Laboratory and Basic Science Research Commons^™

The Role Of The Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 2 In Pancreatic Cancer: Mechanisms Of Tumor Immunosuppression And Intestinal Radioprotection, Carolina Garcia Garcia

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease with dismal prognosis. The only curative option for patients is surgery, but over 80% of patients are not surgical candidates. Unfortunately, PDAC is resistant to the three remaining options. PDAC is characterized by a profoundly hypoxic and immunosuppressive stroma, which contributes to its therapeutic recalcitrance. Alpha-smooth muscle actin+ (αSMA+) cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the most abundant stromal component, as well as mediators of stromal deposition. The hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF1 and HIF2) coordinate responses to hypoxia, yet, despite their known association to poor patient outcomes, their functions within the PDAC tumor microenvironment (TME) …

The Roles Of Pon2 In Mitochondrial Physiology, Lung Tumor Cell Proliferation, And Lung Tumorigenesis., Aaron Whitt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Paraoxonase 2 (PON2) is an intracellular, multifunctional enzyme with near-ubiquitous tissue distribution. Within cells, PON2 is localized to mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where it mitigates the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). PON2’s chief enzymatic function is its lactonase activity, through which it catalyzes the hydrolysis of a bacterial quorum-sensing molecule, N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone (C12), effectively disrupting bacterial intercellular communication and protecting against infection. C12 is produced by the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa and has been shown to disrupt various aspects of eukaryotic host cell physiology and evoke apoptotic cell death through the activity of PON2. Additionally, PON2 has garnered …

Utilization Of Bioinformatics And Immunocytochemistry To Examine Gap Junction Expression In Breast Cancers Cells, Jasmine D. Carter, Giovanni Reyes, Abeeha K. Choudhary, Eric A. Albrecht

Symposium of Student Scholars

Utilization of Bioinformatics and Immunocytochemistry to Examine Gap Junction Expression in Breast Cancers Cells.

Jasmine D. Carter¹, Giovanni Reyes¹, Abeeha Choudhary² and Eric A. Albrecht¹

Breast cancer is known for its diverse clinical classifications and expressing different levels of membrane proteins such as ion channels and gap junctions. This diversity allows more variations in cell polarization, which can lead to enhanced directional ion fluxes in certain breast cancer subtypes. We utilized the interactive web portal UALCAN to evaluate the gene expression data of gap junctions, ion exchange channels and cytoskeletal proteins in breast cancer …

Lymphoma With Tuberculous Granulomas, Jyoti Mohan Lal, Anila Rashid

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Chronic granulomatous inflammation is a common finding in lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs), but it is important to exclude coexisting mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) especially in patients from areas of high endemicity. This case emphasizes the relevance of performing MTB culture on bone marrow exhibiting LPD and concomitant granulomas

Novel Mechanism Of Endogenous Pancreatic Cancer Cell Expression Of Immune Checkpoint Programmed Cell-Death 1 Protein (Pd-1) Inducing Epithelial-To-Mesenchymal Transition (Emt) Through The Met Pathway And Promoting Cancer Progression In An Immune-Independent Process, Megan M. Harper

Theses and Dissertations--Clinical and Translational Science

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the deadliest cancers with few treatment options, necessitating an urgent need for novel therapeutics. Immuno-oncologic (IO) therapies have revolutionized anti-cancer regimens in the past decade but typically involve reactivation of adaptive immune responses. In particular, immune checkpoint PD-1 is traditionally expressed only on immune cells while PD-L1 (PD-1 ligand) is overexpressed on cancer cells. When tumor-endogenous PD-L1 binds the PD-1 receptor on T-cells, the immune cells undergo anergy resulting in self-tolerance and cancer cell immune evasion. However, contrary to standard dogma, we previously demonstrated tumor-endogenous PD-1 expression in PDAC. Our data indicated that …