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Full-Text Articles in Biology

Understanding The Role Of Host Derived Interleukin 1 Alpha In Breast Cancer Progression, Manikanda Raja Keerthi Raja Aug 2024

Understanding The Role Of Host Derived Interleukin 1 Alpha In Breast Cancer Progression, Manikanda Raja Keerthi Raja

Theses and Dissertations

In breast cancer research, Interleukin-1 alpha (IL1α) remains a lesser-explored frontier, while its counterpart, Interleukin-1 beta, has garnered extensive scrutiny and understanding. To address this knowledge gap, our investigation leveraged the MMTVdriven HER2+ orthotopic model in Wildtype (WT) and IL1α-/- mice. Our approach demonstrated tumor regression in IL1α-/- mice at the 2-week timepoint, while WT tumors grew exponentially. At 2 weeks, IL1α-/- mice exhibited an immune "hot" microenvironment with increased CD45+ immune cells, particularly CD11b+ myeloid, and CD8+ T cells. CD8+ cells in IL1α-/- mice showed enhanced anti-tumor cytokine production and proliferative capability, with …


Histories Of Stress: A Life Course Approach To Population Health In Late Medieval And Early Modern Berlin, Emily Brennan Aug 2024

Histories Of Stress: A Life Course Approach To Population Health In Late Medieval And Early Modern Berlin, Emily Brennan

Theses and Dissertations

Given our current climate crisis and urban population increases, researchers are increasingly interested in the health outcomes at the intersection of climate change and urbanization. Since climate change and urbanization affects human health in a variety of ways, more work is needed in diverse cultural contexts to understand temporal and geographic variations of such phenomena more fully. Using skeletal individuals from 13th – 18th century Berlin (n = 387), this project analyses demographic and health trends from the founding of the city in the late medieval period (c. 1200 – 1500) to the early modern period, when the …


The Effects Of High Fat Diet On Lipid Deposition In Skeletal Muscle, Alexander Huss Aug 2024

The Effects Of High Fat Diet On Lipid Deposition In Skeletal Muscle, Alexander Huss

Theses and Dissertations

By the year 2030, almost 50% of adults in the United States are expected to be obese. Obesity has been shown to increase the risk of several chronic metabolic diseases, several cancers, and is associated with impaired skeletal muscle function and metabolism. Despite this, little it is known about the role of altered muscle lipid homeostasis, lipid droplet dynamics, and lipid droplet-mitochondrial interactions in contributing to muscle dysfunction in obesity. Therefore, we sought to investigate the impact of high-fat diet induced obesity on overall skeletal muscle lipid deposition, intramyocellular lipid droplet content and morphology, and lipid droplet-mitochondrial contact. Male C57/BL6 …


Investigating The Presence Of Bacterial Phytoplasma Disease In Grasses Of Central Texas And Their Associated Hemiptera, Danielle Rios Aug 2024

Investigating The Presence Of Bacterial Phytoplasma Disease In Grasses Of Central Texas And Their Associated Hemiptera, Danielle Rios

Masters Theses (Archived)

No abstract provided.


Germline Genetic Determinates Of Cancer And Pre-Malignant Conditions, Jie Liu Aug 2024

Germline Genetic Determinates Of Cancer And Pre-Malignant Conditions, Jie Liu

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Cancer is a genetic disease stemming from a combination of inherited and acquired mutations. In my thesis, we sought to characterize how germline genetic variation affects acquired clonal expansions in normal tissues and its progression to malignancy. In Chapter 2, we studied the impact of germline genetic variation on clonal hematopoiesis (CH) in 731,835 individuals. We identified 22 novel CH predisposition genes, most of which predispose to CH driven by specific mutational events. CH predisposition genes contribute to unique somatic landscapes reflecting the influence of germline genetic backdrop on gene-specific CH fitness. Correspondingly, somatic-germline interactions influence the risk of CH …


Developing Tools To Study The Effect Of The Mechanical Environment On Plant Cell Growth And Morphogenesis, Ryan Calcutt Aug 2024

Developing Tools To Study The Effect Of The Mechanical Environment On Plant Cell Growth And Morphogenesis, Ryan Calcutt

