature of malaria parasites, especially their ability to acclimate to change, it is likely that regions of low transmission do not share the same malaria immunity paradigm …

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Regulation Of Tissue Remodeling Through The Calreticulin Binding Domain Of Thrombospondin-1, Mariya Ts'ana Sweetwyne Jan 2009

Regulation Of Tissue Remodeling Through The Calreticulin Binding Domain Of Thrombospondin-1, Mariya Ts'ana Sweetwyne

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Thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) is a multifunctional matricellular protein released by platelets in response to injury and secreted by cells under stress. TSP1 is cleaved into functional N- and C-terminal domain fragments, which have paradoxical actions with respect to angiogenesis, cell survival, and cell adhesion. Wound healing studies by others demonstrated that TSP1 knockout mice have delayed rates of wound closure, which was attributed to actions of the C-terminal domain. We wished to investigate the specific role of the N-terminal domain in tissue remodeling. Previously, we established that a sequence (aa 17-35) in the N-terminal domain of TSP1 induces focal adhesion disassembly, …

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The Role Of Gbf1 In Golgi Biogenesis And Secretory Traffic., Tomasz Szul Jan 2009

The Role Of Gbf1 In Golgi Biogenesis And Secretory Traffic., Tomasz Szul

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The secretory pathway within a cell consists of series of membrane compartments connected by shuttling secretory vesicles containing cargo that travel from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) though ER-to-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC), the Golgi apparatus, and endosomal compartment to the plasma membrane (PM). The Golgi specific brefeldin A (BFA)-resistant factor 1 GBF1 has been identified as an important factor involved in traffic between ER and Golgi and within the Golgi apparatus. GBF1 belongs to a family of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) that stimulate the exchange of GDP for GTP on small GTPases, ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs). The exchange of the nucleotide activates …

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Characterization Of The Induction And Regulation Of Early B Cell Development, Melissa Ann Thal Jan 2009

Characterization Of The Induction And Regulation Of Early B Cell Development, Melissa Ann Thal

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Hematopoiesis is a highly regulated process directed by the microenvironment or niche in the bone marrow and the transcription factors those signals activate. Gene knockout experiments have identified critical cytokine signals and transcription factors required for promoting the differentiation of a hematopoietic stem cell to a B cell, but the regulatory mechanisms have yet to be fully elucidated. In early B cell development, a transcriptional hierarchy exists wherein E2A proteins activate early B-cell factor (Ebf1), which in turn activates expression of the B cell commitment factor, Pax5. In our studies, we use IL-7 receptor alpha chain (IL-7Rα) knockout animals that …

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A Novel & Efficient Method To Produce High Titers Of Infectious Hpv In Organotypic Cultures Of Primary Human Keratinocytes, Hsu-Kun Wang Jan 2009

A Novel & Efficient Method To Produce High Titers Of Infectious Hpv In Organotypic Cultures Of Primary Human Keratinocytes, Hsu-Kun Wang

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Infections by the high-risk human papillomavirus type 18 (HPV-18) or type 16 (HPV-16) can lead to cancers of the anogenital tract. Because the propagation of HPVs is restricted to differentiated human squamous epithelia, experimental studies of the productive program are conducted in organotypic cultures. The current methods are of low efficiency and time consuming and have relied on immortalized epithelial cell lines that do not support efficient viral DNA amplification or virion production, compromising HPV genetic analyses and obscuring normal virus-host cell interactions. I used Cre-loxP site-specific recombination to develop a relatively simple, fast and highly efficient system to produce …

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Understanding The Regulatory Mechanisms Of Ubp-M And H2a Deubiquitination In Chromatin And Cellular Functions, Heui Yun Joo Jan 2009

Understanding The Regulatory Mechanisms Of Ubp-M And H2a Deubiquitination In Chromatin And Cellular Functions, Heui Yun Joo

