Biochemistry Commons^™

Discovery Of An Apoptosis Inducing Ligand For Burkitt Lymphoma, Carolyn Laymon, Kyla Bradylong, Mary Saunders, David Olivos, Kit Lam

STAR Program Research Presentations

One-bead two-compound (OB2C) combinatorial chemistry libraries enable the discovery of novel synthetic compounds which can be used to evoke specific signaling response in cells. The library configuration is composed of a fixed known cell adhesion ligand and a random chemical library displayed on the surface of Tentagel beads. The cell adhesion ligand binds to specific receptors located on the surface of cells enabling the random immobilized chemical molecules on each bead resin bead to evoke specific cellular responses such as apoptosis or cell death. To validate this concept, a OB2C combinatorial library comprised of an α4β1 integrin targeting ligand, LLP2A, …

Forward Osmosis Bag: Ground Testing The Prospect Of Using Alternative Water Sources For Drinking Water, Michaela Marie Brant, Ariella Yendler, Mona Hammoudeh, Michael T. Flynn

STAR Program Research Presentations

On the STS-135 Space Shuttle mission, to be launched July 8, 2011, a forward osmosis bag (FOB) study will be conducted. At NASA Ames this summer, the ground truth testing is being conducted for results comparisons. The FOB technology is derived from a commercial product, the X-Pack water filter. Forward osmosis operates by utilizing an established concentration gradient across a semi-permeable membrane to move water molecules from one side of the membrane to the other. This concept is exploited to harvest drinking water from grey water sources such as urine, sea water, or vehicle water. In this experiment, potassium chloride …

Preparation And X-Ray Crystallographic Studies Of Copper N-Methylimidazole Complexes With Substituted N-Phthaloylalaninato Ligands, Mohit Singhal

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Quasiracemates contain two molecules (or ions) of opposite handedness, in which one enantiomer has a substitution of a chemically different, but similarly shaped group. Metal based complexes that are enantiomeric, racemic and quasiracemic were synthesized. Racemic metal compounds are synthesized from equimolar concenteration of chemically identical ligands having both handedness (R and S). Quasiracemic metal complexes were synthesized from two stercially similar, but chemically different ligands, and these complexes tend to mimic the centrosymmetric pattern in racemic metal complexes. This project was begun by previous master’s student, Hiral Patel, to study the crystal packing of metal based quasiracemic complexes, and …

Attenuated Total Reflection Infrared Spectroscopy (Atr-Ir) As An In Situ Technique For Dissolution Studies, Abe S. Kassis

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

Uptake And Metabolism Of 5’-Amp In The Erythrocyte Play Key Roles In The 5’-Amp Induced Model Of Deep Hypometabolism, Isadora Daniels

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

UPTAKE AND METABOLISM OF 5’-AMP IN THE ERYTHROCYTE PLAY KEY ROLES IN THE 5’-AMP INDUCED MODEL OF DEEP HYPOMETABOLISM

Publication No. ________

Isadora Susan Daniels, B.A.

Supervisory Professor: Cheng Chi Lee, Ph.D.

Mechanisms that initiate and control the natural hypometabolic states of mammals are poorly understood. The laboratory developed a model of deep hypometabolism (DH) initiated by uptake of 5’-adenosine monophosphate (5’-AMP) into erythrocytes. Mice enter DH when given a high dose of 5’-AMP and the body cools readily. Influx of 5’-AMP appears to inhibit thermoregulatory control. In a 15°C environment, mice injected with 5’-AMP (0.5 mg/gw) enter a Phase …

Remarkable Features Of The Hotdog-Fold Thioesterases Involved In Phylloquinone (Vitamin K1) Biosynthesis, Joshua R. Widhalm

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Phylloquinone (vitamin K₁) is a bipartite molecule, consisting of a naphthoquinone ring attached to a phytyl side chain, that is synthesized by plants and certain cyanobacteria to serve as an electron carrier in photosystem I. The coupling of the ring and isoprenyl moieties relies on the cleavage of the CoA-thioester linkage with 1,4-dihydroxy-2- naphthoate (DHNA). It has long been a mystery if this hydrolysis is an enzymatic or chemical process. Using comparative genomics, protein biochemistry, genetics and metabolic profiling, we identified a cyanobacterial thioesterase responsible for the in vivo hydrolysis of DHNA-CoA. This enzyme bears a signature domain …

Extracellular Atp Acts On P2y2 Purinergic Receptors To Facilitate Hiv-1 Infection, Claire Séror, Marie-Therese Melki, Frederic Subra, Syed Qasim Raza, Marlene Bras, Hela Saïdi, Roberta Nardacci, Laurent Voisin, Audrey Paoletti, Frederic Law, Isabelle Martins, Alessandra Amendola, Ali A. Abdul-Sater, Fabiola Ciccosanti, Olivier Delelis, Florence Niedergang, Sylvain Thierry, Najwane Said-Sadier, Christophe Lamaze, Didier Métivier, Jerome Estaquier, Gian Maria Fimia, Laura Falasca, Rita Casetti, Nazanine Modjtahedi, Jean M. Kanellopoulos, Jean-Francois Mouscadet, David M. Ojcius, Mauro Piacentini, Marie-Lise Gougeon, Guido Kroemer, Jean-Luc Perfetini

