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Articles 7171 - 7200 of 13694

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

Functional And Structural Characterization Of The Mevalonate Diphosphate Decarboxylase And The Isopentenyl Diphosphate Isomerase From Enterococcus Faecalis, Chun-Liang Chen Dec 2016

Functional And Structural Characterization Of The Mevalonate Diphosphate Decarboxylase And The Isopentenyl Diphosphate Isomerase From Enterococcus Faecalis, Chun-Liang Chen

Open Access Dissertations

Enterococcus faecalis causes a diverse range of nosocomial infections (in wounds, the gastrointestinal tract, the blood stream and the endocardium), and multidrug-resistant strains have become a serious issue across countries. Vancomycin, a FDA-approved drug for the disruption of the bacterial cell wall biosynthesis, has been utilized to treat infectious diseases caused by Enterococci; however, the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) threatens communities all over the world. We aim at developing novel therapeutic strategies to control bacterial growth of Enterococci, and we focus on targeting two essential enzymes involved in poly-isoprenoid biosynthesis in Enterococcus faecalis; one is the mevalonate diphosphate decarboxylase …


Investigating The Effects Of Ph On Alphaviral E3-E2 Glycoprotein Association, Organization, And Cellular Tropism, Jason Michael Sequra Dec 2016

Investigating The Effects Of Ph On Alphaviral E3-E2 Glycoprotein Association, Organization, And Cellular Tropism, Jason Michael Sequra

Open Access Dissertations

In alphaviruses the role of E3 is required in protecting the fusion peptide region of E1 during intracellular transport. Throughout viral processing, the association of E2 and E3 is required for the successful trafficking and incorporation of E1 into the mature virion. This E3-E2 association has been observed to extend to mature virions in the solved structure for the envelope of Semliki Forest virus (SFV) and supported by the solved structure for the entire Venezuelan equine encephalitis virion (VEEV) with exclusive contacts being made between E3-E2. Immunization with monoclonal antibodies against VEEV E3 provided protection for mice challenged by lethal …


Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence Study Of Semiconductor Nanoparticles Towards Sensitive Detection Of Biomolecules, Yiliyasi Wusimanjiang Dec 2016

Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence Study Of Semiconductor Nanoparticles Towards Sensitive Detection Of Biomolecules, Yiliyasi Wusimanjiang

Dissertations

The main focus of this dissertation is to unfold the fundamental aspects of electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) generation from semiconductor nanoparticles (also known as quantum dots or QDs) within different ECL systems. The ECL and photo-physical interactions between the CdTe QDs (λemission= ~760 nm) and the CdSe QDs (λemission= ~550 nm), as well as the effects of carbon nanotubes on ECL of QDs were separately investigated. Optimum experimental conditions for peptide bond formation on an electrode surface through EDC (1-ethyl-3-(-3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride)/NHS (N-Hydroxysulfosuccinimide) coupling were also revealed using cyclic voltammetry technique. Based on the information …


Investigating The Functional Role Of Tick Antioxidants In Hematophagy And Vector Competence, Deepak Kumar Dec 2016

Investigating The Functional Role Of Tick Antioxidants In Hematophagy And Vector Competence, Deepak Kumar

Dissertations

Ticks are obligate hematophagous arthropods and harbor several pathogens which transmit various diseases to humans and their domesticated animals. Host blood- digestion in a tick midgut (MG) generates several reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are extremely toxic to essential macromolecules (e.g. DNA, proteins, and lipids) within the cell, resulting in high oxidative stress. Thus, this dissertation focuses on the questions of how tick homeostasis responds to high oxidative stress, and how ticks and their harbored pathogens survive the high surge of oxidative stress during blood digestion. We are specifically interested in the tick-pathogen, Rickettsia parkeri (R. parkeri, Rp), harbored by …


Pharmacokinetics, Tissue Distribution, Synergistic Activity, And Antitumor Activity Of Two Isomeric Flavones, Crystal L. Whitted Dec 2016

Pharmacokinetics, Tissue Distribution, Synergistic Activity, And Antitumor Activity Of Two Isomeric Flavones, Crystal L. Whitted

