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Metabolism

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Full-Text Articles in Developmental Biology

From Chaos To Clockwork: Investigating The Role Of Circadian Genes In Metabolic Development Of 2nd And 3rd Instar Drosophila Larvae, Elliott R. Ruegsegger, Stephanie Hood, Amy Poe May 2026

From Chaos To Clockwork: Investigating The Role Of Circadian Genes In Metabolic Development Of 2nd And 3rd Instar Drosophila Larvae, Elliott R. Ruegsegger, Stephanie Hood, Amy Poe

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Circadian clocks regulate daily physiological and metabolic rhythms across many organisms. In Drosophila melanogaster, the molecular clock involving period (per) and timeless regulates gene expression across 24-hour cycles. Circadian rhythms are well characterized in adult, mature organisms, but their emergence during early developmental stages remain poorly understood. In D. melanogaster, the circadian regulation of sleep and feeding rhythms emerges during the 3rd instar larval stage. This suggests that the circadian regulation of metabolism may also arise during this stage. Further, the metabolic consequences of circadian clock disruptions during this developmentally rich period remain unclear. This research aimed to …


Genetic Analysis Of Methionine Restriction-Associated Mitochondrial Unfolded Protein Response Signaling., Josh D. Dodge Jan 2025

Genetic Analysis Of Methionine Restriction-Associated Mitochondrial Unfolded Protein Response Signaling., Josh D. Dodge

Biology Dissertations - Archive

The lifespan of an organism is dictated by various genetic and environmental factors. One such determinant is the health of mitochondria which are organelles that mediate various critical cell functions including a significant role in generating the vast supply of cellular energy. Indeed, the gradual decline of mitochondrial function is believed to be a hallmark and possible cause of aging. Paradoxically, mild mitochondrial dysfunction early in life extends lifespan in various model organisms. Cells use diverse approaches to promote mitochondrial homeostasis, including the transcriptional reprogramming of cells by mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) to mitigate mitochondrial stress. Consistently, UPRmt activation …


Mitochondrial Roles In Developmentally Programmed Heart Disease, Eli John Louwagie May 2023

Mitochondrial Roles In Developmentally Programmed Heart Disease, Eli John Louwagie

Dissertations and Theses

Offspring of diabetic and obese mothers (ODOM) have greater risks of heart disease at birth and later in life. However, prevention is hindered because underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Mounting studies in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease field suggest that mitochondria play key roles in developmentally programmed heart disease similar to the roles they play in cardiomyopathy in adults with diabetes and obesity. However, whether mitochondria are responsible for the short[1]and long-term cardiac disease seen in ODOM remains unknown. Here, we sought to delineate the roles of mitochondria in the hearts of ODOM, determine whether mitochondria are playing …


Functional Importance Of Lipin Phosphorylation, Stephanie Elizabeth Hood Dec 2019

Functional Importance Of Lipin Phosphorylation, Stephanie Elizabeth Hood

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Highly conserved throughout evolution, lipins are dual functioning proteins found from yeast to humans. Functioning in the cytoplasm as phosphatidate phosphatase enzymes (PAP), lipins produce diacylglycerol that serves as a precursor for neutral fats and membrane phospholipids. Alternatively, nuclear lipins are responsible for the regulation of metabolic genes. Interestingly, both the mammalian lipin 1 paralog and the single Drosophila Lipin ortholog are highly phosphorylated proteins. Target of rapamycin (TOR) has previously been identified as one of the kinases that controls the subcellular localization of both lipin 1 and Drosophila Lipin. However, other serine and threonine kinases are predicted to be …


Integration Of Bmp And Insulin/Igf-1 Signaling Regulates Multiple Homeostatic Functions In Caenorhabditis Elegans, James F. Clark Sep 2018

Integration Of Bmp And Insulin/Igf-1 Signaling Regulates Multiple Homeostatic Functions In Caenorhabditis Elegans, James F. Clark

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The maintenance of homeostatic functions is key to the survival and well-being of an organism. Regulation of homeostasis relies on varied inputs, both intrinsic and extrinsic, to potentiate a web of interconnected signaling relays. Insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) is a well-known regulator of glucose and lipid metabolism, as well as having far reaching effects in other homeostatic mechanisms. On the other hand, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), a member of the transforming growth factor beta signaling superfamily, is known for its role in differentiation and development, with only recent studies highlighting potential roles in metabolic homeostasis. Here we elucidate new functions for …


Phosphorylation Impairs Dicer1 Function To Accelerate Aging And Tumorigenesis In Vivo, Neeraj Aryal May 2018

Phosphorylation Impairs Dicer1 Function To Accelerate Aging And Tumorigenesis In Vivo, Neeraj Aryal

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Altered DICER1 protein levels are associated with developmental disorders, infertility, macular degenerative blindness, aging, and cancer in humans. Recently, post-translational regulation of Dicer1 via phosphorylation has been described in C. elegans. Oscillation of Dicer1 phosphorylation to regulate its activity is essential for germ cell development and embryogenesis in worms. These observations led us to posit that Dicer1 protein levels and activity are under tight regulation for normal mammalian homeostasis. To test whether phosphorylation of Dicer1 regulates its activity in mammals, I generated phospho-mimetic knock-in mouse models by replacing Serines 1712 and 1836 with Aspartic acids individually or together (dual …


Effect Of Oxygen-Limiting Tidal Conditions On Muscle Metabolism And Structure In The Giant Acorn Barnacle, Balanus Nubilus, Katie O. Grady Dec 2016

