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- SUMOylation (7)
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- Post-translational modification (2)
- SUMO (2)
- Acyl-CoA ligase (1)
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- Giardia lamblia (1)
- Giardiasis (1)
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Articles 1 - 22 of 22
Full-Text Articles in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology
Functional Characterization Of The Human And Murine Schlafen Family Group Iii, Carlos A. Valenzuela
Functional Characterization Of The Human And Murine Schlafen Family Group Iii, Carlos A. Valenzuela
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
The Schlafen (SLFN) family of proteins are known for being encoded by interferon stimulated genes. The family is divided into three groups (I, II, III), for which the largest in size belong to the subgroup III. In humans, group III has the most members (SLFN5, SLFN11, SLFN13 and SLFN14); there is no member of group I and only one member of group II (SLFN12). All human SLFNs belonging to group III have been reported to impair viral protein expression or infection across a variety of viruses. The antiviral function is mediated in SLFN11 and SLFN13 by their tRNase activity, and …
The Role Of Calcium Ions In Signaling And Regulation Of Efflux Pump Genes In Staphylococcus Aureus, Amy Rebecca Nava
The Role Of Calcium Ions In Signaling And Regulation Of Efflux Pump Genes In Staphylococcus Aureus, Amy Rebecca Nava
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Calcium ions (Ca2+) play an important role in eukaryote cell signaling and regulation of physiological functions. Although evidence of a similar role for Ca2+ in prokaryotes has been difficult to demonstrate, there is mounting evidence that Ca2+ acts as a cell regulator in bacteria. The purpose of this study was to investigate Ca2+ signaling and the effect of Ca2+ on gene expression of various multidrug resistant (MDR) efflux pumps and their regulator MgrA in Staphylococcus aureus and clinically isolated MRSA. We hypothesized that the presence of Ca2+ increased gene expression of multidrug resistance pumps, LmrS, NorA, and the regulator, MgrA. …
Molecular And Cellular Characterizations Of Glucosylceramide Transferase (Synthase) In Giardia Lamblia, Vanessa Enriquez
Molecular And Cellular Characterizations Of Glucosylceramide Transferase (Synthase) In Giardia Lamblia, Vanessa Enriquez
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Giardiasis, caused by an intestinal protozoan, Giardia lamblia, is a major public health problem worldwide. Giardia infection is spread through the fecal-oral route via contaminated water and food. It is estimated that over 280 million people are infected with Giardia across the globe. Giardia is a non-invasive parasite and consists of a two-stage life cycle: trophozoites and cysts. Ingested cysts undergo excystation in the proximal small intestine, releasing two trophozoites (excyzoites). Upon reaching the distal small intestine and colonizing there, trophozoites transform into cysts by encystation. It has been reported earlier that the process of encystation induced the synThesis of …
Structural Characterization Of Two Large Icosahedral Dna Viruses And Their Capsid Assembly Mechanisms, Yuejiao Xian
Structural Characterization Of Two Large Icosahedral Dna Viruses And Their Capsid Assembly Mechanisms, Yuejiao Xian
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
In the last three decades, many large DNA viruses were discovered and grouped into a loosely defined clade of Nucleocytoplasmic Large DNA Viruses (NCLDVs). NCLDVs infect a wide range of hosts from single cellular protists to large animals. Recently, these viruses were classified as a new phylum of Nucleocytoviricota under the kingdom of Bamfordvirae. The genomes of these Nucleocytoviricota viruses (NCVs) are remarkedly large and complicated, containing many cellular genes from all three domains of life, which raised intensive debates on their evolutionary origins. Despite being classified in the same phylum, their physical structures vary and can be roughly classified …
Steroid-Coa Ligases, Fadd17a1 And Fadd19a1, And Their Role In Cholesterol Side-Chain Degradation In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Johnathan Salim Abou-Fadel
Steroid-Coa Ligases, Fadd17a1 And Fadd19a1, And Their Role In Cholesterol Side-Chain Degradation In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Johnathan Salim Abou-Fadel
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is a serious health issue arising from the increasing incidence of multi-drug resistant (MDR-TB) strains that are becoming more prevalent in high-risk countries, especially here in the Texas/Mexico border. Confirmed cases and outbreaks in schools and hospitals are more frequent in this region due to the high-volume pedestrian traffic between the two cities, and the lack of a modernized health system in Mexico. Identification of new Mtb metabolic pathways for development of novel antitubercular drugs is urgently needed. The goal of this current work investigates two Mtb fatty acyl-CoA ligase enzymes' (FadD17A1 and FadD19A1) to explore whether …
