Medical Sciences Commons^™

Murine Epidermal Cell Antigen (Skn)-Directed Autoimmunity Induced By Transfer Of Cd4+ T Cells, Susan H. Jackman, Shivaleela Keerthy, Giselle Perry

Biochemistry and Microbiology

While pathogenic T cells have been identified for several diseases with epithelial cell damage, an autoimmune T cell-mediated response targeted against a known keratinocyte antigen has not been reported. Previously we described an autoimmune response directed to the mouse epidermal cell antigens, Skn. For our murine model, primed Skn-immune lymphocytes are adoptively transferred to recipients, which develop lesions at the site of mild skin trauma. In this study we investigated the nature of the autoimmune component of the Skn response. A time-course study demonstrated a relationship between the number of primed Sknimmune cells injected and the severity of skin lesions …

Serotyping Group B Streptococci In A Small Community Hospital: An Analysis Of Distribution And Site Of Isolation, Jennifer M. Smith, Jason A. Rexroth, David G. Chaffin, Susan H. Jackman

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Objective: To determine the prevalence and site of isolation of different serotypes of group B streptococcus (GBS) colonization or infection at a small community hospital.

Methods: GBS isolates were obtained from a small community hospital and were then serotyped as la, Ib, II, III, IV, V or non-typeable. Hospital records were reviewed for patient sex, age and pregnancy status as well as the site of GBS isolation.

Results: GBS serotypes Ia, III and V were most common and accounted for over 60% of the total number of isolates. Serotype Ia was most prevalent in reproductive-age females, while serotypes V and …

Siva-1 Binds To And Inhibits Bcl-Xl-Mediated Protection Against Uv Radiation-Induced Apoptosis, Li Xue, Fei Chu, Yuan Cheng, Xiangjie Sun, Alip Borthakur, Manjunath Ramarao, Pramod Pandey, Mei Wu, Stuart F. Schlossman, Kanteti V. S. Prasad

Clinical & Translational Sciences

We previously cloned Siva-1 by using the cytoplasmic tail of CD27, a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family, as the bait in the yeast two-hybrid system. The Siva gene is organized into four exons that code for the predominant full-length Siva-1 transcript, whereas its alternate splice form, Siva-2, lacks exon 2 coding sequence. Various groups have demonstrated a role for Siva-1 in several apoptotic pathways. Interestingly, the proapoptotic properties of Siva-1 are lacking in Siva-2. The fact that Siva-1 is partly localized to mitochondria despite the absence of any mitochondrial targeting signal, it harbors a 20-aa-long putative amphipathic …

Pkcα Translocation And Actin Remodeling In Contracting A7r5 Smooth Muscle Cells, Chenwei Li

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Recent research indicates that protein kinase C (PKC) plays an important role in smooth muscle contraction. Because PKC activation and specificity of substrate phosphorylation is believed to be associated with the relocalization of the enzyme to specific cell sites, we first investigated the subcellular translocation of PKCα in A7r5 smooth muscle cells by confocal microscopy through use of standard immunohistologic staining and PKCα - enhanced green fluorescent protein (PKCα -EGFP) fusion protein expression. PKCα was diffusely distributed throughout the cytosol in the unstimulated A7r5 cell. Upon stimulation with phorbol 12, 13 dibutyrate (PDBu), PKCα was translocated primarily to either the …

Characterization Of Host-Bacteria Interactions Contributing To Group B Streptococcus Colonization, Jennifer Marie Smith

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of life-threatening bacterial infections during the first three months of life. GBS is also a frequent cause of maternal postpartum infections. Both types of infections stem from maternal vaginal and/or rectal colonization with GBS in the perinatal period. Limited information is available concerning how the colonization process occurs and what role the host immune system may play in the establishment of persistent colonization by GBS. The complex interactions between the immune system and GBS normally should end in clearance of the bacteria. However, since colonization by GBS occurs in a large number …

Gravistimulation Of Pisum Sativum And Expression Of The Cell Membrane Expansin Proteins, Sherrine A. Ibrahim

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis research investigates the regulation of gene expression in pea stems (Pisum sativum) after changes in orientation to gravity (gravistimulation). Specifically, this project examines the changes in extracellular soluble proteins due to gravistimulation in pea seedlings. This change in gravity alters the cellular growth pattern, which can be directly linked to enzymatic activity resulting in the expression of cell wall loosening proteins called expansins. This loosening of the cell wall matrix subsequently increases elasticity in growing cells, thus leading to an upward curvature of the stems. These changes in enzymatic activity and gene expression are crucial for …

Therapeutic Electromagnetic Field Effects On Angiogenesis And Tumor Growth, C. Douglas Williams, Marko S. Markov, W. Elaine Hardman, Ivan L. Cameron

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Background: A new approach to cancer therapy based on the application of therapeutic electromagnetic fields (TEMF) has been developed by EMF Therapeutics, Inc., Chattanooga, TN, USA. This study was designed to assess the effect of TEMF on tumor vascularization and growth of murine 16/C mammmary adenocarcinoma cells in C3H/HeJ mice.

