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Articles 1 - 3 of 3
Full-Text Articles in Other Microbiology
Multiple Posttranscriptional Regulatory Features Control Expression Of Ethanolamine Utilization Genes In Enterococcus Faecalis, Kristina A. Fox
Multiple Posttranscriptional Regulatory Features Control Expression Of Ethanolamine Utilization Genes In Enterococcus Faecalis, Kristina A. Fox
Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)
Enterococcus faecalis is a Gram-positive bacterium that lives as a commensal organism in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract, but can behave as an opportunistic pathogen. Our lab discovered that mutation of the eutK gene attenuates virulence of E. faecalis in the C. elegans model host. eutK is part of the ethanolamine metabolic pathway which was previously unknown in E. faecalis. I discovered the presence of two unique posttranscriptional regulatory features that control expression of eut locus genes. The first feature I found is an AdoCBL riboswitch, a cis-acting RNA regulatory element that acts as a positive regulator of gene …
Leptin Protects Dendritic Cells From Chemically-Induced Cell Death, Yadira Arellano^, Jeffrey Charles Sivils, Kristine Marie Garza*
Leptin Protects Dendritic Cells From Chemically-Induced Cell Death, Yadira Arellano^, Jeffrey Charles Sivils, Kristine Marie Garza*
COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2011
Leptin is a pleiotropic adipokine that exerts its physiological effects by binding to its receptor, which is expressed in many immune cells including T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells. Multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP) is a transmembrane transporter commonly associated with cancer cells conferring resistance to chemotherapy. The purpose of this study is to determine if leptin supersedes the cytotoxic death signal in dendritic cells. We further hypothesize that the mechanism underlying leptin protection is a result of over expression of MRPs. To address this question, we examined the effect of leptin on monocytes treated with cytotoxic drugs in vitro. Bone …
A Messenger Molecule Governs Interdependency In An Evolved Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilm Community, Thomas Macelliott Johnson
A Messenger Molecule Governs Interdependency In An Evolved Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilm Community, Thomas Macelliott Johnson
Honors Theses and Capstones
Biofilm populations are known to harbor great diversity, but the importance of this diversity is not fully understood. A likely contributor to this variation is the second messenger molecule cyclic-di-GMP: low levels associate with a planktonic lifestyle while high levels favor biofilm formation. In ongoing studies of an evolving biofilm population of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA), we observed extensive ecological diversification that may relate to this lifestyle switch. In PA, the gene bifA encodes a phosphodiesterase that is known to degrade cyclic-di-GMP and reduce biofilm. This gene was cloned onto a plasmid under control of an inducible promoter and the plasmid …