Other Cell and Developmental Biology Commons^™

Phthalates And Phthalate Alternatives: Effects On Proliferative And Estrogenic Target Genes In Ishikawa Cells, Ranjani Sundar '15, Ping Yin, Serdar E. Bulun

Student Publications & Research

Phthalates are used as plasticizers in many of the products found in medical, household, and industrial applications. Much research has not been completed on the effects of these phthalates as potential endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). As these chemicals are ingested, the mechanism by which they affect the reproductive system is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to observe how 2 phthalates, Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and Diisononyl phthalate (DINP), and 2 phthalate alternatives, Dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene)affect uterine cells in comparison to a vehicle treatment and 17β-Estradiol treatment. Changes in expression of mRNA were observed using …

Analysis Of The Chondroitinase Operon Of Flavobacterium Columnare, Erin L. Sorlien

Senior Honors Projects

Analysis of the chondroitinase operon of Flavobacterium columnare

Erin Sorlien

Major

Cell and Molecular Biology, Chemistry

Advisor

Dr. David R. Nelson

Date

May 2, 2013

Keywords

Flavobacterium columnare, columnaris disease, chondroitin AC lyase, complementation, csl operon

Abstract
Flavobacterium columnare, an opportunistic bacterial pathogen of fish, is the causative agent of columnaris disease (CD). The bacterium is a Gram-negative rod that exhibits gliding motility and avidly forms biofilms. CD affects both wild and cultured freshwater fish, and continues to cause large economic losses to the fish farming industry. According to an investigation conducted by the National Animal Health Monitoring System, CD …

Investigating The Roles Of The P63 Isoforms In The Microrna Biogenesis Pathway, Deepavali Chakravarti

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

MicroRNAs play roles in various biological processes like development, tumorigenesis, metastasis and pluripotency. My thesis work has demonstrated roles for p63, a p53 family member, in the upstream regulation of microRNA biogenesis. The p63 gene has a complex gene structure and has multiple isoforms. The TAp63 isoforms contain an acidic transcription activation domain. The ΔNp63 isoforms, lack the TA domain, but have a proline rich region critical for gene transactivation. To understand the functions of these isoforms, the Flores lab generated TAp63 and ΔNp63 conditional knock out mice. Using these mice and tissues and cells from these mice we have …

Aqueous Extract Of Nigella Sativa Seeds Suppresses Testicular Steroidogenesis In Mice Leydig Cells In Vitro., 5sheikh A. Saeed, Naheed Anwar, Qaiser Jabeen, Anwar Hassan Gilani

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

10ABSTRACT 11Nigella sativa (black seed) is an important medicinal herb with folkloric use in wide range of diseases. It is 12well studied for its biological activities. However, there is limited information regarding its effect on the 13male reproductive system. This study describes the effect of the aqueous extract of N. sativa (NSE) on 14 testicular steroidogenesis from mice Leydig cells in vitro. Mice testicular cells were incubated in a media 15 containing either no treatment or NSE or LH alone or combination of LH and NSE. Incubations were 16 carried out for three hours in a shaking water bath at …

Identification Of Ebs1, Lsm6 And Nup159 As Suppressors Of Spt10 Effects At Adh2 In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Suggests Post-Transcriptional Defects Affect Mrna Synthesis, Bradley Anderson, Carrie Ann May, Clyde L. Denis

New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Publications

Suppression of the effects of an spt10 mutation on ADH2 expression is a phenotype shared by a small number of genes whose protein products are either components of the CCR4-NOT complex required for mRNA deadenylation and degradation (CCR4, CAF1, NOT4) or have been shown to interact with the complex (DBF2, SRB9, SRB10). In this work, we conducted a screen for additional suppressors of spt10 at ADH2 to identify new factors related to CCR4 function. In addition to reisolating ccr4 and caf1 alleles, three previously unidentified suppressors …

Characterization Of The Infectivity Of Non-Replicating Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv)-Derived Viral Vectors., Vanessa E. Rodriguez, Manuel Llano, Luis Valdes

