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Articles 601 - 630 of 637

Full-Text Articles in Biological Phenomena, Cell Phenomena, and Immunity

A Biochemical Characterization Of The Fusion Proteins From Enveloped Rna Viruses, Chelsea T. Barrett Jan 2021

A Biochemical Characterization Of The Fusion Proteins From Enveloped Rna Viruses, Chelsea T. Barrett

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Enveloped viruses must bind target cells and then fuse the viral membrane with a cell membrane to enter a host cell. These viruses use one or more surface glycoproteins to carry out these critical functions. The surface glycoprotein that carries out the fusion function, termed a fusion protein, is divided into three classes based on structural similarities. Some of the most studied human viral pathogens, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Ebola virus, influenza, measles, and the recently emerged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), possess class I fusion proteins. Following synthesis, class I fusion proteins associate as non-covalently …

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Lrrtm4 Is A Member Of The Transsynaptic Complex Between Rod Photoreceptors And Bipolar Cells, Melina A Agosto, Theodore G Wensel Jan 2021

Lrrtm4 Is A Member Of The Transsynaptic Complex Between Rod Photoreceptors And Bipolar Cells, Melina A Agosto, Theodore G Wensel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Leucine rich repeat transmembrane (LRRTM) proteins are synaptic adhesion molecules with roles in synapse formation and signaling. LRRTM4 transcripts were previously shown to be enriched in rod bipolar cells (BCs), secondary neurons of the retina that form synapses with rod photoreceptors. Using two different antibodies, LRRTM4 was found to reside primarily at rod BC dendritic tips, where it colocalized with the transduction channel protein, TRPM1. LRRTM4 was not detected at dendritic tips of ON-cone BCs. Following somatic knockout of LRRTM4 in BCs by subretinal injection and electroporation of CRISPR/Cas9, LRRTM4 was abolished or reduced in the dendritic tips of transfected …

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Trypanosoma Cruzi Modulates Piwi-Interacting Rna Expression In Primary Human Cardiac Myocytes During The Early Phase Of Infection, Kayla J. Rayford, Ayorinde Cooley, Ashutosh Arun, Girish Rachakonda, Yulia Kleschenko, Fernando Villalta, Siddharth Pratap, Maria F. Lima, Pius N. Nde Dec 2020

Trypanosoma Cruzi Modulates Piwi-Interacting Rna Expression In Primary Human Cardiac Myocytes During The Early Phase Of Infection, Kayla J. Rayford, Ayorinde Cooley, Ashutosh Arun, Girish Rachakonda, Yulia Kleschenko, Fernando Villalta, Siddharth Pratap, Maria F. Lima, Pius N. Nde

Publications and Research

Trypanosoma cruzi dysregulates the gene expression profile of primary human cardiomyocytes (PHCM) during the early phase of infection through a mechanism which remains to be elucidated. The role that small non-coding RNAs (sncRNA) including PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) play in regulating gene expression during the early phase of infection is unknown. To understand how T. cruzi dysregulate gene expression in the heart, we challenged PHCM with T. cruzi trypomastigotes and analyzed sncRNA, especially piRNA, by RNA-sequencing. The parasite induced significant differential expression of host piRNAs, which can target and regulate the genes which are important during the early infection phase. An …

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Thrombospondin-1 Plays An Essential Role In Yes-Associated Protein Nuclear Translocation During The Early Phase Of Trypanosoma Cruzi Infection In Heart Endothelial Cells, Ashutosh Arun, Kayla J. Rayford, Ayorinde Cooley, Girish Rachakonda, Fernando Villalta, Siddharth Pratap, Maria F. Lima, Nader Sheibani, Pius N. Nde Jul 2020

Thrombospondin-1 Plays An Essential Role In Yes-Associated Protein Nuclear Translocation During The Early Phase Of Trypanosoma Cruzi Infection In Heart Endothelial Cells, Ashutosh Arun, Kayla J. Rayford, Ayorinde Cooley, Girish Rachakonda, Fernando Villalta, Siddharth Pratap, Maria F. Lima, Nader Sheibani, Pius N. Nde

