Developmental Biology Commons^™

The Effect Of Diabetes Mellitus On Differentiation Of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Into Insulin-Producing Cells, Mohamed M. Kamal, Omar I. Badr, Shohda A. El-Maraghy, Heba R. Ghaiad

Pharmacy

Background

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a global epidemic with increasing incidences. DM is a metabolic disease associated with chronic hyperglycemia. Aside from conventional treatments, there is no clinically approved cure for DM up till now. Differentiating mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into insulin-producing cells (IPCs) is a promising approach for curing DM. Our study was conducted to investigate the effect of DM on MSCs differentiation into IPCs in vivo and in vitro.

Methods

We isolated adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (Ad-MSCs) from the epididymal fat of normal and STZ-induced diabetic Sprague–Dawley male rats. Afterwards, the in vitro differentiation of normal-Ad-MSCs (N-Ad-MSCs) and …

Neurogenetic Function Of Host Cell Factor-1, Victoria Lynn Castro

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Neural precursor cells (NPCs) are the stem-like cells of the developing brain. These cells differentiate into the differentiated cell types of the central nervous system. If disruption occurs in the number of total NPCs formed or their survival, various disorders including learning disabilities, behavioral problems, or epilepsy can occur. This dissertation describes how the HCFC1 gene controls the proliferation and differentiation of NPCs. HCFC1 encodes for a transcriptional co-factor that regulates the growth and metabolism of stem cells, including NPCs. Mutations in HCFC1 cause cblX syndrome, a neural developmental disorder that affects the nervous system and causes microcephaly, epilepsy, and …

Translation Control Tunes Drosophila Oogenesis, Elliot T. Martin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The decision of a stem cell to either self-renew or differentiate is controlled by specific cellularpathways that can act at the level of transcription, translation, or post-translation. To study the regulation of these pathways in-vivo, I have used the female Drosophila germline as a model system. Each of the steps from germline stem cell (GSC) to egg require changes in cellular pathways. These changes can occur at the level of transcription, post-transciption, translation, or post-translation . Decades of research has elucidated many of the changes to gene that occur during oogenesis, however, many players in this process still remain mysterious. …

Human Ipsc Tissue-Engineered Cartilage For Disease Modeling Of Skeletal Dysplasia-Causing Trpv4 Mutations, Amanda R. Dicks

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Cartilage is essential to joint development and function. However, there is a variety of cartilage diseases, ranging from developmental (e.g., skeletal dysplasias) to degenerative (e.g., arthritis), in which treatments and therapeutics are lacking. For example, specific point mutations in the ion channel transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) prevent proper joint development, leading to mild brachyolmia and severe, neonatally lethal metatropic dysplasia. Tissue-engineered cartilage offers an opportunity to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of these cartilage diseases for the development of treatments. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are an improved cell source option for cartilage tissue engineering given their minimal …

Fetal Programming Of Intrauterine Growth Restricted Skeletal Muscle Stem Cell Function, Micah Most

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) reduces skeletal muscle mass in fetuses and offspring. The objective of this study was to determine if myoblasts (skeletal muscle stem cells) from maternal inflammation induced intrauterine growth-restricted (MI-IUGR) fetuses are less responsive to proliferation-stimulating factors in culture. Ovine MI-IUGR fetal myoblasts were isolated at 125 days of gestational age (dGA, term = 150 dGA), grown for 72 hours in complete growth media spiked with insulin, tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), or unspiked (basal), and analyzed for ex vivo proliferative capacity via a 2 hour EdU pulse. A second set of myoblasts were differentiated in differentiation …

Investigating The Role Of The Chromosome 19 Microrna Cluster In Human Trophoblast Differentiation And Infantile Hemangioma, Ezinne Francess Mong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Trophoblast differentiation and invasion is essential for normal implantation and establishment of the maternal-fetal interface, which allows for proper nutrient exchange and support of the fetus. For this to occur, cytotrophoblasts must undergo an epithelial to mesenchymal transition and differentiate into migratory and invasive extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) that invade the maternal decidua and myometrium. Trophoblast differentiation, migration and invasion is highly regulated by a complex network of signaling pathways, adhesion molecules and transcription factors and is important for the remodeling of maternal spiral arteries from low flow, high resistance to high flow, low resistance vessels to allow optimal perfusion of …

Of Donuts And Promo : In Silico Approaches To Identification Of Transcriptional Regulators Of Salivary Acinar Differentiation, Connor Cillian Duffy

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The salivary gland is an organ often taken for granted by most people. However, its proper function is essential for several everyday activities, such as speaking, swallowing, and tasting. As such, impaired salivary gland function, such as that caused by Sjögren’s Syndrome or radiotherapy for head and neck cancers, can lead to a significantly reduced quality of life. The cells that produce saliva in salivary glands are known as acinar cells, which arise from proacinar cells generated during embryonic development. As such, in studying the promoter regions of proacinar and acinar genes, it may be possible to identify common transcription …

Identification Of Three Required Positive Cis-Regulated Inputs Of The Sea Urchin Pigment Cell Gene Polyketide Synthase 1, Cristina Calestani, Preston Dean, Xiaoman Li

Georgia Journal of Science

Sea urchin pigment cells are single cells of mesodermal origin embedded in the aboral ectoderm. Strongylocentrotus purpuratus polyketide synthase 1 (Sp-PKS1) is required for the biosynthesis of the echinochrome pigment. Evidence suggests that pigment cells are immune cells. In order to reconstruct the gene regulatory network of pigment cells a bottom-up approach combined with comparative genomics has been used in this study. We compared the cis-regulatory regions of five pigment cell genes, Sp-Pks1, flavin monooxygenase 1, 2, and 3 (Sp-Fmo) and sulfotransferase (Sp-Sult), across three different species, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, Mesocentrotus franciscanus …