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Mechanical forces are omnipresent in life on Earth and responses to force can be found across all three domains of life. The colonization of land by plants approximately 500 million years ago, an event that shaped life on Earth as we know it, involved adaptation from a relatively homogeneous fluid mechanical environment to a highly heterogeneous and mechanically diverse terrestrial environment. Evolution of multicellularity would present new mechanical challenges for land plants, not only from externally generated forces, but also from mechanical linkage to neighboring cells through the cell wall. Coordination of cell growth and an indeterminate body plan requires …


Island Hopping In The Tropics: Conservation Genetics, Speciation, And Biogeography In The Iconic Flowering Plant Group Hibiscus Sect. Lilibiscus, Brock Mashburn Aug 2024

Island Hopping In The Tropics: Conservation Genetics, Speciation, And Biogeography In The Iconic Flowering Plant Group Hibiscus Sect. Lilibiscus, Brock Mashburn

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Islands have played a crucial role in evolutionary biology, providing key insights for both Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in formulating their theories of evolution. The development of Island Biogeography Theory and the General Dynamic Model of oceanic island biogeography have formed the theoretical foundation of island studies over the last sixty years, leading to substantial advancements in our understanding of biodiversity evolution. Despite their critical value for evolutionary theory, islands face unprecedented ecological collapse, with species on islands facing significantly higher extinction rates than on continents. The island extinction crisis highlights the need for integrating conservation perspectives into …


Phylotranscriptomic Relationships Of The Oophila Clade Of Green Algae Associated To Amphibian Egg Masses, Ryan Kerney, Miguel Vences, Maria Sachs, Iker Irisarri, Fabian Bartels, Pontus Eriksson, Sven Künzel, Atsushi Kurabayashi, Ane Laugen, Zachary Vegso, Cory Bishop, Hartmut Arndt Aug 2024

Phylotranscriptomic Relationships Of The Oophila Clade Of Green Algae Associated To Amphibian Egg Masses, Ryan Kerney, Miguel Vences, Maria Sachs, Iker Irisarri, Fabian Bartels, Pontus Eriksson, Sven Künzel, Atsushi Kurabayashi, Ane Laugen, Zachary Vegso, Cory Bishop, Hartmut Arndt

Biology Faculty Publications

Green algae usually assigned to the genus Oophila are known to colonize egg capsules of amphibian egg masses across the Nearctic and Palearctic regions. We study the phylogenetic relationships of these algae using a phylotranscriptomic data set of 76 protein-coding single-copy nuclear genes. Our data set includes novel RNAseq data for six amphibian-associated and five free-living green algae, and draft genomes of two of the latter. Within the Oophila clade (nested within Moewusinia), we find samples from two European frogs (Rana dalmatina and R. temporaria) closely related to those of the North American frog R. aurora (Oophila …


A Comparison Of Diploid And Triploid Eastern Oysters For Aquaculture Production Under Extreme Temperatures And Salinities, Joshua H. Kim Aug 2024

A Comparison Of Diploid And Triploid Eastern Oysters For Aquaculture Production Under Extreme Temperatures And Salinities, Joshua H. Kim

LSU Master's Theses

Off-bottom aquaculture of Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) is a nascent industry that is increasingly supported by the use of triploid oysters, which grow faster than diploids. Despite their growth advantage, elevated triploid mortality compared to diploids under high temperature, low salinity, or a combination of these conditions challenge consistent triploid production. Identifying the environmental thresholds at which differential triploid mortality occurs and predicting its economic impact are important to informing decision-making in oyster aquaculture. The goal of this thesis was to compare the biological and economic performance of diploid and triploid oysters under high temperature and low salinity conditions. …


Functional Genomics Approaches To Understanding The Impact Of Common And Rare Risk Variants On Microglia Function In Neurodegenerative Diseases, Shih-Feng You Aug 2024

Functional Genomics Approaches To Understanding The Impact Of Common And Rare Risk Variants On Microglia Function In Neurodegenerative Diseases, Shih-Feng You

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 70 genetic loci that are linked to Alzheimer disease (AD) risk. Many of these risk genes are involved in microglial function, including MS4A4A, TREM2, and PLD3, suggesting a relationship between microglial phagocytosis, metabolism, inflammation, and AD pathogenesis. However, the mechanisms by which AD risk genes alter microglia function and contribute to disease remains inadequately explored. In this dissertation, I leveraged functional genomics methods to understand the impact of MS4A4A, TREM2, and PLD3 on microglia function in stem cell and mouse models as well as human brain tissue. MS4A4A is a microglial gene …


Mitochondrial Network Reorganization And Transient Expansion During Oligodendrocyte Generation, Xhoela Bame, Robert A. Hill Aug 2024

Mitochondrial Network Reorganization And Transient Expansion During Oligodendrocyte Generation, Xhoela Bame, Robert A. Hill

Dartmouth Scholarship

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) give rise to myelinating oligodendrocytes of the brain. This process persists throughout life and is essential for recovery from neurodegeneration. To better understand the cellular checkpoints that occur during oligodendrogenesis, we determined the mitochondrial distribution and morphometrics across the oligodendrocyte lineage in mouse and human cerebral cortex. During oligodendrocyte generation, mitochondrial content expands concurrently with a change in subcellular partitioning towards the distal processes. These changes are followed by an abrupt loss of mitochondria in the oligodendrocyte processes and myelin, coinciding with sheath compaction. This reorganization and extensive expansion and depletion take 3 days. Oligodendrocyte mitochondria …


An Intronic Regulatory Element Limits Tcf7 Expression In Natural Killer Cells, Matthew Vincent Mccullen Aug 2024

An Intronic Regulatory Element Limits Tcf7 Expression In Natural Killer Cells, Matthew Vincent Mccullen

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

To provide protection against a broad spectrum of threats, the immune system must give rise to a diverse range of cell types each with specialized roles in host defense. Transcriptional regulation is achieved by interactions between transcription factors and non-coding cis-regulatory DNA elements such as promoters and enhancers. One of the most important transcription factors in lymphocyte development and function is TCF1 (encoded by the Tcf7 gene). TCF1 is required for the efficient development of both innate lymphocytes, such as NK cells, as well as adaptive T cells. TCF1 also regulates the functional abilities of these cell types, such as …


Predicting Cell Fate Using Single-Cell State And Lineage Information, Emily Grace Butka Aug 2024

Predicting Cell Fate Using Single-Cell State And Lineage Information, Emily Grace Butka

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Humans begin as a single cell, with successive cell divisions ultimately giving rise to a complex organism comprised of innumerable highly specialized cells. In this process, cells begin as pluripotent stem cells and slowly shift towards these highly specialized identities. Several technological innovations have enabled scientists to measure and track many aspects of a single cell’s identity as these divisions occur, at increasingly large scale and rapidly declining cost. As a result, our fundamental understanding of cell identity has grown to encompass several layers of cellular dynamics, including aspects that are both intrinsic and extrinsic, transient and permanent, active and …


Insights From Open Conformations Of Ecmsck, Htrpv4, And Hhcn1 Into The Structural Basis Of Ligand-Regulated Ion Channel Gating, Jonathan Mount Aug 2024

Insights From Open Conformations Of Ecmsck, Htrpv4, And Hhcn1 Into The Structural Basis Of Ligand-Regulated Ion Channel Gating, Jonathan Mount

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Ion channels are found in all domains of life and play fundamental roles in cellular signaling and response to environmental cues. The ability to accommodate the selective and rapid passage of ions across a cell membrane is conferrable by a myriad of protein folds with no singular one-size-fits-all approach. With the advent of the cryo-EM resolution revolution, substantial interest has developed for determining the molecular structures of conformational states that correspond to conductive and nonconductive forms of ion channels. By gaining insight into the structural mechanisms for ion channel gating, we can potentially reveal binding pockets for targeted small molecule …


Investigating The Cellular Mechanisms Of Intracellular Ph Regulation During Exposure To High Co2., Dillon Flowers Aug 2024

Investigating The Cellular Mechanisms Of Intracellular Ph Regulation During Exposure To High Co2., Dillon Flowers

Biology Theses

There are at least two different strategies of pH regulation among fish. The first is coupled pH regulation (CPR), where regulation of blood pH facilitates tissue pH regulation; and the second is preferential intracellular pH (pHi) regulation (PPR), where tissue pH remains tightly regulated despite a sustained reduction in blood pH. The cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the differences in pHi regulation are currently unknown. I investigated the mechanisms of pH regulation in fishes using Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) which use CPR and PPR, respectively. Fish were exposed to elevated CO …


Insulin-Independent Regulation Of Type 1 Diabetes Via Large Brown Adipocyte-Secreted Proteins And The Novel Glucagon Regulator, Nidogen2, Jeongmin Lee Aug 2024

