Life Sciences Commons^™

Enlightening The Molecular Mechanisms Of Type 2 Diabetes With A Novel Pathway Clustering And Pathway Subnetwork Approach, Burcu Güngör, Mi̇ray Ünlü Yazici, Gökhan Göy, Mustafa Temi̇z

Turkish Journal of Biology

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) constitutes 90% of the diabetes cases, and it is a complex multifactorial disease. In the last decade, genome-wide association studies (GWASs) for T2D successfully pinpointed the genetic variants (typically single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs) that associate with disease risk. In order to diminish the burden of multiple testing in GWAS, researchers attempted to evaluate the collective effects of interesting variants. In this regard, pathway-based analyses of GWAS became popular to discover novel multigenic functional associations. Still, to reveal the unaccounted 85 to 90% of T2D variation, which lies hidden in GWAS datasets, new post-GWAS strategies need …

Demethylase Fto Inhibits The Development Of Prostate Cancer By Upregulating Egr2 Expression In An M6a Manner, Zhenyu Wang, Huami̇n Sun, Hua Zhu, Donghua Gu, Xi̇nfeng Chen, Yongsheng Pan, Bi̇ng Zheng, Dongrong Yang

Turkish Journal of Biology

Fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) is a demethylase and plays a vital role in various cancers. However, the regulation mechanism of FTO in prostate cancer (PCa) remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanism of FTO in PCa. The function and mechanism of FTO-mediated in PCa were determined by gain-of-function assays and RNA-seq. We found that FTO expression in PCa tissues and two PCa cell lines were significantly lower than that in adjacent tissues and normal cell line. PCa cells after overexpression of FTO showed a significant lower in proliferation, migration, and invasion capabilities. RNA-seq displayed that FTO …

Inhibition Of Trpv4 Attenuates Ferroptosis Against Lps-Induced Ali Via Ca2+ Pathway, Junying Cai, Guohai Xu, Yue Lin, Bin Zhou, Zhenzhong Luo, Shuchun Yu, Jun Lu

Turkish Journal of Biology

Acute lung injury (ALI) is an inflammation of the lungs with high incidence rate and mortality. Ferroptosis is a new cell death, which has influence in body organs. Transient receptor potential vanillin-4 (TRPV4) channel is a key mediator of Ca²⁺, its activation induces ferroptosis. The purpose of the study is to investigate the function of TRPV4 on ferroptosis in ALI mice induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In vitro, the regulation of TRPV4 on Ca²⁺ and ferroptosis was detected by CCK-8, fluorescent probe, and western blot in BEAS-2B cells. In vivo, the role of TRPV4 antagonists on ALI mice …

The Potential Of Bison Restoration As An Ecological Approach To Future Tribal Food Sovereignty On The Northern Great Plains, Hila Shamon, Olivia G. Cosby, Chamois L. Andersen, Helen Augare, Jony Bearcub Stiffarm, Claire E. Bresnan, Jeff M. Martin, Et Al.

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Future climate projections of warming, drying, and increased weather variability indicate that conventional agricultural and production practices within the Northern Great Plains (NGP) will become less sustainable, both ecologically and economically. As a result, the livelihoods of people that rely on these lands will be adversely impacted. This is especially true for Native American communities, who were relegated to reservations where the land is often vast but marginal and non-tribal operators have an outsized role in food production. In addition, NGP lands are expected to warm and dry disproportionately relative to the rest of the United States. It is therefore …

Supplemental Peer Instruction In Physiologic Core Concept Education, Austin Choat

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The objective of my thesis project was to create and research the importance of supplemental learning videos within core physiological concepts identified by the Advancement of Physiological Principles for the purpose of assisting Dr. Kim Hansen in better educating students with less extensive foundational knowledge of chemical and biological sciences. Through researching the benefits of peer instruction, identifying core physiological concepts crucial to wholistic physiology education, and describing a student population hypothesized to benefit substantially from the work, I created educational videos to aid Dr. Hansen in her work as an educator and in the educational research she is striving …

Comparison Of Antimicrobials And Delivery Methods On The Inactivation Of Listeria Monocytogenes On Apples, Rebecca B. Stearns

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: Due to multi-state outbreaks of listeriosis on apples in 2015, 2017, and 2019, Listeria Monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) has been deemed an emerging, under researched pathogen by the USDA-NIFA. Therefore, this study evaluated the efficacy of SaniDate 5.0®’s (SD) ability to inactivate L. Monocytogenes on apples when delivered through electrostatic sprayer (ES), garden sprayer (GS), and dip methods.

