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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Aging Predisposes Oocytes To Meiotic Nondisjunction When The Cohesin Subunit Smc1 Is Reduced, Vijayalakshmi V. Subramanian, Sharon E. Bickel Jan 2008

Aging Predisposes Oocytes To Meiotic Nondisjunction When The Cohesin Subunit Smc1 Is Reduced, Vijayalakshmi V. Subramanian, Sharon E. Bickel

Dartmouth Scholarship

In humans, meiotic chromosome segregation errors increase dramatically as women age, but the molecular defects responsible are largely unknown. Cohesion along the arms of meiotic sister chromatids provides an evolutionarily conserved mechanism to keep recombinant chromosomes associated until anaphase I. One attractive hypothesis to explain age- dependent nondisjunction (NDJ) is that loss of cohesion over time causes recombinant homologues to dissociate prematurely and segregate randomly during the first meiotic division. Using Drosophila as a model system, we have tested this hypothesis and observe a significant increase in meiosis I NDJ in experimentally aged Drosophila oocytes when the cohesin protein SMC1 …


Il-21 Limits Peripheral Lymphocyte Numbers Through T Cell Homeostatic Mechanisms., Shrimati Datta, Nora E. Sarvetnick Jan 2008

Il-21 Limits Peripheral Lymphocyte Numbers Through T Cell Homeostatic Mechanisms., Shrimati Datta, Nora E. Sarvetnick

Journal Articles: Regenerative Medicine

BACKGROUND: IL-21, a member of the common gamma-chain utilizing family of cytokines, participates in immune and inflammatory processes. In addition, the cytokine has been linked to autoimmunity in humans and rodents.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To investigate the mechanism whereby IL-21 affects the immune system, we investigated its role in T cell homeostasis and autoimmunity in both non-autoimmune C57BL/6 and autoimmune NOD mice. Our data indicate that IL-21R knockout C57BL/6 and NOD mice show increased size of their lymphocyte population and decreased homeostatic proliferation. In addition, our experimental results demonstrate that IL-21 inhibits T cell survival. These data suggest that IL-21 acts …


Anticoagulant Rodenticide Intoxication In Animals – A Review, Ivan Valchev, Rumen Binev, Veska Yordanova, Yordan Nikolov Jan 2008

Anticoagulant Rodenticide Intoxication In Animals – A Review, Ivan Valchev, Rumen Binev, Veska Yordanova, Yordan Nikolov

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The newest measures for the control of harmful rodent populations are from the anticoagulant rodenticide group, which are divided into 2 subgroups: first and second generations, and indandione derivatives. Non-target organisms are potentially at risk of direct consumption of baits (primary hazard) and of eating poisoned rodents (secondary hazard). Anticoagulant rodenticides inhibit the enzyme vitamin K-dependent carboxylase and thus impair the reactivation of vitamin K1, indirectly affecting physiological blood coagulation. The diagnosis is made on the basis of clinical signs (massive hemorrhages), laboratory findings, and especially the changes in coagulation markers (APTT, PT, TT, PCT, ACT, FDPs, and PIVKA). The …


Gene Response Profiles For Daphnia Pulex Exposed To The Environmental Stressor Cadmium Reveals Novel Crustacean Metallothioneins, Joseph R. Shaw, John K. Colbourne, Jennifer C. Davey, Stephen P. Glaholt, Thomas H. Hampton, Celia Y. Chen, Carol L. Folt, Joshua W. Hamilton Dec 2007

Gene Response Profiles For Daphnia Pulex Exposed To The Environmental Stressor Cadmium Reveals Novel Crustacean Metallothioneins, Joseph R. Shaw, John K. Colbourne, Jennifer C. Davey, Stephen P. Glaholt, Thomas H. Hampton, Celia Y. Chen, Carol L. Folt, Joshua W. Hamilton

Dartmouth Scholarship

Genomic research tools such as microarrays are proving to be important resources to study the complex regulation of genes that respond to environmental perturbations. A first generation cDNA microarray was developed for the environmental indicator species Daphnia pulex, to identify genes whose regulation is modulated following exposure to the metal stressor cadmium. Our experiments revealed interesting changes in gene transcription that suggest their biological roles and their potentially toxicological features in responding to this important environmental contaminant.