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Flavonoids are polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants that have bioactive properties including antiviral, antioxidant, and anticancer. Two isomeric flavone were extracted from Gnaphalium elegans and Achyrocline bogotensis, plants used by the people from the Andean region of South America as remedies for cancer. 5,7-dihydroxy-3,6,8-trimethoxy-2-phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one (5, 7–dihydroxy- 3, 6, 8 trimethoxy flavone/ flavone A) and 3,5-dihydroxy-6,7,8-trimethoxy-2-phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one (3, 5–dihydroxy-6, 7, 8–trimethoxy flavone/ flavone B) have shown antineoplastic activity against colon cancer cell lines dependent upon their differentiation status. Pharmacokinetic studies reported herein were used to determine dosing for antitumor assays, as well as determine target tissue concentration. These included the …


Bioorthogonal Reactions: Synthesis And Evaluation Of Different Ligands In Copper Catalyzed Azide-Alkyne1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition (Cuaac), Zainab Abdullah Almansaf Dec 2016

Bioorthogonal Reactions: Synthesis And Evaluation Of Different Ligands In Copper Catalyzed Azide-Alkyne1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition (Cuaac), Zainab Abdullah Almansaf

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Copper CatalyzedAzide-Alkyne1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction has unique features that qualify it to be one of the best click reactions. Its applications have been shown in different aspects and for multiple purposes. The oxidative degradation of biological systems (labile proteins and live cells) is, however, generally recognized as the major problem when using this reaction in living systems. Reactive oxidation species can be easily produced in the presence of copper(II), ascorbate and air, and this is the main cause of toxicity. However, the uses of ligands have shown a major impact on reducing copper toxicity, protecting Cu(I) from the redox …


Fishes As A Template For Reticulate Evolution: A Case Study Involving Catostomus In The Colorado River Basin Of Western North America, Max Russell Bangs Dec 2016

Fishes As A Template For Reticulate Evolution: A Case Study Involving Catostomus In The Colorado River Basin Of Western North America, Max Russell Bangs

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hybridization is neither simplistic nor phylogenetically constrained, and post hoc introgression can have profound evolutionary effects. Most studies have focused on tractable model systems, rather than organisms with complicated phylogenetic histories. Finescale Sucker (genus Catostomus) in western North America is recognized as a paradigm of fish hybridization. Yet, its extent of historic and contemporary introgression is largely unstudied, an aspect that impedes the resolution of its phylogeny as a baseline for conservation. To explore reticulation in this group, I assayed variation of 20 Catostomus species across temporal and geographic scales by analyzing hundreds of samples and employing a combination of …


Characterization Of The Recombination Activities Of The Entamoeba Histolytica Rad51 Recombinase, Andrew A. Kelso, Steven D. Goodson, Suchitra Chavan, Amanda F. Say, Audrey Turchick, Deepti Sharma, Leanna L. Ledford, Erin Ratterman, Kristin Leskoske, Ada V. King, Christopher C. Attaway, Yura Bandera, Stephen H. Foulger, Alexander V. Mazin, Lesly A. Temesvari, Michael G. Sehorn Dec 2016

Characterization Of The Recombination Activities Of The Entamoeba Histolytica Rad51 Recombinase, Andrew A. Kelso, Steven D. Goodson, Suchitra Chavan, Amanda F. Say, Audrey Turchick, Deepti Sharma, Leanna L. Ledford, Erin Ratterman, Kristin Leskoske, Ada V. King, Christopher C. Attaway, Yura Bandera, Stephen H. Foulger, Alexander V. Mazin, Lesly A. Temesvari, Michael G. Sehorn

Publications

The protozoan parasite responsible for human amoebiasis is Entamoeba histolytica. An important facet of the life cycle of E. histolytica involves the conversion of the mature trophozoite to a cyst. This transition is thought to involve homologous recombination (HR), which is dependent upon the Rad51 recombinase. Here, a biochemical characterization of highly purified ehRad51 protein is presented. The ehRad51 protein preferentially binds ssDNA, forms a presynaptic filament and possesses ATP hydrolysis activity that is stimulated by the presence of DNA. Evidence is provided that ehRad51 catalyzes robust DNA strand exchange over at least 5.4 kilobase …


A Novel Role Of Human Dna Damage Checkpoint Protein Atr In Suppressing Ca2+ Overload-Induced Parp1-Mediated Necrosis, Hui Wang-Heaton Dec 2016

