Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology

Functionalization Of Indium-Based Quantum Dots For Use As A Non-Viral Gene Therapy Vector, Nicholas A. Mundt Aug 2017

Functionalization Of Indium-Based Quantum Dots For Use As A Non-Viral Gene Therapy Vector, Nicholas A. Mundt

MSU Graduate Theses

This work aims to develop functionalized, water-soluble indium-based quantum dots (QDs) as a non-viral gene therapy vector. The QDs were solubilized in water by exchanging native hydrophobic surface ligands with 11-mercaptoundecanioc acid (MUA); an amphiphilic ligand providing terminal carboxylate groups that impart water solubility to the QDs. The aqueous QDs were then functionalized with a terminal tertiary amine to impart a positive surface charge, allowing negatively-charged DNA to complex with the nanoparticles. The QDs were characterized via electrophoresis to determine their ability to bind DNA. Results show that further work is needed to optimize DNA binding. In addition, this work …


Cellular And Molecular Targets Of Menthol Actions, Murat Oz, Eslam El Nebrisi, Keun-Hang Susan Yang, Frank Christopher Howarth, Lina T. Al Kury Jul 2017

Cellular And Molecular Targets Of Menthol Actions, Murat Oz, Eslam El Nebrisi, Keun-Hang Susan Yang, Frank Christopher Howarth, Lina T. Al Kury

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Menthol belongs to monoterpene class of a structurally diverse group of phytochemicals found in plant-derived essential oils. Menthol is widely used in pharmaceuticals, confectionary, oral hygiene products, pesticides, cosmetics, and as a flavoring agent. In addition, menthol is known to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects. Recently, there has been renewed awareness in comprehending the biological and pharmacological effects of menthol. TRP channels have been demonstrated to mediate the cooling actions ofmenthol. There has been new evidence demonstrating thatmenthol can significantly influence the functional characteristics of a number of different kinds of ligand and voltage-gated ion channels, indicating that at …


Towards Autonomous Microcystin Detection: Investigating Methods For Automation, Maureen Anne Schneider May 2017

Towards Autonomous Microcystin Detection: Investigating Methods For Automation, Maureen Anne Schneider

Theses and Dissertations

Due to increased anthropogenic activity, severe eutrophication is occurring in bodies of water around the world. Effects include decreased water quality, decreased value of surrounding land and recreational use (estimated loss in revenue of 0.67 and 3.96 U.S. billion dollars per year), and increased occurrence of toxin producing Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Microcystins are cyclic peptides made up of 7 amino acids and 800-1100 Daltons in size. They are one of the most predominantly produced of these toxins, and therefore was the focus of this study. Numerous structural variants of microcystin (referred to as congeners) exist, but microcystin-LR is one …


Conservative Tryptophan Mutations In Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Ptp1b And Its Effect On Catalytic Rate And Chemical Reaction, Teisha Richan May 2017

Conservative Tryptophan Mutations In Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Ptp1b And Its Effect On Catalytic Rate And Chemical Reaction, Teisha Richan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphorylated tyrosines by a 2-step mechanism involving nucleophilic attack by cysteine and general acid catalysis by aspartic acid. In most PTPs the aspartic acid resides on a flexible protein loop, consisting of about a dozen residues, called the WPD loop. PTP catalysis rates span several orders of magnitude, and differences in WPD loop dynamics have recently been show to correlate with the rate of enzymatic catalysis. The rate of WPD loop motion could possibly be related to a widely conserved tryptophan residue on the WPD loop. Therefore, point mutants were made in PTP1B …


Characterization Of Active Site Residues In Class I Nitronate Monooxygenase From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Pao1, Christopher Aguillon Apr 2017

Characterization Of Active Site Residues In Class I Nitronate Monooxygenase From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Pao1, Christopher Aguillon

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.


Phage Display To Identify Functional Resistance Mutations To Rigosertib, Nedim Filipovic Jan 2017

Phage Display To Identify Functional Resistance Mutations To Rigosertib, Nedim Filipovic

CMC Senior Theses

In vitro protein selection has had major impacts in the field of protein engineering. Traditional screens assay individual proteins for specific function. Selection, however, analyzes a pool of mutants and yields the best variants. Phage display, a successful selection technique, also provides a reliable link between variant phenotype and genotype. It can also be coupled with high throughput sequencing to map protein mutations; potentially highlighting vital mutations in variants. We propose to apply this technique to cancer therapy. RAF, a serine/threonine kinase, is critical for cell regulation in mammals. RAF can be activated by oncogenic RAS, found in over 30% …