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Full-Text Articles in Biochemistry
The Influence Of The Estrous Cycle On Acute Seizure Activity, Alexis Yagielski
The Influence Of The Estrous Cycle On Acute Seizure Activity, Alexis Yagielski
Honors Capstone Projects - All
Epilepsy is a neurological disease that is characterized by spontaneous seizure activity. Seizures are excitatory events that result from the abnormal excessive and hypersynchronous firing of populations of neurons in the brain. Catamenial epilepsy is a condition in which seizure threshold fluctuates during the female menstrual cycle. It is commonly hypothesized that this fluctuation is due to the changes in estradiol:progesterone ratio that occur over the course of the menstrual cycle (Herzog, 2008). It has been shown in many studies that estradiol has proconvulsant properties whereas progesterone possesses anticonvulsant properties. Considering the pattern of hormonal variation and the effects of …
Using Simple Self-Assembling Peptides To Attain Novel Protein-Like Functions, Tyler Smith
Using Simple Self-Assembling Peptides To Attain Novel Protein-Like Functions, Tyler Smith
Honors Capstone Projects - All
Proteins carry out many extremely efficient functions, including catalysis and biomolecule recognition. Underlying this efficiency is their extraordinary complexity and ability to fold into unique three-dimensional structures. Attempts to replicate this efficiency through de novo design have only shown moderate success, and it is unclear how modern-day proteins may have evolved. However, short peptides that alternate hydrophobic and hydrophilic residues can self-assemble into amyloid fibrils to achieve well-defined secondary structure. These aggregates may have served as a template from which the first proteins were derived. We designed self-assembling seven-residue peptides that are able to act as Zn2+-dependent esterases. …