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Full-Text Articles in Biochemistry

Structural And Molecular Analysis Of A Protective Epitope Of Lyme Disease Antigen Ospa And Antibody Interactions, Shivender Shandilya, Nese Kurt Yilmaz, Ejemel Monir, Andrew Sadowski, William D. Thomas, Mark S. Klempner, Celia A. Schiffer, Yan Wang Aug 2016

Structural And Molecular Analysis Of A Protective Epitope Of Lyme Disease Antigen Ospa And Antibody Interactions, Shivender Shandilya, Nese Kurt Yilmaz, Ejemel Monir, Andrew Sadowski, William D. Thomas, Mark S. Klempner, Celia A. Schiffer, Yan Wang

Celia A. Schiffer

The murine monoclonal antibody LA-2 recognizes a clinically protective epitope on outer surface protein (OspA) of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease in North America. Human antibody equivalence to LA-2 is the best serologic correlate of protective antibody responses following OspA vaccination. Understanding the structural and functional basis of the LA-2 protective epitope is important for developing OspA-based vaccines and discovering prophylactic antibodies against Lyme disease. Here, we present a detailed structure-based analysis of the LA-2/OspA interaction interface and identification of residues mediating antibody recognition. Mutations were introduced into both OspA and LA-2 based on computational predictions on …


Loss Of Exogenous Androgen Dependence By Prostate Tumor Cells Is Associated With Elevated Glucuronidation Potential, Brenna M. Zimmer, Michelle E. Howell, Qin Wei, Linlin Ma, Trevor Romsdahl, Eileen G. Loughman, Jennifer E. Markham, Javier Seravalli, Joseph J. Barycki, Melanie A. Simpson Aug 2016

Loss Of Exogenous Androgen Dependence By Prostate Tumor Cells Is Associated With Elevated Glucuronidation Potential, Brenna M. Zimmer, Michelle E. Howell, Qin Wei, Linlin Ma, Trevor Romsdahl, Eileen G. Loughman, Jennifer E. Markham, Javier Seravalli, Joseph J. Barycki, Melanie A. Simpson

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Prostate epithelial cells control the potency and availability of androgen hormones in part by inactivation and elimination. UDP-glucose dehydrogenase (UGDH) catalyzes the NAD+-dependent oxidation of UDP-glucose to UDP-glucuronate, an essential precursor for androgen inactivation by the prostate glucuronidation enzymes UGT2B15 and UGT2B17. UGDH expression is androgen stimulated, which increases the production of UDP-glucuronate, and fuels UGT-catalyzed glucuronidation. In this study, we compared the glucuronidation potential and its impact on androgen-mediated gene expression in an isogenic LNCaP model for androgen dependent versus castration resistant prostate cancer. Despite significantly lower androgen-glucuronide output, LNCaP 81 castration resistant tumor cells expressed higher …


4,4’-Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (Ddt) And 4,4’-Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (Dde) Promote Adipogenesis In 3tl1 Adipocyte Cell Culture, J Kim, Q Sun, Y Yue, Kyong-Sup Yoon, K -Y Whang, J M. Clark, Y Park Jun 2016

4,4’-Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (Ddt) And 4,4’-Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (Dde) Promote Adipogenesis In 3tl1 Adipocyte Cell Culture, J Kim, Q Sun, Y Yue, Kyong-Sup Yoon, K -Y Whang, J M. Clark, Y Park

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

4,4’-Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), a chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide, was extensively used in the 1940s and 1950s. DDT is mainly metabolically converted into 4,4’- dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE). Even though most countries banned DDT in the 1970s, due to the highly lipophilic nature and very stable characteristics, DDT and its metabolites are present ubiquitously in the environment, including food. Recently, there are publications on relationships between exposure to insecticides, including DDT and DDE, and weight gain and altered glucose homeostasis. However, there are limited reports regarding DDT or DDE and adipogenesis, thus we investigated effects of DDT and DDE on adipogenesis using 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Treatment …


