Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Intricacies Of Cardiac Damage In Coxsackievirus B3 Infection: Implications For Therapy, Chandirasegara Massilamany, Arunakumar Gangaplara, Jay Reddy

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in humans, and myocarditis is one predominant cause of heart failure in young adults. Patients affected with myocarditis can develop dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a common reason for heart transplantation, which to date is the only viable option for combatting DCM. Myocarditis/DCM patients show antibodies to coxsackievirus B (CVB)3 and cardiac antigens, suggesting a role for CVB-mediated autoimmunity in the disease pathogenesis; however, a direct causal link remains to be determined clinically. Experimentally, myocarditis can be induced in susceptible strains of mice using the human isolates of CVB3, and the disease pathogenesis of …

Direct Staining With Major Histocompatibility Complex Class Ii Dextramers Permits Detection Of Antigen- Specific, Autoreactive Cd4 T Cells In Situ, Chandirasegaran Massilamany, Arunakumar Gangaplara, Ting Jia, Christian Elowsky, Guobin Kang, Jean-Jack Riethoven, Qingsheng Li, You Zhou, Jay Reddy

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

We report here the utility of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II dextramers for in situ detection of self-reactive CD4 T cells in two target organs, the brain and heart. We optimized the conditions for in situ detection of antigen-specific CD4 T cells using brain sections obtained from SJL mice immunized with myelin proteolipid protein (PLP) 139–151; the sections were costained with IA^s/PLP 139–151 (specific) or Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) 70–86 (control) dextramers and anti-CD4. Analysis of sections by laser scanning confocal microscope revealed detection of cells positive for PLP 139–151 but not for TMEV 70–86 dextramers …

Influence Of Iron And Aeration On Staphylococcus Aureus Growth, Metabolism, And Transcription, Nagender Ledala, Bo Zhang, Javier Seravalli, Robert Powers, Greg Somerville

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Staphylococcus aureus is a prominent nosocomial pathogen and a major cause of biomaterial-associated infections. The success of S. aureus as a pathogen is due in part to its ability to adapt to stressful environments. As an example, the transition from residing in the nares to residing in the blood or deeper tissues is accompanied by changes in the availability of nutrients and elements such as oxygen and iron. As such, nutrients, oxygen, and iron are important determinants of virulence factor synthesis in S. aureus. In addition to influencing virulence factor synthesis, oxygen and iron are critical cofactors in enzymatic and …

Book Review Of Dane Kennedy, The Last Blank Spaces: Exploring Africa And Australia, Adrian S. Wisnicki

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Mid-nineteenth-century British exploration, particularly the stories of the “heroic” individuals who carried out this exploration, remains a topic of worldwide interest, as most recently evidenced by the many events in Britain and Africa celebrating the 2013 bicentenary of David Livingstone’s birth. Dane Kennedy’s intriguing study takes issue with such readings of the historical record by foregrounding an epistemological tension that lies at the heart of nineteenthcentury British exploration discourse and practice. The book examines the collision—as it played out in the exploration of African and Australia—between metropolitan scientific protocols and non-Western quotidian realities. Nineteenth-century explorers, argues Kennedy, left home with …

Protein/Protein Interactions In The Mammalian Heme Degradation Pathway: Heme Oxygenase-2, Cytochrome P450 Reductase, And Biliverdin Reductase, Andrea L. M. Spencer, Ireena Bagai, Donald F. Becker, Erik R. P. Zuiderweg, Stephen W. Ragsdale

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Heme oxygenase (HO) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the O₂- dependent degradation of heme to biliverdin, CO, and iron with electrons delivered from NADPH via cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR). Biliverdin reductase (BVR) then catalyzes conversion of bili­verdin to bilirubin. We describe mutagenesis combined with kinetic, spectroscopic (fluorescence and NMR), surface plasmon resonance, cross-linking, gel filtration, and analytical ultracentrifugation studies aimed at evaluating interactions of HO-2 with CPR and BVR. Based on these results, we propose a model in which HO-2 and CPR form a dynamic ensemble of complex(es) that precede formation of the productive electron transfer complex. The …

