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

Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons

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

2018

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 181 - 210 of 740

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

Computational Analysis Of Genomic Variants Affecting Predicted Microrna:Target Interactions In Prostate Cancer., Angélica Paola Hernández Pérez Jul 2018

Computational Analysis Of Genomic Variants Affecting Predicted Microrna:Target Interactions In Prostate Cancer., Angélica Paola Hernández Pérez

KGI Theses and Dissertations

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer of men in the United States and is third only to lung and colon as a cause of cancer death. Clinical behavior of the disease is variable and the combination of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening and Gleason score staging are currently the best available molecular and pathology tools to predict outcomes. Cancer biology research establishes microRNAs (miRNAs) as key molecular components in both normal and pathological states. Thus, elucidating miRNAs perturbed by genomic alterations will expand our understanding of the molecular taxonomy of PCa with the aim to complement current practices in …


Directly Light-Regulated Binding Of Rgs-Lov Photoreceptors To Anionic Membrane Phospholipids, Spencer T. Glantz, Erin E. Berlew, Zaynab Jaber, Benjamin S. Schuster, Kevin H. Gardner, Brian Y. Chow Jul 2018

Directly Light-Regulated Binding Of Rgs-Lov Photoreceptors To Anionic Membrane Phospholipids, Spencer T. Glantz, Erin E. Berlew, Zaynab Jaber, Benjamin S. Schuster, Kevin H. Gardner, Brian Y. Chow

Publications and Research

We report natural light–oxygen–voltage (LOV) photoreceptors with a blue light-switched, high-affinity (KD ∼ 10−7 M), and direct electrostatic interaction with anionic phospholipids. Membrane localization of one such photoreceptor, BcLOV4 from Botrytis cinerea, is directly coupled to its flavin photocycle, and is mediated by a polybasic amphipathic helixinthelinker regionbetween the LOV sensor and its C-terminal domain of unknown function (DUF), as revealed through a combination of bioinformatics, computational protein modeling, structure–function studies, and optogenetic assays in yeast and mammalian cell line expression systems. In model systems, BcLOV4 rapidly translocates from the cytosol to plasma membrane (∼1 second). The reversible electrostatic interaction …


In Silico Pharmacokinetic And Molecular Docking Studies Of N-Cinnamoyltetraketide Derivatives As Inhibitors Of Cyclooxygenase-2 Enzyme, Stephen S. Nyandoro, Daniel M. Shadrack, Joan J. E. Munissi, Egid B. Mubofu Jul 2018

In Silico Pharmacokinetic And Molecular Docking Studies Of N-Cinnamoyltetraketide Derivatives As Inhibitors Of Cyclooxygenase-2 Enzyme, Stephen S. Nyandoro, Daniel M. Shadrack, Joan J. E. Munissi, Egid B. Mubofu

Tanzania Journal of Science

Recent phytochemical analysis of Toussaintia orientalis leaves yielded series of novel bioactive N-cinnamoyltetraketide derivatives namely toussaintines A-G (t_1 - t_8) some portraying cytotoxicity against the triple negative aggressive human breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231) among other potencies. Despite having broad bioactivity spectrum, their general drug-likeness profiles and mode of action (simulated or actual) targeting any enzyme remains uninvestigated. In silico pharmacokinetic, drug-likeness descriptors and molecular docking of the compounds t_1-t_8 targeting inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme were evaluated. The Lipinski Rule of Five heralded the pharmacokinetic properties of the studied metabolites. The studied compounds were docked with COX-2 following already …


In Silico Pharmacokinetic And Molecular Docking Studies Of N-Cinnamoyltetraketide Derivatives As Inhibitors Of Cyclooxygenase-2 Enzyme, Stephen S. Nyandoro, Daniel M. Shadrack, Joan J. E. Munissi, Egid B. Mubofu Jul 2018

