Digital Commons Network^™

The Eagleville Times,Volume 3, Issue 4, Debbie Ryan

Eagleville Times

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of The Presence Of A Dog On The Social Interactions Of Children With Developmental Disabilities, Stephanie Walters

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The effects of the presence of a dog on the social interactions between children with developmental disabilities and their teacher were analyzed in this study. We examined whether the presentation of a dog would improve the social interactions of three children with developmental disabilities. A baseline condition consisting of the child and teacher in the presence of three toys, one of which was a toy dog was followed by an intervention in which a real dog was added to the sessions. A multiple baseline design across participants was employed to assess experimental changes in interactions during the intervention condition.

All …

Role For Akt3/Protein Kinase Bγ In Attainment Of Normal Brain Size, Rachel M. Easton, Han Cho, Kristin Roovers, Diana W. Shineman

Dartmouth Scholarship

Studies of Drosophila and mammals have revealed the importance of insulin signaling through phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and the serine/threonine kinase Akt/protein kinase B for the regulation of cell, organ, and organismal growth. In mammals, three highly conserved proteins, Akt1, Akt2, and Akt3, comprise the Akt family, of which the first two are required for normal growth and metabolism, respectively. Here we address the function of Akt3. Like Akt1, Akt3 is not required for the maintenance of normal carbohydrate metabolism but is essential for the attainment of normal organ size. However, in contrast to Akt1^−/− mice, which display a …

The Eagleville Times,Volume 3, Issue 3, Debbie Ryan

Eagleville Times

No abstract provided.

Quantitative 1h Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging Determines Therapeutic Immunization Efficacy In An Animal Model Of Parkinson's Disease., Michael D. Boska, Travis B. Lewis, Christopher J. Destache, Eric J. Benner, Jay A. Nelson, Mariano Uberti, R. Lee Mosley, Howard Gendelman

Journal Articles: Radiology

Nigrostriatal degeneration, the pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD), is mirrored by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) intoxication. MPTP-treated animals show the common behavioral, motor, and pathological features of human disease. We demonstrated previously that adoptive transfer of Copaxone (Cop-1) immune cells protected the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway in MPTP-intoxicated mice. Herein, we evaluated this protection by quantitative proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (1H MRSI). 1H MRSI performed in MPTP-treated mice demonstrated that N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) was significantly diminished in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and striatum, regions most affected in human disease. When the same regions were coregistered with immunohistochemical stains for …

From The Cover: Assignment Of An Essential Role For The Neurospora Frequency Gene In Circadian Entrainment To Temperature Cycles, Antonio M. Pregueiro, Nathan Price-Lloyd, Deborah Bell-Pedersen, Christian Heintzen, Jennifer J. Loros, Jay C. Dunlap

Dartmouth Scholarship

Circadian systems include slave oscillators and central pacemakers, and the cores of eukaryotic circadian clocks described to date are composed of transcription and translation feedback loops (TTFLs). In the model system Neurospora, normal circadian rhythmicity requires a TTFL in which a White Collar complex (WCC) activates expression of the frequency (frq) gene, and the FRQ protein feeds back to attenuate that activation. To further test the centrality of this TTFL to the circadian mechanism in Neurospora, we used low-amplitude temperature cycles to compare WT and frq-null strains under conditions in which a banding rhythm was elicited. WT cultures were entrained …

Dynamic Changes In Mcl-1 Expression Regulate Macrophage Viability Or Commitment To Apoptosis During Bacterial Clearance, Helen M. Marriott, Colin D. Bingle, Robert C. Read, Karen E. Braley, Guido Kroemer, Paul G. Hellewell, Ruth W. Craig, Moira K.B. Whyte, David H. Dockrell

Dartmouth Scholarship

Macrophages are critical effectors of bacterial clearance and must retain viability, despite exposure to toxic bacterial products, until key antimicrobial functions are performed. Subsequently, host-mediated macrophage apoptosis aids resolution of infection. The ability of macrophages to make this transition from resistance to susceptibility to apoptosis is important for effective host innate immune responses. We investigated the role of Mcl-1, an essential regulator of macrophage lifespan, in this switch from viability to apoptosis, using the model of pneumococcal-associated macrophage apoptosis. Upon exposure to pneumococci, macrophages initially upregulate Mcl-1 protein and maintain viability for up to 14 hours. Subsequently, macrophages reduce expression …

The Eagleville Times,Volume 3, Issue 2, Debbie Ryan

Eagleville Times

No abstract provided.

