Life Sciences Commons^™

Β-Adrenergic Signaling In Skin Cancer, Jennifer Batalla-Covello, Shahrukh Ali, Tongxin Xie, Moran Amit

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Activation of the sympathetic nervous system releases catecholamines that can interact with β-adrenergic receptors on tumor cells. Preclinical models have shown that the signaling processes initiated by activation of β-adrenergic receptors increase tumorigenesis, stimulate cell proliferation, and inhibit apoptosis. Indeed, preclinical studies have also shown that β-adrenergic blockade can decrease tumor burden. Researchers have been studying the effects of β-adrenergic receptor blockers on tumor cells and how they may slow the progression of melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Moreover, clinical data have shown improved prognosis in patients with skin cancer who take β-blockers. This review discusses the …

Zanubrutinib For Treatment-Naïve And Relapsed/Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia: Long-Term Follow-Up Of The Phase I/Ii Au-003 Study, Akash Mukherjee, Denái R Milton, Elias J Jabbour, Alison M Gulbis, Tapan Kadia, Nitin Jain, Celina Ledesma, Jan Burger, Alessandra Ferrajoli, William Wierda, L Jeffrey Medeiros, Hagop Kantarjian, Richard Champlin, Issa F Khouri

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We aimed to study the risks of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), non-relapse mortality (NRM) and survival outcomes of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (n = 17), Richter's syndrome (n = 14), or lymphoma (n = 18) after small molecule inhibitors (SMIs). Patients had a median of 4 prior therapies, including ibrutinib (n = 46; 94%), venetoclax (n = 19; 39%), and idelalisib (n = 6; 12%). Twenty-one (43%) had >1 SMI. P53 mutation was detected in 58% of patients. The 3-year overall and progression-free survival rates were 68% and …

Pharmacological Extension Of Lifespan Via Mitochondrial Uncoupling In Drosophila Melanogaster, Analisa Taylor

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Temperature And Plant And Animal Diets On Metabolic Rate In The Juvenile Red Eared Slider (Trachemys Scripta Elegans), Taylor Macdonald, Sarah Bouchard

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Specific dynamic action (SDA) is the energy expended during ingestion, digestion, absorption, and assimilation of a meal, and is influenced by meal (type, size, composition, and temperature) and environmental temperature. Understanding the effect of meal type and environmental temperature on SDA in turtles is important in describing how T. s. elegans may acclimate with changing environmental temperatures. In this study, we conducted feeding trials in which we fed juvenile T. s. elegans duckweed and mealworm diets at 25°C and 30°C. We measured the rate of oxygen consumption as a proxy for metabolic rate after feeding for four 30 minute consecutive …

Determining The Role Of High-Sugar Diets On Ovarian Function In Drosophila Melanogaster, Emma Otey

Senior Theses

The prevalence of obesity in the United States has increased drastically and the effects of obesity on human physiology are not fully known at this point. It has been noted that there is a significant decrease of fertility rates in obese women. In order to study how exactly these high-sugar or high-fat diets are impacting fertility, Drosophila can be used as a model organism. The use of Drosophila as a model organism for humans is due to the many conserved molecular and systematic mechanisms, namely ovarian function, as well as conserved physiological responses to obesity and obesogenic diets. This study …

The Effects Of Ionizing Radiation On Domestic Dogs: Ancestry And Genetic Structure Of Free-Roaming Dog Populations In Chernobyl, Ukraine, Gabriella Jean Spatola

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is concerned with the effects of ionizing radiation on domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) which were commonly used as laboratory subjects during the era of atomic bomb testing (1950s - 1980s). Early laboratory studies on radiation effects in dogs provided important foundations of knowledge for research that has more recently shifted to natural populations exposed to ionizing radiation from nuclear accidents. A unique group of free-roaming dogs reside in an environment polluted by radioactive contamination deposited during the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986, providing one such opportunity to study the effects of ionizing radiation on dogs …

Describing The Impact Of The Sales Of Antibiotics On The Environment And In Population Health, Andrés Gaviria-Figueroa

Theses and Dissertations

The role of antibiotics in human health is of significant importance in the advancement of the medical field. It has contributed to an improvement of the quality of life and the age expectancy of the population. Antibiotic resistance is an expected consequence of the use of antibiotics. Bacteria have developed biological mechanisms that would help them become resistant to antibiotics. The uncontrolled use of antibiotics is significantly contributing to the ability of bacteria to become resistant to those antibiotics. This study, using the model of the Socio-Ecological Coupling of Antibiotic Resistance, explains how social and environmental factors interact and impact …

