Biochemistry Commons^™

The Role Of Small Peptides In Cancer Physiology And Chemotherapy, Bao-Ling Tsay

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

The targeting of proven anticancer drugs specifically to cancer cells would provide a unique opportunity to restrict neoplasms without damaging the cancer patient. The present research utilizes the phenomenon of illicit transport, i.e. the coupling of normally impermeant metabolites to permeant metabolites, in targeting the drug melphalan to mouse Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. The dipeptide beta-alanyl-melphalan was synthesized and tested in vitro for toxicity towards mouse Ehrlich ascites tumor cells, mouse liver cells, and mouse 3T3 embryonic cells. The parent compound, melphalan, was used as a control treatment. In addition, both melphalan and beta-alanyl-melphalan were utilized in in vivo chemotherapeutic …

A Flow Cytometric Approach To Assessing The Environmental And Physiological Status Of Phytoplankton, Serge Demers, Kimberly Davis, Terry L. Cucci

CCPO Publications

No abstract provided.

Modulation Of Queuine Uptake In Cultured Human Fibroblasts By Phorbol Esters And Interferons, Debra L. Crane

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Queuosine, a nucleoside found exclusively in the first position of the anticodon of transfer RNA (tRNA), is generated post-transcriptionally in an exchange of guanine for queuine by the modifying enzyme tRNA-guanine ribosyltransferase. Phorbol ester tumor promoters were shown to induce queuine hypomodified tRNA, and that phorbol ester action was due, in part, to inhibition of queuine transport across the cell membrane. An unidentified protein designated conditioned medium factor (CMF) that potentiated a phorbol-induced inhibition of queuine uptake was also documented. We suggest here that phorbol ester-induced inhibition of queuine uptake is not a significant factor in inducing queuine-deficient tRNA although …

Use Of 52Cr For The Quantitative Determination Of Red Cell Volume, Claude Michael Hanbury

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Chromium-52 has recently been suggested for use as a new agent to label red cells for the in vivo quantitation of red cell volume (1). In this paper, the development and validation of a routine ⁵²cr labeling procedure is described.

The accuracy, precision, and detection limits of chromium analysis by Zeeman effect atomic absorption spectroscopy was evaluated in the concentration range of 1 - 10 ug Cr/L.

Red cell chromium uptake was evaluated as a function of time, temperature, and concentration. Red cells labeled with a 2.5 mg/L chromium solution for 30 minutes at room temperature exhibited optimal label …

Determination Of Human Sperm Cell Acrosin Activity From Normal And Subfertile Men, Dilrowshan H. Haque

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Acrosin is an acrosomal enzyme which is reported to be involved in sperm penetration through cumulus, zona, and ooplasma. This enzyme has been reported to be significantly lower in sperm of infertile men compared to sperm of fertile men. The acrosin assay which has been developed can be used for studies in patients with suspected infertility and may be used on a fraction of most semen specimens being evaluated in a clinical andrology laboratory.

Within-run precision studies yielded coefficients of variation of 11% for a low-activity pool and 9% for normalactivity pool specimens. Between-run precision studies using a single donor …

The Effects Of Luteinizing Hormone And Adenosine 3',5'-Cyclic Monophosphate On Phospholipid Metabolism By Luteal Mitochondria, Jim John Sadighian

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Luteinizing hormone (LH) increases intracellular concentrations of adenosine 3', 5 '-cyclic monophosphate and the phosphoinositides, phosphatidylinositol (PI), PI 4'-phosphate (PIP) and PI 4' .5 1 - bispbosphate (PIP₂). It is believed that cAMP and the phosphoinositides act concertedly to regulate mitochondrial conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone. This study examined the effects of LH and N⁶ ,O² -dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP) on phospholipids metabolism by luteal mitochondria and the influence of dbcAMP and the phosphoinosi tides on mitochondrial steroid production. Mitochondria were isolated from unincubated and incubated luteal tissue by differential centrifugation. Phospholipids were extracted from the mitochondria …

Acetylcholinesterase In The Neonatal Rat Brain: The Effects Of Prenatal Ethanol Exposure, Linda M. Boland