Methods: Organic apples were dip-inoculated with L. monocytogenes for 5 min and then dried for 10 min. Once dried, the inoculated apples were untreated (control), sprayed with water only, or treated with SD, 0.0064, 0.1, 0.25 and 0.50% for 20 …

A Combinatorial 5-Htr Expression Pattern Within The Ventral Projection Neurons Of The D. Melanogaster Olfactory Circuit., Mohd Freezely Ezzani Bin Mazri

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Neuromodulation allows neurons within a circuit to respond to stimuli from the environment according to the correct ecological value, context, and internal state of the animal. Serotonin (5-HT) is a neuromodulator that can generate different outcomes based on its target’s serotonin receptor (5-HTR) expression by affecting secondary messenger cascades. Within the Drosophila olfactory system, ventral projections neurons (vPN) express all five insect 5-HTR that project into two olfactory processing regions, the antennal lobe (AL) and the lateral horn (LH). The significance of this 5-HTR expression is unknown. In this study, I theorized the patterns of 5-HTR expression of vPNs. I …

Identifying And Minimizing Sources Of Variability Within Modern Spectroscopic Techniques For The Forensic Analysis Of Glass, Oriana Christy Ovide

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Broken glass is a trace material frequently found at crime scenes such as hit-and-runs, burglaries, assaults, and homicides. Existing research encompassing the forensic analysis of glass evidence is vast. Published studies cover the analysis and interpretation of various types of glass. However, organizations such as the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), National Institute of Standards and Technology Organization of Scientific Area Committees (NIST-OSAC), and American Society of Trace Evidence Examiners (ASTEE) continue to identify glass-specific research needs to strengthen the scientific foundations of the field. Current gaps within the forensic glass community involve understanding modern glass formulations, re-evaluating the performance …

Getting To The Root Cause: The Genetic Underpinnings Of Root System Architecture And Rhizodeposition In Sorghum, Farren Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Plants are some of the most diverse organisms on earth, consisting of more than 350,000 different species. To understand the underlying processes that contributed to plant diversification, it is fundamental to identify the genetic and genomic components that facilitated various adaptations over evolutionary history. Most studies to date have focused on the underlying controls of above-ground traits such as grain and vegetation; however, little is known about the “hidden half” of plants. Root systems comprise half of the total plant structure and provide vital functions such as anchorage, resource acquisition, and storage of energy reserves. The execution of these key …

Bottom-Up Effects Of Degradation Outweighs Stabilizing Potential Of Omnivores, Hannah Marie Moore

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Anthropogenic activities have led to degradation in streams throughout much of Western North America. In particular, cattle grazing has led to a loss of riparian vegetation resulting in higher water temperatures and an increase in nutrient runoff. The effects of degradation on food quality and quantity for aquatic consumers could have large implications for stream communities. Since omnivores feed at multiple trophic levels, they may be resilient to altered food webs, which may allow them to stabilize communities in degraded environments where resources have been reduced. To test the hypothesis that omnivores positively impact community stability in degraded conditions, I …

Elucidating The Proteasomal Regulatory Mechanism Of Proteasome Activator Pa28Γ /Regγ, Taylor Ann Thomas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Virtually all cellular processes are precisely regulated by the proteasome which is the primary enzyme responsible for the degradation of misfolded, damaged, or no longer necessary soluble proteins. To prevent any untimely degradation of these target protein substrates and protect the cell, the proteasome is tightly regulated via adaptor proteins, known as proteasomal regulators. There are many classes of proteasomal regulators each with their own unique structures, functions, and effects on protein degradation through the proteasome. One such class is the 11S family of proteasomal regulators which are also referred to as PA26/28, or REG. The 11S family are ATP-independent …

Ero1Α Promotes Tumorigenesis In Egfr Driven Nsclc, Brennan D. Johnson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) is a pulmonary malignancy most commonly associated with smoking, or exposure to asbestos or Radon. Approximately, 1.6 Million deaths occur each year due to lung cancer. Lung Cancer is categorized by two main types, Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) and NSCLC. NSCLC accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancer cases and is subdivided into three sub-categories: Adenocarcinoma, the most common and leading cause of death in the United States; Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC), and Large Cell Carcinoma. Though NSCLC treatment regimens have shown increasing clinical benefit over the last two decades with targeted therapies. …

