Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Unconventional Constituents And Shared Molecular Architecture Of The Melanized Cell Wall Of C. Neoformans And Spore Wall Of S. Cerevisiae, Christine Chrissian, Coney Pei-Chin Lin, Emma Camacho, Arturo Casadevall, Aaron M. Neiman, Ruth E. Stark

Publications and Research

The fungal cell wall serves as the interface between the cell and the environment. Fungal cell walls are composed largely of polysaccharides, primarily glucans and chitin, though in many fungi stress-resistant cell types elaborate additional cell wall structures. Here, we use solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to compare the architecture of cell wall fractions isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae spores and Cryptococcus neoformans melanized cells. The specialized cell walls of these two divergent fungi are highly similar in composition. Both use chitosan, the deacetylated derivative of chitin, as a scaffold on which a polyaromatic polymer, dityrosine and melanin, respectively, is assembled. …

Spatial Profiling Of Gangliosides In Mouse Brain By Mass Spectrometry Imaging, Douglas A. Andres, Lyndsay E. A. Young, Matthew S. Gentry, Ramon C. Sun

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Supersize It! Developing A "Supercytoplast" Through Platelet Fusion, Taulbee B. Gunter

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Stem cell research opens a wide range of possibilities from lab-grown tissues for medical purposes to cloned animals for livestock production. The issue with one of the most popular forms of cell recombination into a stem cell, known as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), is that it requires an oocyte. The requirement of an oocyte is often the host of public scrutiny for its economic and ethical issues. Platelets may offer a less expensive and more accessible alternative to oocytes as sources of naturally enucleated cells. Thus, the objective of this explorative research project is to isolate and fuse platelets …

Implications Of Lysine Acetylation On The Enzymes Of The Tca Cycle, Sumana Venkat

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is a central route for the energy production via oxidative phosphorylation and is ubiquitous throughout nature. Apart from playing a major role in energy provision, it is also essential for a wide range of physiological functions in any organism. Although an increasing emphasis is laid on the interlinking role of the cycle, its regulation and control are less very less understood. As the field progresses, the consequences of TCA cycle anomalies are shown to be tied to various cancers and other disorders. The matter becomes more complex when considering the varying functions of the isozymes …

Structural Characterization And Selective Drug Targeting Of Higher-Order Dna G-Quadruplex Systems., Robert Chandos Monsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is now substantial evidence that guanine-rich regions of DNA form non-B DNA structures known as G-quadruplexes in cells. G-quadruplexes (G4s) are tetraplex DNA structures that form amid four runs of guanines which are stabilized via Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding to form stacked tetrads. DNA G4s have roles in key genomic functions such as regulating gene expression, replication, and telomere homeostasis. Because of their apparent role in disease, G4s are now viewed as important molecular targets for anticancer therapeutics. To date, the structures of many important G4 systems have been solved by NMR or X-ray crystallographic techniques. Small molecules developed to …

Analytic Solutions For Diffusion On Path Graphs And Its Application To The Modeling Of The Evolution Of Electrically Indiscernible Conformational States Of Lysenin, K. Summer Ware

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Memory is traditionally thought of as a biological function of the brain. In recent years, however, researchers have found that some stimuli-responsive molecules exhibit memory-like behavior manifested as history-dependent hysteresis in response to external excitations. One example is lysenin, a pore-forming toxin found naturally in the coelomic fluid of the common earthworm Eisenia fetida. When reconstituted into a bilayer lipid membrane, this unassuming toxin undergoes conformational changes in response to applied voltages. However, lysenin is able to "remember" past history by adjusting its conformational state based not only on the amplitude of the stimulus but also on its previous …

Dna Aptamer‑Based Rolling Circle Amplification Product As A Novel Immunological Adjuvant, Adil Sabr Al-Ogaili, Rohana Liyanage, Jack O. Lay Jr., Tieshan Jiang, Christine N. Vuong, Shilpi Agrawal, Thallapuranam Krishnaswamy Suresh Kumar, Luc R. Berghman, Billy M. Hargis, Young Min Kwon

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Several agonists to CD40 have shown to induce acquired immune responses. Here, we developed and evaluated the rolling circle amplification (RCA) products that are based on anti-CD40 DNA aptamers as a novel vaccine adjuvant. First, we developed DNA aptamers with specific binding affinity to chicken CD40 extra domain (chCD40ED). Next, we prepared the RCA products that consist of these aptamers to increase the spanning space and overall binding affinity to chCD40ED. Using 8 DNA aptamer candidates, 4 aptamer-based RCA products (aptamer RCAs) were generated, each consisting of two distinct aptamers. We demonstrated that all 4 aptamer RCAs significantly induced the …