Fragile Foal Syndrome: Its Past, Present, And Future, Alena Martin, Alena M. Martin

Honors College Theses

Though Fragile Foal Syndrome (FFS) has been around for some time, the public interest in FFS is recent. The hype spread rapidly from a public media announcement that a stallion at a prominent North American stud farm was a carrier (Brooks, 2021). As with most genetic mutations, FFS likely arose due to the increased inbreeding that results from human selection (Orlando & Librado, 2019). Fragile Foal Syndrome affects the enzyme responsible for developing the connective tissues. Two recent case studies highlighted the devastating effect of FFS on every part of the equine body (Metzger, et al., 2020; Grillos, 2021). So …

Double Consciousness And Unhealthy Weight Control Behaviors In Young Black And White Adults, Priscillia Ihionkhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the previously understudied notion that Black individuals are buffered against being dissatisfied with their bodies and in turn developing unhealthy eating and weight control behaviors. Double consciousness, a racially/ethnically sensitive measure of body dissatisfaction, was tested as a mediator of the relation between ethnic identity and unhealthy eating and weight control behaviors in Black and White adults. It was anticipated that unhealthy weight control behaviors would be more common in Black women compared to White women and that double consciousness would mediate the association between ethnic identity and unhealthy weight control behaviors among Black women, but …

Of Mutualism And Migration: Will Interactions With Novel Ericoid Mycorrhizal Communities Help Or Hinder Northward Rhododendron Range Shifts?, Taryn L. Mueller, Elena Karlsen-Ayala, David A. Moeller, Jesse Bellemare

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Rapid climate change imperils many small-ranged endemic species as the climate envelopes of their native ranges shift poleward. In addition to abiotic changes, biotic interactions are expected to play a critical role in plant species’ responses. Below-ground interactions are of particular interest given increasing evidence of microbial effects on plant performance and the prevalence of mycorrhizal mutualisms. We used greenhouse mesocosm experiments to investigate how natural northward migration/assisted colonization of Rhododendron catawbiense, a small-ranged endemic eastern U.S. shrub, might be influenced by novel below-ground biotic interactions from soils north of its native range, particularly with ericoid mycorrhizal fungi (ERM). We …

The Role Of The Prodomain In The Folding Of Carboxypeptidase A1, Masy Domecillo

Honors Theses

Carboxypeptidase A1 (CPA1) is an enzyme utilized in digestion. CPA1 contains a prodomain region, which must be cleaved for enzymatic function. The prodomain region has been hypothesized to be necessary for structural stability, as previous studies were unable to produce a functional CPA1 protein without the prodomain region. However, the recent discovery of a related enzyme, Carboxypeptidase 0 (CP0), which does not have a prodomain yet functions enzymatically, challenges this assertion. To determine if the prodomain is essential to the folding of CPA1, an HA-tag was added for detection, and the prodomain was deleted via PCR. A Western blot was …

Analysis Of Invasion Proteins Mmp2, Mmp9, Adam12, And Adam17 In Glioblastoma U87mg Cells Treated With Anti-Cancer Compound 3,4-Dimethoxybenzaldehyde, Andras Muranyi

Honors Theses

This research tested the effectiveness of novel compound 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde, demonstrated to have anti-cancer properties. U87MG Glioblastoma cells were exposed to the compound at its LC50 concentration, then processed to collect proteins from the cells. Proteins were analyzed via Western blotting for specific protein levels of matrix metalloproteinase 2 and 9 (MMP) and disintegrin and metalloprotease 12 and 17 (ADAM). Previous research indicates these proteins are involved in the invasive properties of glioblastoma cells. Westerns were quantified with ImageJ and compared using a one-way ANOVA. Results indicate the compound has minimal effect upon the expression of MMP2, MMP9, ADAM12, ADAM17 proteins.

Reassessing The Parameters Of Phonotaxis In Female Acheta Domesticus, Jewel Murray

Honors Theses

To study phonotaxis in crickets a trackball system has been traditionally used, which consists of a spherical, air supported styrofoam ball placed in a soundproof container in which crickets are tethered to. Two computer mice detect its movement. A speaker is at one end of the container, and it is connected to a computer which generates calls with pre-set parameters. Once a cricket is attached to the trackball system, it can freely navigate toward the source of the sound, while the styrofoam ball remains stationary.

