Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Targeting Aav Vectors To The Central Nervous System By Engineering Capsid-Receptor Interactions That Enable Crossing Of The Blood-Brain Barrier, Qin Huang, Albert T Chen, Ken Y Chan, Hikari Sorensen, Andrew J Barry, Bahar Azari, Qingxia Zheng, Thomas Beddow, Binhui Zhao, Isabelle G Tobey, Cynthia Moncada-Reid, Fatma-Elzahraa Eid, Christopher J Walkey, M Cecilia Ljungberg, William R Lagor, Jason D Heaney, Yujia A Chan, Benjamin E Deverman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Viruses have evolved the ability to bind and enter cells through interactions with a wide variety of cell macromolecules. We engineered peptide-modified adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsids that transduce the brain through the introduction of de novo interactions with 2 proteins expressed on the mouse blood-brain barrier (BBB), LY6A or LY6C1. The in vivo tropisms of these capsids are predictable as they are dependent on the cell- and strain-specific expression of their target protein. This approach generated hundreds of capsids with dramatically enhanced central nervous system (CNS) tropisms within a single round of screening in vitro and secondary validation in vivo …

Outersphere Approach To Increasing The Persistance Of Oxygen-Sensitive Europium(Ii)-Containing Contrast Agents For Magnetic Resonance Imaging With Perfluorocarbon Nanoemulsions Toward Imaging Of Hypoxia, Jacob C Lutter, Andrea L Batchev, Caitlyn J Ortiz, Alexander G Sertage, Jonathan Romero, S A Amali S Subasinghe, Steen E Pedersen, Md Abul Hassan Samee, Robia G Pautler, Matthew J Allen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Radiographic mapping of hypoxia is needed to study a wide range of diseases. Complexes of EuII are a promising class of molecules to fit this need, but they are generally limited by their rapid oxidation rates in vivo. Here, a perfluorocarbon-nanoemulsion perfused with N2, forms an interface with aqueous layers to hinder oxidation of a new perfluorocarbon-soluble complex of EuII. Conversion of the perfluorocarbon solution of EuII into nanoemulsions results in observable differences between reduced and oxidized forms by MRI both in vitro and in vivo. Oxidation in vivo occurrs over a period of ~30 min compared to <5 min for a comparable EuII-containing complex without nanoparticle interfaces. These results represent a critical step toward delivery of EuII-containing complexes in vivo for the study of hypoxia.

Safety Endpoints With Vadadustat Versus Darbepoetin Alfa In Patients With Non- Dialysis-Dependent Ckd: A Post Hoc Regional Analysis Of The Pro2tect Randomized Clinical Trial Of Esa-Treated Patients, Patrick S Parfrey, Steven K Burke, Glenn M Chertow, Kai-Uwe Eckardt, Alan G Jardine, Eldrin F Lewis, Wenli Luo, Kunihiro Matsushita, Peter A Mccullough, Todd Minga, Wolfgang C Winkelmayer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: In the PRO

STUDY DESIGN: Phase 3, global, open-label, randomized, active-controlled clinical trial.

SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1,725 erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA)-treated patients with anemia and NDD-CKD.

INTERVENTION: 1:1 randomization to receive vadadustat or darbepoetin alfa.

OUTCOMES: The primary safety end point was the time to first MACE.

RESULTS: At baseline, patients in Europe (n=444) were primarily treated with darbepoetin alfa, showed higher proportions on low ESA doses (/kg/wk epoetin alfa equivalents) with a hemoglobin concentration of ≥10 g/dL compared with patients in the US (n=665) and non-US/non-Europe (n=614) regions. The MACE rates per 100 person-years …

Impact Of Sediment Diversion For Coastal Restoration On Nitrogen And Phosphorus Biogeochemical Cycling In Coastal Louisiana, Usa, Mercedes M. Pinzon Delgado

LSU Master's Theses

Wetlands provide essential ecosystem services and functions, including improving surface water quality through nutrient removal. Louisiana experienced ~4,800 km² of coastal wetland loss between 1932 and 2016 due to high relative sea level rise and reduced sediment input from the Mississippi River (MR). The 2023 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan aims to restore Louisiana's degraded coastline through restoration projects, including sediment diversions. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project will reconnect MR sediment-laden water with Barataria Basin degrading marshes. The diversion will also deliver nitrate (NO₃^-) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) to this basin, potentially negatively impacting water quality. …