The Role Of Yes-Associated Protein 1 In Ovarian Physiology And Pathology, Xiangmin Lv

Theses & Dissertations

Ovarian granulosa cells are the major somatic components of the ovarian follicle. Proper proliferation and differentiation of ovarian granulosa cells are essential for successful follicle development. Accumulating evidence indicates that the Hippo-YAP signaling pathway plays critical roles in both development and tumorigenesis of several organs. The present study aims to investigate the role of Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP) in ovarian granulosa cell proliferation, differentiation, and malignant transformation. At first, we found that nuclear YAP (active) was highly expressed in proliferative granulosa cells, whereas cytoplasmic YAP (inactive) was detected mainly in terminally-differentiated luteal cells. Further studies suggested that endogenous YAP activity …

Mammary Extracellular Matrix Directs Differentiation Of Testicular And Embryonic Stem Cells To Form Functional Mammary Glands In Vivo, Robert D. Bruno, Jodie M. Fleming, Andrea L. George, Corinne A. Boulanger, Pepper Schedin, Gilbert H. Smith

School of Medical Diagnostics & Translational Sciences Publications

Previously, we demonstrated the ability of the normal mammary microenvironment (niche) to direct non-mammary cells including testicular and embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to adopt a mammary epithelial cell (MEC) fate. These studies relied upon the interaction of transplanted normal MECs with non-mammary cells within the mammary fat-pads of recipient mice that had their endogenous epithelium removed. Here, we tested whether acellular mammary extracellular matrix (mECM) preparations are sufficient to direct differentiation of testicular-derived cells and ESCs to form functional mammary epithelial trees in vivo. We found that mECMs isolated from adult mice and rats were sufficient to redirect testicular derived …

Efficient In Vitro Development Of Photoreceptors From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells, Joseph C. Reynolds

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Degeneration of the rod and cone photoreceptors in the human retina is among the most common causes of blindness. Replacing these damaged photoreceptors may help to restore vision. Repairing the damaged retina relies on the insertion of new, healthy cells. Embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are two possible sources of photoreceptors to restore vision. Previous data shows that human ES cells and iPS cells can be differentiated into photoreceptors and transplanted into the eye to restore some vision. However, this process is inefficient, and costly. Here, we show a new method for inducing photoreceptor production …

Myoepithelial Cell Morphogenesis And Differentiation In The Mouse Submandibular Salivary Gland In Development And Disease, Elise Marie Gervais

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Organogenesis is the process by which tissues organize, gain considerable size, and undergo cellular differentiation or specialization to form fully functional organs. To study the processes involved in organogenesis of branched organs, the mouse submandibular salivary gland is frequently used as a model system, as it can undergo morphogenesis and differentiation and be genetically manipulated ex vivo. The mouse submandibular salivary gland undergoes a specific process of outgrowth and invagination known as branching morphogenesis which allows for the significant increase in gland size and complexity, as well as maximization of surface area for secretion of saliva. Surrounding the mouse submandibular …

P120-Catenin Regulates Rest And Corest, And Modulates Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation, Moonsup Lee

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The canonical-Wnt pathway and beta-catenin have been extensively studied to determine their contributions to stem cell biology, but less is known about p120-catenin in the nuclear compartment. P120 is developmentally required as a consequence of its biochemical and functional interactions with cadherins, small-GTPases and transcriptional regulators. We report here that p120-catenin binds to and negatively regulates REST and CoREST, that others have indicated form a repressive complex having diverse key roles in developmental and pathologic gene regulation. We thus provide the first evidence for a direct upstream modulator of REST/CoREST function. Using mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), mammalian cell lines, …

Mouse Salivary Gland Development Requires Optimal Substrate Compliance, Sarah Beth Peters

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The embryonic mouse submandibular salivary gland (mSMG) is a classic model to study mechanochemical signals involved in morphogenesis and differentiation amongst multiple, interacting cell populations. Scaffold compliance is alters cellular phenotype, but little is known about the effects of compliance on organogenesis. The overall aim of this project was to demonstrate that the processes of salivary gland epithelial branching morphogenesis and differentiation require a compliant, in vivo-like environment and are disrupted outside of this range.

A Proposal To Test The Effects Of Factor Ecat1 On Pluripotency, From Reprogramming To Differentiation Of Human Somatic Cells, Vritti R. Goel

CMC Senior Theses

The field of stem cell research has been growing more because of the interest in using stem cells to cure diseases and heal injuries. Human embryonic stem cells, because of the controversy surrounding them—and subsequently the difficulties in acquiring samples of the existing aging cell lines—can only be used in limited capacities. While the development of induced pluripotent stem cells in the last decade has allowed the field to progress closer to medical treatments, the low efficiency of reprogramming a somatic cell to a pluripotent state, and the vast molecular and genomic differences between human embryonic stem cells and human …

Axogial Communication Mediated By Soluble Neuregulin-1 And Bdnf, Zhenzhong Ma

Wayne State University Dissertations

During peripheral nervous system development, successful communication between axons and glial cells including Schwann cells in peripheral nervous system and oligodendrocytes in central nervous system, is required for the proper functions of both neurons and glia. Three types of alternatively-spliced proteins belonging to the neuregulin1 (NRG1) gene family of growth and differentiation factors are essential for Schwann cell survival and peripheral nerve development. While membrane-bound NRG1 forms (type III) has been strongly implicated in the regulation of myelination process at late stage of Schwann cell development, little is known about the role of soluble, heparin-binding forms of NRG1 (type I/II) …