Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Ototoxicity Of Cisplatin, Pyriplatin, And Phenathriplatin In The Auditory Hybridoma Cell Line, Hei-Oc1, Alexandra Johnston

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Cisplatin is an anti-cancer drug which is effective against several cancers, but also causes harmful side-effects, including ototoxicity and hearing loss. While cisplatin is a bifunctional compound that forms coordinate covalent bonds with both strands of DNA, recently investigated monofunctional platinum(II) compounds bind to only one DNA strand, and may activate different cell-death mechanisms. As several monofunctional platinum(II) compounds have anti-cancer properties, but could target different cell-death pathways, they could potentially have different and reduced side-effects. In this study, the HEI-OC1 auditory hybridoma cell line was used to investigate the ototoxicity of cisplatin and two monofunctional platinum(II) compounds, phenanthriplatin and …

Quantification Of Dynamic Epithelial Sheet Architecture In Botryllus Schlosseri Using 2-D & 3-D Image Analysis, Roopa Madhu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Epithelial tubules form critical structures in various body tissues; how- ever, since they are difficult to access experimentally, their architecture and dynamics are not well understood. Here we examine the dynamic remodeling of epithelial tubes in vivo using a novel and uniquely accessible model system: the extracorporeal vasculature of Botryllus schlosseri (sea squirt). In Botryllus, massive retraction of blood vessels can be triggered without loss of barrier function, through (i) disrupting collagen crosslinking in the basement membrane using β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN); or (ii) disrupting the integrin pathway through inhibition of focal adhesion kinase (FAK). We performed stereographic projections of 3-dimensional …

Cellular And Organismal Ramifications Of De Novo Purine Synthesis Dysregulation, Randall Craig Mazzarino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purines are a class of nitrogenous bases and are essential small molecules to life. Purines are used within the cell as genetic information carriers, energy currency, signaling molecules, and cofactors for multiple processes. They are formed through de novo and salvage pathways found in cells across the phylogenetic tree. The substrates of enzymes within de novo purine synthesis are known to influence other processes within the cell, such as energy homeostasis. In humans, de novo purine synthesis disorders are rare, with around 100 people identified. These patients exhibit a range of phenotypes, with varying degrees of mental retardation, seizure activity, …

Variations On A Theme: Intricacies Of Unanchored Poly-Ubiquitin Signaling And Toxicity, Jessica Renee Blount-Pacheco

Wayne State University Dissertations

Ubiquitin is an 8.5 kDa post-translational modifier involved in essentially all eukaryotic cellular processes. Through a process called ubiquitination, ubiquitinating enzymes chemically attach ubiquitin to substrate proteins to control their fates, resulting in anything from their recruitment into signaling pathways to their proteasomal degradation, with a plethora of possibilities in between. Ubiquitin molecules can also be attached to one another, resulting in poly-ubiquitin chains with various effects depending on the number of ubiquitin molecules and the specific amino acid residues used to link them together. While most poly-ubiquitin in the cell exists as conjugated species, there are also untethered poly-ubiquitin …

Use Of Alkoxyamines To Quantify And Map Uracils And To Kill B Cell Cancers, Madusha Lakshani Watuthanthrige Perera

Wayne State University Dissertations

Majority of B-cell lymphoma and leukemia originates in germinal centers and over express AID resulting high levels of uracils and eventually AP sites. Treating cells with a small alkoxyamine AA3 with a terminal alkyne group specifically killed B cell lymphoma cell lines without killing normal human B cells and non-hematological cancers. To study the cytotoxicity of AA3, I designed and synthesized a series of AA3 analogs with and without the alkyne group. Using cytotoxicity assays I demonstrated that the alkyne functionality plays a major role in AA3 cytotoxicity in B-cell cancers and further showed that the effectiveness is modulated by …

Biotech Connector Brochure

Biotech Connector

The Biotech Connector represents an important opportunity to serve the economic needs of the people of Nebraska through further diversification of Nebraska's economy, and by helping forge and illuminate a pathway to jobs in the biotechnology space for Nebraska students.

The Biotech Connector is 7,700 sq. ft. of well-equipped wet-lab space located on Nebraska Innovation Campus. We provide incubation space and services to bioscience startups and high-growth biotech and research-based businesses.

