Medical Sciences Commons^™

On The Anti-Adipogenic Function Of Collagen Triple Helix Repeat-Containing Protein 1, Matthew E. Siviski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adipogenesis is regulated by the coordinated activity of adipogenic transcription factors, including PPAR-gamma (PPARG) and C/EBP alpha (CEBPA). Thus, dysregulated adipogenesis predisposes adipose tissues to adipocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia. We have previously reported that mice possessing a homozygous null gene mutation in collagen triple helix repeat-containing protein 1 (CTHRC1) have increased adiposity compared to wildtype mice, supporting the concept that CTHRC1 regulates body composition. Herein, we investigated the anti-adipogenic activity of CTHRC1. Using 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, we showed significantly reduced adipogenic differentiation in the presence of CTHRC1 commensurate to marked suppression of Cebpa and Pparg gene expression. In addition, CTHRC1 increased …

Molecular And Biochemical Analysis Of Cytochrome P450 2c19 And 2d6, Reema Saleous

Theses

Pharmacogenomics (PGx) is a relatively new field of study. It links genetics to pharmacology since it deals with the influence of the genetic makeup of the individual on their ability to respond to specific medications. Some of the most important genes in this field, dubbed very important pharmacogenes (VIPs), belong to the cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily of drug metabolizing enzymes. The two members of this family that are the main focus of this thesis are CYP2C19 and CYP2D6. They play major roles in the metabolism of numerous medications, and it is therefore imperative that variations within those genes in various …

Photodynamic Therapy Agents: The Power Of Mjöllnir To Eradicate Cancer, Sidney M. Hopper

Honors College Theses

After its discovery back in the 1900s, photosensitizers became a critical study for potential treatments and cures for medical issues, including cancer. It was discovered that porphyrins appeared to target and accumulate in proliferating cells, and to reach the cells, a certain wavelength of light with maximum absorbance associated with the porphyrin was necessary to achieve cell death. Photodynamic therapy involves making use of porphyrins or metalloporphyrins as activators when exposed to such light. When activated, these compounds generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as HO- or O2-, which can react with nucleic acids found in DNA and RNA. In …

Nicotinamide Riboside And Beta-Hydroxybutyrate Activate Parallel Pathways For C. Elegans Lifespan Extension, Mckenzie Peters

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Supplementation with nicotinamide riboside (NR), a form of vitamin B3 and a precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) extends lifespan in the nematode C. elegans and delays aging-related pathologies in mammals. During aging, levels of NAD⁺ decline causing metabolic dysfunction and oxidative damage. Studies in C. elegans found that when NR was administered during larval development it induced the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR^mt), which is frequently associated with lifespan extension. Both calorie restriction (CR) and ketogenic diets (KD) have been shown to extend lifespan, in part through increasing NAD⁺ and through increasing levels …

An Investigation On The Effect Of Conserved Hinge Histidine On Influenza Hemagglutinin(Ha2) Protein Conformation Using Md Simulations, Nada Tolba

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hemagglutinin is a protein on the surface of Human Influenza Viruses.¹ It is composed of two glycopolypeptide domains, the HA1 and HA2 domains. Previous studies have found that across different strains of Influenza viruses, HIS435 residues remain conserved.⁴ In studies where mutations occurred in hinge-site histadine residues, the Influenza virus was inactive.⁴ These investigations indicated a significant role of HIS435 (hinge-site histadines) in virulence. Four systems were created using Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Each system was composed of an Isolated HA2 trimer solvated in a 150 mM NaCl rectangular water box at 310 K under isobaric and …

Differential Transcriptional Alterations In Detoxification Genes In Parkinson’S Disease In Egypt, Nourhan Shebl