The Role Of Carcinine In Signaling At The Drosophila Photoreceptor Synapse, Brendan A. Gavin, Susan E. Arruda, Patrick J. Dolph Dec 2007

The Role Of Carcinine In Signaling At The Drosophila Photoreceptor Synapse, Brendan A. Gavin, Susan E. Arruda, Patrick J. Dolph

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Drosophila melanogaster photoreceptor cell has long served as a model system for researchers focusing on how animal sensory neurons receive information from their surroundings and translate this information into chemical and electrical messages. Electroretinograph (ERG) analysis of Drosophila mutants has helped to elucidate some of the genes involved in the visual transduction pathway downstream of the photoreceptor cell, and it is now clear that photoreceptor cell signaling is dependent upon the proper release and recycling of the neurotransmitter histamine. While the neurotransmitter transporters responsible for clearing histamine, and its metabolite carcinine, from the synaptic cleft have remained unknown, a …


Pre-Mrna Secondary Structures Influence Exon Recognition, Michael Hiller, Zhaiyi Zhang, Rolf Backofen, Stefan Stamm Nov 2007

Pre-Mrna Secondary Structures Influence Exon Recognition, Michael Hiller, Zhaiyi Zhang, Rolf Backofen, Stefan Stamm

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The secondary structure of a pre-mRNA influences a number of processing steps including alternative splicing. Since most splicing regulatory proteins bind to single-stranded RNA, the sequestration of RNA into double strands could prevent their binding. Here, we analyzed the secondary structure context of experimentally determined splicing enhancer and silencer motifs in their natural pre-mRNA context. We found that these splicing motifs are significantly more single-stranded than controls. These findings were validated by transfection experiments, where the effect of enhancer or silencer motifs on exon skipping was much more pronounced in single-stranded conformation. We also found that the structural context of …


A Conserved Cam- And Radial Spoke–Associated Complex Mediates Regulation Of Flagellar Dynein Activity, Erin E. Dymek, Elizabeth F. Smith Nov 2007

A Conserved Cam- And Radial Spoke–Associated Complex Mediates Regulation Of Flagellar Dynein Activity, Erin E. Dymek, Elizabeth F. Smith

Dartmouth Scholarship

For virtually all cilia and eukaryotic flagella, the second messengers calcium and cyclic adenosine monophosphate are implicated in modulating dynein- driven microtubule sliding to regulate beating. Calmodulin (CaM) localizes to the axoneme and is a key calcium sensor involved in regulating motility. Using immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, we identify members of a CaM-containing complex that are involved in regulating dynein activity. This complex includes flagellar-associated protein 91 (FAP91), which shares considerable sequence similarity to AAT-1, a protein originally identified in testis as an A-kinase anchor protein (AKAP)- binding protein. FAP91 directly interacts with radial spoke protein 3 (an AKAP), which …


A Non-Circadian Role For Clock-Genes In Sleep Homeostasis: A Strain Comparison, Paul Franken, Ryan Thomason, H. Craig Heller, Bruce F. O'Hara Oct 2007

A Non-Circadian Role For Clock-Genes In Sleep Homeostasis: A Strain Comparison, Paul Franken, Ryan Thomason, H. Craig Heller, Bruce F. O'Hara

Biology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: We have previously reported that the expression of circadian clock-genes increases in the cerebral cortex after sleep deprivation (SD) and that the sleep rebound following SD is attenuated in mice deficient for one or more clock-genes. We hypothesized that besides generating circadian rhythms, clock-genes also play a role in the homeostatic regulation of sleep. Here we follow the time course of the forebrain changes in the expression of the clock-genes period (per)-1, per2, and of the clock-controlled gene albumin D-binding protein (dbp) during a 6 h SD and subsequent recovery sleep in three inbred strains of mice for which …


Induction Of Insulin Secretion In Engineered Liver Cells By Nitric Oxide, Latha Muniappan, Sabire Özcan Oct 2007

Induction Of Insulin Secretion In Engineered Liver Cells By Nitric Oxide, Latha Muniappan, Sabire Özcan