In Silico Pharmacokinetic And Molecular Docking Studies Of N-Cinnamoyltetraketide Derivatives As Inhibitors Of Cyclooxygenase-2 Enzyme, Stephen S. Nyandoro, Daniel M. Shadrack, Joan J. E. Munissi, Egid B. Mubofu

Tanzania Journal of Science

Recent phytochemical analysis of Toussaintia orientalis leaves yielded series of novel bioactive N-cinnamoyltetraketide derivatives namely toussaintines A-G (t_1 - t_8) some portraying cytotoxicity against the triple negative aggressive human breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231) among other potencies. Despite having broad bioactivity spectrum, their general drug-likeness profiles and mode of action (simulated or actual) targeting any enzyme remains uninvestigated. In silico pharmacokinetic, drug-likeness descriptors and molecular docking of the compounds t_1-t_8 targeting inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme were evaluated. The Lipinski Rule of Five heralded the pharmacokinetic properties of the studied metabolites. The studied compounds were docked with COX-2 following already …


Nickel Exposure Reduces Enterobactin Production In Escherichia Coli, Clorissa L. Washington-Hughes, Geoffrey T. Ford, Alsten D. Jones, Kimberly Mcrae, Franklin Wayne Outten Jul 2018

Nickel Exposure Reduces Enterobactin Production In Escherichia Coli, Clorissa L. Washington-Hughes, Geoffrey T. Ford, Alsten D. Jones, Kimberly Mcrae, Franklin Wayne Outten

Faculty Publications

Escherichia coli is a well- studied bacterium that can be found in many niches, such as industrial wastewater, where the concentration of nickel can rise to low- millimolar levels. Recent studies show that nickel exposure can repress pyochelin or induce pyo-verdine siderophore production in Pseudomonas aueroginosa. Understanding the mo-lecular cross- talk between siderophore production, metal homeostasis, and metal toxicity in microorganisms is critical for designing bioremediation strategies for metal- contaminated sites. Here, we show that high- nickel exposure prolongs lag phase duration as a result of low- intracellular iron levels in E. coli. Although E. coli cells respond to low- …


Pias-Family Proteins Negatively Regulate Glis3 Transactivation Function Through Sumo Modification In Pancreatic Β Cells, Tyler M. Hoard, Xiaoping Yang, Anton M. Jetten, Gary T. Zeruth Dr. Jul 2018

Pias-Family Proteins Negatively Regulate Glis3 Transactivation Function Through Sumo Modification In Pancreatic Β Cells, Tyler M. Hoard, Xiaoping Yang, Anton M. Jetten, Gary T. Zeruth Dr.

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Gli-similar 3 (Glis3) is Krüppel-like transcription factor associated with the transcriptional regulation of insulin. Mutations within the Glis3 locus have been implicated in a number of pathologies including diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism. Despite its clinical significance, little is known about the proteins and posttranslational modifications that regulate Glis3 transcriptional activity. In this report, we demonstrate that the SUMO-pathway associated proteins, PIASy and Ubc9 are capable of regulating Glis3 transactivation function through a SUMO-dependent mechanism. We present evidence that SUMOylation of Glis3 by PIAS-family proteins occurs at two conserved lysine residues within the Glis3 N-terminus and modification of Glis3 by SUMO …


Blue Light Induces A Neuroprotective Open Access Gene Expression Program In Drosophila Photoreceptors, Hana Hall, Jingqun Ma, Sudhanshu Shekhar, Walter D. Leon-Salas, Vikki M. Weake Jul 2018

Blue Light Induces A Neuroprotective Open Access Gene Expression Program In Drosophila Photoreceptors, Hana Hall, Jingqun Ma, Sudhanshu Shekhar, Walter D. Leon-Salas, Vikki M. Weake

Department of Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Background: Light exposure induces oxidative stress, which contributes to ocular diseases of aging. Blue light provides a model for light‑induced oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation and retinal degeneration in Drosophila melanogaster. In contrast to mature adults, which undergo retinal degeneration when exposed to prolonged blue light, newly‑eclosed fies are resistant to blue light‑induced retinal degeneration. Here, we sought to characterize the gene expression programs induced by blue light in fies of diferent ages to identify neuroprotective pathways utilized by photoreceptors to cope with light‑induced oxidative stress.

