Physiology Commons^™

The Regulation And Packaging Of Synaptic Vesicles Related To Recruitment Within Crayfish And Fruit Fly Neuromuscular Junctions: Variations In Low- And High-Output Terminals, Wenhui Wu

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Glutamate is the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS and at the neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) of invertebrate. The characteristic similarities to CNS glutamatergic synapses in vertebrate and the anatomical simplicity of invertebrate NMJs favor the investigation of glutamatergic synaptic functions in this system. This dissertation mainly aimed to physiologically separate two functional vesicle groups, the reserve pool (RP) and readily releasable pool (RRP) within presynaptic nerve terminals of Procambarus Clarkii and Drosophila melanogaster. This was addressed in part by blocking the vesicular glutamate transporter (VGlut) with bafilomycin A1. Various frequencies of motor nerve stimulation, exposure time, and concentration of …

Comparative Sugar Transport By Crustacean Hepatopancreas And Intestine, Ada Duka

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Glucose is transported in crustacean hepatopancreas and intestine by Na⁺-dependent co-transport, while Na⁺-dependent D-fructose influx has only been described for the hepatopancreas. It is still unclear if the two sugars are independently transported by two distinct cotransporter carrier systems. In this study lobster (Homarus americanus) hepatopancreas brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) were used to characterize, in detail, the cation-dependency of both D-[³H] glucose and D-[³H] fructose influxes, while in vitro perfused intestines were employed to determine the nature of cation-dependent sugar transport in this organ. Over the sodium concentration range …

Age-Associated Metabolic And Morphologic Changes In Mitochondria Of Individual Mouse And Hamster Oocytes, Fatma Simsek-Duran, Fang Li, Wentia Ford, R. James Swanson, Howard W. Jones Jr., Frank J. Castora

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: In human oocytes, as in other mammalian ova, there is a significant variation in the pregnancy potential, with approximately 20% of oocyte-sperm meetings resulting in pregnancies. This frequency of successful fertilization decreases as the oocytes age. This low proportion of fruitful couplings appears to be influenced by changes in mitochondrial structure and function. In this study, we have examined mitochondrial biogenesis in both hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) and mouse (Mus musculus) ova as models for understanding the effects of aging on mitochondrial structure and energy production within the mammalian oocyte.

Methodology/Principal Findings: Individual metaphase …

Environmental Effects On The Biomechanics And Motor Physiology Of Elastically Powered Movements In Chameleons, Christopher Van Anderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Environmental temperature exhibits profound effects on the activity and ecology of ectotherms through its impact on muscle contractile physiology. While the performance of locomotor behaviors powered by muscle contraction directly decreases by at least 33% over a 10°C drop in body temperature, chameleons are known to feed, presumably with high performance, at body temperatures where sympatric lizard species remain inactive. I propose that ballistic movements that are powered by the recoil of preloaded elastic and collagenous tissues are less thermally dependent than movements that rely on direct muscular power. Despite the reduced thermal sensitivity of the elastic-recoil powered movement, I …

Variations Of Ghrelin, Growth Hormone, And Insulin-Like Growth Factor I In The West Indian Manatee (Trichechus Manatus), Rachel Lynn Cimino

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The metabolic hormones ghrelin, growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor I are influenced by developmental age, sex, and nutritional status in domestic and free-ranging species. However the role these hormones play has not previously been explored in sub-tropical/ tropical mammals. Furthermore, the seasonality of species with less dynamic environmental cues, such as the West Indian manatee, have not been studied. The West Indian manatee is and endangered species distributed in the southeastern United States and throughout the Caribbean basin, and its nutritional physiology is influenced by environmental factors. Understanding the hormone response to nutritional status in this species and its …

Diapause And Anhydrobiosis In Embryos Of Artemia Franciscana : Metabolic Depression, Lea Proteins And Water Stress., Steven Handel, Yuvraj Patil, Shumin Li, Nilay Charkraborty, Arpurva Borcar, Michael Menze, Leaf Boswell, Daniel Moore, Mehmet Toner

