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Cell and Developmental Biology Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2014

Biology

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Cell and Developmental Biology

An Activity Aimed At Improving Student Explanations Of Biological Mechanisms, Caleb M. Trujillo, Trevor R. Anderson, Nancy J. Pelaez Dec 2014

An Activity Aimed At Improving Student Explanations Of Biological Mechanisms, Caleb M. Trujillo, Trevor R. Anderson, Nancy J. Pelaez

PIBERG Instructional Innovation Materials

This document is intended for use by instructors and their students. The activity contains steps to introduce students to the MACH model involving analyzing and discussing explanations about biological mechanisms. Initially, students read modified articles about biological mechanisms during class, although instructors may prefer to assign readings outside of class before the activity. During the activity, students are required to analyze the readings for evidence of research methods, analogies, context, and mechanisms. In so doing, students learn how to integrate the information pertaining to each of the MACH model components into a coherent explanation about their biological mechanism. After performing …

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A Tetrahedral Version Of The Mach Model For Explaining Biological Mechanisms, Caleb M. Trujillo, Trevor R. Anderson, Nancy J. Pelaez Dec 2014

A Tetrahedral Version Of The Mach Model For Explaining Biological Mechanisms, Caleb M. Trujillo, Trevor R. Anderson, Nancy J. Pelaez

PIBERG Instructional Innovation Materials

This document is intended for both instructors and students. Modified from the original MACH model this version, once cut and folded, creates a tetrahedral model that can conveniently be used as a teaching and learning tool to inform and guide students on how to write expert quality explanations of biological mechanisms. Each vertex of the tetrahedron represents a component of the model namely, Methods, Analogy, Context, and How. For a coherent and complete explanation about molecular mechanisms, it is important to integrate information pertaining to all four components of the model. The tetrahedral MACH model has been tested in both …

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Nanoparticle Exposure Activates An Inositol Triphosphate Receptor-Dependent Elevation Of Reactive Oxygen Species And Apoptosis In Human Alveolar Lung Cells, Briana Manes, Sarah Alvarado Mar 2014

Nanoparticle Exposure Activates An Inositol Triphosphate Receptor-Dependent Elevation Of Reactive Oxygen Species And Apoptosis In Human Alveolar Lung Cells, Briana Manes, Sarah Alvarado

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

The signaling of cell stress in response to organelle dysfunction, toxin exposure, and mutation is complex; generating responses that can include adaptation, or in severe cases, cellular apoptosis. Nanoparticles (20-100 nm diameter) have been shown to induce cell stress in lung cells, potentially identifying a cause of lung disease in areas with high levels of particulate-based air pollution. This study examines the effect of carbon black (CB) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles on stress signaling and apoptosis in cultured A549 human alveolar epithelial cells. CB and TiO2 powders were dispersed throughout a buffered solution containing bovine serum albumin using probe …

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Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing In The College Classroom: Knowledge, Attitudes, And Concerns Of Introductory Biology Students, Nicanor Austriaco Feb 2014

Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing In The College Classroom: Knowledge, Attitudes, And Concerns Of Introductory Biology Students, Nicanor Austriaco

Biology Faculty Publications

Pioneered by companies like 23andMe.com, deCODEme.com, and Navigenics.com, direct-to-consumer genetic testing refers to genetic tests that are marketed directly to consumers via television, print media, or the Internet. This kind of testing provides access to a customer’s genetic information without necessarily involving either a medical health care professional or a genetic counselor in the process. In recent years, a course offered to medical and graduate students at Stanford University has included an option for students to undergo personal genotyping, raising the possibility that direct-to-consumer genetic testing could also be incorporated into undergraduate biology courses to enhance student learning. In this …

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Deletion Of Aif1 But Not Of Yca1/Mca1 Protects Saccharomyces Cerevisiae And Candida Albicans Cells From Caspofungin-Induced Programmed Cell Death, Nicanor Austriaco, Christopher Chin, Faith Donaghey, Kathrine Helming, Morgan Mccarthy, Stephen Rogers Feb 2014

Deletion Of Aif1 But Not Of Yca1/Mca1 Protects Saccharomyces Cerevisiae And Candida Albicans Cells From Caspofungin-Induced Programmed Cell Death, Nicanor Austriaco, Christopher Chin, Faith Donaghey, Kathrine Helming, Morgan Mccarthy, Stephen Rogers

Biology Faculty Publications

Caspofungin was the first member of a new class of antifungals called echinocandins to be approved by a drug regulatory authority. Like the other echinocandins, caspofungin blocks the synthesis of β(1,3)-D-glucan of the fungal cell wall by inhibiting the enzyme, β(1,3)-D-glucan synthase. Loss of β(1,3)-D-glucan leads to osmotic instability and cell death. However, the precise mechanism of cell death associated with the cytotoxicity of caspofungin was unclear. We now provide evidence that Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells cultured in media containing caspofungin manifest the classical hallmarks of programmed cell death (PCD) in yeast, including the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the …

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Structure-Functional Prediction And Analysis Of Cancer Mutation Effects In Protein Kinases, Anshuman Dixit, Gennady M. Verkhivker Jan 2014

Structure-Functional Prediction And Analysis Of Cancer Mutation Effects In Protein Kinases, Anshuman Dixit, Gennady M. Verkhivker

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

A central goal of cancer research is to discover and characterize the functional effects of mutated genes that contribute to tumorigenesis. In this study, we provide a detailed structural classification and analysis of functional dynamics for members of protein kinase families that are known to harbor cancer mutations. We also present a systematic computational analysis that combines sequence and structure-based prediction models to characterize the effect of cancer mutations in protein kinases. We focus on the differential effects of activating point mutations that increase protein kinase activity and kinase-inactivating mutations that decrease activity. Mapping of cancer mutations onto the conformational …

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