Genetic Processes Commons^™

Genetic Networks Modulating Retinal Injury, Felix Vazquez-Chona

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Many advances have and are being made with the advent of modern sciences. One area that remains resistant to significant advances is the recovery of the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) after injury. Considerable efforts were placed on understanding the cellular and biochemical changes occurring after injury and during wound healing. Aside from cataloging the changes that occur, little progress is being made in understanding the molecular cascades associated with the control of the healing process. The present series of studies define the global changes that occur after injury. They also define CNS repair mechanisms by identifying genetic networks that …

The Genetic And Molecular Characterization Of The Polycystic Kidney Disease-Causing Mouse Gene Bicc1, Sarah J. Price

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is one of the most common hereditary diseases and is characterized by progressive cyst formation, substantial renal enlargement, and frequently, progression to end-stage renal disease. One way to learn more about the etiology of this disease is to study mouse models that imitate the human situation. The juvenile congenital polycystic kidney disease (jcpk) gene on mouse Chromosome 10 has been found to cause a severe, early onset form of PKD when inherited in an autosomal recessive manner (Flaherty et al., 1995). Previous genetic studies mapped the jcpk locus to a 1 cM region on mouse Chromosome …

Cytoanalysis Of Pancreatic B-Cells: Using An Avian Model, Mammalian Tissue Culture And Implications Of Antisense Oligonucleotides Transfection, Ayman Salah-El-Deen Amer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Calbindin-D_28k (CaBP_28K) is a vitamin D-dependent calcium-binding protein that may alter intracellular calcium ion levels, [Ca²⁺]i. This dissertation describes experiments done to gain an understanding of the potential role of CaBP_28k in pancreatic B-cells in control of insulin secretion. The localization of CaBP_28k and insulin in chicken pancreas are shown in Chapter 1. CaBP_28k expression was found to be highest in ventral and dorsal lobes and lowest in splenic lobe. Insulin concentrations were distributed similarly among these lobes. Confocal microscopic studies demonstrated colocalization of insulin and CaBP_28k in Bcells. These findings …

The Neural Connectivity Of The Torus Semicircularis In The Cave Dwelling Form Of Astyanax Fasciatus, Timothy B. Angel

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Afferent projections of the torus semicircularis were traced in the blind cave form of Astyanax fasciatus using HRP tract-tracing techniques, and the results were compared to those found in previous studies of closely related sighted teleosts.

Following unilateral injections of tracer to the nucleus centralis of the torus semicircularis, retrogradely labeled cells were found in two octaval nuclei of the medulla. The descending octavolateralis nucleus was labeled bilaterally and the anterior octaval nucleus was labeled primarily on the ipsilateral side. Both the descending and anterior octavolateralis nuclei are known to receive auditory input from CN VIII in sighted fish. In …

The Characterization Of Two Differentially Expressed Plasma Proteins In Obese Versus Lean Rats In Two Rodent Models Of Obesity, Roger D. Boggs

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Zucker fa and La/N faf rats are widely studied models of genetic obesity and its complications. These two rodent models of obesity were utilized to search for a circulating protein marker for obesity. Plasma samples from both of these models of obesity were collected and analyzed via SDS-PAGE analysis. Two proteins were found which demonstrate differential expression between lean and obese rats. Both proteins demonstrated increased expression in the obese rats compared to the lean. One differentially expressed protein migrated on SDS-PAGE gels at 116 KD while the second migrated at 22 KD compared to molecular weight markers. The 22 …

Remodeling Of Organelle-Bound Actin Is Required For Yeast Vacuole Fusion, Gary Eitzen, Li Wang, Naomi Thorngren, William Wickner

Dartmouth Scholarship

Actin participates in several intracellular trafficking pathways. We now find that actin, bound to the surface of purified yeast vacuoles in the absence of cytosol or cytoskeleton, regulates the last compartment mixing stage of homotypic vacuole fusion. The Cdc42p GTPase is known to be required for vacuole fusion. We now show that proteins of the Cdc42p-regulated actin remodeling cascade (Cdc42p --> Cla4p --> Las17p/Vrp1p --> Arp2/3 complex --> actin) are enriched on isolated vacuoles. Vacuole fusion is dramatically altered by perturbation of the vacuole-bound actin, either by mutation of the ACT1 gene, addition of specific actin ligands such as latrunculin …

