Cell and Developmental Biology Commons^™

486— Cell Cycle Effect On Hla Expression In Htb-4 And Mrc-5, Nick Turnquist, Andrew Kareeparampil

GREAT Day Posters

Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) is a gene that codes for cell-surface proteins that are the basis of our bodies’ immune response. We observed two cell lines, HTB-4 and a non-cancerous cell line known as MRC-5. Our purpose for this experiment was to observe the effect of the cell cycle on HLA expression for these cell lines. Two flasks were prepared for each cell line: one confluent and one non-confluent. Flow cytometry analysis was performed for each of the four flasks. The flow cytometry results of the MRC-5 cells indicate increased HLA expression in the confluent flask, in the G1 phase …

155— Analysis Of Her4.1 And Ascl1a In Gef Mutants, Rico Amato, Tessa Beiter, Christopher Lepore

GREAT Day Posters

Zebrafish are a model organism for studying developmental abnormalities, especially in the eye. The good effort (gef) mutant zebrafish have smaller eyes than wild-type embryos due to rapid retinal degeneration that becomes apparent only after two days post fertilization. The genetic problem arises from a deletion of intronic DNA sequence which leads to the loss of an exon and disrupts the coding region of the Cha1b protein. Chaf1b is a subunit of the Chromosome assembly factor 1 (CAF-1), a complex of three proteins which has a role in histone loading and chromatin regulation. This small eye phenotype has been hypothesized …

Evolutionary Bioethics Advanced By Ernest Everett Just: Implications For Biology, Ethics, And Theology, Theodore Walker

Perkins Faculty Research and Special Events

Ernest Everett Just (1883-1941) is an acknowledged “pioneer” in biology, being honored with a Black Heritage postage stamp in 1996. Here we discover that Just also made pioneering contributions to general evolutionary bioethics (distinct from special medical bioethics) by advancing a cell-biology-rooted theory of the origin and continuing evolution of ethical behavior influenced by the “law of environmental dependence.”

See especially “The Origin of Man’s Ethical Behavior (1941, unpublished book manuscript) by Ernest Everett Just and Hedwig Schnetzler Just, discovered in 2018 among the collected papers of E.E. Just at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University.

Accordingly, evolution is …

Hers And His: Silk Glands Used In Egg Sac Construction By Female Spiders Potentially Repurposed By A 'Modern' Male Spider, Mark A. Townley, Danilo Harms

Biological Sciences

Cylindrical silk gland (CY) spigots distinguish a large clade of modern spiders, the CY spigot clade, which includes all entelegyne spiders and their closest relatives. Following a widespread paradigm, CYs and their spigots are only known to occur in female spiders and they produce silk used in the construction of egg sacs. Here we report the occurrence of a CY spigot or CY nubbin on each posterior median spinneret (PMS) in males (5th stadium and later) of the spider Australomimetus maculosus. Late juvenile males had a CY spigot on each PMS, whereas adult males either had a CY spigot or, …

Microrna Expression Profiling Of Normal And Malignant Human Colonic Stem Cells Identifies, Vignesh Viswanathan, Lynn Opdenaker, Shirin Modarai, Jeremy Z Fields, Gregory Gonye, Bruce M Boman

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have a critical role in regulating stem cells (SCs) during development, and because aberrant expression of miRNAs occurs in various cancers, our goal was to determine if dysregulation of miRNAs is involved in the SC origin of colorectal cancer (CRC). We previously reported that aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) is a marker for normal and malignant human colonic SCs and tracks SC overpopulation during colon tumorigenesis. MicroRNA expression was studied in ALDH-positive SCs from normal and malignant human colon tissues by Nanostring miRNA profiling. Our findings show that: (1) A unique miRNA signature distinguishes ALDH-positive CRC cells from ALDH-positive normal …

Utilizing Crispr/Cas9 Gene Editing Determine The Role Of Cnr1 During Zebrafish Development, Camme Sells

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

In a world where cannabinoids are being used more frequently as for medicinal purposes, the importance for research on cannabinoid biology is steadily increasing. The goal of this study was to gain a greater understanding of the effect cannabinoids have on developing zebrafish embryos. Work in this area of developmental biology could give way to an understanding of the safety of a human fetus during pregnancy with a mother who uses cannabis medicinal therapy. The CRISPR/Cas 9 system was utilized in this study to genetically edit the zebrafish embryo genome to remove the function of the Cannabinoid Receptor 1 ( …

Enhancement Of Nkx3.2 Expression After Twist1b And Twist2 Knockdown In Zebrafish, Peyton Yearick

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Somitogenesis is a developmental event patterned by cellular signaling during gastrulation, ending around 30-hours post fertilization. Somites are segmented regions of mesoderm along the dorsal side of the body which form paraxial mesoderm in Danio rerio, zebrafish. Somite development results in the formation of the subcompartment called sclerotome, which differentiates to form the axial skeleton and associated tendons (Stickney et al., 2000). Further differentiation allows for sclerotome progenitor cell to develop into bone, muscle, tendon, and cartilage through sclerotome migration along the mesoderm. A portion of sclerotome cells migrate anterior towards the neural tube, where they will form the …