Theses and Dissertations

PD is the most common motor neurodegenerative disease worldwide. The underlying cause of PD is still unknow, owingthis to the complexity of the disease. Often, genetics and environmental factors are collaborating in the initiation of the disease. Despite the diversity of its genetical and environmental profiles, the Egyptian population is one of the mostunderrepresented population in terms of PD research. In this study, we investigated PD through various perspectives tohighlight the complexity of the disease in Egypt, taking into consideration the diversity of the Egyptian population. We recruited PD patients and reference controls from 4 governorates: Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, and …

Protein S In Coagulation And Inflammation, Martha Mega Silvia Sim

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Protein S (PS) is a key regulator, which links inflammation and coagulation and performs multiple proposed functions in both processes. PS exists in the blood as a free soluble form (~40%), bound to complement component 4b-binding protein/ C4BP (~60%), and packaged in platelet α-granules (~2.5%). Subendothelial tissue factor (TF), upon exposure to blood, initiates coagulation, a proteolytic cascade which results in the activation of thrombin, the enzyme responsible for formation of a fibrin clot. PS is a critical anticoagulant that inhibits multiple steps of this process. Only the free fraction of PS has full anticoagulant properties, as C4BP blocks this …

Role Of The Ormdls In Keratinocytes, Souad Hatmi

Theses and Dissertations

The epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin, serves as a vital barrier protecting the body from environmental stressors, pathogens, and dehydration. Keratinocytes, the predominant cell type in the epidermis, play a central role in maintaining skin integrity and barrier function. In normal human skin, keratinocytes move from the basal layer to the stratum corneum, the top layer of the epidermis. In their travel, keratinocytes undergo a process of terminal differentiation, loss their ability to proliferate, secrete sphingolipids into the extracellular space, and gradually loss their nucleus and organelles. Sphingolipids, particularly ceramides, are key components of the intercellular lipid lamellae …

Autodocking Studies Of Oxygenated Fullerenes As Inhibitors Of The Hiv Protease, Michael Kaminski

All Student Theses

In a previous study, several oxygenated fullerene compounds were produced by ozonation of C60 (Buckminsterfullerene) and were identified by elemental analysis and by SALI (surface analysis by laser ionization). Some of these compounds, especially a batch, SK-5, a mixture of C60O1-8, were shown to inhibit activities of HIV-Protease with IC50 (concentration for 50% inhibition) of 1 mg/mol in the in-vitro studies. The oxygenated fullerenes were shown to have epoxide, ketones, and hydroxyl functionalities. As expected, C60 interacted with ozone with alkene functionality and not as an aromatic compound. It was postulated that C60O had epoxide functionality, as a product of …

Secretion Of Salivary Proteins And Their Interactions, Karla Tonelli Bicalho Crosara

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Saliva’s clinical application for disease diagnosis and monitoring is limited by incomplete knowledge of salivary protein interactions, the effect of stimulation on the salivary proteome, and if these factors impact protein identification. This thesis expands knowledge of the salivary interactome and effects of stimulation intensity and duration on parotid saliva’s proteome. First, previous in vitro studies identified 43 proteins in the histatin 1-protein network and demonstrated histatin 1’s increased stability in whole saliva when interacting with amylase. We hypothesized that protein-protein-interaction databases could enlarge the histatin 1-protein network. A comprehensive histatin 1-protein network was created using STRING database, merging previous …

Computer-Aided Drug Discovery For Helicobacter Pylori, Nicole Ann Vita

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Helicobacter pylori is a high-priority drug-resistant pathogen and is currently the only bacteria considered to be a class I carcinogen and there is a critical need to identify novel chemical matter to treat H. pylori infections. Hp is responsible for greater than 60% of gastric cancer related deaths and 89% of all gastric cancer morbidities. In a previous study, our lab identified novel Hp thienopyrmidine inhibitors that target respiratory complex I, an essential enzyme in respiration. Respiratory complex I is a large asymmetric multidomain and membrane bound enzyme and due to these innate features, it is not practical for biophysical …

Screening Tcf19 And Kif18b To Determine Co-Regulation With Mybl1 In Triple Negative Breast Cancer Patient Tissues, Tyra Sharda Ivory

