Cell and Developmental Biology Commons^™

An Insider's Guide To Cell Biology, Katie Ludwig

Honors Projects

An Insider's Guide to Cell Biology is a comic book that follows Alanine the amoeba who tells the reader all about how the cell works.

Role Of Sox18 In Promoting Tumorigenesis In Pediatric Cancer Cell Lines, Cherubina S. Rubannelsonkumar

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

Sarcomas constitute a high percentage (∼13%) of cancer-related deaths among pediatric patients between 0-19 years of age, with Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) being the most common pediatric soft tissue sarcoma and Ewing Sarcoma being the second most common malignant bone tumor in children. Yet, survival for those who develop such metastatic sarcomas remains below 20-30%. Interestingly, SOX family proteins are known to be up regulated in various cancer types and play a role in cancer progression (tumorigenesis, metastasis, etc.). More specifically, targeted knockdown of SOX18 has been shown to suppress various tumorigenic properties in cancer cell lines including osteosarcoma cells, hepatocellular carcinoma …

Dicer Represses Antiviral Innate Immunity Pathways In Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells, Chandan Gurung

Dissertations

Recent studies have demonstrated that embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are deficient in expressing type I interferons (IFN), the cytokines that play key roles in antiviral responses. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms and biological implications of this finding are poorly understood. In this study, I used a synthetic RNA-based assay that can simultaneously assess multiple forms of antiviral responses in ESCs. Dicer is an enzyme essential for RNA interference (RNAi), which is used as a major antiviral mechanism in invertebrates but not clear in vertebrates. RNAi activity is detected in wild-type ESCs but is abolished in Dicer knockout ESCs (D−/−ESCs) as …

Keratin 1 As A Cell-Surface Receptor In Cancer, Oluseye Ogunnigbagbe, Christopher G. Bunick, Kamaljit Kaur

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Keratins are fibrous proteins that take part in several important cellular functions, including the formation of intermediate filaments. In addition, keratins serve as epithelial cell markers, which has made their role in cancer progression, diagnosis, and treatment an important focus of research. Keratin 1 (K1) is a type II keratin whose structure is comprised of a coiled-coil central domain flanked by flexible, glycine-rich loops in the N- and C-termini. While the structure of cytoplasmic K1 is established, the structure of cell-surface K1 is not known. Several transformed cells, such as cancerous cells and cells that have undergone oxidative stress, display …

The Effect Of Twist1b And Twist2 Knockdown On Tgf-Beta Signaling Expression In Tendon Progenitors, Marinia N. Bishay

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

Somites are important mesoderm structures that form in regularly timed intervals from the anterior end of the paraxial mesoderm at the end of gastrulation during embryogenesis. Cells of the ventromedial portion of the somite, the sclerotome, undergo epithelial to mesenchymal transition, surround the notochord, and give rise to connective tissues of the axial skeleton including the vertebrae, tendons, and ligaments. We are interested in understanding how the sclerotome is compartmentalized into the region that makes tendons. Genes expressed in the sclerotome, twist1 and twist2, are likely involved in the downstream differentiation of sclerotome to tendon progenitors. Previous studies have shown …

Novel Approaches For Enhancing Cell Survival And Function In Vivo, Ou Wang

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

FDA has approved several cell-based therapeutics and hundreds of cell therapy clinical trials are ongoing. Cells will be a significant type of medicine after small molecule and protein drugs. However, several obstacles need to be addressed to achieve the widespread use of cellular therapeutics. The first challenge is the low efficacy of cell transplantation due to low retention, survival, integration, and function of cells in vivo. The second challenge is producing a massive number of cells for clinical treatment with cost-effectively and reproducibly technologies.

In this thesis, we proposed and investigated two approaches to address these challenges. To begin …

The Effects Of Chronic Ethanol Exposure On Caenorhabditis Elegans Germline, Andrea Zegarra

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Ethanol is the most commonly abused drug in the world. Alcohol consumption increases a number of health risks, morbidity and mortality, and chronic and acute diseases. Some health risks include high blood pressure, stroke, liver disease, cancer, and can include mental health and social problems. Chronic alcohol consumption can lead to learning and memory problems, along with alcohol dependence. Additionally, alcohol consumption has an impact on ovarian reserve, steroid hormone production, sperm quality, fecundity, and fertility treatments. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of ethanol exposure on fertility of the N2 wild type as measured by …

Differentiating The Mechanistic Role And Chemotherapeutic Potential Of Src And Podoplanin In Oncogenic Transformation, Edward P. Retzbach