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Summer 2012

The ability of HIV-derived viral vectors to integrate genes of interest into the host genome causing permanent phenotypic modifications makes them excellent tools in gene therapy. However, integration also causes insertional mutagenesis and controlling integration site selection will increase the biosafety of these molecular tools. HIV DNA integration site selection is influenced by LEDGF/p75, a chromatin-bound cellular protein that interacts with the viral enzyme integrase through the integrase binding domain (IBD). Integrase catalyzes viral DNA integration and non-covalently associates with the HIV genome forming the pre-integration complex (PIC). Therefore, interaction of chromatin-bound LEDGF/p75 with the PIC-associated integrase tethers the HIV …

The Effects Of Cytokinin On The Transcriptional Regulation Of Pin Expression In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Elizabeth Burgess

Honors Theses and Capstones

The processes of cell division and differentiation are critical to the development of any multicellular organism. During the formation of plant roots these processes take place at a region of the root tip called the meristem. Cytokinin and auxin are two plant growth hormones that influence this process. Although these two growth hormones are both necessary they also appear in many ways to have an antagonistic relationship. As meristematic root cells undergo differentiation they cease dividing. It has been proposed that the size of the root meristem and thus the overall rate of root growth are determined by the balance …

Endotoxin-Induced Inflammation & Morphine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference In The Hiv-1 Transgenic Rat, Natasha F. Homji-Mishra

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Use Of Two-Dimensional Agarose-Gel Analysis To Characterize Processing Of Uv-Irradiated Plasmids And The Composition Of The Replisome Following Uv-Induced Arrest, Harout Arthur Jeiranian

Dissertations and Theses

In this thesis, I address two fundamental questions related to our understanding of how DNA damage is processed and repaired during replication. Using Two-dimensional (2-D) agarose gel analysis, I first examine whether DNA damage on plasmids introduced by transformation is processed in a manner similar to that observed on endogenously replicating plasmids and the chromosome. The original intent for using this approach was to develop a technique that could examine how different DNA adducts would be repaired in various sequence contexts. However, I found that distinct differences exist between the processing of DNA damage on transforming plasmids and the chromosome. …

Gata-Family Transcription Factors In Magnaporthe Oryzae, Cristian F. Quispe

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The filamentous fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, responsible for blast rice disease, destroys around 10-30% of the rice crop annually. Infection begins when the specialized infection structure, the appressorium, generates enormous internal turgor pressure through the accumulation of glycerol. This turgor acts on a penetration peg emerging at the base of the cell, causing it to breach the leaf surface allowing its infection.

The enzyme trehalose-6- phosphate synthase (Tps1) is a central regulator of the transition from appressorium development to infectious hyphal growth. In the first chapter we show that initiation of rice blast disease requires a regulatory mechanism involving an …

The Impact Of Tricaine Methanesulfonate, 2-Phenoxyethanol, And Carvone-Methyl Salicylate On The Innate Immune Response Of Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Charles R. Wulff

Honors Theses

Anesthesia plays a vital role in the maintenance of aquaculture species, where it is used to minimize stress during complex handling tasks such as transport, assessment, and harvesting. However, anesthetics have been shown to suppress the innate immune response, which could impact immunity and increase risk of infection. Tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) and 2-Phenoxyethanol (2-PE) represent two of the most commonly used anesthetics in aquaculture, with R-(+)-carvone, in the form of carvone-methyl salicylate (CMS) has recently been proposed as an alternative anesthetic for food fish. These three anesthetics were used to assess the influence of anesthetics on the immune system of …

Role Of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, Placental Growth Factor And Cytokines On Outer Blood Retinal Barrier Breakdown., Sangeetha Sukumaran