This apparatus has been used to measure the walking distance and angular orientation. When evaluating …

Phonotactic Tuning In Female Cricket Acheta Domesticus, Jessica Rim

Honors Theses

Phonotactic behavior of female cricket Acheta domesticus has been shown to vary among individuals. While some females are finely tuned to calls with syllable periods in the natural range of conspecific males, others respond phonotactically to a wider range of syllable periods and therefore lack the ability to discriminate between attractive and unattractive calls. When females are exposed to males but prevented from mating, their ability to discriminate attractive calls is reduced, suggesting that factors other than mating alter phonotactic behavior.

This study evaluated the effect of male exposure on females’ phonotactic tuning and responsiveness in relation to underlying neural …

Phonotactic Tuning In Female Cricket Acheta Domesticus, Jessica Rim

Honors Theses

Phonotactic behavior of female cricket Acheta domesticus has been shown to vary among individuals. While some females are finely tuned to calls with syllable periods in the natural range of conspecific males, others respond phonotactically to a wider range of syllable periods and therefore lack the ability to discriminate between attractive and unattractive calls. When females are exposed to males but prevented from mating, their ability to discriminate attractive calls is reduced, suggesting that factors other than mating alter phonotactic behavior. This study evaluated the effect of male exposure on females’ phonotactic tuning and responsiveness in relation to underlying neural …

Interspecific And Ontogenic Differences In The Molar Occlusal Surfaces Of Manatees (Sirenia: Trichechidae), Lyle Goulbourne

Honors Theses

While much is known regarding limitless horizontal replacement of manatee teeth, the morphology and topography of the teeth have not been formally described, nor have interspecific differences and ontogenic changes in relative tooth size been described in detail. To physically describe the teeth, photographs of the molars from West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) and Amazonian manatees (T. inunguis) were taken and the features of the teeth were identified. To compare tooth size differences, the area of the posterior-most molar in occlusion was measured from both the upper and lower molars of the manatee skulls from West Indian and Amazonian manatees. …

Strain-Specific Transcriptional Responses Overshadow Salinity Effects In A Marine Diatom Sampled Along The Baltic Sea Salinity Cline, Eveline Pinseel, Teofil Nakov, Koen Van Den Gerge, Kala M. Downey, Kathryn Judy, Olga Kourtchenko, Anke Kremp, Elizabeth C. Ruck, Conny Sjöqvist, Mats Töpel, Anna Godhe, Andrew J. Alverson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The salinity gradient separating marine and freshwater environments represents a major ecological divide for microbiota, yet the mechanisms by which marine microbes have adapted to and ultimately diversified in freshwater environments are poorly understood. Here, we take advantage of a natural evolutionary experiment: the colonization of the brackish Baltic Sea by the ancestrally marine diatom Skeletonema marinoi. To understand how diatoms respond to low salinity, we characterized transcriptomic responses of acclimated S. marinoi grown in a common garden. Our experiment included eight strains from source populations spanning the Baltic Sea salinity cline. Gene expression analysis revealed that low salinities …

Investigating The Role Of Fun30, A Chromatin Remodeler, In Dna Repair, Mehwish Iqbal

Dissertations

The repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is crucial for maintaining genome stability. DSB repair needs to take place within the complex organization of the chromatin, and this requires changes in the chromatin structure adjacent to DSB sites. These changes occur through covalent histone modifications that alter histone-DNA contacts as well as by the action of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers. Many chromatin remodelers, including Fun30, are involved in DSB repair. Fun30 facilitates DNA end resection at DSB site during the homologous recombination repair pathway. Apart from its role in DNA repair, Fun30 promotes gene silencing at heterochromatic loci such as telomeres, …

Yield, Nutrient Contents And Antioxidant Levels In Basil (Ocimum Basilicum L.) Grown In Aquaponic And Soil Systems, Maryam Ahmed Albedwawi

Theses

A study was conducted to evaluate the performance of Ocimum basilicum L. in both aquaponic and soil systems in the UAE climatic condition. The experiments were conducted under greenhouse conditions. Plants were raised in aquaponic beds with ornamental fishes in different concentrations. At the same time, a set of plants were raised in pots under a greenhouse set-up. The studied parameters were morphological (total weight and leaf number, shoot and root length, number of branches), biochemical (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, anthocyanin, xanthophyll, protein, and phenol contents) and antioxidant levels (Ascorbic acid and tocopherol). For analyzing the stress effects …