Multiple Metabolic Hits Converge On Cd36 As Novel Mediator Of Tubular Epithelial Apoptosis In Diabetic Nephropathy., Katalin Susztak, Emilio Ciccone, Peter Mccue, Kumar Sharma, Erwin P Böttinger

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Diabetic nephropathy (DNP) is a common complication of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus and the most common cause of kidney failure. While DNP manifests with albuminuria and diabetic glomerulopathy, its progression correlates best with tubular epithelial degeneration (TED) and interstitial fibrosis. However, mechanisms leading to TED in DNP remain poorly understood.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: We found that expression of scavenger receptor CD36 coincided with proximal tubular epithelial cell (PTEC) apoptosis and TED specifically in human DNP. High glucose stimulated cell surface expression of CD36 in PTECs. CD36 expression was necessary and sufficient to mediate PTEC apoptosis induced …

Yos1p Is A Novel Subunit Of The Yip1p–Yif1p Complex And Is Required For Transport Between The Endoplasmic Reticulum And The Golgi Complex, Matthew Heidtman, Catherine Z. Chen, Ruth N. Collins, Charles Barlowe

Dartmouth Scholarship

Yeast Yip1p is a member of a conserved family of transmembrane proteins that interact with Rab GTPases. Previous studies also have indicated a role for Yip1p in the biogenesis of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-derived COPII transport vesicles. In this report, we describe the identification and characterization of the uncharacterized open reading frame YER074W-A as a novel multicopy suppressor of the thermosensitive yip1-4 strain. We have termed this gene Yip One Suppressor 1 (YOS1). Yos1p is essential for growth and for function of the secretory pathway; depletion or inactivation of Yos1p blocks transport between the ER and …

Transient Inactivation Of Perirhinal Cortex Disrupts Encoding, Retrieval, And Consolidation Of Object Recognition Memory., Boyer D Winters, Timothy J Bussey

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Damage to perirhinal cortex (PRh) impairs object recognition memory in humans, monkeys, and rats when tested in tasks such as delayed nonmatching to sample, visual paired comparison, and its rodent analog, the spontaneous object recognition task. In the present study, we have capitalized on the discrete one-trial nature of the spontaneous object recognition task to investigate the role of PRh in several distinct stages of object recognition memory. In a series of experiments, transient inactivation of PRh was accomplished with bilateral infusions of lidocaine directly into PRh immediately before the sample phase (encoding), immediately before the choice phase (retrieval), or …

Endothelial-Specific Expression Of Caveolin-1 Impairs Microvascular Permeability And Angiogenesis, Philip M. Bauer, Jun Yu, Yan Chen, Reed Hickey, Pascal N. Bernatchez, Robin Looft-Wilson, Yan Huang, Frank Giordano, Radu V. Stan, William C. Sessa

Dartmouth Scholarship

The functions of caveolae and/or caveolins in intact animals are beginning to be explored. Here, by using endothelial cell-specific transgenesis of the caveolin-1 (Cav-1) gene in mice, we show the critical role of Cav-1 in several postnatal vascular paradigms. First, increasing levels of Cav-1 do not increase caveolae number in the endothelium in vivo. Second, despite a lack of quantitative changes in organelle number, endothelial-specific expression of Cav-1 impairs endothelial nitric oxide synthase activation, endothelial barrier function, and angiogenic responses to exogenous VEGF and tissue ischemia. In addition, VEGF-mediated phosphorylation of Akt and its substrate, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, were …

Recent Developments In Animal Law, Rebecca J. Huss

Law Faculty Publications

This article focuses on recent developments in litigation and legislation involving the injury or death of animals. The article first discusses recent veterinary malpractice cases where the central issue was not related to damages. Next, the article analyzes recent cases that have focused on the appropriate way to value animals that have been injured or killed due to the tortious acts of another. Finally, this article highlights recent legislative efforts that allow for civil suits based on the injury or death of an animal.