Arabidopsis Cuticular Wax Biosynthesis Is Negatively Regulated By The Dewax Gene Encoding An Ap2/Erf-Type Transcription Factor, Young Sam Go, Hyojin Kim, Hae Jin Kim, Mi Chung Suh

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The aerial parts of plants are protected from desiccation and other stress by surface cuticular waxes. The total cuticular wax loads and the expression of wax biosynthetic genes are significantly downregulated in Arabidopsis thaliana under dark conditions. We isolated Decrease Wax Biosynthesis (DEWAX), which encodes an AP2/ERF-type transcription factor that is preferentially expressed in the epidermis and induced by darkness. Disruption of DEWAX leads to an increase in total leaf and stem wax loads, and the excess wax phenotype of dewax was restored to wild type levels in complementation lines. Moreover, overexpression of DEWAX resulted in a reduction …

Stress Adaptation In A Pathogenic Fungus, Alistair J. P. Brown, Susan Budge, Despoina Kaloriti, Anna Tillmann, Mette D. Jacobsen, Zhikang Yin, Iuliana V. Ene, Iryna Bohovych, Doblin Sandai, Stavroula Kastora, Joanna Potrykus, Elizabeth R. Ballou, Delma S. Childers, Shahida Shahana, Michelle D. Leach

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Candida albicans is a major fungal pathogen of humans. This yeast is carried by many individuals as a harmless commensal, but when immune defences are perturbed it causes mucosal infections (thrush). Additionally, when the immune system becomes severely compromised, C. albicans often causes life-threatening systemic infections. A battery of virulence factors and fitness attributes promote the pathogenicity of C. albicans. Fitness attributes include robust responses to local environmental stresses, the inactivation of which attenuates virulence. Stress signalling pathways in C. albicans include evolutionarily conserved modules. However, there has been rewiring of some stress regulatory circuitry such that the roles of …

Stress-Triggered Activation Of The Metalloprotease Oma1 Involves Its C-Terminal Region And Is Important For Mitochondrial Stress Protection In Yeast, Iryna Bohovych, Garrett Donaldson, Sara Christianson, Nataliya Zahayko, Oleh Khalimonchuk

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Background: Oma1 is a conserved membrane-bound protease that forms a high molecular mass complex.

Results: Oma1 activity is induced by stress stimuli and required for survival. The activation is linked to changes in Oma1 oligomer stability and involves its C-terminal region.

Conclusion: Oma1 function is activated by mitochondrial stress and is important for stress tolerance.

Significance: Novel insights into Oma1 function and a potential stress activation mechanism are provided.

Proline Biosynthesis Is Required For Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Tolerance In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Xinwen Liang, M. B. Dickman, Donald F. Becker

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Background: Proline is an important amino acid for stress resistance in different organisms.

Results: Depletion of proline biosynthesis disrupts redox homeostasis and increases sensitivity to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in yeast.

Conclusion: Proline biosynthesis is critical for maintaining the intracellular redox environment and the UPR during ER stress.

Significance: Proline metabolism is shown to have an important role in ER stress tolerance that was previously unknown.

Protein/Protein Interactions In The Mammalian Heme Degradation Pathway Heme Oxygenase-2, Cytochrome P450 Reductase, And Biliverdin Reductase, Andrea L. M. Spencer, Ireena Bagai, Donald F. Becker, Erik R. P. Zuiderweg, Stephen W. Ragsdale

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Background: Heme oxygenase, cytochrome P450 reductase, and biliverdin reductase are the key enzymes in heme degradation.

Results: Specific electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions form the binding interface between heme oxygenase and cytochrome P450 reductase. Conclusion: Heme oxygenase binds cytochrome P450 reductase dynamically and biliverdin reductase very weakly.

Significance: Characterizing interactions among proteins involved in heme degradation are crucial to understanding heme homeostasis.

Plant Acyl-Coa:Lysophosphatidylcholine Acyltransferases (Lpcats) Have Different Specificities In Their Forward And Reverse Reactions, Ida Lager, Jenny Lindberg Yilmaz, Xue-Rong Zhou, Katarzyna Jasieniecka, Michael Kazachkov, Peng Wang, Jitao Zou, Randall Weselake, Mark A. Smith, Shen Bayon, John M. Dyer, Jay Shockey, Ernst Heinz, Allan Green, Antoni Banas, Sten Stymne

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Background: Acyl-CoA:lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase (LPCAT) enzymes have central roles in acyl editing of phosphatidylcholine.

