Biochemistry Commons^™

Engineering Ph-Dependent Antibody Interactions Through Linked Protonation Events In Interdomain Interfaces, Hyeyoung Eom

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Engineered antibodies are frequently used in life science applications, such as therapeutics and clinical diagnostics. These customized antibodies typically possess enhanced binding affinity and/or specificity, yet these interactions are only one-way binding events that cannot be easily controlled without extreme changes in conditions, such as pH, denaturant, and/or temperature that likely irreversible damage the antibody and antigen. Here, we explore the design of proton-linked binding events in the context of both antibody/hapten (i.e., a low molecular weight ligand target) and antibody/antigen complexes. Specifically, this work looks to overcome the challenges of engineering pH-dependent small ligand/protein interactions, as well as develop …

Biochemical And Biophysical Studies Of Vision Loss: Cataract And Macular Degeneration, Michael C. Vega

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Age-related biochemical and biophysical changes to the structural properties of ocular lens membrane proteins and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells are thought to play an underlying role in the etiology and progression of age-related cataract and macular degeneration. This dissertation work studies biophysical properties of biomimetic membranes to aid in further understanding of the role of aquaporin-0 in cataract pathogenesis and the biochemical composition of age-related pigmented granules, melanolipofuscin, and their implications in macular degeneration.

Cataract is the leading cause of blindness globally and is characterized by the opacification of the ocular lens. As a key optical component of the …