Expression Of Tgf-Beta Ligands During Sclerotome Development, Estela Williams

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

During early embryogenesis in vertebrates, somites are formed by the segmentation of the presomitic mesoderm (Gomez, Ozbudak, Wunderlich, Baumann. Lewis and Pourquie 2008). The somite possesses several domains within it and the ventral part of the somite is called the sclerotome. The sclerotome gives rise to the axial skeleton and tendons. Twist 1b and Twist 2 are genes that are expressed in the sclerotome during axial skeletal development. Our experiments were developed to help understand the roles of Twist1b and Twist2 in tendon development. By utilizing microinjection to alter gene expression, the Twist 1b and Twist 2 genes can be …

Using Crispr/Cas9 Gene Editing To Remove Twist2 To Determine Its Role During Somite Development In Zebrafish, Caleb Holdener

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Embryonic Mesoderm is a precursor to various types of tissues, such as the somatic mesoderm. Somites are a segmented tissue that gives rise to the sclerotome in vertebrates. This sclerotome further develops into the axial skeleton (Stickney, Barresi, and Devoto 2000). Somites are easily observable under low power microscopy during fish development. In fish, great strides have been made in studying the developmental fate of somites (Stoiber, Haslett, and Sänger 1999; Stickney, Barresi, and Devoto 2000). Zebrafish have been studied in many labs due to their similarities with higher vertebrates. These advantages include their inexpensive cost of care, external fertilization, …

Twist1b Knockout Generation In Zebrafish Using Crispr-Cas9, Grace Hurley

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

The Twist gene is found in numerous organisms, including humans, mice and zebrafish (Yeo et al., 2009). It is a vital gene in development and is needed for the organism to survive (Yeo et al., 2009). Specifically, the Twist gene family aids in specialization and differentiation of mesodermal cells, telling somites, segmented blocks of mesoderm, what to become (Germanguz et al., 2007). Over time, the Twist gene has duplicated into paralogs, each having differences in their functions (Germanguz et al., 2007). Twist1b is a protein coding gene that is a paralog to the human Twist1 gene (ZFIN, 2020). In zebrafish, …

Scleraxis Expression Within The Axial Tendon Population In Zebrafish, Jessica Bernaba

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Zebrafish are a well-established model organism for vertebrate development. During embryonic development, a pattern of segmentation of mesoderm yields somites, which give rise to specific cell fates. Somites, bilateral blocks of mesoderm along the neural tube in developing vertebrate embryos, subdivide into sclerotome as the vertebrate matures. Depending on migratory position, sclerotome cells give rise to various components of the axial skeletal system, including bone, cartilage, and tendon. Each fate is determined by gene expressions within the sclerotome and occupy distinct domains of the body plan. By method of in situ hybridization, we studied the expression of the scleraxis ( …

Utilizing Crispr/Cas9 Gene Editing Determine The Role Of Cnr1 During Zebrafish Development, Ellis Chase

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

The CRISPR-Cas 9 system is a process used to create mutations, insertions, or deletions within a desired gene. It can be used to create mutant organisms necessary to study the function and impact of a particular gene¹. Cannabinoids are active chemicals found in cannabis, the most common of which being cannabinol (CBD)². Cannabinoid receptors are an integral part of the endocannabinoid system, recognizing cannabinoid signals to promote physiological processes like pain sensation, memory, mood, and appetite³. Studying these cannabinoid receptors can provide insight into how cannabis can affect bodily processes.

Zebrafish are small translucent …

Exploring The Role Of Tgfbr2 During Zebrafish Sclerotome Development, Nooralhuda Feron

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Zebrafish, Danio rerio, are used as a source model organism for human development of the tendons, bones, and ligaments. The sclerotome is an embryonic structure known as the somite. The sclerotome gives rise to axial bones and tendons. During development, different genes are involved and affect how these skeletal tissues develop. Specifically, within this project, the effects of Twist1b and Twist2 were studied to see their effects on tendon formation, as they are expressed within the developing sclerotome tissue. Transforming growth factor beta receptor type-2 (Tgfbr2) has been shown to be involved in tendon formation (Subramanian, Kanzaki, Galloway and …

Cold-Inducible Rna Binding Protein (Cirp) Impedes Proliferation And Inflammation In The Pymt Mouse Model For Breast Cancer, Daniel Albino Lujan

