Biotechnology Commons^™

Virus-Host Mucosal Interactions During Early Siv Rectal Transmission, Wuxun Lu, Fangrui Ma, Alexander Churbanov, Yanmin Wan, Yue Li, Guobin Kang, Zhe Yuan, Dong Wang, Chi Zhang, Jianqing Xu, Mark Lewis, Qingsheng Li

Nebraska Center for Biotechnology: Faculty and Staff Publications

To deepen our understanding of early rectal transmission of HIV-1, we studied virus-host interactions in the rectal mucosa using simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-Indian rhesus macaque model and mRNA deep sequencing. We found that rectal mucosa actively responded to SIV as early as 3 days post-rectal inoculation (dpi) and mobilized more robust responses at 6 and 10 dpi. Our results suggests that the failure of the host to contain virus replication at the portal of entry is attributable to both a high-level expression of lymphocyte chemoattractant, proinflammatory and immune activation genes, which can recruit and activate viral susceptible target cells into …

Use Of Cysteine-Reactive Crosslinkers To Probe Conformational Flexibility Of Human Dj-1 Demonstrates That Glu18 Mutations Are Dimers, Janani Prahlad, David N. Hauser, Nicole M. Milkovic, Mark R. Cookson, Mark A. Wilson

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The oxidation of a key cysteine residue (Cys106) in the parkinsonism-associated protein DJ-1 regulates its ability to protect against oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage. Cys106 interacts with a neighboring protonated Glu18 residue, stabilizing the Cys106-SO₂ ⁻ (sulfinic acid) form of DJ-1. To study this important post-translational modification, we previously designed several Glu18 mutations (E18N, E18D, E18Q) that alter the oxidative propensity of Cys106. However, recent results suggest these Glu18 mutations cause loss of DJ-1 dimerization, which would severely compromise the protein’s function. The purpose of this study was to conclusively determine the oligomerization state of these mutants using X-ray …

Quest: Creating A Biotechnology Workforce Pipeline, Lynette Hazleton Mph

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Synthesis And Applications Of Mutimodal Hybrid Albumin Nanoparticles For Chemotherapeutic Drug Delivery And Phototherml Therapy Platforms, Donna V. Peralta

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Progress has been made in using human serum albumin nanoparticles (HSAPs) as carrier systems for targeted treatment of cancer. Human serum albumin (HSA), the most abundant human blood protein, can form HSAPs via a desolvation and crosslinking method, with the size of the HSAPs having crucial importance for drug loading and in vivo performance. Gold nanoparticles have also gained medicinal attention due to their ability to absorb near-infrared (NIR) light. These relatively non-toxic particles offer combinational therapy via imaging and photothermal therapy (PPTT) capabilities.

A desolvation and crosslinking approach was employed to encapsulate gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), hollow gold nanoshells (AuNSs), …

Cryopreservation Of Hepatocyte (Hepg2) Cell Monolayers: Impact Of Trehalose, Blake Stokich, Quinn Osgood, David Grimm, Shhyam Moorthy, Nilay Chakraborty, Michael A. Menze

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

A simple method to cryogenically preserve hepatocyte monolayers is currently not available but such a technique would facilitate numerous applications in the field of biomedical engineering, cell line development, and drug screening. We investigated the effect of trehalose and dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO) in cryopreservation of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells in suspension and monolayer formats. HepG2 cell monolayers were incubated for 24 h at varying concentrations of trehalose (50–150 mM) prior to cryopreservation to identify the optimum concentration for such preincubation. When trehalose alone was used as the cryoprotective agent (CPA), cells in monolayer format did not survive freezing while …

Cryopreservation Of Hepatocyte (Hepg2) Cell Monolayers: Impact Of Trehalose, Blake Stokich, Quinn Osgood, David Grimm, Shhyam Moorthy, Nilay Chakraborty, Michael Menze

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

A simple method to cryogenically preserve hepatocyte monolayers is currently not available but such a technique would facilitate numerous applications in the field of biomedical engineering, cell line development, and drug screening. We investigated the effect of trehalose and dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO) in cryopreservation of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells in suspension and monolayer formats. HepG2 cell monolayers were incubated for 24 h at varying concentrations of trehalose (50–150 mM) prior to cryopreservation to identify the optimum concentration for such preincubation. When trehalose alone was used as the cryoprotective agent (CPA), cells in monolayer format did not survive freezing while …

The Effect Of Transient Hmg-Coa Reductase And 1-Deoxy-D-Xylulose-5-Phosphate Synthase Overexpression On Terpene Production In Transgenic Tomato Fruits, Scott A. Gentry, Michael Gutensohn, Laura Henry, Natalia Dudareva

