Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Characterization Of Ph – Responsive Nanocage Based On The Ferritin Iron Storage Protein, Satyam Singh

Theses and Dissertations

The iron-storage protein ferritin (Ftn) assembles into a protein cage structure with 24 subunits and octahedral (4-fold, 3-fold, 2-fold) symmetry. Each monomeric subunit contains a robust four-helix bundle fold. The fully assembled Ftn structure has a high degree of thermal stability (up to 100°C), a mono dispersed size (12 nm in diameter), and a large central cavity (7-8 nm in diameter). The central cavity stores ferric iron in phylogenetically diverse group of organisms, including humans. The central cavity has been used for encapsulation of cargoes such as other metals, contrast agents for imaging, small molecule drugs for therapy, …

Synthetic Lectins, A Diagnostic And Prognostic Tool For Detecting Glycans In Breast Cancer, Daniel James Gordon

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer diagnostic tools have been pushed to the forefront of medical research because a person’s chance of survival is directly correlated with how early the tumor is identified and treatment is begun. In searching for the subtle differences between healthy and tumor cells, almost every type of cancer has been shown to under, over, or neo express glycans, and these changes in the glycan fingerprint can continue as the disease progresses. This provides a powerful diagnostic opportunity that’s works by screening for glycoproteins and glycosylation patterns that deviate from normal cells.

Boronic acids have a useful and tunable property in …

Investigating The Function Of Aintegumenta-Like6 (Ail6) In Arabidopsis Flower Development, Han Han

Theses and Dissertations

AINTEGUMENTA (ANT) and AINTEGUMENTA-LIKE6 (AIL6) encode related transcription factors with partially overlapping roles in floral organ development in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. ANT and AIL6 do not make equivalent contributions to these processes. Loss of ANT function by itself results in smaller flowers, demonstrating that the role of ANT in organ size control cannot be provided by AIL6. Loss of AIL6 function on its own has no phenotypic consequences indicating that all of its roles in flower development can be provided by ANT or some other genes. To further probe the function of AIL6 in flower development, we investigated …

Characterization Of The Sufc Atpase During Fe-S Cluster Assembly By The Suf Pathway In Escherichia Coli, Khaleh Mykel Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

The gram-negative bacterium E. coli encodes the Suf pathway to assemble iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters under iron starvation and oxidative stress conditions. The ATPase activity of SufC is critical for in vivo Fe-S cluster assembly by the Suf pathway. SufC shares homology with the nucleotide binding domain (NBD) of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters and belongs to the AAA+ (ATPases Associated with diverse cellular Activities) ATPase superfamily, a family of proteins that utilizes energy from ATP hydrolysis to perform a variety of cellular functions. SufC forms a stable SufBC2D complex with partner proteins SufB and SufD. The SufBC2D complex serves as a …

Effects Of Individual Phenotypic Variation On Predator-Prey Relationships Of Xanthid Crabs In North Inlet Estuary, South Carolina, Benjamin J. Toscano

Theses and Dissertations

Ecological communities and the biological interactions that regulate community structure are notoriously complex. To make these systems more tractable, ecologists traditionally measure and model communities at the population level, treating individuals as functionally equivalent. While this approach has yielded tremendous insight into the factors governing communities, it remains unclear whether accounting for individual-level variation could improve our capacity to predict the responses of communities to perturbation, a major goal in the midst of unprecedented rates of environmental change.

The objective of this study was to examine the magnitude of individual-level phenotypic variation in predatory crabs (family Xanthidae), and the effects …

The Effects Of Snmp-2 Gene Expression On Mating Discrimination In Male Drosophila Melanogaster, Kristen Taylor Ashourian

Theses and Dissertations

In order to distinguish between relevant and extraneous stimuli, insects have adapted specialized processes to perceive cues that are beneficial for survival and proliferation. Volatile molecules in the environment can stimulate olfactory receptors (ORs) and gustatory receptors (GRs) in chemosensory organs called sensilla. Specialized proteins located within these sensilla guide and assist chemosensory molecules to the receptors, which then trigger a transduction pathway that elicits behavioral responses. Sensory Neuron Membrane Proteins (SNMPs) are transmembrane proteins found on both gustatory and olfactory sensory organs in insects. There are two forms of these proteins, SNMP-1 and SNMP-2. InDrosophila melanogaster, the function of …