Effects Of Roasting Conditions On The Proximate Composition And Functional Properties Of Common Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris) Flours, Rachel Byarugaba, Agnes Nabubuya, John Muyonga, Ali Mwakha

Tanzania Journal of Science

Roasting of dry beans presents the possibility of a value-added product with improved nutritional quality and potential use in different food systems. The effect of roasting on the proximate composition and functional properties of dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) was determined. Beans were roasted at 140, 170, and 200 °C for 5, 10, and 15 minutes. The moisture, carbohydrate, protein, dietary fibre, total ash and fat contents of the flours ranged from 4.58 to 6.72%, 56.21 to 60.51%, 23.09 to 26.74%, 4.12 to 7.01%, 3.94 to 4.58% and 1.28 to 2.10%, respectively. An increase in roasting temperature and time significantly …

Twenty-Year Survival Following Lung Transplantation, John James Miggins, Ross M Reul, Spencer Barrett, Abbas Rana, Ahmed Alnajar, Jordan Dunson, Alexis Shafii, Puneet Garcha, John Goss, Gabriel Loor

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Lung transplantation median survival has seen improvements due to recognition of short-term survival factors but continues to trail behind other solid organs due to limited understanding of long-term survivorship. Given the creation of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database in 1986, it was difficult to accrue data on long-term survivors until recently. This study characterizes factors impacting lung transplant survival beyond 20 years, conditional to 1-year survival.

METHODS: Lung transplant recipients listed in UNOS from 1987 to 2002 who survived to 1 post-transplant year were reviewed. Kaplan-Meier and adjusted Cox regression analyses were performed at 20 and …

Novel Roles Of The Blm Syndrome Dna Helicase In Genome Maintenance And Mitochondrial Regulation, Brian B. Rodemoyer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bloom syndrome (BS) is an extremely rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder caused by defects in the BLM gene. Patients with BS display a broad phenotypic spectrum including abnormally short stature, microcephaly, sun sensitivity, insulin resistance, perpetual oxidative stress, and a ~300-fold greater propensity for developing cancer than the general population. As such, BS patients typically do not live past their 20’s. The BLM gene encodes the BLM helicase, a member of the highly conserved RecQ family of 3’ to 5’ DNA helicases. Most of our cellular understanding of BLM is through its role in DNA damage repair through the homologous …

Anesthetic Considerations For Cardiac Tamponade After Internal Jugular Central Line Placement During Trauma Resuscitation: A Case Report, Kevin M Chen, Jamal Hasoon, Anvinh Nguyen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Numerous complications are associated with central venous catheters. Among them, cardiac tamponade is a rare but well-documented catastrophic complication. A 22-year-old healthy male presented with Code 1 trauma resulting from gunshot wounds in the abdomen. Upon examination, he was found to have a large pericardial fluid collection, a large right supraclavicular hematoma, and significant amount of bilateral pleural effusions secondary to extraluminal placement of the right internal jugular central line during resuscitation. After repairing the internal jugular injury and draining the pericardial fluid, the patient was transferred from the intensive care unit to the regular hospital floor. However, 15 days …

Withaferin A And Immune Checkpoint Blocker Therapy For The Treatment Of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Roukiah Khalil

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lung cancer is the first cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women with an overall five-year survival rate of 28%. Although immune checkpoint blockers (ICBs) are currently FDA-approved for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), only 17-20% of patients achieve durable responses by the induction of immunologic memory. The lack of response in most patients can be attributed to the tumor-intrinsic or tumor-extrinsic immune resistance mechanisms. A biomarker of importance is the Programmed Death Ligand-1 (PD-L1), as higher PD-L1 expression is usually associated with a better response to ICBs. Although studies have attempted to combine ICBs …

Biochemical Markers Of Liver Toxicity Among Coal Mine Workers Of Punjab, Pakistan Suffering From Hcv, Aima Iram Batool, Asma Noreen, Naima Huma Naveed, Iram Inayat, Muhammad Fayyaz Ur Rehman, Fariha Idrees, Muhammad Ali Kanwal, Syeda Humaira Jabeen, Hakim Bibi

