Cell and Developmental Biology Commons^™

Patterning Defects In Silkworm Embryos Analysed Through Cuticle Preparations, Amit Singh, Madhuri Kango-Singh, K. P. Gopinathan

Biology Faculty Publications

The mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori, a holometabolous lepidopteran insect, has a metameric body plan. Due to its functional adaptation, B. mori presents some unique deviations in its pal/ern from the evolutionarily advanced dipteran insect, Drosophila melanogaster. Previous studies on mutant phenotype analysis in B. mori have been carried out in late stages of larval development. Here we employ, the cuticle preparation approach during embryonic development to study morphological landmarks associated with B. mori, Eri, another race a/silkworm, and pattern defects associated with Ekp mutant of B.mori. The homeotic mutant Ekp, generates ectopic abdominallegs, a feature …

Pre-Mrna Splicing Manipulation Via Antisense Oligomers, Chalermchai Mitrpant

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the most common lethal neuromuscular disease in childhood, arises from protein-truncating mutations in the dystrophin gene. A deficiency in dystrophin leads to loss of the dystrophin associated protein complex (DAPC), which in turn, renders muscle fibres vulnerable to injury, and eventually leads to muscle loss, necrosis and fibrosis. Although, the dystrophin gene was identified nearly two decades ago, and extensive research has been directed at finding a therapy for DMD, to date, there is still no effective treatment available. One promising molecular approach to treat DNID is antisense oligomer (AO) induced splice intervention. AOs were most …

Tidal Influences On Bacterial And Phytoplankton Abundances And The Resulting Effects On Patterns Of Dissolved Oxygen In The Skidaway River Estuary, Casey Colleen Brazell

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Two studies were conducted to investigate the physical and biological processes contributing to the dissolved oxygen (DO) availability in the Skidaway River Estuary (SRE), Savannah, GA during the summer of 2005. A temporal study looked at changes in DO concentrations, Chlorophyll a concentrations, bacterial abundance, water depth, and salinity, every hour, for 26 hours, over both a neap and a spring tide. A spatial study looked at changes in the above variables at 5 sites along the SRE while following the tide inland during a neap high and low tide, and a spring high and low tide. DO concentrations varied …

Hydroxyl Radical Is Produced Via The Fenton Reaction In Submitochondrial Particles Under Oxidative Stress: Implications For Diseases Associated With Iron Accumulation, Carin Thomas, Melissa M. Mackey, Amy A. Diaz, David P. Cox

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Mitochondrial dysfunction and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are often implicated in diseases involving oxidative stress and elevated iron. As mitochondria produce ATP by oxidative phosphorylation, ROS by-products are generated from the electron transport chain. Although superoxide and hydrogen peroxide have been thoroughly investigated, little evidence documents hydroxyl radical (HO•) production in mitochondria. In order to determine whether HO• is generated under oxidative stress conditions by a Fenton-type mechanism, bovine heart submitochondrial particles were examined for HO• in the presence and absence of iron ligands, antioxidant enzymes and HO• scavengers. HO• was measured as 2,3- and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHBA), using HPLC …

Human Ubc9 Contributes To Production Of Fully Infectious Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Virions, Tareq Jaber, Christopher R. Bohl, Gentry L. Lewis, Charles Wood, John T. West Jr., Robert A. Weldon Jr.

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Ubc9 was identified as a cellular protein that interacts with the Gag protein of Mason-Pfizer monkey virus. We show here that Ubc9 also interacts with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag protein and that their interaction is important for virus replication. Gag was found to colocalize with Ubc9 predominantly at perinuclear puncta. While cells in which Ubc9 expression was suppressed with RNA interference produced normal numbers of virions, these particles were 8- to 10-fold less infectious than those produced in the presence of Ubc9. The nature of this defect was assayed for dependence on Ubc9 during viral assembly, …

Expression Of Hpv16 E5 Produces Enlarged Nuclei And Polyploidy Through Endoreplication, Lulin Hu, Tamara A. Potapova, Shibo Li, Susannah Rankin, Gary J. Gorbsky, Peter C. Angeletti, Brian P. Ceresa