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Isoprenoids are secondary metabolites that control numerous plant functions including signaling, growth, photosynthesis, and membrane structure. The bioengineering of isoprenoid synthesis could produce plants with a variety of beneficial traits. Plants form isoprenoids using two different pathways, the mevalonate (MVA) pathway and the methylerithritol phosphate (MEP) pathway, which cooperate via metabolic cross-talk. Transgenic tomato lines expressing both the plastidic and cytosolic forms of the snapdragon nerolidol/linalool terpene synthase under a fruit ripening specific promoter were transiently transformed to overexpress key enzymes in the two isoprenoid pathways. Hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGR) is the rate limiting enzyme in the MVA pathway that …

Potential And Technological Advancement Of Biofuels, Rajee Olaganathan, Fabian Ko Qui Shen, Lim Jun Shen

Publications

This scientific paper examines the feasibility of biofuels as a solution to the world‟s energy crisis. It studies the development of the four different generations of biofuel that have been discerned over the years, determining the pros and cons of each. The paper further investigates the issues concerning each generation, and determines how their successors have solved and improved on those problems. In order to give the reader an unbiased perspective, the paper studies both general advantages and disadvantages that encompasses social, economic and environmental impacts. Research and development on the first two generations of biofuels have matured, and case …

Self-Assembled Gold Nanoplexes For Cancer-Targeted Sirna Delivery, Yongliang Shi

Master's Theses

Through layer-by-layer method, the authors have constructed three Au nanoplexes: AuPEI/RNA/PEI, AuPEI/RNA/PEI-mPEG, and AuPEI/NA/PEI-PEG-FA. All the nanoplexes are characterized by UV-vis spectrometry, DLS, and zeta potential. The surface density of the first layer PEI and second layer RNA were also determined. Moreover, the Au nanoplexes can protect siRNA from RNase degradation and are stable in cell culture medium.

siGLuc-ppp, ssRNA₈₀, and siF17 were delivered by the assembled Au nanoplexes, and the results were analyzed by GLuc assay, TB assay, and Luciferase assay. In terms of RNA delivery, the Au nanoplexes AuPEI/RNA/PEI exhibited excellent gene silencing efficiency (or causing …

Strategies To Sensitize Bladder Cancer Cells To Small Molecule Inhibitors Targeting The Pi3k Pathway, Giovanni Nitti

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

After many years of cancer research, it is well accepted by the scientific community that the future cure for this disease lies in a personalized therapeutic approach. Anticipating therapeutic outcome based on the genetic signature of a tumor has become the new paradigm. The PI3K pathway represents an ideal target for bladder cancer, as many of the key proteins of this pathway are altered or mutated in this particular type of cancer. Several small molecule inhibitors have been developed to target this pathway, but their efficacy has been shown to be heterogeneous among different cell lines and mostly cytostatic but …

Construction And Characterization Of Non-Toxic Bacterial Enterotoxins As Vaccine Adjuvants, Lavanya Vempati

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The development of adjuvants that can promote the delivery of purified subunit vaccines by mucosal routes, such as the nose or the mouth, is recognized as a top priority for vaccine research. The bacterial enterotoxins; cholera toxin (CT) and E.coli heat-labile toxin (LTI), have long been recognized as powerful adjuvants with the ability to stimulate specific immune responses to co-administered antigens when delivered to mucosal surfaces. Shiga toxin 1 (ST1) and pertussis toxin (PT) are structurally homologous bacterial toxins secreted by Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and Bordetella pertussis respectively. ST1 and PT also have reported adjuvant activity but it is less …

Metagenomic Identification Of A Novel Salt Tolerance Gene From The Human Gut Microbiome Which Encodes A Membrane Protein With Homology To A Brp/Blh-Family Beta-Carotene 15,15'-Monooxygenase, Eamonn P. Culligan, Roy D. Sleator, Julian R. Marchesi, Colin Hill

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

The human gut microbiome consists of at least 3 million non-redundant genes, 150 times that of the core human genome. Herein, we report the identification and characterisation of a novel stress tolerance gene from the human gut metagenome. The locus, assigned brpA, encodes a membrane protein with homology to a brp/blh-family β-carotene monooxygenase. Cloning and heterologous expression of brpA in Escherichia coli confers a significant salt tolerance phenotype. Furthermore, when cultured in the presence of exogenous β-carotene, cell pellets adopt a red/orange pigmentation indicating the incorporation of carotenoids in the cell membrane.