Wet lab space provides aspiring startups and technology businesses with access to very expensive laboratory equipment that would be outside of the budget of most startups. Lack of access …

Computational Analysis Of Oxidative Stress In Endothelial Dysfunction: Insights On The Role Of Tetrahydrobiopterin, Ascorbate And Glutathione, Sheetal Kedar Panday

Wayne State University Dissertations

Oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction are reported in the cardiovascular and neurovascular diseases. Oxidative stress is caused due to an increase in the generation of reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen species (RNS) and incapacity of antioxidant systems to eliminate ROS and RNS. Endothelial dysfunction is characterized by a reduction in nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. NO is constitutively produced by enzyme endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). A reduction in tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), which is an essential cofactor of eNOS, can lead to eNOS uncoupling. There is complex interplay between the ROS/RNS and antioxidant system underlying pathophysiologies of vascular diseases, however our quantitative …

Development Of A Computer Algorithm For Generation Of Primers For Nucleic Acid Sequence Based Amplification (Nasba), Rohit Karnati

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Nucleic acid sequence based amplification (NASBA) is a primer based isothermal method of RNA/DNA amplification. Currently, primer design for NASBA has been restricted to hand creating sequences of oligonucleotides that must follow a set of rules to be compatible for the amplification process. This process of hand-creating primers is prone to error and time intensive. The detection of mutants, post amplification, also offers a benefit in point of care scenarios and the design of hybridization probes for sequences in the region of amplification is also an erroneous and time intensive process. By creating a program to design primers and hybridization …

Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of A Cholera Toxin-Based Staphylococcus Aureus Vaccine Against Bovine Intramammary Challenge, Hussain A. Alabdullah, Elise Overgaard, Danielle Scarbrough, Janet E. Williams, Omid Mohammad Mousa, Gary Dunn, Laura Bond, Mark A. Mcguire, Juliette K. Tinker

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a primary agent of bovine mastitis and a source of significant economic loss for the dairy industry. We previously reported antigen-specific immune induction in the milk and serum of dairy cows following vaccination with a cholera toxin A₂ and B subunit (CTA₂/B) based vaccine containing the iron-regulated surface determinant A (IsdA) and clumping factor A (ClfA) antigens of S. aureus (IsdA + ClfA-CTA₂/B). The goal of the current study was to assess the efficacy of this vaccine to protect against S. aureus infection after intramammary challenge. Six mid-lactation …

Bioaccumulation And Biomagnification Of Potential Toxic Elements (Ptes): An Avicennia Germinans–Uca Rapax Trophic Transfer Story From Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico, Michael Martinez-Colon, Henry Alegria, Hatice Kubra-Gul, Ashley Huber, Perihan Kurt-Karakus

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

In southern Puerto Rico along the coastline bordering the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, environmental encroachment has exposed mangrove forest to different sources of pollution. Potentially toxic element concentrations from the F1Tess (exchangeable), F4Tess (oxidizable), mangrove leaf litter (MLL), and fiddler crab whole body soft tissue were analyzed to assess the fate and transport of pollutants from the environment and its transition into flora-fauna via trophic transfer. Geo-accumulation factor values suggest the bay has experienced limited to no pollution when combining the concentrations of potentially toxic elements extracted from the F1Tess and F4Tess sediment fractions. These geochemical sedimentary compartments …

Draft Genome Sequence Of Verrucosispora Sp. Strain Cwr15, Isolated From A Gulf Of Mexico Sponge, Sarah J. Kennedy, Eleonora Cella, Mohammad Jubair, Taj Azarian, Bill J. Baker, Lindsey N. Shaw

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

Here, we present the draft genome sequence of Verrucosispora sp. strain CWR15, a bacterial symbiont of a Gulf of Mexico sponge. The genome consists of 35 contigs encoding 5,840 genes. The genome is the basis for future study and presents an underexplored taxonomy and biosynthetic potential.