A Novel Role Of Human Dna Damage Checkpoint Protein Atr In Suppressing Ca2+ Overload-Induced Parp1-Mediated Necrosis, Hui Wang-Heaton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) is well known for its regulatory role in DNA damage responses (DDR) as a checkpoint kinase that phosphorylates hundreds of protein substrates. However, its role in cellular non-DNA damage stress responses (NDDR) is unknown. Necrosis is one form of cell death and traditionally has been regarded as a passive and uncontrolled cell death. Recently, evidence has emerged to support the concept that necrosis also may occur in a programmed manner and that PARP1 can be a mediator. Active poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) hydrolyzes nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) to produce poly (ADP-ribose) (PAR) …


Consensus Paper: Cerebellar Development, K Leto, M Arancillo, Ebe Becker, A Chiang, Et Al. Dec 2016

Consensus Paper: Cerebellar Development, K Leto, M Arancillo, Ebe Becker, A Chiang, Et Al.

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The development of the mammalian cerebellum is orchestrated by both cell-autonomous programs and inductive environmental influences. Here, we describe the main processes of cerebellar ontogenesis, highlighting the neurogenic strategies used by developing progenitors, the genetic programs involved in cell fate specification, the progressive changes of structural organization, and some of the better-known abnormalities associated with developmental disorders of the cerebellum.


The Role Of Phosphorylation In Pam2 Motif-Containing Proteins Mediated Messenger Rna Deadenylation, Kai-Lieh Huang Dec 2016

The Role Of Phosphorylation In Pam2 Motif-Containing Proteins Mediated Messenger Rna Deadenylation, Kai-Lieh Huang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Phosphorylation regulates many cellular processes. However, its role in mRNA deadenylation, a process to remove poly adenosines from the mature mRNA 3’ end tail, is unclear. The length of poly(A) tail determines mRNA stability and translation efficiency. Poly(A)-binding protein (PABP), which binds to newly synthesized poly(A) tails homogeneously and is known as a scaffold protein for PAM2 motif-containing proteins, plays a pivotal role in the shortening of poly (A) tails. This study is to examine the role of phosphorylation of PAM2 motif–containing proteins in regulating their interactions with PABP and mRNA deadenylation function.

The PAM2 motif, a region required for …


Characterization Of Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2 And Its Role In Parkinson's Disease Pathogenesis Using Drosophila, Antonio Joel Tito Jr., Sheng Zhang Dec 2016

Characterization Of Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2 And Its Role In Parkinson's Disease Pathogenesis Using Drosophila, Antonio Joel Tito Jr., Sheng Zhang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by the selective loss of the dopaminergic neurons in the Substantia nigra pars compacta region of the brain. PD is also the most common neurodegenerative disorder and the second most common movement disorder. PD patients exhibit the cardinal symptoms, including tremor of the extremities, rigidity, slowness of movement, and postural instability, after 70-80% of DA neurons degenerate. It is, therefore, imperative to elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved in the selective degeneration of DA neurons. Although increasing numbers of PD genes have been identified, why these largely widely expressed genes induce …


Coarse-Grained Simulations Of The Self-Assembly Of Dna-Linked Gold Nanoparticle Building Blocks, Charles Wrightsman Armistead Dec 2016

Coarse-Grained Simulations Of The Self-Assembly Of Dna-Linked Gold Nanoparticle Building Blocks, Charles Wrightsman Armistead

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The self-assembly of nanoparticles (NPs) of varying shape, size, and composition for the purpose of constructing useful nanoassemblies with tailored properties remains challenging. Although progress has been made to design anisotropic building blocks that exhibit the required control for the precise placement of various NPs within a defined arrangement, there still exists obstacles in the technology to maximize the programmability in the self-assembly of NP building blocks. Currently, the self-assembly of nanostructures involves much experimental trial and error. Computational modeling is a possible approach that could be utilized to facilitate the purposeful design of the self-assembly of NP building blocks …


Membrane Chromatography For Bioseparations: Ligand Design And Optimization, Zizhao Liu Dec 2016

Membrane Chromatography For Bioseparations: Ligand Design And Optimization, Zizhao Liu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Membrane chromatography, or membrane adsorber, represents an attractive alternative to conventional packed bed chromatography used in downstream processing. Membrane chromatography has many advantages, including high productivity, low buffer consumption and ease to scale up. This doctoral dissertation focuses on developing novel polymeric ligands for protein separations using membrane chromatography. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), known as a controlled radical polymerization technique, has been used to control the architecture of grafted polymeric ligands. The center theme of this dissertation is to develop new polymeric ligands and investigate how the polymer’s property (e.g. flexibility, hydrophobicity) and architecture (e.g. chain density, chain length) …