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+ …

Low Serum Alpha 1 Antitrypsin In Duodenal Ulcer--A Family Study, Anjum Shahid, Sarwar J, Zuberi Mohammad A, Waqar,Huma Qureshi Waqar,Huma Qureshi Waqar,Huma Qureshi, Anwar Ali Siddiqui, Taranum Sultana

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

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 …

Genetic Enhancement Technologies And The New Society, George P. Smith Ii

Scholarly Articles

So long as procreation continues to remain a central driving force in a marital relationship, and the family the very core of progressive society, efforts will be undertaken to expand the period of fecundity and combat infertility. Genetic planning and eugenic programming are more rational and humane alternatives to population regulation than death by famine and war.

Genetic enhancement technologies and the scientific research undertaken to advance them should be viewed as not only aiding (or, sometimes resolving) the tragedy of infertility in family planning, but as a tool for enhancing the health of a Nation's citizens by engineering man's …

Genetic Control Of Eye Development, A Case Study Focused On The Murine Mutation Belly Spot And Tail (Bst), Qing Tang

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Development of the eye is controlled by a network of genes, often conserved, that regulate the timing and location of cellular differentiation. One approach to understanding this network of genes and their interaction is to focus on mutations, spontaneous or induced, that predictably disrupt the proper function of such networks, and by examining the effect of such disruption on the function of other genes.

The Belly spot and tail (Bst) semi-dominant mutation, mapped to mouse Chromosome 16, leads to developmental defects of the eye, skeleton, and coat pigmentation. In the eye, the mutant phenotype is characterized by the presence of …

Potential Associations Among Genetic Markers In The Serotonergic System And The Antisocial Alcoholism Subtype, E. M. Hill, S. F. Stoltenberg, M. Burmeister, M. Closser, R. A. Zucker

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Alcoholism is transmitted in families. The complexity and heterogeneity of this disorder has made it difficult to identify specific genetic correlates. One design with the potential to do so is the family-based association study, in which the frequencies of genetic polymorphisms are compared between affected and nonaffected members. Reduced central serotonin neurotransmission is associated with features of an antisocial subtype of alcoholism, although a primary deficit has not been traced to a particular component. Genetic markers related to the serotonergic system have been identified, located, and cloned. If associations can be discovered, the development process for pharmacotherapy could be facilitated. …

Accessing Genomic Information For Nonmedical Purposes, George P. Smith Ii

Scholarly Articles

No abstract provided.

Genetic Determinism Or Genetic Discrimination, George P. Smith Ii

Scholarly Articles

The first part of this essay evaluates the contemporary focus of the genetic revolution seen as such through the Human Genome Initiative - a project which brings not only great hope for new advancements of genetic knowledge designed to control disease and minimize human suffering, but raises real fears of unabated invasions of personal privacy that in turn would lead to discrimination for those found to be genetically handicapped. The extent to which this central fear is justified or rational is justified within the present context of the Genome Initiative, together with the past practices of genetic screening, will then …

Neurospora Crassa Clock-Controlled Genes Are Regulated At The Level Of Transcription., Jennifer J. Loros, Jay C. Dunlap

Dartmouth Scholarship

Although an extensive number of biological processes are under the daily control of the circadian biological clock, little is known about how the clock maintains its regulatory networks within a cell. An important aspect of this temporal control is the daily control of gene expression. Previously we identified two morning-specific genes that are regulated by the clock through daily control of gene expression (J. Loros, S. Denome, and J.C. Dunlap, Science 243:385-388, 1989). We have now introduced a method for transcriptional analysis in Neurospora crassa and used this nuclear run-on procedure to show that regulation of mRNA abundance for these …

Regulating Human Gene Therapy, Judith Areen

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Genetics, Eugenics, And Public Policy, George P. Smith Ii

Scholarly Articles

No abstract provided.