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Full-Text Articles in Biochemistry

Nanoparticle Conjugated Photosensitizer For Targeted Photodynamic Inactivation Of Cancer Cells, Symone D. Crowder Dec 2022

Nanoparticle Conjugated Photosensitizer For Targeted Photodynamic Inactivation Of Cancer Cells, Symone D. Crowder

Honors College Theses

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is considered to be a potential replacement for traditional methods of chemotherapy. It includes the administration of photosensitizing agents (PS), which generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon excitation at a specific wavelength. With new outlooks and techniques, cancer research is advancing each day. It has allowed the progress of several theranostic drug delivery systems (DDS) exploring the area of nanomedicine.2 In the present work, a Rhodamine derivative, Rhodamine 6G (R6G) was used as the PS. In general, rhodamine compounds undergo cytotoxic reactions on photoexcitation by electron transfer reactions with folic acid within cells, making them a favorable …


Development Of Nucleic Acid Diagnostics For Targeted And Non-Targeted Biosensing, Christopher William Smith Dec 2022

Development Of Nucleic Acid Diagnostics For Targeted And Non-Targeted Biosensing, Christopher William Smith

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The field of nucleic acid technology is rapidly expanding with new impactful discoveriesbeing made each year. Starting from the discovery of the double-helix structure, cloning, gene editing, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), CRISPR technology, and even the late mRNA vaccines; nucleic acid technology is at the forefront of improving medicine. Nucleic acid technology is extremely versatile due to its easy programmability, automated cheap synthesis, and even its catalog for numerous chemical modifications that can be used to alter structure stability. For example, the number of permutations that can be made with DNA just by altering the code for adenine (A), cytosine …


The Regulation Of Atg9a-Mediated Aggrephagy By An Ulk1-Independent Atg13-Atg101 Complex, Joshua Youngs Jun 2022

The Regulation Of Atg9a-Mediated Aggrephagy By An Ulk1-Independent Atg13-Atg101 Complex, Joshua Youngs

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Aggrephagy, a type of autophagy, is an essential cellular process by which protein aggregates are collected and broken down in the lysosome. Protein aggregates are implicated in several diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and cancer. Here, we investigate the ATG13-ATG101 protein complex, a sub-complex of the canonical ULK1 complex whose regulatory role in aggrephagy is not completely understood. We also develop a protein fragment complementation (PFC) assay using the biotin ligase TurboID to study the functions of the ATG13-ATG101 complex with increased specificity. We demonstrate that ATG13 is required for optimal degradation of p62-ubiquitin condensates. We also show that a …


Characterization Of The Influence Of A Small Molecule Inhibitor On Ras-Related Proteins Interactions, Emilio Duverna May 2022

Characterization Of The Influence Of A Small Molecule Inhibitor On Ras-Related Proteins Interactions, Emilio Duverna

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Ras superfamily of small G proteins are involved in cell-signaling processes that, if not regulated, may lead to cell multiplication, apoptosis inhibition, and tumorigenesis. They function as molecular switches, which through GTP/GDP exchange cycle, switch on or off cellular activities. Overexpression and/or hyperactivity of these proteins have been linked to many diseases including various cancers. CDC42, a member of the Rho subfamily of the Ras superfamily of small G proteins, participates in the regulation of many cellular processes including cell adhesion, mitosis, and cytoskeletal rearrangements. CDC42 binds to and activates many effector proteins including CDC42-activated kinase (ACK). Abnormal activities …


Inhibition Of De Novo And The Prion-Like Spread Of Amyloidogenesis Using In Vitro And In Vivo Disease Models, Johnson Anazoba Joseph Jan 2022

Inhibition Of De Novo And The Prion-Like Spread Of Amyloidogenesis Using In Vitro And In Vivo Disease Models, Johnson Anazoba Joseph

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aberrant fibrous, extracellular, and intracellular proteinaceous deposits in cells, organs and tissues are referred to as amyloids. These deposits are dominated by β-sheet structures that have been implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. In this work, the types of amyloidosis studied include Parkinson’s disease (PD) using UA196 and NL5901 strains of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), Alzheimer’s disease (AD) using GMC101 strain of C. elegans, and cancer-associated mutant p53 aggregation in MIA PaCa-2 mutant cells. Several molecules including SK-129, NS132, NS163, bexarotene, a polyphenol (-)-epi-gallocatechine gallate (EGCG), ADH40, RD148, and RD242 were screened in vitro and in …