Mir146a-Mediated Targeting Of Fancm During Inflammation Compromises Genome Integrity, Devakumar Sundaravinayagam, Hye Rim Kim, Tingting Wu, Hyun Hee Kim, Semo Jun, Jeong-Heon Cha, Younghoon Kee, Ho Jin You, Jung-Hee Lee

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

Inflammation is a potent inducer of tumorigenesis. Increased DNA damage or loss of genome integrity is thought to be one of the mechanisms linking inflammation and cancer development. It has been suggested that NF-κB-induced microRNA-146 (miR146a) may be a mediator of the inflammatory response. Based on our initial observation that miR146a overexpression strongly increases DNA damage, we investigated its potential role as a modulator of DNA repair. Here, we demonstrate that FANCM, a component in the Fanconi Anemia pathway, is a novel target of miR146a. miR146a suppressed FANCM expression by directly binding to the 3’ untranslated region of the gene. …

Timing And Duration Of Folate Restriction Differentially Impacts Colon Carcinogenesis., Ali M. Fardous

Wayne State University Dissertations

Colorectal cancer (CRC) constitutes a major burden on the healthcare system as the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in the developed world. Dietary folate is considered an important modulator of colorectal cancer. Folate restriction has been implicated in increasing CRC incidence by disrupting nucleotide synthesis, Impacting DNA methylation and inducing genetic instability. Our research shows that the timing and duration of dietary folate restriction can differentially impact Colorectal cancer initiation. Acclimating mice to folate restriction for 8 weeks results in a reduced number of preneoplastic lesions compared to mice placed of folate restriction for 1 week prior to initiating the …

Cornus Officinalis Promotes Igfbp2 And Autophagy In Human 1.1b4 Pancreatic Cell Line As Revealed By Employing A Global Proteomic Approach Via Mass Spectrometry, Arielle Elizabeth Tawfik, Jennifer Guergues, Stanley M. Stevens Jr, Brant Roger Burkhardt

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) results in the loss of pancreatic beta cells and subsequent loss of insulin production. Exogenous insulin is the only effective treatment, but there is still no cure or interventional therapy available to inhibit progression of T1D. Successful T1D interventional therapy must protect pancreatic beta cells from autoimmunity while enhancing beta cell survival and function. Our data suggests Cornus officinalis (CO) may be a candidate for interventional therapy to protect pancreatic beta cells from autoimmune attack and increase their function. CO has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for over 2,000 years and has shown characteristics …

The Effects Of Framework Mutations At The Variable Domain Interface On Antibody Affinity Maturation In An Hiv-1 Broadly Neutralizing Antibody Lineage, Jeffrey O. Zhou , '19, Therese Ton , '19, Daniela Fera

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

Understanding affinity maturation of antibodies that can target many variants of HIV-1 is important for vaccine development. While the antigen-binding site of antibodies is known to mutate throughout the co-evolution of antibodies and viruses in infected individuals, the roles of the mutations in the antibody framework region are not well understood. Throughout affinity maturation, the CH103 broadly neutralizing antibody lineage, from an individual designated CH505, altered the orientation of one of its antibody variable domains. The change in orientation was a response to insertions in the variable loop 5 (V5) of the HIV envelope. In this study, we generated CH103 …

Ile126his And Lys129his Surface Mutations Aid In Purification Of Haemophilus Influenzae Carbonic Anhydrase Through Increased Metal Ion Affinity, Timothy Rigdon, Kathleen Cornely

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Scholarship

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is an enzyme that plays a major role in the survival of many bacterial, chiefly Haemophilus influenzae. Because of its crucial role in bacteria, recent research has turned to CA as a possible target for drug development to kill bacteria and possibly cure different bacterial diseases. While research has focused on this drug target, the isolation and purification of specific types of CA has remained a major obstacle for further research. The current method of immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) with a Ni-NTA column is used widely for CA purification; however, the H. influenzae carbonic anhydrase …

Validity Of Plasma Collection Cards For Ferritin Assessment—A Proof-Of-Concept Study, Karsten Koehler, Eileen Marks-Nelson, Camila Pereira Braga, Safiya E. Beckford, Jiri Adamec

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Objectives: Iron depletion is common around the world and among certain risk groups in developed countries. The overall purpose was to test the suitability of a novel plasma collection card for minimally invasive iron status assessment.

Methods: Twenty participants (10 f/10 m) participated in this cross-sectional study. Ferritin and hemoglobin were measured from blood collected from a forearm vein, serving as reference method. Blood was also collected from the fingertip using the NoviplexTM Plasma Prep Card as well as capillary collection tubes.

