Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Levels Of Major Selenoproteins In T Cells Decrease During Hiv Infection And Low Molecular Mass Selenium Compounds Increase, Vadim Gladyshev, Thressa C. Stadtman, Dolph L. Hatfield, Kuan-Teh Jeang

Vadim Gladyshev Publications

It has been observed previously that plasma selenium and glutathione levels are subnormal in HIV-infected individuals, and plasma glutathione peroxidase activity is decreased. Under these conditions the survival rate of AIDS patients is reduced significantly. In the present study, using ⁷⁵Se-labeled human Jurkat T cells, we show that the levels of four ⁷⁵Se-containing proteins are lower in HIV-infected cell populations than in uninfected cells. These major selenoproteins migrated as 57-, 26-, 21-, and 15-kDa species on SDS/PAGE gels. In our earlier studies, the 57-kDa protein was purified from T cells and identified as a subunit of thioredoxin reductase. …

Relationship Between Udp-Glucose 4-Epimerase Activity And Oligoglucose Glycoforms In Two Strains Of Neisseria Meningitidis, F K. Lee, B W. Gibson, William Melaugh, A Zaleski, M A. Apicella

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel analysis of lipooligosaccharide (LOS) from Neisseria meningitidis has demonstrated considerable microheterogeneity in the variable region of LOS due to the presence of novel glycoforms. As a step toward understanding the basis for the expression of these novel glycoforms, we have examined the LOS structures and UDP-glucose 4-epimerase (epimerase) activity levels in two strains (NMB and MA-1) and their respective galE mutants. Strain NMB was found to have low epimerase activity and to contain multiple glycoforms, some of which appear to contain only glucose sugars. The galE mutant had only the oligoglucose glycoforms. Strain MA-1 had higher …

The Acquisition And Quantitative Analysis Of Digitally Generated Fourier Transforms Resulting From The Physiognomy Of Various Tree And Shrub Species, Alicia Eldridge-Spears

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

An optical Fourier transform represents the interference of wavefronts produced as light passes through multiple slits. Theoretically, any image containing periodic structure causes diffraction. The cellular arrangement of a plant leaf and the regularity in venation are ideal conditions for diffracting light. As light passes through columns of cells, its path is altered according to the distance and orientation present.

A photograph or slide of a leaf or the leaf itself may be used to produce a diffraction pattern by either optical or digital means. Optically, a laser beam directed through a slide is refracted by a converging lens and …

Preparation Of N-(Haloaryl) Succinimides, Okey Noe Ii

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

N-(3,5-Dichloro-4-fluorophenyl)succinimide (NDCFPS) and N-(3,5-dichloro-4- pyridyl)succinimide (NDPyS) were synthesized using procedures employed previously for N-(3,5-dichIorophenyl)succinimide (NDPS). However, NDPyS was not formed cleanly: extraction from by-products was necessary and purification by column chromatograpy was required. Several potential alternative routes to NDPyS were investigated without success.

Both compounds were administered to male Fischer 344 rats to assess nephrotoxic potential. NDCFPS, contrary to expectations, was non-nephrotoxic. Preliminary results indicate that NDPyS is also non-nephrotoxic.

Interaction Of Laminin Beta2 With Eps8 And Desmin In Muscle Cells, Luke Xueliang Cui

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Laminin β2 is localized to the synaptic basal lamina (BL) in muscle and glomerular BL in kidney. To find interacting proteins, a mouse kidney cDNA library was screened with domain I of rat laminin β2 using the yeast two-hybrid system. Fifteen positive clones were found. The DNA sequence of three each of these clones corresponded to the phosphoprotein Eps8 (epidermal growth factor receptor pathway substrate clone 8, which is tyrosine phosphorylated after EGF stimulation) and the intermediate filament (IF) protein keratin. To determine if this interaction occurred in muscle cells, C2 cells transfected with the rat …

The Role Of Retinoids And Protein Kinase C In Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation And Function, Shaoshan Wang

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The structural and functional changes in the arterial wall of humans and animals accompany the development of hypertension and atherosclerosis. Hence, great interest exists in the mechanisms that govern vascular smooth muscle cell contraction and proliferation. Rat aortic rings maintained in organ culture show a significant loss of contractility; whereas, vascular smooth muscle cells in culture quickly dedifferentiate into a secretory phenotype with a marked capacity for proliferation. The addition of all-trans retinoic acid (RA) and retinol to the plasma-containing medium preserved the contractile response of cultured vessels. Removal of endothelium prior to culture abolished these effects. All-trans retinoic acid …

A Medicinal Plant Survey In Marketplaces Of Ecuador, Pamela Bailey

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A medicinal herb survey was conducted in ten major marketplaces in Andean and coastal communities of Ecuador. Collections were made during the summer of 1997. Four plant collections from each market were pressed, dried, identified, and the medicinal information for each plant was recorded. Photographs of fresh plants, market vendors and the marketplaces were taken.

