Cell and Developmental Biology Commons^™

The Black Identity, Hair Product Use, And Breast Cancer Scale, Dede Teteh, Marissa Ericson, Sabine Monice, Lenna Dawkins-Moultin, Nasim Bahadorani, Phyllis Clark, Eudora Mitchell, Lindsey S. Treviño, Adana Llanos, Rick Kittles, Susanne Montgomery

Health Sciences and Kinesiology Faculty Articles

Introduction
Across the African Diaspora, hair is synonymous with identity. As such, Black women use a variety of hair products, which often contain more endocrine-disrupting chemicals than products used by women of other races. An emerging body of research is linking chemicals in hair products to breast cancer, but there is no validated instrument that measures constructs related to hair, identity, and breast health. The objective of this study was to develop and validate the Black Identity, Hair Product Use, and Breast Cancer Scale (BHBS) in a diverse sample of Black women to measure the social and cultural constructs associated …

Inhibition Of Mitochondrial Permeability Transition By Deletion Of The Ant Family And Cypd, Jason Karch, Michael J. Bround, Hadi Khalil, Michelle A. Sargent, Nadina Latchman, Naohiro Terada, Pablo M. Peixoto, Jeffery D. Molkentin

Publications and Research

The mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) has resisted molecular identification. The original model of the MPTP that proposed the adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT) as the inner membrane pore-forming component was challenged when mitochondria from Ant1/2 double null mouse liver still had MPTP activity. Because mice express three Ant genes, we reinvestigated whether the ANTs comprise the MPTP. Liver mitochondria from Ant1, Ant2, and Ant4 deficient mice were highly refractory to Ca2+-induced MPTP formation, and when also given cyclosporine A (CsA), the MPTP was completely inhibited. Moreover, liver mitochondria from mice with quadruple deletion of Ant1, Ant2, Ant4, and Ppif (cyclophilin …

Histology Atlas: Basic Mammalian Tissue Types (Biol 105), Joshua Barnes, Daniel J. Yakubov, Corinna Singleman, Nathalia G. Holtzman

Open Educational Resources

This book is a guide to the basic histology lab conducted as a part of the Queens College, CUNY Biology Department Bio105 General Biology: Physiology and Cell Biology course. This course is the first half our two-part series for biology majors. The actives are designed to be conducted over a single 3-hour lab periods which focus on the relationship of form and function of the cellular and organ level anatomy and physiology. Step by step instructions for each slide set are provided for all the key organs.

In addition to the full text of the book, we also provide a …

Fetal Pig Dissection Manual (Biol 105), Nathalia G. Holtzman, Daniel J. Yakubov

Open Educational Resources

This book is a guide to the basic fetal pig dissection conducted as a part of the Queens College, CUNY Biology Department Bio105 General Biology: Physiology and Cell Biology course. This course is the first half our two-part series for biology majors. The actives are designed to be conducted over a three- 3-hour lab periods which focus on the relationship of form and function of the pig anatomy and physiology. Step by step instructions for the dissection are provided along with some microscopy tasks to look at the histology of key organs.

In addition to the full text of the …

Role Of Transient Receptor Potential Channels In Epithelial Morphogenesis In Chick Embryo, Trinity Q. Waddell

Theses and Dissertations

Transient Receptor Potential channels (TRP) are a superfamily of cationic specific ionchannels that are regulated by various stimuli such as temperature, pH, mechanical stress, ligandsand ion concentration. The role of TRP channels in disease states such as autosomal dominantpolycystic kidney disease, cancer metastasis, and developmental defects lend credence to thebelief that they play an important part in epithelial morphogenesis events. The development ofsomites, neural tube closure and migration of neural crest cells to form things such as the faceand heart is a good developmental model for the aforementioned cellular processes. We haveshown that TRP channels can be found in the …

Development Of A Sonically Powered Biodegradable Nanogenerator For Bone Regeneration, Avi S. Patel