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

There were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases worldwide in 2020, resulting in nearly 1000 deaths per hour [1]. Oral cancer exemplifies the difficulties of treating cancer patients. The first line for oral cancer treatment is surgery and radiation that can lead to patient disfigurement and decreased quality of life in cancer survivors [2-4]. Though there have been many developments in chemotherapy in the last 30 years, the 50% mortality rate associated with oral cancer has not changed [4, 5]. Longitudinal studies that track survival rates in oral cancer patients demonstrate a 3-fold reduction in patient deaths when patients …

Visualizing Anhydrobiosis: Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation, Membraneless Organelles, And Cellular Reorganization., Clinton J. Belott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Water is an integral and necessary component of life. It is then, exceedingly remarkable that some species are capable of surviving virtually complete water loss for extended periods of time. Several decades of intense research into anhydrobiosis, or life without water, have given significant insights into the molecular mechanisms governing this phenomenon. Anhydrobiosis-related intrinsically disordered (ARID) proteins have been demonstrated to be critically important for desiccation tolerance in many anhydrobiotic species and exhibit a considerably wide range of protective properties that include membrane stabilization, reinforcing bioglass formation, and protein stabilization. This dissertation begins with cellular dielectrophoresis suggesting that two ARID …

College Of Natural Sciences Newsletter, December 2021, College Of Natural Sciences

College of Natural Sciences Newsletters and Reports

Volume 2, Issue 12

Page 1 Dean's Message
Page 2 Awards & Recognition
Page 2 Media Coverage of CNS
Page 3 Media Coverage Cont.
Page 4 Science as Art Competition
Page 5 Open PRAIRIE Data
Page 5 Grants Awarded in CNS

Comprehensive Study Of Human Pathogenic Trypanosomatids: From Chemotherapies To Disease Ecology, Felipe Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The vector-borne diseases Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, caused by the kinetoplastid parasites Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi respectively, are among the most important parasitic diseases in the group of neglected tropical diseases. Even though the two diseases are endemic to the Americas, they affect millions of people worldwide. Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease cause a great array of symptoms and some of them can be fatal if left undiagnosed and untreated. Current treatment regimens are becoming less effective, vaccines are still not available, and diagnosis needs to be improved. Vector control has been responsible for a decrease of diseases in endemic …

Co-Option Of The Yolkless Oocyte Receptor For Crispr/Cas9 May Induce Transient Sterility In Female Drosophila Grimshawi Flies, Bronwyn Miller

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Evolutionary developmental biology has historically used generalist model organisms like Drosophila melanogaster. The Hawaiian Drosophilidae radiation, which occurred just 25 million years ago, is an ideal lineage for work in Evo-Devo. Hawaiian flies make up 25% of the world’s Drosophila species and extreme diversity is seen throughout the group. D. grimshawi is a generalist Hawaiian picture-wing fly that has served as a model for the Hawaiian Drosophilidae radiation. However, D. grimshawi’s power and use as a model organism is constrained by our lack of ability to manipulate its genome. In this work, I attempted to edit the genome of …

Osmr Signaling Induces Tamp-Specific Bbb Dysfunction Following Autoimmune-Mediated Neutrophil Recruitment, Travis Scott Wertz

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Integrity of the brain microvessels that form the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is maintained through fine-tuned regulation of endothelial tight junction proteins, chiefly represented by claudin 5 and the tight junction-associated MARVEL protein (TAMP) occludin. Under proinflammatory conditions in autoimmune-mediated multiple sclerosis (MS), autoreactive effector T cells are activated in white matter regions of the brain and spinal cord and release cytokines to recruit circulating neutrophils that, in turn, release neurotoxic substances. Lack of tight junctions in peripheral blood vessels allows neutrophils to exit blood vessels unhindered, but BBB tight junctions must first be downregulated before neutrophils can transmigrate into the …

4d Ex Vivo Crispr/Cas9 Whole-Genome Screen To Identify Genes Regulating Lung Cancer Metastasis, Alexandria Plumer

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Metastatic lung cancer has a 5-year survival rate of 5%. Lung cancers tend to be asymptomatic until late stages, and almost 90% are not diagnosed until they are advanced. Metastases are very rare events, often initiated by a single cell from a primary tumor into a new niche at a distant location. Investigation of the early metastatic process is of urgent need for the development of early diagnostics and targeted therapeutics. We performed a proof-of-concept CRISPR/Cas9 whole genome knockout screen in the A549 lung adenocarcinoma cell line and utilized a novel ex vivo 4D lung metastasis model to find gene …

Lgr5 Regulation Of Stat3 Signaling And Drug Resistance In Colorectal Cancer, Tressie Posey, Tressie Alexandra Posey

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

LGR5 Regulation of STAT3 Signaling and Drug Resistance in Colorectal Cancer

Tressie Alexandra Capri Posey B.S.