Fifty three families were represented in the 112 species collected. Forty-two species (37%) were introduced to Ecuador while seventy species (63%) were native to Ecuador. Plant taxa were grouped into 22 categories of medicinal usage. The most common 3 uses were: 1. General tonic and …

Attempted Synthesis Of An Insulin Mimic: An Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (Edta) Structural Analog In Complex With Vanadium, Norman Mcnulty

Capstone Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Preparation And Fungitoxicity Of Some Dichloro-8-Quinolinols / Herman Gershon, Donald D. Clarke, And Muriel Gershon Department Of Chemistry, Fordham University, Bronx, Ny 10458, Usa New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, Ny 10458, Usa, Herman Gershon, Donald Dudley Clarke Phd, Muriel Gershon

Chemistry Faculty Publications

2,5-, 3,5-, 3,7-, 4,5-, 5,6-, und 6,7-Dichloro-8-quinolinols were prepared and tested along with their 3,6- and 5,7-ana1ogues against six fungi (Aspergillus niger, A. oryzae, Myrothecium verrucaria, Trichoderma viride, Mucor cirinelloides, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes) in Sabouraud dextrose broth. Most of the compounds were strongly antifungal, inhibiting five of the fungi below 1 μg/ml. This activity is attributed to intramolecular synergism. M. cirinelloides was inhibited less by these compounds

Circulation And Energy Metabolism In The Brain / Donald D. Clarke And Louis Sokoloff, Donald Dudley Clarke Phd, Louis Sokoloff

Chemistry Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Lateral Hypothalamic Nmda Receptor Subunits Nr2a And/Or Nr2b Mediate Eating: Immunochemical/Behavioral Evidence, Arshad Khan, Margarita Curras, Jennifer Dao, Faizi Jamal, Rishi Goel, Elizabeth Gillard, Stefany Wolfsohn, B. Stanley

Selected Works Temporary Series

No abstract provided.

Iron-Induced Oxidative Stress In Erythrocyte Membranes Of Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetic Nigerians, Gbolahan W. Okunade, Odutayo O. Odunuge, Olufunso O. Olorunsogo

Faculty Publications

The presence of higher level of endogenous free radical reaction products in the erythrocyte ghost membrane (EGM) of Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) subjects compared with that of normal healthy controls has been demonstrated. The EGMs of NIDDM subjects were also shown to be more susceptible to exogenously generated oxidative stress than those of normal healthy individuals. The decreased level of reactive thiol groups in the EGM of NIDDM individuals supported this observation. We propose that the presence of significant levels of non-heme iron in the EGM of NIDDM subjects is an indication of the potential for iron-catalysed production of hydroxy …

Reversal Of Sodium Arsenite Inhibition Of Rat Liver Microsomal Ca2+ Pumping Atpase By Vitamin C, Odutayo O. Odunuge, Gbolahan W. Okunade, Olufunso O. Olorunsogo

Faculty Publications

Sodium arsenite (NaAsO2), at 10% of its median lethal dose, was administered to rats with and without vitamin C pretreatment. Liver microsomal fraction was isolated and the activity of Ca2+-ATPase was assayed. Sodium arsenite was found to inhibit the activity of the liver microsomal Ca2+-ATPase to 50% to that of control rats. The specific activity of the enzyme in rats administered sodium arsenite with vitamin C pretreatment was not significantly different from that of control rats.

Benthic Biodiversity And Physico-Chemical Parameters Of Acid Mine Drainage, Acid Impacted And Nonimpacted Streams, Stephen D. Greene

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

South Fork of Sand Lick Creek, Logan County, West Virginia, drains an abandoned coal strip mine which had exploited Pottsville series coalbeds (Pennsylvania strata). These strata outcrop throughout southwestern West Virginia. North Fork watershed is relatively unchanged, save a small roadcut throughout. South Fork benthic community had not recovered although mining activity had ceased about 20 years earlier. Benthic communities were analyzed with detrended correspondence analysis (DCA). Family Chironomidae predominated South Fork benthic community throughout the study. North Fork’s benthic community had as major contributors acid resistant caddisfly family Hydropsychidae, mayfly family Baetidae, and stonefly families Perlodidae and Nemouridae. Family …

Clarification Of The Hybrid Origin Of Carex X Deamii Herm. (Cyperaceae) Based On Macro And Micro Morphological Characters, Paul B. Marcum

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The origin of Carex x deamii Herm. has been in question ever since it was named to science in 1938. Collections of the hybrid have always been associated with C. shortiana Dewey and either C. typhina Michx. or C. squarrosa L.. C. typhina and C. squarrosa are closely related taxa (Section Squarrosae) and often are morphologically similar. Because of this similarity, determining the correct parental species to the hybrid has been extremely difficult. It is known that the hybrid is sterile and only reproduces asexually. Pollen was analyzed to ascertain the viability of all four taxa. This study utilizes both …

Archaeal Aminoacyl-Trna Synthesis: Unique Determinants Of A Universal Genetic Code?, Michael Ibba, A. W. Curnow, J. Bono, P. A. Rosa, C. R. Woese, D. Söll

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

No abstract provided.