No Pets Allowed: Housing Issues And Companion Animals, Rebecca J. Huss

Law Faculty Publications

Companionship, emotional support, assistance for disabled family members, and general health benefits are just a few examples of why people choose to keep pets in their homes. This article explores the major legal issues that arise when people desire to keep companion animals in various types of housing. The Author examines the effects of federal, state, and local laws, as well as common contracts clauses.

A Streptococcal Collagen-Like Protein Interacts With The Α 2 Β 1 Integrin And Induces Intracellular Signaling, Joseph O. Humtsoe, Jiyeun K. Kim, Yi Xu, Douglas R. Keene, Magnus Höök, Slawomir Lukomski, Kishore K. Wary

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Palm Is Expressed In Both Developing And Adult Mouse Lens And Retina., Meryl Castellini, Louise V Wolf, Bharesh K Chauhan, Deni S Galileo, Manfred W Kilimann, Ales Cvekl, Melinda K Duncan

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Paralemmin (Palm) is a prenyl-palmitoyl anchored membrane protein that can drive membrane and process formation in neurons. Earlier studies have shown brain preferred Palm expression, although this protein is a major water insoluble protein in chicken lens fiber cells and the Palm gene may be regulated by Pax6. METHODS: The expression profile of Palm protein in the embryonic, newborn and adult mouse eye as well as dissociated retinal neurons was determined by confocal immunofluorescence. The relative mRNA levels of Palm, Palmdelphin (PalmD) and paralemmin2 (Palm2) in the lens and retina were determined by real time rt-PCR. RESULTS: In the …

Rna Polymerase Ii Synthesizes Antisense Rna In Plasmodium Falciparum, Kevin T. Militello, Vishal Patel, Anne-Danielle Chessler, Julia K. Fisher, Jacob M. Kasper, Anusha Gunasekera, Dyann F. Wirth

Biology

The recent identification of antisense RNA in the transcriptomes of many eukaryotes has generated enormous interest. The presence of antisense RNA in Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of severe malaria, remains controversial. Elucidation of the mechanism of antisense RNA in P. falciparum synthesis is critical in order to demonstrate the origin and function of these transcripts. Therefore, a systematic analysis of antisense and sense RNA synthesis was performed using direct labeling experiments. Nuclear run on experiments with single-stranded DNA probes demonstrated that antisense RNA is synthesized in the nucleus at several genomic loci. Antisense RNA synthesis is sensitive to the …

The Chemistry Of My Affections, David Scott Smith

LSU Master's Theses

Although I have always been interested in the origins of my thought processes and the methods and compulsions that motivate my work, in past work I have avoided self portraiture, or blatant explorations into my own sense of self. With my thesis project I wanted to conduct an express exploration into the psychology of my motivations. My initial goal was to create an environment, a sense of place, where both the viewer and myself are drawn into the work, and confronted with a unique experience of personal expression. The focal point is a bath enclosed within a grotto, which symbolizes …

Cdc42 Regulates Arsenic-Induced Nadph Oxidase Activation And Cell Migration Through Actin Filament Reorganization, Yong Qian, Ke Jian Liu, Yan Chen, Daniel C. Flynn, Vince Castranova, Xianglin Shi

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Global Gene Expression Profiling Of Cells Overexpressing Smc3., Giancarlo Ghiselli, Chang-Gong Liu

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The Structural Maintenance of Chromosome 3 protein (SMC3) plays an essential role during the sister chromatid separation, is involved in DNA repair and recombination and participates in microtubule-mediated intracellular transport. SMC3 is frequently elevated in human colon carcinoma and overexpression of the protein transforms murine NIH3T3 fibroblasts. In order to gain insight into the mechanism of SMC3-mediated tumorigenesis a gene expression profiling was performed on human 293 cells line stably overexpressing SMC3. RESULTS: Biotinylated complementary RNA (cRNA) was used for hybridization of a cDNAmicroarray chip harboring 18,861 65-mer oligos derived from the published dEST sequences. After filtering, the hybridization …