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Posttranslational modifications of histones regulate important chromatin and cellular functions. Among them, ubiquitination of histone H2A is correlated to transcriptional repression, such as HOX gene silencing and X chromosome inactiviation. Little was known about the removal of ubiquitin from histones, the enzyme(s) involved and its function in chromatin dynamics. We have identified the protein Ubp-M (USP16) to be the H2A- and nucleosome-specific deubiquitinase. We also demonstrated that Ubp-M-mediated H2A deubiquitination is involved in cell cycle progression to M-phase, HOX gene expression, and posterior development in Xenopus laevis. Furthermore, we have also purified USP12 and USP46 which contain an Ubp-M independent …

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A System Genetics Analysis Of Energy Metabolism Traits In Drosophila Melanogaster, Patricia Paola Jumbo-Lucioni Jan 2009

A System Genetics Analysis Of Energy Metabolism Traits In Drosophila Melanogaster, Patricia Paola Jumbo-Lucioni

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Obesity is emerging as a global public health problem and it has shown to precede and predict the development of type 2 diabetes, a complex disease that has also reached epidemic proportions in the US and worldwide. Despite that obesity-related traits are highly heritable, the genetic basis underlying their natural variation and the loci playing pleiotropic roles among organismal traits have not been fully elucidated. The overall goals of these present studies were: to shed light on the architecture of the genetic co-expression networks regulating variations in obesity-related traits, elucidate the extent to which they are regulated by pleiotropic loci, …

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Effects Of Daily Versus 30-Day Continuous Contact Lens Wear On Tear Cytokine Levels, Lucy Ebunoluwa Kehinde Jan 2009

Effects Of Daily Versus 30-Day Continuous Contact Lens Wear On Tear Cytokine Levels, Lucy Ebunoluwa Kehinde

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The purpose of this investigation was to determine if 30 days of continuous contact lens wear produces a different ocular inflammatory response compared to 30 days of daily wear of Bausch & Lomb® PureVisionTM silicone hydrogel contact lenses. Eighty-five individuals wore these lenses for 30 days continuously in one eye and daily in the contralateral eye. Relative concentrations of 27 cytokines were measured in tear samples collected from the subjects using cytometric bead-based assays. Clinical tests were also conducted to correlate changes in cytokine levels to changes in clinical profiles. This study contributes to a greater understanding of the impact …

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Parental Attitudes Of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Of Adolescent Girls In Alabama, Allison G. Litton Jan 2009

Parental Attitudes Of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Of Adolescent Girls In Alabama, Allison G. Litton

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Human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. This study examined racial and socio-demographic differences between African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites in Alabama regarding HPV vaccine acceptability. This cross sectional study employed a statewide survey of Alabama parents using a random digit dial phone method conducted through the Survey Research Unit at UAB. Participants were female caregivers of adolescent girls between the ages of 10-14 years. The final sample size was 403. Analyses included descriptive statistics, cross tabulations and odds ratios to assess race/ethnicity and other subgroup differences and logistic regression of intention to vaccinate …

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Regulation Of Vh Replacement In Human Immature B Cells By B Cell Receptor (Bcr) - Mediated Signaling, Jing Liu Jan 2009

Regulation Of Vh Replacement In Human Immature B Cells By B Cell Receptor (Bcr) - Mediated Signaling, Jing Liu

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VH replacement occurs through RAG-mediated secondary recombination to change unwanted IgH genes. In this dissertation, I focused on studying the molecular mechanism that regulates VH replacement in human immature B cells. In part I, our results show that VH replacement is regulated by B cell antigen receptor (BCR) mediated signaling. Using the human EU12 mHC+ cells as an experimental model system, crosslinking BCR with F(ab')2 anti-IgM antibodies results in BCR internalization, cell proliferation arrest, and induction of VH replacement. Pretreatment of human EU12 mHC+ cells with the protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor Genistein, Syk kinase inhibitors, and a Src kinase inhibitor …

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Counterregulatory Roles Of Transforming Growth Factor (Tgf)-Beta And Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (Anp) In Pressure Overload-Induced Cardiac Remodeling And Fibrosis, Jason Anthony Lucas Jan 2009

Counterregulatory Roles Of Transforming Growth Factor (Tgf)-Beta And Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (Anp) In Pressure Overload-Induced Cardiac Remodeling And Fibrosis, Jason Anthony Lucas