Proteomic Profiling Of Serum Derived Exosomes From Prostate Cancer Patients, David Turay Jun 2016

Proteomic Profiling Of Serum Derived Exosomes From Prostate Cancer Patients, David Turay

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Touted among the major achievements in the diagnosis and management of Prostate cancer (PCa) in the past few decades has been, the dramatic decline of men with advanced/metastatic PCa at diagnosis coupled with a significant improvement ( >90%) in the five and ten year survival rates of the disease. Non-palpable PCa (potentially clinically treatable disease) now accounts for 70-80% of all newly diagnosed cases of PCa. Preceding these changes by about a decade was the introduction of Prostatic Specific Antigen (PSA) into clinical practice; first as biomarker for monitoring response to therapy and subsequently as a complementary screening tool. It …


Cll Metabolism Is Regulated By Prognostic Factors, Modulated By Stroma And Abrogated By Pi3k Inhibition, Hima Vangapandu May 2016

Cll Metabolism Is Regulated By Prognostic Factors, Modulated By Stroma And Abrogated By Pi3k Inhibition, Hima Vangapandu

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Metabolism of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a disease characterized by the relentless accumulation of mature B cells has been little explored. Bone marrow stromal cells provide a survival benefit to CLL cells, in part through PI3K/AKT pathway. Compared with proliferative B-cell lines, metabolic fluxes of oxygen and lactate were low in quiescent malignant B lymphocytes from CLL patients. Glycolysis (extracellular acidification rate, ECAR) was consistently low in CLL samples, but oxygen consumption (OCR) varied considerably. Higher OCR was associated with poor prognostic factors such as ZAP 70 positivity, unmutated IgVH, high β2M levels, and higher Rai stage. Co-culture with the …


The Roles Of Malt1 In Nf-Κb Activation And Solid Tumor Progression, Deng Pan May 2016

The Roles Of Malt1 In Nf-Κb Activation And Solid Tumor Progression, Deng Pan

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

The transcription factor NF-κB plays a central role in many aspects of biological processes and diseases, such as inflammation and cancer. Although it has been suggested thatNF-κB is critical in tumorigenesis and tumor progression, the molecular mechanism by which NF-κB is activated in solid tumor remains largely unknown. In the current work, we focus on growth factor receptor-induced NF-κB activation and tumor progression, including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-induced NF-κB in lung cancer and heregulin receptor (HER2)-induced NF-κB in breast cancer. We found that Mucosa-associated lymphoma translocation protein 1 (MALT1), also known as paracaspase, is required for EGFR-induced NF-κB activation …


Metabolomics Reveals New Mechanisms For Pathogenesis In Barth Syndrome And Introduces Novel Roles For Cardiolipin In Cellular Function, Yana Sandlers, Kelly Mercier, Wimal Pathmasiri, Jim Carlson, Susan Mcritchie, Susan Sumner, Hilary J. Vernon Mar 2016

Metabolomics Reveals New Mechanisms For Pathogenesis In Barth Syndrome And Introduces Novel Roles For Cardiolipin In Cellular Function, Yana Sandlers, Kelly Mercier, Wimal Pathmasiri, Jim Carlson, Susan Mcritchie, Susan Sumner, Hilary J. Vernon

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Barth Syndrome is the only known Mendelian disorder of cardiolipin remodeling, with characteristic clinical features of cardiomyopathy, skeletal myopathy, and neutropenia. While the primary biochemical defects of reduced mature cardiolipin and increased monolysocardiolipin are well-described, much of the downstream biochemical dysregulation has not been uncovered, and biomarkers are limited. In order to further expand upon the knowledge of the biochemical abnormalities in Barth Syndrome, we analyzed metabolite profiles in plasma from a cohort of individuals with Barth Syndrome compared to age-matched controls via 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A clear distinction between metabolite profiles of …