Results: To identify gene expression changes induced by blue light exposure, we profled the nuclear …


Dietary Polyphenols And Periodontitis—A Mini-Review Of Literature, Arpita Basu, Emily Masek, Jeffrey L. Ebersole Jul 2018

Dietary Polyphenols And Periodontitis—A Mini-Review Of Literature, Arpita Basu, Emily Masek, Jeffrey L. Ebersole

Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Research

Periodontitis, which is a chronic infection and disease of the periodontium, is a significant global health burden and is linked to other chronic health conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Dietary polyphenols present in a wide variety of plant-based foods, herbs, and botanicals have been shown to exert antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and reduced osteoclast and alveolar bone loss activities in animal models of periodontitis. Polyphenol-containing beverages and foods especially green tea and its active catechin epigallocatechin-3-gallate, cranberries, pomegranates, and fruit and vegetable extracts have reported bacteriostatic/bactericidal activity against microbial species such as P. gingivalis and shown total bacterial burden in …


Hyperthermia Induces Therapeutic Effectiveness And Potentiates Adjuvant Therapy With Nontargeted And Targeted Drugs In An In Vitro Model Of Human Malignant Melanoma, T. Mantso, S. Vasileiadis, I. Anestopoulos, G. P. Voulgaridou, E. Lampri, S. Botaitis, E. N. Kontomanolis, C. Simopoulos, G. Goussetis, R. Franco, K. Chlichlia, A. Pappa, M. I. Panayiotidis Jul 2018

Hyperthermia Induces Therapeutic Effectiveness And Potentiates Adjuvant Therapy With Nontargeted And Targeted Drugs In An In Vitro Model Of Human Malignant Melanoma, T. Mantso, S. Vasileiadis, I. Anestopoulos, G. P. Voulgaridou, E. Lampri, S. Botaitis, E. N. Kontomanolis, C. Simopoulos, G. Goussetis, R. Franco, K. Chlichlia, A. Pappa, M. I. Panayiotidis

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

In the present study, we have aimed to characterize the intrinsic, extrinsic and ER-mediated apoptotic induction by hyperthermia in an in vitro model of human malignant melanoma and furthermore, to evaluate its therapeutic effectiveness in an adjuvant therapeutic setting characterized by combinational treatments with non-targeted (Dacarbazine & Temozolomide) and targeted (Dabrafenib & Vemurafenib) drugs. Overall, our data showed that both low (43 °C) and high (45 °C) hyperthermic exposures were capable of inducing cell death by activating all apoptotic pathways but in a rather distinct manner. More specifically, low hyperthermia induced extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways both of which activated …


Conjugation Of Nanomaterials And Nematic Liquid Crystals For Futuristic Applications And Biosensors, Thomas George, Amit Choudhary, Guoqiang Li Jul 2018

Conjugation Of Nanomaterials And Nematic Liquid Crystals For Futuristic Applications And Biosensors, Thomas George, Amit Choudhary, Guoqiang Li

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

The established role of nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) in the recent rapid development of displays has motivated researchers to modulate the electro-optical properties of LCs. Furthermore, adding nanomaterials into NLCs has led to enhancements of the properties of NLCs, like reduced threshold of the operating voltage, variation in pretilt angle, reduced switching time, etc. These enhanced properties, due to interfacial dynamics, are enabling wider applications of NLCs and nanomaterials. The recent literature of nanomaterial-doped NLCs is rich with various kinds of nanomaterials in a variety of NLCs. The light has been focused on the most widely used and studied gold …