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in the neonatal rat brain was determined by histochemical localization and quantitative biochemical analysis. AChE-positive perikarya were concentrated in the neostriatum, globus pallidus, medial habenular nucleus, amygdaloid complex, various hypothalamic nuclei, gigantocellular and paragigantocellular reticular nuclei, raphe nuclei, locus coeruleus, and motor nuclei of cranial nerves III-VII and IX-XII. Some areas stained differently or not at all when compared with the adult rat brain. The effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on regional AChE activity were assessed by comparing enzyme levels in offspring exposed via maternal consumption of a liquid diet containing 35 percent ethanol derived calories. This …

Evaluation Of Peptide Assimilation In Ehrlich Ascites Tumor Cells, John M. Castellano

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The dipeptides glycyl-L-(³H)-leucine and L-phenylalanyl-L-(³H)-leucine were synthesized in radioactive form and utilized in the analysis of peptide transport and hydrolysis by Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. The tumor cells were cultured in the abdominal cavity of CF-1 albino mice and harvested into sterile isotonic buffer for all experimental analyses.

The results of this study reveal that the tumor cells rapidly accumulate radiolabel when incubated with the above mentioned peptides, but that the peptide is most probably hydrolyzed extracellularly and free L-(³)-leucine transported. This hypothesis is based on the observations of reduction in accumulation of radiolabel …

Electron Microscopic Demonstration Of Neural Connections Using Horseradish Peroxidase: A Comparison Of The Tetramethylbenzidine Procedure With Seven Other Histochemical Methods, Keith A. Carson, M-Marsel Mesulam

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Eight methods for the electron microscopic demonstration of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) labeling have been compared in adjacent series of vibratome sections of mouse lumbar spinal cord. The tracer, a HRP-wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) conjugate, was injected into the gastrocnemius muscle complex. Following retrograde axonal transport to the lumbar motor neurons and transganglionic anterograde transport of the tracer to the dorsal horn, the HRP activity was demonstrated in eight series of adjacent sections of lumbar spinal cord using eight methods. These included procedures using tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), benzidine dihydrochloride (BDHC), o-tolidine, paraphenylenediamine-pyrocatechol (PPD-PC), and 4 methods using 3,3'-diaminobenzidine (DAB). All eight methods …

In Vitro Enzymatic Assay Of Rna Methylation, Pamela Jean Eubanks Gallup

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

An assay procedure for in vitro enzymatic methylation of mannnalian ribosomal RNA has been developed in this study. The assay procedure, utilized for the comparison of normal and neoplastic methylase activities (using mouse liver and Ehrlich ascites cells as sources of enzyme), is a modification of previously published methods (52,53). A 100,000 x g supernatant (SlOO) enzyme preparation was incubated with 28S-5.8S rRNA and tritium-labeled S-adenosyl-L-methionine. The RNA was extracted, applied to DEAE cellulose paper, washed, and the radioactivity counted. The neoplastic cell methylase preparation was more active in methylating both exogenous neoplastic and normal 28S-5.8S rRNA than the normal …

The Analysis Of S-Adenosylmethionine And S-Adenosylhomocysteine In Normal And Neoplastic Cells, Kathryn Elizabeth Godburn

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Altered patterns of methylation have been shown in both ribosomal and transfer RNA isolated from cancer cells. In contrast to the elevated activity of the methyltransferases responsible for this modification, hypomethylation appears as a general characteristic. The endogenous levels of S-adenosylmethionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine are important in relationship to their role as substrate and product of the transmethylation reaction. The levels of S-adenosylmethionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine were determined using phosphocellulose cation exchange or high pressure liquid chromatography. High voltage paper electrophoresis was used in a modified procedure to directly resolve (³⁵s) labeled S-adenosylmethionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine in small quantities of cell …

Multiple Methods Of Analysis Of 2'-O-Methylation In 5.8s Rrna, Sharon H. Ryan

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

5.8S rRNA is a low molecular weight ribosomal RNA which is found hydrogen bonded to 28S rRNA in the eucaryotic cell. There are two nucleotides which have 2'-0-methylations; a guanine residue at position 77 is fully methylated and a uridine residue at position 14 which is partially methylated. This partial 2'-0-methylation of the uridine residue has been found to vary with the tissue source, with the highest level in normal tissue and the lowest level in neoplastic tissue. In order to study the significance of this site-specific methylation, a reliable and convenient method of analysis was needed.

Early studies on …

The Effect Of Sodium Chloride Upon The Fission Rate Within A Single Clone Of Paramecium Caudatum And The Heritability Of That Effect., Mary C. Adolph

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.