Results: There was substantial concordance between ferritin measured from samples collected via NoviplexTM and venous ferritin (concordance correlation …

การแบ่งกลุ่มย่อยตามลักษณะทางคลินิกรูปแบบใหม่โดยอาศัยปัญญาประดิษฐ์ ร่วมกับการวิเคราะห์โอมิกส์แบบบูรณาการหลายระดับ เพื่อระบุกลุ่มตัวแทนสารบ่งชี้ทางชีวภาพสำหรับภาวะออทิซึมสเปกตรัม, กัลยภัสสร์ หัสเสม

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

โรคออทิซึมสเปกตรัมเป็นความผิดปกติเกี่ยวกับพัฒนาการในช่วงเริ่มแรกของระบบประสาทและสมองซึ่งมีอาการทางคลินิกที่หลากหลายมาก ปัจจุบันยังไม่มีสารบ่งชี้เพื่อช่วยในการวินิจฉัยและแบ่งผู้ป่วยเป็นกลุ่มย่อย แต่การวินิจฉัยที่รวดเร็วเป็นสิ่งสำคัญที่จะช่วยให้ผู้ป่วยออทิซึมสเปกตรัมสามารถได้รับการเรียนรู้และพัฒนาพฤติกรรมที่จำเป็นในการดำรงชีวิตได้ การวินิจฉัยโรคออทิซึมสเปกตรัมตามมาตรฐานสากลใช้แบบสอบถามที่มีความซับซ้อนและใช้เวลามาก ซึ่งในปัจจุบันมีการนำเอาเทคโนโลยีปัญญาประดิษฐ์มาประยุกต์ใช้ในการวิเคราะห์ข้อมูลขนาดใหญ่ที่มีความซับซ้อน อย่างไรก็ตามการนำเอาปัญญาประดิษฐ์มาใช้วิเคราะห์อาการทางคลินิกของผู้ป่วยออทิซึมสเปกตรัมยังไม่แพร่หลายนัก ในการศึกษานี้ผู้วิจัยต้องการนำเอาปัญญาประดิษฐ์มาใช้แบ่งผู้ป่วยออทิซึมสเปกตรัมจำนวน 85 ราย ออกเป็นกลุ่มย่อยตามอาการทางคลินิกจากข้อมูลแบบทดสอบในการวินิจฉัยผู้ป่วยออทิซึมสเปกตรัม ADI-R จำนวน 123 ข้อ จากนั้นได้ทำการสร้างโมเดลในการจัดกลุ่มและเปรียบเทียบประสิทธิภาพรวมถึงจำนวนข้อคำถามที่ใช้ในแต่ละโมเดล นอกจากนี้ผู้วิจัยได้ศึกษาหาสารบ่งชี้ทางชีวภาพที่เป็นตัวแทนของโรคออทิซึมสเปกตรัมกลุ่มย่อยจากลักษณะอาการทางคลินิกโดยอาศัยการบูรณาการโอมิกส์หลายระดับ จึงได้ดำเนินการวิเคราะห์รูปแบบทรานสคริปโตม และวิเคราะห์รูปแบบโปรตีโอมของผู้ป่วยออทิซึมสเปกตรัมโดยใช้เซลล์เพาะเลี้ยงชนิดลิมโฟบลาสต์เป็นต้นแบบ โดยใช้เทคนิคการแยกโปรตีนด้วยกระแสไฟฟ้า 2 มิติ (2D-GE) จากนั้นจะทำการระบุโปรตีนด้วยเทคนิค LC-MS/MS เพื่อหาโปรตีนที่ถูกรบกวนการทำงานอย่างมีนัยสำคัญ และบูรณาการข้อมูลเพื่อศึกษาความสอดคล้องและสัมพันธ์กันระหว่างการแสดงออกของโปรตีนและยีน และทำการยืนยันระดับการแสดงออกที่ผิดปกติไปของยีนด้วยเทคนิค Real-time qPCR และโปรตีนด้วยเทคนิค Western blot ในการศึกษาครั้งนี้จากผลการวิเคราะห์ข้อมูลลักษณะอาการทางคลินิกของผู้ป่วยออทิซึมสเปกตรัมจากแบบทดสอบ ADI-R 123 ข้อ พบว่าวิธี K-means clustering ที่แบ่งผู้ป่วยออกเป็น 4 กลุ่มย่อยนั้นให้ประสิทธิภาพในการแบ่งดีที่สุด และเมื่อทำการสร้างโมเดลในการจัดกลุ่มผู้ป่วยตามผลการแบ่งกลุ่มดังกล่าว พบว่าอัลกอริทึม Random forest ที่มีจำนวนต้นไม้ 10 ต้น โดยกระบวนการคัดเลือกข้อมูลแบบ Forward selection ให้ผลการทำนายถูกต้องมากที่สุด (100%) โดยใช้ข้อคำถาม ADI-R เพียง 5 ข้อ ในการแบ่งผู้ป่วยออกเป็นกลุ่มย่อย และจากการวิเคราะห์รูปแบบโปรตีโอมจากเซลล์เพาะเลี้ยงชนิดลิมโฟบลาสต์ของผู้ป่วยออทิซึมสเปกตรัมและออทิซึมสเปกตรัมกลุ่มย่อยด้วยเทคนิค 2D-GE ผู้วิจัยได้ทำการคัดเลือกจุดโปรตีนที่มีการแสดงออกผิดปกติอย่างมีนัยสำคัญและมีค่าสัดส่วนความเข้มแตกต่างกันอย่างน้อยสองเท่ามา 19 จุด เพื่อทำการระบุชนิดของโปรตีนด้วยเทคนิค LC-MS/MS โดยพบว่าจากโปรตีนทั้งหมด HNRNPA2B1 มีระดับการแสดงออกเพิ่มขึ้นในผู้ป่วยออทิซึมสเปกตรัมกลุ่มย่อยที่ไม่มีความผิดปกติด้านภาษารุนแรง โดยที่โปรตีน HNRNPA2B1 MDH2 DLD และ MSN มีระดับการแสดงออกลดลงในผู้ป่วยออทิซึมสเปกตรัมกลุ่มย่อยที่มีความผิดปกติด้านภาษารุนแรง ดังนั้นจากการศึกษาวิจัยในครั้งนี้ได้แสดงให้เห็นว่าการใช้เทคโนโลยีปัญญาประดิษฐ์ในการแบ่งผู้ป่วยออทิซึมสเปกตรัมออกเป็นกลุ่มย่อยตามลักษณะอาการทางคลินิกนั้น สามารถลดความหลากหลายตามลักษณะอาการที่แสดงออกของโรคออทิซึมสเปกตรัมในการวิเคราะห์รูปแบบทรานสคริปโตมและโปรตีโอม รวมถึงการค้นหาโปรตีนที่จำเพาะต่อผู้ป่วยออทิซึมสเปกตรัมกลุ่มย่อย ได้อย่างมีประสิทธิภาพมากขึ้น ซึ่งโปรตีนเหล่านี้อาจใช้เป็นโปรตีนบ่งชี้ในการศึกษาเชิงลึกในประชากรผู้ป่วย เพื่อพัฒนาเป็นสารบ่งชีทางชีวภาพ (Biomarker) หรือศึกษากลไกพยาธิสภาพในระดับชีวโมเลกุลของโรคออทิซึมสเปกตรัมได้ต่อไปในอนาคต