Insulin-Independent Regulation Of Type 1 Diabetes Via Large Brown Adipocyte-Secreted Proteins And The Novel Glucagon Regulator, Nidogen2, Jeongmin Lee

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Current treatments for type 1 diabetes (T1D) focus on insulin replacement. We demonstrate the therapeutic potential of a secreted protein fraction from embryonic brown adipose tissue (BAT), independent of insulin. The large molecular weight secreted fraction mediates insulin receptor-dependent recovery of euglycemia in a T1D animal model, nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, by suppressing glucagon secretion. This fraction also promotes white adipocyte differentiation and browning, maintains healthy BAT, and enhances glucose uptake in adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and liver. From this fraction, we identify nidogen-2 as a critical BAT-secreted protein that reverses hyperglycemia in NOD mice, inhibits glucagon secretion from pancreatic …


Gnotobiotic Mouse Models For Characterizing The Role Of The Microbiota On Undernutrition And Early Postnatal Brain Development, Alexandra Elizabeth Byrne Aug 2024

Gnotobiotic Mouse Models For Characterizing The Role Of The Microbiota On Undernutrition And Early Postnatal Brain Development, Alexandra Elizabeth Byrne

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Undernutrition is a serious global health challenge; it accounts for nearly half of all mortality for children under the age of 5. Worse, undernutrition is compounded by intergenerational inheritance and can be transmitted from mother to offspring. The burden of undernutrition is unequally distributed around the world, with South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for almost 60% of the global childhood stunting. Undernutrition is detrimental to many aspects of development, including long-term deficits in neurodevelopment, and current interventions rarely ameliorate long-term cognitive and motor deficits. Therefore, other causes of undernutrition need to be elucidated in order to treat this epidemic …


Investigation Of Photoperiodic Control Of Hypocotyl 1’S Role In Promoting Phytochrome B-Photobody Phase Separation, Sarah Anne Pardi Aug 2024

Investigation Of Photoperiodic Control Of Hypocotyl 1’S Role In Promoting Phytochrome B-Photobody Phase Separation, Sarah Anne Pardi

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Light is arguably the most important environmental stimuli for all of plant growth and survival. Not only does light serve as an energy source via photosynthesis, it also serves as a signal for developmental programming. Plants perceive light through light-responsive proteins termed photoreceptors. Phytochromes are conserved red/far-red light photoreceptors. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress), phytochrome B (phyB) is the primary red light photoreceptor. PhyB is involved in regulating almost all developmental processes throughout the plant’s life cycle, from seedling germination to flowering. In response to red light, phytochromes photoconvert to a biologically active form, transport from the …


Corneal Epithelial Tissue Engineering Approaches To Treat Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency, Sasirekha K Aug 2024

Corneal Epithelial Tissue Engineering Approaches To Treat Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency, Sasirekha K

Theses and Dissertations

A clear healthy cornea is essential for visual acuity. As a self-renewing and regenerating tissue, the corneal epithelium has a stem cell pool, the limbus that acts as its proliferative reservoir. When limbal epithelial stem cells are destroyed or become dysfunctional, a pathological state known as limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) manifests. Damaged corneas have been successfully reconstructed by transplanting the cultured limbal epithelial stem cells. Limbal stem cell transplantation (LSCT) is one of the applicable and most challenging procedures in clinical ophthalmology for the reconstruction of the stratified ocular surface epithelium in patients with LSCD. Given the above challenge, …


The Clinical Significance And Genetic Origin Of P14arf, Anna Louise Grobelny Guthrie Aug 2024

The Clinical Significance And Genetic Origin Of P14arf, Anna Louise Grobelny Guthrie

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The p14ARF tumor suppressor is the second most commonly mutated gene in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). p14ARF (p19ARF in mice) is encoded by the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A) gene. The p14ARF tumor suppressor is known to play a fundamental role in cancer progression by regulating senescence, apoptosis, and proliferation. The primary function of p14ARF is to respond to oncogenic signals and activate the p53 tumor suppressor by inhibiting and sequestering the HDM2 (MDM2) oncogene. However, recent studies have uncovered multiple p53-independent functions of p14ARF, opening the door to a myriad of possible vulnerabilities in p14ARF-mutant tumors. Many current …


