Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons^™

Characterization Of The Atsr/Atst Global Regulatory Pathway In Burkholderia Ceocepacia, Maryam Khodai-Kalaki

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Phosphorylation cascades governed by two-component signal transduction systems provide key signalling mechanisms in bacteria, simple eukaryotes and higher plants, allowing them to translate signals into adaptive responses. These regulatory pathways consist of a transmembrane sensor protein that responds to an environmental cue leading to autophosphorylation, followed by the transfer of the phosphate to a cytoplasmic response regulator. Here, I study AtsR, a membrane-bound hybrid sensor kinase of Burkholderia cenocepacia, that negatively regulates quorum sensing related virulence factors such as biofilm, type 6-secretion and protease secretion. B. cenocepacia is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen which causes severe, chronic respiratory infections in …

Bacterially-Based Immune Challenges And Trauma Elicit Terminal Investment In Male Aedes Aegypti, Molly K. Schumacher

Theses and Dissertations

Investment in life history traits such as immune function and reproduction is constrained by finite available resources. A cost-of-immunity trade-off may occur in response to infection when resources are diverted away from reproductive effort and into an immune response. Alternatively, an infected individual may enhance reproductive effort to maximize terminal reproductive success in response to the survival threat inherent to infection (terminal investment). We measured male Aedes aegypti reproductive behavior following inoculations with: living bacteria; killed bacteria as an immune elicitor; and a sham control. Mating competitiveness relative to naïve males was also determined through a binary mate choice experiment …

Tcr Alpha Lcr And Non-Lcr Cis-Elements Contributing To Tissue Specific Expression Of The Tcr Alpha Gene In Thymic And Peripheral T Cells, Martina Kucerova-Levisohn

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Orchestrated expression of multiple genes residing in the complex TCRα/δ/Dad1 locus requires tight control from multiple cis-acting elements. The TCRα locus control region (LCR), is positioned between TCRα and Dad1 gene, and has been implicated in the differential expression of both genes. In this study, we focus our work on the hypersensitive site (HS)1 prime (HS1'), located 3' of the classical Eα enhancer, within the TCRα LCR. We investigated its non- redundant role in TCRα expression in thymic and peripheral T cells as assayed by in vivo and in vitro studies. Furthermore, formation of HS1' in both lymphoid and …

Adipocyte-Induced Inflammation In Prostate Tumor Progression In Bone: Role Of Cxcr2 And Osteopontin, Aimalie Lynnette Hardaway

Wayne State University Dissertations

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men. Evidence suggests that age and obesity, conditions associated with adipocyte accumulation in the bone marrow, are linked to increased risk of developing PCa and progressing to metastatic disease. Studies presented in this dissertation were based on the hypothesis that metastatic progression in bone is a result of a cooperative effort between bone marrow adipocytes, macrophages, osteoclasts, and PCa cells. We specifically focused on two adipocyte-supplied chemokines, CXCL1 and CXCL2, and bone marrow macrophage-secreted osteopontin as key drivers of pro-inflammatory environment in the bone marrow and important …

Serine Palmitoyltransferase And Giardial Encystation, Monica Delgado

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Giardia lamblia is a flagellated protozoan parasite responsible for chronic diarrheal disease in humans and animals. Giardia has minimal lipid synThesis machinery and the majority of its lipids are obtained from the small intestine of humans where the trophozoites colonize. Recent results from our laboratory indicate that sphingolipids (SLs) are also important for Giardia and they regulate encystation and cyst production. Only five SL genes are present in this parasite and they are differentially regulated during encystation. In my studies, I found that giardial serine palmitoyltransferase (gSPT) activity is upregulated in encysting cells, suggesting it might play an important role …

Acceptance And Uptake Of Influenza Vaccination By Health Care Workers, Leshonda Wallace

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Influenza is a preventable infectious disease, against which vaccination is the primary means of protection. Health care workers (HCW) are among the most vulnerable to the illness and are likely to be sources of infection transmission while caring for patients. Circumstantial evidence suggests higher rates of vaccination coverage by HCW will coincide with a lower incidence of influenza transmission, yet a gap remains in the literature regarding governing health agencies' (i.e., licensing boards, medical and nursing associations) influence on the influenza vaccination practices of their constituents. Moreover, discrepancies exist between governing health agencies' and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee's recommendations …