Theses (2016-Present)

The aggressive behavior in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is due to genetic signaling events, which call for the comprehensive analyses of genes differentially regulated in the cancers. Our laboratory previously found that MYBL1 was over-expressed in a fraction of the TNBC, compared to some luminal, and other breast cancer subtypes. The MYBL1 gene is a proto-oncogene that serves as a strong transcriptional activator. The gene is involved in signaling events related to cell cycle signaling, differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis, all which are differentially regulated in cancers. Because MYBL1 is a transcription regulator, involved in cancer-related mechanisms and differentially expressed in …

Knockdown Of C. Elegans Nad Kinases Nadk-1 Or Nadk-2 Induces An Antioxidant Response Without Affecting Lifespan, Henry Gong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nearly all multicellular organisms show changes in redox balance with aging leading to oxidative damage of macromolecules. This study investigated the role of the [NADP⁺]/[NADPH] redox couple in aging. This redox couple plays an important role in maintaining tissue redox balance and becomes slightly more oxidized in aged tissues. NADPH is a major source of reducing equivalents for enzymes that detoxify hydrogen peroxide. However, catalase detoxifies hydrogen peroxide independently of NADPH. But catalase is absent from mitochondria, a major source of hydrogen peroxide, where instead glutathione plays the major role in hydrogen peroxide detoxification in an NADPH-dependent manner. …

Mechanism Of Rare Variant In Acta2, P.Arg149cys, Driving Diverse Vascular Disease, Kaveeta Kaw

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Heterozygous variants in ACTA2 (smooth muscle (SM) α-actin) predispose to thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections (TAAD) and early-onset coronary artery disease (CAD). The most common ACTA2 mutation is a genetic alteration of arginine 149 to a cysteine, ACTA2 p.Arg149Cys, which accounts for disease in 24% of all ACTA2 mutation carriers.(1) ACTA2 p.Arg149Cys mutation carriers present with either TAAD or CAD but rarely have both diseases. To identify the molecular mechanisms dictating whether an individual with ACTA2 p.Arg149Cys develops TAAD or CAD, CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to generate the mutant mouse, Acta2^R149C/+, in a C57BL6 background. Acta2^R149C/+ mice …

Applying Mci-062, A Novel Pan-Ras Inhibitor, To Treat Kras-Mutant Lung Cancer, Richard Fu

Honors Theses

RAS is a prevalent oncogene that is mutated in 27% of human cancers. Gain-of-function RAS mutations activate multiple downstream pathways, including the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways, which are critical in tumorigenesis and cancer cell proliferation. RAS proteins such as KRAS, a member of the RAS protein family, and their downstream effectors are attractive targets for cancer therapy since their mutations act as frequent drivers in lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers. However, RAS proteins have relatively smooth surfaces that lack traditional binding pockets, making inhibitors specific to RAS difficult to create. Recently, a novel small molecule pan-RAS inhibitor named MCI-062 was …

Plasmonic Sensor Based Detection Of Dopamine, Sang Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

With a rapidly ageing population, neurological diseases are becoming increasingly relevant in the design of public health policies and strategies in western societies. In the last decades, biochemical research has consistently shown the critical role that neurotransmitters and their associated metabolites play as biomarkers in tracking and diagnosis of different brain disorders and cancers. In particular, dopamine, an organic electrochemical neurotransmitter, has been shown to be paramount for the proper functioning of the neural system. Dopamine's dysfunction, has been shown to underlie the pathogenesis in several neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, depression, chronic schizophrenia and psychosis. Unfortunately, currently available …

Exploring Roles Of Mir-372-3p In Proliferation Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells, Pannathon Thamjamrassri

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer. HCC has a replicative immortality and sustained proliferation rate. In addition, cell cycle-related protein regulating proliferation in cancer are often found dysregulated, allowing cancer cells to proceed their proliferation uncontrollably. Recently, a small non-coding RNA, microRNA (miRNA), was found to play an important role in numerous biological functions. Specific miRNA may ameliorate or promote cancer progression through different target mRNA. MiR-372-3p has been explored in various cancers such as colon cancer, colorectal cancer, and glioma. However, its functions have been rarely studied in HCC, especially in the aspect …