Proper Splicing Contributes To Visual Function In The Aging Drosophila Eye, Rachel Stegeman, Hana Hall, Spencer E. Escobedo, Henry C. Chang, Vikki M. Weake Jul 2018

Proper Splicing Contributes To Visual Function In The Aging Drosophila Eye, Rachel Stegeman, Hana Hall, Spencer E. Escobedo, Henry C. Chang, Vikki M. Weake

Department of Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Changes in splicing patterns are a characteristic of the aging transcriptome; however, it is unclear whether these age‐related changes in splicing facilitate the progressive functional decline that defines aging. In Drosophila, visual behavior declines with age and correlates with altered gene expression in photoreceptors, including downregulation of genes encoding splicing factors. Here, we characterized the significance of these age‐regulated splicing‐associated genes in both splicing and visual function. To do this, we identified differential splicing events in either the entire eye or photoreceptors of young and old flies. Intriguingly, aging photoreceptors show differential splicing of a large number of visual function …


Cross Photoreaction Of Glyoxylic And Pyruvic Acids In Model Aqueous Aerosol, Sha-Sha Xia, Alexis J. Eugene, Marcelo I. Guzman Jul 2018

Cross Photoreaction Of Glyoxylic And Pyruvic Acids In Model Aqueous Aerosol, Sha-Sha Xia, Alexis J. Eugene, Marcelo I. Guzman

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Aerosols of variable composition, size, and shape are associated with public health concerns as well as with light-particle interactions that play a role in the energy balance of the atmosphere. Photochemical reactions of 2-oxocarboxylic acids in the aqueous phase are now known to contribute to the total secondary organic aerosol (SOA) budget. This work explores the cross reaction of glyoxylic acid (GA) and pyruvic acid (PA) in water, the two most abundant 2-oxocarboxylic acids in the atmosphere, under solar irradiation and dark thermal aging steps. During irradiation, PA and GA are excited and initiate proton-coupled electron transfer or hydrogen abstraction …


Water Pharmacophore: Designing Ligands Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations With Water, Sang Won Jung, Minsup Kim, Steven Ramsey, Tom Kurtzman, Art E. Cho Jul 2018

Water Pharmacophore: Designing Ligands Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations With Water, Sang Won Jung, Minsup Kim, Steven Ramsey, Tom Kurtzman, Art E. Cho

Publications and Research

In this study, we demonstrate a method to construct a water-based pharmacophore model which can be utilized in the absence of known ligands. This method utilizes waters found in the binding pocket, sampled through molecular dynamics. Screening of compound databases against this water-based pharmacophore model reveals that this approach can successfully identify known binders to a target protein. The method was tested by enrichment studies of 7 therapeutically important targets and compared favourably to screening-by-docking with Glide. Our results suggest that even without experimentally known binders, pharmacophore models can be generated using molecular dynamics with waters and used for virtual …


Developing Droplet Based 3d Cell Culture Methods To Enable Investigations Of The Chemical Tumor Microenvironment, Jacqueline Alexandria De Lora Jul 2018

Developing Droplet Based 3d Cell Culture Methods To Enable Investigations Of The Chemical Tumor Microenvironment, Jacqueline Alexandria De Lora

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Adaptation of cancer cells to changes in the biochemical microenvironment in an expanding tumor mass is a crucial aspect of malignant progression, tumor metabolism, and drug efficacy. In vitro, it is challenging to mimic the evolution of biochemical gradients and the cellular heterogeneity that characterizes cancer tissues found in vivo. It is well accepted that more realistic and controllable in vitro 3D model systems are required to improve the overall cancer research paradigm and thus improve on the translation of results, but multidisciplinary approaches are needed for these advances. This work develops such approaches and demonstrates that new droplet-based cell-encapsulation …


Structural Insights From Hiv-Antibody Co-Evolution And Related Immunization Studies, Jeffrey O. Zhou , '19, Therese Ton , '19, Julia W. Morriss , '19, Diep Nguyen , '19, Daniela Fera Jul 2018