Publications and Research

The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease. This neglected tropical disease causes severe morbidity and mortality in endemic regions. About 30% of T. cruzi infected individuals will present with cardiac complications. Invasive trypomastigotes released from infected cells can be carried in the vascular endothelial system to infect neighboring and distant cells. During the process of cellular infection, the parasite induces host cells, to increase the levels of host thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), to facilitate the process of infection. TSP-1 plays important roles in the functioning of vascular cells, including vascular endothelial cells with important implications in cardiovascular …

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The Autoimmune System: The Effect Of Physiological Stressors On Autoantibody Glycosylation And Fidelity Of Autoantibody Profiles, Rahil Kheirkhah May 2020

The Autoimmune System: The Effect Of Physiological Stressors On Autoantibody Glycosylation And Fidelity Of Autoantibody Profiles, Rahil Kheirkhah

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The presence of thousands of autoantibodies (aABs) in the human sera is typical, and therefore it is possible to identify an aAB profile for each individual. In the first part of this thesis, we will show the cerebrospinal fluid also exhibits an extraordinarily complex immunoglobulin G aAB profile that is composed of thousands of aABs. We show that the pattern of expression of individual aABs in CSF closely mimics that in the blood, indicative of a blood-based origin for CSF aABs. In addition, using longitudinal serum samples obtained over a span of nine years, we show remarkable stability in aAB …

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Generation Of In-Frame Gene Deletion Mutants In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa And Testing For Virulence Attenuation In A Simple Mouse Model Of Infection, Meagan E. Valentine, Brandon D. Kirby, Hongwei D. Yu Jan 2020

Generation Of In-Frame Gene Deletion Mutants In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa And Testing For Virulence Attenuation In A Simple Mouse Model Of Infection, Meagan E. Valentine, Brandon D. Kirby, Hongwei D. Yu

Biomedical Sciences

Microorganisms are genetically versatile and diverse and have become a major source of many commercial products and biopharmaceuticals. Though some of these products are naturally produced by the organisms, other products require genetic engineering of the organism to increase the yields of production. Avirulent strains of Escherichia coli have traditionally been the preferred bacterial species for producing biopharmaceuticals; however, some products are difficult for E. coli to produce. Thus, avirulent strains of other bacterial species could provide useful alternatives for production of some commercial products. Pseudomonas eruginosa is a common and well-studied Gram-negative bacterium that could provide a suitable alternative …

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First-Time Characterization Of Viable But Non-Culturable Proteus Mirabilis: Induction And Resuscitation, Reham Wasfi, G. R. Abdellatif, H. M. Elshishtawy, Hossam M. Ashour Jan 2020

First-Time Characterization Of Viable But Non-Culturable Proteus Mirabilis: Induction And Resuscitation, Reham Wasfi, G. R. Abdellatif, H. M. Elshishtawy, Hossam M. Ashour

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

Pathogenic bacteria can enter into a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state under unfavourable conditions. Proteus mirabilis is responsible for dire clinical consequences including septicaemia, urinary tract infections and pneumonia, but is not a species previously known to enter VBNC state. We suggested that stress-induced P. mirabilis can enter a VBNC state in which it retains virulence. P. mirabilis isolates were incubated in extreme osmotic pressure, starvation, low temperature and low pH to induce a VBNC state. Resuscitation was induced by temperature upshift and inoculation in tryptone soy broth with Tween 20 and brain heart infusion broth. Cellular ultrastructure and gene …

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Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution Over Hydrothermally Synthesized Re-Doped Mos2 Flower-Like Microspheres, Juan Aliaga, Pablo Vera, Juan Araya, Luis Ballesteros, Julio Urzúa, Mario Farías, Francisco Paraguay-Delgado, Gabriel Alonso-Núñez, Guillermo González, Eglantina Benavente Dec 2019

Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution Over Hydrothermally Synthesized Re-Doped Mos2 Flower-Like Microspheres, Juan Aliaga, Pablo Vera, Juan Araya, Luis Ballesteros, Julio Urzúa, Mario Farías, Francisco Paraguay-Delgado, Gabriel Alonso-Núñez, Guillermo González, Eglantina Benavente

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

In this research, we report a simple hydrothermal synthesis to prepare rhenium (Re)- doped MoS2 flower-like microspheres and the tuning of their structural, electronic, and electrocatalytic properties by modulating the insertion of Re. The obtained compounds were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Structural, morphological, and chemical analyses confirmed the synthesis of poorly crystalline Re-doped MoS2 flower-like microspheres composed of few stacked layers. They exhibit enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance with low overpotential of 210 mV at current density of 10 mA/cm2, with a …

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It's A Hard Nacht Life: Understanding How Nlrp12 Ticks, Abbigale Julia Brown Dec 2019

It's A Hard Nacht Life: Understanding How Nlrp12 Ticks, Abbigale Julia Brown

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The protein NOD- like receptor pyrin domain containing 12 (NLRP12) comes from a family of protein receptors with a wide range of functions including fertility as well as anti-inflammatory properties. The biological role of NLRP12 is poorly understood: research on the mechanisms behind its function and/or activation remains contradictory between different cell models. Current research suggests its involvement in a multi-protein complex named the inflammasome. The alternative hypothesis that has also been proposed is that NLRP12 is not a part of the inflammasome, rather it negatively regulates a transcription factor known as NF-��B down stream of Toll-like receptors. NLRP12 is …

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Identification And Molecular Analysis Of Dna In Exosomes, Jena Tavormina Dec 2019

Identification And Molecular Analysis Of Dna In Exosomes, Jena Tavormina

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Exosomes are heterogeneous nanoparticles 50-150nm in diameter. Exosomes contain many functional cargo components, such as protein, DNA, and RNA. While protein and RNA exosome content has been extensively studied, very little work has been done to characterize exosomal DNA. Here, we demonstrate that exosomal DNA is heterogeneous and its packaging into exosomes is dependent on the cell of origin. Furthermore, through a rigorous assessment of various isolation methods, we identify Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) as the best method for the isolation of exosomal DNA for downstream applications. Additionally, we evaluate the methylation status of exosomal DNA and demonstrate that exosomal …

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Natural Autoantibodies: Origin, Function And Utility For Diagnosis Of Disease, Abhirup Sarkar Aug 2019

Natural Autoantibodies: Origin, Function And Utility For Diagnosis Of Disease, Abhirup Sarkar

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Autoantibodies (aAbs) by the simplest definitions have been described as antibodies against self-antigens and were exclusively associated with autoimmune diseases. Eventually, studies demonstrated that they are abundant in the blood of all human sera, regardless of age, gender, or the presence or absence of disease, and were thus named as ‘natural autoantibodies’. The underlying reason for their ubiquity has remained elusive, but we have hypothesized that they are responsible for clearing blood-borne cell and tissue debris generated under conditions of health and disease. To test this, we chose to use two widely different disease model systems, namely neurodegenerative diseases and …

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Supervised Dimension Reduction For Large-Scale "Omics" Data With Censored Survival Outcomes Under Possible Non-Proportional Hazards, Lauren Spirko-Burns, Karthik Devarajan Mar 2019

Supervised Dimension Reduction For Large-Scale "Omics" Data With Censored Survival Outcomes Under Possible Non-Proportional Hazards, Lauren Spirko-Burns, Karthik Devarajan

