Molecular Characterization Of Nitrogenase Regulation In Methanosarcina Acetivorans,
2022
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Molecular Characterization Of Nitrogenase Regulation In Methanosarcina Acetivorans, Melissa Chanderban
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Nitrogenase is the metalloenzyme only found in bacteria and archaea that is essential for biological nitrogen fixation (diazotrophy), but it can also serve as a catalyst in biofuel production. All diazotrophs contain a molybdenum (Mo) nitrogenase, while some species contain additional alternative nitrogenases where either vanadium (V) or iron (Fe) replace Mo in the active site cofactor. Nitrogen fixation by bacteria has been extensively studied. The limited investigation of nitrogen fixation in methanogenic archaea (methanogens) indicates production of nitrogenase is simpler than in bacteria and methanogen nitrogenase has different biochemical properties. Thus, methanogen nitrogenases provide a promising alternative for genetic …
Comparative Analysis Of Conformational Transition Pathways In Homologous Proteins,
2022
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Comparative Analysis Of Conformational Transition Pathways In Homologous Proteins, Dylan Sebastien Ogden
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are routinely used to study the dynamics of proteins. However, conventional MD limited to the sampling of local conformational changes as the functionally important conformational transitions of proteins often extend beyond the timescales of the simulations employed, for example, membrane transport proteins. We have determined the combination of multiple MD based techniques that allows for a rigorous characterization of energetics and kinetics of large-scale conformational changes in membrane proteins. The methodology is based on biased, nonequilibrium collective variable based simulations including nonequilibrium pulling, string method with swarms of trajectories, bias-exchange umbrella sampling, and rate estimation techniques. …
Structure, Function, And Immunogenic Applications Of Ab5-Type Adp-Ribosylating Bacterial Toxins,
2022
Boise State University
Structure, Function, And Immunogenic Applications Of Ab5-Type Adp-Ribosylating Bacterial Toxins, Elise Marie Overgaard
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Bacterial mono-ADP-ribosyltransferases (ARTs) catalyze the singular transfer of an ADP-ribose moiety from an NAD+ molecule onto a target molecule. ARTs contain an ancient and highly conserved tertiary structure and have a wide variety of intracellular targets and effects. Some, but not all, bacterial ARTs have an AB5-type multimeric structure consisting of an enzymatically active subunit non-covalently situated atop of a non-toxic pentamer. The active, or A, subunit of AB5-type toxins has a catalytic action that contributes to bacterial pathogenicity, and it is sometimes, but not always, an ART. ArtAB is an ART with AB5-type …
Gating Intermediates Reveal Inhibitory Role Of The Voltage Sensor In A Cyclic Nucleotide-Modulated Ion Channel,
2022
The Texas Medical Center Library
Gating Intermediates Reveal Inhibitory Role Of The Voltage Sensor In A Cyclic Nucleotide-Modulated Ion Channel, Xiaolong Gao, Philipp A M Schmidpeter, Vladimir Berka, Ryan J Durham, Chen Fan, Vasanthi Jayaraman, Crina M Nimigean
Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Understanding how ion channels gate is important for elucidating their physiological roles and targeting them in pathophysiological states. Here, we used SthK, a cyclic nucleotide-modulated channel from Spirochaeta thermophila, to define a ligand-gating trajectory that includes multiple on-pathway intermediates. cAMP is a poor partial agonist for SthK and depolarization increases SthK activity. Tuning the energy landscape by gain-of-function mutations in the voltage sensor domain (VSD) allowed us to capture multiple intermediates along the ligand-activation pathway, highlighting the allosteric linkage between VSD, cyclic nucleotide-binding (CNBD) and pore domains. Small, lateral displacements of the VSD S4 segment were necessary to open the …
Structural And Biochemical Characterization Of Epigenetic And Fusion Tyrosine Kinase Cancer Targets For Drug Development,
2022
University of South Florida
Structural And Biochemical Characterization Of Epigenetic And Fusion Tyrosine Kinase Cancer Targets For Drug Development, Melissa Bikowitz
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Cancer is a significant global health burden, as ~40% of the human population is diagnosed with cancer over a lifetime, half of which succumb to the disease. To develop novel compounds as potential cancer therapeutics, an in-depth structural and biochemical understanding of proteins involved in oncogenesis is key. This dissertation centers around the comprehensive structural and biochemical characterization of two classes of proteins critical for cancer cell survival: bromodomain-containing proteins (BRDs) and fusion tyrosine kinases (FTKs).In 2010, small molecule inhibitors targeting bromodomains (epigenetic reader proteins) became heavily popularized due to the druggability and potent anticancer effects of BET inhibitors. …
The Childhood Acute Illness And Nutrition (Chain) Network Nested Case-Cohort Study Protocol: A Multi-Omics Approach To Understanding Mortality Among Children In Sub-Saharan Africa And South Asia,
2022
The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition Network, Kenya
The Childhood Acute Illness And Nutrition (Chain) Network Nested Case-Cohort Study Protocol: A Multi-Omics Approach To Understanding Mortality Among Children In Sub-Saharan Africa And South Asia, James M. Njunge, Kirkby Tickell, Abdoulaye Hama Diallo, Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayeem Bin Shahi, Md Amran Gazi, Ali Faisal Saleem, Zaubina Kazi, Syed Ali, Caroline Tigoi, Ezekiel Mupere
Department of Paediatrics and Child Health
Introduction: Many acutely ill children in low- and middle-income settings have a high risk of mortality both during and after hospitalisation despite guideline-based care. Understanding the biological mechanisms underpinning mortality may suggest optimal pathways to target for interventions to further reduce mortality. The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network ( www.chainnnetwork.org) Nested Case-Cohort Study (CNCC) aims to investigate biological mechanisms leading to inpatient and post-discharge mortality through an integrated multi-omic approach.