Journal of Bioresource Management

Hepatitis C is among the leading hepatic disorders in current period through which about 3 % world population has been anguish among them 170 million were diagnosed as persistent carriers. A great range of alteration in liver biochemical parameters were found to be allied with HCV infestation. Current study was designed to evaluate the extent of HCV mediated abnormalities in liver biochemical markers which includes ALT (alanine aminotransferase), AST (Aspartate transaminase), ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase) and serum bilirubin. The study was conducted on coal miners of Punjab province, Pakistan. HCV was primarily diagnosed through one step rapid test device after which …

Regulation Of The Wnt/Wingless Receptor Lrp6/Arrow By The Deubiquitylating Complex Usp46, Zachary T. Spencer

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The evolutionarily conserved Wnt/Wingless signal transduction pathway is critical for the proper development of all animals and implicated in numerous diseases in adulthood. Upon binding of the Wnt/Wingless ligand, a cascade of events culminates in inactivation of the destruction complex, a negative regulator of the pathway, and the subsequent formation of singalosomes which mediate pathway activation. A critical component of signalosome formation is the Wnt/Wingless receptor LRP6/Arrow. Upon canonical pathway activation, LRP6/Arrow undergoes activation via phosphorylation by several kinases and complexes with another Wnt/Wingless receptor Frizzled, along with several cytoplasmic components. While many studies have investigated the regulatory mechanisms of …

Putrescine Detected In Strains Of Staphylococcus Aureus, Javier Seravalli, Frank Portugal

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Most forms of life, including the archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes synthesize the polyamine putrescine. Although putrescine is widely distributed, several Gram-positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), appear to be the exceptions. We report here that strains of S. aureus can produce the polyamine putrescine, as well as the derivative N-acetyl-putrescine. Three strains of S. aureus from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), one strain listed in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database, whose genomic sequence is well defined, and well as eight strains from S. aureus-induced brain abscesses of individual patients from multiple …

Investigating The Activity Of Alternative Warheads For Targeted Covalent Inhibition Of The Inhibitor Vertebrate Lysozyme Protein From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Katie Hambrick

Master of Science in Chemical Sciences Theses

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes blood and lung infections in hospital environments due to its ability to survive on improperly sterilized medical equipment. P. aeruginosa has developed several multi-drug resistance mechanisms that make it very difficult to treat with current antibiotics.¹ This presents the need for a new class of antibiotics that cannot be overcome by P. aeruginosa’s mechanisms of resistance.

The primary goal of this project was to develop a small library of inhibitors that could later be incorporated into lead compounds for novel antibiotic drug discovery. One of P. …

Quantitative Risk Assessment Of Oocyst Versus Bradyzoite Foodborne Transmission Of Toxoplasma Gondii In Brazil, Sophie Zhu, Elizabeth Vanwormer, Beatriz Martínez-López, Lílian Maria Garcia Bahia-Oliveira, Renato Augusto Damatta, Pedro Souto Rodrigues, Karen Shapiro

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Toxoplasma gondii is a globally distributed zoonotic protozoan parasite. Infection with T. gondii can cause congenital toxoplasmosis in developing fetuses and acute outbreaks in the general population, and the disease burden is especially high in South America. Prior studies found that the environmental stage of T. gondii, oocysts, is an important source of infection in Brazil; however, no studies have quantified this risk relative to other parasite stages. We developed a Bayesian quantitative risk assessment (QRA) to estimate the relative attribution of the two primary parasite stages (bradyzoite and oocyst) that can be transmitted in foods to people in …

Downregulation Of Fkbp5 Promotes Atrial Arrhythmogenesis, Xiaolei Wang, Jia Song, Yue Yuan, Luge Li, Issam Abu-Taha, Jordi Heijman, Liang Sun, Shokoufeh Dobrev, Markus Kamler, Liang Xie, Xander H T Wehrens, Frank T Horrigan, Dobromir Dobrev, Na Li

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common arrhythmia, is associated with the downregulation of

METHODS: Right atrial samples from patients with AF were used to assess the protein levels of FKBP5. A cardiomyocyte-specific FKBP5 knockdown mouse model was established by crossbreeding

