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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
The Requirement Of Transcriptional Lim Complex Co-Regulators For Pancreatic Endocrine Cell Development And Function, Eliana Davi Toren
The Requirement Of Transcriptional Lim Complex Co-Regulators For Pancreatic Endocrine Cell Development And Function, Eliana Davi Toren
All ETDs from UAB
The prevalence and tremendous impact of diabetes mellitus has made glucose regulation of the insulin-producing -cell and surrounding pancreatic islet of Langerhans a center of public and research interests alike. A comprehensive understanding of these hormone-producing cells begins with their developmental origins. What are the genetic cues and participants in the tightly orchestrated process of their formation? Investigating the earliest determinants of islet-cell fate not only allows us to deeply understand mature - and islet-cell function, but also produces a data-driven template for how these cells can be reproduced in future stem-cell based diabetes therapies. LIM transcriptional complexes are indispensable …
Tgfβ Provides The Backbone Of Embryogenesis: Elucidating The Role Of Tgfβ Signaling And Its Downstream Effectors On Spinal Column Development, Sade Williams Clayton
Tgfβ Provides The Backbone Of Embryogenesis: Elucidating The Role Of Tgfβ Signaling And Its Downstream Effectors On Spinal Column Development, Sade Williams Clayton
All ETDs from UAB
The spinal column is composed of two components, the vertebra (VB) that provide support and the intervertebral disc (IVD) that provide weight distribution. The structural integrity of IVDs is maintained by a fibrocartilaginous tissue called the annulus fibrosus (AF) which can degenerate with age or trauma and contribute to chronic back pain. There are currently no diseases modifying treatments that curb IVD degeneration. Regenerative therapies to treat IVD degeneration can be developed from identifying the signaling factors required for AF differentiation, but these factors are unknown. Previously, we showed that TGFβ signaling is required for AF formation in mice and …
Epigenetic Regulation Of Kir4.1 In Normal And Pathological States: A Focus On Spinal Cord Injury, Sinifunanya Elvee Nwaobi
Epigenetic Regulation Of Kir4.1 In Normal And Pathological States: A Focus On Spinal Cord Injury, Sinifunanya Elvee Nwaobi
All ETDs from UAB
Astrocytes are the most numerous cells in the brain and play a critical role in maintaining homeostatic extracellular potassium ([K+]e). This process is mediated, in part, by a glial-specific, inwardly rectifying potassium channel, Kir4.1. Pharmacological inhibition, knock down, or complete knock out of this channel results in astrocytes with increased membrane resistance, depolarized resting membrane potential, and altered extracellular potassium dynamics. Subsequent to the dysregulation of [K+]e, Kir4.1 knockout (KO) animals suffer from ataxia, seizures, and early postnatal death. Interestingly, Kir4.1 has long been characterized as a seizure susceptibility gene. The importance of Kir4.1 is further underscored by recent studies …
Epigenetic Markers In The Developing Postnatal Brain, Rebecca Kaye Simmons
Epigenetic Markers In The Developing Postnatal Brain, Rebecca Kaye Simmons
All ETDs from UAB
Epigenetic mechanisms provide a critical and plausible mechanism by which genes and the environment can interact and have been implicated in a number of diseases and disorders. In order to better understand how epigenetic mechanisms go awry in a diseased brain we must first understand how epigenetic mechanisms unfold during normal development. The present body of work begins to examine the role of DNA methylation in normal development and how it may contribute to a rodent model of emotion dysfunction. Using a variety of techniques, we evaluated the transcript, protein and functional output levels of DNA methyltransferase1, -3a, and -3b …
Using Mouse Models To Investigate Ciliopathies, Raymond Carl Pasek
Using Mouse Models To Investigate Ciliopathies, Raymond Carl Pasek
All ETDs from UAB
Cilia and flagella are microtubule based organelles found on nearly every cell type in the mammalian body. Flagella have an essential role in sperm locomotion and reproduction, while motile cilia have a known role in fluid movement in the brain, lungs, and portions of the female reproductive tract. While the role of most primary cilia remained unknown for decades, they are now recognized as being essential to mammalian development, renal homeostasis, and satiety, just to name a few. Because of their widespread presence and importance, dysfunction of cilia and flagella can lead to a variety of human diseases, collectively referred …
The Role Of Usp14 In Regulating Synaptic Development And Function Of The Neuromuscular Junctions, Ping-Chung Chen
The Role Of Usp14 In Regulating Synaptic Development And Function Of The Neuromuscular Junctions, Ping-Chung Chen
All ETDs from UAB
The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) plays critical roles in regulating multiple cellular functions, including protein abundance, trafficking, and cell signaling. In the nervous system, the UPS has been implicated in controlling a wide diversity of cellular process such as synaptic transmission, axon outgrowth, axon targeting, and synapse development. Although impairment of the UPS is observed in both neurodegenerative and developmental diseases, the mechanisms underlying how UPS dysregulation contributes to disease pathogenesis are not known. The proteasome, an approximate 2.5 megadaltons protein complex composed of 19S and 20S assemblies, is the site of ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation. Recent studies have demonstrated dysfunction …