Interactions In The Cpsrp Dependent Targeting Of Light Harvesting Chlorophyll Binding Protein To The Thylakoid Membrane, Rory Henderson Dec 2016

Interactions In The Cpsrp Dependent Targeting Of Light Harvesting Chlorophyll Binding Protein To The Thylakoid Membrane, Rory Henderson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Targeting of proteins is a critical component of cellular function. A universally conserved targeting system of the cytosol utilizes a signal recognition particle (SRP) to target many proteins contranslationally to the endoplasmic reticulum in eukaryotes or the inner membrane in prokaryotes. A homologous SRP system exists in the chloroplast that delivers light harvesting chlorophyll binding proteins (LHCP) to they thylakoid membrane. The chloroplast SRP (cpSRP) is a heterodimer composed of a novel 43 kDa subunit and a 54 kDa subunit homologous to a component of the SRP system, SRP54. Many details regarding the interactions between the proteins of the cpSRP …


Characterization Of The Substrate Interactions And Regulation Of Protein Arginine Methyltransferase, Yalemi Morales Dec 2016

Characterization Of The Substrate Interactions And Regulation Of Protein Arginine Methyltransferase, Yalemi Morales

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Protein arginine methylation is a posttranslational modification catalyzed by the family of proteins known as the protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs). Thousands of methylated arginines have been found in mammalian cells. Many targets of arginine regulation are involved in important cellular processes like transcription, RNA transport and processing, translation, cellular signaling, and DNA repair. Since PRMT dysregulation has been linked to a variety of disease states, understanding how the activity of the PRMTs is regulated is of paramount importance. PRMT1 is the predominant PRMT, responsible for about 85% of all arginine methylation in cells, but very little is known about how …


Extracellular Matrix Remodeling And The Inflammatory Response During Skeletal Muscle Regeneration In Sarcopenic Obese Mice, Lemuel Arthur Brown Dec 2016

Extracellular Matrix Remodeling And The Inflammatory Response During Skeletal Muscle Regeneration In Sarcopenic Obese Mice, Lemuel Arthur Brown

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

AIM: Sarocpenic obesity is a national concern within the United States because this metabolic syndrome is tied with reduced mobility and quality of life. Both obesity and aging are associated with insulin-resistance, chronic low-grade inflammation and muscle weakness. Skeletal muscle regeneration is a process that involves the coordinated effort of myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs), inflammatory signaling, and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling for optimal regeneration. It has been demonstrated that obesity and aging have a reduction in muscle regeneration. It has not been examined if sarcopenic obesity will further reduce muscle mass and the regenerative process. The purpose of this study …


Effects Of Acute Heat And Oxidative Stress On The Hepatic Expression Of Orexin And Its Related Receptors, Stephanie Khaldi Dec 2016

Effects Of Acute Heat And Oxidative Stress On The Hepatic Expression Of Orexin And Its Related Receptors, Stephanie Khaldi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is widely known that orexin A and B peptides as well as their receptors are expressed in the hypothalamus and distributed throughout the central nervous system, but there have been few studies regarding its presences in other parts of the body. There is now evidence that orexin (ORX) and its receptors (ORXR1/2) are present in the avian liver; however, their regulation under different environmental conditions is still unknown. In the current study, we sought to determine the effects of heat and oxidative stress using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) on the hepatic expression of ORX and ORXR1/2 in …


Influence Of Ph And Acidic Side Chain Charges On The Behavior Of Designed Model Peptides In Lipid Bilayer Membranes, Venkatesan Rajagopalan Dec 2016

Influence Of Ph And Acidic Side Chain Charges On The Behavior Of Designed Model Peptides In Lipid Bilayer Membranes, Venkatesan Rajagopalan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The molecular properties of transmembrane proteins and their interactions with lipids regulate biological function. Of particular interest are interfacial aromatic residues and charged residues in the core helix whose functions range from stabilizing the native structure to regulating ion channels. This dissertation addresses the pH dependence and influence of potentially negatively charged tyrosine, glutamic acid or aspartic acid side chains. We have employed GWALP23 (acetyl-GGALW5LALALALALALALW19LAGA-amide) as favorable host peptide framework. We have substituted W5 with Tyr (Y5GWALP23) and Leu residues with Glu (L12E, L14E or L16E) or Asp (L14D or L16D), and have incorporated specific 2H-labeled alanine residues within the …