University Scholar Projects

Background: Reconstruction of bone fractures and defects remains a big challenge in orthopedic surgery. While regenerative engineering has advanced the field greatly using a combination of biomaterial scaffolds and stem cells, one matter of difficulty is inducing osteogenesis in these cells. Recent works have shown electricity’s ability to promote osteogenesis in stem cell lines when seeded in bone scaffolds; however, typical electrical stimulators are either (a) externally housed and require overcomplex percutaneous wires be connected to the implanted scaffold or (b) implanted non-degradable devices which contain toxic batteries and require invasive removal surgeries.

Objective: Here, we establish a biodegradable, piezoelectric …

Development Of A Sonically Powered Biodegradable Nanogenerator For Bone Regeneration, Avi Patel

Honors Scholar Theses

Background: Reconstruction of bone fractures and defects remains a big challenge in orthopedic surgery. While regenerative engineering has advanced the field greatly using a combination of biomaterial scaffolds and stem cells, one matter of difficulty is inducing osteogenesis in these cells. Recent works have shown electricity’s ability to promote osteogenesis in stem cell lines when seeded in bone scaffolds; however, typical electrical stimulators are either (a) externally housed and require overcomplex percutaneous wires be connected to the implanted scaffold or (b) implanted non-degradable devices which contain toxic batteries and require invasive removal surgeries.

Objective: Here, we establish a biodegradable, piezoelectric …

A Dedicated Chaperone Mediates The Safe Transfer Of Mitoribosomal Proteins To Their Site Of Assembly, Gabrielle Ashley Hillman

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Mitochondrial ribosomes are functionally specialized for the synthesis of several essential inner membrane proteins of the respiratory chain. While remarkable progress has recently been made towards understanding the structure of mitoribosomes, the unique pathways and factors that facilitate their biogenesis remain largely unknown. This dissertation defines the physiological role of an evolutionarily conserved yeast protein called Mam33 in mitochondrial ribosome assembly. The biomedical relevance of this finding stems from the fact that mutations or changes in its expression of the human ortholog p32 result in mitochondrial dysfunction. In human patients, bi-allelic mutations cause severe multisystemic defects in mitochondrial energy metabolism, …

Human Anatomy And Physiology I: Course Map With Expected Learning Outcomes, Carlos Liachovitzky

Open Educational Resources

This document contains a list with all the Anatomy and Physiology I expected learning outcomes organized by topics, and grouped into ten units: 1. Introduction to A&P: body plan & organization; 2. Introduction to A&P: homeostasis; 3. The chemical level of organization; 4. Levels of organization: the cellular level of organization; 5. Levels of organization: the tissue level of organization; 6. Support and movement: integumentary system; 7. Support and movement: skeletal system & articulations; 8. Support and movement: muscular system; 9. Regulation, integration, and control: nervous system; 10. Regulation, integration, and control: special senses

Each learning outcome is referred to …

Comparative Plasma Proteomics In Muscle Atrophy Induced By Cancer Cachexia And Hindlimb Unloading, Kirsten Rene Dunlap

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Muscle atrophy results from a dysfunction in protein turnover that leads to loss of mass and function and occurs concurrently with multiple pathologies such as cancer and extended bed rest. Atrophy reduces overall quality of life while increasing morbidity and mortality. Currently, efficacious therapeutic interventions to treat and prevent muscle wasting in all its forms are lacking, however if conserved mechanisms can be identified between wasting conditions, this would aid in the development of multipurpose therapeutics to ameliorate this pathology. Purpose: To examine circulating factors present across atrophic pathologies. Methods: 35 male C57BL/6J mice were assigned to hindlimb unloading …