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) can activate purinergic receptors of the plasma membrane and modulate multiple cellular functions. We report that ATP is released from HIV-1 target cells through pannexin-1 channels upon interaction between the HIV-1 envelope protein and specific target cell receptors. Extracellular ATP then acts on purinergic receptors, including P2Y2, to activate proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2) kinase and transient plasma membrane depolarization, which in turn stimulate fusion between Env-expressing membranes and membranes containing CD4 plus appropriate chemokine co-receptors. Inhibition of any of the constituents of this cascade (pannexin-1, ATP, P2Y2, and Pyk2) impairs the replication of HIV-1 mutant …

The Role Of The Androgen Receptor Cofactor P44/Wdr77 In Astrocyte Activation, Bryce H. Vincent

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Astrogliosis is induced by neuronal damage and is also a pathological feature of the major aging-related neurodegenerative disorders. The mechanisms that control the cascade of astrogliosis have not been well established. In a previous study, we identified a novel androgen receptor (AR)-interacting protein (p44/WDR77) and found that it plays a critical role in the control of proliferation and differentiation of prostate epithelial cells. In the present study, we found that deletion of the p44 gene in the mouse brain caused accelerated aging with dramatic astrogliosis. The p44/WDR77 is expressed in astrocytes and loss of p44/WDR77 expression in astrocytes leads to …

Investigations Of The Ppi-Dependent Acetate Kinase From The Parasite Entamoeba Histolytica, Matthew Fowler

All Dissertations

Acetate, a short-chain fatty acid that plays a key role in all domains of life, can be utilized as a carbon source or excreted as a product of metabolism. Acetate kinase (ACK), a member of the acetate and sugar kinase-Hsp70-actin (ASKHA) enzyme superfamily, is responsible for the reversible phosphorylation of acetate to acetyl phosphate utilizing ATP as the phosphoryl donor. Acetate kinases are ubiquitous in the Bacteria, found in one genus of Archaea, and are also present in microbes of the Eukarya. A partially purified ACK which can utilize pyrophosphate (PP_i) as the phosphoryl donor in the acetyl …

Synthesis Of A Chemical Probe For Identification Of Ger Receptor Proteins Of Bacillus Anthracis, Hyelee Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Bacillus anthracis,a gram positive, endospore-forming, rod-shaped, aerobic bacterium, is the causative agent of anthrax. A key step in the pathogenic cycle is the spore germination, where the dormant spore transforms into a metabolically active cell. This allows B. anthracis to proliferate and secrete toxins. It is believed that spore germination is triggered when small molecules, known as germinants, are recognized by germination (Ger) receptor proteins located in the inner membrane of spores. Most Ger proteins are encoded by tricistronic operons, resulting in three distinct products, the A-, B-, C-subunits. Genomic sequencing showed that B. anthracis has seven ger receptor …

Cloning, Expression, And Characterization Of The Aminoethylphosphonate Pathway In Trypanosoma Cruzi, Samuel I. Rodriguez^, Esteban M. Cordero, Igor C. Almeida*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Summer 2011

No abstract provided.

Thermal-Initiated Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate Functionalization Of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes, Greg Curtzwiler, Philip Costanzo, Ray Fernando, Jeffrey E. Danes, Keith Vorst

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Multiwalled-carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were functionalized via thermoinitiated free radical polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) using benzoyl peroxide. Tip sonication was used during the polymerization reaction to separate agglomerated nanotubes. The functionalization was confirmed by control experiments and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Differential scanning calorimetry indicated that the addition of poly(HEMA)-MWCNTs to a two-component polyurethane coating will have little effect on the glass transition temperature of the coating. The poly(HEMA)-functionalized MWCNTs formed large colloidal structures of highly dispersed nanotubes in both the nonsheared and sheared coatings as determined by atomic force microscopy. This study determined a quick …

The Molecular Mechanism Of Migraine, Kristin Dawn Watson

Theses and Dissertations

Migraine is a common, episodic neurological disorder that includes headache, nausea and hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli. During the headache phase of migraine, migraine patients can be especially hypersensitive to thermal stimuli. The unpredictable and episodic nature of migraine makes it difficult to treat and much of the mechanism of migraine has yet to be elucidated. A T44A substitution in casein kinase 1δ is inherited with migraine with aura. A transgenic mouse model suggests that animals with this mutation exhibit increased sensitivity to thermal stimuli after injection with nitroglycerin (NTG). We performed behavior assays that measure animal responses to thermal stimuli, …

Structures Of Poliovirus And Antibody Complexes Reveal Movements Of The Capsid Protein Vp1 During Cell Entry, Jun Lin