Conformationally Superarmed S-Ethyl Glycosyl Donors As Effective Building Blocks For Chemoselective Oligosaccharide Synthesis In One Pot, Mithila Bandara, Jagodige Yasomanee, Nigam Rath, Christian Pedersen, Mikael Bols, Alexei Demchenko Nov 2016

Conformationally Superarmed S-Ethyl Glycosyl Donors As Effective Building Blocks For Chemoselective Oligosaccharide Synthesis In One Pot, Mithila Bandara, Jagodige Yasomanee, Nigam Rath, Christian Pedersen, Mikael Bols, Alexei Demchenko

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

A new series of superarmed glycosyl donors has been investigated. It was demonstrated that the S-ethyl leaving group allows for high reactivity, which is much higher than that of equally equipped S-phenyl glycosyl donors that were previously investigated by our groups. The superarmed S-ethyl glycosyl donors equipped with a 2-O-benzoyl group gave complete β-stereoselectivity. Utility of the new glycosyl donors has been demonstrated in a one-pot one-addition oligosaccharide synthesis with all of the reaction components present from the beginning.


Structural Basis For The Recognition Of Spliceosomal Smn/B/B' Proteins By The Rbm5 Ocre Domain In Splicing Regulation, André Mourão, Sophie Bonnal, Komal Soni, Lisa Warner, Rémy Bordonné, Juan Valcárcel, Michael Sattler Nov 2016

Structural Basis For The Recognition Of Spliceosomal Smn/B/B' Proteins By The Rbm5 Ocre Domain In Splicing Regulation, André Mourão, Sophie Bonnal, Komal Soni, Lisa Warner, Rémy Bordonné, Juan Valcárcel, Michael Sattler

Biomedical Research Institute Publications and Presentations

The multi-domain splicing factor RBM5 regulates the balance between antagonistic isoforms of the apoptosis-control genes FAS/CD95, Caspase-2 and AID. An OCRE (OCtamer REpeat of aromatic residues) domain found in RBM5 is important for alternative splicing regulation and mediates interactions with components of the U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP. We show that the RBM5 OCRE domain adopts a unique β–sheet fold. NMR and biochemical experiments demonstrate that the OCRE domain directly binds to the proline-rich C-terminal tail of the essential snRNP core proteins SmN/B/B’. The NMR structure of an OCRE-SmN peptide complex reveals a specific recognition of poly-proline helical motifs in SmN/B/B’. …


The Complex Evolutionary History Of Aminoacyl-Trna Synthetases, Anargyros Chaliotis, Panayotis Vlastaridis, Dimitris Mossialos, Michael Ibba, Hubert D. Becker, Constantinos Stathopoulos, Grigorios D. Amoutzias Nov 2016

The Complex Evolutionary History Of Aminoacyl-Trna Synthetases, Anargyros Chaliotis, Panayotis Vlastaridis, Dimitris Mossialos, Michael Ibba, Hubert D. Becker, Constantinos Stathopoulos, Grigorios D. Amoutzias

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARSs) are a superfamily of enzymes responsible for the faithful translation of the genetic code and have lately become a prominent target for synthetic biologists. Our large-scale analysis of >2500 prokaryotic genomes reveals the complex evolutionary history of these enzymes and their paralogs, in which horizontal gene transfer played an important role. These results show that a widespread belief in the evolutionary stability of this superfamily is misconceived. Although AlaRS, GlyRS, LeuRS, IleRS, ValRS are the most stable members of the family, GluRS, LysRS and CysRS often have paralogs, whereas AsnRS, GlnRS, PylRS and SepRS are often absent …


Respective Contributions Of Single And Compound Granule Fusion To Secretion By Activated Platelets, Anita Eckly, Jean-Yves Rinckel, Fabienne Proamer, Neslihan Ulas, Smita Joshi, Sidney W. Whiteheart, Christian Gachet Nov 2016

Respective Contributions Of Single And Compound Granule Fusion To Secretion By Activated Platelets, Anita Eckly, Jean-Yves Rinckel, Fabienne Proamer, Neslihan Ulas, Smita Joshi, Sidney W. Whiteheart, Christian Gachet