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus results from an autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic beta cells, which produce insulin. The lack of insulin leads to chronic hyperglycemia and secondary complications, such as cardiovascular disease. The currently approved clinical treatments for diabetes mellitus often fail to achieve sustained and optimal glycemic control. Therefore, there is a great interest in the development of surrogate beta cells as a treatment for type 1 diabetes. Normally, pancreatic beta cells produce and secrete insulin only in response to increased blood glucose levels. However in many cases, insulin secretion from non-beta cells engineered to produce insulin occurs …


The Small Rna Repertoire Of Dictyostelium Discoideum And Its Regulation By Components Of The Rnai Pathway, Andrea Hinas, Johan Reimegård, E. Gerhart H. Wagner, Wolfgang Nellen, Victor R. Ambros, Fredrik Soderbum Oct 2007

The Small Rna Repertoire Of Dictyostelium Discoideum And Its Regulation By Components Of The Rnai Pathway, Andrea Hinas, Johan Reimegård, E. Gerhart H. Wagner, Wolfgang Nellen, Victor R. Ambros, Fredrik Soderbum

Dartmouth Scholarship

Small RNAs play crucial roles in regulation of gene expression in many eukaryotes. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of 18–26 nt RNAs in the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum . This survey uncovered developmentally regulated microRNA candidates whose biogenesis, at least in one case, is dependent on a Dicer homolog, DrnB. Furthermore, we identified a large number of 21 nt RNAs originating from the DIRS-1 retrotransposon, clusters of which have been suggested to constitute centromeres. Small RNAs from another retrotransposon, Skipper, were significantly up-regulated in strains depleted of the second Dicer-like protein, DrnA, and a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, …


A Simple Array Platform For Microrna Analysis And Its Application In Mouse Tissues, Xiaoqing Tang, Jozsef Gal, Xun Zhuang, Wang-Xia Wang, Haining Zhu, Guiliang Tang Oct 2007

A Simple Array Platform For Microrna Analysis And Its Application In Mouse Tissues, Xiaoqing Tang, Jozsef Gal, Xun Zhuang, Wang-Xia Wang, Haining Zhu, Guiliang Tang

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a novel class of small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and play a critical role in many important biological processes. Most miRNAs are conserved between humans and mice, which makes it possible to analyze their expressions with a set of selected array probes. Here, we report a simple array platform that can detect 553 nonredundant miRNAs encompassing the entire set of miRNAs for humans and mice. The platform features carefully selected and designed probes with optimized hybridization parameters. Potential cross-reaction between mature miRNAs and their precursors was investigated. The array platform was …


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 Oct 2007

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 …


Chronic Administration Of R-Flurbiprofen Attenuates Learning Impairments In Transgenic Amyloid Precursor Protein Mice, Thomas Kukar, Sonya Prescott, Jason L. Eriksen, Vallie Holloway, M. Paul Murphy, Edward H. Koo, Todd E. Golde, Michelle M. Nicolle Jul 2007

Chronic Administration Of R-Flurbiprofen Attenuates Learning Impairments In Transgenic Amyloid Precursor Protein Mice, Thomas Kukar, Sonya Prescott, Jason L. Eriksen, Vallie Holloway, M. Paul Murphy, Edward H. Koo, Todd E. Golde, Michelle M. Nicolle

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with a reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We and others have shown that certain NSAIDs reduce secretion of Abeta42 in cell culture and animal models, and that the effect of NSAIDs on Abeta42 is independent of the inhibition of cyclooxygenase by these compounds. Since Abeta42 is hypothesized to be the initiating pathologic molecule in AD, the ability of these compounds to lower Abeta42 selectively may be associated with their protective effect. We have previously identified R-flurbiprofen (tarenflurbil) as a selective Abeta42 lowering agent with greatly reduced cyclooxygenase activity that …


Regulation Of Meiotic Cohesion And Chromosome Core Morphogenesis During Pachytene In Drosophila Oocytes, Radhika S. Khetani, Sharon E. Bickel Jul 2007

Regulation Of Meiotic Cohesion And Chromosome Core Morphogenesis During Pachytene In Drosophila Oocytes, Radhika S. Khetani, Sharon E. Bickel