Methods and analysis; The CNCC comprises a subset of participants from the CHAIN cohort (1278/3101 hospitalised participants, including 350 children who died and 658 survivors, and …
Occurrence Of Kanamycin-Resistant Bacteria Relative To Anthropogenic Pollution Along Richland Creek In Nashville, Tn,
2022
Belmont University
Occurrence Of Kanamycin-Resistant Bacteria Relative To Anthropogenic Pollution Along Richland Creek In Nashville, Tn, Jolene Ho Mach, Annie Le, Brandon Torres Ramirez
Science University Research Symposium (SURS)
The overuse of antibiotics has caused an increase in antibiotic-resistant (AR) bacteria, which is a serious public health concern. Previous studies showed a significant correlation between anthropogenic pollution and AR bacteria. This project aims to identify AR bacteria in Richland Creek relative to local anthropogenic pollution. Water samples were collected at four locations along Richland Creek in Nashville, Tennessee. Bacteria resistant to the antibiotic kanamycin were isolated from the water samples, identified to genera using DNA barcoding, and compared among the sites. We expect to see a greater abundance and diversity of kanamycin-resistant bacteria closer to the end than near …
The Effect Of Licogliflozin (Sglt1/2 Inhibitor) On Diabetes And Cardiac Complications,
2022
United Arab Emirates University
The Effect Of Licogliflozin (Sglt1/2 Inhibitor) On Diabetes And Cardiac Complications, Alanoud Gharib Alblooshi
Theses
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic endocrine disease affecting millions of people worldwide. In spite of the advances made in the management of DM, poor glycemic control and diabetes complications are still very common. There is a continuous search for new and more effective drugs to treat DM. One of the drugs currently in clinical trials for the treatment of DM is licogliflozin (LIK066), a dual SGLT1/2 inhibitor, which can be used to treat obesity and diabetes. LIK066 inhibits glucose reabsorption in the kidney and small intestine, thereby reducing hyperglycemia. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of licogliflozin on …
Distribution Of Erm Proteins In The Stomach Mucosa Of Normal And Diabetic Rats,
2022
United Arab Emirates University
Distribution Of Erm Proteins In The Stomach Mucosa Of Normal And Diabetic Rats, Asmaa Salem Al Sereidi
Theses
Diabetes mellitus (DM), or simply diabetes, refers to a group of metabolic disorders that include a variety of diseases that disrupt our body's metabolism. The long-term uncontrolled disease can lead to stomach complications such as gastroparesis, as well as disruption in several proteins, such as ERM (Ezrin, radixin, moesin) proteins. ERM proteins are three proteins that are structurally and functionally related. ERM proteins have molecular masses of 82, 80, and 75 kDa, respectively. Ezrin is highly expressed in the stomach, especially in parietal cells that secrete gastric acid. ERM proteins function as scaffolding proteins in lipid rafts and granule trafficking …
Successful Use Of Continuous Erector Spinae Plane Blocks In A Patient With Variant Angina After Large Ventral Hernia Repair,
2022
The Texas Medical Center Library
Successful Use Of Continuous Erector Spinae Plane Blocks In A Patient With Variant Angina After Large Ventral Hernia Repair, Alexandra L Belfar, Yi Deng, Raymond C Yu, Annas Sabbagh
Faculty, Staff and Students Publications
Coronary artery spasm constitutes the primary underlying pathology of variant angina. Because provocation of coronary artery spasm may occur with both excess sympathetic and excess parasympathetic stimulation, patients with this disorder have extremely limited options for perioperative pain control. This is especially true for procedures involving extensive abdominal incision/manipulation. Whereas neuraxial analgesia might otherwise be appropriate in these cases, several studies have demonstrated that coronary artery spasm can occur as a result of epidural placement, and therefore, that this may not be an optimal choice for patients with variant angina. This report discusses the case of a patient with a …
To Be Or Not To Be: A Tale Of Staphylococcal Gpsb,
2022
University of South Florida
To Be Or Not To Be: A Tale Of Staphylococcal Gpsb, Lauren R. Hammond
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
