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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Kindlin-1 Is Involved In Spreading, Migration, And Protein Regulation In Epidermal Scc-13 Cells, Naomi Mishan
Kindlin-1 Is Involved In Spreading, Migration, And Protein Regulation In Epidermal Scc-13 Cells, Naomi Mishan
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Kindlin-1 is a scaffold protein linking the cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix. Loss of function mutations in the FERMT1 gene (encoding Kindlin-1) cause gastrointestinal and skin defects associated with increased susceptibility to aggressive epidermal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). This study investigated the consequences of targeted FERMT1 inactivation in the SCC-13 cell line of epidermal SCC. My studies demonstrate Kindlin-1 is not essential for SCC-13 proliferation or clonogenic potential in culture. Kindlin-1 was required for cell spreading on collagen I, but not on laminin-332, and its absence enhanced SCC-13 directional migration. Finally, I identified several proteins involved in tumor formation and …
Cardiomyocyte Polarity And Embryonic Heart Development: Role Of Rac1, Carmen Leung
Cardiomyocyte Polarity And Embryonic Heart Development: Role Of Rac1, Carmen Leung
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common human birth defect and the leading cause of death from a birth defect in the first year of life. Thus, a further understanding of the mechanisms underlying CHDs, which could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment, is crucial. The small GTPase, Rac1, acts as a pleiotropic effector of numerous cellular processes; however, little is known about its role in embryonic heart development. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the role of Rac1 signaling in cardiac development. Using the Cre/loxP system, mouse models with an anterior second heart field (SHF) or …
Functional Significance Of Ilk-Elmo2 Interactions In Epidermal Keratinocytes, Ernest Ho
Functional Significance Of Ilk-Elmo2 Interactions In Epidermal Keratinocytes, Ernest Ho
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
The epidermis consists of a basal layer of undifferentiated keratinocytes and multiple suprabasal layers of differentiated keratinocytes. Undifferentiated keratinocytes are adherent and highly motile, whereas differentiated keratinocytes are comparatively less motile and downregulate cell attachments to the extracellular matrix. Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is a scaffold protein implicated in the regulation of many cellular functions in keratinocytes, including cell attachment, migration, phagocytosis, and protein trafficking. To determine the mechanisms by which ILK is involved in these processes, I sought to identify other proteins which may interact with ILK in keratinocytes. I identified Engulfment and Cell Motility 2 (ELMO2) to interact with …