A Systematic Review: Longevity And Quality Of Life In Blue Zones, Salmaan Mulla Aug 2024

A Systematic Review: Longevity And Quality Of Life In Blue Zones, Salmaan Mulla

Theses and Graduate Projects

Ikaria, Loma Linda, Sardinia, Okinawa, and Nikoya. These 5 cities around the world are famed for their increased longevity and quality of life and are termed “Blue Zones”. Blue zones are areas around the world noted for their population of centenarians, overall long life expectancy and high quality of life compared to the average population. Studying these communities offer insights into the commonalities they share to better understand the unique aspects of living a healthy, fulfilling and long life. A comprehensive literature review was conducted using Google Scholar, with the search terms “Ikaria, Greece longevity; Loma Linda, California longevity; Sardinia, …


Steroid Sulfatase In Rodent Tissues And A Cell Line: Characterization, Regulation And Inhibition, Barathi Balasubramonian Aug 2024

Steroid Sulfatase In Rodent Tissues And A Cell Line: Characterization, Regulation And Inhibition, Barathi Balasubramonian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Inactive sulfated steroids are present in plasma at higher concentrations than unsulfated ones. Steroid sulfatase (STS) is the enzyme that removes the sulfate group from sulfated steroid hormones in local tissues, making them active. High levels of STS are linked to breast and prostate cancers, and low levels of STS cause behavioral disorders and X-linked ichthyosis. STS is present in most tissues, yet its physiological role is uncertain. We sought to characterize STS activity in several rodent model systems in order to learn more about its function. Three different sets of experiments were conducted. First, we examined STS in mouse …


Emotional Response In Working Memory Of Individuals With Latent Toxoplasmosis, Antonella Quimbayo Aug 2024

Emotional Response In Working Memory Of Individuals With Latent Toxoplasmosis, Antonella Quimbayo

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Toxoplasma gondii is a prevalent parasite that infects about 30% of the world population. House cats and other felids serve as definitive hosts and acquire Toxoplasma by consuming infected prey, which are intermediate hosts. This includes rats and avians, but also large mammals such as wolves and deer. Toxoplasma gondii is known to manipulate prey behavior to enhance its transmission. For example, infected rodents demonstrates attraction to and curiosity around cat urine. Wolves infected with Toxoplasma were 11 times more likely to disperse from their pack and start a new pack. The manipulation of intermediate host behavior observed in rodents …


Novel Mechanisms For The Neural Control Of Breathing In Acute Lung Injury, Kajal Kamra Aug 2024

Novel Mechanisms For The Neural Control Of Breathing In Acute Lung Injury, Kajal Kamra

Theses & Dissertations

Acute lung injury (ALI) triggers inflammation that disrupts the normal alveolar-capillary endothelial barrier, impairing gas exchange and causing hypoxemia, which reflexively increases respiration. An elevated respiratory rate (fR) usually develops within hours to days following ALI. This acute respiratory failure disorder affects approximately 200,000 new cases annually in the US and accounts for 10% of ICU admissions, with high morbidity and mortality. The neural mechanisms underlying respiratory dysfunction post-ALI are not fully understood. My doctoral dissertation aimed to investigate the mediators of abnormal ventilation during ALI. Systemic hypoxia stimulates the carotid body (CB) chemoreflex, a crucial protective reflex that maintains …


Observations Of Currents, Waves, And Turbulence Within A Giant Kelp Forest In Stillwater Cove, Carmel, California, Logan A. Grady Aug 2024

Observations Of Currents, Waves, And Turbulence Within A Giant Kelp Forest In Stillwater Cove, Carmel, California, Logan A. Grady

Master's Theses

Nutrient distribution and propagule dispersal within Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) forests are significantly influenced by turbulence. In-situ measurements of turbulence within giant kelp forests are limited and driving mechanisms are primarily informed by controlled-flume experiments. This study investigates relationships between currents, surface gravity waves, and turbulence within a kelp forest through deployment of moored instrumentation and kelp surveys in Stillwater Cove, California during summer of 2022. Oceanographic conditions were primarily driven by coastal upwelling and a semi-diurnal internal tide, which was associated with cooling events and enhanced onshore velocity within the kelp forest during rising tides. Estimates of gradient Richardson …


Seasonal Dynamics Of The Introduced Sponge Hymeniacidon Perlevis In The Elkhorn Slough, California, Usa, Jackson Hoeke Aug 2024