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Metabolic depression is typically correlated with extended survival of environmental challenge and energy-limitation in early life stages of various invertebrates and vertebrates. Diapause is an ontogenetically-programmed reduction of development and often metabolism seen in many invertebrates. When embryos of Artemia franciscana enter the state of diapause, the overall metabolic depression is estimated to be greater than 99%. These embryos also contain trehalose and express multiple isoforms of Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins, constituents often present in a number of such anhydrobiotic animals. The mRNA levels for LEA proteins are highest in diapause and post-diapause embryos that possess desiccation tolerance, but …

Impact Of Nutritional Status On The Somatotropic Axis And Ghrelin In Phocid Seals, Rachael Dailey

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Metabolic hormones and their axes, including the target tissues and receptors, regulate the tissue specific utilization of nutrients with in the body. The purpose of this research was to understand the hormonal control of complex nutrient partitioning mechanisms involved in young, growing animals. Specifically, this involved the investigation of metabolic hormones and the regulation of growth in two common species of phocids (true seals): harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) and Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) pups. This longitudinal study examines young phocids from nutritional nadir through realimentation (realimentation) to investigate how metabolic hormones involved in both food intake and nutrient partitioning …

Mechanisms Of Nitrogenous Waste Excretion During The Complex Life Cycle Of The Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus), James M. Neal Mr.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) are a phylogenetically ancient jawless fish, with a multi-staged life cycle characterized by a prolonged suspension-feeding larval stage, which is followed by metamorphosis into parasitic lampreys that feed on the protein-rich blood of fishes. The switch from a nutrient poor to protein-rich diet in the sea lamprey is associated with an increased capacity to deaminate excess amino acids and to excrete ammonia and urea following metamorphosis. The focus of this thesis was to determine if changes in nitrogenous waste transporter protein abundance facilitate ammonia and urea excretion during different stages of the sea lamprey …

Late Embryogenesis Abundant Proteins Protect Human Hepatoma Cells During Acute Desiccation, Shumin Li, Nilay Chakraborty, Apurva Borcar, Michael A. Menze, Mehmet Toner, Steven C. Hand

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Expression of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins is highly correlated with desiccation tolerance in anhydrobiotic animals, selected land plants, and bacteria. Genes encoding two LEA proteins, one localized to the cytoplasm/nucleus (AfrLEA2) and one targeted to mitochondria (AfrLEA3m), were stably transfected into human HepG2 cells. A trehalose transporterwas used for intracellular loading of this disaccharide. Cellswere rapidly and uniformly desiccated to low water content (<0.12 g H2O/g dry weight) with a recently developed spin-drying technique. Immediately on rehydration, control cells without LEA proteins or trehalose exhibited 0% membrane integrity, comparedwith 98% in cells loaded with trehalose and expressing AfrLEA2 or AfrLEA3m; surprisingly, AfrLEA3m without trehalose conferred 94% protection. Cell proliferation across 7 d showed an 18-fold increase for cells dried with AfrLEA3m and trehalose, compared with 27-fold for nondried controls. LEA proteins dramatically enhance desiccation tolerance in mammalian cells and offer the opportunity for engineering biostability in the dried state.

Late Embryogenesis Abundant Proteins Protect Human Hepatoma Cells During Acute Desiccation., Shumin Li, Nilay Chakraborty, Apurva Borcar, Michael Menze, Mehmet Toner, Steven Hand

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Expression of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins is highly correlated with desiccation tolerance in anhydrobiotic animals, selected land plants, and bacteria. Genes encoding two LEA proteins, one localized to the cytoplasm/nucleus (AfrLEA2) and one targeted to mitochondria (AfrLEA3m), were stably transfected into human HepG2 cells. A trehalose transporterwas used for intracellular loading of this disaccharide. Cellswere rapidly and uniformly desiccated to low water content (< 0.12 g H2O/g dry weight) with a recently developed spin-drying technique. Immediately on rehydration, control cells without LEA proteins or trehalose exhibited 0% membrane integrity, comparedwith 98% in cells loaded with trehalose and expressing AfrLEA2 or AfrLEA3m; surprisingly, AfrLEA3m without trehalose conferred 94% protection. Cell proliferation across 7 d showed an 18-fold increase for cells dried with AfrLEA3m and trehalose, compared with 27-fold for nondried controls. LEA proteins dramatically enhance desiccation tolerance in mammalian cells and offer the opportunity for engineering biostability in the dried state.