Results: Plant LPCATs were expressed in yeast and biochemically characterized.

Conclusion: LPCATs can edit acyl composition of phosphatidylcholine through their combined forward and reverse reactions.

Significance: Plant LPCATs play a role in editing both sn-positions of PC and remove ricinoleic acid with high selectivity from this lipid.

Emerging Regulatory Paradigms In Glutathione Metabolism, Yilin Liu, Annastasia S. Hyde, Melanie A. Simpson, Joseph J. Barycki

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

One of the hallmarks of cancer is the ability to generate and withstand unusual levels of oxidative stress. In part, this property of tumor cells is conferred by elevation of the cellular redox buffer glutathione. Though enzymes of the glutathione synthesis and salvage pathways have been characterized for several decades, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of their independent and coordinate regulatory mechanisms. Recent studies have further revealed that overall central metabolic pathways are frequently altered in various tumor types, resulting in significant increases in biosynthetic capacity, and feeding into glutathione synthesis. In this review, we will discuss the enzymes …

Emerging Roles For Hyaluronidase In Cancer Metastasis And Therapy, Caitlin O. Mcatee, Joseph J. Barycki, Melanie A. Simpson

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Hyaluronidases are a family of five human enzymes that have been differentially implicated in the progression of many solid tumor types, both clinically and in functional studies. Advances in the past five years have clarified many apparent contradictions, (1) by demonstrating that specific hyaluronidases have alternative substrates to hyaluronan (HA) or do not exhibit any enzymatic activity, (2) that high molecular weight HA polymers elicit signaling effects that are opposite those of the hyaluronidase-digested HA oligomers, and (3) that it is actually the combined overexpression of HA synthesizing enzymes with hyaluronidases that confers tumorigenic potential. This review examines the literature …

Mechanisms Underlying The Exquisite Sensitivity Of Candida Albicans To Combinatorial Cationic And Oxidative Stress That Enhances The Potent Fungicidal Activity Of Phagocytes, Despoina Kaloriti, Mette Jacobsen, Zhikang Yin, Miranda Patterson, Anna Tillmann, Deborah A. Smith, Emily Cook, Tao You, Melissa J. Grimm, Iryna Bohovych, Celso Grebogi, Brahm H. Segal, Neil A.R. Gow, Ken Haynes, Janet Quinn, Alistair J.P. Brown

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Immune cells exploit reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cationic fluxes to kill microbial pathogens, such as the fungus

Candida albicans. Yet, C. albicans is resistant to these stresses in vitro. Therefore, what accounts for the potent antifungal activity

of neutrophils? We show that simultaneous exposure to oxidative and cationic stresses is much more potent than the individual

stresses themselves and that this combinatorial stress kills C. albicans synergistically in vitro.We also show that the high

fungicidal activity of human neutrophils is dependent on the combinatorial effects of the oxidative burst and cationic fluxes, as

their pharmacological attenuation with …

New Clox Systems For Rapid And Efficient Gene Disruption In Candida Albicans, Shahida Shahana, Delma S. Childers, Elizabeth R. Ballou, Iryna Bohovych, Frank C. Odds, Neil A.R. Gow, Alistair J.P. Brown

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Precise genome modification is essential for the molecular dissection of Candida albicans, and is yielding invaluable information about the roles of specific gene functions in this major fungal pathogen of humans. C. albicans is naturally diploid, unable to undergo meiosis, and utilizes a non-canonical genetic code. Hence, specialized tools have had to be developed for gene disruption in C. albicans that permit the deletion of both target alleles, and in some cases, the recycling of the Candida-specific selectable markers. Previously, we developed a tool based on the Cre recombinase, which recycles markers in C. albicans with 90–100% efficiency via …

Saturated Free Fatty Acids Induce Cholangiocyte Lipoapoptosis, Sathish Kumar Natarajan, Sally A. Ingham, Ashley M. Mohr, Cody J. Wehrkamp, Anuttoma Ray, Sohini Roy, Sophie C. Cazanave, Mary Anne Phillippi, Justin L. Mott