Embryonic Lethality Of Cranial Neural Crest Deletion Of Cdc73, Lilia Shen

Honors Scholar Theses

Hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumor (HPT-JT) syndrome is a disease characterized by parathyroid tumors, renal cysts or tumors, uterine tumors, and ossifying jaw fibromas. The cause of this syndrome is linked to a tumor suppressor gene called Cdc73, which encodes the protein product parafibromin. The loss of proper expression of Cdc73/parafibromin is implicated in the development of the tumors typical of HPT-JT, although the exact mechanisms of tumorigenesis are unclear. In particular, not much is understood about the development of ossifying fibromas (OF) of the jaw in this syndrome. OF is a benign bone neoplasm that can affect the mandible and …

Computational Modelling Of Peptides Containing Non-Standard Amino Acids, David W. Kastner

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Peptides represent a class of abundant and potent pharmaceutic compounds. Despite their appeal, the design, synthesis, and engineering of biologically relevant peptides remain a challenge. Chapter 1 introduces the various computational methods that will be used. Chapter 2 focuses on the incorporation of a special class of amino acids called bulky dehydroamino acids into the turn of β-hairpins to proteolytically stabilize peptides. Our results suggest that dehydroamino acids confer proteolytic stability by favoring a more folded state. Chapter 3 describes the structural calculations of a rare anticancer peptide called Yaku’amide using a combined molecular mechanics/quantum mechanics hybrid method. The …

Deciphering The Consequences Of Yolk Testosterone Metabolism In Birds, Nicole A. Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

Maternal steroids transferred to eggs can elicit permanent effects on various aspects of offspring phenotype. Although, testosterone was thought to be a key mediator of maternal effects in birds, we now know that vertebrate embryos actively regulate their exposure to maternal testosterone through steroid metabolism, suggesting testosterone metabolites may elicit the observed phenotypic effects. To address the role steroid metabolism plays in mediating yolk testosterone effects, we used European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) eggs to characterize the timing of testosterone metabolism and determine whether etiocholanolone, a prominent testosterone metabolite in avian embryos, is capable of influencing early embryonic development. Tritiated testosterone …

Serum Amyloid A Binds To Gibrin(Ogen), Promoting Fibrin Amyloid Formation, Martin J. Page, Greig J. A. Thomson, J. Massimo Nunes, Anna-Mart Engelbrecht, Theo A. Nell, Willem J. S. De Villiers, Maria C. De Beer, Lize Engelbrecht, Douglas B. Kell, Etheresia Pretorius

Physiology Faculty Publications

Complex associations exist between inflammation and thrombosis, with the inflammatory state tending to promote coagulation. Fibrinogen, an acute phase protein, has been shown to interact with the amyloidogenic ß-amyloid protein of Alzheimer’s disease. However, little is known about the association between fibrinogen and serum amyloid A (SAA), a highly fibrillogenic protein that is one of the most dramatically changing acute phase reactants in the circulation. To study the role of SAA in coagulation and thrombosis, in vitro experiments were performed where purified human SAA, in concentrations resembling a modest acute phase response, was added to platelet-poor plasma (PPP) and whole …

Apolipoprotein E4 Alters Astrocyte Fatty Acid Metabolism And Lipid Droplet Formation, Brandon C. Farmer, Jude Kluemper, Lance A. Johnson

Physiology Faculty Publications

Lipid droplets (LDs) serve as energy rich reservoirs and have been associated with apolipoprotein E (APOE) and neurodegeneration. The E4 allele of APOE (E4) is the strongest genetic risk factor for the development of late onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Since both E4 carriers and individuals with AD exhibit a state of cerebral lipid dyshomeostasis, we hypothesized that APOE may play a role in regulating LD metabolism. We found that astrocytes expressing E4 accumulate significantly more and smaller LDs compared to E3 astrocytes. Accordingly, expression of perilipin-2, an essential LD protein component, was higher in E4 astrocytes. We then …