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Pressure overload stress (eg. hypertension or aortic stenosis) results in excessive cardiac fibrosis, changes in left ventricular (LV) geometry, and disruption of LV contractility, ultimately leading to heart failure. We hypothesize that transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), a pro fibrogenic factor, and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), an anti fibrogenic factor, interact directly in a counterregulatory manner to balance the production of extracellular matrix (ECM) under pressure overload induced cardiac stress or hypoxia-induced pulmonary vascular adaptation. In this report, we examine structural and functional responses of the intact heart to pressure overload stress in vivo. We then utilize isolated rat pulmonary artery …

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Mechanisms Of Growth Hormone Action In Skeletal Muscle, Mahendra Devaraj Mavalli Jan 2009

Mechanisms Of Growth Hormone Action In Skeletal Muscle, Mahendra Devaraj Mavalli

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Growth hormone (GH) and insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) exert profound growth promoting actions during pre and postnatal skeletal muscle development. GH and IGF-1 seem to promote their anabolic actions by influencing skeletal muscle cell prolif-eration and fusion. However, because GH stimulates the production of IGF-1 from the liver and other GH-responsive peripheral tissues, including skeletal muscle, the individual contributions of these two growth factors to anabolic responses in skeletal muscle remains poorly defined. In this dissertation research, I sought to distinguish the mechanisms responsible for growth hormone's (GH) anabolic actions in skeletal muscle. To accomplish this, I analyzed the …

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Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (Cftr) Modulators And Their Mechanistic Basis: Relevance To Emerging Therapies For Cystic Fibrosis, Louise Clare Pyle Jan 2009

Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (Cftr) Modulators And Their Mechanistic Basis: Relevance To Emerging Therapies For Cystic Fibrosis, Louise Clare Pyle

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Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a lethal genetic disorder leading to pulmonary decline and premature death. The gene responsible for CF, the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), serves as a chloride and bicarbonate channel situated at the apical cell surface of epithelia. The discovery of small molecules that augment channel gating of mutant CFTR (so-called `potentiators') represents a major theme of CF research, and offers hope for new therapeutic interventions. High-throughput screening (HTS) provides a means to test millions of agents in an unbiased manner for CFTR potentiating properties. New agents identified by HTS have undergone extensive pre-clinical and clinical …

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Effects Of Endocrine Disruptors On Biomarkers Of Reproductive Function In The Western Mosquitofish, Gambusia Affinis, Samiksha Ashok Raut Jan 2009

Effects Of Endocrine Disruptors On Biomarkers Of Reproductive Function In The Western Mosquitofish, Gambusia Affinis, Samiksha Ashok Raut

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Chemicals introduced into the environment by anthropogenic activities have the capacity to interfere with the endocrine system of living organisms and act as endocrine disrup-tors. To date, most studies have focused on estrogenic endocrine disruptors but reports of androgenic endocrine disruptors continue to increase. In the current study, the western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis was utilized as a model organism to assess the effects of some known and suspected androgenic and estrogenic endocrine disruptors on various reproductive biomarkers. The biomarkers utilized were: anal fin elongation and differen-tiation, expression of the vitellogenin gene, and sperm production in males. In the studies described …

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The Role Of Mitochondria And Plasma Membrane Ca2+ Transport Systems In Ca2+-Dependent Glutamate Release From Rat Cortical Astrocytes, Reno Cervo Reyes Jan 2009

The Role Of Mitochondria And Plasma Membrane Ca2+ Transport Systems In Ca2+-Dependent Glutamate Release From Rat Cortical Astrocytes, Reno Cervo Reyes

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Astrocytes, a type of glial cell in the central nervous system, are recognized for their support roles to neurons. They supply neurons with metabolites, maintain ion homeostasis and clear the synaptic space of neurotransmitters. However, it has been found that some astrocytes have receptors for neurotransmitter and neuroligands, exhibit Ca2+ excitability when stimulated via these receptors, and secrete gliotransmitters as an output of this Ca2+ excitability. In the Ca2+-dependent release of glutamate, it has been shown that the endoplasmic reticulum is the predominant source and the extracellular space is the auxiliary source of free Ca2+ necessary for triggering exocytosis. Because …

