Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Medicine and Health Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Cocaine Enhances Hiv-1 Infectivity In Monocyte Derived Dendritic Cells By Suppressing Microrna-155, Jessica Napuri, Sudheesh Pilakka-Kanthikeel, Andrea Raymond, Marisela Agudelo, Adriana Yndart-Arias, Madhavan Nair, Shailendra K. Saxena Dec 2013

Cocaine Enhances Hiv-1 Infectivity In Monocyte Derived Dendritic Cells By Suppressing Microrna-155, Jessica Napuri, Sudheesh Pilakka-Kanthikeel, Andrea Raymond, Marisela Agudelo, Adriana Yndart-Arias, Madhavan Nair, Shailendra K. Saxena

HWCOM Faculty Publications

Cocaine and other drugs of abuse increase HIV-induced immunopathogenesis; and neurobiological mechanisms of cocaine addiction implicate a key role for microRNAs (miRNAs), single-stranded non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and defend against viruses. In fact, HIV defends against miRNAs by actively suppressing the expression of polycistronic miRNA cluster miRNA-17/92, which encodes miRNAs including miR-20a. IFN-g production by natural killer cells is regulated by miR-155 and this miRNA is also critical to dendritic cell (DC) maturation. However, the impact of cocaine on miR-155 expression and subsequent HIV replication is unknown. We examined the impact of cocaine on two miRNAs, miR-20a and …


Genetic Engineering And The Pursuit Of Human Perfection, K. C. Pugh Oct 2013

Genetic Engineering And The Pursuit Of Human Perfection, K. C. Pugh

Student Papers

The idea of perfection has always captivated the attention of people across the ages. Whether in the form of gods, nature, or role models, people have always looked towards some form of the purest ideal. Perfection is not a novel idea by any means; however, it is only in recent years that human beings have actually sought to achieve it.


Notch1 Gain Of Function In Germ Cells Causes Failure Of Spermatogenesis In Male Mice, Zaohua Huang, Bryan Rivas, Alexander I. Agoulnik Jul 2013

Notch1 Gain Of Function In Germ Cells Causes Failure Of Spermatogenesis In Male Mice, Zaohua Huang, Bryan Rivas, Alexander I. Agoulnik

HWCOM Faculty Publications

NOTCH1 is a member of the NOTCH receptor family, a group of single-pass trans-membrane receptors. NOTCH signaling is highly conserved in evolution and mediates communication between adjacent cells. NOTCH receptors have been implicated in cell fate determination, as well as maintenance and differentiation of stem cells. In the mammalian testis expression of NOTCH1 in somatic and germ cells has been demonstrated, however its role in spermatogenesis was not clear. To study the significance of NOTCH1 in germ cells, we applied a cre/loxP approach in mice to induce NOTCH1 gain- or loss-of function specifically in male germ cells. Using a Stra8-icre …


Assessing Methods For Assigning Snps To Genes In Gene-Based Tests Of Association Using Common Variants, Ashley Petersen, Carolina Alvarez, Scott Declaire, Nathan L. Tintle May 2013

Assessing Methods For Assigning Snps To Genes In Gene-Based Tests Of Association Using Common Variants, Ashley Petersen, Carolina Alvarez, Scott Declaire, Nathan L. Tintle

Department of Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Gene-based tests of association are frequently applied to common SNPs (MAF>5%) as an alternative to single-marker tests. In this analysis we conduct a variety of simulation studies applied to five popular gene-based tests investigating general trends related to their performance in realistic situations. In particular, we focus on the impact of non-causal SNPs and a variety of LD structures on the behavior of these tests. Ultimately, we find that non-causal SNPs can significantly impact the power of all gene-based tests. On average, we find that the “noise” from 6–12 non-causal SNPs will cancel out the “signal” of one causal …


Identification Of Anziaic Acid, A Lichen Depside From Hypotrachyna Sp., As A New Topoisomerase Poison Inhibitor, Bokun Cheng, Shugeng Cao, Victor Vasquez, Thirunavukkarasu Annamalai, Giselle Tamayo-Castillo, Yuk-Ching Tse-Dinh Apr 2013

Identification Of Anziaic Acid, A Lichen Depside From Hypotrachyna Sp., As A New Topoisomerase Poison Inhibitor, Bokun Cheng, Shugeng Cao, Victor Vasquez, Thirunavukkarasu Annamalai, Giselle Tamayo-Castillo, Yuk-Ching Tse-Dinh

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Topoisomerase inhibitors are effective for antibacterial and anticancer therapy because they can lead to the accumulation of the intermediate DNA cleavage complex formed by the topoisomerase enzymes, which trigger cell death. Here we report the application of a novel enzyme-based high-throughput screening assay to identify natural product extracts that can lead to increased accumulation of the DNA cleavage complex formed by recombinant Yersinia pestistopoisomerase I as part of a larger effort to identify new antibacterial compounds. Further characterization and fractionation of the screening positives from the primary assay led to the discovery of a depside, anziaic acid, from the lichen …


Instability Of Ctg Repeats Is Governed By The Position Of A Dna Base Lesion Through Base Excision Repair, Yanhao Lai, Meng Xu, Zunzhen Zhang, Yuan Liu Feb 2013

Instability Of Ctg Repeats Is Governed By The Position Of A Dna Base Lesion Through Base Excision Repair, Yanhao Lai, Meng Xu, Zunzhen Zhang, Yuan Liu

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Trinucleotide repeat (TNR) expansions and deletions are associated with human neurodegeneration and cancer. However, their underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Recent studies have demonstrated that CAG repeat expansions can be initiated by oxidative DNA base damage and fulfilled by base excision repair (BER), suggesting active roles for oxidative DNA damage and BER in TNR instability. Here, we provide the first evidence that oxidative DNA damage can induce CTG repeat deletions along with limited expansions in human cells. Biochemical characterization of BER in the context of (CTG)20 repeats further revealed that repeat instability correlated with the position of a base …