COBRA Preprint Series

The past two decades have witnessed significant advances in high-throughput ``omics" technologies such as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics and radiomics. These technologies have enabled simultaneous measurement of the expression levels of tens of thousands of features from individual patient samples and have generated enormous amounts of data that require analysis and interpretation. One specific area of interest has been in studying the relationship between these features and patient outcomes, such as overall and recurrence-free survival, with the goal of developing a predictive ``omics" profile. Large-scale studies often suffer from the presence of a large fraction of censored observations and potential …

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Regulation Of Na-K-Atpase By Arachidonic Acid Metabolites In Intestinal Epithelial Cells, Niraj Nepa Jan 2019

Regulation Of Na-K-Atpase By Arachidonic Acid Metabolites In Intestinal Epithelial Cells, Niraj Nepa

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The integral membrane protein sodium potassium adenosine triphosphate (Na-K-ATPase), has been extensively studied in various animal cell models. Na-K-ATPase is a multifunctional enzyme which plays a significant role in cellular physiology by regulating electrochemical potential, cell volume, pH, cytosolic calcium, and many nutrient and electrolyte transport processes. As such, it has been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and has been shown to play a vital role in the malabsorption of nutrients and electrolytes. In this context, a significant amount of research has been done over the last two decades to understand the mechanisms of alteration of …

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Inhibition Of Ribosome Biogenesis Through Genetic And Chemical Approaches, Leonid Anikin Aug 2018

Inhibition Of Ribosome Biogenesis Through Genetic And Chemical Approaches, Leonid Anikin

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

In order to maintain the ability to generate proteins, proliferating cells must continuously generate ribosomes, designating up to 80% of their energy to ribosome biogenesis (RBG). RBG involves transcription of rDNA by RNA polymerases I (Pol I) and III (Pol III), expression of approximately 80 ribosomal proteins, and assembly of these components in a process referred to as ribosome maturation. During maturation, the Pol I transcribed 47S pre-rRNA undergoes a number of processing events, while simultaneously interacting with processing factors and ribosomal proteins that drive pre-ribosome assembly. Inhibition of RBG has become one of the pursued targets for cancer therapy …

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Defining The Radioresponse Of Mossy Cells, Devon Ivy Jun 2018

Defining The Radioresponse Of Mossy Cells, Devon Ivy

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Clinical radiotherapy is used to treat a variety of brain tumors within the central nervous system. While effective, it can result in progressive and debilitating cognitive impairment that can diminish quality of life. These impairments have been linked to hippocampal dysfunction and corresponding deficits in spatial learning and memory. Mossy cells are a major population of excitatory neurons located within the dentate hilus and highly involved in hippocampal circuitry. They play critical roles in spatial navigation, neurogenesis, memory, and are particularly vulnerable to a variety of neurotoxic insults. However, their sensitivity to ionizing radiation has yet to be investigated in …

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Till Death Do Us Part: The Marriage Of Autophagy And Apoptosis., Katrina F Cooper May 2018

Till Death Do Us Part: The Marriage Of Autophagy And Apoptosis., Katrina F Cooper

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Autophagy is a widely conserved catabolic process that is necessary for maintaining cellular homeostasis under normal physiological conditions and driving the cell to switch back to this status quo under times of starvation, hypoxia, and oxidative stress. The potential similarities and differences between basal autophagy and stimulus-induced autophagy are still largely unknown. Both act by clearing aberrant or unnecessary cytoplasmic material, such as misfolded proteins, supernumerary and defective organelles. The relationship between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and autophagy is complex. Cellular ROS is predominantly derived from mitochondria. Autophagy is triggered by this event, and by clearing the defective organelles effectively, …

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Role Of Smarce1 And Bhlhe40 In Breast Cancer Metastasis, Aarti Sethuraman May 2018

Role Of Smarce1 And Bhlhe40 In Breast Cancer Metastasis, Aarti Sethuraman

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

No abstract provided.