Materials and Methods: Implanted tumors were allowed to grow for seven days until the tumor volume reached 100 mm3 before treatment was started. Mice (20 per control, 10 per EMF exposed group) received treatment (10 minutes per day with 0, 10 mT, 15 mT or 20 mT) with a 120 …

Immunologic Effects Of Gliotoxin In Rats: Mechanisms For Prevention Of Autoimmune Diabetes Mellitus, Honggang Liu, Susan H. Jackman, Henry Driscoll, Bryan Larsen

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Various fungal products, such as gliotoxin (GT), have immunomodulating activity, a fact exploited previously by our group for prevention of autoimmune diabetes mellitus in BB/Wor rats. To understand better the immunologic effects in GT-treated rats, splenocytes from 65-day-old prediabetic diabetes-prone rats were phenotypically characterized after chronic treatment with GT. A parallel study examined the direct effects of GT on splenocyte preparations incubated with the mycotoxin. In vitro treatment of splenocytes with GT revealed relative decreases in CD4+ and increases in CD8+ T-cell subsets, whereas in vivo treatment with GT did not result in detectable alterations in relative CD4+ and CD8+ …

Helicobacter Pylori Serology And The Diagnosis Of H. Pylori Infection In Children, Yoram Elitsur, Rafah Aflak, Cheryl Neace, W. E. Triest

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Serological screening accuracy rate may be dependent on clinical and pathological determinants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of Hp serology test (Roche Biomedical Lab., Labcorp), In the diagnosis of Hp infection in 121 children who were seen in the Pediatric Gastoenterology Clinic at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine In Huntington. Positive serology detected children with Hpassociated gastritis with a sensitivity of 51.6%. Positive serology significantly correlated with the degree of gastric inflammation and density of Hp organisms in the gastric mucosa (ANOVA p < 0.001). The Labcorp. Hp-ELISA test had a poor accuracy rate for the detection of Hp-gastritis in children. Gastric biopsies should always be performed to establish the diagnosis of Hp infection in children.

Vitamin A And Cancer, Richard M. Niles

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Vitamin A, its physiological metabolites and synthetic derivatives (retinoids) have been shown to have protective effects against the development of certain types of cancer. In addition, pharmacological amounts of retinoids have been used with some success in the treatment of a few human tumors. The chemoprevention effect of retinoids is most likely exerted at the tumor promotion phase of carcinogenesis. Retinoids block tumor promotion by either inhibiting proliferation, inducing apoptosis, inducing differentiation, or a combination of these actions. Clinically, isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic acid) significantly decreases the incidence of second primary tumors in patients with head and neck cancer and also reduces …

Effect Of Receptor-Selective Retinoids On Growth And Differentiation Pathways In Mouse Melanoma Cells, Sejal H. Desai, Goran Boskovic, Linda L. Eastham, Marcia Dawson, Richard M. Niles

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Treatment of B16 mouse melanoma cells with all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) results in inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of differentiation. Accompanying these events is an induction of retinoic acid receptor β (RARβ) expression, an increase in protein kinase Cα (PKCα) expression, and enhanced activator protein-1 (AP-1) transcriptional activity. These cells express nuclear RARα and RARγ and nuclear retinoid X receptors (RXR) α and β constitutively. We tested the ability of receptor-selective retinoids to induce the biochemical changes found in ATRA-treated melanoma cells and also tested their effectiveness in decreasing anchorage-dependent and -independent growth. The RXR-selective ligand (2E,4E)-6-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-3,5,5,8,8-pentamethyl-2-naphthalenyl)-3,7-dimethyl-2,4,6-octatrienoic acid (SR11246) was …

Is Incapacity A Permanent Thing?, Shirley M. Neitch

Internal Medicine

No abstract provided.