Quantifying The Heterogeneity Of The Immunoglobulin G N-Glycome In An Ageing Australian Population: The Busselton Healthy Ageing Study, Alyce Russell

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The use of immunoglobulin G N-glycomics to study chronic non-communicable disorders and other complex phenotypes emerged following the Human Genome Project. The consortium discovered that most phenotypes were too complex to be explained by genetics alone. Thus, the biological importance of epigenetics was recognised; heritable modifications to gene expression rather than the genome itself. Nglycosylation is a form of epigenetic regulation known as a post-translational modification. It stabilises the immunoglobulin G structure and alters downstream responses elicited by the antibody and is extensively studied as a candidate biomarker in the post-genomic era.

The N-glycosylation of immunoglobulin G itself is complex, …

Effect Of Mptp On Α-Synuclein Spreading, Accumulation And Toxicity In Mice With Intrastriatal Innoculation Of Human Α-Synuclein Preformed Fibril, Madiha Mohieldin Merghani

Theses

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common progressive neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by abnormal accumulation of interneuronal inclusions of α-synuclein (α-syn) known as Lewy bodies (LBs) and Lewy neurites (LNs), and significant loss of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) region of the brain. Recent evidence suggests that intrastriatal inoculation of α-syn Preformed Fibril (PFF) into mice induces PD-like LBs and LNs pathology formed by aggregated α-syn in anatomically interconnected brain regions which needs several months of incubation to develop the pathology. In the present study, we have evaluated the effect of different doses of 1-methyl, 4-phenyl, …

Profiling Transcription And Retrotransposition Of Mouse L1 Subfamilies, Lingqi Kong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transposable elements, also called jumping genes, comprise almost 45% of the human genome. In contrast, only 1% of the human genome is protein-coding sequences. The function and advantages of maintaining such massive copies of transposable elements in the human genome are still unclear. Long interspersed element 1 (L1), the most substantial group and the only active autonomous transposable element in the human genome, has revealed its unique roles in many diseases. The insertional mutagenesis induced by L1 retrotransposition events could threaten human genomic stability and generate unexpected mutations. L1 overexpression has been documented in both somatic and germline cells and, …

Characterization Of The Influences Of Human Cytomegalovirus Glycoprotein O (Go) Expression On Gh/Gl Complexes Assembly And Its Polymorphisms On Cell-Free And Cell-To-Cell Spread, And Antibody Neutralization., Le Z. Day

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is widely spread throughout the world and immunocompromised individuals can suffer severe diseases from HCMV infection. Once the infection is established, HCMV can spread through the body and infect many major somatic cell types. The glycoproteins H and L (gH/gL) on HCMV envelope can be bound by either gO or the UL128-131 proteins to form complexes gH/gL/gO and gH/gL/UL128-131 that are critical for viral entry and spread, and these two complexes are important targets of neutralizing antibodies. Strains of HCMV vary considerably in the levels of gH/gL/gO and gH/gL/UL128-131. gO is one of the most diverse loci …

Sestrin2 Phosphorylation By Ulk1 Induces Autophagic Degradation Of Mitochondria Damaged By Copper-Induced Oxidative Stress, Heejeong Kim, Byeong Tak Jeon, Isaac M. Kim, Sydney Townsend, Carolyn M. Lorch, Martonio Viana, Jacob F. Myers, Caroline J. Trupp, Zachary T. Whipps, Mondira Kundu, Soonkyu Chung, Xinghui Sun, Oleh Khalimonchuk, Jaekwon Lee, Seung-Hyun Ro

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Selective autolysosomal degradation of damaged mitochondria, also called mitophagy, is an indispensable process for maintaining integrity and homeostasis of mitochondria. One well-established mechanism mediating selective removal of mitochondria under relatively mild mitochondria-depolarizing stress is PINK1-Parkin-mediated or ubiquitin-dependent mitophagy. However, additional mechanisms such as LC3-mediated or ubiquitin-independent mitophagy induction by heavy environmental stress exist and remain poorly understood. The present study unravels a novel role of stress-inducible protein Sestrin2 in degradation of mitochondria damaged by transition metal stress. By utilizing proteomic methods and studies in cell culture and rodent models, we identify autophagy kinase ULK1-mediated phosphorylation sites of Sestrin2 and demonstrate …

Insights From The Inclusive Environments And Metrics In Biology Education And Research Network: Our Experience Organizing Inclusive Biology Education Research Events, Rebecca A. Campbell-Montalvo, Natalia Caporale, Gary S. Mcdowell, Candice Idlebird, Katie M. Wiens, Kimberly M. Jackson, Jana D. Marcette, Michael E. Moore

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

In contrast to efforts focusing on improving inclusion in STEM classrooms from kindergarten through un-dergraduate (K–16), efforts to improve inclusion in scientific meetings and conferences, important hubs of STEM culture, are more recent. Markers of inclusion that are sometimes overlooked at these events can include the composition of panels, how workshops are run, the affordability of conferences, and various other mechanisms that maintain pre-existing hierarchies and norms that limit the participation of early-career researchers and individuals of minoritized cultural, linguistic, and economic backgrounds. The Inclusive Environments and Metrics in Biology Education and Research (iEMBER) network coordinates efforts of researchers from …