Classification Of Bacteria And Fungi In Peritoneal Dialysis Fluids Of Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease Based On Metagenomic Analysis, Suthida Visedthorn

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long-term condition where sustained damage of the renal parenchyma leads to the chronic deterioration of renal function that may gradually progress to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a type of ESKD treatment that is beneficial to improve a patient's quality of life. However, PD-associated peritonitis is a major complication that contributes cause of death, and the detection of the pathogen provided a high culture-negative rate. This study aims to apply metagenomic approaches for identifying the bacteria and fungi in peritoneal dialysis effluent (PDE) of CKD patients based on the full-length 16S …

ผลของการบริโภคฟักข้าวต่อระดับไตรเมทิลามีนเอ็นออกไซด์ในเลือดและการเกิดโรคหัวใจในหนูไตวายเรื้อรัง, ภานุมาศ เข้มแข็ง

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

บทนํา: ไตรเมทิลามีน (Trimethylamine) เป็นสารที่สร้างจากแบคทีเรียในลําไส้และเป็นสารตั้งต้นในการสร้าง Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) ซึ่งทําให้เกิดโรคหัวใจและหลอดเลือดโดยเฉพาะในวิธีการทดลอง: หนูแรทเพศผู้สายพันธุ์วิสตาร์จํานวนกลุ่มละ 9 ตัว แบ่งออกเป็น 6 กลุ่ม ได้แก่ กลุ่มควบคุม (Control) กลุ่มไตเรื้อรัง (chronic kidney disease) กลุ่มสารทดสอบฟักข้าว (Gac) กลุ่มสารทดสอบไลโคปีนและเบต้าแคโรทีน (STD) กลุ่มสารทดสอบฟักข้าวร่วมกับแบคทีเรีย B. longum และ L. salivarius (Synbiotic) และกลุ่มสารโปรไบโอติกควบคุม L. Casei (Lactobacillus Casei) โดยหนูกลุ่มทดสอบจะถูกเหนี่ยวนําให้เป็นไตวาเรื้อรังโดย Cisplatinและทุกกลุ่มได้รับอาหารเสริม choline เป็นระยะเวลา 15 สัปดาห์ ผลการทดลอง: พบว่าหนูกลุ่ม Synbiotic มีระดับ serum TMAO ลดลงอย่างมีนัยสําคัญทางสถิติ (P<0.05)เมื่อเปรียบเทียบกับกลุ่ม CKD รวมถึงยังพบการลดลงของเชื้อในกลุ่ม Proteobacteria ในลําไส้และลดการแสดงออกของเอนไซม์ Trimethylamine-(TMA) lyase ซึ่งจําเป็นต่อการสร้าง TMA อย่างมีนัยสําคัญทางสถิติ(P<0.05) นอกจากนี้ยังพบว่าการเสริม Synbiotics ยังกระตุ้นการแสดงออกของ Zonula occludens type 1 (ZO-1) ซึ่งเป็น tight junction gene ที่บริเวณลําไส้ใหญ่ (Colon) อย่างมีนัยสําคัญ ในขณะที่การให้สารสกัดฟักข้าวเพียงอย่างเดียว หรือการให้โปรไบโอติกควบคุมไม่พบความเปลี่ยนแปลงเมื่อเปรียบเทียบกับกลุ่ม CKD สรุปผล: การเสริม Synbiotic ซึ่งประกอบด้วยสารสกัดฟักข้าว และโปรไบโอติกชนิด B. longum และ L.salivarius ที่มีประสิทธิภาพในการลดการรั่วที่ผนังลําไส้ ช่วยลดเชื้อ Proteobacteria ในลําไส้หนู CKD ลดการแสดงออกของ TMA lyase enzyme เพิ่มการแสดงออกของ tight junction gene ZO-1 และสามารถลดระดับ serum TMAO ได้อย่างมีนัยสําคัญ หรือ การเสริม Synbiotic ซึ่งประกอบด้วยสารสกัดฟักข้าว และโปรไบโอติกชนิด B. longum และ L. salivarius สารถลดระดับ serum TMAO ในหนูโรคไตเรื้อรังได้อย่างมีนัยสําคัญมีความเป็นไปได้ในการพัฒนาเป็นผลิตภัณฑ์ช่วยลดความเสี่ยงต่อการเกิดภาวะแทรกซ้อนทางหัวใจและหลอดเลือดในผู้ป่วยโรคไตเรื้อรังต่อไต