RESULTS: FKBP5 protein levels were lower in the atrial lysates of patients with paroxysmal AF or long-lasting persistent (chronic) AF. Cardiomyocyte-specific knockdown mice exhibited increased AF inducibility and duration compared with control mice. Enhanced AF susceptibility in cardiomyocyte-specific knockdown mice was associated with the development of action potential alternans and spontaneous Ca

CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to …

Exploring Strain Variation And Bacteriophage Predation In The Gut Microbiome Of Ciona Robusta, Celine Grace F. Atkinson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current microbiome studies have shown that the maintenance of homeostasis betweenmicrobial populations (e.g. bacteria, viruses) and the host immune system (e.g. innate immune molecules) is necessary for balancing health and disease outcomes within the host. These studies most often utilize vertebrate models; however, research in this field can benefit from diverse model systems that facilitate our ability to conduct experiments to identify phylogenically conserved rules influencing homeostasis in the gut of animals. The Dishaw has developed the use of a filter-feeding marine invertebrate chordate, Ciona robusta, to model such fundamental interactions[1]–[6]. While most biological diversity and functional contribution within microbiomes …

Type Iv Pilus-Mediated Inhibition Of Acinetobacter Baumannii Biofilm Formation By Phenothiazine Compounds, Nam Vo, Benjamin S. Sidner, Yafan Yu, Kurt H. Piepenbrink

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Infections by pathogenic Acinetobacter species represent a significant burden on the health care system, despite their relative rarity, due to the difficulty of treating infections through oral antibiotics. Multidrug resistance is commonly observed in clinical Acinetobacter infections and multiple molecular mechanisms have been identified for this resistance, including multidrug efflux pumps, carbapenemase enzymes, and the formation of bacterial biofilm in persistent infections. Phenothiazine compounds have been identified as a potential inhibitor of type IV pilus production in multiple Gram-negative bacterial species. Here, we report the ability of two phenothiazines to inhibit type IV pilus-dependent surface (twitching) motility and biofilm formation …

Effect Of Dual Inhibition Of Atypical Pkc Signaling And Pi3k/Akt Signaling On Cell Viability And Apoptosis In Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (Ccrcc)., Khandker M. Khalid

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer (85%); 75% of the cases involve conventional clear cell RCC (ccRCC). The choice of treatments recommended for clear cell carcinoma and non-clear cell carcinoma include partial nephrectomy (Stage I), radical nephrectomy (Stages II and III), and chemotherapy (stage IV). Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors can be a viable candidate in the chemotherapy of ccRCC because the PI3K/Akt pathway is frequently activated in RCC. Hence, PI3K inhibitors like Alpelisib (BYL719) can be chosen as a treatment. In addition, aPKCs (PKC-ί and PKC ζ) are overexpressed in most cancer cells, and they …

An Improved Reporter Identifies Ruxolitinib As A Potent And Cardioprotective Camkii Inhibitor, Oscar E Reyes Gaido, Nikoleta Pavlaki, Jonathan M Granger, Olurotimi O Mesubi, Bian Liu, Brian L Lin, Alan Long, David Walker, Joshua Mayourian, Kate L Schole, Chantelle E Terrillion, Lubika J Nkashama, Mohit M Hulsurkar, Lauren E Dorn, Kimberly M Ferrero, Richard L Huganir, Frank U Müller, Xander H T Wehrens, Jun O Liu, Elizabeth D Luczak, Vassilios J Bezzerides, Mark E Anderson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) hyperactivity causes cardiac arrhythmias, a major source of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite proven benefits of CaMKII inhibition in numerous preclinical models of heart disease, translation of CaMKII antagonists into humans has been stymied by low potency, toxicity, and an enduring concern for adverse effects on cognition due to an established role of CaMKII in learning and memory. To address these challenges, we asked whether any clinically approved drugs, developed for other purposes, were potent CaMKII inhibitors. For this, we engineered an improved fluorescent reporter, CaMKAR (CaMKII activity reporter), which features superior sensitivity, kinetics, and …

Institutional And Individual Approaches To Change In Undergraduate Stem Education: Two Framework Analyses, Stephanie B. Feola

