Life Sciences Commons^™

A Cell Biology Laboratory Exercise To Study Sub-Cellular Organelles In Drosophila, Meghana Tare, Amit Singh

Biology Faculty Publications

The fast-changing scenario of undergraduate education puts emphasis on introducing students to hands-on techniques as part of their laboratory courses. In order to cater to large numbers of students and the time constraints involved with undergraduate level laboratory courses, there is a need for development of experiments that are cost effective and can be completed in a defined time frame. We have devised a laboratory exercise for teaching cell biology using the Drosophila melanogaster model. Drosophila can be reared in a short period of time in a cost effective manner. We used Drosophila tissue to study the sub-cellular organization of …

The Role Of P44/42 Activation In Tributyltin-Induced Inhibition Of Human Natural Killer Cells: Effects Of Mek Inhibitors, Abraham B. Abraha, Margaret M. Whalen

Chemistry Faculty Research

Destruction of tumor cells is a key function of natural killer (NK) cells. Previous studies have shown that tributyltin (TBT) can significantly reduce the lytic function of the human NK cells with accompanying increases in the phosphorylation (activation) states of the mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs), p44/42. The current studies examine the role of p44/42 activation in the TBT-induced reduction of NK-lytic function, by using MAPK kinase (MEK) inhibitors, PD98059 and U0126. A 1 h treatment with PD98059 or U0126 or both decreased the ability of NK cells to lyse K562 tumor cells. PD98059, U0126 or a combination of both …

An Inositolphosphorylceramide Synthase Is Involved In Regulation Of Plant Programmed Cell Death Associated With Defense In Arabidopsis, Wenming Wang, Xiaohua Yang, Samantha Tangchiaburana, Roland Ndeh, Jennifer E. Markham, Yoseph Tsegaye, Teresa M. Dunn, Guo-Liang Wang, Maria Bellizzi, James F. Parsons, Danielle Morrissey, Janis E. Bravo, Daniel V. Lynch, Shunyuan Xiao

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The Arabidopsis thaliana resistance gene RPW8 triggers the hypersensitive response (HR) to restrict powdery mildew infection via the salicylic acid–dependent signaling pathway. To further understand how RPW8 signaling is regulated, we have conducted a genetic screen to identify mutations enhancing RPW8-mediated HR-like cell death (designated erh). Here, we report the isolation and characterization of the Arabidopsis erh1 mutant, in which the At2g37940 locus is knocked out by a T-DNA insertion. Loss of function of ERH1 results in salicylic acid accumulation, enhanced transcription of RPW8 and RPW8-dependent spontaneous HR-like cell death in leaf tissues, and reduction in plant stature. …

Food Group Intake And Risk Of Subtypes Of Esophageal And Gastric Cancer, Stephanie A. Navarro Silvera, Susan T. Mayne, Harvey Risch, Marilee D. Gammon, Thomas L. Vaughan, Wong-Ho Chow, Robert Dubrow, Janet B. Schoenberg, Janet L. Stanford, Brian West, Heidrun Rotterdam, William J. Blot, Joseph F. Fraumeni Jr.

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Incidence rates for adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and gastric cardia have been increasing rapidly, while rates for non‐cardia gastric adenocarcinoma and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma have declined. We examined food group intake as a risk factor for subtypes of esophageal and gastric cancers in a multicenter, population‐based case–control study in Connecticut, New Jersey and western Washington state. Associations between food groups and risk were estimated using adjusted odds ratios (OR), based on increasing intake of one serving per day. Total vegetable intake was associated with decreased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.75, 0.96). Conversely, total …

Effects Of Ziram On Tumor-Cell-Binding Capacity, Cell-Surface Marker Expression, And Atp Levels Of Human Natural Killer Cells, Thyneice R. Taylor, Margaret M. Whalen

Chemistry Faculty Research

Human natural killer (NK) cells are central in immune defense against tumor and virally infected cells. Ziram is used as an accelerating agent in latex production and as an agricultural fungicide. Previous studies showed that continuous exposure to ziram inhibits NK lytic function. Additionally, they showed that a brief (1 h) exposure to ziram caused persistent loss of lytic function. This study examined whether decreases in lytic function were accompanied by decreases in the target-binding function of NK cells and found that some, but not all, exposures to ziram caused significant decreases in binding function. Ziram exposures that caused a …

Biological Signatures Of Vaccine Responses, Lorena Nunez

Honors Scholar Theses

The set of host- and pathogen-specific molecular features of a disease comprise its “signature”. We hypothesize that biological signatures enables distinctions between vaccinated vs. infected individuals. In our research, using porcine samples, protocols were developed that could also be used to identify biological signatures of human disease. Different classes of molecular features will be tested during this project, including indicators of basic immune capacity, which are being studied at this instance.