Dartmouth Scholarship

During meiosis, cohesion between sister chromatids is required for normal levels of homologous recombination, maintenance of chiasmata and accurate chromosome segregation during both divisions. In Drosophila, null mutations in the ord gene abolish meiotic cohesion, although how ORD protein promotes cohesion has remained elusive. We show that SMC subunits of the cohesin complex colocalize with ORD at centromeres of ovarian germ-line cells. In addition, cohesin SMCs and ORD are visible along the length of meiotic chromosomes during pachytene and remain associated with chromosome cores following DNase I digestion. In flies lacking ORD activity, cohesin SMCs fail to accumulate at oocyte …


Parasites Alter Community Structure, Chelsea L. Wood, James E. Byers, Kathryn L. Cottingham, Irit Altman May 2007

Parasites Alter Community Structure, Chelsea L. Wood, James E. Byers, Kathryn L. Cottingham, Irit Altman

Dartmouth Scholarship

Parasites often play an important role in modifying the physiology and behavior of their hosts and may, consequently, mediate the influence hosts have on other components of an ecological community. Along the northern Atlantic coast of North America, the dominant herbivorous snail Littorina littorea structures rocky intertidal communities through strong grazing pressure and is frequently parasitized by the digenean trematode Cryptocotyle lingua. We hypothesized that the effects of parasitism on host physiology would induce behavioral changes in L. littorea, which in turn would modulate L. littorea's influence on intertidal community composition. Specifically, we hypothesized that C. lingua …


Coordinated Regulation Of Myc Trans-Activation Targets By Polycomb And The Trithorax Group Protein Ash1, Julie M. Goodliffe, Michael D. Cole, Eric Wieschaus May 2007

Coordinated Regulation Of Myc Trans-Activation Targets By Polycomb And The Trithorax Group Protein Ash1, Julie M. Goodliffe, Michael D. Cole, Eric Wieschaus

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Myc oncoprotein is a transcriptional regulator whose function is essential for normal development. Myc is capable of binding to 10% of the mammalian genome, and it is unclear how a developing embryo controls the DNA binding of its abundant Myc proteins in order to avoid Myc's potential for inducing tumorigenesis.To identify chromatin binding proteins with a potential role in controlling Myc activity, we established a genetic assay for dMyc activity in Drosophila. We conducted a genome-wide screen using this assay, and identified the Trithorax Group protein Ash1 as a modifier of dMyc activity. Ash1 is a histone methyltransferase known …


Stoichiometric Controls Of Mercury Dilution By Growth, Roxanne Karimi, Celia Y. Chen, Paul C. Pickhardt, Nicholas S. Fisher, Carol L. Folt May 2007

Stoichiometric Controls Of Mercury Dilution By Growth, Roxanne Karimi, Celia Y. Chen, Paul C. Pickhardt, Nicholas S. Fisher, Carol L. Folt

Dartmouth Scholarship

Rapid growth could significantly reduce methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in aquatic organisms by causing a greater than proportional gain in biomass relative to MeHg (somatic growth dilution). We hypothesized that rapid growth from the consumption of high-quality algae, defined by algal nutrient stoichiometry, reduces MeHg concentrations in zooplankton, a major source of MeHg for lake fish. Using a MeHg radiotracer, we measured changes in MeHg concentrations, growth and ingestion rates in juvenile Daphnia pulex fed either high (C:P = 139) or low-quality (C:P = 1317) algae (Ankistrodesmus falcatus) for 5 d. We estimated Daphnia steady-state MeHg concentrations, using a …


Expansion Of The Calcium Hypothesis Of Brain Aging And Alzheimer's Disease: Minding The Store, Olivier Thibault, John C. Gant, Philip W. Landfield Apr 2007

Expansion Of The Calcium Hypothesis Of Brain Aging And Alzheimer's Disease: Minding The Store, Olivier Thibault, John C. Gant, Philip W. Landfield

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Evidence accumulated over more than two decades has implicated Ca2+ dysregulation in brain aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD), giving rise to the Ca2+ hypothesis of brain aging and dementia. Electrophysiological, imaging, and behavioral studies in hippocampal or cortical neurons of rodents and rabbits have revealed aging-related increases in the slow afterhyperpolarization, Ca2+ spikes and currents, Ca2+transients, and L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channel (L-VGCC) activity. Several of these changes have been associated with age-related deficits in learning or memory. Consequently, one version of the Ca2+ hypothesis has been that increased L-VGCC activity drives many of the other Ca2+-related biomarkers of hippocampal aging. …