Metabolic Preconditioning Of Mammalian Cells: Mimetic Agents For Hypoxia Lack Fidelity In Promoting Phosphorylation Of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase, Apurva Borcar, Michael A. Menze, Mehmet Toner, Steven C. Hand

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Induction of HIF-1α by oxygen limitation promotes increased phosphorylation and catalytic depression of mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) and an enhanced glycolytic poise in cells. Cobalt chloride and desferrioxamine are widely used as mimics for hypoxia because they increase the levels of HIF-1α. We evaluated the ability of these agents to elicit selected physiological responses to hypoxia as a means to metabolically precondition mammalian cells, but without the detrimental effects of hypoxia. We show that, while CoCl2 does increase HIF-1α in a dose-dependent manner, it unexpectedly and strikingly decreases PDH phosphorylation at E1α sites 1, 2, and 3 (Ser293, Ser300, and …

Metabolic Preconditioning Of Mammalian Cells : Mimetic Agents For Hypoxia Lack Fidelity In Promoting Phosphorylation Of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase., Apurva Borcar, Michael Menze, Mehmet Toner, Steven Hand

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Induction of HIF-1α by oxygen limitation promotes increased phosphorylation and catalytic depression of mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) and an enhanced glycolytic poise in cells. Cobalt chloride and desferrioxamine are widely used as mimics for hypoxia because they increase the levels of HIF-1α. We evaluated the ability of these agents to elicit selected physiological responses to hypoxia as a means to metabolically precondition mammalian cells, but without the detrimental effects of hypoxia. We show that, while CoCl2 does increase HIF-1α in a dose-dependent manner, it unexpectedly and strikingly decreases PDH phosphorylation at E1α sites 1, 2, and 3 (Ser293, Ser300, and …

Long-Term Survival Of Anoxia Despite Rapid Atp Decline In Embryos Of The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Jason E. Podrabsky, Michael A. Menze, Steven C. Hand

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Embryos of the annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus can survive for months in the complete absence of oxygen. Survival of anoxia is associated with entry into a state of metabolic dormancy known as diapause. However, extreme tolerance of anoxia is retained for several days of post-diapause development. Rates of heat dissipation in diapause II and 4 days post-diapause II embryos were measured under aerobic conditions and during the transition into anoxia. Phosphorylated adenylate compounds were quantified in embryos during entry into anoxia and after 12 hr of aerobic recovery. Rates of heat dissipation were not affected by exposure to anoxia in …

Long-Term Survival Of Anoxia Despite Rapid Atp Decline In Embryos Of The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus., Jason Podrabsky, Michael Menze, Steven Hand

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Embryos of the annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus can survive for months in the complete absence of oxygen. Survival of anoxia is associated with entry into a state of metabolic dormancy known as diapause. However, extreme tolerance of anoxia is retained for several days of post-diapause development. Rates of heat dissipation in diapause II and 4 days post-diapause II embryos were measured under aerobic conditions and during the transition into anoxia. Phosphorylated adenylate compounds were quantified in embryos during entry into anoxia and after 12 hr of aerobic recovery. Rates of heat dissipation were not affected by exposure to anoxia in …

Analyzing The Interaction Between Melanocortin 5 Receptor, Melanocortin Receptor Accessory Protein 1, And Melanocortin 2 Receptor In Rainbow Trout, Domicinda M. Hill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using CHO cells we sought to explore and characterize the functional relationship of rainbow trout MC5 receptor (rtMC5R) with zebrafish MRAP1 (zfMRAP1) and rainbow trout MC2 receptor (rtMC2R), as well as how the effect of such relationships may play a significant role in Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal/Interrenal axis activation. This research demonstrated that rtMC5R can be successfully expressed and functionally activated in CHO cells and, in a manner similar to mammals, α-MSH is the preferred ligand for rtMC5R. The presence of MRAP1 does not seem to inhibit the expression or function of rtMC5R, rather it appears that it may increase expression and total …

Exercise-Induced Neuroprotection In A Hemiparkinsonian 6-Hydroxydopamine Rat Model, Merrill Russen Landers

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Outside of finding a cure, one of the preeminent goals of research in Parkinson's disease (PD) is finding a neuroprotective treatment that when applied prior to the onset of the disease will decrease the risk and severity of the subsequent disease. One such treatment that has potential as a neuroprotective agent in PD is exercise. Several studies have found forced exercise to be protective of Parkinson's disease in adult rodent models; however, few of these studies have used a design wherein voluntary exercise was evaluated. Moreover, no study has used a true neuroprotective design in which exercise was applied prior …

