Biotechnology Commons^™

Late-Stage Maturation Of The Rieske Fe/S Protein: Mzm1 Stabilizes Rip1 But Does Not Facilitate Its Translocation By The Aaa Atpase Bcs1, Tie-Zhong Cui, Pamela M. Smith, Jennifer L. Fox, Oleh Khalimonchuk, Dennis R. Winge

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The final step in the assembly of the ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase or bc₁ complex involves the insertion of the Rieske Fe/S cluster protein, Rip1. Maturation of Rip1 occurs within the mitochondrial matrix prior to its translocation across the inner membrane (IM) in a process mediated by the Bcs1 ATPase and subsequent insertion into the bc₁ complex. Here we show that the matrix protein Mzm1 functions as a Rip1 chaperone, stabilizing Rip1 prior to the translocation step. In the absence of Mzm1, Rip1 is prone to either proteolytic degradation or temperature-induced aggregation. A series of Rip1 truncations were engineered …

Substrate Channeling In Proline Metabolism, Benjamin W. Arentson, Nikhilesh Sanyal, Donald F. Becker

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Proline metabolism is an important pathway that has relevance in several cellular functions such as redox balance, apoptosis, and cell survival. Results from different groups have indicated that substrate channeling of proline metabolic intermediates may be a critical mechanism. One intermediate is pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C), which upon hydrolysis opens to glutamic semialdehyde (GSA). Recent structural and kinetic evidence indicate substrate channeling of P5C/ GSA occurs in the proline catabolic pathway between the proline dehydrogenase and P5C dehydrogenase active sites of bifunctional proline utilization A (PutA). Substrate channeling in PutA is proposed to facilitate the hydrolysis of P5C to GSA which is …

Glutaredoxin 1 Protects Dopaminergic Cells By Increased Protein Glutathionylation In Experimental Parkinson's Disease, Humberto Rodriguez-Rocha, Aracely Garcia Garcia, Laura Zavala-Flores, Sumin Li, Nandakumar Madayiputhiya, Rodrigo Franco

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Aims: Chronic exposure to environmental toxicants, such as paraquat, has been suggested as a risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD). Although dopaminergic cell death in PD is associated with oxidative damage, the molecular mechanisms involved remain elusive. Glutaredoxins (GRXs) utilize the reducing power of glutathione to modulate redox-dependent signaling pathways by protein glutathionylation. We aimed to determine the role of GRX1 and protein glutathionylation in dopaminergic cell death. Results: In dopaminergic cells, toxicity induced by paraquat or 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) was inhibited by GRX1 overexpression, while its knock-down sensitized cells to paraquat-induced cell death. Dopaminergic cell death was paralleled by protein …

Ergodic Sets As Cell Phenotype Of Budding Yeast Cell Cycle, Robert G. Todd, Tomáš Helikar

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

It has been suggested that irreducible sets of states in Probabilistic Boolean Networks correspond to cellular phenotype. In this study, we identify such sets of states for each phase of the budding yeast cell cycle. We find that these ‘‘ergodic sets’’ underly the cyclin activity levels during each phase of the cell cycle. Our results compare to the observations made in several laboratory experiments as well as the results of differential equation models. Dynamical studies of this model: (i) indicate that under stochastic external signals the continuous oscillating waves of cyclin activity and the opposing waves of CKIs …

The Cell Collective: Toward An Open And Collaborative Approach To Systems Biology, Tomáš Helikar, Bryan Kowal, Sean Mcclenathan, Mitchell Bruckner, Thaine Rowley, Alex Madrahimov, Ben Wicks, Manish Shrestha, Kahani Limbu, Jim A. Rogers

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Background: Despite decades of new discoveries in biomedical research, the overwhelming complexity of cells has been a significant barrier to a fundamental understanding of how cells work as a whole. As such, the holistic study of biochemical pathways requires computer modeling. Due to the complexity of cells, it is not feasible for one person or group to model the cell in its entirety.