Elucidation Of The Interaction Between Hemorphins And Targets In The Renin-Angiotensin System, Amie Jobe

Theses

Hemorphins, short bioactive peptides produced by the enzymatic cleavage of the hemoglobin β-chain, exhibit anti-hypertensive effects via the inhibition of the angiotensin-1 converting enzyme (ACE1), a key component of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) that governs blood pressure regulation. ACE1 and its homolog ACE2, which is also involved in the RAS, share significant similarity in their catalytic domains. The main objective of this work was to identify and compare the molecular mechanisms that underlie the interaction of hemorphins of camels and that of other mammals with ACE1 and ACE2. In silico docking and molecular dynamics simulations were employed, and in vitro …

Mineral Nutritional Status Of Plants Of A Public Park Under Long-Term Irrigation With Treated Sewage Effluent, Chandana Chakraborty

Theses

Treated sewage water is widely used for irrigation of urban greenery in UAE, and it contains significant number of elements that serve as nutrients for plants. The crucial unresolved question that remains, is regarding its long-term impact on the nutritional status of plants. Sulaimi Park of Al Ain was chosen as the study site. The main objective was to examine if the nutrient supply was adequate for plants. N, P, K levels were expected to exceed plant demands and micronutrient supply was assumed to be below plant requirements. To assess this, soil pH, annual nutrients input with water and elemental …

A Computational Assessment Of The Allosteric Modulation Of Gabaa Receptor, Abdel Rahman Atef Aly

Theses

γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type A receptor (GABA_AR) is a pentameric ligand gated ion channel and a member of the Cys-loop superfamily. It is targeted by several clinically significant allosteric modulators. The role of individual subunits of the receptor has been very extensively studied. However, the exact molecular pathway upon which the receptor is activated remains elusive. The main objective of this study was to probe the molecular activation pathway for the orthosteric GABA and to understand how two of the most well-established positive (PAM) and negative (NAM) allosteric modulators tend to modulate the receptor. Three independent long scale …

Standardisation Of Protocols Can Be Crucial In Long Non-Coding Rna Research, Kinga Németh, George A Calin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In this issue, Traversa et al. [1] reviewed our current knowledge about the role of circular and linear forms of PVT1 non-coding RNA in cancer and human diseases. They highlighted the technical challenges of these studies and raised a potential bias in the publications, which require more attention from researchers.

Camk2/Camkii Activates Mlkl In Short-Term Starvation To Facilitate Autophagic Flux, Qionghui Zhan, Jaepyo Jeon, Ying Li, Yu Huang, Jian Xiong, Qiaochu Wang, Tian-Le Xu, Yong Li, Fu-Hai Ji, Guangwei Du, Michael X Zhu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

MLKL (mixed lineage kinase domain like pseudokinase) is a well-known core component of necrosome that executes necroptotic cell death upon phosphorylation by RIPK3 (receptor interacting serine/threonine kinase 3). Recent studies also implicate a role of MLKL in endosomal trafficking, which is not always dependent on RIPK3. Using mouse Neuro-2a and L929 as well as human HEK293 and HT29 cells, we show here that MLKL is phosphorylated in response to serum and amino acid deprivation from the culture medium, in a manner that depends on CAMK2/CaMKII (calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II) but not RIPK3. The starvation-induced increase in MLKL phosphorylation was …

Inhibition Of Bcl2a1 By Stat5 Inactivation Overcomes Resistance To Targeted Therapies Of Flt3-Itd/D835 Mutant Aml, Kotoko Yamatani, Tomohiko Ai, Kaori Saito, Koya Suzuki, Atsushi Hori, Sonoko Kinjo, Kazuho Ikeo, Vivian Ruvolo, Weiguo Zhang, Po Yee Mak, Bogumil Kaczkowski, Hironori Harada, Kazuhiro Katayama, Yoshikazu Sugimoto, Jered Myslinski, Takashi Hato, Takashi Miida, Marina Konopleva, Yoshihide Hayashizaki, Bing Z Carter, Yoko Tabe, Michael Andreeff

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are established drugs in the therapy of FLT3-ITD mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, acquired mutations, such as D835 in the tyrosine kinase domain (FLT3-ITD/D835), can induce resistance to TKIs. A cap analysis gene expression (CAGE) technology revealed that the gene expression of BCL2A1 transcription start sites was increased in primary AML cells bearing FLT3-ITD/D835 compared to FLT3-ITD. Overexpression of BCL2A1 attenuated the sensitivity to quizartinib, a type II TKI, and venetoclax, a selective BCL2 inhibitor, in AML cell lines. However, a type I TKI, gilteritinib, inhibited the expression of BCL2A1 through inactivation of STAT5 and …