There are two big drivers motivating studies into bacterial cell division. The first is a desire to understand life around us. One of the defining characteristics of life is the ability for a cell to grow and divide, and without in-depth knowledge of this process, we cannot truly understand the complexities that allow for life on this planet. The second motivator is to identify new drug targets in the ongoing fight against antimicrobial resistance. Many infectious organisms have become resistant to commonly used antibiotics, and the bacterial cell division machinery is a largely untapped essential process with many potential therapeutic …
Lord Of The Z-Rings: Uncovering The Role Of Mraz And Ftsl In Bacillus Subtilis Cell Division,
2022
University of South Florida
Lord Of The Z-Rings: Uncovering The Role Of Mraz And Ftsl In Bacillus Subtilis Cell Division, Maria Louise White
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Cell division is a complex and highly orchestrated process that requires careful coordination. The process of cell division in prokaryotes primarily occurs via binary fission, where one mother cell becomes two genetically identically and equally sized daughter cells. In most bacteria a key protein, FtsZ, forms a FtsZ ring (Z-ring) to mark the division site and recruit proteins involved in cytokinesis. Whilst much has been learned about the contents and assembly of the divisome in model organisms such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis factors governing the regulation of divisome are much more poorly understood. …
Using The Embl-Ebi Clustal Omega Tool To Calculate Diversity Of Heavy Chain Phage-Display Libraries,
2022
University of North Georgia
Using The Embl-Ebi Clustal Omega Tool To Calculate Diversity Of Heavy Chain Phage-Display Libraries, Michael Bodri, Shane A. Webb
Georgia Journal of Science
Here we show that traditional Sanger sequencing combined with analysis tools available from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory-European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), specifically EMBOSS Transeq and Clustal Omega, is extremely effective in the analysis of naïve phage display antibody libraries for the determination of library size and diversity. The free tools are easy to use and require little manipulation of reads by hand, allowing analysis to be performed on a standard personal computer. Utilization of this technique has applicability to researchers with limited access to deep sequencing. The primary drawback to this analysis methodology is that antibodies with particular molecular or …
Enhancing Production Of Functional Proteins In Plant Cell Culture Through Cellular Engineering And Rational Protein Design,
2022
Arkansas State University
Enhancing Production Of Functional Proteins In Plant Cell Culture Through Cellular Engineering And Rational Protein Design, Uddhab Karki
Student Theses and Dissertations
Plant cell culture is emerging as a promising alternative bioproduction platform for valuable proteins due to its low cost of production, safety (free from animal pathogen contamination) and ease of scale-up. However, there are common challenges for commercialization, including low protein yields, difficulty in cryopreservation, and non-human glycosylation, etc. This research project addresses the overarching research hypothesis that strategically modifying the plant cell genome using CRISPR/Cas9 technology and rationally designing protein molecules by fusing with a functional module enhance the production of protein in plant cell culture and improve protein function. There are two specific aims addressed in this project: …
Ngly1 Deficiency Affects Glycosaminoglycan Biosynthesis And Wnt Signaling Pathway In Mice,
2022
University of North Florida
Ngly1 Deficiency Affects Glycosaminoglycan Biosynthesis And Wnt Signaling Pathway In Mice, Amy Batten
PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas
Individuals affected by NGLY1 Deficiency cannot properly deglycosylate and recycle certain proteins. Even though less than 100 people worldwide have been diagnosed with this rare autosomal recessive condition, thousands are affected by similar glycosylation disorders. Common phenotypic manifestations of NGLY1 Deficiency include severe neural and intellectual delay, impaired muscle and liver function, and seizures that may become intractable. Very little is currently known about the various mechanisms through which NGLY1 deficiency affects the body and this has led to a lack of viable treatment options for those afflicted. This experiment uses a loss-of-function (LOF) mouse model of NGLY1 Deficiency homologous …
Polyamine Enzymes As Potential Targets For Cancer Therapeutics To Mitigate Diabetic Triple Negative Breast Cancer Advancement,