The Effects Of Bisphenol F On Embryonic Cardiac Output In Zebrafish, Kyle Monnot

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Bisphenol F (BPF) is an analog compound of the xenoestrogen bisphenol A (BPA). BPA utilization has decreased dramatically due to its detrimental effects as an endocrine disrupter. In place of BPA, BPF is growing to be a ubiquitous chemical in epoxy resin manufacturing. Recent research has begun to investigate the possible endocrinal effects of BPF as an analog of BPA. This study was performed to examine the potential effects of BPF exposure on cardiac parameters of zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos. Embryos were exposed to 50 µg/L BPF for 48 hours, and cardiac parameters (stroke volume, heart rate, and …

Stress-Dependent Regulation Of A Major Node Of The Insulin-Like Peptide Network That Modulates Survival, Rashmi Chandra

Wayne State University Dissertations

Chronic stress disrupts insulin signaling, predisposing human populations to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, and other metabolic and neurological disorders, including post-traumatic disorders (PTSD). Thus, efficient recovery from stress optimizes survival. However, stress recovery in humans is difficult to study, but is much easier to dissect in model organisms. The worm genetic model Caenorhabditis elegans can switch between stressed and non-stressed states, and this switch is largely regulated by insulin signaling. Previously, the Alcedo lab proposed that insulin-like peptides (ILPs), which exist as multiple members of a protein family in both C. elegans and humans, implements a combinatorial coding strategy …

The Balance Between Prostaglandin E2 Ep3 And Ep4 Receptors Determines Severity Of Cardiac Damage In Myocardial Infarction And An Angiotensin Ii-Induced Model Of Hypertension, Timothy Dean Bryson

Wayne State University Dissertations

According to the center for disease control about 610,000 people die every year in the United States from heart disease, of which, coronary heart disease is the most common form. One major risk factor for heart attack is hypertension, which affects nearly half of all Americans [472, 473]. PGE2 plays an important role in regulating cardiovascular function and mediating inflammation, both of which contribute to the development of hypertension and/or heart disease. Prostaglandin E2 can act as a vasodilator or vasoconstrictor depending on which of its receptor subtypes are activated.

In general, activation of the EP1 and EP3 receptors is …

The Effects Of A Ketone Body On Synaptic Transmission, Alexandra Elizabeth Stanback

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

The ketogenic diet is commonly used to control epilepsy, especially in cases when medications cannot. The diet typically consists of high fat, low carb, and adequate protein and produces a metabolite called acetoacetate. Seizure activity is characterized by glutamate excitotoxicity and therefore glutamate regulation is a point of research for control of these disorders. Acetoacetate is heavily implicated as the primary molecule responsible for decreasing glutamate in the synapse; it is believed that acetoacetate interferes with the transport of glutamate into the synaptic vesicles. The effects on synaptic transmission at glutamatergic synapses was studied in relation to the ketogenic diet …

Effects Of Aquatic Acidification On Calcium Uptake In White River Shrimp Litopenaeus Setiferus Gills, Maria-Flora Jacobs

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous research regarding aquatic acidification has examined the protonation of the carbonate and does not consider calcium to be a limiting factor. This is the first study to suggest that pH may affect the uptake of calcium in crustacean gills. This project describes ion transport mechanisms present in the cell membranes of white river shrimp Litopenaeus setiferus gill epithelium, and the effects of pH on the uptake of calcium by these means. Partially purified membrane vesicles (PPMV) of shrimp gills were prepared through a homogenization process that has been used previously to define ion transport in crab and lobster gill …

An Evaluation Of Induced Shear Stress On Endothelial Cellular Adhesion Molecules, Edward B. Crabb

Theses and Dissertations

The pathophysiology of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) is highlighted by vascular dysfunction and low-grade vascular inflammation. Furthermore, the site-specific distribution of atherosclerosis throughout the arterial vasculature is primarily determined by local hemodynamic force. Therefore, this dissertation outlines three experiments designed to investigate the role of acute mental and physical (i.e., aerobic exercise), and vascular wall shear stress (SS) on the inflammatory aspects of atherosclerosis. Chapter 2 examines the effect of acute laboratory-induced mental stress on intracellular pro-inflammatory signaling pathways in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Chapter 3 investigates the impact of acute laboratory-induced mental stress and maximal aerobic exercise on the …

