Cell and Developmental Biology Commons^™

Crispr-Induced Mutagenesis Of Arabidopsis Thaliana Gene Apetala3, Hazel Frans, Tara Phelps-Durr

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This project aims to create CRISPR-CAS9 mutations in the APETELA3 (AP3) gene of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. AP3 is a class B gene critical to the petal and stamen development of Arabidopsis flowers. AP3 is defined in a MADS domain, which binds directly to DNA and may be responsible for the expression of the CaRG-box genes. AP3 works in conjunction with PISTILLATA (PI), AGAMOUS (AG), APETALA1 (AP1), and SEPALLATA (SEP) genes to specify the development in the second and third whorls of the flower. While several alleles of AP3 already exist, these alleles are strong alleles that knockout gene …

Painting Rich Six-Dimensional Pictures Using Polarized Fluorescence Microscopy, Matthew D. Lew

Electrical & Systems Engineering Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Dnajb6: A Potent Dnajb Chaperone In Regulating Tau Proteostasis, Abigail R. Esquivel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Neurodegenerative diseases often feature the pathological buildup of misfolded proteins, and tau is a principal culprit in multiple tauopathies. One chaperone of emerging interest is DnaJB6b, a member of the Hsp40/DnaJ family, which exhibits potent anti-aggregation activity against several disease-related proteins. Recent investigations highlight its unique capacity to recognize and neutralize aggregation-prone forms of tau. DnaJB6b appears potent against multiple variants of tau and may be acting against tau, in part, by directing misfolded tau toward proteasomal clearance. The first lines of evidence come from systematic chaperone screens, where DnaJB6b repeatedly emerged as a strong suppressor of tau seeding. Further …

Studies On Cell Cycle Regulation And Ecm Modification During Tubular Organ Formation In Drosophila Embryos, Jeffrey Matthew

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The formation of tubular organs—such as the heart and kidneys—is a complex developmental process that requires the precise coordination of tissue remodeling with dynamic changes in cellular behavior. Key processes including cell proliferation, apoptosis, and extracellular matrix (ECM) formation must be tightly synchronized with mechanisms that generate and transmit physical forces, transforming a flat epithelial sheet into a three-dimensional organ. Disruptions in the homeostasis of these processes during organogenesis can lead to congenital defects, such as pulmonary atresia and renal hypoplasia.

To investigate the mechanisms underlying epithelial morphogenesis, the Chung laboratory employs the Drosophila embryonic salivary gland (SG) as a …

College Of Natural Sciences 2024 Year-End Publication, College Of Natural Sciences

College of Natural Sciences Newsletters and Reports

Page 2 Dean's Message
Page 3 Department Highlights
Page 4 One Day for State
Page 5 New Students in Wecota
Page 6-8 Faculty Excellence
Page 9 SDSU Physics Students Recognized
Page 9 Prairie Doc Watch Party
Page 10-11 Student Excellence
Page 11 Connections Abroad
Page 12-13 CNS’s Research Centers
Page 14 Connections Abroad
Page 14 Dean Wolf-Hall Retired
Page 15 Outreach Program
Page 15 Events and Traditions
Page 16 Student Spotlight
Page 17 Alumni Spotlight
Page 18-19 SDSU Alum at Paris Paralympics
Page 20 Work Anniversaries & Programs

The Mechanistic Target Of Rapamycin Mediates Clostridium Perfringens-Induced Chicken Necrotic Enteritis Attenuated By Secondary Bile Acid Deoxycholic Acid, Mohit Bansal, Tahrir Alenezi, Ying Fu, Janashrit Shrestha, Ayidh Almansour, Hong Wang, Anamika Gupta, Rohana Liyanage, Xiaolun Sun

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Clostridium perfringens is a prevalent gut bacterial pathogen in humans and animals. This study investigated the role of the mechanistic targets of rapamycin (mTOR) and deoxycholic acid (DCA) on C. perfringens intestinal infection. Chickens were sequentially infected with Eimeria maxima and received the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin and DCA. C. perfringens-induced necrotic enteritis (NE) was evaluated using body weight gain (BWG), histopathology, bile acids, pathogen colonization, cell infiltration and death, and gene expression. The significant difference of p < 0.05 was analyzed by one-way ANOVA and multiple comparisons. Notably, rapamycin strongly reduced the subclinical and clinical NE histopathologies. DCA and DCA combined with rapamycin alleviated clinical NE and BWG loss. Rapamycin, DCA, and DCA + rapamycin attenuated bile acid reduction in NE birds, and they also reduced immune cell infiltration into the intestinal lamina propria as well as immune cell migration in vitro. At molecular levels, DCA and DCA + rapamycin reduced proinflammatory IFN gamma, MMP9, IL23, and IL17 gene expression. Rapamycin, DCA, and DCA + rapamycin reduced NE-induced intestinal cell apoptosis. Together, these results suggest that mTOR signaling mediates C. perfringens-induced ileitis, and combining mTOR inhibition and DCA improves the intervention efficacy against NE ileitis and BWG loss.