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Recent studies have identified a cholestatic variant of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with portal inflammation and ductular reaction. Based on reports of biliary damage, as well as increased circulating free fatty acids (FFAs) in NAFLD, we hypothesized the involvement of cholangiocyte lipoapoptosis as a mechanism of cellular injury. Here, we demonstrate that the saturated FFAs palmitate and stearate induced robust and rapid cell death in cholangiocytes. Palmitate and stearate induced cholangiocyte lipoapoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner in multiple cholangiocyte-derived cell lines. The mechanism of lipoapoptosis relied on the activation of caspase 3/7 activity. There was also a significant up-regulation …

Xiap Antagonist Embelin Inhibited Proliferation Of Cholangiocarcinoma Cells, Cody J. Wehrkamp, Ashley R. Gutwein, Sathish Kumar Natarajan, Mary Anne Phillippi, Justin L. Mott

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Cholangiocarcinoma cells are dependent on antiapoptotic signaling for survival and resistance to death stimuli. Recent mechanistic studies have revealed that increased cellular expression of the E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) impairs TRAIL- and chemotherapy-induced cytotoxicity, promoting survival of cholangiocarcinoma cells. This study was undertaken to determine if pharmacologic antagonism of XIAP protein was sufficient to sensitize cholangiocarcinoma cells to cell death. We employed malignant cholangiocarcinoma cell lines and used embelin to antagonize XIAP protein. Embelin treatment resulted in decreased XIAP protein levels by 8 hours of treatment with maximal effect at 16 hours in KMCH and Mz-ChA-1 …

Oxidative Stress, Redox Signaling, And Autophagy: Cell Death Versus Survival, Juliana Navarro-Yepes, Michaela Burns, Anandhan Annadurai, Oleh Khalimonchuk, Luz Maria Del Razo, Betzabet Quintanilla-Vega, Aglaia Pappa, Mihalis I. Panayiotidis, Rodrigo Franco

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Significance: The molecular machinery regulating autophagy has started becoming elucidated, and a number of studies have undertaken the task to determine the role of autophagy in cell fate determination within the context of human disease progression. Oxidative stress and redox signaling are also largely involved in the etiology of human diseases, where both survival and cell death signaling cascades have been reported to be modulated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). Recent Advances: To date, there is a good understanding of the signaling events regulating autophagy, as well as the signaling processes by which alterations in …

Kinetic And Structural Characterization Of Tunnel-Perturbing Mutants In Bradyrhizobium Japonicum Proline Utilization A, Benjamin W. Arentson, Min Luo, Travis A. Pemberton, John J. Tanner, Donald F. Becker

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Proline utilization A from Bradyrhizobium japonicum (BjPutA) is a bifunctional flavoenzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of proline to glutamate using fused proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) and Δ¹-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase (P5CDH) domains. Recent crystal structures and kinetic data suggest an intramolecular channel connects the two active sites, promoting substrate channeling of the intermediate Δ¹-pyrroline-5-carboxylate/glutamate-γ-semialdehyde (P5C/GSA). In this work, the structure of the channel was explored by inserting large side chain residues at four positions along the channel in BjPutA. Kinetic analysis of the different mutants revealed replacement of D779 with Tyr (D779Y) or Trp (D779W) significantly decreased the overall …

Evidence That The C‑Terminal Domain Of A Type B Puta Protein Contributes To Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Activity And Substrate Channeling, Min Luo, Shelbi Christgen, Nikhilesh Sanyal, Benjamin W. Arentson, Donald F. Becker, John J. Tanner

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Proline utilization A (PutA) is a bifunctional enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of proline to glutamate. Structures of type A PutAs have revealed the catalytic core consisting of proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) and Δ1- pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase (P5CDH) modules connected by a substrate-channeling tunnel. Type B PutAs also have a C-terminal domain of unknown function (CTDUF) that is absent in type A PutAs. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), mutagenesis, and kinetics are used to determine the contributions of this domain to PutA structure and function. The 1127-residue Rhodobacter capsulatus PutA (RcPutA) is used as a representative CTDUF-containing type B PutA. The reaction progress …