Single-Stranded Dna-Binding Proteins Regulate The Abundance Of Lim Domain And Lim Domain-Binding Proteins, Zhixiong Xu, Xianzhang Meng, Ying Cai, Hong Liang, Lalitha Nagarajan, Stephen J Brandt Apr 2007

Single-Stranded Dna-Binding Proteins Regulate The Abundance Of Lim Domain And Lim Domain-Binding Proteins, Zhixiong Xu, Xianzhang Meng, Ying Cai, Hong Liang, Lalitha Nagarajan, Stephen J Brandt

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The LIM domain-binding protein Ldb1 is an essential cofactor of LIM-homeodomain (LIM-HD) and LIM-only (LMO) proteins in development. The stoichiometry of Ldb1, LIM-HD, and LMO proteins is tightly controlled in the cell and is likely a critical determinant of their biological actions. Single-stranded DNA-binding proteins (SSBPs) were recently shown to interact with Ldb1 and are also important in developmental programs. We establish here that two mammalian SSBPs, SSBP2 and SSBP3, contribute to an erythroid DNA-binding complex that contains the transcription factors Tal1 and GATA-1, the LIM domain protein Lmo2, and Ldb1 and binds a bipartite E-box-GATA DNA sequence motif. In …


Imaging Of Pulmonary Embolism And T-Pa Therapy Effects Using Mdct And Liposomal Iohexol Blood Pool Agent: Preliminary Results In A Rabbit Model, Stephen J Burke, Ananth Annapragada, Eric A Hoffman, Emmanuel Chen, Ketan B Ghaghada, Jered Sieren, Edwin J R Van Beek Mar 2007

Imaging Of Pulmonary Embolism And T-Pa Therapy Effects Using Mdct And Liposomal Iohexol Blood Pool Agent: Preliminary Results In A Rabbit Model, Stephen J Burke, Ananth Annapragada, Eric A Hoffman, Emmanuel Chen, Ketan B Ghaghada, Jered Sieren, Edwin J R Van Beek

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Polyethylene glycol-coated liposomal blood pool contrast agents maintain contrast enhancement over several hours. This study aimed to evaluate (long-term) imaging of pulmonary arteries, comparing conventional iodinated contrast with a liposomal blood pool contrast agent. Also, visualization of the (real-time) therapeutic effects of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) on pulmonary embolism (PE) was attempted. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six rabbits (weight approximately 4 kg) had autologous blood clots injected through the superior vena cava. Imaging was performed using conventional contrast (iohexol, 350 mg I/ml; GE HealthCare, Princeton, NJ) at a dose of 1400 mg I per animal, and after wash-out, …


Ua1f Wku Archives Vertical File - White Squirrels, Wku Archives Jan 2007

Ua1f Wku Archives Vertical File - White Squirrels, Wku Archives

WKU Administration Documents

Articles regarding the white squirrels that live on the WKU campus.


Similar Levels Of X-Linked And Autosomal Nucleotide Variation In African And Non-African Populations Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Nadia D. Singh, J. Michael Macpherson, Jeffrey D. Jensen, Dmitri A. Petrov Jan 2007

Similar Levels Of X-Linked And Autosomal Nucleotide Variation In African And Non-African Populations Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Nadia D. Singh, J. Michael Macpherson, Jeffrey D. Jensen, Dmitri A. Petrov

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Levels of molecular diversity in Drosophila have repeatedly been shown to be higher in ancestral, African populations than in derived, non-African populations. This pattern holds for both coding and noncoding regions for a variety of molecular markers including single nucleotide polymorphisms and microsatellites. Comparisons of X-linked and autosomal diversity have yielded results largely dependent on population of origin.