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Anogenital cancers and head and neck cancers are causally-associated with infection by high-risk

human papillomavirus (HPV). The mechanism by which high-risk HPVs contribute to

oncogenesis is poorly understood. HPV16 encodes three genes (HPV16 E5, E6, and E7) that can

transform cells when expressed independently. HPV16 E6 and E7 have well-described roles

causing genomic instability and unregulated cell cycle progression. The role of HPV16 E5 in cell

transformation remains to be elucidated. Expression of HPV16 E5 results in enlarged, polyploid

nuclei that are dependent on the level and duration of HPV16 E5 expression. Live-cell imaging

data indicate these changes do not …

Human Papillomavirus 16 E5 Induces Bi-Nucleated Cell Formation By Cell-Cell Fusion, Lulin Ha, Kendra Plafker, Valeriya Vorozhoko, Rosemary E. Zuna, Marie H. Hanigan, Gary J. Gorbsky, Scott M. Plafker, Peter C. Angeletti, Brian P. Ceresa

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Human Papillomaviruses (HPV) 16 is a DNA virus encoding three oncogenes – E5, E6, and E7. The E6 and E7 proteins have well-established roles as inhibitors of tumor suppression, but the contribution of E5 to malignant transformation is controversial. Using spontaneously immortalized human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells), we demonstrate that expression of HPV16 E5 is necessary and sufficient for the formation of bi-nucleated cells, a common characteristic of precancerous cervical lesions. Expression of E5 from non-carcinogenic HPV6b does not produce bi-nucleate cells. Video microscopy and biochemical analyses reveal that bi-nucleates arise through cell-cell fusion. Although most E5-induced bi-nucleates fail to propagate, …

A Comparative Study Of Hiv-1 Clade C Env Evolution In A Zambian Infant With An Infected Rhesus Macaque During Disease Progression, For Yue Tso, Federico G. Hoffmann, Damien C. Tully, Philippe Lemey, Robert A. Rasmussen, Hong Zhang, Ruth M. Ruprecht, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Objective—To evaluate whether HIV-1 clade C (HIV-C) envelope variations that arise during disease progression in rhesus macaque model reflect changes that occur naturally in human infection.

Design—An infant macaque was infected with SHIV-1157i, an R5 tropic clade C SHIV (SHIV-C) which expresses a primary HIV-C envelope derived from an infected human infant, and monitored over a five-year period. Genetic variation of the V1-V5 envelope region, which is the main target for humoral immune responses, derived from the infected macaque and infant was examined.

Methods—V1-V5 envelope region were cloned and sequenced from longitudinal PBMC samples collected from the infected macaque and …

Protection Against Mucosal Shiv Challenge By Peptide And Helper-Dependent Adenovirus Vaccines, Eric A. Weaver, Pramod N. Nehete, Bharti P. Nehete, Stephanie J. Buchl, Donna Palmer, David C. Montefiori, Philip Ng, K. Jagannadha Sastry, Michael A. Barry

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Groups of rhesus macaques that had previously been immunized with HIV-1 envelope (env) peptides and first generation adenovirus serotype 5 (FG-Ad5) vaccines expressing the same peptides were immunized intramuscularly three times with helper- dependent adenovirus (HD-Ad) vaccines expressing only the HIV-1 envelope from JRFL. No gag, pol, or other SHIV genes were used for vaccination. One group of the FG-Ad5- immune animals was immunized three times with HD-Ad5 expressing env. One group was immunized by serotype-switching with HD-Ad6, HD-Ad1, and HD-Ad2 expressing env. Previous work demonstrated that serum antibody levels against env were significantly higher in the serotype-switched group than …

A Herpesvirus Encoded Deubiquitinase Is A Novel Neuroinvasive Determinant, Joy I. Lee, Patricia J. Sollars, Scott B. Baver, Gary E. Pickard, Mindy Leelawong, Gregory A. Smith