Identifying Metabolites As Markers Of Fatigue In Athletes, Christopher D. George

Honors Theses

Fatigue in athletes caused by inadequate rest and other stressors can be severely detrimental to their health, and yet there is no reliable way to measure and track fatigue. Many classical measures of fatigue like body mass and resting heart rate are not reliable ways to track the physical fatigue of an athlete because they can change with many factors. In addition, it is not known how academic stress on top of physical stress affects fatigue. Metabolomics is a relatively new area of study and tracking metabolites offers the possibility to produce biomarkers to assess fatigue. This study collected saliva …

Mass Spectrometry Based Lipidomic Investigation Of Staphylococcus Aureus Lipid Metabolism And Characterization Of Lipase A, Naren Gajenthra Kumar

Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus produces an arsenal of virulence factors and is adept at colonizing multiple hosts by employing specific processes to persist at different sites of infection. Infections caused by this pathogen range from self-limiting infections of the skin like folliculitis to life threatening and chronic conditions like infective endocarditis, non-healing diabetic foot ulcers and atopic dermatitis. As the field continues to expand its understanding of the mechanisms by which this pathogen rapidly develops resistance to new antibiotics, the underlying mechanisms that facilitates niche adaptation and host colonization among healthy individuals remain elusive.

Bacterial and host lipid metabolism presents and area …

Characterization Of The Dyrk1a Protein-Protein Interaction Network, Varsha Ananthapadmanabhan

Theses and Dissertations

Human Dual specificity tyrosine (Y)-Regulated Kinase 1A (DYRK1A) is a protein kinase encoded by a dosage-dependent gene. An extra copy of DYRK1A contributes to Down syndrome (DS) pathogenesis while loss of one allele causes severe mental retardation and autism. DYRK1A is involved in phosphorylation of several proteins that regulate cell cycle control and tumor suppression. However, the function and regulation of this kinase is not well understood and current knowledge does not fully explain dosage-dependent function of this important kinase. Our previous proteomic studies identified several novel DYRK1A interacting proteins including RNF169, FAM117B, TROAP, LZTS1, LZTS2 and DCAF7. In this …

The Role Of Manganese In Streptococcus Sanguinis, Tanya M. Puccio

Theses and Dissertations

Streptococcus sanguinis is primarily associated with oral health as a commensal bacterium. As an opportunistic pathogen, S. sanguinis is capable of colonizing heart valve vegetations, leading to the disease infective endocarditis. Previous studies from our lab have identified the high-affinity manganese transporter SsaACB as important for endocarditis virulence. The impact that manganese depletion has on S. sanguinis had never been evaluated and a secondary manganese transporter has not been identified. Thus, we employed the use of a fermentor to control large-scale growth over time and depleted manganese in an ΔssaACB mutant using a metal chelator, EDTA. The changes in …

Anti-Tumor Functions Of Sphingosine Kinase 1 And Sphingosine Kinase 2 In Breast Cancer Development, Melissa A. Maczis

Theses and Dissertations

Bioactive sphingolipid metabolite sphingosine-1‐phosphate (S1P) circulating levels have been implicated in breast cancer (BC) progression. BCs usually respond to 17β-Estradiol (E2) through canonical receptor ERα66 for genomic effects, however, E2 also triggers rapid, non-genomic responses. E2 has been shown to activate sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1), increasing S1P for S1P receptors signaling important for BC. The E2 receptor activating SphK1 has not been identified. We demonstrate triple negative BC cells, expressing only novel ERα splice variant ERα36, E2-induced SphK1 activation for S1P secretion. Tamoxifen, first-line BC endocrine therapy, an ERα66 antagonist but ERα36 agonist, activates SphK1 and increases S1P secretion in …

Solid Phase Extraction And High-Precision Mass Spectrometry Analysis Methods For Crassostrea Virginica Metabolome, Alyssa Darling

Theses and Dissertations

Metabolomics is the rapidly-growing field which focuses on the endpoints of biological processes, and has the capability to provide a snapshot of an organisms’ interaction with their environment on a molecular scale. The objective of the experiment herein was to develop a standard metabolic extraction technique coupled with ultrahigh-precision analytical tools to build a global metabolic pathway of the keystone species Crassostrea virginica. To achieve this, C. virginica whole-body samples were extracted using acetonitrile and methanol, then split into a dehydrated group and a diluted group. Following reversed-phase solid phase extraction (RP-SPE) of both groups, metabolites were identified using …