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The overarching goal of this dissertation is to examine institutional change initiatives in STEM and to understand the impact of engaging with a specific change strategy on a biochemistry educator’s instructional practice. Institutional change initiatives involve executing an intentional strategy to influence teaching practices within a specific institution. This research investigates NSF-funded change initiatives at three public research universities that were focused on encouraging the adoption of evidenced-based instructional practices (EBIPs) by STEM faculty. As part of an effort to understand how the three institutions approached this task, framework analysis was performed using the initiative’s annual reports to NSF. Further …

Raw Diffraction Data For 1tel-Aa-Vwa (Sumo), Wwpdb Id: 7n1o, Moriah H. Mathis, Braydan D. Bezzant, Diana T. Ramírez, Supeshala D. Nawarathnage, Tzanko I. Doukov, James Moody

ScholarsArchive Data

This X-ray diffraction dataset was collected on October 21Oct2020 at SSRL Beamline BL9-2. The crystal was of Batch 1 1TEL-AA-vWa (SUMO) The solved structure used frames 1-999 and has been deposited in the wwPDB under the PDB ID 7N1O. This data can be readily processed using XDS, AutoProc, CCP4, HKL2000/3000, or other crystallographic X-ray diffraction data processing software. The files have a human-readable header but are otherwise binary.

Raw Diffraction Data For 3tel-Hlx-Darpin (Sumo), Wwpdb Id: 7n2b, Supeshala D. Nawarathnage, Parag Laljibhai Gajjar, Derick R. Bunn, Cameron Stewart, Tzanko I. Doukov, James Moody

ScholarsArchive Data

This X-ray diffraction dataset was collected on October 21Oct2020 at SSRL Beamline BL9-2. The crystal was of 3TEL-hlx-DARPin (SUMO) The solved structure used frames 1-1799 and has been deposited in the wwPDB under the PDB ID 7N2B. This data can be readily processed using XDS, AutoProc, CCP4, HKL2000/3000, or other crystallographic X-ray diffraction data processing software. The files have a human-readable header but are otherwise binary.

Neuropharmacology Of Human [Tera2.Cl.Sp12] Stem Cell-Derived Neurons In Ultra-Long-Term Culture For Antiseizure Drug Discovery, Hamed Salmanzadeh, Ankita Poojari, Atefeh Rabiee, Benjamin D. Zeitlin, Robert F. Halliwell

School of Pharmacy Faculty Articles

Modeling the complex and prolonged development of the mammalian central nervous system in vitro remains a profound challenge. Most studies of human stem cell derived neurons are conducted over days to weeks and may or may not include glia. Here we have utilized a single human pluripotent stem cell line, TERA2.cl.SP12 to derive both neurons and glial cells and determined their differentiation and functional maturation over 1 year in culture together with their ability to display epileptiform activity in response to pro-convulsant agents and to detect antiseizure drug actions. Our experiments show that these human stem cells differentiate in vitro …

Ngr1 Binding To Reovirus Reveals An Unusual Bivalent Interaction And A New Viral Attachment Protein, Danica M Sutherland, Michael Strebl, Melanie Koehler, Olivia L Welsh, Xinzhe Yu, Liya Hu, Rita Dos Santos Natividade, Jonathan J Knowlton, Gwen M Taylor, Rodolfo A Moreno, Patrick Wörz, Zachery R Lonergan, Pavithra Aravamudhan, Camila Guzman-Cardozo, Sukhleen Kour, Udai Bhan Pandey, David Alsteens, Zhao Wang, B V Venkataram Prasad, Thilo Stehle, Terence S Dermody

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Nogo-66 receptor 1 (NgR1) binds a variety of structurally dissimilar ligands in the adult central nervous system to inhibit axon extension. Disruption of ligand binding to NgR1 and subsequent signaling can improve neuron outgrowth, making NgR1 an important therapeutic target for diverse neurological conditions such as spinal crush injuries and Alzheimer's disease. Human NgR1 serves as a receptor for mammalian orthoreovirus (reovirus), but the mechanism of virus-receptor engagement is unknown. To elucidate how NgR1 mediates cell binding and entry of reovirus, we defined the affinity of interaction between virus and receptor, determined the structure of the virus-receptor complex, and identified …

Examining Parent-Of-Origin Effects On Transcription And Rna Methylation In Mediating Aggressive Behavior In Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera), Sean T. Bresnahan, Ellen Lee, Lindsay Clark, Rong Ma, Michael P. Markey, Juliana Rangel, Christina M. Grozinger, Hongmei Li-Byarlay

