Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

A Kinetic Investigation Of The Mechanism Of Muscle Contraction With A Series Of Nucleotides, Wei Jiang

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Muscle contraction is thought to be accomplished by sliding of myosin filaments along actin filaments. Although actomyosin naturally uses ATP as an energy source, it can also use other nucleoside triphosphates (NTP) as substrates. In this work, the dependence of rate and equilibrium constants of the various steps in the muscle contraction mechanism upon nucleotide structure was investigated to unravel the dependence of the mechanical properties of the muscle upon changes in different biochemical steps of the mechanism.

The experiments measuring the dissociation of actomyosin by NTP (or mant-NTP) shows that both the rate constant of actomyosin-S1 dissociation and second …

Circadian Clock Locus Frequency: Protein Encoded By A Single Open Reading Frame Defines Period Length And Temperature Compensation., Benjamin D. Aronson, Keith A. Johnson, Jay C. Dunlap

Dartmouth Scholarship

The frequency (frq) locus encodes a key component, a state variable, in a cellular oscillator generating circadian rhythmicity. Two transcripts have been mapped to this region, and data presented here are consistent with the existence of a third transcript. Analysis of cDNA clones and clock mutants from this region focuses attention on one transcript encoding a protein. FRQ, which is a central clock component: (i) mutations in all of the semidominant frq alleles are the result of single amino acid substitutions and map to the open reading frame (ORF) encoding FRQ; (ii) deletion of this ORF, or a frameshift mutation …

Laminin Potentiates Differentiation Of Pcc4uva Embryonal Carcinoma Into Neurons, T. M. Sweeney, Roy C. Ogle, C. D. Little

School of Medical Diagnostics & Translational Sciences Publications

The embryonal carcinoma PCC4uva differentiates into neurons in response to treatment with retinoic acid and dbcAMP. We used this in vitro model system to study the effects of laminin on early neural differentiation. Laminin substrata markedly potentiate neural differentiation of retinoic acid and dbcAMP-treated cultures. Only laminin induced more rapid neural cell body clustering, neurite growth and neurite fasciculation as compared to type IV collagen, type I collagen, and fibronectin substrata. Exogenous laminin substrata promoted greater cell attachment, cellular spreading and growth to confluence than type IV collagen, type I collagen, fibronectin and glass substrata. Laminin-induced effects were inhibited by …

Spectroscopic Study Of Decomposition Products Of Gossypol, David Bernard Hankins

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Basic research into reproductive physiology has begun to identify possible new approaches to controlling fertility. Gossypol, a natural polyphenol compound isolated from cottonseed oil, has been shown to be an effective male antifertility agent. The decomposition products of gossypol which are thought to possess more potent antifertility effects than the parent compound gossypol have been studied extensively in more recent research. The purpose of this research is to develop techniques and methods which could be used to identify decomposition products of gossypol. A model decomposition reaction by which a smaller molecule can be isolated in a pure state has been …

Regulation Of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Synthesis By Retinoic Acid And Dexamethasone, Kerby C. Oberg

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Fetal rat lung (FRL) cells incubated in the presence of retinoic acid or dexamethasone exhibit altered ¹²⁵I-epidermal growth factor (EOF) binding capacity. Retinoic acid enhances ¹²⁵I-EGF binding 3-fold following 24 hours of 37° incubation. In contrast, FRL cells incubated in the presence of dexamethasone display a 2-fold reduction in ¹²⁵I-EGF binding capacity. The change in binding capacity, induced by either hormone, was due to alterations in the average number of receptors per cell as determined by Scatchard analysis of ¹²⁵I-EGF binding. In the absence of retinoic acid or dexamethasone, FRL cells were calculated to have approximately …

The Physiology And Biochemistry Of Isolated Skeletal Muscle Mitochondria : A Comparative Study, Mark Lowell Wagner

Dissertations and Theses

The physiological limit to maximum aerobic capacity (VO₂max) in vertebrates has been attributed to cardiovascular oxygen delivery, to the ability of the muscle cells to consume oxygen, or to a fine-tuned development of all components of the respiratory system such that no single component can be shown to limit VO₂max. The above hypotheses have each been developed using different experiments with different animals. The comparative studies uniting these animals and methods are limited. In order to further our knowledge of the cellular limit to VO₂max, skeletal muscle mitochondria were isolated from species representing four …