Cross-Kingdom Interactions Shape Soil Biogeochemistry In Natural And Agricultural Ecosystems, Jennifer Lynne Kane

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Microorganisms influence life on earth in innumerable ways, including in medical, industrial, environmental, and agricultural contexts. Given the increasingly apparent consequences of climate warming, interest in how to better predict and manage Earth’s carbon sinks has never been greater. Soil, the largest terrestrial carbon sink, harbors an incredibly taxonomically and functionally diverse microbial community. These soil-dwelling microbes govern the fate of soil carbon and nutrients by cycling organic matter as they live, grow, and die. It has only been relatively recently that technological advancement has allowed for in-depth surveys of the vast diversity of soil microbes. High throughput analytical capabilities …

Tumor-Targeted Ph-Sensitive Manganese Oxide Nanoparticle For Enhanced Detection Of Breast Cancer Using Mri, Celia Martinez De La Torre

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the United States, approximately 287,850 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed, and over 43,000 women will die because of it in 2022. Currently, mammography is the gold standard for breast cancer surveillance. Although this detection technique is relatively cheap and fast, it misses about 1 in 5 breast cancers in younger women with dense breast tissue, causing a delay in treatment. Compared to mammography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has superior soft-tissue contrast that elucidates structural differences within soft tissue to detect more breast cancers. However, MRI still misses

NEMO particles were produced by synthesizing manganese oxide …

Assembly Mechanism Of Early Hsp90-Cdc37-Kinase Complexes, Dimitra Keramisanou, M.V. Vasantha Kumar, Nicole Boose, Rinat R. Abzalimov, Ioannis Gelis

Advanced Science Research Center

Molecular chaperones have an essential role for the maintenance of a balanced protein homeostasis. Here, we investigate how protein kinases are recruited and loaded to the Hsp90-Cdc37 complex, the first step during Hsp90-mediated chaperoning that leads to enhanced client kinase stability and activation. We show that conformational dynamics of all partners is a critical feature of the underlying loading mechanism. The kinome co-chaperone Cdc37 exists primarily in a dynamic extended conformation but samples a low-populated, well-defined compact structure. Exchange between these two states is maintained in an assembled Hsp90-Cdc37 complex and is necessary for substrate loading. Breathing motions at the …

Protein Charge Parameters That Influence Stability And Cellular Internalization Of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles, Rachel A. Kapelner, Rachel S. Fisher, Shana Elbaum-Garfinkle, Allie C. Obermeyer

Advanced Science Research Center

Proteins are an important class of biologics, but there are several recurring challenges to address when designing protein-based therapeutics. These challenges include: the propensity of proteins to aggregate during formulation, relatively low loading in traditional hydrophobic delivery vehicles, and inefficient cellular uptake. This last criterion is particularly challenging for anionic proteins as they cannot cross the anionic plasma membrane. Here we investigated the complex coacervation of anionic proteins with a block copolymer of opposite charge to form polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) micelles for use as a protein delivery vehicle. Using genetically modified variants of the model protein green fluorescent protein (GFP), …

Autonomous Coffee Brewing System, Lillian Gonzalez, Landon Miller, Tyler Moff, Benjamin Vitu

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Coffee consumers want an affordable, high-quality cup of coffee that takes minimal time to brew and does not excessively contribute plastic to landfills. A fully autonomous system which utilizes whole coffee beans, water, and filters to brew coffee was designed to meet this need. This system accepts user requests which specify the brew’s portion size, water temperature, and brew strength, as well as the time which the system should begin the brewing process. Occasional maintenance to empty the system’s built-in waste receptacle or resupply the system with water, coffee beans, or filters is the only user intervention required. This report …

Microglia Distribution In The Lateral Ventricles Following Treatment Of Lysolecithin Model Of Multiple Sclerosis, Spencer James Wilson