Masters

The aim of this thesis was to investigate the effect of the VEGF family of growth factors and
cytokines TNF- α and IL-1β on oBRB function. The human RPE line ARPE-19 was
employed as an in vitro model of the oBRB. Two-Dimensional gel electrophoresis was
employed to study the effect of growth factors on the RPE proteome. The barrier properties of
the oBRB were evaluated by expression of the TJ proteins occludin or Zo-1, or claudins-1, 2,
3 and 4, determined by western blotting analysis. Claudins 2, 3 and 4 were found to be
significantly up-regulated by TNF-α, while interleukin …

Effect Of Glycocalyx On Red Blood Cell Motion In Capillary Surrounded By Tissue, Rekha Bali, Swati Mishra, P. N. Tandon

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

The aim of the paper is to develop a simple model for capillary tissue fluid exchange system to study the effect of glycocalyx layer on the single file flow of red cells. We have considered the channel version of an idealized Krogh capillary-tissue exchange system. The glycocalyx and the tissue are represented as porous layers with different property parametric values. Hydrodynamic Lubrication theory is used to compute the squeezing flow of plasma within the small gap between the cell and the glycocalyx layer symmetrically surrounded by the tissue. The system of non linear partial differential equations has been solved using …

Optimization Of Protein Expression Of Four Transcription Factors Using Chaperone Proteins, Kaitlin Wilson

Honors Scholar Theses

Embryonic stem cells are unique in their ability to grow indefinitely while maintaining both pluripotency and self-renewal capabilities. These stem cells could be the answer to solving many of the debilitating and devastating diseases suffered by humans. Recently, the use of human derived embryonic stem cells has been effective in animal models in the treatment of spinal cord injuries (Kierstead et al., 2005).

Although the study of embryonic stem cells has become increasingly popular in the last decade, there is still much research to be done to increase the expression of valuable embryonic proteins which will induce pluripotency in the …

Modeling Brain Injury: Expression Of Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein In Stretch-Injured Astrocytes, Lindsey Cooke

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability in individuals under 45. Individuals who survive TBI may be disabled for the rest of their lives and suffer from cognitive, physical, social and financial problems. Following TBI it has been shown that astrocytic gene expression of many proteins, including glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), increases. These “reactive” astrocytes are thought to have both beneficial and detrimental effects on neuronal survival and function. The current study uses an in vitro model of injury which grows astrocytes on deformable silastic membranes to allow for dynamic stretch of cultured cells …

Loss Of Ski Expression In Testicular Cancer Leads To An Enhanced Invasive Phenotype Through Both Bmp-Dependent And Bmp-Independent Pathways, Amy N. Nash

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The proto-oncogene SKI is a transcription factor and a co-repressor of the TGFβ superfamily, including TGF

β and BMP. However, additional data suggests that SKI may function as a tumor suppressor in some cell types. The TGFβ superfamily has been implicated in cancer progression and germ cell migration. Testicular cancer afflicts men during their peak reproductive years and is the most common cancer among men of this age group. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the standard treatment for testicular cancer. This treatment can lead to undesirable side effects, including infertility. We have shown that SKI expression is decreased in testicular germ cell …

Biological Signatures Of Vaccine Responses, Lorena Nunez

Honors Scholar Theses

The set of host- and pathogen-specific molecular features of a disease comprise its “signature”. We hypothesize that biological signatures enables distinctions between vaccinated vs. infected individuals. In our research, using porcine samples, protocols were developed that could also be used to identify biological signatures of human disease. Different classes of molecular features will be tested during this project, including indicators of basic immune capacity, which are being studied at this instance.

These indicators of basic immune response such as porcine cytokines and antibodies were validated using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This is an established method that detects antigens by their …

Somatostatin Regulates Raw 264.7 Cell Cytokine Release, Shilpa Swarup

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Immigrant monocytes and resident macrophages propagate the vertebrate innate immune response through cell migration and cytokine production. Monocytes responding to inflammatory challenge migrate into tissues, and as resident macrophages, release a major pro-inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-a). Macrophge cytokine synthesis is known to be under both negative and positive regulatory control. Recent studies have shown that somatostatin (SRIF) regulates monocyte and peritoneal macrophages. However, the effects of SRIF on RAW 264.7 cells, a transformed monocyte/macrophage cell line, have not been investigated. In the present study, SRIF effect on cytokine release in LPS stimulated RAW 264. 7 cells was …