Methanol And Ethanol Modulate Responses To Danger- And Microbe- Associated Molecular Patterns In Tomato, Tobacco And Arabidopsis, Claire Teresa Hann

Theses and Dissertations

Methanol is a byproduct of cell wall modification. It is released through the action of pectin methylesterases (PMEs), which demethylate cell wall pectins. Plant PMEs play not only a role in developmental processes but also in responses to herbivory and infection by fungal or microbial pathogens, resulting in increased methanol release. To break down the cell wall barrier, pathogens employ their own PMEs. Interestingly, the infection process also regulates the expression of certain plant PMEs. Methanol is toxic to a number of herbivores and reduces their fitness. At high concentrations, it upregulates signaling and defense genes. However, molecular mechanisms that …

Population Analysis And Protein Stability Assays Illustrate Xenobiotic Metabolizing Enzymes Have No Detectable Effect On Breast Cancer Development And Progression, Thomas Daniel Crowder

Theses and Dissertations

Xenobiotic Metabolizing Pathway works to detoxify the cell from numerous carcinogenic, mutagenic, and toxic hydrophobic compounds. As a member of the phase I enzymes (the first phase in the Xenobiotic Metabolizing Pathway) the Cytochrome P-450 Family 1 Sub-family B Protein 1 (Cyp1B1) works to attach an oxygen molecule to its hydrophobic substrate. In performing this reaction, Cyp1B1 often increases the reactivity of the xenobiotic compound. If these reactive Cyp1B1 products migrate into the nucleus and they can cause damage by reacting with DNA. However, the Glutathione S-Transferase Theta 1 (GSTT1) and Glutathione S-Transferase Mu 1 (GSTM1), members of the phase …

Genetic Stock Identification And Migration In Black Sea Bass (Centropristis Striata) Along The Western Atlantic Coast And Gulf Of Mexico, Justin Francis Lewandowski

Theses and Dissertations

The black sea bass, Centropristis striata, is a member of the family Serranidae that is commercially important throughout its range, which extends throughout the western Atlantic (from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Cape Canaveral, Florida) and Gulf of Mexico (from Mobile Bay, Alabama to Tampa Bay, Florida). There are two known subspecies, C. striata striata in the Atlantic and C. striata melana in the Gulf, and through behavioral and morphological evidence two separate stocks are managed in the Atlantic, north and south of Cape Hatteras, NC. Recent genetic studies on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have supported this. To further investigate the relationships …

Mitochondrial Replication From Embryogenesis To Early Adulthood, In Dui Species, Mytilus Galloprovincialis, Ellen Blenn Richardson

Theses and Dissertations

Eukaryotes typically inherit mitochondria strictly maternally. There are however a group of bivalve molluscs that inherit different mitochondrial genomes from each parent. The paternally inherited mtDNA (M-type) is localized to, and dominates over the maternally inherited mtDNA (F-type) in the gonads of the male offspring, but is not normally retained in any tissue of the female offspring. This process is termed Double Uniparental Inheritance (DUI). Using quantitative PCR (qPCR), this study examines mtDNA replication compared to total DNA replication through embryonic stages of development and into early adulthood of the DUI species, Mytilus galloprovincialis. Results indicate that up through the …

Executing And Teaching Science--The Breast Cancer Genetics And Technology-Rich Curriculum Professional Development Studies Of A Science Educator, Regina Evarn Wragg

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents my explorations in both molecular biology and science education research. In study one, we determined the ADIPOQ and ADIPORI genotypes of 364 White and 148 Black BrCa patients and used dominant model univariate logistic regression analyses to determine individual SNP and haplotype associations with tumor or patient characteristics in a case-case comparison. We found twelve associations between individual SNPs and patient or tumor characteristics that impact BrCa prognosis. For example, the ADIPOQ rs1501299 C allele was associated with ER+ tumors (OR=4.73, p=0.001) among White women >50 years of age at their time of diagnosis. Also, the A …