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects an estimated one million people in the US alone (Wallin et al., 2019). We modeled MS in rats using lysolecithin injection into the corpus callosum to diminish motor function unilaterally through demyelination, meanwhile treating the injury with Fluoxetine, Ibuprofen, and ascorbic acid (FIAA) to increase neurogenesis and oligodendrogenesis. Motor function was assessed using the Montoya Staircase test pre- and post-surgery. Motor capabilities recovered in the contralateral limb, but not in the ipsilateral, and recovery was not significantly affected by treatment. We identified microglia by CX3CR1 and examined its distribution in the adult neurogenic niche, the SVZ …

Genomic Instability At A Polypurine/Polypyrimidine Repeat Sequence, Nathen S. Zavada

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Microsatellite repeat sequences have been shown to induce replication stalling, fork collapse, double-strand breaks (DSBs), and possibly stimulate break-induced replication. In this study we use a dual-fluorescent HeLa model that is designed to monitor recombination at an ectopic site through use of flow cytometry and inverse PCR with a microsatellite in the lagging strand for DNA synthesis. To test the stability of the 78 bp polypurine/pyrimidine repeat from the PDK1 locus, we subjected cells to replication stress drugs designed to induce DSBs and measure break-induced replication (BIR). The study revealed that polypurine repeat cells undergo endogenous stress contributing to instability …

Garden Bot: Autonomous Home Garden Weed Removal Robot, Brendon Lovejoy, Robert Connolly, Isaac Lucas, Stevan Veselinov

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

With frequent weeding being a tedious chore and an essential task for a successful garden, there is need for an automated method of handling this routine. Existing technologies utilize computer vision, GPS, multiple units and other tools to remove weeds from garden plots. However, these solutions are often complex and expensive, suited for large agricultural plots in contrast to small-scale home gardens. In addition, many of these technologies, along with manual tillers and cultivators suited for home use, are unable to perform weeding within rows of crops in a process known as intra-row weeding. The Garden Bot is an autonomous, …

Potential Effects Of Amynthas Agrestis Invasion On Woody Understory Flora In The Cvnp, Christian Mammana

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Ohio forests are threatened by the invasive ecosystem engineer A. agrestis. A. agrestis invasion typically co-occurs with the ecosystem engineer, Odocoileus virginianus, where their impacts may synergize. To determine the direct effects of A. agrestis invasion, fenced plots across the Cuyahoga Valley National Park that excluded deer were utilized. The species richness, Shannon diversity and evenness of woody understory flora was measured in each plot. Mustard extraction was used to determine earthworm abundance. Correlations between abundance and measured variables were used to highlight potential invasion effects. Abundance and species richness was found to have a significant, positive correlation (p = …

Sequential Block Copolymers Of Polyisobutylene And Polyolefins, Manwel Labib

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

A two-step approach will be utilized to synthesize random polyolefin multiblock-copolymers. This strategy takes advantage of a,w-terminated telechelic polyolefins. Polypropylene (iPP)/polyethylene (PE) are picked because of their strength, and polyisobutylene (PIB) because of its hemocompatibility. This copolymer is theorized to make for robust bio-inert plastic, which can be used for surgical mesh implants.

Immunohistochemistry Of The Zebrafish Retina, Alison Ruf

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The retina is made up of many different essential parts that work together to allow for vision of many different species. Some of these crucial cells and proteins include ganglion cells, bipolar cells, photoreceptors, synaptic markers, such as VGLUT, and receptors that bind glutamate. The basis of this project is to use immunohistochemistry to identify these important aspects of the retina in zebrafish via monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. The goal being to compare specific cells in a control group retina to an experimental group of zebrafish.

Mimicking The Namib Desert Beetle With Hydrophilic And Hydrophobic Surfaces, Tyler Bracewell

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Namib Desert beetle, Stenocara gracilipes, condenses fog that rolls in off the west coast of Namibia to provide itself with the water it needs for the day. By lifting its abdomen into the air to collect the water vapor, it condenses on hydrophilic bumps that are about 500μm in diameter and are spaced apart about 500-1500μm. Once the water reaches a critical size, the droplet rolls off the hydrophilic bump and onto the flat hydrophobic surface of the elytra. Since the beetle is angled with its abdomen in the air, the water rolls down to its mouth. A …

Impacts And Dispersal Of Invasive Bivalves, Dreissena And Corbicula Spp., On Stream Benthic Communities, Darrin Scott Hunt