Results: In an attempt to further elucidate patterns of sequence diversity in Drosophila melanogaster, we studied nucleotide variation at putatively nonfunctional X-linked and autosomal loci in sub-Saharan African and North American strains of D. melanogaster. We combine our experimental …


Trophic Interactions Between Two Herbivorous Insects, Galerucella Calmariensis And Myzus Lythri, Feeding On Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum Salicaria, And Two Insect Predators, Harmonia Axyridis And Chrysoperla Carnea, Bethzayda Matos, John J. Obrycki Jan 2007

Trophic Interactions Between Two Herbivorous Insects, Galerucella Calmariensis And Myzus Lythri, Feeding On Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum Salicaria, And Two Insect Predators, Harmonia Axyridis And Chrysoperla Carnea, Bethzayda Matos, John J. Obrycki

Entomology Faculty Publications

The effects of two herbivorous insects, Galerucella calmariensis Duftschmid and Myzus lythri L. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), feeding on purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria L. (Myrtiflorae: Lythraceae), were measured in the presence of two insect predators, Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). A greenhouse cage experiment examined the direct effects of these predators on these herbivores, and indirect effects of predation on aboveground biomass, defoliation, number of leaves, and internode length. Eight treatment combinations with G. calmariensis, M. lythri, H. axyridis and C. carnea were applied to caged L. salicaria. The experiment ended …


Predictive Oncology: A Review Of Multidisciplinary, Multiscale In Silico Modeling Linking Phenotype, Morphology And Growth, Sandeep Sanga, Hermann B. Frieboes, Xiaoming Zheng, Robert Gatenby, Elaine L. Bearer, Vittorio Cristini Jan 2007

Predictive Oncology: A Review Of Multidisciplinary, Multiscale In Silico Modeling Linking Phenotype, Morphology And Growth, Sandeep Sanga, Hermann B. Frieboes, Xiaoming Zheng, Robert Gatenby, Elaine L. Bearer, Vittorio Cristini

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Empirical evidence and theoretical studies suggest that the phenotype, i.e., cellular- and molecular-scale dynamics, including proliferation rate and adhesiveness due to microenvironmental factors and gene expression that govern tumor growth and invasiveness, also determine gross tumor-scale morphology. It has been difficult to quantify the relative effect of these links on disease progression and prognosis using conventional clinical and experimental methods and observables. As a result, successful individualized treatment of highly malignant and invasive cancers, such as glioblastoma, via surgical resection and chemotherapy cannot be offered and outcomes are generally poor. What is needed is a deterministic, quantifiable method to enable …


High-Resolution Vascular Imaging Of The Rat Spine Using Liposomal Blood Pool Mr Agent, K B Ghaghada, K H J Bockhorst, S Mukundan, A V Annapragada, P A Narayana Jan 2007

High-Resolution Vascular Imaging Of The Rat Spine Using Liposomal Blood Pool Mr Agent, K B Ghaghada, K H J Bockhorst, S Mukundan, A V Annapragada, P A Narayana

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: High-resolution, vascular MR imaging of the spine region in small animals poses several challenges. The small anatomic features, extravascular diffusion, and low signal-to-noise ratio limit the use of conventional contrast agents. We hypothesize that a long-circulating, intravascular liposomal-encapsulated MR contrast agent (liposomal-Gd) would facilitate visualization of small anatomic features of the perispinal vasculature not visible with conventional contrast agent (gadolinium-diethylene-triaminepentaacetic acid [Gd-DTPA]). METHODS: In this study, high-resolution MR angiography of the spine region was performed in a rat model using a liposomal-Gd, which is known to remain within the blood pool for an extended period. The imaging …


Glycosylation Regulates Turnover Of Cyclooxygenase-2., Mary B. Sevigny, Chai-Fei Li, Monika Alas, Millie Hughes-Fulford Dec 2006

Glycosylation Regulates Turnover Of Cyclooxygenase-2., Mary B. Sevigny, Chai-Fei Li, Monika Alas, Millie Hughes-Fulford

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Faculty Scholarship

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the prostanoid biosynthesis pathway, converting arachidonic acid into prostaglandin H(2). COX-2 exists as 72 and 74kDa glycoforms, the latter resulting from an additional oligosaccharide chain at residue Asn(580). In this study, Asn(580) was mutated to determine the biological significance of this variable glycosylation. COS-1 cells transfected with the mutant gene were unable to express the 74kDa glycoform and were found to accumulate more COX-2 protein and have five times greater COX-2 activity than cells expressing both glycoforms. Thus, COX-2 turnover appears to depend upon glycosylation of the 72kDa glycoform.