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

RNA binding proteins (RBPs) regulate gene expression by controlling mRNA export, translation, and stability. When altered, some RBPs allow cancer cells to grow, survive, and metastasize. Cold-inducible RNA binding protein (CIRP) is overexpressed in a subset of breast cancers, induces proliferation in breast cancer cell lines, and inhibits apoptosis. We generated a transgenic mouse model overexpressing human CIRP in the mammary epithelium to ask if it plays a role in mammary gland development. We also assessed the effects of CIRP on breast tumorigenesis using breeding crosses with the PyMT mouse model for breast cancer. CIRP decreased proliferation at the lactational …

Arid1a Haploinsufficiency Initiates Neural Crest Transformation In A Mouse Model Of Mycn-Driven Neuroblastoma, Kirby A. Wallace

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Mouse models of cancer are critical for developing therapeutic treatments for pediatric patients. Recent sequencing studies of neuroblastoma (NBL) patient tumors have uncovered precise deletions in the chromatin remodeler and tumor suppressor gene (TSG) ARID1A. Additional causal studies supported ARID1A’s candidacy as a putative 1p36 TSG in MYCN-driven NBL. This study aimed to causally test Arid1a loss during Mycn-driven NBL initiation through the development of a mouse model of high risk NBL.In this study, we modified a Mycn-driven mouse model of NBL to incorporate Cre mediated deletion of floxed Arid1a. Briefly, in freshly isolated embryonic day 9.5 primary trunk neural …

Regenerative Medicine Therapy: Adipose Derived Extracellular Vesicles In Viral Myocarditis, David Gorelov, Damian N. Di Florio, Gary R. Salomon, Angita Jain, Nick E. Saikaili, Danielle J. Beetler, Swikriti Shrestha, Ming Tian, Joy Wolfram Phd, Delisa Fairweather Phd, Katelyn Bruno Phd, Judith D. Ochrietor Phd

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Objective: Myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, is an autoimmune heart disease that can be caused by viruses, bacteria and toxins. Myocarditis can lead to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and heart failure. Currently there are no disease-specific therapies for treating myocarditis or preventing progression to DCM. Adipose Extracellular Vesicles (AEVs) are lipid bilayer nanoparticles that are released into the outside environment of adipocytes and provide promising regenerative potential for inflammatory diseases like myocarditis.

Methods: Lipoaspirate was obtained from women and men and AEVs isolated from the lipoaspirate using tangential flow filtration. We injected wild type male BALB/c mice with 250uL AEVs …

Structure, Function And Metabolism Of Hepatic And Adipose Tissue Lipid Droplets: Implications In Alcoholic Liver Disease, Sathish Kumar Natarajan, Karuna Rasineni, Murali Ganesan, Dan Feng, Benita L. Mcvicker, Mark A. Mcniven, Natalia A. Osna, Justin L. Mott, Carol A. Casey, Kusum K. Kharbanda

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

For more than 30 years, lipid droplets (LDs) were considered as an inert bag of lipid for storage of energy-rich fat molecules. Following a paradigm shift almost a decade ago, LDs are presently considered an active subcellular organelle especially designed for assembling, storing and subsequently supplying lipids for generating energy and membrane synthesis (and in the case of hepatocytes for VLDL secretion). LDs also play a central role in many other cellular functions such as viral assembly and protein degradation. Here, we have explored the structural and functional changes that occur in hepatic and adipose tissue LDs following chronic ethanol …

Histidine-Triad Hydrolases Provide Resistance To Peptide-Nucleotide Antibiotics., Eldar Yagmurov, Darya Tsibulskaya, Alexey Livenskyi, Marina Serebryakova, Yury I Wolf, Sergei Borukhov, Konstantin Severinov, Svetlana Dubiley

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

The Escherichia coli microcin C (McC) and related compounds are potent Trojan horse peptide-nucleotide antibiotics. The peptide part facilitates transport into sensitive cells. Inside the cell, the peptide part is degraded by nonspecific peptidases releasing an aspartamide-adenylate containing a phosphoramide bond. This nonhydrolyzable compound inhibits aspartyl-tRNA synthetase. In addition to the efficient export of McC outside the producing cells, special mechanisms have evolved to avoid self-toxicity caused by the degradation of the peptide part inside the producers. Here, we report that histidine-triad (HIT) hydrolases encoded in biosynthetic clusters of some McC homologs or by standalone genes confer resistance to McC-like …

3d Mammalian Cell Culture Models In Toxicology Testing, Janith Wanigasekara, Brijesh K. Tiwari, James Curtin

Articles

3D cell culture can be successfully used as an alternative to laboratory animals, and as a cost effective and time-saving tissue culture technique, which also reduces the trial period for drug testing.

Human Form And Function I And Ii: Resource List, Andrea Green

Open Educational Resources (OER) at University of Montana

List of open and free resources used in a course on human form and function. This course is an introduction to human anatomy and physiology. It explores the fundamentals of structure and function at basic cellular and tissue levels, in addition to the anatomy and physiology of the integumentary, musculoskeletal, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, urinary and reproductive systems.

A PDF and an EPUB version are available using the Download links above.