Seasonal Dynamics Of The Introduced Sponge Hymeniacidon Perlevis In The Elkhorn Slough, California, Usa, Jackson Hoeke

Master's Theses

Hymeniacidon perlevis is a cosmopolitan sponge with a seasonal life cycle We investigated seasonal and interannual dynamics of H. perlevis in Elkhorn Slough estuary, where it is an introduced species, and explored correlations between sponge cover and environmental conditions. We used sponge cover to estimate the potential effects H. perlevis on its environment and how those could vary across its seasonal life cycle. We found that successful recruitment is currently restricted to the upper estuary and while it varies annually, the frequency and density of sponge recruits have generally increased from 2007 to 2023. A seasonal life cycle was confirmed …


Elucidating The First Protective Mutation From Inherited Alzheimer’S Disease - Apolipoprotein E3 Christchurch (Apoe3ch) And Insights Into Apoe Ligand-Receptor Interactions, Yun Chen Aug 2024

Elucidating The First Protective Mutation From Inherited Alzheimer’S Disease - Apolipoprotein E3 Christchurch (Apoe3ch) And Insights Into Apoe Ligand-Receptor Interactions, Yun Chen

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the major cause of dementia. An inherited form of AD (dominant inherited AD) starts much earlier in life, often in the fourth and fifth decade. A recent case report described an individual who was resistant to dominantly inherited AD caused by a PSEN1-E280A mutation and was a homozygous carrier of the APOE3 Christchurch (APOE3ch) variant. A clear separation between amyloid and tau pathology occurred in this unique AD case. However, whether APOE3ch contributed to the protective effect remains unclear. In this thesis, we generated a humanized APOE3ch knock-in mouse and crossed it to an amyloid-β (Aβ) …


Aquaponics Experiment For Njit Stem For Success, Christopher Tava Aug 2024

Aquaponics Experiment For Njit Stem For Success, Christopher Tava

STEM Month

As a member of STEM for Success, I was responsible for constructing and promoting a functioning aquaponics system for the benefit of fifth grade students. With the help of NJIT funding, I was able to design, rapid prototype, and then implement a sustainable aquaponics system that was able to grow lettuce, tomatoes, and kale. Multiple challenges in the design process led to changes, further research, and the implementation of new solutions, as described in detail. Using the aquaponics knowledge gained from the experimental phase, I then led community outreach to elementary schools in my local area. Aquaponics possesses a variety …


Understanding The Mechanisms Of Bio-Effects Of Carbon-Based Nanomaterials In Planta Using “Omics” Approach, Sajedeh Rezaei Cherati Aug 2024

Understanding The Mechanisms Of Bio-Effects Of Carbon-Based Nanomaterials In Planta Using “Omics” Approach, Sajedeh Rezaei Cherati

Theses and Dissertations

Carbon-based nanomaterials (CBNs) are recognized as versatile and promising nanomaterials for various applications across multiple fields, including medicine, genetic engineering, plant biology, and agriculture. Notably, carbon nanotubes have been identified as effective in regulating plant growth, reducing plant diseases, and facilitating the targeted delivery of molecules such as DNA and proteins into plant cells and tissues. Despite these advancements, the comprehensive understanding of CBNs' biological impacts, particularly their role in enhancing plant growth and stress tolerance, remains incomplete. Moreover, the use of CBNs in agriculture raises concerns regarding the safety of consuming contaminated plant products and the implications of CBNs …


Systemic Activation Of The Axon Degeneration Executioner Sarm1 Triggers Acute Hyperglycemia, Lillian Spatz Aug 2024

Systemic Activation Of The Axon Degeneration Executioner Sarm1 Triggers Acute Hyperglycemia, Lillian Spatz

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Communication between the nervous system and metabolic tissues directs whole body homeostasis. It is well understood that peripheral tissues respond to neural stimulation or inhibition to modulate energy usage and storage, hormone release, and stress pathways, but the neuroendocrine circuits that drive these outcomes remain ill-defined. Our lab identified sterile alpha and TIR motif containing 1 (SARM1) as the central executioner of axon degeneration in injury and disease models. We found that SARM1 is activated by an elevated NMN/NAD+ ratio and that nicotinamide analogs, including 3-AP and vacor, are converted to NMN-like intermediates that directly bind to SARM1, mimicking the …