An Analysis Of Protein-Ligand Interactions For Enzyme Ii-Mannitol From Escherichia Coli, Brent Lee Wood

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Enzyme II^mtl of Escherichia coli was purified from mtlA-overexpressing E. coli strain LJ1112 extraction of isolated membranes with deoxycholate, followed by hexyl agarose and ω-amino hexyl agarose chromatography in Lubrol PX. A 10-fold increase in total pure protein and 2.5-fold increase in specific activity over previously reported procedures was obtained. Tryptic fragments of Enzyme II^mtl were also purified and identified as the membrane and cytoplasmic domains by protein sequencing and SDS-PAGE. The fluorescence spectrum of Enzyme II^mtl suggested that two populations of tryptophan residues existed with emission maxima at 322 and 344 nm, corresponding to buried …

Signal Processing In Bacterial Chemotaxis, Jimmie Marquette Smith

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study localized 1) the site of ATP utilization in the signal transduction pathway of bacterial chemotaxis and 2) the point of convergence of the methylation-independent systems of chemotaxis with the methylation-dependent system. The site of ATP utilization was localized at the CheY protein/switch point. In an Eaeheriehia call strain (BT3077) containing the cheY, motor and switch genes, ATP depletion, accomplished by treating the cells with arsenate, suppressed the CheY protein-induced tumbling. ATP was not required by the switch for directing the clockwise and counterclockwise rotations of the flagellar motor. ATP did not appear to be required for normal steady-state …

Quantitation And Identification Of Organic N-Chloramines Formed In Stomach Fluid On Ingestion Of Aqueous Hypochlorite, Frank E. Scully Jr., Katherine Mazina, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Frederick Kopfler

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The chemical reactions that hypochlorite undergoes in the body when chlorinated water is ingested have received very little attention. Because amino nitrogen compounds are important components of the average diet, the reactions of hypochlorite with amino compounds in the stomach were investigated. Stomach fluid was recovered from Sprague-Dawley rats that had been fasted for 48 hr and administered 4 mL deionized water. The chlorine demand of the stomach fluid was determined. An average volume-independent demand of 2.7 mg chlorine was measured. At doses below 40 mg/L chlorine reducing reactions appeared to account for reduction of all oxidizing species within 15 …

Extrathyroidal Human Biochemistry Of Monoiodotyrosine, Stanley Andrew Tan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The existence of extrathyroidal monoiodotyrosine (MIT) has been debated because of uncertain results from measuring serum MIT. The reason is that the isotopic and chromatographic assays used have not been sensitive enough. This investigation undertook to establish the existence of MIT in serum utilizing a radioimmunoassay (RIA), to study the physiology of serum MIT, and to discover the pharmacologic effects of exogenous MIT.

MIT-binding antibody was raised in rabbits by immunization with an MIT-porcine thyroglobulin conjugate. The antiserum bound 40% of the labeled MIT at a final dilution of 1:1000. Incubation of 100 µ1 antiserum with 50 pg [^{125 …}

Mathematical Model Of Placental Oxygen And Carbon Dioxide Exchange, Ester P. Hill

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This model of placental CO₂ and O₂ exchange calculates the time course of changes in P_^CO2, [HCO₃^-], and [H⁺] in each of four "compartments" of placental exchange vessels: maternal erythrocytes, maternal plasma, fetal plasma and fetal erythrocytes. The changes in hemoglobin-bound CO₂ (carbamate) and oxyhemoglobin contents within the erythrocytes are also calculated, permitting consideration of the Haldane and Bohr effects. Equations were written to represent one-dimensional steady state CO₂ and O₂ diffusion between concurrent maternal and fetal capillaries and the subsequent hydration, carbamino and oxyhemoglobin reactions. The equations …

Pathological Physiology As A Basis For Medical Practice, Walter E. Macpherson

Medical Arts and Sciences: A Scientific Journal of the College of Medical Evangelists

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of An Insufficient Carbohydrate Diet On The Leucocytes Of The Normal Albino Rat, Carl Frederick Glienke

Bachelors’ Theses

This thesis deals with the effects of an insufficient carbohydrate diet on the differential counts of the leucocytes of the common albino rat. The experiment was chosen because of the interesting problem it presented and because little could be found on work done regarding it. To the ’writer’s knowledge, very little work has been done in even establishing a definite differential count of a normal rat, much less working on one under an abnormal condition. Because of this lack of information, a normal count was first established for the strain used, and then this count was compared with that of …