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Exploring The Regulatory Mechanism Of The Notch Ligand Receptor Jagged1 Via The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor In Breast Cancer, Sean Alan Piwarski Jan 2018

Exploring The Regulatory Mechanism Of The Notch Ligand Receptor Jagged1 Via The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor In Breast Cancer, Sean Alan Piwarski

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that binds pollutants, therapeutic drugs and endogenous ligands. AHR is of particular interest in cancer and has been shown to play roles in both tumor progression and tumor suppression. As a result, it has received growing attention as a possible chemotherapeutic target. AHR is expressed in all breast cancer subtypes and can promote or inhibit breast cancer depending on the ligand it binds. The Notch signaling pathway is a highly conserved evolutionary pathway that plays extremely vital roles during development by regulating cell fate and differentiation. Notch signaling has increasingly …

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Role Of Oxidized Extracellular Vesicles As Early Biomarkers And Inflammatory Mediators In Chemotherapy-Induced Normal Tissue Injury, Chontida Yarana Jan 2018

Role Of Oxidized Extracellular Vesicles As Early Biomarkers And Inflammatory Mediators In Chemotherapy-Induced Normal Tissue Injury, Chontida Yarana

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Significant advances in the efficacy of cancer therapy have been accompanied by an escalation of side effects that result from therapy-induced injury to normal tissues. Patients with high grade cancer or metastasis are often treated with chemotherapy, 50% of which are associated with reactive oxygen species generation and cellular oxidative stress. Heart is the normal tissue most susceptible to chemotherapy-induced oxidative stress and heart disease is the most common leading cause of death in cancer survivors. However, early and sensitive biomarkers to identify heart disease are still lacking. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are released from cells during oxidative stress and send …

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Arl2bp, A Novel Ciliopathy Protein, Is Required For Cilia Microtubule Formation, Abigail Ruth Moye Jan 2018

Arl2bp, A Novel Ciliopathy Protein, Is Required For Cilia Microtubule Formation, Abigail Ruth Moye

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cilia are specialized organelles essential for cellular function. Not surprisingly, mutations in cilia- related genes are linked to multi-syndromic diseases termed ciliopathies. These include blinding diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP). One such novel gene is ARL2BP (ARL2-binding protein) and is linked to RP and situs inversus (organ reversal) in humans, a phenotype produced by defects in the nodal cilia of developing embryos. Defects in photoreceptor cilia, as well as situs inversus in human patients, suggest that ARL2BP plays an invaluable role in the structure and function of cilia. However little is known about the role for this protein in …

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The Role Of Mapk And Scf In The Destruction Of Med13 In Cyclin C Mediated Cell Death, David C Stieg, Stephen D Willis, Joseph Scuorzo, Mia Song, Vidyaramanan Ganesan, Randy Strich, Katrina F Cooper Dec 2017

The Role Of Mapk And Scf In The Destruction Of Med13 In Cyclin C Mediated Cell Death, David C Stieg, Stephen D Willis, Joseph Scuorzo, Mia Song, Vidyaramanan Ganesan, Randy Strich, Katrina F Cooper

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

In response to stress, the yeast1 and mammalian2 cyclin C translocate from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, where it associates with the GTPase Drp1/Dnm1 to drive mitochondrial fragmentation and apoptosis. Therefore, the decision to release cyclin C represents a key life or death decision. In unstressed cells, the cyclin C‐Cdk8 kinase regulates transcription by associating with the Mediator of RNA polymerase II. We previously reported that the Mediator component Med13 anchors cyclin C in the nucleus3. Loss of Med13 function leads to constitutive cytoplasmic localization of cyclin C, resulting in fragmented mitochondria, hypersensitivity to stress and …

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Silver Oxide Coatings With High Silver-Ion Elution Rates And Characterization Of Bactericidal Activity., Sarah S Goderecci, Eric Kaiser, Michael Yanakas, Zachary Norris, Jeffrey Scaturro, Robert Oszust, Clarence D Medina, Fallon Waechter, Min Heon, Robert R Krchnavek, Lei Yu, Samuel E Lofland, Renee M Demarest, Gregory A Caputo, Jeffrey D Hettinger Sep 2017