Identification And Characterization Of Candidate Staphylococcus Aureus Antigens For Inclusion In A Multivalent Bovine Mastitis Vaccine, Danielle Scarbrough

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Bovine mastitis, inflammation typically caused by bacterial infection, is the most prevalent disease affecting the global dairy industry. Staphylococcus aureus remains one of the most important pathogens implicated in the disease and can persist within herds at subclinical levels. A preventative S. aureus bovine mastitis vaccine would substantially lessen costs associated with treatment and restore revenue lost due to decreased milk production. One such experimental vaccine is the IsdA-CTA₂/B + ClfA-CTA₂/B vaccine, containing the S. aureus antigens IsdA and ClfA , each fused to the nontoxic A₂/B subunits of cholera toxin, which serves as …

Drivers Of Rickettsial Pathogen Transmission And Spillover In Local Tick Populations In Southeastern Virginia, Alexandra Cumbie

Biomedical Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Cases of spotted fever group rickettsiosis are becoming more prevalent in the United States. In Virginia, there are three human-biting ticks which are largely responsible for the spread of rickettsial pathogens and the increase in disease cases. These species include Dermacentor variabilis, Amblyomma americanum, and Amblyomma maculatum; all of which are vectors of rickettsial agents to vertebrate hosts. These species are sympatric as adults and have the potential to share large and small mammal hosts. Their interactions on and off host and their associated rickettsiae were the focus of this dissertation work. Amblyomma americanum is the vector …

Copper And Cobalt Metal Conjugation Enhances Flaviviral Replication, And Denv/Zikv Caused Thrombocytopenia Suppresses Integrin Signaling, Shovan Dutta

Biomedical Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Vector control is a global concern, and effective strategies have been on the way. Among the many different strategies, insect repellents to protect us from blood-feeding arthropods are very common. Food processing or preservatives in food expose us to several chemicals associated with insect repellents, insecticides, and pesticides. Using metallic conjugation with plant extracts or essential oils has become a widespread strategy to increase their efficacy. But it is worth it to be aware that some of those metallic compounds like Cobalt or Copper upon conjugation with thiosemicarbazone ligands derived from Citral and 2-acetylethiazole at the center coordination enhance both …

Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold, But Moderately Variable: The Influence Of Environmental Variability On Coral Thermal Tolerance, Courtney Nicole Klepac

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Anthropogenic climate change is causing an increase in the frequency and severity of marine heat waves, resulting in declining health of coral reef ecosystems worldwide. Coral bleaching events – the breakdown in symbiosis between the coral host and their intracellular photosynthetic algae – are increasingly common in recent years and contribute to widespread losses in coral cover. However, bleaching and heat stress responses vary across spatial scales both within and among coral species. Coral populations native to highly variable environments can have greater bleaching resistance than corals from more stable habitats and corals transplanted into these variable reef sites can …

Degree Of Conservation Of Methionines Found To Be Oxidized In The Human Urinary Proteome, Alexis Hall

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In previous work from this laboratory, methionine containing peptides from the human urinary proteome were examined by mass spectrometry for the degree of methionine oxidation to the sulfoxide form. While this demonstrated that many of the methionines detected were capable of being oxidized, the question of whether these methionines are important in the structure and/or function of the parent proteins came about. In some proteins, methionine oxidation has been linked to conformational changes and alteration of function and thus can serve as a mechanism for reversible regulation of activity. It is hypothesized that methionines which might serve a regulatory purpose …

Investigating The Disorder And Compaction Of Designed Minielastin Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance., Ma Faye Charmagne Aquino Carvajal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Minielastins are elastin-based proteins with alternating hydrophobic and cross-link modules similar to tropoelastin. Tropoelastin is the ~70 kDa soluble monomeric precursor of elastin. The extracellular matrix protein, elastin provides elasticity to tissues and organs such as lungs, arteries and ligaments. The elastic properties of natural elastin are believed to be entropic in origin. In vivo, the elastin matrix is approximately 50% water by weight. Without water, elastin is brittle and hard. Minielastins, like tropoelastin, undergo a liquid-liquid phase transition upon an increase in temperature. Factors such as hydrophobicity, chain length and concentration affect the coacervation temperature, T_c. The …

Role Of Β-Glucan Structure In Dectin-1 Homo- And Hetero-Oligomerization In Innate Anti-Fungal Immunity, Eduardo U. Anaya