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Conflict between genes inherited from the mother (matrigenes) and the father (patrigenes) is predicted to arise during social interactions among offspring if these genes are not evenly distributed among offspring genotypes. This intragenomic conflict drives parent-specific transcription patterns in offspring resulting from parent-specific epigenetic modifications. Previous tests of the kinship theory of intragenomic conflict in honey bees (Apis mellifera) provided evidence in support of theoretical predictions for variation in worker reproduction, which is associated with extreme variation in morphology and behavior. However, more subtle behaviors – such as aggression – have not been extensively studied. Additionally, the canonical epigenetic mark …

Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis Candidate Vaccine Strains Are Pro-Apoptotic In Raw264.7murinemacrophages, Raul G. Barletta, John P. Bannantine, Judith R. Stabel, Ezhumalai Muthukrishnan, Dirk Anderson, Enakshy Dutta, Vamsi Manthena, Mostafa Hanafy, Denise K. Zinniel

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the etiological agent of Johne’s disease, a severe gastroenteritis of ruminants. This study developed a model cell culture system to rapidly screen MAP mutants with vaccine potential for apoptosis. Two wild-type strains, a transposon mutant, and two deletion mutant MAP strains (MOI of 10 with 1.2 × 10⁶ CFU) were tested in murine RAW 264.7 macrophages to determine if they induce apoptosis and/or necrosis. Both deletion mutants were previously shown to be attenuated and immunogenic in primary bovine macrophages. All strains had similar growth rates, but cell morphology indicated that both deletion mutants …

Chemical And Genetic Composition Analysis Of Organic And Nonorganic Tortilla Chips, Aubrey White-Day

Honors Theses

The aim of this study was to explore the chemical and genetic differences between organic and nonorganic tortilla chips using GC-MS and PCR. Twenty chip brands were selected: 10 organic and 10 nonorganic. A survey on shopping preferences was created and distributed to compare results of public opinion to experimental data. It yielded 212 responses. All organic chip brands, and one out of ten nonorganic chip brands, tested negative for GMOs. This study concluded that there are minimal chemical differences based on Jaccard similarity indicies and stark genetic differences between organic and nonorganic tortilla chips. In comparing statistical analyses to …

Investigation Into The Enhanced Activation Of The Are And The Correlations Between Nrf2 And Other Cytoprotective Pathways Such As Ahr, Hsp, And Apoptosis, Jonathon Joseph Odom

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Oxidative damage is a cellular threat that is responsible for many pathologic conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cancer, and many more. The primary cytoprotective pathway within the cell that is responsible for mitigating the harmful effects of oxidative stress is the antioxidant system. The master regulator of the antioxidant system is the transcription factor, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) which operates by binding to the antioxidant response element (ARE) and inducing the production of many antioxidant genes. It is known that the early response of NRF2 is regulated by electrophilic interaction …

Artificial Scaffold And Neural Stem Cell For Neural Regeneration In Rats With Spinal Cord Injury, Krishna Deo Sharma

Student Theses and Dissertations

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition that often leads to permanent loss of sensory and motor function. Unfortunately, current treatments only manage symptoms and do not provide a complete cure. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of 3D printed scaffolds and nanomaterials (gold nanorods substrate, nanocellulose-lysine, and TEMPO cellulose) in supporting the growth and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in vitro. We found that these materials were biocompatible, non-toxic, and able to promote the growth and differentiation of NSCs. Additionally, the unique mechanical properties of these nanomaterials make them a promising candidate for use in neuroregeneration …

Investigating The Role Of Tethering In Exosomal Secretion, Zdeněk Otruba

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Exosomes are a type of membrane vesicles utilized in intercellular communication. Exosomes are first packaged into larger membrane vesicles called multivesicular bodies (MVBs). When exosomes are secreted, the membrane of the MVBs fuses with the cellular membrane, and then the exosomes are released. Experimental observations suggest that the movement of the exosomes is hindered during this process; they require much longer time to leave the fusion site than they would if they were diffusing freely. A prevalent hypothesis is that the cause of this hindrance is attachment of the exosomes to the cell surface. Recent work suggests that tetherin, a …