Microrna Cargo Of Extracellular Vesicles From Alcohol-Exposed Monocytes Signals Naive Monocytes To Differentiate Into M2 Macrophages, Banishree Saha, Fatemeh Momen-Heravi, Karen Kodys, Gyongyi Szabo Mar 2016

Microrna Cargo Of Extracellular Vesicles From Alcohol-Exposed Monocytes Signals Naive Monocytes To Differentiate Into M2 Macrophages, Banishree Saha, Fatemeh Momen-Heravi, Karen Kodys, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

Membrane-coated extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by cells can serve as vehicles for delivery of biological materials and signals. Recently, we demonstrated that alcohol-treated hepatocytes cross-talk with immune cells via exosomes containing microRNA (miRNAs). Here, we hypothesized that alcohol-exposed monocytes can communicate with naive monocytes via EVs. We observed increased numbers of EVs, mostly exosomes, secreted by primary human monocytes and THP-1 monocytic cells in the presence of alcohol in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. EVs derived from alcohol-treated monocytes stimulated naive monocytes to polarize into M2 macrophages as indicated by increased surface expression of CD68 (macrophage marker), M2 markers (CD206 …


Clinical Light Exposure, Photoreceptor Degeneration, And Ap-1 Activation: A Cell Death Or Cell Survival Signal In The Rhodopsin Mutant Retina?, Danian Gu, William Beltran, Zexiao Li, Gregory M. Acland, Gustavo D. Aguirre Feb 2016

Clinical Light Exposure, Photoreceptor Degeneration, And Ap-1 Activation: A Cell Death Or Cell Survival Signal In The Rhodopsin Mutant Retina?, Danian Gu, William Beltran, Zexiao Li, Gregory M. Acland, Gustavo D. Aguirre

Gustavo D. Aguirre, VMD, PhD

PURPOSE. The T4R RHO mutant dog retina shows retinal degeneration with exposures to light comparable to those used in clinical eye examinations of patients. To define the molecular mechanisms of the degeneration, AP-1 DNA-binding activity, composition, posttranslational modification of the protein complex, and modulation of ERK/MAPK signaling pathways were examined in light-exposed mutant retinas. METHODS. Dark-adapted retinas were exposed to short-duration light flashes from a retinal camera used clinically for retinal photography and were collected at different time points after exposure. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), supershift EMSA, Western blot analysis, and immunocytochemistry were used to examine AP-1 signaling. RESULTS. …


Bestrophin Gene Mutations Cause Canine Multifocal Retinopathy: A Novel Animal Model For Best Disease, Karina E. Guziewicz, Barbara Zangerl, Sarah J. Lindauer, Robert F. Mullins, Lynne S. Sandmeyer, Bruce H. Grahn, Edwin M. Stone, Gregory M. Acland, Gustavo D. Aguirre Feb 2016

Bestrophin Gene Mutations Cause Canine Multifocal Retinopathy: A Novel Animal Model For Best Disease, Karina E. Guziewicz, Barbara Zangerl, Sarah J. Lindauer, Robert F. Mullins, Lynne S. Sandmeyer, Bruce H. Grahn, Edwin M. Stone, Gregory M. Acland, Gustavo D. Aguirre

Gustavo D. Aguirre, VMD, PhD

PURPOSE. Canine multifocal retinopathy (cmr) is an autosomal recessive disorder of multiple dog breeds. The disease shares a number of clinical and pathologic similarities with Best macular dystrophy (BMD), and cmr is proposed as a new large animal model for Best disease. METHODS. cmr was characterized by ophthalmoscopy and histopathology and compared with BMD-affected patients. BEST1 (alias VMD2), the bestrophin gene causally associated with BMD, was evaluated in the dog. Canine ortholog cDNA sequence was cloned and verified using RPE/choroid 5′- and 3′-RACE. Expression of the canine gene transcripts and protein was analyzed by Northern and Western blotting and immunocytochemistry. …