Characterizing Regulatory Factors Of The Sumoylation System, David Quintanar
Characterizing Regulatory Factors Of The Sumoylation System, David Quintanar
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
The effects that influenzaâ??s seasonal epidemics have on human health and the global economy have been clearly noted; while they are indeed very impressive, the impact of influenza pandemics arguably surpass other known infectious agents. Influenza A virus attaches to, enters, and infect cells by releasing its segmented genome which localize to the nucleus then use the hostâ??s cellular machinery to replicate and create viral progeny. The virus is able to hijack transcriptional components as well as to interact with other known and unknown host proteins which ultimately allows for a balance between cell viability and viral propagation. One known …
Defining And Characterizing The Step In The Hiv-1 Viral Life Cycle Affected By Fullerene Derivatives, Zachary Sean Martinez
Defining And Characterizing The Step In The Hiv-1 Viral Life Cycle Affected By Fullerene Derivatives, Zachary Sean Martinez
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Fullerene derivatives, both C60 and C70, were synthesized and characterized to test their activity against HIV-1 infection. The derivatives tested have previously been reported to inhibit HIV-1 replication and/or in vitro activity of reverse transcriptase. It was found that viruses produced in the presence of low micromolar concentrations of most of these fullerene derivatives exhibit a reduction in viral infectivity greater than 99%. Quantification of virion-associated viral RNA and p24 indicates that RNA packaging and viral production were unremarkable in these viruses. These compounds did not affect infectivity of mature virions, indicating no effect on the early steps of the …
The Characterization Of A Recombinant Virophage Integrase, Martin Christopher Chacon
The Characterization Of A Recombinant Virophage Integrase, Martin Christopher Chacon
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Virophages are satellite-like dsDNA viruses that parasitize giant viruses of the family Mimiviridae. Mavirus is the second virophage discovered that associates with its host virus Cafeteria roenbergensis Virus (CroV). When co-infecting their common host cell Cafeteria roenbergensis, a marine zooplankton that is widely spread throughout the oceans, mavirus will inhibit CroV's replication. In addition, mavirus was shown to share high similarities to the Maverick/Polinton eukaryotic DNA transposons. A coding sequence in mavirus genome (MV02) reveals high homology to retroviral integrases such as those found in HIVs. The putative integrase MV02 is predicted to integrate mavirus DNA into the host genome. …
Characterization Of The Nodamura Virus Rna Dependent Rna Polymerase And Formation Of Rna Replication Complexes In Mammalian Cells, Vincent Ulysses Gant
Characterization Of The Nodamura Virus Rna Dependent Rna Polymerase And Formation Of Rna Replication Complexes In Mammalian Cells, Vincent Ulysses Gant
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Positive-strand RNA viruses amplify their genomes in membrane-bound structures associated with intracellular membranes and organelles called replication complexes (RCs). Here, we begin to elucidate mechanisms of Nodamura virus (NoV; family Nodaviridae) RC assembly. The literature reports that NoV-infected muscle tissue exhibits mitochondrial aggregation and rearrangement of mitochondrial structure, leading to disorganization of the muscle fibrils. However, the molecular basis for this pathogenesis and the role of mitochondria in NoV infection remained unclear until now. We tested the hypoThesis that NoV establishes RCs in association with mitochondria in cultured mammalian cells at physiological temperature. We used immunofluorescence confocal microscopy and biochemical …
The Sumoylation Of The Non-Structural Protein 1 Of The Influenza A Virus Plays A Dual Role During Viral Infection, Jason Michael Chacon
The Sumoylation Of The Non-Structural Protein 1 Of The Influenza A Virus Plays A Dual Role During Viral Infection, Jason Michael Chacon
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
The potential for a highly pathogenic influenza pandemic remains a concern for global health. The ability of the influenza virus to undergo antigenic shift and genetic drift give circulating strains of influenza the high probability of developing resistance to current antiviral therapies. Emerging strains of higher virulence, to which the infected person has not had any previous exposure to viral antigens, pose a greater threat of serious illness and death. Currently, there is no antiviral therapy that is effective against all strains of influenza, emphasizing the need to develop new strategies that target cellular systems required for viral replication to …