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Dectin-1A is a C-type Lectin innate immunoreceptor that recognizes β-(1,3)-glucan, a structural component of Candida species cell walls. Dectin-1 has eight alternative splice isoforms including, A and B. Innate immunocytes can express one or both isoforms, but neither their relative responsiveness to β-glucan nor the potential for inter-isoform signaling cross-talk is well understood. In this study, we determine how the different structures of soluble β-glucans affect both isoforms and unravel how differences in glucan structure impact the earliest events in Dectin-1 signaling. Using quantitative microscopy techniques, we explored the role of glucan structure on Dectin-1A oligomerization, which is thought to …

Calcium Dyshomeostasis In Neurodegeneration, Nicholas Emanuel Karagas

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Neurodegenerative diseases, despite constituting a major and growing cause of mortality globally, have few effective treatments. In order to develop novel therapeutics to combat neurodegeneration, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying these diseases is needed. Neurons rely on Ca²⁺ to mediate many of their unique functions, and aberrant Ca²⁺ signaling has been broadly implicated in neurodegeneration. The goal of this dissertation is to delineate specific examples of Ca²⁺ dyshomeostasis that I have uncovered in Drosophila models of neurodegeneration.

I first define the role a neurodegeneration-associated mutation plays in perturbing presynaptic [Ca²⁺], which is …

Predictors Of Student Success In An Upper Division Agriculture Chemistry Class, Maddison V. May

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

To attempt to find what made students successful within a higher division class at Missouri State University’s (MSU) Darr College of Agriculture, de-identified academic records of 172 students enrolled in AGR 300 - Food and Agriculture Chemistry were studied over four semesters. Deidentified data were collected and compared to final letter grade received at the end of the class using correlation coefficients, analysis of variance, and stepwise regression. Analysis of variance was used to evaluate the influence of semester on letter grade. Correlation coefficients were used to determine and evaluate relationships between the variables and final grade. Stepwise regression was …

Determining A Method For Expressing And Purifying Cytochrome P450 4v2: A Protein Involved In Bietti's Crystalline Dystrophy, Cody Lane Turner

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Within the Cytochrome P450 class of enzymes, there are a group known as the “orphan” cytochromes. The “orphan” classification comes from the poorly understood in vivo functionality and substrate specificity. Cytochrome P450 4V2 (CYP4V2) is one of these “orphans” and belongs to the CYP4 family. The CYP4 family is known for the omega oxidation of endogenous fatty acids. This family is most commonly found on chromosome 1 (CYP4ABXZ). CYP4V2 is unique in that its location is bound to chromosome 4 as discovered by Jiao in 2004. Mutations within the CYP4V2 gene have been associated with the …

The Role Of Rna Editing Within Calcium-Dependent Activator For Secretion 1 In Large Dense Core Vesicle Fusion, Kaylee M. Mathiason

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Calcium-dependent activator protein for secretion 1 (CAPS1) is involved in synaptic vesicle and large dense core vesicle fusion by bridging vesicles and the plasma membrane prior to vesicle fusion and cargo release. CAPS1 is subject to a post-transcriptional modification called RNA editing. RNA editing recodes a single amino acid in the region of the protein that interacts with the vesicle. This recoding event within CAPS1 has cellular consequences in neurons where edited CAPS1 overexpression increases basal secretion from neural synaptic vesicles. Our goal was to investigate how RNA editing within CAPS1 affects large dense core vesicle secretion in an insulinoma …

The Role Of Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells In Liver Malady Homeostasis, Fatima Cabral

Department of Biochemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Current literature described techniques for the purification of liver cell types through text alone. The techniques described for the isolation of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells as well as hepatocytes described here are modified from a published article in the Journal of Visualized experiments. The video protocol allows for the user to successfully isolate cells as the most difficult parts of the procedure are demonstrated visually. The detection of liver maladies such as the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the stage if this disease and differentiation between non-alcoholic and alcoholic fatty liver disease is demonstrated in the development of a unique panel …

Stem Cell Technology For Age Related Macular Degeneration Intervention, Laura Valdez

Theses and Dissertations

The main focus of this thesis is to study RPE cell derived from IMR90 induced pluripotent stem cells in various physiological conditions mimicking RPE transplantation rejection. Retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) cells are located between the choroid and photoreceptors in the eye and they are essential to provide nutrients from blood to rods and cones, as well retinoids of the visual cycle. Vision loss and various ocular diseases are attributable to the degeneration or dysfunction of the RPE cells, leading to blindness. One of the major ocular problem from RPE dysfunction is macular degeneration. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can be frequently …