Silver Oxide Coatings With High Silver-Ion Elution Rates And Characterization Of Bactericidal Activity., Sarah S Goderecci, Eric Kaiser, Michael Yanakas, Zachary Norris, Jeffrey Scaturro, Robert Oszust, Clarence D Medina, Fallon Waechter, Min Heon, Robert R Krchnavek, Lei Yu, Samuel E Lofland, Renee M Demarest, Gregory A Caputo, Jeffrey D Hettinger

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

This paper reports the synthesis and characterization of silver oxide films for use as bactericidal coatings. Synthesis parameters, dissolution/elution rate, and bactericidal efficacy are reported. Synthesis conditions were developed to create AgO, Ag₂O, or mixtures of AgO and Ag₂O on surfaces by reactive magnetron sputtering. The coatings demonstrate strong adhesion to many substrate materials and impede the growth of all bacterial strains tested. The coatings are effective in killing Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, demonstrating a clear zone-of-inhibition against bacteria growing on solid media and the ability to rapidly inhibit bacterial growth in planktonic culture. Additionally, the coatings exhibit very …

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Ubqln1 : A Multi-Domain Protein With Multiple Functions., Zimple Kurlawala Aug 2017

Ubqln1 : A Multi-Domain Protein With Multiple Functions., Zimple Kurlawala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are 5 Ubiquilin proteins (UBQLN1-4, UBQLN-L), which are evolutionarily conserved and structurally similar. UBQLN proteins have 3 functional domains: N-terminal ubiquitin-like domain (UBL), C-terminal ubiquitin-associated domain (UBA) and STI chaperone-like regions in the middle. Alterations in UBQLN1 gene have been detected in a variety of disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis and lung cancer. UBQLN1 has been largely studied in neurodegenerative disorders in the context of protein quality control. Several studies have hypothesized that the UBA domain of UBQLN1 binds to poly-ubiquitin chains of substrate and shuttles it to the proteasome via its UBL domain for degradation. UBQLN1 …

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Role Of Dendritic Cells In Pathology Of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection In Neonates, Bishwas Shrestha May 2017

Role Of Dendritic Cells In Pathology Of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection In Neonates, Bishwas Shrestha

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the leading causes of bronchiolitis in children. We have shown that neonatal mice respond to primary RSV infection with T helper type 2 (Th2) biased immune responses, which are enhanced following reinfection. Dendritic cells (DCs) including myeloid DCs (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) play important roles in driving host responses to RSV infection. mDCs present antigens to help Th cells differentiate, and pDCs protect against viral infection through type I interferons (IFNs). Despite data demonstrating importance of mDCs and pDCs in protection against RSV, it has not been studied in an age appropriate …

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Characterization Of Malt1 Inhibitors And Their Effect On Leukemic Cell Growth Properties, Christina Snyder Jan 2017

Characterization Of Malt1 Inhibitors And Their Effect On Leukemic Cell Growth Properties, Christina Snyder

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer, with a combined 40,000 predicted new cases in the United States in 2016 [8]. The two most common subtypes are acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) [9-11]. The commercially available inhibitor of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) has shown promising results in clinical trials for CLL because of the importance of BCR signaling in CLL [12-15]. Recent studies suggest that the outgrowth of BTK inhibitor resistant clonal cells in some CLL patients results in a treatment-refractory phenotype [16-18]. MALT1, a protein involved in BCR activation of the NF-κB pathway that functions …

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Porphyromonas Gingivalis Gingipains Induce A Pro-Inflammatory Extracellular Microenvironment : The Role Of Par-2 And Fibronectin., Jeffrey S. Marschall May 2016