Integration Of Student Centered Physiology Learning Into Related High School Science Courses, Sowmya Anjur

Faculty Publications & Research

Student centered teaching was previously found to enhance student understanding and even improve performance of students in other courses taken in the same semester in high school (6). In an effort to improve student performance in related science classes, the same student centered methods used in my Physiology and Disease (PAD) class were implemented in a Biophysics class this semester. Initial student surveys showed that students felt that integrating physiology concepts into Biophysics helped them understand the material from two very different perspectives, giving them a "more complete picture". Test scores from each of the four units were compared in …

Treatment Of Aortic Heart Valve Conduit With Glutamine And Heat Shock As A Means To Deter The Constituent Cellular Population From Becoming Apoptotic, Alyce Marie Linthurst Jones

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Cryopreserved allograft heart valves represent the best solution for a patient with a failing heart valve. However, the constituent cells become apoptotic and within months of transplant the heart valve becomes acellular and the recipient's cells do not repopulate the allograft (3, 51). A strategy to prevent this situation would be to minimize or prevent apoptosis from occurring by strategically altering steps during heart valve processing. Recently it has been demonstrated that: 1) Heat shock protein 70 is a negative modulator of the apoptotic cascade; 2) Cells in culture exposed to hypothermic conditions produce heat shock protein 70 upon rewarming; …

High Altitude Diving In River Otters: Coping With Combined Hypoxic Stresses, Jamie R. Crait, Henry D. Prange, Noah A. Marshall, Henry J. Harlow, Clark Cotton, Merav Ben-David

Biology Faculty Publications

River otters (Lontra canadensis) are highly active, semi-aquatic mammals indigenous to a range of elevations and represent an appropriate model for assessing the physiological responses to diving at altitude. In this study, we performed blood gas analyses and compared blood chemistry of river otters from a high-elevation (2357 m) population at Yellowstone Lake with a sea-level population along the Pacific coast. Comparisons of oxygen dissociation curves (ODC) revealed no significant difference in hemoglobin-oxygen (Hb-O₂) binding affinity between the two populations - potentially because of demands for tissue oxygenation. Instead, high-elevation otters had greater Hb concentrations (18.7 …

Salinity Preference Of Alaskan Threespine Stickleback: Test For Divergence In Halotaxis Between Ancestral And Landlocked Populations, David Fryxell, Eric T. Schultz

EEB Articles

Glacial retreat during the Pleistocene caused landlocking of anadromous Alaskan threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, furnishing a natural ‘experiment’ in osmoregulatory divergence. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of individual acclimation and population divergence on salinity preference. Full-sibling families of marine, anadromous, and freshwater-landlocked populations of stickleback were reared in common environments until 3 weeks post-hatch, then were split and acclimated to low or high salinity. At 6 to 8 weeks of age the six experimental groups were tested for salinity preference in a tank that offers fish a choice of compartments with different salinities arranged …

Minimum Cost Of Transport In Asian Elephants: Do We Really Need A Bigger Elephant?, V. A. Langman, M. F. Rowe, T. J. Roberts, N. V. Langman, C. R. Taylor

Dartmouth Scholarship

Body mass is the primary determinant of an animal’s energy requirements. At their optimum walking speed, large animals have lower mass-specific energy requirements for locomotion than small ones. In animals ranging in size from 0.8 g (roach) to 260 kg (zebu steer), the minimum cost of transport (COT_min) decreases with increasing body size roughly as COT_min∝body mass (M_b)^{–0.316±0.023} (95% CI). Typically, the variation of COT_min with body mass is weaker at the intraspecific level as a result of physiological and geometric similarity within closely related species. The interspecific relationship estimates that …

A Proposal To Test The Effects Of Factor Ecat1 On Pluripotency, From Reprogramming To Differentiation Of Human Somatic Cells, Vritti R. Goel

CMC Senior Theses

The field of stem cell research has been growing more because of the interest in using stem cells to cure diseases and heal injuries. Human embryonic stem cells, because of the controversy surrounding them—and subsequently the difficulties in acquiring samples of the existing aging cell lines—can only be used in limited capacities. While the development of induced pluripotent stem cells in the last decade has allowed the field to progress closer to medical treatments, the low efficiency of reprogramming a somatic cell to a pluripotent state, and the vast molecular and genomic differences between human embryonic stem cells and human …

Chemotherapy: The Physiological Cost Of A Cure, Megan Ellis

A with Honors Projects

This project focuses on the common long term side effects of cancer treatments, apart from cure. In addition to physiological function changes, it focuses on the chemical composition of chemotherapy drugs.