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Neuroinflammation And Fragile X Syndrome: Regulation By Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3, Christopher Joseph Yuskaitis Jan 2009

Neuroinflammation And Fragile X Syndrome: Regulation By Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3, Christopher Joseph Yuskaitis

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Neuroinflammation and Fragile X syndrome (FXS) are two particularly devastating neurologic conditions for which no adequate treatment exists and much is still unknown about the underlying cellular and molecular processes. Neuroinflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of many neurologic and psychiatric disorders, thus treatment of the underlying inflammation has broad implications. FXS is the most common cause of inherited intellectual and developmental delay and one of the few known genetic causes of autism. Neuroinflammation and FXS have potential links with glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) and its inhibitor, lithium. Therefore, the overall goal of this research was to examine the role of …

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Maintaining Healthy Eating Behaviors With Women After A Weight Management Program: A Grounded Theory Approach, Christie Zunker Jan 2009

Maintaining Healthy Eating Behaviors With Women After A Weight Management Program: A Grounded Theory Approach, Christie Zunker

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The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the process of how women maintain their weight and continue healthy eating behaviors after completing a weight management program, which emphasized low-energy density foods. This is important since many women regain weight after participating in weight management programs. Theoretical sampling strategies guided participant recruitment. Inclusion criteria were: self-reported African American or Caucasian women aged 30 and older who lost > 5% of their body weight during their participation in the EatRight weight management program at least one year ago or longer. Height and weight was measured. Participants that remained > 5% below their …

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Parenting Behaviors And Adolescent Obesity, Kathy Lynne Newman Jan 2009

Parenting Behaviors And Adolescent Obesity, Kathy Lynne Newman

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PARENTING BEHAVIORS AND EARLY ADOLESCENT OBESITY KATHY NEWMAN SCHOOL OF NURSING ABSTRACT The incidence of adolescent obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years with the rate increasing from 5% to 17%. Approximately 17.0% of adolescents in the United States are obese with 4% being categorized as morbidly obese. Obesity disproportionately affects minority adolescent groups. Previous studies have examined relationships between parental behaviors and adolescent health risk behaviors, but few studies have compared these relationships across different racial/ethnic groups. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between parental nurturance, parental involvement, family cohesion, and early …

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Analysis Of Hiv-1 Variable Loop 3-Specific Neutralizing Antibody Responses By Hiv-2/Hiv-1 Envelope Chimeras, Katie L. Davis Jan 2008

Analysis Of Hiv-1 Variable Loop 3-Specific Neutralizing Antibody Responses By Hiv-2/Hiv-1 Envelope Chimeras, Katie L. Davis

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Defining the epitope specificities of the neutralizing antibody response to the HIV-1 envelope protein (Env) during natural human infection and in response to vaccination by HIV-1 immunogens could provide insight into the mechanisms of virus immune containment and facilitate vaccine design. Transplantation of discrete HIV-1 neutralizing epitopes into HIV-2 Env scaffolds may provide a sensitive, biologically functional context in which to quantify specific antibody reactivities in complex sera. Here we describe the development of a novel HIV-2 proviral scaffold (pHIV-2KR.X7) into which we have substituted the env V3 region of several laboratory and primary HIV-1 strains to yield a panel …

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The Role Of Tgfß Signaling In Skeletal Development, Hwa-Seon Seo Jan 2008

The Role Of Tgfß Signaling In Skeletal Development, Hwa-Seon Seo

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skeletal element is essential for body movement along with the joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. They also protect internal organs and serve as a reservoir for hematopoietic stem cells and minerals. To accomplish these multiple tasks, the size and shape of the skeletal elements need to be carefully designed during development of the embryo. Skeletal formation in vertebrae is a complex developmental processes controlled by dynamic and well-balanced interactions between a number of molecular signals. Intensive efforts in the past several decades have made substantial progress in understanding molecular and cellular mechanisms of skeletal development. Despite the fact that TGFß …

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Gender Difference In Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes: Survival, Functional Independence, And Employment Status, Andrea T. Underhill Jan 2008