Defining Patient Cohorts For Guiding Clinical Trials And Treatment In Lafora Disease: A Model For The Rare Disease Community, Katherine Janae Donohue

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

In the US, approximately 8000 rare diseases have been identified. Combined, rare diseases impact more than 30 million people in the U.S. alone, with 75% of those being children. However, research, funding, and therapeutic development for the rare disease community remains challenging because of the incredible diversity – not only between diseases, but often even within a single disease.

LD is an ultra-rare childhood dementia and epilepsy caused by mutations in one of two driver genes: EPM2A, which encodes for the glycogen phosphatase laforin, and EPM2B/NHLRC1, which encodes the E3 ubiquitin ligase malin. Children with LD …

Development Of An Hipsc-Cortical Neuron Long-Term Potentiation Model And Its Application To Alzheimer's Disease Modeling And Drug Evaluation, Kaveena Autar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is commonly characterized by a loss of cognitive function due to the deterioration of neuronal synapses from the presence of senile amyloid beta-42 (Aß42) plaques. Evaluating cognitive deficits caused by Aß42 using human cortical neurons poses a challenge due to sourcing difficulties, and the use of animal models to assess drug efficacy creates biological hurdles from lack of species translatability. Recent advances in induced-pluripotent stem cell technology have enabled the development of mature, human-based cortical neuron models. The development of an hiPSC-cortical neuron differentiation protocol facilitates the exploration of disease onset and functional analysis from a patient-derived …

ผลกระทบของการปลูกถ่ายจุลินทรีย์ในลำไส้ของผู้ป่วยโรคนิ่วไตต่อการเกิดโรคนิ่วแคลเซียมออกซาเลตในทางเดินปัสสาวะของหนู, สิทธิพงษ์ หุ่นไทย