Effect Of Low Maternal Aldosterone On Offspring Cardiovascular Development, Travis Dean Mckee

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Maternal conditions are well known to affect fetal cardiovascular development. This study was designed to investigate in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), the effects of maternal aldosterone suppression on the development of hypertension in the offspring. A sham procedure or a right adrenalectomy combined with cryodestruction of the zona glomerulosa of the left adrenal gland was performed on SHR females. The rats were mated and male offspring were implanted at 11-13 weeks of age with a PA-C40 remote monitoring device placed into the femoral artery to record cardiovascular parameters for 4 weeks. Systolic (mmHg), diastolic (mmHg), and mean blood pressure (mmHg), …

Nutrient Transport By Shrimp Hepatopancreas, Tamla A. Simmons

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purified brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) were isolated to characterize primary cellular transport mechanisms for white shrimp. The ultimate goal is to determine the effective components of a shrimp’s diet, thereby enhancing growth, as well as nutrient content. Juvenile shrimp are dependent on plant material as a food source. Potassium is a key component of plants, thus it may play a role in nutrient transport. In addition, divalent metals have been shown to act as co-transporters in several other organisms, thus they may serve as a transport mechanism for shrimp.

Fresh, live, white or brown shrimp were obtained, and from …

Interspecies Comparison Of Αii-Spectrin Abundance Between Chinook Salmon And Steelhead, Brielle D. Kemis, Ann L. Miracle, Katie A. Wagner, Christa M. Woodley

STAR Program Research Presentations

Salmonids, such as Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss), are a staple economic, recreational, tribal, and environmental resource, yet many populations are unsustainable. This study was part of a broad scale effort to monitor the impact of downstream migration obstacles on juvenile salmonid health and survival, which is an essential step towards increasing Smolt-to-Adult Return ratios (SARs). The objective of this study was to determine if juvenile Chinook salmon and steelhead exhibit differing quantities of alphaII-Spectrin Breakdown Products (SBDPs) over two consecutive spring migration periods, indicative of neurogenesis rate and/or biological response to head …

The Relationship Between 11-Ketotestosterone, Cortisol, And Testosterone And Condition Index For Poecilia Reticulata, Shelly Gupta, Brandy G. Kalbach

Biological Sciences

The guppy, Poecilia reticulata, is a common study organism for behavioral and other ecological experiments (Houde, 1997).  As far as we know, no previous data have been compiled regarding hormones and condition index of guppies.  In this experiment we examined the relationship between circulating levels of three hormones (testosterone, 11-ketotestosterone and cortisol) and condition index in males and also made comparisons among the hormone levels, for three guppy sites from the northern range of Trinidad – Aripo River, Marianne River and Small Crayfish River.  Hormone samples were obtained using non-invasive water borne techniques and quantified by our collaborator.  The condition …

Reciprocal Regulation Of Trek-1 Channels By Arachidonic Acid And Crh In Mouse Corticotropes, Andy K. Lee, James L. Smart, Marcelo Rubinstein, Malcolm J. Low, Amy Tse

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Arachidonic acid (AA) is generated in the anterior pituitary gland upon stimulation by the ACTH secretagogue, CRH. Using the patch clamp technique,we examined the action of AA on the excitability of single pituitary corticotropes obtained from a transgenic mouse strain that expresses the enhanced green fluorescent protein driven by the proopiomelanocortin promoter. CRH evoked depolarization, but AA caused hyperpolarization. Under voltage clamp condition, AA caused a rapid inhibition of the delayed rectifier K current and then increased a background K current. Inhibition of AA metabolism did not prevent the activation of the K current by AA, suggesting a direct action …

Hemorrhagic Stroke, Kelsey Bigham

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

No abstract provided.

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 …