Structural Insights From Hiv-Antibody Co-Evolution And Related Immunization Studies, Jeffrey O. Zhou , '19, Therese Ton , '19, Julia W. Morriss , '19, Diep Nguyen , '19, Daniela Fera

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is a rapidly evolving pathogen and causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in humans. There are ~30-35 million people infected with HIV around the world, and ~25 million have died since the first reported cases in 1981. Additionally, each year 2-3 million people become newly infected and more than one million die of AIDS. An HIV-1 vaccine would help halt an AIDS pandemic, and efforts to develop a vaccine have focused on targeting the HIV-1 envelope, Env, found on the surface of the virus. A number of chronically infected individuals have been shown to …


Cysteine Modifiers Suggest An Allosteric Inhibitory Site On The Cal Pdz Domain, Yu Zhao, Patrick R. Cushing, David C. Smithson, Maria Pellegrini, Alexandre A. Pletnev, Sahar Al-Ayyoubi, Andrew V. Grassetti, Scott A. Gerber, R. Kiplin Guy, Dean R. Madden Jul 2018

Cysteine Modifiers Suggest An Allosteric Inhibitory Site On The Cal Pdz Domain, Yu Zhao, Patrick R. Cushing, David C. Smithson, Maria Pellegrini, Alexandre A. Pletnev, Sahar Al-Ayyoubi, Andrew V. Grassetti, Scott A. Gerber, R. Kiplin Guy, Dean R. Madden

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Protein–protein interactions have become attractive targets for both experimental and therapeutic interventions. The PSD-95/Dlg1/ZO-1 (PDZ) domain is found in a large family of eukaryotic scaffold proteins that plays important roles in intracellular trafficking and localization of many target proteins. Here, we seek inhibitors of the PDZ protein that facilitates post-endocytic degradation of the cystic fibrosis (CF) transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR): the CFTR-associated ligand (CAL). We develop and validate biochemical screens and identify methyl-3,4-dephostatin (MD) and its analog ethyl-3,4-dephostatin (ED) as CAL PDZ inhibitors. Depending on conditions, MD can bind either covalently or non-covalently. Crystallographic and NMR data confirm that MD …


Transcriptomics Of Learning, Pablo Iturralde Jul 2018

Transcriptomics Of Learning, Pablo Iturralde

Theses

Learning is a basic and important component of behavior yet we have very little empirical information about the interaction between mechanisms of learning and evolution. In our work, we are testing hypotheses about the neurogenetic mechanisms through which animal learning abilities evolve. We are able to test this directly by using experimentally evolved populations of flies, which differ in learning ability. These populations were previously evolved within the lab by creating worlds with different patterns of change following theoretically predicted effects on which enhanced learning will evolve. How has evolution acted to modulate genes and gene expression in the brain …


Identification Of Novel Δnp63Α-Regulated Mirnas Using An Optimized Small Rna-Seq Analysis Pipeline, Suraj Sakaram, Michael P. Craig, Natasha T. Hill, Amjad Aljiagthmi, Christian Garrido, Oleg Paliy, Michael Bottomley, Michael L. Raymer, Madhavi Kadakia Jul 2018

Identification Of Novel Δnp63Α-Regulated Mirnas Using An Optimized Small Rna-Seq Analysis Pipeline, Suraj Sakaram, Michael P. Craig, Natasha T. Hill, Amjad Aljiagthmi, Christian Garrido, Oleg Paliy, Michael Bottomley, Michael L. Raymer, Madhavi Kadakia

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Advances in high-throughput sequencing have enabled profiling of microRNAs (miRNAs), however, a consensus pipeline for sequencing of small RNAs has not been established. We built and optimized an analysis pipeline using Partek Flow, circumventing the need for analyzing data via scripting languages. Our analysis assessed the effect of alignment reference, normalization method, and statistical model choice on biological data. The pipeline was evaluated using sequencing data from HaCaT cells transfected with either a non-silencing control or siRNA against ΔNp63α, a p53 family member protein which is highly expressed in non-melanoma skin cancer and shown to regulate a number of miRNAs. …