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

โรคนิ่วไตพบมากในคนไทยโดยเฉพาะผู้ที่อาศัยในเขตภาคตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือและภาคเหนือ มีปัจจัยเสี่ยงคือ ภาวะซิเตรทในปัสสาวะต่ำ แคลเซียมและออกซาเลตในปัสสาวะสูง โดยพบมากในผู้ที่มีอายุ 40 ปีขึ้นไป จากการศึกษาก่อนหน้าพบความแตกต่างของประชากรจุลินทรีย์ในลำไส้ของผู้ป่วยโรคนิ่วไตจากคนสุขภาพดี จึงเชื่อว่าความแตกต่างของจุลินทรีย์ลำไส้ส่งผลให้เกิดความเสี่ยงของการเกิดโรคนิ่วไต เพื่อศึกษาความผิดปกตินี้ ผู้วิจัยจึงศึกษาความแตกต่างของจุลินทรีย์ในลำไส้เปรียบเทียบระหว่างอาสาสมัครคนปกติและผู้ป่วยโรคนิ่วไต พบว่าจุลินทรีย์ phylum Bacteroidata ในอุจจาระของผู้ป่วยโรคนิ่วไตสูงกว่าคนสุขภาพดี และพบ genus Bifidobacterium ต่ำกว่าคนสุขภาพดี จากนั้นนำจุลินทรีย์จากอุจจาระของอาสาสมัครทั้งสองกลุ่ม ปลูกถ่ายลงในหนู Wistar เป็นเวลา 4 สัปดาห์ พบว่า หนูกลุ่มที่ได้รับจุลินทรีย์จากกลุ่มผู้ป่วยโรคนิ่วไตมีปริมาณออกซาเลตในปัสสาวะมีแนวโน้มสูงขึ้น ปริมาณแมกนีเซียมในปัสสาวะลดลง รวมทั้ง pH ในปัสสาวะเป็นด่างมากขึ้น และพบดัชนีความเสี่ยงต่อการเกิดนิ่ว (Tiselius’s supersaturation index) เพิ่มสูงขึ้น นอกจากนี้ ยังพบ จุลินทรีย์ genus Muribaculaceae สูงขึ้นในหนูที่ได้รับการปลูกถ่ายเชื้อจุลินทรีย์จากผู้ป่วยโรคนิ่วไต และ genus Roseburia มีจำนวนลดลง รวมถึงการแสดงออกของ tight junction (Zonula occluden-1 หรือ ZO-1) ที่ลดลง และพบการแสดงออกของ oxalate transporter มีแนวโน้มสูงขึ้น สรุปได้ว่าหนูที่ได้รับเชื้อจุลินทรีย์ในอุจจาระจากผู้ป่วยโรคนิ่วไตมีความเสี่ยงต่อการเกิดโรคนิ่วสูงขึ้น โดยมีกลไกจากการแสดงออกของโปรตีน ZO-1 ลดลง และเพิ่ม oxalate transporter ที่ลำไส้ ทำให้ร่างกายได้รับออกซาเลตจากอาหารในลำไส้เพิ่มขึ้น และขับออกทางปัสสาวะเพิ่มขึ้น เป็นหลักฐานยืนยันว่าความผิดปกติของสมดุลเชื้อจุลินทรีย์ในลำไส้เพิ่มความเสี่ยงต่อการเกิดโรคนิ่วไต

Effects Of Chitosan Oligosaccharide And Probiotics On Chronic Kidney Disease Rats, Weerapat Anegkamol

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients suffer from the accumulation of toxic substances in their blood due to the loss of kidney function, which results in hyperphosphatemia. This condition contributes to hyperparathyroidism, leading to the development of chronic kidney disease-related mineral bone disorder (CKD-MBD). Additionally, CKD patients experience changes in their gut microbiota, disrupting epithelial tight junctions and allowing excessive absorption of dietary phosphate. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of various oligosaccharides and probiotics on the gut microbiota, intestinal barrier, hyperphosphatemia, and hyperparathyroidism in CKD rats. We isolated Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains from healthy participants and tested …

Exploring Roles Of Mir-885-5p In Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Archittapon Nokkeaw

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most prevalent form of liver cancer, exerts a significant burden on Southeast Asian countries and stands as the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Despite this alarming impact, effective treatments for HCC are lacking, resulting in low survival rates and high recurrence rates. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the disease's underlying mechanisms is crucial for the development of novel and potent therapies. Recently, it has been recognized that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a vital role in tumorigenesis, including HCC. Our bioinformatic analysis has highlighted hsa-miR-885-5p as a potential candidate miRNA due to its downregulation in HCC …

Effects Of Localized Oxygen Production By Electrolysis On The First-Generation Glucose Sensor Response, Nandita Halder

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Glucose sensors are very important for detecting blood glucose both in vitro and in vivo. First-generation glucose biosensors were based on the glucose oxidase (GOx) enzyme using molecular oxygen as the electron acceptor and therefore oxygen dependent. Unfortunately for in-vivo work, oxygen in the body is variable and limited. Alternative approaches to overcome the oxygen dependency came with their own limitations. The widely used and commercially available ex-vivo glucose test strip uses a mediator in place of oxygen to free it from oxygen dependency. The mediator-based technology, in most cases cannot be transferred to in vivo applications due to the …

Characterizing And Overcoming Resistance To Aminomethylspectinomycins In Gram-Negative Bacteria, Nisha Das