Homogeneous Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins With Reversible Anticoagulant Activity, Yongmei Xu, Chao Cai, Kasemsiri Chandarajoti, Po-Hung Hsieh, Lingyun Li, Truong Q. Pham, Erica M. Sparkenbaugh, Juzheng Sheng, Nigel S. Key, Rafal Pawlinski, Edward N. Harris, Robert J. Linhardt, Jian Liu

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) are carbohydrate-based anticoagulants clinically used to treat thrombotic disorders, but impurities, structural heterogeneity or functional irreversibility can limit treatment options. We report a series of synthetic LMWHs prepared by cost-effective chemoenzymatic methods. The high activity of one defined synthetic LMWH against human factor Xa (FXa) was reversible in vitro and in vivo using protamine, demonstrating that synthetically accessible constructs can have a critical role in the next generation of LMWHs.

Pharmacological Correction Of Obesity-Induced Autophagy Arrest Using Calcium Channel Blockers, Hwan-Woo Park, Haeli Park, Ian A. Semple, Insook Jang, Seung-Hyun Ro, Myungjin Kim, Victor A. Cazares, Edward L. Stuenkel, Jung-Jae Kim, Jeong Sig Kim, Jun Hee Lee

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Autophagy deregulation during obesity contributes to the pathogenesis of diverse metabolic disorders. However, without understanding the molecular mechanism of obesity interference in autophagy, development of therapeutic strategies for correcting such defects in obese individuals is challenging. Here we show that a chronic increase of the cytosolic calcium concentration in hepatocytes during obesity and lipotoxicity attenuates autophagic flux by preventing the fusion between autophagosomes and lysosomes. As a pharmacological approach to restore cytosolic calcium homeostasis in vivo, we administered the clinically approved calcium channel blocker verapamil to obese mice. Such treatment successfully increases autophagosome–lysosome fusion in liver, preventing accumulation of …

Hepatoprotective Role Of Sestrin2 Against Chronic Er Stress, Hwan-Woo Park, Haeli Park, Seung-Hyun Ro, Insook Jang, Ian A. Semple, David N. Kim, Myungjin Kim, Myeongjin Nam, Deqiang Zhang, Lei Yin, Jun Hee Lee

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Upon prolonged endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, cells attenuate protein translation to prevent accumulation of unfolded proteins. Here we show that Sestrin2 is critical for this process. Sestrin2 expression is induced by an ER stress-activated transcription factor CCAATenhancer- binding protein beta (c/EBPβ). Once induced, Sestrin2 halts protein synthesis by inhibiting mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). As Sestrin2-deficient cells continue to translate a large amount of proteins during ER stress, they are highly susceptible to ER stress-associated cell death. Accordingly, dietary or genetically induced obesity, which does not lead to any pathological indication other than simple fat accumulation in the …

Sjl Mice Infected With Acanthamoeba Castellanii Develop Central Nervous System Autoimmunity Through The Generation Of Cross-Reactive T Cells For Myelin Antigens, Jay Reddy, Chandirasegaran Massilamany, Francine Marciano-Cabral, Bruno Da Rocha-Azevedo, Melissa Jamerson, Arunakumar Gangaplara, David Steffen, Rana Zabad, Zsolt Illes, Raymond Sobel

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

We recently reported that Acanthamoeba castellanii (ACA), an opportunistic pathogen of the central nervous system (CNS) possesses mimicry epitopes for proteolipid protein (PLP) 139–151 and myelin basic protein 89–101, and that the epitopes induce experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in SJL mice reminiscent of the diseases induced with their corresponding cognate peptides. We now demonstrate that mice infected with ACA also show the generation of crossreactive T cells, predominantly for PLP 139–151, as evaluated by T cell proliferation and IAs/dextramer staining. We verified that PLP 139–151-sensitized lymphocytes generated in infected mice contained a high proportion of T helper 1 cytokineproducing cells, …

Investigation Of The Cellular And Molecular Mechanisms Of Radiation-Induced Bystander Effects, Hayley Furlong