Wayne State University Dissertations

Asian clams (Corbicula spp.), zebra and quagga mussels (Dreisenna spp.) have invaded and spread throughout North American surface waters. Corbicula and Dreisenna species bio foul aquatic systems, occupy benthic substrates and degrade environments through shell deposition. I explored how Dreissena and Corbicula invasions affect benthic fish and macroinvertebrate communities, and examine how their impacts differ between urban and rural systems, and temperate and tropical climates. Macroinvertebrate and fish communities were evaluated at sites with increasing shell densities in the Rouge, and Huron rivers (MI, USA) using the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Rapid Bioassessment Protocols (RBP). Urban and rural macroinvertebrate …

Characterizing The Post-Translational Modifications Of The Pro-Oncogenic Type Ii Transmembrane Serine Protease Tmprss13, Carly Elizabeth Martin

Wayne State University Dissertations

TMPRSS13, a type II transmembrane serine protease discovered at the turn of the century, has recently been shown to be significantly overexpressed in both breast cancer (BCa) and colorectal cancer (CRC), and to mediate chemoresistance in cell lines from both cancer types. Furthermore, loss of TMPRSS13 in a genetic model of mouse mammary carcinoma significantly reduced tumor burden and growth rate, and increased overall tumor-free survival. Its location on the cell surface as well as its low expression in normal breast and colon make TMPRSS13 an attractive candidate as an oncogenic biomarker and therapeutic target in cancer. However, little is …

The Effect Of Pioglitazone On Phosphoproteome And Interactome Of Protein Phosphatase 2a In Primary Human Skeletal Muscle Cells, Lana Alghanem

Wayne State University Dissertations

Skeletal muscle insulin resistance is one of the main contributors to Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), which is a chronic disease affecting 37.3 million people in United States (US), with an estimated annual cost exceeding $300 billion in the US. T2D is being treated with a variety of medications, including Pioglitazone (PIO), a potent insulin sensitizer for skeletal muscle. PIO is a synthetic ligand for the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR-γ), nuclear receptors regulating the expression of many genes involved in lipid and glucose metabolism. To date, the molecular action of PIO that sensitizes muscle to insulin is incompletely understood. Protein phosphorylation …

Deconstructing Brown Adipocyte Neogenesis In Brown And White Adipose Tissue, Rayanne Burl

Wayne State University Dissertations

Global incidence of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) has reached epidemic proportions, and increasing evidence indicates that dysfunctional adipose tissue is an important contributor to the pathogenesis of T2D. Expanding brown adipocyte (BA) populations within adipose tissues through adrenergic activation improves energy balance and insulin sensitivity. In order to exploit this remodeling of adipose tissue for therapeutic benefit, we need to understand the mechanisms by which adrenergic signaling expand populations of BAs in vivo. These studies utilized single-cell RNA-sequencing and transgenic mouse models, in combination with single-molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization (smFISH) and immunoistochemical analysis, to study BA neogenesis in vivo. …

Beyond The Identification Of Differential Gene Expression Using Rna-Seq In Plants, Feng Tao

Wayne State University Dissertations

Since 2008, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has become an essential tool in transcriptomics research. Though identification of differential gene expression is the main purpose for most of the studies, RNA-seq is a catch-all tool including almost 100 distinct approaches which could be applied to different biological areas. Here, I presented the three applications of RNA-seq in plants: 1. I applied the comparative phylogenetic approaches with five tissues RNA-seq data from three closely related species Arabidopsis thalian, A. lyrata, and Capsella rubella to categorize the evolutionary trajectories of recent duplicate genes in the genus Arabidopsis; 2. I extended the RNA-seq dataset to …

Strong Inferences About Pain In Invertebrates Require Stronger Evidence, Edgar T. Walters

Animal Sentience

Evidence for sentience in animals distantly related to humans is often sought in observations of behavioral and neural responses to noxious stimuli that would be painful in humans. Most proposed criteria for painful sentience in “lower” animals such as decapod crustaceans have no necessary links to the affective (“suffering”) component of pain. The best evidence for painful affect in animals is learned aversion to stimuli associated with noxious experience, and conditioned preference for contexts associated with relief from aversive consequences of noxious experience, as expressed in voluntary behavior. Such evidence is currently lacking for any invertebrate except octopus.