Sumoylation Affects Ns1'S Ability To Neutralize The Interferon Response, Jeanette Cecilia Gonzalez
Sumoylation Affects Ns1'S Ability To Neutralize The Interferon Response, Jeanette Cecilia Gonzalez
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
It is of huge concern the possibility that at some point in the future we may face a new pandemic involving a highly pathogenic virus due to our current preventive and treatment options to fight this viral disease. The main reason for such limitations is the ability of the virus to go over constant antigenic shifts and drifts on its viral surface proteins HA and NA. The constant mutations that affect this virus cause the need of developing new vaccines for each influenza season. Periodically, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that around 10% of the world population gets infected …
Characterization Of Ns1 Sumoylation And Its Effect On Influenza A Viral Infection, Katherine Anne Meraz
Characterization Of Ns1 Sumoylation And Its Effect On Influenza A Viral Infection, Katherine Anne Meraz
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Influenza virus is a contagious respiratory virus responsible for seasonal epidemics and several catastrophic pandemics in the last century. Its genome is comprised of negative sense, single-stranded RNA and, after entering the cell, it is capable of hijacking the host cellular machinery for reproducing its own genetic material. The activation of cellular defenses against influenza viral infection are triggered upon viral entry and help regulate the course of viral infection. This study focused on the interplay between the influenza A virus and the cellular SUMOylation system during viral infection. The first part of this Dissertation deals with the relevance of …
The Characterization Of The Interplay Between Sumoylation And Influenza A Virus, Andres Santos
The Characterization Of The Interplay Between Sumoylation And Influenza A Virus, Andres Santos
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Influenza A virus is a negative sense single stranded RNA virus responsible for multiple devastating pandemics in the past. This virus is capable of entering multiple eukaryotic hosts, sequestering, and using their cellular machinery for its own replicative purposes. This plethora of molecular events is all orchestrated through a shockingly limited repertoire of only 11 viral proteins. All of which are all strictly dependent on cellular processes such as post-transcriptional regulation, protein translation, post-translational modifications, etc. This study is focused on the characterization of the interplay between Influenza A virus and the cellular SUMOylation system. The first part of this …
Sumoylation Exerts Minimal Effects On The Splicing Regulatory Activity Of The Influenza A Virus Non-Structural Protein Ns1, Griselda Melendez
Sumoylation Exerts Minimal Effects On The Splicing Regulatory Activity Of The Influenza A Virus Non-Structural Protein Ns1, Griselda Melendez
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
One of the greatest challenges facing the development of a universal treatment for influenza infection is the virus's ability to mutate rapidly and produce new antigenic properties. Targeting the viral components of one strain does not ensure that the treatment will be effective with a newly developed strain. One alternative would be to develop therapies that target cellular factors the virus depends on for survivability. One of these factors is the cellular SUMOylation system. We have previously demonstrated that the Small Ubiquitin-like MOdifier (SUMO) interacts with the influenza virus by SUMOylating several viral proteins and by affecting the interferon blocking …
Expression And Characterization Of The Major Capsid Protein (Mcp) Of A Giant Marine Virus: Cafeteria Roenbergensis Virus, Sayan Chakraborty
Expression And Characterization Of The Major Capsid Protein (Mcp) Of A Giant Marine Virus: Cafeteria Roenbergensis Virus, Sayan Chakraborty
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
The oceans play significant roles in maintaining the climate on Earth and providing nutrients to the whole biosphere. Oceanic microbes produce approximately half of the Earth's oxygen. It has been shown that the populations of microbial communities in oceans are largely regulated by viral infection and thus affect the marine ecosystem. Cafeteria roenbergensis Virus (CroV) is a giant marine virus with a linear, double stranded, and AT-rich DNA genome. The genome of CroV has a size of 744kb and encodes for 544 predicted genes. CroV derived its name from its host, a unicellular marine zooplankton Cafeteria roenbergensis (Cro) that is …
Role Of Post-Translational Modifications In The Hiv Cofactor Activity Of Ledgf/P75, Denisse Adriana Gutierrez
Role Of Post-Translational Modifications In The Hiv Cofactor Activity Of Ledgf/P75, Denisse Adriana Gutierrez
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
see document.