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Although granule secretion is pivotal in many platelet responses, the fusion routes of α and δ granule release remain uncertain. We used a 3D reconstruction approach based on electron microscopy to visualize the spatial organization of granules in unstimulated and activated platelets. Two modes of exocytosis were identified: a single mode that leads to release of the contents of individual granules and a compound mode that leads to the formation of granule-to-granule fusion, resulting in the formation of large multigranular compartments. Both modes occur during the course of platelet secretion. Single fusion events are more visible at lower levels of …


Nucleoside-Diphosphate-Kinase Of P. Gingivalis Is Secreted From Epithelial Cells In The Absence Of A Leader Sequence Through A Pannexin-1 Interactome, Kalina Atanasova, Jungnam Lee, Joann Roberts, Kyulim Lee, David M. Ojcius, Özlem Yilmaz Nov 2016

Nucleoside-Diphosphate-Kinase Of P. Gingivalis Is Secreted From Epithelial Cells In The Absence Of A Leader Sequence Through A Pannexin-1 Interactome, Kalina Atanasova, Jungnam Lee, Joann Roberts, Kyulim Lee, David M. Ojcius, Özlem Yilmaz

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Nucleoside-diphosphate-kinases (NDKs) are leaderless, multifunctional enzymes. The mode(s) of NDK secretion is currently undefined, while extracellular translocation of bacterial NDKs is critical for avoidance of host pathogen clearance by opportunistic pathogens such as Porphyromonas gingivalis. P. gingivalis-NDK during infection inhibits extracellular-ATP (eATP)/P2X7-receptor mediated cell death in gingival epithelial cells (GECs) via eATP hydrolysis. Furthermore, depletion of pannexin-1-hemichannel (PNX1) coupled with P2X7-receptor blocks the infection-induced eATP release in GECs, and P. gingivalis-NDK impacts this pathway. Ultrastructural and confocal microscopy of P. gingivalis-co-cultured GECs or green-fluorescent-protein (GFP)-P. gingivalis-NDK transfected GECs revealed a perinuclear/cytoplasmic localization of NDK. eATP stimulation induced NDK recruitment to …


The Intestinal Copper Exporter Cua-1 Is Required For Systemic Copper Homeostasis In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Haarin Chun, Anuj Kumar Sharma, Jaekwon Lee, Jefferson Chan, Shang Jia, Byung-Eun Kim Nov 2016

The Intestinal Copper Exporter Cua-1 Is Required For Systemic Copper Homeostasis In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Haarin Chun, Anuj Kumar Sharma, Jaekwon Lee, Jefferson Chan, Shang Jia, Byung-Eun Kim

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Copper plays key catalytic and regulatory roles in biochemical processes essential for normal growth, development, and health. Defects in copper metabolism cause Menkes and Wilson’s disease, myeloneuropathy, and cardiovascular disease and are associated with other pathophysiological states. Consequently, it is critical to understand the mechanisms by which organisms control the acquisition, distribution, and utilization of copper. The intestinal enterocyte is a key regulatory point for copper absorption into the body; however, the mechanisms by which intestinal cells transport copper to maintain organismal copper homeostasis are poorly understood. Here, we identify a mechanism by which organismal copper homeostasis is maintained by …


Mitochondrial Heteroplasmy Contributes To The Dynamic Atovaquone Resistance Response In Plasmodium Falciparum, Sasha Victoria Siegel Nov 2016

Mitochondrial Heteroplasmy Contributes To The Dynamic Atovaquone Resistance Response In Plasmodium Falciparum, Sasha Victoria Siegel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Of the considerable challenges researchers face in the control and elimination of malaria, the development of antimalarial drug resistance in parasite populations remains a significant hurdle to progress worldwide. Atovaquone is used in combination with proguanil (Malarone) as an antimalarial treatment in uncomplicated malaria, but is rendered ineffective by the rapid development of atovaquone resistance during treatment. Previous studies have established that de novo mutant parasites confer resistance to atovaquone with a substitution in amino acid 268 in the cytochrome b gene encoded by the parasite mitochondrial genome, yet much is still unknown about how this resistance develops, and whether …


The Effects Of Phytohormones And Isoprenoids In Dihydroartemisinin-Induced Dormancy In The Erythrocytic Stages Of Plasmodium Falciparum, Marvin Duvalsaint Duvalsaint Nov 2016

The Effects Of Phytohormones And Isoprenoids In Dihydroartemisinin-Induced Dormancy In The Erythrocytic Stages Of Plasmodium Falciparum, Marvin Duvalsaint Duvalsaint