Mitochondrial Dna Mutations, Apoptosis, And The Misfolded Protein Response., Justin L. Mott, Dekui Zhang, Hans Peter Zassenhaus

Journal Articles: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Studies of transgenic mice with accelerated accumulation of mtDNA mutations specifically in the heart lead us to propose that apoptotic signaling and cell death is central to the pathogenesis of mtDNA mutations in aging. It is the cellular response to that apoptotic signaling and the organ?s compensatory response to a loss of cells that specify the phenotype of an accumulation of mtDNA mutations. In the heart, cardiomyocytes induce a vigorous anti-apoptotic, pro-survival response to counteract mitochondrial apoptotic signaling. The heart up-regulates contractility of remaining myocytes in order to maintain cardiac output. We hypothesize that mutant mitochondrial proteins originate apoptotic signaling …

Mechanistic Differences In Rna-Dependent Dna Polymerization And Fidelity Between Murine Leukemia Virus And Hiv-1 Reverse Transcriptases, Mark Skasko, Kellie K. Weiss, Holly M. Reynolds, Varuni Jamburuthugoda, Kwi Lee, Baek Kim

Biology

We compared the mechanistic and kinetic properties of murine leukemia virus (MuLV) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptases (RTs) during RNA-dependent DNA polymerization and mutation synthesis using pre-steady-state kinetic analysis. First, MuLV RT showed 6.5-121.6-fold lower binding affinity (Kd) to deoxynucleotide triphosphate (dNTP) substrates than HIV-1 RT, although the two RTs have similar incorporation rates (kpol). Second, compared with HIV-1 RT, MuLV RT showed dramatic reduction during multiple dNTP incorporations at low dNTP concentrations. Presumably, due to its low dNTP binding affinity, the dNTP binding step becomes rate-limiting in the multiple rounds of the dNTP incorporation by …

Perinatal Exposure To Low Levels Of The Environmental Antiandrogen Vinclozolin Alters Sex-Differentiated Social Play And Sexual Behaviors In The Rat, Nathan K.W. Colbert, Nicole C. Pelletier, Joyce M. Cote, John B. Concannon, Nicole A. Jurdak, Sara B. Minott, Vincent P. Markowski

Psychology

In this study we examined the effects of exposure to the antiandrogenic fungicide vindozolin (Vz) on the development of two sex-differentiated behaviors that are organized by the perinatal actions of androgens. Pregnant Long-Evans rats were administered a daily oral dose of 0, 1.5, 3, 6, or 12 mg/kg Vz from the 14th day of gestation through posnatal day (PND)3. The social play behavior of juvenile offspring was examined on PND22 and again on PND34 during play sessions with a same-sex littermate. After they reached adulthood, the male offspring were examined with the ex copula penile reflex procedure to assess erectile …

Ccl20/Macrophage Inflammatory Protein 3Α And Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Production By Primary Uterine Epithelial Cells In Response To Treatment With Lipopolysaccharide Or Pam3cys, M. A. Crane-Godreau, C. R. Wira

Dartmouth Scholarship

Having previously shown that CCL20/macrophage inflammatory protein 3 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) are released by polarized primary rat uterine epithelial cells (UEC) in response to Escherichia coli but not to Lactobacillus rhamnosus , we sought to determine if epithelial cells are responsive to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP), including lipopolysaccharide (LPS), lipoteichoic acid (LTA), and Pam 3 Cys, a bacterial lipoprotein analog. Epithelial cells were grown to confluence on Nunc cell culture inserts prior to apical treatment with PAMPs. In response to LPS, LTA, and Pam 3 Cys (EMC Microcollection GmbH, Tu ̈- bingen, Germany), CCL20 levels increased (4- …

Arachidonic Acid Inhibits The Insulin Induction Of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Via P38 Map Kinase, Indrani Talukdar, Wioletta Szeszel-Fedorowicz, Lisa M. Salati

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Protein Synthesis Required For Long-Term Memory Is Induced By Pkc Activation On Days Before Associative Learning, D. L. Alkon, H. Epstein, A. Kuzirian, M. C. Bennett, T. J. Nelson