Theses and Dissertations

In the infection process, native poliovirus (160S) first converts to a cell-entry intermediate (135S) particle, which causes the externalization of capsid proteins VP4 and the N-terminus of VP1 (residues 1-53). The externalization of these entities is followed by release of the RNA genome, leaving an empty (80S) particle. Three antibodies were utilized to track the location of VP1 residues in different states of poliovirus by cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM). "P1" antibody binds to N-terminal residues 24-40 of VP1. Three-dimensional reconstruction of 135S-P1 showed that P1 binds to a prominent capsid peak known as the "propeller tip". In contrast, our initial …

The Occurrence Of False Positive Tests For Gunshot Residue Based On Simulations Of The Suspect's Occupation, Christopher R. Dockery, Matthew B. Rosenberg, Kimberly Kammerdiener, Lauren E. Mcadams

Faculty Articles

Samples collected from high-risk occupations, or simulations thereof, are analyzed for elemental composition using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LlBS) to determine the occurrence of false positive gunshot residue results generated in the work environment. Previous work involving the study of lifetime of detectable amounts of gunshot residue on the hands of a suspect shooter found that gunshot residue exists up to 5.27 days after a firearm discharge. However, certain environmental and/or occupational false positive tests for gunshot residue could result when sampling non-shooters. Samples collected from occupations or simulations thereof include welding, pyrotechnics, key cutting, mechanics, and paper products all of …

Quantifying The Flux Of Caco3 And Organic Carbon From The Surface Ocean Using In Situ Measurements Of O-2, N-2, Pco(2), And Ph, Steven Emerson, Christopher Sabine, Meghan F. Cronin, Richard Feely, Sarah E. Cullison Gray, Michael Degrandpre

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Ocean acidification from anthropogenic CO2 has focused our attention on the importance of understanding the rates and mechanisms of CaCO3 formation so that changes can be monitored and feedbacks predicted. We present a method for determining the rate of CaCO3 production using in situ measureme nts of fCO(2) and pH in surface waters of the eastern subarctic Pacific Ocean. These quantities were determined on a surface mooring every 3 h for a period of about 9 months in 2007 at Ocean Station Papa (50 degrees N, 145 degrees W). We use the data in a simple surface ocean, mass balance …

Novel Ion Trap Made Using Lithographically Patterned Plates, Ying Peng

Theses and Dissertations

A new approach of making ion trap mass analyzers was developed in which trapping fields are created in the space between two ceramic plates. Based on microfabrication technology, a series of independently-adjustable electrode rings is lithographically patterned on the facing surfaces of each ceramic plate. The trapping field can be modified or fine-tuned simply by changing the RF amplitude applied to each electrode ring. By adjusting the potential function applied to the plates, arbitrary trapping fields can be created using the same set of ceramic plates. Unlike conventional ion traps, the electrodes of planar ion traps have a non-equipotential surface, …

Crosstalk Between Wnt And Rho Pathways In Ameloblast-Lineage Cells, Kate Shusterman

PCOM Biomedical Studies Student Scholarship

Exposure to high levels of fluoride during tooth development will lead to mineralization defects and a decrease in enamel strength, known as enamel fluorosis. It has been proposed that fluoride may alter the cytoskeleton of ameloblasts, cells that secrete enamel during tooth development. This change is carried out through the Rho pathway, more specifically through RhoA. RhoA is stimulated by Wnt3a, a part of the Wnt pathway involved in regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation. The main component of the Wnt pathway, β-catenin, is expressed in dental epithelium and acts by linking cadherins to the actin cytoskeleton in cell adhesion. …

Sunday Driver/Jip3 Binds Kinesin Heavy Chain Directly And Enhances Its Motility, Faneng Sun, Chuanmei Zhu, Ram Dixit, Valeria Cavalli

Biology Faculty Research

Neuronal development, function and repair critically depend on axonal transport of vesicles and protein complexes, which is mediated in part by the molecular motor kinesin‐1. Adaptor proteins recruit kinesin‐1 to vesicles via direct association with kinesin heavy chain (KHC), the force‐generating component, or via the accessory light chain (KLC). Binding of adaptors to the motor is believed to engage the motor for microtubule‐based transport. We report that the adaptor protein Sunday Driver (syd, also known as JIP3 or JSAP1) interacts directly with KHC, in addition to and independently of its known interaction with KLC. Using an in vitro motility assay, …

Altering Nitric Oxide Bioavailability And Lipid Profiles In Endothelial Cells By Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Particulate Matter, Liang Yu

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated a significant association between exposure to particulate matter (PM) and atherosclerosis. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in particulate matter, are well known to induce oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation via generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Lipid peroxidation involves regulating endothelial nitric oxide synthase via inhibition of its activity, and as a result, mediates dilation of coronary arterioles is involved with the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. However, data on assessment of oxidized lipid formation is limited due to low resolution of mass spectrometer methods. Taking the advantage of a Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometer (FT-ICR-MS) …