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Our ability to control malaria has been challenged by increasing antimalarial resistance. Plasmodium falciparum undergoes dormancy in the blood stages which is hypothesized to be a means by which they are able to survive under drug pressure. This helps select for resistant parasites which grow following removal of drug. The mechanisms behind dormancy and the subsequent recrudescence are not fully understood but translating knowledge from related organisms which undergo a similar phenomenon might shed some light. Higher plants utilize dormancy during the early development stages to survive under unfavorable conditions, increasing fitness of the seedling and ensuring viability when this …


Conditional Loss Of Pten In Myogenic Progenitors Leads To Postnatal Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy But Age-Dependent Exhaustion Of Satellite Cells, Feng Yue, Pengpeng Bi, Chao Wang, Jie Li, Xiaoqi Liu, Shihuan Kuang Nov 2016

Conditional Loss Of Pten In Myogenic Progenitors Leads To Postnatal Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy But Age-Dependent Exhaustion Of Satellite Cells, Feng Yue, Pengpeng Bi, Chao Wang, Jie Li, Xiaoqi Liu, Shihuan Kuang

Department of Animal Sciences Faculty Publications

Skeletal muscle stem cells (satellite cells [SCs]) are normally maintained in a quiescent (G0) state. Muscle injury not only activates SCs locally, but also alerts SCs in distant uninjured muscles via circulating fac- tors. The resulting GAlert SCs are adapted to regener- ative cues and regenerate injured muscles more effi- ciently, but whether they provide any long-term benefits to SCs is unknown. Here, we report that em- bryonic myogenic progenitors lacking the phospha- tase and tensin homolog (Pten) exhibit enhanced proliferation and differentiation, resulting in muscle hypertrophy but fewer SCs in adult muscles. Interest- ingly, Pten null SCs are predominantly …


Hiv Glycoprotein Gp120 Impairs Fast Axonal Transport By Activating Tak1 Signaling Pathways, Sarah H. Berth, Nichole Mesnard-Hoaglin, Bin Wang, Hajwa Kim, Yuyu Song, Maria Sapar, Gerardo Morfini, Scott T. Brady Nov 2016

Hiv Glycoprotein Gp120 Impairs Fast Axonal Transport By Activating Tak1 Signaling Pathways, Sarah H. Berth, Nichole Mesnard-Hoaglin, Bin Wang, Hajwa Kim, Yuyu Song, Maria Sapar, Gerardo Morfini, Scott T. Brady

Publications and Research

Sensory neuropathies are the most common neurological complication of HIV. Of these, distal sensory polyneuropathy (DSP) is directly caused by HIV infection and characterized by length-dependent axonal degeneration of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Mechanisms for axonal degeneration in DSP remain unclear, but recent experiments revealed that the HIV glycoprotein gp120 is internalized and localized within axons of DRG neurons. Based on these findings, we investigated whether intra-axonal gp120 might impair fast axonal transport (FAT), a cellular process critical for appropriate maintenance of the axonal compartment. Significantly, we found that gp120 severely impaired both anterograde and retrograde FAT. Providing a …


Phytochrome B Integrates Light And Temperature Signals In Arabidopsis, Martina Legris, Cornelia Klose, E Sethe Burgie, Cecilia Costigliolo Rojas Rojas, Maximiliano Neme, Andreas Hiltbrunner, Philip A. Wigge, Eberhard Schäfer, Richard D. Vierstra, Jorge J. Casal Nov 2016

Phytochrome B Integrates Light And Temperature Signals In Arabidopsis, Martina Legris, Cornelia Klose, E Sethe Burgie, Cecilia Costigliolo Rojas Rojas, Maximiliano Neme, Andreas Hiltbrunner, Philip A. Wigge, Eberhard Schäfer, Richard D. Vierstra, Jorge J. Casal

Biology Faculty Research

Ambient temperature regulates many aspects of plant growth and development, but its sensors are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the phytochrome B (phyB) photoreceptor participates in temperature perception through its temperature-dependent reversion from the active Pfr state to the inactive Pr state. Increased rates of thermal reversion upon exposing Arabidopsis seedlings to warm environments reduce both the abundance of the biologically active Pfr-Pfr dimer pool of phyB and the size of the associated nuclear bodies, even in daylight. Mathematical analysis of stem growth for seedlings expressing wild-type phyB or thermally stable variants under various combinations of light and temperature revealed …