Hdl In Endocrine Carcinomas: Biomarker, Drug Carrier, And Potential Therapeutic, Emily E. Morin, Xiang-An Li, Anna Schwendeman

Physiology Faculty Publications

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) have long been studied for their protective role against cardiovascular diseases, however recently relationship between HDL and cancer came into focus. Several epidemiological studies have shown an inverse correlation between HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and cancer risk, and some have even implied that HDL-C can be used as a predictive measure for survival prognosis in for specific sub-population of certain types of cancer. HDL itself is an endogenous nanoparticle capable of removing excess cholesterol from the periphery and returning it to the liver for excretion. One of the main receptors for HDL, scavenger receptor type B-I (SR-BI), is highly …

Minimal Information For Studies Of Extracellular Vesicles 2018 (Misev2018): A Position Statement Of The International Society For Extracellular Vesicles And Update Of The Misev2014 Guidelines, Clotilde Théry, Kenneth W. Witwer, Elena Aikawa, Maria Jose Alcaraz, Johnathon D. Anderson, Ramaroson Andriantsitohaina, Anna Antoniou, Tanina Arab, Fabienne Archer, Georgia K. Atkin-Smith, D. Craig Ayre, Jean-Marie Bach, Daniel Bachurski, Hossein Baharvand, Leonora Balaj, Shawn Baldacchino, Natalie N. Bauer, Amy A. Baxter, Mary Bebawy, Carla Beckham, Apolonija Bedina Zavec, Adberrahim Benmoussa, Anna C. Berardi, Paolo Bergese, Ewa Bielska, Cherie Blenkiron, Sylwia Bobis-Wozowicz, Eric Boilard, Wilfred Boireau, Antonella Bongiovanni, Ivan Vechetti

Physiology Faculty Publications

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (“MISEV”) guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these “MISEV2014” guidelines …

Emerging Roles Of The Membrane Potential: Action Beyond The Action Potential, Lina Abdul Kadir, Michael Stacey, Richard Barrett-Jolley

Bioelectrics Publications

Whilst the phenomenon of an electrical resting membrane potential (RMP) is a central tenet of biology, it is nearly always discussed as a phenomenon that facilitates the propagation of action potentials in excitable tissue, muscle, and nerve. However, as ion channel research shifts beyond these tissues, it became clear that the RMP is a feature of virtually all cells studied. The RMP is maintained by the cell's compliment of ion channels. Transcriptome sequencing is increasingly revealing that equally rich compliments of ion channels exist in both excitable and non-excitable tissue. In this review, we discuss a range of critical roles …

Modified Cantilever Arrays Improve Sensitivity And Reproducibility Of Nanomechanical Sensing In Living Cells, Samadhan B. Patil, Rajai M. Al-Jehani, Hashem Etayash, Valerian Turbe, Keren Jiang, Joe Bailey, Walid Al-Akkad, Rania Soudy, Kamaljit Kaur, Rachel A. Mckendry, Thomas Thundat, Joseph W. Ndieyira

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Mechanical signaling involved in molecular interactions lies at the heart of materials science and biological systems, but the mechanisms involved are poorly understood. Here we use nanomechanical sensors and intact human cells to provide unique insights into the signaling pathways of connectivity networks, which deliver the ability to probe cells to produce biologically relevant, quantifiable and reproducible signals. We quantify the mechanical signals from malignant cancer cells, with 10 cells per ml in 1000-fold excess of non-neoplastic human epithelial cells. Moreover, we demonstrate that a direct link between cells and molecules creates a continuous connectivity which acts like a percolating …

Effect Of Larval Starvation On Lipid Content Of Drosophila Melanogaster Over 15 Days, Fabian Leija, Allen Gibbs

LSAMP Poster Presentations

Starvation-resistant Drosophila melanogaster, common fruit flies, deriving from 121 generations of starvation selection, have resulted in genetically, behaviorally, and physiologically different individuals compared to non-resistant counterparts. Starvation-resistant Drosophila are more obese, containing twice as much lipids as control flies.This is a result of starvation-resistant fly larva feeding for 5 days and then entering the pupa stage while non-resistant flies only feed for 4 days.