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The neuroinvasive property of several alpha-herpesviruses underlies an uncommon infectious process that includes the establishment of life-long latent infections in sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system. Several herpesvirus proteins are required for replication and dissemination within the nervous system, indicating that exploiting the nervous system as a niche for productive infection requires a specialized set of functions encoded by the virus. Whether initial entry into the nervous system from peripheral tissues also requires specialized viral functions is not known. Here we show that a conserved deubiquitinase domain embedded within a pseudorabies virus structural protein, pUL36, is essential for initial …

Regulation Of Innate Immune Responses By Bovine Herpesvirus 1 And Infected Cell Protein 0 (Bicp0), Clinton Jones

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) infected cell protein 0 (bICP0) is an important transcriptional regulatory protein that stimulates productive infection. In transient transfection assays, bICP0 also inhibits interferon dependent transcription. bICP0 can induce degradation of interferon stimulatory factor 3 (IRF3), a cellular transcription factor that is crucial for activating beta interferon (IFN-β) promoter activity. Recent studies also concluded that interactions between bICP0 and IRF7 inhibit trans-activation of IFN-β promoter activity. The C3HC4 zinc RING (really important new gene) finger located near the amino terminus of bICP0 is important for all known functions of bICP0. A recombinant virus that contains a single …

Spontaneous Idiopathic Arteritis Of The Testicular Artery In Raccoons (Procyon Lotor), A. N. Hamir, M. V. Palmer, H. Li, J. Stasko, D. G. Rogers

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The testes and the spermatic cord of raccoons (Procyon lotor, kits to adult breeders; n = 48) were examined. Segmental arteritis confined to the extratesticular portions of the testicular artery was present in raccoons of all ages. The arterial changes were seen in laboratory-confined experimental and control animals as well as in wild-caught raccoons. The lesions consisted of proliferative endarteritis with presence of inflammatory cells within the intima, media, and the adventitial regions of most affected vessels. Some aspects of the proliferative arterial lesions were reminiscent of systemic necrotizing vasculitis (polyarteritis nodosa), an immunologically mediated condition of animals and humans. …

Bibliography Of The Frogs Of The Leptodactylus Clade – Adenomera, Hydrolaetare, Leptodactylus, Lithodytes (Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae) Volume 2. Indices, Miriam H. Heyer, W. Ronald Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

The bibliography (Volume 1) is organized alphabetically by last name of the first author. The Species Index, Keyword Index, and Geographic Index are organized by the unique number that EndNote® assigns to each record. To find a reference from the three indices, one must utilize the References by EndNote® Number, listed in numerical order. There is sufficient information associated with the EndNote® numerical order entry to find the specific reference involved in Volume 1 – References.

Complete authors names are used in the EndNote® Number index for the EndNote® records that contain such information. Note that there are some “missing” …

An Algorithm For Identifying Novel Targets Of Transcription Factor Families: Application To Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 Targets, Yue Jiang, Bojan Cukic, Donald A. Adjeroh, Heath D. Skinner, Jie Lin, Qingxi J. Shen, Bing-Hua Jiang

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

Efficient and effective analysis of the growing genomic databases requires the development of adequate computational tools. We introduce a fast method based on the suffix tree data structure for predicting novel targets of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) from huge genome databases. The suffix tree data structure has two powerful applications here: one is to extract unknown patterns from multiple strings/sequences in linear time; the other is to search multiple strings/sequences using multiple patterns in linear time. Using 15 known HIF-1 target gene sequences as a training set, we extracted 105 common patterns that all occur in the 15 training genes …

The Distribution Of Unpaired During Drosophila Oogenesis, Travis Sexton

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Janus Kinase (JAK) activity specifies the cell fates of the follicular epithelium during Drosophila oogenesis by establishing a gradient of JAK activity with highest levels at the A/P poles. Unpaired (Upd), a ligand for the pathway, is expressed and secreted exclusively from the polar cells potentially establishing the JAK activity gradient. This project proposed that Upd acts as a morphogen to directly establish the JAK activity gradient, specifying the fates of the follicular epithelium. The aims of this work were to investigate the extracellular distribution of Upd and, in addition, factors that may be involved. Furthermore, upd3, a gene …

