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Medicine and Health Sciences Commons

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All ETDs from UAB

Theses/Dissertations

2012

Mitochondria

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

The Hypometabolic Actions Of Hydrogen Sulfide In Mammalian Systems, Asaf Stein Jan 2012

The Hypometabolic Actions Of Hydrogen Sulfide In Mammalian Systems, Asaf Stein

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In recent years, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been identified as a ubiquitous cell signaling molecule. In addition to its diverse physiological roles, H2S has emerged as a possible drug therapy, with a wide range of applications. Along with cytoprotective effects in pathological states such as ischemia-reperfusion injury, H2S has been shown to decrease aerobic metabolism in a reversible manner. This dissertation is focused on exploring H2S-induced hypometabolism and the implications therein for human health and disease. We have shown that rats exposed to 80 ppm H2S gas in combination with low oxygen (10.5% O2) for 6 hr exhibit decreases in …


The Role Of Vpr-1 Msp Signaling In C. Elegans, Sung Min Han Jan 2012

The Role Of Vpr-1 Msp Signaling In C. Elegans, Sung Min Han

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In C. elegans, the major sperm protein (MSP) is the most abundant protein in sperm and functions as an intracellular cytoskeleton protein and a secreted extracellular signal that induces oocyte maturation and sheath contraction. Evolutionarily, MSP domain-containing proteins originate from the VAPs (VAMP/synaptobrevin-associated proteins), which comprise a highly conserved protein family with an MSP domain at the N-terminus and a transmembrane domain at the C-terminus. I have been studying the signaling role of VAP MSP domains using the C. elegans model system. In collaboration with Hugo Bellen's lab at Baylor College of Medicine, we have shown that C. elegans, Drosophila, …


Targeting Mitochondrial Function In Diabetic Nephropathy, Colin Reily Jan 2012

Targeting Mitochondrial Function In Diabetic Nephropathy, Colin Reily

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TARGETING MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION IN DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY The incidence of diabetes has increased to epidemic proportions over the last 50 years, due to a complex interaction of lifestyle and dietary factors. Changes in physical activity, caloric intake, and the composition of foods consumed over the last century are thought to interact with metabolic syndrome prone subpopulations leading ultimately to diabetes. It is widely accepted that chronic hyperglycemia in the blood characterizes the diabetic condition. Since the discovery of insulin therapy in the first half of the 20th century, diabetics have extended their lifespan considerably, but at the cost of increased morbitity …


Mitochondrial Morphology And Function In Neuronal Cells Under Stress, Lonnie Schneider Jan 2012

Mitochondrial Morphology And Function In Neuronal Cells Under Stress, Lonnie Schneider

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Neurodegenerative disease encompasses a wide range of conditions and pathologies that can manifest at any age depending on the etiology. A major factor in both early onset and age-related neurodegeneration is mitochondrial dysfunction. To investigate how mitochondrial bioenergetics is affected by cellular stress, we used an in vitro culture system to examine mitochondrial function in response to oxidative stress. We also studied an in vivo model of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis to determine the impact of deficient autophagy-lysosomal activity on mitochondrial morphology, composition and function. In vitro we found that retinoic acid-induced differentiation of dopaminergic neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells exhibited increased mitochondrial …