In this experiment, we hope to answer the question of whether the starvation-resistant flies are genetically predisposed to be substantially more obese than wild populations or if it is a result of this alternate behavior …

The Role Of Developmental Timing Regulators In Progenitor Proliferation And Cell Fate Specification During Mammalian Neurogenesis, Jennifer S. Romer-Seibert

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Developmental timing is a key aspect of tissue and organ formation in which distinct cell types are generated through a series of steps from common progenitors. These progenitors undergo specific changes in gene expression that signifies both a distinct progenitor type and developmental time point that thereby specifies a particular cell fate at that stage of development. The nervous system is an important setting for understanding developmental timing because different cell types are produced in a certain order and the switch from stem cells to progenitors requires precise timing and regulation. Notable examples of such regulatory molecules include the RNA-binding …

Insight Into Translational Activation In Yeast Mitochondria, Julia Lynn Jones

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Mitochondrial function depends on over a thousand proteins, of which the majority are nuclear DNA-encoded and approximately one percent are mitochondrial DNA-encoded. The mitochondrial DNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains eight protein-encoding genes, seven of which are required for proper function of the respiratory complexes and one encodes a ribosomal protein. The bigenomic nature of the oxidative phosphorylation complexes requires coordinated expression and regulation from both the nuclear and the mitochondrial genomes. It is currently unclear how this regulatory network operates. However, it is thought that nuclear genome-encoded messengers localized to the mitochondria aid in this coordination.

A family of proteins …

Overexpression Of Cyb5r3 And Nqo1, Two Nad+-Producing Enzymes, Mimics Aspects Of Caloric Restriction, Alberto Diaz-Ruiz, Michael Lanasa, Joseph Garcia, Hector Mora, Frances Fan, Alejandro Martin-Montalvo, Andrea Di Francesco, Miguel Calvo-Rubio, Andrea Salvador-Pascual, Miguel A. Aon, Kenneth W. Fishbein, Kevin J. Pearson, Jose Manuel Villalba, Placido Navas, Michel Bernier, Rafael De Cabo

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Calorie restriction (CR) is one of the most robust means to improve health and survival in model organisms. CR imposes a metabolic program that leads to increased stress resistance and delayed onset of chronic diseases, including cancer. In rodents, CR induces the upregulation of two NADH‐dehydrogenases, namely NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (Nqo1) and cytochrome b₅ reductase 3 (Cyb5r3), which provide electrons for energy metabolism. It has been proposed that this upregulation may be responsible for some of the beneficial effects of CR, and defects in their activity are linked to aging and several age‐associated diseases. However, …

Effect Of Morinda Citrifolia (Noni)-Enriched Diet On Hepatic Heat Shock Protein And Lipid Metabolism-Related Genes In Heat Stressed Broiler Chickens, Joshua Flees

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Heat stress (HS) has been reported to alter fat deposition in broilers, however the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well-defined; therefore, the objectives of the current study were to: (1) determine the effects of acute (2 h) and chronic (3 wk) HS on the expression of key molecular signatures involved in hepatic lipogenic and lipolytic programs; and (2) assess if diet supplementation with dried Noni medicinal plant (0.2% of the diet) modulates these effects. Broilers (n=480 males, 1 d) were randomly assigned to 12 environmental chambers, subjected to two environmental conditions (HS at 35°C vs. thermoneutral condition [TN] at 24°C) …