High-And Low-Temperature Pyrolysis Profiles Describe Volatile Organic Compound Emissions From Western Us Wildfire Fuels, Kanako Sekimoto, Abigail R. Koss, Jessica B. Gilman, Vanessa Selimovic, Matthew M. Coggon, Kyle J. Zarzana, Bin Yuan, Brian M. Lerner, Steven S. Brown, Carsten Warneke, Robert J. Yokelson, James M. Roberts, Joost De Gouw Jul 2018

High-And Low-Temperature Pyrolysis Profiles Describe Volatile Organic Compound Emissions From Western Us Wildfire Fuels, Kanako Sekimoto, Abigail R. Koss, Jessica B. Gilman, Vanessa Selimovic, Matthew M. Coggon, Kyle J. Zarzana, Bin Yuan, Brian M. Lerner, Steven S. Brown, Carsten Warneke, Robert J. Yokelson, James M. Roberts, Joost De Gouw

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Biomass burning is a large source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and many other trace species to the atmosphere, which can act as precursors to secondary pollutants such as ozone and fine particles. Measurements performed with a proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer during the FIREX 2016 laboratory intensive were analyzed with positive matrix factorization (PMF), in order to understand the instantaneous variability in VOC emissions from biomass burning, and to simplify the description of these types of emissions. Despite the complexity and variability of emissions, we found that a solution including just two emission profiles, which are mass spectral representations of …


A Series Of 4- And 5-Coordinate Ni(Ii) Complexes: Synthesis, Characterization, Spectroscopic, And Dft Studies, Jack Ghannam, Talal Al Assil, Trey C. Pankratz, Richard L. Lord, Matthias Zeller, Wei-Tsung Lee Jul 2018

A Series Of 4- And 5-Coordinate Ni(Ii) Complexes: Synthesis, Characterization, Spectroscopic, And Dft Studies, Jack Ghannam, Talal Al Assil, Trey C. Pankratz, Richard L. Lord, Matthias Zeller, Wei-Tsung Lee

Chemistry: Faculty Publications and Other Works

A series of four- and five-coordinate Ni(II) complexes CztBu(PyriPr)2NiX (13 and 1·THF–3·THF), where X = Cl, Br, and I, were synthesized and fully characterized by NMR and UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, cyclic voltammetry, and density functional theory calculations. The solid-state structures of 13 reveal rare examples of seesaw Ni(II) complexes. In solution, 13 bind reversibly to a THF molecule to form five-coordinate adducts. The electronic transitions in the visible region (630–680 nm), attributed to LMCT bands, for 13 exhibit a …


Interrogation Of Protein Function With Peptidomimetics, Olapeju Bolarinwa Jul 2018

Interrogation Of Protein Function With Peptidomimetics, Olapeju Bolarinwa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Proteins can be described as the “machineries” responsible for almost all tasks in the levels of organizational complexity in multi-cellular organisms namely: the cells, tissues, organs and systems. Any disorder in the function of a protein at any of these levels could result in disease, and a study of protein function is critical to understanding the pathological features of the disease at the molecular level. A quick glance at these abundantly present proteins reveals two striking features: large diversity of biological function, and the variations in structural complexity, which varies from simple random coils, to turns and helices, and on …


Anemarrhena Asphodeloides Bunge And Its Constituent Timosaponin‐Aiii Induce Cell Cycle Arrest And Apoptosis In Pancreatic Cancer Cells, Catherine B. Marelia, Arielle Sharp, Tiffany A. Shemwell, Y. C. Zhang, Brant R. Burkhardt Jul 2018

Anemarrhena Asphodeloides Bunge And Its Constituent Timosaponin‐Aiii Induce Cell Cycle Arrest And Apoptosis In Pancreatic Cancer Cells, Catherine B. Marelia, Arielle Sharp, Tiffany A. Shemwell, Y. C. Zhang, Brant R. Burkhardt