Effects Of Shielding Adenoviral Vectors With Polyethylene Glycol On Vector-Specific And Vaccine-Mediated Immune Responses, Eric A. Weaver, Michael A. Barry

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Many individuals have been previously exposed to human adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5). This prior immunity has long been known to hinder its use for gene therapy and as a gene-based vaccine. Given these immunogenicity problems, we have tested whether polyethylene glycol (PEG) can blunt immune effects against Ad5 during systemic and mucosal vaccination. Ad5 vectors were covalently modified with 5-, 20-, and 35-kDa linear PEG polymers and evaluated for their ability to produce immune responses against transgene antigen products and the vector itself. We show that shielding Ad5 with different-sized PEGs generally reduces transduction and primary antibody responses by the …

The Effects Of Excess Corticosterone On Lkb1 And Ampk Signaling In Skeletal Muscle Of Rats, Gary N. Nakken

Theses and Dissertations

Cushing's syndrome and glucocorticoid therapy lead to central obesity, insulin resistance, and symptoms of altered energy regulation similar to those observed in the metabolic syndrome. We hypothesized that excess glucocorticoids alter energy sensing/signaling in skeletal muscle through mediation of the LKB1/AMPK signaling pathway. To test this hypothesis, three 100 mg pellets of corticosterone were implanted subcutaneously in each of nine rats for two weeks. Responses were compared with sham operated controls fed ad libitum or food restricted to produce the body weights similar to the treatment group rats. After the treatment period, animals were anesthetized and the right gastrocnemius-plantaris and …

Individuals And Populations: How Biology's Theory And Data Have Interfered With The Integration Of Development And Evolution, David S. Moore

Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research

Research programs in quantitative behavior genetics and evolutionary psychology have contributed to the widespread belief that some psychological characteristics can be “inherited” via genetic mechanisms. In fact, molecular and developmental biologists have concluded that while genetic factors contribute to the development of all of our traits, non-genetic factors always do too, and in ways that make them no less important than genetic factors. This insight demands a reworking of the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis, a theory that defined evolution as a process involving changes in the frequencies of genes in populations, and that envisioned no role for experiential factors now known …

Site Directed Mutagensis Of Bacteriophage Hk639 And Identification Of Its Integration Site, Madhuri Jonnalagadda

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Bacteriophages affect bacterial evolution, pathogenesis and global nutrient cycling. They are also the most numerous and diverse group of biological entities on the planet [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Members of the Lambda phage family share a similar genetic organization and control early gene expression by suppressing transcription, a process known as antitermination. Transcription antitermination in Lambda is mediated by a phage-encoded protein whereas in lambdoid phage HK022, antitermination is mediated by a phage-encoded RNA molecules. Recent results suggest that another bacteriophage called HK639 also appears to use RNA-mediated antitermination. To characterize this newly identified phage we generated site …

The Development And Analysis Of A Closed System Of Vitrification For Mammalian Embryos, Jennifer Graves-Herring

All Dissertations

Embryo cryopreservation is an integral part of assisted reproduction because it allows for future use of these embryos. Cryopreservation occurs when there are supernumerary embryos or when an embryo transfer cannot be performed.
There are two main methods to cryopreserve embryos. The most recent is vitrification, which uses high concentrations of cryoprotectants, a short time to cool and avoids ice crystals. The 'gold standard' is the slow-cool method, which uses low concentrations of cryoprotectants, a long time to cool embryos and produces extracellular ice crystals.
Prior to introducing vitrification as part of the human cryopreservation regime, it is important that …

Characterization Of The Ap-1 And Nf-Kappa B Transcription Factors In The U-87 Mg Astrocytoma Cell Line, Denise L. Smith

Dissertations

Growth factors, signaling molecules and transcription factors are frequently mutated in cancer and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) has been shown to be over-expressed in most gliomas. In the astrocytoma cell line U-87 MG, the over-expression of PDGF has been shown to lead to over-expression of transcription factors activator-protein-1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and it is believed that the individual subunits of AP-1 (c-Jun, JunB, JunD, c-Fos, FosB, Fra-1, and Fra-2) and NF-κB (c-Rel, p50, p52, p65, and RelB) play different roles in proliferation, survival and differentiation in the U-87 MG cell line.