Gender Difference In Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes: Survival, Functional Independence, And Employment Status, Andrea T. Underhill

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Medical and rehabilitative care of women living with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is based on information drawn from research conducted primarily on men. Care for men may be adequate for women, but all of the body’s organs have the capability to respond differently based on gender, and research should examine the genders separately. This dissertation examines the survival to 24 months post-TBI and the functional independence and employment status at 12 and 24 months post-TBI of men and women. Participants were drawn from a longitudinal study of injured persons and include those diagnosed only with a TBI. Variables used in …

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Feed Comparison For Dietary Standardization Of The Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus And Assessment Of Parental Dietary Copper Toxicity By Fertilization And Embryological Tests, Heath W. Garris Jan 2008

Feed Comparison For Dietary Standardization Of The Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus And Assessment Of Parental Dietary Copper Toxicity By Fertilization And Embryological Tests, Heath W. Garris

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Toxicity tests monitoring the effects of anthropogenic substances on marine systems are considered an important part of environmental management. Sea urchin fertilization and embryological toxicity tests are successful in producing a graded response to toxicants, but standards for controlling the quality of parental urchins have not been developed. In Chapter 1, experimental populations of Lytechinus variegatus were fed either organic romaine lettuce and organic carrots, or a feed formulated for sea urchins for 13 weeks. Growth demographics were assessed and F1 progeny were compared for sensitivity to the toxicants copper sulfate, 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, and sodium dodecyl sulfate by acute embryonic and …

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Stochastic Energetics Of The Buttiker-Landauer Motor And Refrigerator, Ronald Benjamin Jan 2008

Stochastic Energetics Of The Buttiker-Landauer Motor And Refrigerator, Ronald Benjamin

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We investigated the energetics of a Brownian motor driven by position dependent temperature, commonly known as the B¨uttiker-Landauer motor. Overdamped models (M = 0) predict that the motor can attain Carnot efficiency. However, the overdamped limit (M → 0), contradicts the previous prediction due to the kinetic energy contribution to the heat transfer. Using molecular dynamics simulation and numerical solution of the inertial Langevin equation, we confirmed that the motor can never achieve Carnot efficiency and verified that the heat flow via kinetic energy diverges asM−1/2 in the overdamped limit. The reciprocal process of the motor, namely the B¨uttiker-Landauer refrigerator …

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Enzymatic And Proteomic Analysis Of Spinal Cord In A G93a Als Mouse Model, Page Jones Jan 2008

Enzymatic And Proteomic Analysis Of Spinal Cord In A G93a Als Mouse Model, Page Jones

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Mutations to copper,zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn SOD or SOD1) are the only known causes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disorder characterized primarily by death of spinal motor neurons. While the molecular mechanisms responsible for motor neuron death in this disease remain to be elucidated, recent studies implicate mitochondrial dysfunction as a key factor in the pathogenesis of ALS. In support of this, we observed ALS-dependent alterations in key functions including creatine kinase activity and ATP levels, which could be linked to changes in the mitochondrial proteome. Importantly, extensive research efforts have failed to develop a treatment that significantly …

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Calmodulin Binding To Cellular Flice Like Inhibitory Protein Modulates Fas-Induced Signaling And Tumorigenesis In Cholangiocarcinoma, Pritish Subhash Pawar Jan 2008

Calmodulin Binding To Cellular Flice Like Inhibitory Protein Modulates Fas-Induced Signaling And Tumorigenesis In Cholangiocarcinoma, Pritish Subhash Pawar

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Cholangiocarcinoma, a fatal tumor arising from biliary epithelium, has very poor 5-year survival rate due to lack of early diagnosis and effective therapies. Induction of the Fas-mediated apoptosis is a promising therapeutic target in this tumor. Studies from our group and others have indicated that Fas-expression correlates inversely with disease progression and that CaM-antagonists induce apoptosis in cholangiocarcinoma cells in a Fas related manner. Further, we reported a direct and dynamic interaction of CaM and Fas and that CaM is recruited into the Fas-stimulated death inducing signaling complex (DISC), suggesting a cross talk between Fas and CaM pathways. The studies …

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