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most recalcitrant and lethal of all cancers. We examined the effects of Anemarrhena asphodeloides (AA) and timosaponin‐AIII (TAIII), a steroidal saponin present in AA, on pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and aimed to elucidate their potential apoptotic mechanisms of action. Viability assays and cell cycle analysis revealed that both AA and TAIII significantly inhibited pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and cell cycle progression compared to treatment with gemcitabine, the standard chemotherapeutic agent for advanced pancreatic cancer. We identified a dose‐dependent increase in caspase‐dependent apoptosis and activation of pro‐apoptotic PI3K/Akt pathway proteins, with a subsequent downregulation of …


Advances In Amino Acid Analysis For Marine Related Matrices And Its Application To Coastal Shelf Settings In The Canadian Arctic, Rachel M. Mcmahon Jul 2018

Advances In Amino Acid Analysis For Marine Related Matrices And Its Application To Coastal Shelf Settings In The Canadian Arctic, Rachel M. Mcmahon

OES Theses and Dissertations

Amino acids comprise up to 50% of organic matter in cellular material and are a major fraction of oceanic organic carbon. Amino acids are also considered highly labile during organic matter recycling, making them useful proxies for organic carbon cycling. Nevertheless, analysis of individual amino acids has been burdened by lengthy derivatization and complex analysis since the 1950s. In this thesis, I describe the modification of advanced analytical techniques, developed in the biomedical field, for analysis of marine matrices which allow the determination of at least 40 amino acids without the need for lengthy sample preparation and derivatization, twice the …


Characterizing The Activity Of Antimicrobial Peptides Against The Pathogenic Bacterium Clostridium Difficile In An Anaerobic Environment, Adenrele Mojeed Oludiran Jul 2018

Characterizing The Activity Of Antimicrobial Peptides Against The Pathogenic Bacterium Clostridium Difficile In An Anaerobic Environment, Adenrele Mojeed Oludiran

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Clostridium difficile is an anaerobic Gram-positive pathogen with high treatment costs and mortality and very high antibiotic tolerance. Antimicrobial host-defense peptides (HDPs) produced naturally by animal immune systems are promising candidates to develop novel therapies for bacterial infection because they cause oxidative stress that damages multiple targets in bacterial cells, so it is difficult for bacteria to evolve resistance to these attacks.

Piscidins, fish-derived HDPs that can also form complexes with copper (Cu) to enhance their activities, are very active against multiple bacterial species in an aerobic environment. We examined their activity against C. difficile and other species in an …


Zika Modulates Arthropod Histone Methylation In Mosquito Cells, Telvin Lee Harrell Jul 2018

Zika Modulates Arthropod Histone Methylation In Mosquito Cells, Telvin Lee Harrell

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Epigenetics is the heritable series of covalent modifications that affect chromatin structure, gene expression, and protein function. Methylation is one such epigenetic modification that involves the addition of chemical modifying entities, such as methyl groups, on nucleic acids or proteins. Recent studies have reported that Zika virus (ZIKV) modulates methylation of human and viral RNA important for its replication in vertebrate cells. However, little is known whether ZIKV exerts methylation in arthropod vectors. In this study, I show that ZIKV modulates S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe) synthase, an enzyme involved in the production of SAMe, and histone methylation for its survival in …


Hydrogen Sulfide Gas Detection Via Multivariate Optical Computing, Bin Dai, Christopher Michael Jones, Megan Pearl, Mickey Pelletier, Michael L. Myrick Jul 2018

Hydrogen Sulfide Gas Detection Via Multivariate Optical Computing, Bin Dai, Christopher Michael Jones, Megan Pearl, Mickey Pelletier, Michael L. Myrick