Differential Expression Of Chemokines In A Mouse Model Of Wound Healing, Susan H. Jackman, Matthew B. Yoak, Shivaleela Keerthy, Bonnie L. Beaver

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Macrophages have a multifaceted role in wound healing. While their initial activity may be in the degradation and elimination of damaged tissue, macrophages also produce and secrete a variety of mediators that can participate in the repair process as well. To perform these functions, macrophages must be recruited to a wound site. Our purpose was to examine the temporal and spatial expression of macrophage chemoattracting cytokines (chemokines) at a surgical wound site. A surgical wound was prepared on the dorsal aspect of B6AFI/J mice. Biopsies were obtained from the wound and a comparable nonwounded area between 6 and 72 hr …

Dietary Fish Oil Sensitizes A549 Lung Xenografts To Doxorubicin Chemotherapy, W. Elaine Hardman, Mary Pat Moyer, Ivan L. Cameron

Biochemistry and Microbiology

A549 xenografts were allowed to grow in nude mice to about 5 mm in diameter, then diets were changed to modified AIN-76 diets containing 19% wt/wt. fish oil (FO) or 20% wt./wt. com oil (CO). Ten days later dietary ferric citrate (0.3% wt./dry wt.) was added and doxoribicin (DOX) treatment (3.6 mg/kg i.v. each of the 5 days for 18 days) commenced. Treatment with DOX halted the growth of tumors in the CO fed mice. However, in those mice, which consumed FO or FO with ferric citrate, treatment with DOX caused significant tumor regression.

The Cardiovascular And Metabolic Adaptations To Iso-Caloric Moderate Intensity And High Intensity Exercise, Summerson Desmond

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the industrialized nations, and accounts for 1 million deaths in the United States each year (McArdle, Katch & Katch, 1991). One of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease is physical inactivity, which is a behavioral modified risk factor. Physical inactivity plagues 59% of the people in the United States (ACSM Resource Manual, 1998). Physical inactivity often leads to obesity, diabetes, hypertension and hypercholemia, and places sedentary individuals at more risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), or coronary heart disease (CHD). The question which remains unclear is the quantity and quality of …

Ca2+ Signaling Modulates Cytolytic T Lymphocyte Effector Functions, Mark T. Esser, Doris M. Haverstick, Claudette L. Fuller, Charles A. Gullo Phd, Vivian Lam Braciale

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Cytolytic T cells use two mechanisms to kill virally infected cells, tumor cells, or other potentially autoreactive T cells in short-term in vitro assays. The perforin/granule exocytosis mechanism uses preformed cytolytic granules that are delivered to the target cell to induce apoptosis and eventual lysis. FasL/Fas (CD95 ligand/CD95)–mediated cytolysis requires de novo protein synthesis of FasL by the CTL and the presence of the death receptor Fas on the target cell to induce apoptosis. Using a CD8⁺ CTL clone that kills via both the perforin/granule exocytosis and FasL/Fas mechanisms, and a clone that kills via the FasL/Fas mechanism only, …

The Effect Of Tape And Neoprene Ankle Supports On Balance In Athletes With Injured Ankles, Tara Michelle Gerlach

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Injuries to the ankle joint are among the most common in athletics (Feuerbach et al., 1994; Gross, 1987). As clinicians, it is important to investigate various factors which could potentially reduce the occurrence of ankle injuries. One such actors is an improvement in proprioception (Cox et al., 1993; Glencross & Thornton, 1994). A suggested method for improving proprioception in the ankle is application of an external support, such as tape or a brace (Feuerbach et al. , 1994; Karlsson & Andreasson, 1992 ) . This study compared the proprioceptive abilities of the ankle under three conditions: unsupported, taped, and using …

Characterization Of The Promoter And Upstream Activation Sequences Of Sporulation-Specific Genes Spr1 (Ssg1) And Spr2 In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Sharmini S. Soosaithasan

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Sporulation is a developmental process in which temporally distinct sets of genes regulate the processes of meiosis and ascospore formation. Sporulation-specific genes are classified into early, middle, and late genes based on their peak time of expression during sporulation. Regulation of two late genes, SPR1 and SPR2, was studied. The function of SPR2 is unknown. Its regulatory region contains two Mid Sporulation Elements (MSE) repeated in tandem that are sufficient to confer sporulation-specific regulation to a CYCl-lacZ reporter. These sequences have UAS (upstream activation sequence) properties, as each 14 base pair element is sufficient to confer sporulation-specific regulation …

Dexamethasone Decreases Cell-Cell Adhesion In The 235-1 Pituitary Tumor Cell Line, Phillip Richard Spangler

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Physical contacts between cells are known to influence a broad range of biological activities. Investigations into the regulation of prolactin gene expression have shown that cell behavior within the pituitary may also be affected by adhesive contacts. To better understand the mechanisms that regulate cell-cell adhesive contacts in these endocrine cells, we developed a procedure that quantitatively assays homotypic aggregation in the rat pituitary tumor cell line, 235-1. We observed that treatment of 235-1 cells with dexamethasone (Dex), a synthetic glucocorticoid, not only reduces prolactin production but also decreases the reformation of cell-cell contacts. In two independent experiments, control cells …