Reproduction, Embryonic Development, And Maternal Transfer Of Contaminants In The Amphibian Gastrophryne Carolinensis, William Alexander Hopkins, Sarah Elizabeth Durant, Brandon Patrick Staub, Christopher Lee Rowe, Brian Phillip Jackson Dec 2006

Reproduction, Embryonic Development, And Maternal Transfer Of Contaminants In The Amphibian Gastrophryne Carolinensis, William Alexander Hopkins, Sarah Elizabeth Durant, Brandon Patrick Staub, Christopher Lee Rowe, Brian Phillip Jackson

Dartmouth Scholarship

Although many amphibian populations around the world are declining at alarming rates, the cause of most declines remains unknown. Environmental contamination is one of several factors implicated in declines and may have particularly important effects on sensitive developmental stages. Despite the severe effects of maternal transfer of contaminants on early development in other vertebrate lineages, no studies have examined the effects of maternal transfer of contaminants on reproduction or development in amphibians. We examined maternal transfer of contaminants in eastern narrow-mouth toads (Gastrophryne carolinensis) collected from a reference site and near a coal-burning power plant. Adult toads inhabiting …


Evidence That Talin Alternative Splice Variants From Ciona Intestinalis Have Different Roles In Cell Adhesion, Richard H. Singiser, Richard O. Mccann Dec 2006

Evidence That Talin Alternative Splice Variants From Ciona Intestinalis Have Different Roles In Cell Adhesion, Richard H. Singiser, Richard O. Mccann

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Talins are large, modular cytoskeletal proteins found in animals and amoebozoans such as Dictyostelium discoideum. Since the identification of a second talin gene in vertebrates, it has become increasingly clear that vertebrate Talin1 and Talin2 have non-redundant roles as essential links between integrins and the actin cytoskeleton in distinct plasma membrane-associated adhesion complexes. The conserved C-terminal I/LWEQ module is important for talin function. This structural element mediates the interaction of talins with F-actin. The I/LWEQ module also targets mammalian Talin1 to focal adhesion complexes, which are dynamic multicomponent assemblies required for cell adhesion and cell motility. Although Talin1 is …


Vulnerability Of Pathogenic Biofilms To Micavibrio Aeruginosavorus, Daniel Kadouri, Nel C. Venzon, George A. O'Toole Nov 2006

Vulnerability Of Pathogenic Biofilms To Micavibrio Aeruginosavorus, Daniel Kadouri, Nel C. Venzon, George A. O'Toole

Dartmouth Scholarship

The host specificity of the gram-negative exoparasitic predatory bacterium Micavibrio aeruginosavorus was examined. M. aeruginosavorus preyed on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as previously reported, as well as Burkholderia cepacia, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and numerous clinical isolates of these species. In a static assay, a reduction in biofilm biomass was observed as early as 3 hours after exposure to M. aeruginosavorus, and an ∼100-fold reduction in biofilm cell viability was detected following a a 24-h exposure to the predator. We observed that an initial titer of Micavibrio as low as 10 PFU/well or a time of exposure to the predator as short as 30 …


The Allantois And Chorion, When Isolated Before Circulation Or Chorio-Allantoic Fusion, Have Hematopoietic Potential, Brandon M. Zeigler, Daisuke Sugiyama, Michael Chen, Yalin Guo, K. M. Downs, N. A. Speck Nov 2006

The Allantois And Chorion, When Isolated Before Circulation Or Chorio-Allantoic Fusion, Have Hematopoietic Potential, Brandon M. Zeigler, Daisuke Sugiyama, Michael Chen, Yalin Guo, K. M. Downs, N. A. Speck

Dartmouth Scholarship

The chorio-allantoic placenta forms through the fusion of the allantois (progenitor tissue of the umbilical cord), with the chorionic plate. The murine placenta contains high levels of hematopoietic stem cells, and is therefore a stem cell niche. However, it is not known whether the placenta is a site of hematopoietic cell emergence, or whether hematopoietic cells originate from other sites in the conceptus and then colonize the placenta. Here, we show that the allantois and chorion, isolated prior to the establishment of circulation, have the potential to give rise to myeloid and definitive erythroid cells following explant culture. We further …