Effect Of Oxygen-Limiting Tidal Conditions On Muscle Metabolism And Structure In The Giant Acorn Barnacle, Balanus Nubilus, Katie O. Grady

Master's Theses

Crustacean muscle fibers are some of the largest cells in the animal kingdom, with fiber diameters in the giant acorn barnacle (Balanus nubilus) exceeding 3 mm. Sessile animals with extreme muscle sizes and that live in the hypoxia-inducing intertidal zone – like B. nubilus – represent ideal models for probing the effects of oxygen limitation on muscle cells. We investigated changes in metabolism and structure of B. nubilus muscle in response to: normoxic immersion, anoxic immersion, or air emersion, for acute (6h) or chronic (6h exposures twice daily for 2wks) time periods. Following exposure, we immediately measured hemolymph …


Temporal Regulation Of The Muscle Gene Cascade By Macho1 And Tbx6 Transcription Factors In Ciona Intestinalis, Jamie E. Kugler, Stefan Gazdoiu, Izumi Oda-Ishii, Yale J. Passamaneck, Albert J. Erives, Anna Di Gregorio Apr 2010

Temporal Regulation Of The Muscle Gene Cascade By Macho1 And Tbx6 Transcription Factors In Ciona Intestinalis, Jamie E. Kugler, Stefan Gazdoiu, Izumi Oda-Ishii, Yale J. Passamaneck, Albert J. Erives, Anna Di Gregorio

Dartmouth Scholarship

For over a century, muscle formation in the ascidian embryo has been representative of 'mosaic' development. The molecular basis of muscle-fate predetermination has been partly elucidated with the discovery of Macho1, a maternal zinc-finger transcription factor necessary and sufficient for primary muscle development, and of its transcriptional intermediaries Tbx6b and Tbx6c. However, the molecular mechanisms by which the maternal information is decoded by cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) associated with muscle transcription factor and structural genes, and the ways by which a seamless transition from maternal to zygotic transcription is ensured, are still mostly unclear. By combining misexpression assays with CRM analyses, …


Stoichiometric Controls Of Mercury Dilution By Growth, Roxanne Karimi, Celia Y. Chen, Paul C. Pickhardt, Nicholas S. Fisher, Carol L. Folt May 2007

Stoichiometric Controls Of Mercury Dilution By Growth, Roxanne Karimi, Celia Y. Chen, Paul C. Pickhardt, Nicholas S. Fisher, Carol L. Folt

Dartmouth Scholarship

Rapid growth could significantly reduce methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in aquatic organisms by causing a greater than proportional gain in biomass relative to MeHg (somatic growth dilution). We hypothesized that rapid growth from the consumption of high-quality algae, defined by algal nutrient stoichiometry, reduces MeHg concentrations in zooplankton, a major source of MeHg for lake fish. Using a MeHg radiotracer, we measured changes in MeHg concentrations, growth and ingestion rates in juvenile Daphnia pulex fed either high (C:P = 139) or low-quality (C:P = 1317) algae (Ankistrodesmus falcatus) for 5 d. We estimated Daphnia steady-state MeHg concentrations, using a …


The Caenorhabditis Elegans F-Box Protein Sel-10 Promotes Female Development And May Target Fem-1 And Fem-3 For Degradation By The Proteasome, Sibylle Jager, Hillel T. Schwartz, H. Robert Horvitz, Barbara Conradt Aug 2004

The Caenorhabditis Elegans F-Box Protein Sel-10 Promotes Female Development And May Target Fem-1 And Fem-3 For Degradation By The Proteasome, Sibylle Jager, Hillel T. Schwartz, H. Robert Horvitz, Barbara Conradt

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Caenorhabditis elegans F-box protein SEL-10 and its human homolog have been proposed to regulate LIN-12 Notch signaling by targeting for ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation LIN-12 Notch proteins and SEL-12 PS1 presenilins, the latter of which have been implicated in Alzheimer's disease. We found that sel-10 is the same gene as egl-41, which previously had been defined by gain-of-function mutations that semidominantly cause masculinization of the hermaphrodite soma. Our results demonstrate that mutations causing loss-of-function of sel-10 also have masculinizing activity, indicating that sel-10 functions to promote female development. Genetically, sel-10 acts upstream of the genes fem-1, fem-2, and fem-3 and …


A Thyroid Hormone-Regulated Gene In Xenopus Laevis Encodes A Type Iii Iodothyronine 5-Deiodinase., Donald L. St Germain, Robert Schwartzman, Walburga Croteau, Akira Kanamori, Zhou Wang, Donald D. Brown, Valerie Galton Aug 1994

A Thyroid Hormone-Regulated Gene In Xenopus Laevis Encodes A Type Iii Iodothyronine 5-Deiodinase., Donald L. St Germain, Robert Schwartzman, Walburga Croteau, Akira Kanamori, Zhou Wang, Donald D. Brown, Valerie Galton

Dartmouth Scholarship

The type III iodothyronine 5-deiodinase metabolizes thyroxine and 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine to inactive metabolites by catalyzing the removal of iodine from the inner ring. The enzyme is expressed in a tissue-specific pattern during particular stages of development in amphibia, birds, and mammals. Recently, a PCR-based subtractive hybridization technique has been used to isolate cDNAs prepared from Xenopus laevis tadpole tail mRNA that represent genes upregulated by thyroid hormone during metamorphosis. Sequence analysis of one of these cDNAs (XL-15) revealed regions of homology to the mRNA encoding the rat type I (outer ring) 5'-deiodinase, including a conserved UGA codon that encodes selenocysteine in …