Advisory Professor: Kendra Carmon, Ph.D.

The greatest difficulty in treating colorectal cancer (CRC) is the development of drug resistance which leads to relapse after treatment and progression to metastasis. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are believed to drive relapse because of their capacity to self-renew, acquire resistance mechanisms, and differentiate promoting tumor growth and heterogeneity. Leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 (LGR5), is a bona-fide marker of CSCs and has been considered a viable target for CSC specific therapeutic development. While we showed targeting LGR5 …

The Role Of The Erbb Signaling Pathway In Cardiovascular Progenitor Cell-Based Repair, Christopher Ramos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Adult mammalian hearts lack self-renewal and proliferative capabilities necessary for cardiovascular regeneration. Current treatments using cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) for cell-based repair do not restore cardiac function in patients who experience a myocardial infarction (MI). Our laboratory has been studying Islet-1+ neonatal CPCs as a promising candidate for cell-based repair due to their ability to significantly improve cardiac function after MI in sheep. The current study addresses the hypothesis that the ERBB pathway is linked to the Hippo-pathway to activate YAP1 by the involvement of an autocrine loop that upregulates neuregulin (NRG). In our sheep model of MI and cardiovascular …

Investigating Therapeutic Strategies To Target Metabolic Vulnerabilities Of Nsclc Tumors With Mutant Keap1 Gene, Pranavi Koppula

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The metabolic vulnerability of cancers has long been envisaged as an attractive window to develop novel therapeutic strategies. Metabolic flexibility at the cellular level encompasses the efficient rerouting of anabolic and catabolic pathways in response to varying environmental stimuli to maintain cellular homeostasis and sustain proliferation. The primary objective of this study is to identify metabolic vulnerabilities bestowed by KEAP1/NRF2 signaling axis through SLC7A11. SLC7A11 is a transcriptional target of NRF2, an essential regulator of cellular anti-oxidant response. Under unstressed basal conditions, NRF2 interacts with KEAP1, a tumor suppressor gene and a substrate adaptor protein of the Cullin3-dependent ubiquitin ligase …

Stat3 Inhibits Type I Interferon Signaling In Type I Conventional Dendritic Cells, Taylor Chrisikos

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) are an essential immune population, responsible for controlling adaptive immunity and tolerance. Recently, type I cDCs (cDC1s) have been delineated as a distinct cDC subset, uniquely responsible for coordinating T cell-mediated immunity against pathogens and tumors. Although the importance of cDC1s is now well established, the mechanisms that regulate cDC1 function remain largely unknown. Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) mediates the intracellular signaling of interleukin 10 (IL-10), an immunosuppressive cytokine. Therefore, we hypothesized that STAT3 and IL-10 inhibit cDC1 function and induction of T cell-mediated immunity. Herein, we show that IL-10 inhibits polyinosinic:polycytidylic …

Mutant Kras Alters Extracellular Vesicle Microrna Sorting In Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms, Rachel L. Dittmar

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is among the deadliest cancers by organ site with a 5-year survival rate of just 10.8%. This is largely because most patients do not experience symptoms until the disease has already metastasized. The best hope to cure PDAC is surgery, which can only be done with a curative intent at an early stage when the disease is localized. There are no reliable circulating, body-fluid-based biomarkers to detect early stage PDAC or its precursor lesions in a timely manner for effective surgical intervention. When potential PDAC precursor lesions, such as mucinous pancreatic cysts are found, there are …

Atrx Inactivation And Idh1-R132h Drive Preferential Sensitivity To Proton Vs. X-Ray Radiotherapy In Glioma Stem Cells, Ángel Adrián Garcés

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Glioma Stem Cells (GSCs) are self-renewable, treatment resistant cells in the glioma tumor mass known to promote tumor development. In contrast to traditional photon-based radiation therapy (XRT), proton radiation therapy (PRT) may induce more complex DNA damage and therefore might have the potential to eliminate GSCs. Although previous studies have individually linked IDH mutations, specifically IDH1^R132H, and ATRX inactivating mutations to improved patient outcomes and suppressed DNA damage repair compared to their respective wild-types, the mechanisms by which these two genetic alterations interact in GSCs treated with PRT compared to XRT are currently unknown. We hypothesize that …