Biology Commons^™

The Effect Of Age On Neurological Inflammation To Acute Sleep Fragmentation In Mice, Molly Taylor

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Obstructive sleep apnea is identified by recurring events of airway collapse during sleep, intermittent hypoxia, and perturbations in sleep continuity, known as sleep fragmentation. There is evidence to suggest that elderly patients are more at risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea. The purpose of this study was to assess whether age affects neurological inflammatory responses to acute sleep fragmentation. This assessment was made by subjecting young (4-5 months old) and old (10-11 months old) male C57BL/6j mice to automated sleep fragmentation, as well as having mice in both age categories as a control with no sleep fragmentation, for twenty-four hours. …

Complex Tissue Regeneration In Mammals Is Associated With Reduced Inflammatory Cytokines And An Influx Of T Cells, Thomas R. Gawriluk, Jennifer Simkin, Corin K. Hacker, John M. Kimani, Stephen G. Kiama, Vanessa O. Ezenwa, Ashley W. Seifert

Biology Faculty Publications

While mammals tend to repair injuries, other adult vertebrates like salamanders and fish regenerate damaged tissue. One prominent hypothesis offered to explain an inability to regenerate complex tissue in mammals is a bias during healing toward strong adaptive immunity and inflammatory responses. Here we directly test this hypothesis by characterizing part of the immune response during regeneration in spiny mice (Acomys cahirinus and Acomys percivali) vs. fibrotic repair in Mus musculus. By directly quantifying cytokines during tissue healing, we found that fibrotic repair was associated with a greater release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (i.e., IL-6, CCL2, and CXCL1) …

A Disturbance In The Force: Cellular Stress Sensing By The Mitochondrial Network, Robert Gilkerson

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

As a highly dynamic organellar network, mitochondria are maintained as an organellar network by delicately balancing fission and fusion pathways. This homeostatic balance of organellar dynamics is increasingly revealed to play an integral role in sensing cellular stress stimuli. Mitochondrial fission/fusion balance is highly sensitive to perturbations such as loss of bioenergetic function, oxidative stress, and other stimuli, with mechanistic contribution to subsequent cell-wide cascades including inflammation, autophagy, and apoptosis. The overlapping activity with m-AAA protease 1 (OMA1) metallopeptidase, a stress-sensitive modulator of mitochondrial fusion, and dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1), a regulator of mitochondrial fission, are key factors that shape …

Increased Ros Production In Non-Polarized Mammary Epithelial Cells Induces Monocyte Infiltration In 3d Culture, Linzhang Li, Jie Chen, Gaofeng Xiong, Daret K. St. Clair, Wei Xu, Ren Xu

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Loss of epithelial cell polarity promotes cell invasion and cancer dissemination. Therefore, identification of factors that disrupt polarized acinar formation is crucial. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) drive cancer progression and promote inflammation. Here, we show that the non-polarized breast cancer cell line T4-2 generates significantly higher ROS levels than polarized S1 and T4R cells in three-dimensional (3D) culture, accompanied by induction of the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) pathway and cytokine expression. Minimizing ROS in T4-2 cells with antioxidants reestablished basal polarity and inhibited cell proliferation. Introducing constitutively activated RAC1 disrupted cell polarity and increased ROS levels, indicating that RAC1 is …

Rnd3 As A Novel Target To Ameliorate Microvascular Leakage, Jerome W. Breslin, Dayle A. Daines, Travis M. Doggett, Kristine H. Kurtz, Flavia M. Souza-Smith, Xun E. Zhang, Mack H. Wu, Sarah Y. Yuan

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background -Microvascular leakage of plasma proteins is a hallmark of inflammation that leads to tissue dysfunction. There are no current therapeutic strategies to reduce microvascular permeability. The purpose of this study was to identify the role of Rnd3, an atypical Rho family GTPase, in the control of endothelial barrier integrity. The potential therapeutic benefit of Rnd3 protein delivery to ameliorate microvascular leakage was also investigated.

Methods and Results-Using immunofluorescence microscopy, Rnd3 was observed primarily in cytoplasmic areas around the nuclei of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Permeability to fluorescein isothiocyanate-albumin and transendothelial electrical resistance of human umbilical vein …

Smooth Muscle-Specific Expression Of Calcium-Independent Phospholipase A2 (Ipla2 ) Participates In The Initiation And Early Progression Of Vascular Inflammation And Neointima Formation, Shu Liu, Zhongwen Xie, Qingwei David Zhao, Huan Pang, John Turk, Lindsay E. Cormier, Wen Su, Guogang Zhao, Haifei Xu, Ming Gong, Zhenheng Guo

Biological Sciences Faculty and Staff Research

Background: The role of iPLA 2 β as a regulator of inflammatory signaling and neointima formation is unknown.

Result: Smooth muscle-specific expression of iPLA 2 β exacerbates proinflammatory cytokine production, macrophage infiltration, and neointima formation.

Conclusion: Smooth muscle-specific iPLA 2 β participates in the initiation and early progression of vascular inflammation and neointima formation.

Significance: iPLA 2 β may represent a novel therapeutic target for attenuating vascular inflammation and restenosis.

Effects Of Canola And Corn Oil Mimetic On Jurkat Cells, Gabriela Ion, Kayla Fazio, Juliana A. Akinsete, W. Elaine Hardman

Biochemistry and Microbiology

BACKGROUND: The Western diet is high in omega-6 fatty acids and low in omega-3 fatty acids. Canola oil contains a healthier omega 3 to omega 6 ratio than corn oil. Jurkat T leukemia cells were treated with free fatty acids mixtures in ratios mimicking that found in commercially available canola oil (7% α-linolenic, 30% linoleic, 54% oleic) or corn oil (59% linoleic, 24% oleic) to determine the cell survival or cell death and changes in expression levels of inflammatory cytokines and receptors following oil treatment.

METHODS: Fatty acid uptake was assessed by gas chromatography. Cell survival and cell death were …