2022
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Polyamine Enzymes As Potential Targets For Cancer Therapeutics To Mitigate Diabetic Triple Negative Breast Cancer Advancement, Hadassha Tofilau
Biology Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity
Breast cancer (BC) is the second leading cause of death in women. Co-existence of diabetes and BC can be lethal, leading to higher mortality than BC alone. TNBC is highly refractive, heterogenous, and resistant to most chemotherapies. Polyamines play a role in cell growth and are elevated in cancer, though their role in diabetic TNBC has not been explored. We hypothesized that high glucose/diabetic conditions increase TNBC cell proliferation through modification of enzymes in the polyamine pathway and that miR-133a would decrease TNBC cell proliferation. For this study, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-10A cell lines were both treated with normal (5mM) and …
X-Linked Ubiquitin-Specific Peptidase 11 Increases Tauopathy Vulnerability In Women,
2022
University of South Florida
X-Linked Ubiquitin-Specific Peptidase 11 Increases Tauopathy Vulnerability In Women, Yan Yan
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Women experience significantly higher tau burden and increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than men, yet the underlying mechanism for this vulnerability has not been explained. Here, we demonstrate through in vitro and in vivo models, as well as human AD brain tissue, that X-linked ubiquitin specific peptidase 11 (USP11) augments pathological tau aggregation via tau deubiquitination initiated at lysine-281. Removal of ubiquitin provides access for enzymatic tau acetylation at lysines 281 and 274. USP11 escapes complete X-inactivation, and female mice and people both exhibit higher USP11 levels than males. Genetic elimination of usp11 in a tauopathy mouse model preferentially …
The Roles Of A Probiotic Exopolysaccharide In Breast Cancer,
2022
Loyola University Chicago
The Roles Of A Probiotic Exopolysaccharide In Breast Cancer, Mai Rachel Nguyen
Dissertations
breast cancer, exopolysaccharide, probiotic
Data Supporting A Saturation Mutagenesis Assay For Tat-Driven Transcription With The Gigaassay,
2022
University of Nevada Las Vegas
Data Supporting A Saturation Mutagenesis Assay For Tat-Driven Transcription With The Gigaassay, Ronald Benjamin, Christopher J. Giacoletto, Zachary T. Fitzhugh, Danielle Eames, Lindsay Buczek, Xiaogang Wu, Jacklyn Newsome, Mira V. Han, Tony Pearson, Zhi Wei, Atoshi Banerjee, Lancer Brown, Liz J. Valente, Shirley Shen, Hong-Wen Deng, Martin R. Schiller
Life Sciences Faculty Research
The data in this article are associated with the research paper “GigaAssay – an adaptable high-throughput saturation mutagenesis assay". The raw data are sequence reads of HIV-1 Tat cDNA amplified from cellular genomic DNA in a new single-pot saturation mutagenesis assay designated the “GigaAssay”. A bioinformatic pipeline and parameters used to analyze the data. Raw, processed, analyzed, and filtered data are reported. The data is processed to calculate the Tat-driven transcription activity for cells with each possible single amino acid substitution in Tat. This data can be reused to interpret Tat intermolecular interactions and HIV latency. This is one of …
Seqcode: A Nomenclatural Code For Prokaryotes Described From Sequence Data,
2022
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Seqcode: A Nomenclatural Code For Prokaryotes Described From Sequence Data, Brian P. Hedlund, Maria Chuvochina, Philip Hugenholtz, Konstantinos T. Konstantinidis, Alison E. Murray, Marike Palmer, Donovan H. Parks, Alexander J. Probst, Anna-Louise Reysenbach, Luis M. Rodriguez-R, Ramon Rossello-Mora, Iain C. Sutcliffe, Stephanus N. Venter, William B. Whitman
Life Sciences Faculty Research
Most prokaryotes are not available as pure cultures and therefore ineligible for naming under the rules and recommendations of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP). Here we summarize the development of the SeqCode, a code of nomenclature under which genome sequences serve as nomenclatural types. This code enables valid publication of names of prokaryotes based upon isolate genome, metagenome-assembled genome or single-amplified genome sequences. Otherwise, it is similar to the ICNP with regard to the formation of names and rules of priority. It operates through the SeqCode Registry (https://seqco.de/), a registration portal through which names and …