Further Characterization Of The Nodamura Virus Rna2 3'-Terminal Stem Loop Structure And Its Role In Viral Rna Replication, Joshua Frederick
Further Characterization Of The Nodamura Virus Rna2 3'-Terminal Stem Loop Structure And Its Role In Viral Rna Replication, Joshua Frederick
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Nodamura virus (NoV) is an excellent model system for studying many aspects of the life cycle of positive-strand RNA viruses. NoV's simple genome organization and ability to replicate its genome to high levels in a wide variety of host cells, including plants, yeast, insects and mammals (Ball et al., 1992; Garzon et al., 1978, 1990; Murphy et al., 1970; Price et al., 2005; Scherer & Hurlbut, 1967; Selling et al., 1990; reviewed by Ball & Johnson, 1998), make it a prime model system for studying the basic mechanisms of viral RNA replication. Other positive-strand RNA viruses, including those that are …
Molecular Mechanisms Of Poly [Adp-Ribose] Polymerase-1 In Hiv-1 Infection, Daniel Reyes
Molecular Mechanisms Of Poly [Adp-Ribose] Polymerase-1 In Hiv-1 Infection, Daniel Reyes
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is a cellular enzyme involved in genome stability and transcriptional regulation. The role of this protein in HIV-1 infection is largely controversial. Some reports indicated a fundamental role of PARP-1 in HIV-1 DNA integration and results from other laboratories do not support these conclusions. An important characteristic in all these experiments is that the HIV-1 target cells that were used express, in addition to PARP-1, the functional homologue PARP-2. We evaluated the role of PARP-1 in the chicken B lymphoblastoid cell line DT40. These cells naturally lack PARP-2 and support the early steps of HIV infection. …
Interactions Of The Cellular Sumoylation System With Influenza A Virus And Its Non-Structural Protein Ns1a (Ns1a), Sangita Pal
Interactions Of The Cellular Sumoylation System With Influenza A Virus And Its Non-Structural Protein Ns1a (Ns1a), Sangita Pal
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
The most important current anti-influenza weapons, vaccination and antiviral drugs, can be rapidly rendered fully ineffective thanks to the virus's high mutational rate, which produces viruses exhibiting new antigenic properties and structural proteins insensitive to the drug's mechanism of action. One attractive alternative is to develop drugs that modulate the activity of cellular systems either required for viral growth or able to neutralize viral growth. Here we demonstrate that the cellular SUMOylation system, a post-translational modification involving the conjugation of the Small Ubiquitin-like MOdifier (SUMO) to specific protein targets using a Ubiquitin-like enzymatic cascade, interacts closely with influenza virus during …
The Role Of Sumoylation Of Ledgf/P75 In Hiv-1 Infection, Murilo Tadeu Domingues Bueno
The Role Of Sumoylation Of Ledgf/P75 In Hiv-1 Infection, Murilo Tadeu Domingues Bueno
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
The lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF) proteins p75 and p52 are transcriptional co-activators that protect cells from stresses through modulation of stress and heat shock-related genes. Besides regulating such genes, LEDGF/p75 is also important in the process of HOX gene expression and leukemia transformation driven by the MLL histone methyl transferase complex. By exploiting a similar mechanism of interaction between LEDGF/p75 and MLL, the HIV-1 viral protein Integrase (IN) associates with LEDGF/p75 in order to execute efficient viral DNA integration. This present work has identified that LEDGF proteins are posttranslationally modified by SUMO-1 and -3. SUMOylation was found to target …
Molecular Characterization Of Trypanosoma Cruzi And Shed Vesicle Components Involved In Host Immunomodulation And Cell Invasion, Ernesto Satoshi Nakayasu
Molecular Characterization Of Trypanosoma Cruzi And Shed Vesicle Components Involved In Host Immunomodulation And Cell Invasion, Ernesto Satoshi Nakayasu
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Chagas disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi is a devastating infectious disease with millions of cases in Latin America, and recently became a public health concern in United States and Europe. Although many efforts have been made for the development of an effective immunotherapy, currently there is no human vaccine for Chagas disease. Thus, the treatment is based only on two drugs that have limited efficacy and in some cases present severe side effects. One restriction for the rational approach to develop new therapies against this disease is the limited information about the proteins, glycolipids and protein posttranslational modifications expressed by …
Giardia Lamblia: Genomic And Molecular Analyses Of Flippase, Diana Leticia Villazana-Kretzer
Giardia Lamblia: Genomic And Molecular Analyses Of Flippase, Diana Leticia Villazana-Kretzer
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Giardia lamblia, is an intestinal protozoan parasite responsible as a major cause of water-borne intestinal infection in humans (giardiasis). It has been proposed earlier that Giardia has limited lipid synThesis ability and therefore relies on preformed lipid molecules from outside sources. It has also been proposed that lipids are taken up through passive and active transport, and giardial flippasse play a significant role in this process. This study describes the identification and characterization of a putative homologue of flippase gene from Giardia. Flippase is an enzyme that functions as a trans-bilayer transport system facilitating the flip flop diffusion of phospholipids …