These indicators of basic immune response such as porcine cytokines and antibodies were validated using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This is an established method that detects antigens by their …

Pentachlorophenol Decreases Atp Levels In Human Natural Killer Cells, Ugochukwu Nnodu, Margaret M. Whalen

Chemistry Faculty Research

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is used as a wood preservative and is found in human blood and urine. PCP causes significant decreases in the tumor-killing (lytic) function of human natural killer (NK) cells, a critical immune defense. The current study examined the association between decreased lytic function and decreased ATP levels, as well as the ability of antioxidants (vitamin E and reduced glutathione) to prevent PCP-induced decreases in either ATP levels or lytic function. Exposure of NK cells to 10 µm PCP decreased ATP levels by 15% at 24 h, and exposure to 5 µm PCP decreased ATP levels by 32% at …

The Intermediate Filament Network In Cultured Human Keratinocytes Is Remarkably Extensible And Resilient, Douglas S. Fudge, David Russell, Daniel R. Beriault, Whitney Moore, E. Birgitte Lane, A. Wayne Vogl

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The prevailing model of the mechanical function of intermediate filaments in cells assumes that these 10 nm diameter filaments make up networks that behave as entropic gels, with individual intermediate filaments never experiencing direct loading in tension. However, recent work has shown that single intermediate filaments and bundles are remarkably extensible and elastic in vitro, and therefore well-suited to bearing tensional loads. Here we tested the hypothesis that the intermediate filament network in keratinocytes is extensible and elastic as predicted by the available in vitro data. To do this, we monitored the morphology of fluorescently-tagged intermediate filament networks in cultured …

Investigating The Affects Of Cucurbitacin-I On Cellular Motility, Rebecca Lafleur

Honors Scholar Theses

Cellular migration is an integral component of many biological processes including immune function, wound healing and cancer cell metastasis. A complete model illustrating the mechanism by which cells accomplish movement is still lacking. Exploring the affects of various drugs on cell motility may be instrumental in discovering new proteins which mediate cell movement. This project aims ultimately to characterize the molecular target of the drug Cucurbitacin-I, a natural plant product. This drug has been shown to inhibit migration of epithelial sheets and may have anti-tumor activity.

In this paper, we show that Cucurbitacin-I inhibits the migration of MDCK and B16F1 …

Nociceptive Polycationic Peptides Are Chemorepellents In Tetrahymena Thermophila, Alicia E. Schaffner, Heather G. Kuruvilla

Science and Mathematics Faculty Presentations

Chemorepellents are compounds which cause a cell to move away from the source of the repellent, or down a concentration gradient of the compound. In ciliates such as Tetrahymena thermophila and Paramecium tetraurelia, this reorientation is accomplished by ciliary reversal, resulting in jerky or backward swimming which is known as an “avoidance reaction”. This reaction can easily be seen under a simple dissection microscope, allowing for easy characterization of ciliate behavior in different compounds.

A number of compounds are known chemorepellents in Tetrahymena thermophila, including ATP and GTP which have a negative overall charge, and polycations such as lysozyme and …

Novel Role Of Antioxidant-1 (Atox1) As A Copper-Dependent Transcription Factor Involved In Cell Proliferation, S. Itoh, H. W. Kim, O. Nakagawa, K. Ozumi, Susan M. Lessner, H. Aoki, K. Akram, R. D. Mckinney, M. Ushio-Fukai, T. Fukai

Faculty Publications

Copper plays a fundamental role in regulating cell growth. Many types of human cancer tissues have higher copper levels than normal tissues. Copper can also induce gene expression. However, transcription factors that mediate copper-induced cell proliferation have not been identified in mammals. Here we show that antioxidant-1 (Atox1), previously appreciated as a copper chaperone, represents a novel copper-dependent transcription factor that mediates copper-induced cell proliferation. Stimulation of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) with copper markedly increased cell proliferation, cyclin D1 expression, and entry into S phase, which were completely abolished in Atox1^-/- MEFs. Promoter analysis and EMSA revealed that copper …

Different Requirements Of The Swi/Snf Complex For Robust Nucleosome Displacement At Promoters Of Heat Shock Factor And Msn2- And Msn4-Regulated Heat Shock Genes, Tamara Y. Erkina, P. A. Tschetter, Alexander M. Erkine

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

The stress response in yeast cells is regulated by at least two classes of transcription activators—HSF and Msn2/4, which differentially affect promoter chromatin remodeling. We demonstrate that the deletion of SNF2, an ATPase activity-containing subunit of the chromatin remodeling SWI/SNF complex, eliminates histone displacement, RNA polymerase II recruitment, and heat shock factor (HSF) binding at the HSP12 promoter while delaying these processes at the HSP82 and SSA4 promoters. Out of the three promoters, the double deletion of MSN2 and MSN4 eliminates both chromatin remodeling and HSF binding only at the HSP12 promoter, suggesting that Msn2/4 activators are primary determinants of …

Bmp Signaling Goes Posttranscriptional In A Microrna Sort Of Way, Catherine A. Reinke, Richard W. Carthew

Faculty Publications

Aberrant microRNA (miRNA) expression correlates with human diseases such as cardiac disorders and cancer. Treatment of such disorders using miRNA-targeted therapeutics requires a thorough understanding of miRNA regulation in vivo. A recent paper in Nature by Davis et al. expands our understanding of miRNA biogenesis and maturation, elucidating a mechanism by which extracellular signaling directs cell differentiation via posttranscriptional regulation of miRNA expression.