Lateral Hypothalamic Nmda Receptor Subunits Nr2a And/Or Nr2b Mediate Eating: Immunochemical/Behavioral Evidence, Khan, Margarita Curras, Jennifer Dao, Faizi Jamal, Rishi Goel, Elizabeth Gillard, Stefany Wolfsohn, B. Stanley

Departmental Papers (Biology)

No abstract provided.

Yeast And Human Frataxin Are Processed To Mature Form In Two Sequential Steps By The Mitochondrial Processing Peptidase, Steven S. Branda, Patrizia Cavadini, Jiri Adamec, Frantisek Kalousek, Franco Taroni, Grazia Isaya

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Frataxin is a nuclear-encoded mitochondrial protein which is deficient in Friedreich’s ataxia, a hereditary neurodegenerative disease. Yeast mutants lacking the yeast frataxin homologue (Yfh1p) show iron accumulation in mitochondria and increased sensitivity to oxidative stress, suggesting that frataxin plays a critical role in mitochondrial iron homeostasis and free radical toxicity. Both Yfh1p and frataxin are synthesized as larger precursor molecules that, upon import into mitochondria, are subject to two proteolytic cleavages, yielding an intermediate and a mature size form. A recent study found that recombinant rat mitochondrial processing peptidase (MPP) cleaves the mouse frataxin precursor to the intermediate but not …

Fabrication Of Protein Arrays Using Electron Beam Lithography, Duy-Bao Phan Dinh

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Very few electron beam based methods for producing high-resolution patterns of surface bound proteins on glass have been developed.

There are only two types of end groups at the surface of glass, they are silanol and siloxane groups. An estersil layer can be formed on the surface of glass by treatment with hot alcohol creating a hydrophobic layer. The reaction is depicted as follows.

-Si-OH + HOR -SiO-R +H2O R = alkyl chain

The proposal that protein arrays could be fabricated by patterned electron bombardment using estersils as a negative resist was tested in this research. The hydrophobic estersil layer …

Cyclopropane Fatty Acid Expression In Plants, Katherine M. Schmid

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Pants [sic] are transformed with a bacterial cyclopropane fatty acid synthase gene to produce lipids containing cyclopropane fatty acids. Using this technology dihydrosterculate is produced in oilseed crops such as rape.

A Biogeochemical Comparison Of Fossil (Carboniferous) And Modern Crustose Red Algae, Michael A. Kruge, John E. Utgaard, William Ferry

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The nature of the contribution of the various types of algae to sedimentary organic matter continues to be a topic of research interest. Crustose red algae have however received less attention than other types. The fossil calcareous red algae (Rhodophyta) analyzed in this study are two relatively unrecrystallized specimens of Parachaetetes (Family Solenoporacea) from the lower part of the Ste. Genevieve Formation (Carboniferous, Visean) in Union County, Illinois, USA. They occurred in the patch reef phase of a small carbonate mudmound-patchreef. The three modern specimens (collected and identified by F. Collier) are the crustose algae Lithothamnion, Clathromorphum and Phymatolithon …

Some Aspects Of The Adsorption Of A Lennard-Jones Gas On A Rough Surface, Douglas Henderson, Pawel Bryk, Stefan Sokolowski

Faculty Publications

We study the adsorption, including wetting, of a Lennard-Jones gas on a rough surface consisting of rough layer on a smooth substrate with which the gas interacts via a 9-3 potential. The rough layer is two molecular diameters thick and consists of a disordered quenched matrix of hard spheres. As well as interacting with the other matrix spheres by the hard-sphere potential, the matrix molecules interact with the gas molecules by the hard-sphere potential. Hence, on average, the degree to which the gas molecules can approach the substrate depends only on the density of the matrix layer. The density of …

The Atomic Force Microscope In The Elucidation Of Leukocyte Abnormality, Derbrenn O'Connor

Theses

The aim of this project was to investigate the novel use of the atomic force microscope (AFM) as a technique in the elucidation of leukocyte abnormality. To this end, comparative AFM imaging and elasticity studies were performed on normal and myeloid leukaemic leukocytes.