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Protein synthesis has long been known to be required for associative learning to consolidate into long-term memory. Here we demonstrate that PKC isozyme activation on days before training can induce the synthesis of proteins necessary and sufficient for subsequent long-term memory consolidation. Bryostatin (Bryo), a macrolide lactone with efficacy in subnanomolar concentrations and a potential therapeutic for Alzheimer's disease, is a potent activator of PKC, some of whose isozymes undergo prolonged activation after associative learning. Under normal conditions, two training events with paired visual and vestibular stimuli cause short-term memory of the mollusc Hermissenda that lasts ≈7 min. However, after …

Genetic Networks Controlling Retinal Injury, Felix R Vazquez-Chona, Amna N Khan, Chun K Chan, Anthony N Moore, Pramod K Dash, M Rosario Hernandez, Lu Lu, Elissa J Chesler, Kenneth F Manly, Robert W Williams, Eldon E Geisert

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: The present study defines genomic loci underlying coordinate changes in gene expression following retinal injury.

METHODS: A group of acute phase genes expressed in diverse nervous system tissues was defined by combining microarray results from injury studies from rat retina, brain, and spinal cord. Genomic loci regulating the brain expression of acute phase genes were identified using a panel of BXD recombinant inbred (RI) mouse strains. Candidate upstream regulators within a locus were defined using single nucleotide polymorphism databases and promoter motif databases.

RESULTS: The acute phase response of rat retina, brain, and spinal cord was dominated by transcription …

Prime-Boost Vaccination With Plasmid And Adenovirus Gene Vaccines Control Her2/Neu+ Metastatic Breast Cancer In Mice, Xiaoyan Wang, Jian-Ping Wang, Xiao-Mei Rao, Janet E Price, Heshan S Zhou, Lawrence B Lachman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Once metastasis has occurred, the possibility of completely curing breast cancer is unlikely, particularly for the 30 to 40% of cancers overexpressing the gene for HER2/neu. A vaccine targeting p185, the protein product of the HER2/neu gene, could have therapeutic application by controlling the growth and metastasis of highly aggressive HER2/neu+ cells. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of two gene vaccines targeting HER2/neu in preventive and therapeutic tumor models.

METHODS: The mouse breast cancer cell line A2L2, which expresses the gene for rat HER2/neu and hence p185, was injected into the mammary fat pad …

Duration Of Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes Differentially Affects P38-Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (Mapk) Phosphorylation In Renal And Vascular Dysfunction, H. Chen, S. Brahmbhatt, A. Gupta, Avadhesh C. Sharma

PCOM Scholarly Works

Background: In the present study we tested the hypothesis that progression of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes (14-days to 28-days) would produce renal and vascular dysfunction that correlate with altered p38- mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38-MAPK) phosphorylation in kidneys and thoracic aorta. Methods: Male Sprague Dawley rats (350-400 g) were randomized into three groups: sham (N = 6), 14-days diabetic (N = 6) and 28-days diabetic rats (N = 6). Diabetes was induced using a single tail vein injection of STZ (60 mg/kg, I.V.) on the first day. Rats were monitored for 28 days and food, water intake and plasma glucose levels were …

The Use Of Time-Resolved Fluorescence Imaging In The Study Of Protein Kinase C Localisation In Cells., Christopher D Stubbs, Stanley W Botchway, Simon J Slater, Anthony W Parker

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Two-photon-excitation fluorescence lifetime imaging (2P-FLIM) was used to investigate the association of protein kinase C alpha (PKCalpha) with caveolin in CHO cells. PKCalpha is found widely in the cytoplasm and nucleus in most cells. Upon activation, as a result of increased intracellular Ca2+ and production of DAG, through G-protein coupled-phospholipase C signalling, PKC translocates to a variety of regions in the cell where it phosphorylates and interacts with many signalling pathways. Due to its wide distribution, discerning a particular interaction from others within the cell is extremely difficult. RESULTS: Fluorescence energy transfer (FRET), between GFP-PKCalpha and DsRed-caveolin, was used …