Structural Basis For Mutation-Induced Destabilization Of Profilin 1 In Als, Sivakumar Boopathy, Tania Silvas, Maeve Tischbein, Silvia Jansen, Shivender Shandilya, Jill Zitzewitz, John Landers, Bruce Goode, Celia Schiffer, Daryl Bosco Jan 2016

Structural Basis For Mutation-Induced Destabilization Of Profilin 1 In Als, Sivakumar Boopathy, Tania Silvas, Maeve Tischbein, Silvia Jansen, Shivender Shandilya, Jill Zitzewitz, John Landers, Bruce Goode, Celia Schiffer, Daryl Bosco

Celia A. Schiffer

Mutations in profilin 1 (PFN1) are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); however, the pathological mechanism of PFN1 in this fatal disease is unknown. We demonstrate that ALS-linked mutations severely destabilize the native conformation of PFN1 in vitro and cause accelerated turnover of the PFN1 protein in cells. This mutation-induced destabilization can account for the high propensity of ALS-linked variants to aggregate and also provides rationale for their reported loss-of-function phenotypes in cell-based assays. The source of this destabilization is illuminated by the X-ray crystal structures of several PFN1 proteins, revealing an expanded cavity near the protein core of the …


Discovering New Antibiotics: Bacterial Extracts Separated By Thin-Layer Chromatography Inhibit The Growth Of Staphylococcus, Heidi Hughes Jan 2016

Discovering New Antibiotics: Bacterial Extracts Separated By Thin-Layer Chromatography Inhibit The Growth Of Staphylococcus, Heidi Hughes

Honors Theses

Many bacteria have become resistant to commonly used antibiotics because of antibiotic use in people and animals. Therefore, new antibiotics are needed that will inhibit these resistant bacteria. Bacteria found in soil are a likely source for new antibiotics because of the limited available nutrients found in the soil. We isolated soil bacteria and screened them for antibiotic production against Staphylococcus epidermidids. Methanol extracts were made from entire agar plates of the soil bacteria that inhibited S. epidermidis. These extracts were spotted on a lawn of Staphylococcus aureus; growth inhibition was measured to comfirm that the extracts contained the …


The Role Of Oxidative Stress In The Mechanisms Of Ammonia-Induced Brain Swelling And Tolerance In The Goldfish (Carassius Auratus), David F. Jones Lisser Mr. Jan 2016

The Role Of Oxidative Stress In The Mechanisms Of Ammonia-Induced Brain Swelling And Tolerance In The Goldfish (Carassius Auratus), David F. Jones Lisser Mr.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Toxic build-ups of ammonia can cause potentially fatal brain swelling in mammals, but such swelling is reversible in the anoxia- and ammonia-tolerant goldfish (Carassius auratus). The mechanisms of ammonia-induced brain swelling and tolerance remain elusive, but several studies have suggested a role for reactive oxygen species (ROS), which may damage proteins and lipids in the plasma membrane of astrocytes in the brain. As a result, osmotic gradients across cell membranes may be altered leading to water uptake by astrocytes and swelling. While a role for ROS has been proposed in mammals, no studies have addressed this question in …


Probing Allosteric, Partial Inhibition Of Thrombin Using Novel Anticoagulants, Stephen S. Verespy Iii Jan 2016

Probing Allosteric, Partial Inhibition Of Thrombin Using Novel Anticoagulants, Stephen S. Verespy Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Thrombin is the key protease that regulates hemostasis; the delicate balance between procoagulation and anticoagulation of blood. In clotting disorders, like deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, procoagulation is up-regulated, but propagation of clotting can be inhibited with drugs targeting the proteases involved, like thrombin. Such drugs however, have serious side effects (e.g., excessive bleeding) and some require monitoring during the course of treatment. The reason for these side effects is the mechanism by which the drugs’ act. The two major mechanisms are direct orthosteric and indirect allosteric inhibition, which will completely abolish the protease’s activity. Herein we sought an …