Catalase Activity Mediates The Inhibitory Actions Of 24,25 Dihydroxyvitamin D3, Sven L. Peery

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The steroid hormone 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ [1,25(OH)₂D₃] rapidly stimulates the uptake of phosphate in isolated chick intestinal cells, while the steroid 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ [24,25(OH)₂D₃] inhibits the rapid stimulation by 1,25(OH)₂D₃. Earlier work in this laboratory has indicated that a cellular binding protein for the 24,25(OH)₂D₃ is the enzyme catalase. Since binding resulted in decreased catalase activity and increased H₂O₂ production, studies were undertaken to determine if pro-oxidant conditions mimicked the inhibitory actions of 24,25(OH)₂D₃, and anti-oxidant conditions …

Analysis Of Genotypic And Phenotypic Differences In Desmognathus Quadramaculatus Across The Southern Appalachians, Deborah Susan Merritt

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Populations of Desmognathus quadramaculatus were compared for genotypic and phenotypic differences across 5 states in the Southern Appalachians. Series consisting of 10 salamanders each were collected from West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. Salamanders were assessed for genotypic differences by using allozyme (proteins with polymorphic loci) electrophoresis staining for 13 loci of the muscle, liver and stomach tissue. Nei’s genetic distance was used to score genetic variation between populations. Phenotypic differences were assessed by comparing 10 external morphological measurements between populations. Mahalanobis’ distance was used to score morphological differences between populations. Both genetic and morphological differences were correlated …

Natural History And Karyology Of The Yucatán Vesper Mouse, Otonyctomys Hatti, Hugh H. Genoways, Robert M. Timm, Mark D. Engstrom

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Seventeen specimens of the rare Yucatán vesper mouse, Otonyctomys hatti, are now known from Belize, Guatemala, and the Mexican states of Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán. We herein report a second specimen of O. hatti, from Belize, extending the known geographic range of the species 95 km to the southeast in the country. This is the first location at which O. hatti has been taken sympatrically with the Central American vesper mouse, Nyctomys sumichrasti. We also report data on three additional specimens of O. hatti from Campeche. Nyctomys and Otonyctomys share similar habits and habitat requirements, and …

Lipopolysaccharide Induced Septicemia In Chronic Morphine Treated Rats, Frank Ocasio

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Opiate-addicts have been known to show increased susceptibility to bacterial infection. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is a cell wall component in gram-negative bacterial, is a potent stimulator of inflammation. We investigated how treatment with morphine alters LPS-induced inflammatory responses in the rat. Chronic morphine exposure alone elevated serum endotoxin levels. Animals treated with morphine and LPS (250 µglkg) developed hypothermia, decreased mean arterial pressure (MAP), increased plasma thrombin anti-thrombin III (TAT) complex, and approximately 67% exhibited progressive intramicrovascular coagulation. Morphine also enhanced LPS­ induced leukocyte endothelial adhesion (LEA), suppressed leukocyte flux and corticosterone production, and elevated interleukin- I�, tumor necrotic factor-a, …

Bcl-2 Down Regulating Ceramide De Novo Pathway, Ibrahim Abdelrahman

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Ceramide is a sphingolipid second messenger that is involved in apoptosis and other cellular responses to stress. Ceramide generation occurs primarily by two methods: hydrolysis of sphingomyelin by sphingomyelinases or by de novo synthesis, which is initiated on the surface of the endoplasmic reticulum by serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT). The de novo synthesis of ceramide is activated in response to' retinoic acid, chemotherapeutic agents like etoposide or daunorubicin, and TNF-_ . We have shown previously that SPT is activated in response to chemotherapy and governs de novo ceramide production. To determine factors that regulate SPT and the de novo pathway we …

