Molecular Biology Commons^™

Exploiting Cancer Cell Signaling And Metabolism: Implications For Therapeutic Approach, Suman Mukhopadhyay

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Over the last decade, metabolic dysregulation in cancer cells has stimulated a significant amount of interest in basic research. It has been established that cancer cells increase glucose uptake and alter the fate of glycolytic and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates for the synthesis of biological molecules to accommodate high rates of cellular growth and proliferation. Moreover, it is more prominent that some metabolic dysregulations are specific to particular oncogenes. Exploiting the dysregulated metabolic dependency of cancer cells with therapeutic means could represent a novel approach for clinical aspect.

To meet the need of increased anabolic metabolism cancer cells engage …

Exploring Chromatin-Bound Mdm2 Functions In Compromised Transcriptional Regulation Of P53 Target Genes, Melissa Rosso

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

MDM2 overexpression is a common occurrence in many types of cancer. A single nucleotide polymorphism (T to G) near the mdm2 promoter, termed mdm2 SNP309, leads to MDM2 overexpression. This polymorphism is associated with accelerated tumor formation, decreased sensitivity to DNA damage treatment and compromised p53 transcriptional activity. Two G/G SNP309 cancer cell lines MANCA and A875, a Burkitts' lymphoma and melanoma respectively, express a stable wild-type p53 protein. We previously reported these cells have DNA damage resistant MDM2-p53 chromatin complexes and hypothesized that MDM2 is the contributing factor for the compromised p53 transcriptional activity. We created constitutive mdm2 shRNA …

The Role Of Atp And Cleavage Factor Phosphorylation In Pre-Mrna 3' Cleavage Reaction, Asya Khleborodova

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The 3' end cleavage/polyadenylation (3' processing) is important in generating a functional messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript. It is long-known that ATP can significantly stimulate the in vitro cleavage of adenovirus type 2 L3 (Ad2L3) RNA substrate. Here, we used ATP analogs in structure-activity assays to show that the structural features of ATP and its analogs determine in vitro 3' cleavage efficiency. More specifically, we demonstrate that the structure of the nitrogenous base, the nucleotide sugar and the triphosphate group contribute to the efficiency of the nucleotide-stimulated in vitro 3' cleavage reaction.

It was found that AppNp, an analog of ATP …

Regulation Of The Vacuolar Atpase Activity, Paulina Konarzewska

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In eukaryotes, V-ATPases play an essential role in cellular pH homeostasis as they transport hydrogen ions into the vacuoles. This assures an acidic vacuolar interior and normal physiological processes associated with this organelle. Studies show that mutations in any of the VMA genes encoding for subunits of the V-ATPase pump result in growth inhibition in the absence of inositol, suggesting that V-ATPases may play an important role in phospholipid biosynthesis or vice versa. It is not clear how VMA genes affect phospholipid biosynthesis and how the regulators of phospholipid biosynthetic genes may affect ATPase activity. Here, we employ biochemical and …

Incipient Speciation In Freshwater Fish Species From Two Isolated Watersheds, Paula Gore Miller

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The process of speciation occurs as a result of restricted gene flow between segments of an interbreeding population occupying different geographic areas. This separation may result in isolated populations which undergo genetic and phenotypic changes. The Wisconsin glacial period, which ended approximately 17,500 years ago, dramatically altered the geography of North America. The glacier covered almost the entire North America as it advanced. Areas that were not covered with ice provided suitable habitats (refugia) for relict species that were previously widespread in the northern section of the continent. As the ice sheet retreated, animals and plants were able to return …

Functional Characterization Of The Plant 15-Cis-Zeta-Carotene Isomerase Z-Iso, Jesus Alonso Beltran Zambrano

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Vitamin A deficiency is a widespread health issue in the tropics. To solve this issue, efforts are underway to increase provitamin A carotenoids such as β-carotene in staple crops which can be achieved by breeding, metabolic engineering or a combination of both approaches. However, rational strategies to improve carotenoid content in crops require sufficient knowledge of pathway regulation. Therefore, to better understand how plants synthesize provitamin A and to guide metabolic engineering strategies in crops such as maize, the functional characterization of the new ζ-carotene isomerase (Z-ISO) is of significant importance.

Z-ISO was recently discovered in maize and Arabidopsis (Chen …

Interactions Of Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factors And 3' Untranslated Region Of Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus Mrna During Protein Synthesis: A Study Of Equilibrium Binding, Kinetics And Thermodynamics, Bidisha Banerjee

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4F binding to mRNA is the first committed step in cap-dependent protein synthesis. Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) employs a cap-independent mechanism of translation initiation which is mediated by a structural element BTE (BYDV translation element) located in the 3’ UTR of its mRNA. eIF4F bound the BTE and a translational inactive mutant with high affinity; thus questioning the role of eIF4F in translation of BYDV. To examine the effects of eIF4F in BYDV translation initiation, BTE mutants with widely different in vitro translation efficiencies ranging from 5-164% compared to WT were studied. Using fluorescence anisotropy …

Structure And Function In Bacteriophage Phi6, James Carpino

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The present study of bacteriophage Phi6 has been preceded by a great number of exploratory studies of its structure and function, and these studies have formed a basis for Phi6's development into a model organism. In this study, two aspects of the model organism have been examined. 1. There are several uncharacterized and presumed untranslated regions (UTRs) in Phi6's 13.3 kilobase-pair dsRNA genome. I examined the impact of specific modification to the 3' UTR of the small segment of bacteriophage Phi6. I determined that modification to the purported UTR of the small segment resulted in severe fitness costs, supporting a …

Recruitment Of The Ribosomal 40s Subunit To The 3'Untranslated Region Of A Viral Mrna, Via The Eif4 Complex, Facilitates Cap-Independent Translation, Sohani Das Sharma

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Translation of uncapped plant viral RNAs can be facilitated by either an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) in the 5' untranslated region (UTR) or a cap-independent translation element (CITE) in the 3' UTR. Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) mRNA, which lacks both cap and poly(A) tail, has a translation element (3'BTE) in its 3' UTR that is essential for efficient translation initiation at the 5'-proximal AUG. This mechanism requires binding of the eukaryotic initiation factor 4G (eIF4G) subunit of the heterodimer eIF4F to the 3'BTE and base pairing between the 3'BTE and the 5' UTR. Here we investigate how this …

Polymerase Alpha Components Associate With Telomeres To Mediate Overhang Processing, Raffaella Diotti

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Telomeres consist of TTAGGG repeats, which end with a 3' G-overhang and are bound by a six-protein complex, known as Shelterin. In humans, telomeres shorten at each cell division, unless telomerase is expressed and able to add telomeric repeats to the 3' G-overhang. However, for effective telomere maintenance, the DNA strand complementary to that made by telomerase must be synthesized. In this study, I focused on the Polα/primase complex, in particular the subunits p68 (POLA2, the regulatory subunit) and p180 (Polα, the catalytic subunit), and their potential roles at telomeres. I was able to detect p180, p68 and OBFC1, a …

The Sex Of The Cell Dictates Its Response, Carlos Ganesh Penaloza

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Male and female differences in frequency of occurrence in disease have perplexed scientists for some time. This in part derives from limitations in the systems in which one can evaluate sex differences. At the organismal level, differences can be hidden by a myriad of extensive and complex factors. Additional limitations exist since most biomedical studies are performed almost exclusively on male subjects, as the female hormonal milieu is intrinsically more variable and too troublesome for routine inclusion in research protocols. Research documenting sex differences continues to grow, and while most researchers suggests that sex hormones are at the core of …