To assess these different roles, transient …

A Cell Biology Laboratory Exercise To Study Sub-Cellular Organelles In Drosophila, Meghana Tare, Amit Singh

Biology Faculty Publications

The fast-changing scenario of undergraduate education puts emphasis on introducing students to hands-on techniques as part of their laboratory courses. In order to cater to large numbers of students and the time constraints involved with undergraduate level laboratory courses, there is a need for development of experiments that are cost effective and can be completed in a defined time frame. We have devised a laboratory exercise for teaching cell biology using the Drosophila melanogaster model. Drosophila can be reared in a short period of time in a cost effective manner. We used Drosophila tissue to study the sub-cellular organization of …

Timing Of Supplementation Of Selenium And Isoflavones Determines Prostate Cancer Risk Factor Reduction In Rats, Merrill J. Christensen, Jessica R. Tolman, Edwin D. Lephart, Dennis L. Eggett, Kenneth Setchell

Faculty Publications

High dietary intake of selenium or isoflavones reduces risk factors for prostate cancer. We tested whether combined supplementation of these two dietary components would reduce prostate cancer risk factors in rats more than supplementation of each component individually. Methods Male Noble rat pups were exposed from conception to diets containing an adequate (0.33-0.45 mg/kg diet) or high (3.33-3.45 mg/kg) concentration of selenium as Se-methylselenocysteine and a low (10 mg/kg) or high (600 mg/kg) level of isoflavones in a 2 x 2 factorial design. Pups consumed their respective diets until sacrifice at 35, 100, or 200 days. Male Noble rat breeders, …

The Role Of P44/42 Activation In Tributyltin-Induced Inhibition Of Human Natural Killer Cells: Effects Of Mek Inhibitors, Abraham B. Abraha, Margaret M. Whalen

Chemistry Faculty Research

Destruction of tumor cells is a key function of natural killer (NK) cells. Previous studies have shown that tributyltin (TBT) can significantly reduce the lytic function of the human NK cells with accompanying increases in the phosphorylation (activation) states of the mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs), p44/42. The current studies examine the role of p44/42 activation in the TBT-induced reduction of NK-lytic function, by using MAPK kinase (MEK) inhibitors, PD98059 and U0126. A 1 h treatment with PD98059 or U0126 or both decreased the ability of NK cells to lyse K562 tumor cells. PD98059, U0126 or a combination of both …

An Inositolphosphorylceramide Synthase Is Involved In Regulation Of Plant Programmed Cell Death Associated With Defense In Arabidopsis, Wenming Wang, Xiaohua Yang, Samantha Tangchiaburana, Roland Ndeh, Jennifer E. Markham, Yoseph Tsegaye, Teresa M. Dunn, Guo-Liang Wang, Maria Bellizzi, James F. Parsons, Danielle Morrissey, Janis E. Bravo, Daniel V. Lynch, Shunyuan Xiao

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The Arabidopsis thaliana resistance gene RPW8 triggers the hypersensitive response (HR) to restrict powdery mildew infection via the salicylic acid–dependent signaling pathway. To further understand how RPW8 signaling is regulated, we have conducted a genetic screen to identify mutations enhancing RPW8-mediated HR-like cell death (designated erh). Here, we report the isolation and characterization of the Arabidopsis erh1 mutant, in which the At2g37940 locus is knocked out by a T-DNA insertion. Loss of function of ERH1 results in salicylic acid accumulation, enhanced transcription of RPW8 and RPW8-dependent spontaneous HR-like cell death in leaf tissues, and reduction in plant stature. …

Protein Kinase D Is A Positive Regulator Of Bit1 Apoptotic Function, Hector Biliran, Y. Jan, R. Chen, E. Ruoslahti