Doctoral

The overall aim of this study was to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in radiation-induced bystander effects in HaCaT cells, predominantly at low-doses of irradiation. They do not follow the original dose-response theory and exhibit a unique cascade of signalling events, which are under intense investigation for radiation risk purposes. An in vitro system was first used to observe the bystander effect, comparing two cell viability assays while measuring apoptotic cell death in these known reporter HaCaT cells and established the most sensitive assay for bystander responses Downstream bystander signalling events were then investigated through gene expression studies …

Analysis Of Biomolecular Interactions Using Affinity Microcolumns: A Review, Xiwei Zheng, Zhao Li, Sandya Beeram, Maria Podariu, Ryan Matsuda, Erika L. Pfaunmiller, Christopher J. White Ii, Natasha Carter, David S. Hage

David Hage Publications

Affinity chromatography has become an important tool for characterizing biomolecular interactions. The use of affinity microcolumns, which contain immobilized binding agents and have volumes in the mid-to-low microliter range, has received particular attention in recent years. Potential advantages of affinity microcolumns include the many analysis and detection formats that can be used with these columns, as well as the need for only small amounts of supports and immobilized binding agents. This review examines how affinity microcolumns have been used to examine biomolecular interactions. Both capillary-based microcolumns and short microcolumns are considered. The use of affinity microcolumns with zonal elution and …

Glycosyl Rotation And Distortion By Key Residues In Endocellulase Cel6a From Theromobifida Fusca, Tao Lu, Zuoming Zhang, Chi Zhang

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Endocellulases are one kind of the important biodegrading cellulose enzymes. Experimental results show that a rotated and distorted preactivated structure exists before the substrate entering the transition state. The molecular dynamic simulation of endocellulase Cel6A models revealed a correlation between the rotation and distortion of pyranoside ring in −1 glycosyl unit of the substrate. The two key residues, Tyr73 and Ser189, in Cal6A cooperate to rotate and distort the pyranoside ring in the cellulose hydrolysis.

Includes supplementary material.

Further Characterization Of A Secreted Lipase From The Human Pathogen Leishmania Donovani By Determining The Effect Of Various Metal Ions On Its Enzymatic Activity., Lana Hoertz

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

Leishmania donovani, a protozoan parasite, is the causative agent of the often fatal disease visceral leishmaniasis. The current treatments available are minimal and toxic to the patient. It has been shown that these organisms exhibit lipolytic activity during their growth in vitro. Lipases are enzymes that are known to aid in the development and virulence of several pathogenic organisms such as Candida albicans and Staphylococcus warneri. Little information is known, however, about the role of lipases in Leishmania species. We hypothesize that lipase may play a part in Leishmania's ability to survive within the human host as well as its …

Culturable Aerobic And Facultative Anaerobic Intestinal Bacterial Flora Of Black Cobra (Naja Naja Karachiensis) In Southern Pakistan, Junaid Iqbal, Mehwish Sagheer, Nazneen Tabassum, Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, Naveed Ahmed Khan

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Using morphological analysis and biochemical testing, here for the first time, we determined the culturable gut bacterial flora (aerobes and facultative anaerobes) in the venomous Black Cobra (Naja naja karachiensis) from South Asia. The findings revealed that these snakes inhabit potentially pathogenic bacteria including Serratia marcescens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shewanella putrefaciens, Aeromonas hydrophila, Salmonella sp., Moraxella sp., Bacillus sp., Ochrobactrum anthropi, and Providencia rettgeri. These findings are of concern, as injury from snake bite can result in wound infections and tissue necrosis leading to sepsis/necrotizing fasciitis and/or expose consumers of snake meat/medicine in the community to infections.

Synthesis And Characterization Of Pt(Ii) Complexes For Anticancer Therapy, Mihaela A. Ciulei, Pradip K. Bhowmik

McNair Poster Presentations

The first platinum-based drug was discovered and approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1978 is cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II) (cisplatin or CDDP). Cisplatin is used for about 50% of the chemotherapeutic cancer treatments along with its two analogues carboplatin and oxaliplatin. So far these drugs have been used extensively as treatment for ovarian, bladder, head and neck, and lung cancers. Although cisplatin has been used so often, it has toxic side effects and drug resistance.1-4 Due to these limitations other compounds have been synthesized. Specifically, our lab in conjunction with a biochemistry lab has recently published one article …