Faculty Publications

Hydrogen-sulfide gas is a toxic, colorless gas with a pungent odor that occurs naturally as a decomposition by-product. It is critical to monitor the concentration of hydrogen sulfide. Multivariate optical computing (MOC) is a method that can monitor analytes while minimizing responses to interferences. MOC is a technique by which an analogue calculation is performed entirely in the optical domain, which simplifies instrument design, prevents the drift of a calibration, and increases the strength and durability of spectroscopic instrumentation against physical perturbation when used for chemical detection and identification. This paper discusses the detection of hydrogen-sulfide gas in the ultraviolet …


Dynamics And Interactions Of Membrane Proteins, Azamat Galiakhmetov Jul 2018

Dynamics And Interactions Of Membrane Proteins, Azamat Galiakhmetov

Dissertations (1934 -)

Membrane proteins are members of the class of proteins that perform their functions while being associated with a lipid bilayer. In the cell, they serve as transporters, receptors, anchors and enzymes. The domain organisation of these proteins suggests importance of lipid membrane and protein-lipid interactions for protein function. The requirement of a membrane mimic and the level of its resemblance to a native one for protein investigation makes the studies of membrane proteins a challenging project. My research work is focusing on the biophysical and biochemical studies of membrane proteins. This dissertation outlines two separate projects, each with their own …


Strategies For The Modulation Of Protease Activated Receptors (Pars), Disha M. Gandhi Jul 2018

Strategies For The Modulation Of Protease Activated Receptors (Pars), Disha M. Gandhi

Dissertations (1934 -)

Protease-activated receptors (PARs) are class A G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) with 4 subtypes (PAR 1 – 4) and with a unique mode of action. PARs are cleaved by extracellular proteases at the N-terminus, creating a new tethered ligand that activates the receptor and transduces biological signals into the cell. PARs have been implicated in various productive and pathological signals, including those related to thrombosis, inflammation, reperfusion injury, and cancer cell metastasis. Despite the fact that PARs are attractive as drug targets, their intramolecular mode of activation makes it challenging to modulate them with drugs in a selective manner, and only …


Preparation And Characterization Of Functionalized Heparin-Loaded Poly-Ɛ-Caprolactone Fibrous Mats To Prevent Infection With Human Papillomaviruses, Daniela Gonzalez, Jorge Ragusa, Peter C. Angeletti, Gustavo F. Larsen Jul 2018

Preparation And Characterization Of Functionalized Heparin-Loaded Poly-Ɛ-Caprolactone Fibrous Mats To Prevent Infection With Human Papillomaviruses, Daniela Gonzalez, Jorge Ragusa, Peter C. Angeletti, Gustavo F. Larsen

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

In this study, heparin-loaded poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) fibrous mats were prepared and characterized based on their physical, cytotoxic, thermal, and biological properties. The main objective of the work described here was to test the hypothesis that incorporation of heparin into a PCL carrier could serve as bio-compatible material capable of inhibiting Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The idea of firmly anchoring heparin to capture soluble virus, vs. a slow heparin release to inhibit a virus in solution was tested. Thus, one material was produced via conventional heparin matrix encapsulation and electrohydrodynamic fiber processing in one step. A second type of material was …


Characterizing The Recognition Motif And Novel Substrates Of Carm1, Sitaram Gayatri Jul 2018

Characterizing The Recognition Motif And Novel Substrates Of Carm1, Sitaram Gayatri

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

A limited pool of proteins attains vast functional repertoire due to posttranslational modifications (PTMs). Arginine methylation is a common posttranslational modification, which is catalyzed by a family of nine protein arginine methyltransferases or PRMTs. These enzymes deposit one or two methyl groups to the nitrogen atoms of arginine side-chains. Elucidating the substrate specificity of each PRMT will promote a better understanding of which signaling networks these enzymes contribute to. Although many PRMT substrates have been identified, and their methylation sites mapped, the optimal target motif for each of the nine PRMTs has not been systematically addressed. Here we describe the …