Faculty and Staff Publications

Bit1 (Bcl-2 inhibitor of transcription) is a mitochondrial protein that induces caspase-independent apoptosis upon its release into the cytoplasm. Bit1 is primarily associated with anoikis (cell death induced by detachment from the extracellular matrix), because the apoptotic function of Bit1 is inhibited by integrin-mediated cell attachment but not by many other antiapoptotic treatments. Here, we show that protein kinase D (PKD) regulates Bit1 apoptotic function. Overexpression of constitutively active PKD or PKD activation by treatment with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate results in phosphorylation of two serine residues (Ser5 and Ser87) in a form of Bit1 that is confined to the cytoplasm …

Intraretinal Signaling By Ganglion Cell Photoreceptors To Dopaminergic Amacrine Neurons, Dao-Qi Zhang, Kwoon Y. Wong, Patricia J. Sollars, David M. Berson, Gary E. Pickard, Douglas G. Mcmahon

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Retinal dopaminergic amacrine neurons (DA neurons) play a central role in reconfiguring retinal function according to prevailing illumination conditions, yet the mechanisms by which light regulates their activity are poorly understood. We investigated the means by which sustained light responses are evoked in DA neurons. Sustained light responses were driven by cationic currents and persisted in vitro and in vivo in the presence of L-AP4, a blocker of retinal ON-bipolar cells. Several characteristics of these L-AP4-resistant light responses suggested that they were driven by melanopsin-expressing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), including long latencies, marked poststimulus persistence, and a peak …

Statins Induce Apoptosis In Ovarian Cancer Cells Through Activation Of Jnk And Enhancement Of Bim Expression, Hongli Liu, Shu-Ling Liang, Sheetal Kumar, Crystal M. Weyman, Wendy Liu, Aimin Zhou

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among all gynecological malignancies in Western countries. Although therapy for ovarian cancer has been greatly improved in the past 20 years, the overall survival for patients with advanced ovarian cancer has not changed signiWcantly. The poor survival rates in patients with advanced ovarian cancer are due both to late diagnosis and to lack of eVective drugs for the majority of patients who have a relapse and develop resistance to current chemotherapy agents used for ovarian cancer. Thus, developing and discovering eVective novel drugs with diVerent molecular structures from conventional chemotherapy agents have …

Food Group Intake And Risk Of Subtypes Of Esophageal And Gastric Cancer, Stephanie A. Navarro Silvera, Susan T. Mayne, Harvey Risch, Marilee D. Gammon, Thomas L. Vaughan, Wong-Ho Chow, Robert Dubrow, Janet B. Schoenberg, Janet L. Stanford, Brian West, Heidrun Rotterdam, William J. Blot, Joseph F. Fraumeni Jr.

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Incidence rates for adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and gastric cardia have been increasing rapidly, while rates for non‐cardia gastric adenocarcinoma and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma have declined. We examined food group intake as a risk factor for subtypes of esophageal and gastric cancers in a multicenter, population‐based case–control study in Connecticut, New Jersey and western Washington state. Associations between food groups and risk were estimated using adjusted odds ratios (OR), based on increasing intake of one serving per day. Total vegetable intake was associated with decreased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.75, 0.96). Conversely, total …

Wnt5a Signaling Independently Of The Planar Cell Polarity Pathway Resulting In Convergent Extension And Neural Tube Closure During Vertebrate Development, Jared James Barrott

Theses and Dissertations

Vertebrate development is regulated by cellular communication by mechanisms of cell fate and cell behavior. These crucial mechanisms are regulated by cellular signaling and in the case of cell fate, cellular signaling results in transcription of developmentally important genes. Communication between cells can also result in regulation of cell behavior by acting on cytoskeletal elements rather than nuclear factors. One of the cellular signals that regulate both cell fate and cell behavior is the family of Wnt signaling molecules. Wnt5a is one of 19 Wnt molecules and has been previously demonstrated to play critical roles in many important processes in …