Results: The Cell Collective is a platform that allows the world-wide scientific community to create these models collectively. Its interface enables users to build and use models without specifying any mathematical equations or computer code - addressing …

A Framework Genetic Map For Miscanthus Sinensis From Rnaseq-Based Markers Shows Recent Tetraploidy, Kankshita Swaminathan, Won Byoung Chae, Therese Mitros, Kranthi Varala, Liang Xie, Adam Barling, Katarzyna Glowacka, Megan Hall, Stanislaw Jezowski, Ray Ming, Matthew Hudson, John A. Juvik, Daniel S. Rokhsar, Stephen P. Moose

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Background: Miscanthus (subtribe Saccharinae, tribe Andropogoneae, family Poaceae) is a genus of temperate perennial C4 grasses whose high biomass production makes it, along with its close relatives sugarcane and sorghum, attractive as a biofuel feedstock. The base chromosome number of Miscanthus (x = 19) is different from that of other Saccharinae and approximately twice that of the related Sorghum bicolor (x = 10), suggesting largescale duplications may have occurred in recent ancestors of Miscanthus. Owing to the complexity of the Miscanthus genome and the complications of self-incompatibility, a complete genetic map with a high density of markers has not …

Mononuclear Phagocyte Intercellular Crosstalk Facilitates Transmission Of Cell-Targeted Nanoformulated Antiretroviral Drugs To Human Brain Endothelial Cells, Georgette D. Kanmogne, Sangya Singh, Upal Roy, Xinming Liu, Joellyn Mcmillan, Santhi Gorantla, Shantanu Balkundi, Nathan Smith, Yazen Alnouti, Nagsen Gautam, You Zhou, Larisa Poluektova, Alexander Kabanov, Tatiana Bronich, Howard Gendelman

Nebraska Center for Biotechnology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Despite the successes of antiretroviral therapy (ART), HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders remain prevalent in infected people. This is due, in part, to incomplete ART penetration across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and lymph nodes and to the establishment of viral sanctuaries within the central nervous system. In efforts to improve ART delivery, our laboratories developed a macrophage-carriage system for nanoformulated crystalline ART (nanoART) (atazanavir, ritonavir, indinavir, and efavirenz). We demonstrate that nanoART transfer from mononuclear phagocytes (MP) to human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) can be realized through cell-to-cell contacts, which can facilitate drug passage across the BBB. Coculturing of donor MP …

Expression Of Lipase From Mycobacterium Tuberculosis In Nicotiana Tobacum And Lactuca Sativa Chloroplasts, Bethany Lloyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), is a global threat and the leading cause of death among individuals infected with HIV. TB treatment requires multi-drug cocktails, due to the increasing rates of drug resistance of the bacterium. With multi-drug cocktails, strains have been documented to be resistant to all major drugs in the fight against TB. Since the strains are drug resistant, it calls for an increasing need for vaccine and treatment development for the purpose of preventing and managing the disease. The most widely distributed vaccine against TB is Bacillus Calmette-Gue´rin (BCG). Apart from being …

Design, Synthesis, And Anticancer Activity Of Ruthenium Complexes, Brock S. Howerton

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Ruthenium complexes show promise as light activated photodynamic therapy (PDT) prodrugs. Strained octahedral complexes were synthesized that produce a cytotoxic species upon light activation. pUC19 DNA damage in vitro experiments were carried out to determine the type of damage observed. In vivo cell experiments were carried out on the non-small lung cancer A549 cell line to determine the phototherapeutic window of the synthesized complexes. One mechanism of drug resistance via elevated levels of glutathione was addressed through in vitro binding studies carried out with UV-Vis spectroscopy and in vivo glutathione titrations in the A549 cell line. Several complexes were shown …

Frankenfoods: Are We Bioengineering Our Children And What Can Curriculum Do?, Patra Rickman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In this dissertation I explore the effect of biotechnology and food production on children’s physical and mental health. What we eat affects our well-being and unknowingly, we have little control of what exactly we are consuming. Children have even less control and feel the effects of additives and chemicals more than adults. Many of the effects of bioengineered foods are unknown at this time. My dissertation will be a theoretical exploration of biotechnology in food using a bioethical critical perspective. I use my personal experience and research to examine the effects of processed and genetically engineered foods on people, especially …

A Neurological Foundation For Freedom, Nita A. Farahany

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.