Porphyromonas Gingivalis Gingipains Induce A Pro-Inflammatory Extracellular Microenvironment : The Role Of Par-2 And Fibronectin., Jeffrey S. Marschall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that is characterized by severe tissue destruction of the gingiva and other tooth supporting structures; if left untreated, tooth loss and disintegration of the alveolar bone occurs. This chronic inflammatory state has been linked to other systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease. Porphyromonas gingivalis is the major pathogenic microbe in periodontitis. The main virulence factors of P. gingivalis are the Arg-aa and Lys-aa gingipains, which are proteolytic enzymes implicated in a plethora of activities that allow P. gingivalis to subvert the human immune system in the oral cavity …

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Expression Levels Of Virulence Genes In Group A Streptococci: A Response To Aerosolized Propylene Glycol, Michael S. Costello Jan 2016

Expression Levels Of Virulence Genes In Group A Streptococci: A Response To Aerosolized Propylene Glycol, Michael S. Costello

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Electronic cigarette usage is becoming increasingly prevalent among school age children and young adults. A known bactericidal agent, propylene glycol, is often used as a carrier for nicotine, flavoring, and additional constituents of electronic cigarette juice. This study examined the relationship between propylene glycol and virulence gene expression in Streptococcus pyogenes, a respiratory tract pathogen commonly found in school-age individuals. A variety of virulence genes controlled by the three stand alone regulators mga, RofA, and Rgg/RopB were sampled in an effort to understand the pathway by which virulence is affected. The genes chosen encode C5a peptidase, fibronectin binding protein, hyaluronate …

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How The Manipulation Of The Ras Homolog Enriched In Striatum Alters The Behavioral And Molecular Progression Of Huntington’S Disease, Franklin A. Lee Dec 2015

How The Manipulation Of The Ras Homolog Enriched In Striatum Alters The Behavioral And Molecular Progression Of Huntington’S Disease, Franklin A. Lee

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Huntington’s disease is an incurable, progressive neurological disorder characterized by loss of motor control, psychiatric dysfunction, and eventual dystonia leading to death. Despite the fact that this disorder is caused by a mutation in one single gene, there is no cure. The mutant Huntingtin (mHtt) protein is expressed ubiquitously throughout the brain but frank cell death is limited to the striatum. Recent work has suggested that Rhes, Ras homolog enriched in striatum, which is selectively expressed in the striatum, may play a role in Huntington’s disease neuropathology. In vitro studies have shown Rhes to be an E3 ligase for the …

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The Use Of Rna Interference To Mitigate Pulmonary Fibrosis In Response To Asbestos Exposure, Sarah Kinsey Jan 2015

The Use Of Rna Interference To Mitigate Pulmonary Fibrosis In Response To Asbestos Exposure, Sarah Kinsey

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The adverse health effects of exposure to asbestos are widely known and have been well documented. When a person is diagnosed with asbestosis, a chronic lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibers, few treatment options exist, none of which halt or reverse the progression of the disease. The rapidly growing field of gene therapy offers new avenues for potential treatments worthy of investigation. The detrimental effects of asbestos exposure are due to the physiological response of the lungs to asbestos fibers in the form of fibrosis, a result of excess extracellular collagen deposition. A protein called SPARC (Secreted Protein Acidic …

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Fty720 (Fingolimod) Provides Insight Into The Molecular Mechanisms Of Multiple Sclerosis, Madelyn Elizabeth Crawford Jun 2014

Fty720 (Fingolimod) Provides Insight Into The Molecular Mechanisms Of Multiple Sclerosis, Madelyn Elizabeth Crawford

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a prolonged immune- mediated inflammatory response that targets myelin. Nearly all of the drugs approved for the treatment of MS are general immunosuppressants or only function in symptom management. The oral medication fingolimod, however, is reported to have direct therapeutic effects on cells of the central nervous system in addition to immunomodulatory functions. Fingolimod is known to interact with sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptors, and the most widely- accepted theory for its mechanism of action is functional antagonism of the receptor. This review examines significant neuromodulatory effects achieved by functional antagonism of the …

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