Initially, an evaluation of techniques for the isolation of specific leukocyte (e.g. lymphocytes, granulocytes, etc.) populations from whole blood or leukocyte concentrates, was carried out. It was found that a silanised glass surface failed to select and immobilise a leukocyte population. However, centrifugation of whole blood in an Isopaque-ficoll gradient solution yielded a viable mixed leukocyte population …

Transcriptional Regulation Of The Bmp2 Gene: Retinoic Acid Induction In F9 Embryonal Carcinoma Cells And Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Loree C. Heller, Yong Li, Kevin L. Abrams, Melissa B. Rogers

Bioelectrics Publications

Bmp2, a highly conserved member of the transforming growth factor-beta gene family, is crucial for normal development. Retinoic acid, combined with cAMP analogs, sharply induces the Bmp2 mRNA during the differentiation of F9 embryonal carcinoma cells into parietal endoderm. Retinoic acid (RA) also induces the Bmp2 gene in chick limb buds. Since normal Bmp2 expression may require an endogenous retinoid signal and aberrant Bmp2 expression may cause some aspects of RA-induced teratogenesis, we studied the mechanism underlying the induction of Bmp2. Measurements of the Bmp2 mRNA half-life and nuclear run-on assays …

Construction Of An Escherichia Coli Lac Repressor-Based System To Study Human Cytomegalovirus Gene Expression, Laura Fernanda Cageao-Luchetti

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

An Escherichia coli lac repressor-based system was developed to study the roles of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) genes during viral replication. To this end, a recombinant HCMV expressing the lac repressor was generated (RVlac), and an HCMV-specific promoter was targeted for conditional expression by inserting the lac operator sequence. The promoter of a nonessential gene was chosen in order to be able to assess parameters of repression and derepression of the operator-containing promoter in the endogenous locus, without having virus growth dependent on the specific inducer isopropylthiogalactoside (IPTG). The feasibility of this approach to conditionally express an HCMV promoter …

Characterization Of Rat Pulmonary Carboxylesterase, Timothy J. Wallace

Theses and Dissertations

The 1839 bp cDNA for rat pulmonary carboxylesterase was cloned by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) from total rat lung RNA using specific primers derived from the 5' and 3' untranslated regions of rat hepatic cholesteryl ester hydrolase (CEH). The unique cDNA was sequenced and found to have 99% homology with hepatic CEH. This homology extends to the predicted amino acid sequences which show only six amino acid residue differences in the coding region: three conserved and three nonconserved changes. However, the catalytic activitites of the two proteins are dramatically different. While CEH hydrolyzes cholesterol oleate, the pulmonary …

Hyperinsulinism Caused By Paternal-Specific Inheritance Of A Recessive Mutation In The Sulfonylurea-Receptor Gene, Benjamin Glaser, Fergus Ryan, Marc Donath, Heddy Landau, Charles Stanley, Lester Baker, David Barton, Paul Thornton

Articles

Neonatal hyperinsulinism (HI) is a genetic disorder of pancreatic b-cells characterized by failure to suppress insulin secretion in the presence of hypoglycemia, resulting in brain damage or death if not adequately treated. Germline mutations in four genes have been associated with HI. Some patients have focal regions of b-cell proliferation (focal HI). Seventy HI probands in whom at least one S U R - 1 mutation was identified were studied. Clinical data from patients with two S U R - 1 mutant alleles were compared with those from patients with single paternally inherited mutations. Thirtyseven probands were homozygous or compound …

Analysis Of Phytoestrogens By High Performance Liquid Chromatography, Anne A. Grippo, Yan Xie, Benjamin L. Rougeau, William V. Wyatt

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Phytoestrogens are biochemicals synthesized in plants which mimic steroidal estrogen activity in mammals. Analysis of these compounds in the legumes which produce them and in body fluids is important to the study of their physiological effects. High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been found to be an efficient and sensitive method of identification and quantitation of isoflavonoids, one class of phytoestrogen. Here we report the separation of three isoflavonoids, biochanin A, genistein and daidzein using an HPLC system with a Cg reverse phase column and a linear gradient mobile phase containing acetonitrile and acetic acid/water (10/90, v/v) over 60 minutes. …

Electron Shock Waves, Frances Terry, Mostafa Hemmati

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Two-Photon Excitation Of Rhenium Metal-Ligand Complexes, Joseph R. Lakowicz, Felix N. Castellano, Ignacy Gryczynski, Zygmunt Gryczynski, Jonathan D. Dattelbaum

Chemistry Faculty Publications

We describe the emission spectral properties of two rhenium metal-ligand complexes with one and two-photon excitation, Re(bpy)₂(CO)₃Cl and [Re(bpy)(CO)₃CH₃CN]⁺, where bpy is 2,2’-bipyridyl and CH₃CN is acetonitrile. Similar emission spectra and intensity decay times characteristic of the metal-to-ligand charge transfer state were observed for one- and two-photon excitation. The lifetime and quantum yield of the acetonitrile complex are approximately 14-fold higher than that of the chloride complex. Both complexes display high anisotropies near 0.33 in frozen solution with one-photon excitation. Two-photon excitation results in anisotropies about 40% larger, …