Mechanisms Of Autoantigen Cleavage During Cell Death, Xiwei Wu

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Specific intracellular autoantigens targeted by autoantibodies in systemic autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases undergo posttranslational modifications, such as cleavage, during cell death that could potentially enhance their immunogenicity. In light of the increasing interest in the immunological consequences of defective clearance of apoptotic cells, we explored whether autoantigens cleaved during apoptosis undergo an additional wave of proteolysis as apoptosis progresses to secondary necrosis in the absence of phagocytosis. Jurkat T cells treated with different apoptosis inducers underwent a rapid apoptosis that gradually progressed to secondary necrosis. During the initial apoptotic stages, several nuclear autoantigens, including PARP, Topo I, and LEDGF/p75 …

The Wings Of Bombyx Mori Develop From Larval Discs Exhibiting An Early Differentiated State: A Preliminary Report, Madhuri Kango-Singh, Amit Singh, K. P. Gopinathan

Biology Faculty Publications

Lepidopteran insects present a complex organization of appendages which develop by various mechanisms. In the mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori, a pair of meso- and meta-thoracic discs located on either side in the larvae gives rise to the corresponding fore- and hind-wings of the adult. These discs do not experience massive cell rearrangements during metamorphosis and display the adult wing vein pattern. We have analysed wing development in B. mori by two approaches, viz., expression of patterning genes in larval wing discs, and regulatory capacities of larval discs following explantation or perturbation. Expression of Nubbin is seen all over the presumptive …

Morphine Enhances The Permeability Across Vascular Endothelial Cell Barriers, Jenine Anday

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Using three types of in vitro endothelial cell barrier models, we investigated the direct effects and mechanisms of morphine on vascular permeability. Our current studies illustrate LPS induces permeability across these VEC barriers, and is significantly enhanced when co-treated with morphine, displayed using the [ 14 CJ-inulin paracellular marker. Incubation with morphine alone induces permeability in a concentration­ depeodent manner, and is not blocked by the addition of naloxone. Morphine enhances the detrimental effects of LPS on cell viability and alone also decreases endothelial cell viability, concentration-dependently, which is also not affected by naloxone, as demonstrated by the trypan blue …

Increased Glutathione Metabolic Defense Capabilities In Cultured Alzheimer's Diseased Lymphoblast Cell Lines, Collin M. Shaw

Dissertations and Theses

The hypothesis to be tested states that the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves elevated levels of oxidative stress, resulting in elevated levels of cellular oxidative defense mechanisms. If the premise is true, than AD pathologically afflicted cells should have a higher demand for glutathione (GSH) as an innate oxidative defense mechanism hence; greater GSH concentrations, increased GSH resynthesis capabilities, and increased levels of cystathionine gamma-lyase (CNase). Alzheimer diseased and age matched control lymphoblast cells, obtained from OHSU's Oregon Brain Aging Study, were cultured, and GSH biochemistry was subsequently evaluated. GSH was depleted by exposing cells to the GSH depleting …

Reproductive Performance Of Female White-Tailed Deer On Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge, Thomas A. Nelson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Aspects of the reproductive biology of female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge were investigated by examining the reproductive tracts of 121 deer harvested during the 1985-90 archery seasons. The presence of corpora albicantia in yearlings suggested that 27% of female fawns conceived, producing a mean of 1.0 ova/breeding fawn. Pregnancy rates among yearlings and adults averaged 94% and 97%, respectively. Ovulation rates averaged 1.4 and 2.0 ova/female among yearlings and adults. Some females were ovulating in early-October, but the earliest conceptions occurred during the last week of October. The peak breeding period for yearlings and …

A New Tissue Test For Accurate Diagnosis Of Copper Deficiency In Cereals, J W. Gartrell, A. D. Robson, J. F. Loneragan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Copper deficiency in ceereals can now be accurately diagnosed using tissue analysis.

Early Hail Marks On Apples Do Not Grow Out, N H. Shorter, J. C. Rowbotham

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ALTHOUGH the 1964/65 season brought a record crop with a good proportion of high quality fruit, the year was marred by several violent hailstorms in separate parts of the South-West.