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Spectinomycin (SPC) is a broad-spectrum aminocyclitol antibiotic. Its use in agriculture has led to widespread resistance in enteric bacteria, necessitating the development of more effective analogs. Aminomethyl spectinomycins (amSPC) are modified spectinomycins with increased potency against many bacterial species. These species include Legionella pneumophila, which harbors a chromosomally encoded aminoglycoside modifying enzyme (AME). In this study, we follow up on this observation and examine the extent to which the amSPCs are substrates for AMEs through adenylation (ANTs) and phosphorylation (APH). APH(9)-Ia and ANT(3")(9) were expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) and purified using the Ni-affinity chromatography. The ability of AMEs to …

The Physiological Benefits Of A Plant-Based Diet On Cardiovascular Health, Jenevieve Petray

Nursing | Senior Theses

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increasingly more prevalent in today’s society and is attributed to an alarming percentage of American hospitalizations and deaths. Americans are unhealthier than ever before, and the main contributor is the Western diet. Diet is a double-edged sword that can offer benefits or detriments to one’s health. CVD encompasses numerous diagnoses originating from various underlying physiological alterations. These alterations are downstream effects of increased body weight and BMI, increased cholesterol levels, decreased insulin sensitivity and increased arterial plaque buildup. Research shows that a plant-based diet has the potential to manage and reverse all fundamental physiological alterations that …

A Characterization Of Rgnef Biophysical Properties And Interactome, Brooke E. Wile

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

ALS is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder whose pathologic hallmark is the presence of neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions (NCIs). In approximately 97% of ALS cases, NCIs are found to be TDP-43+. Rho-guanine nucleotide exchange factor (RGNEF) has recently been implicated in ALS pathophysiology through its co-localization and coimmunoprecipitation with TDP-43+. RGNEF has also been shown to harbour cytoprotective effects in the N-terminal region and is responsible for the regulation of low molecular weight-neurofilament (NFL), intimately involved neural structure, through its predicted RNA-binding domain (RBD). This study looked to purify constructs of RGNEF through nickel immobilized metal affinity chromatography (Ni-IMAC) and …

Creating Tools To Study The Signaling And Function Of The Adhesion Family Of Gpcrs, Victor M. Mirka

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Adhesion GPCRs (aGPCRs) are difficult to study because they are activated by mechanical force. aGPCRs are autoproteolytically cleaved into N-terminal and C-terminal fragments. Mechanical force removes the N-terminal fragment revealing a tethered ligand activating the receptor. Proteinase Activated Receptors (PARs) are N-terminally cleaved by proteinases revealing a tethered ligand activating the receptor. We hypothesized the tethered ligand of aGPCRs could be revealed by replacing the N-terminal fragment with a PAR N-terminus. We fused the PAR2 N-terminus to the C-terminal fragments of four aGPCRs: CD97, EMR2, GPR56, and BAI1. PAR2-aGPCR chimeric receptors dose dependently recruited G-proteins and β-arrestins, supporting our hypothesis. …

Nucleotide P2y₂ Receptor-Dependent Leukocyte-Endothelial Interaction, Spencer E. Thomas

MSU Graduate Theses

Extracellular nucleotides (ATP, UTP) released from cells act on nucleotide receptors to promote vascular inflammation. Increased leukocyte-endothelial interaction is a hallmark of vascular inflammation. The nucleotide P2Y₂ receptor (P2Y₂R), activated by extracellular ATP≈UTP, plays a role in cardiovascular homeostasis and immune regulation. Moreover, accumulating evidence from studies in vitro and in vivo models have implicated the P2Y₂R in the inflammatory response significantly contributing to the progression and pathogenesis of asthma, atherosclerosis, sepsis, and ischemia. I hypothesized that P2Y₂R activation by UTP, an agonist of the receptor, increased leukocyte rolling and adhesion in the microvasculature from baseline. To test the hypothesis, …