Identification Of Lactic Acid Bacteria In Michigan Cherry Wines, Emily Henk, Margaret Dietrich, Terri Weese

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

Many factors contribute to the final flavor of wine. One factor is malolactic fermentation, during which lactic acid bacteria (LAB) transform the harsh tasting malic acid into a more drinkable lactic acid in grape wine. The role of LAB in the production of cherry wine is completely unknown. The goal of this study is to identify the species of LAB in cherry wine and compare them to those found in grape wines. Bacteria from cherry wine were grown on general media plates and plates fortified with malic acid, which may provide optimal growing conditions for the LAB. To identify the …

Is The Amphibian Tree Of Life Really Fatally Flawed?, Darrel R. Frost, Taran Grant, Julian Faivovich, Raoul H. Bain, Alexander Haas, Celio F.B. Haddad, Rafael O. De Sá, Et Al.

Biology Faculty Publications

Wiens (2007, Q. Rev. Biol. 82, 55–56) recently published a severe critique of Frost et al.'s (2006, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 297, 1–370) monographic study of amphibian systematics, concluding that it is “a disaster” and recommending that readers “simply ignore this study”. Beyond the hyperbole, Wiens raised four general objections that he regarded as “fatal flaws”: (1) the sampling design was insufficient for the generic changes made and taxonomic changes were made without including all type species; (2) the nuclear gene most commonly used in amphibian phylogenetics, RAG-1, was not included, nor were the morphological characters that had justified …

Adenylyl Cyclase Type 6 Overexpression Selectively Enhances Ss-Adrenergic And Prostacyclin Receptor Mediated Inhibition Of Rat Cardiac Fibroblast Function Due To Co-Localization In Lipid Rafts, Xiaoqiu Liu, Muthusamy Thangavel, Shu Qiang Sun, Joseph Kaminsky, Penden Mahautmr, Jeremiah Stitham, John Hwa, Rennolds S. Ostrom

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Cardiac fibroblasts produce and degrade extracellular matrix and are critical in regulating cardiac remodeling and hypertrophy. Fibroblasts are activated by factors such as transforming growth factor β and inhibited by agents that elevate 3′,5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels. cAMP signal generation and response is known to be compartmentalized in many cell types in part through the colocalization of receptors and specific adenylyl cyclase isoforms in lipid rafts and caveolae. The present study sought to define the localization of key G protein-coupled receptors with adenylyl cyclase type 6 (AC6) in lipid rafts of rat cardiac fibroblasts and to determine if this …

Interactions Between Changing Pco2, N2 Fixation, And Fe Limitation In The Marine Unicellular Cyanobacterium Crocosphaera, Fei-Xue Fu, Margaret R. Mulholland, Nathan S. Garcia, Aaron Beck, Mark E. Warner, Sergio A. Sañudo, David A. Hutchins

OES Faculty Publications

We examined the physiological responses of steady-state iron (Fe)-replete and Fe-limited cultures of the biogeochemically critical marine unicellular diazotrophic cyanobacterium Crocosphaera at glacial (19 Pa; 190 ppm), current (39 Pa; 380 ppm), and projected year 2100 (76 Pa; 750 ppm) CO₂ levels. Rates of N₂ and CO₂ fixation and growth increased in step with increasing partial pressure of CO₂ (pCO₂), but only under Fe- replete conditions. N₂) and carbon fixation rates at 75 Pa CO₂ were 1.4-1.8-fold and 1.2-2.0-fold higher, respectively, relative to those at present day and glacial pCO_{2 …}

Molybdate Treatment And Sulfate Starvation Decrease Atp And Dna Levels In Ferroplasma Acidarmanus, Kai Hung

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Sulfate is a primary source of sulfur for most microbes and in some prokaryotes it is used an electron acceptor. The acidophile Ferroplasma acidarmanus (strain fer1) requires a minimum of 150 mM of a sulfate-containing salt for growth. Sulfate is assimilated by F. acidarmanus into proteins and reduced to form the volatile organic sulfur compounds methanethiol and dimethyldisulfide. In the absence of sulfate, cell death occurs by an unknown mechanism. In this study, cell viability and genomic DNA and ATP contents of F. acidarmanus were monitored in response to the absence of sulfate or the presence of sulfate and the …

Annotation Of The Bacteriophage 933w Genome: An In-Class Interactive Web-Based Exercise, Kai F. Hung

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Molybdate Treatment And Sulfate Starvation Decrease Atp And Dna Levels In Ferroplasma Acidarmanus, Kai F. Hung

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Sulfate is a primary source of sulfur for most microbes and in some prokaryotes it is used an electron acceptor. The acidophile Ferroplasma acidarmanus (strain fer1) requires a minimum of 150 mM of a sulfate-containing salt for growth. Sulfate is assimilated by F. acidarmanus into proteins and reduced to form the volatile organic sulfur compounds methanethiol and dimethyldisulfide. In the absence of sulfate, cell death occurs by an unknown mechanism. In this study, cell viability and genomic DNA and ATP contents of F. acidarmanus were monitored in response to the absence of sulfate or the presence of sulfate and the …