Development And Characterization Of Anti-Galectin-9 Antibodies That Protect T Cells From Galectin-9-Induced Cell Death, Riyao Yang, Linlin Sun, Ching-Fei Li, Yu-Han Wang, Weiya Xia, Boning Liu, Yu-Yi Chu, Laura Bover, Long Vien, Mien-Chie Hung

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Antibodies that target immune checkpoint proteins such as programmed cell death protein 1, programmed death ligand 1, and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 in human cancers have achieved impressive clinical success; however, a significant proportion of patients fail to respond to these treatments. Galectin-9 (Gal-9), a β-galactoside-binding protein, has been shown to induce T-cell death and facilitate immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment by binding to immunomodulatory receptors such as T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing molecule 3 and the innate immune receptor dectin-1, suggesting that it may have potential as a target for cancer immunotherapy. Here, we report the development of two …

Measuring And Modelling Crop Yield Losses Due To Invasive Insect Pests Under Climate Change, Henri Ez Tonnang, Bonoukpoè M. Sokame, Elfatih M. Abdel-Rahman, Thomas Dubois

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Climate change and agriculture are strongly correlated, and the fast pace of climate change will have impacts on agroecosystems and crop productivity. This review summarizes potential impacts of rising temperatures and atmospheric CO2 concentrations on insect pest-crop interactions and provides two-way approaches for integrating these impacts into crop models for sustainable pest management strategies designing. Rising temperatures and CO2 levels affect insect physiology, accelerate their metabolism and increase their consumption, ultimately increasing population densities, which result in greater crop injury and damage, and yield loss. Whereas these direct effects are empirically demonstrated for temperature rises, they are less straightforward for …

Impact Of Net Houses On The Natural Regulation Of The Populations Of Trialeurodes Vaporariorum (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) And Tuta Absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), Two Major Tomato Pests In Kenya, Anaïs Chailleux, Junitor Chepkemoi, Julien M. Haran, Laure Benoit, Robert Copeland, Emilie Deletre

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The abandonment of insecticide treatments to achieve sustainable crop production calls for a combination of methods to obtain satisfactory pest control. To this end, net houses and biological control are two promising methods, though we suspected that most natural enemies are blocked outside the net houses. In Kenya, tomato crops are particularly threatened by Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood 1856) and Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) that are targets of most insecticide treatments in this country. We investigated in an on-farm experiment (i) the abundances of T. vaporariorum and T. absoluta in open fields and in net houses, (ii) the diversity of arthropod …

Organic Maize And Bean Farming Enhances Free-Living Nematode Dynamics In Sub-Saharan Africa, Janet G. Atandi, Noah Adamtey, Agnes W. Kiriga, Edward N. Karanja, Martha W. Musyoka, Felix M. Matheri, Chrysantus M. Tanga, Danny L. Coyne, Komi K.M. Fiaboe, David Bautze, Solveig Haukeland

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Despite their important ecological roles for soil health and soil fertility, free-living nematodes (FLN) have received relatively limited research attention. The present study evaluated the community structure and diversity of FLN in a field setting. The experiments were conducted in on-farm and on-station field plots sown to maize (Zea mays) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) under four cropping practices. These farming systems included organic (compost and biopesticide use), conventional (synthetic fertilizer and pesticide applications), farmer practice (organic and synthetic amendments) and a control (non-amended plots). Nineteen genera of free living nematodes, belonging to bacterivores, fungivores, omnivores and predators were recorded. Among …

Species Diversity And Barcoding Of Macroinvertebrates From The San Antonio River, Gabrielle Silva

Student Research Symposium 2022 (Archived)

Macroinvertebrates are important biological indicators of health and ecological change within aquatic ecosystems. Macroinvertebrate diversity of the San Antonio (SA) River Watershed (Texas), which traverses rural and urban regions (Bexar County, TX), remains understudied compared to vertebrate counterparts of economic and conservation importance. The SA River hosts a diversity of crustaceans (crayfish), insects (beetles, dragonflies), annelids (leeches), and unidentified larvae at intermediate developmental stages. To improve ecological records of the SA River, an integrative approach is used to establish a reference macroinvertebrate species inventory and a genetic barcoding database (mitochondrial COI and/or 16S rRNA) for the SA River Mission Reach …