Affluent Populations And Their Effect On Biological Diversity Through The Consumption Of Meat, Electronics, And Motor Vehicles, Melody Flores

Honors College Theses

The human has caused a far greater impact on the planet's biodiversity than any other species in existence, due to the impact of population, afflluence, and technology. This thesis will argue the importance of biological diversity and how affluent populations are reducing biodiversity through the consumption of meat, electronics, and motor vehicles. Aldo Leopold's "The Land Ethic" and Herman Daly's "The Impossibility Theorem", among others, create a rubric evaluating human activities and provide alternative views on economic impossibilities. Consumption is reviewed from an ecocentric perspective, a holistic outlook placing emphasis on the ecosystem. The reader will become cognizant of their …

Concepts Of Cancer And A Novel Cancer Therapy: Treating Tumors As An Aggressive Organ, Stephen J. Beebe

Bioelectrics Publications

No abstract provided.

Fabrication, Rheology And Antioxidant Activity Of Palm Esters-Based Emulsions Loaded With Tocotrienol, Ng S.H, Mahiran B, Zahariyah I

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Palm oil esters are wax esters derived from palm oil and oleyl alcohol. Palm oil esters have many applications due to their luxurious moisturizing properties, non-greasy and blend easily with fragrances and colours when applied on skin surface. The aim of this research was to fabricate palm esters-based emulsions cream for topical delivery, characterise the rheological properties and in vitroantioxidant activity of the palm esters-based emulsions system. Emulsions containing palm oil esters loaded with tocotrienol were obtained in two stages, with propagation of rotor-stator at 6000 r.p.m. for 5 min and further emulsified using an ultrasound at various acoustic amplitudes …

Pd(Ii) Complexes With Nitrogen-Oxygen Donor Ligands: Synthesis, Characterization And Catalytic Activity For Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling Reaction, Amalina M.T, Hadariah B, Karimah K, Nazihah W.I.W

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Inexpensive bidentate Schiff base ligands (O1, O3) and their Pd(II) complexes (OPd1, OPd3) were successfully synthesized and characterized using CHN elemental analysis, FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR, melting point determination, molar conductivity and magnetic moment. It revealed that these Schiff bases behaved as bidentate ligands in their complexes. The spectral data indicated that the ligands co-ordinated through the phenolic oxygen and the azomethine nitrogen atoms. Magnetic momentdata suggested the existence of square planar Pd(II) complexes, while non-electrolytic behaviour indicated the absence of counter ions in chloroform. The Pd(II) complexes showed good catalytic activities for Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction between iodobenzene with …

Cigarette Smoking Among Male Teenagers In Malaysia ― A Narrative Review, Dioso R.Iii P

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

This narrative review of a contemporary healthcare issue focuses on strategies and healthcare initiatives to curtail the increasing prevalence of active cigarette smoking among male teenagers in Malaysia — a mission of the Malaysian Millennium Development Goal and the United Nations Development Programmes on all health sectors. This narrative review analysed global and Malaysian views on cigarette smoking.

Forecsting Of Hydrological Time Series Data With Lag-One Markov Chain Model, Malek M. A, Baki A.M

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Planning and operation are important elements in water resource management. Rainfall forecasting is one of the conducts commonly used to extend the lead-time for catchments with short response time. However, it is difficult to obtain a high degree of accuracy in rainfall forecasting using deterministic models. Therefore, a probability-based rainfall forecasting model, based on Markov Chain provided a better alternative due to its ability to preserve the basic statistical properties ofthe original series. This method was especially useful in the absence of long-term recorded data, a rampant phenomenon in Malaysia. Comparison of statistics in the generated synthetic rainfall data against …

Assessment Attributes On Effective Construction Management For Property Developers In Malaysia, Norizam Ayob, Malek M.A, Mohamad I

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Property developers are financially capable of running construction projects. Nevertheless, in Malaysia it was found that many of these construction practitioners failed to provide effective construction management which affected society. The success of a project and its Critical Success Factors (CSFs) are considered as tools to improve the effectiveness of project management. Eventhough many researchers have conducted studies on CSFs, the use of CSFs has remained ambiguous. The main objective of this study is to validate the proposed assessment attributes obtained from the property developers based on CSFs. A questionnaire survey was conducted to validate this predeterminedattributes. Comparison was made …

Antibody-Drug Gold Nanoantennas With Raman Spectroscopic Fingerprints For In Vivo Tumour Theranostics., Joao Conde, Chenchen Bao, Daxiang Cui, Pedro V. Baptista, Furong Tian

Articles

Inspired by the ability of SERS nanoantennas to provide an integrated platform to enhance disease targeting in vivo, we developed a highly sensitive probe for in vivo tumoral recognition with the capacity to target specific cancer biomarkers such as epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) on human cancer cells and xenograft tumour models. Here, we used ~90 nm gold nanoparticles capped by a Raman reporter, encapsulated and entrapped by larger polymers and a FDA antibody-drug conjugate –Cetuximab (Erbitux®) – that specifically targets EGFR and turns off a main signalling cascade for cancer cells to proliferate and survive. These drug/SERS gold nanoantennas …