Diverse Roles Of Stress-Responsive Rnp Granules In Oogenesis And Infertility, M. Rebecca Glineburg, Carolee Nguyen

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Effectively responding to cellular stress (e.g., nutrient deprivation, oxidative stress) is essential for cell and organismal survival. A protective mechanism is especially critical in developing oocytes, where a prolonged quiescent state and the inability to divide render oocytes highly susceptible to accumulating stress that can result in cell death if unaddressed. Despite the common view that stress granules are the primary stress-responsive ribonucleoprotein granule, accumulating evidence shows that in ovaries, other ribonucleoprotein granules also uniquely mediate gene regulation in response to stress. Here, we review recent insights into ribonucleoprotein granule dynamics and ribonucleoprotein granule protein function during stress in the …

From Genes To Patterns: A Framework For Modeling The Emergence Of Embryonic Development From Transcriptional Regulation, Jimena Garcia-Guillen, Ezzat El-Sherif

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding embryonic patterning, the process by which groups of cells are partitioned into distinct identities defined by gene expression, is a central challenge in developmental biology. This complex phenomenon is driven by precise spatial and temporal regulation of gene expression across many cells, resulting in the emergence of highly organized tissue structures. While similar emergent behavior is well understood in other fields, such as statistical mechanics, the regulation of gene expression in development remains less clear, particularly regarding how molecular-level gene interactions lead to the large-scale patterns observed in embryos. In this study, we present a modeling framework that bridges …

The Present And Future Of Robotic Surgery In Breast Cancer And Breast Reconstruction, Brett Allen, Alexis Knutson, Noama Iftekhar, Casey Giles, Jarrell Patterson, Joshua Macdavid, Richard Baynosa

Department of Plastic Surgery Faculty Research

Background: Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women with an improving mortality rate and a growing need for reconstruction following oncologic resection. Advancements in robotic surgery and minimally invasive techniques have offered refinement to traditional open techniques of flap harvest for reconstruction, particularly regarding improved donor site morbidity. Methods: The literature review was based on a PubMed database search using the keyword “Robotic breast reconstruction” in conjunction with the Boolean operators “Flap”, “Latissimus”, and “DIEP” to specify the search. In total, 106 results were generated, which were then manually reviewed and condensed for a comprehensive stance on …

Structural Basis For Intrinsic Strand Displacement Activity Of Mitochondrial Dna Polymerase, Ashok Nayak, Viktoriia Sokolova, Sirelin Sillamaa, Karl Herbine, Juhan Sedman, Dmitry Temiakov

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Members of the Pol A family of DNA polymerases, found across all domains of life, utilize various strategies for DNA strand separation during replication. In higher eukaryotes, mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ relies on the replicative helicase TWINKLE, whereas the yeast ortholog, Mip1, can unwind DNA independently. Using Mip1 as a model, we present a series of high-resolution cryo-EM structures that capture the process of DNA strand displacement. Our data reveal previously unidentified structural elements that facilitate the unwinding of the downstream DNA duplex. Yeast cells harboring Mip1 variants defective in strand displacement exhibit impaired oxidative phosphorylation and loss of mtDNA, …

Dysregulation Of Cholesterol Metabolism And Sorafenib Drug Resistance In Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Veerababu Nagati, Dennis Kwabiah, Yamile Abuchard Anaya, Ana Ayala Pazzi, Manish K. Tripathi

Research Symposium

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the most prevalent cancers and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor, serves as a key first-line treatment for HCC when surgical intervention is not an option. However, primary and acquired resistance to sorafenib has significantly limited its effectiveness, reducing the disease control rate. Dysregulation of numerous genes that influence cancer cell proliferation, survival, and drug resistance contributes to this challenge. Identifying the molecular drivers of sorafenib resistance remains critical to improving treatment outcomes. Several factors, including activation of oncogenic pathways (e.g., Akt/mTOR), hypoxia, cholesterol metabolism, EMT, multidrug resistance, and …

Investigating The Ability Of Foxo1 To Maintain Stem Cells, Stella A. Rios, Megan E. Keniry

Research Symposium

Background: Our group discovered that FOXO transcription factors drive stem gene expression in cancer to promote aggressiveness. Work by our group and others demonstrated that FOXO factors universally maintain stem cells including in cancer, embryonic, hematogenic and neuronal contents. Our current efforts are delineating the molecular underpinnings by which FOXO factors halt differentiation to maintain stem cells.

In this project, we are employing myoblasts as a valuable model to examine how Foxo1 maintains stem cells. Foxo1-regulated genes in myoblasts closely parallel its targets in glioblastoma and basal breast cancer stem cells, including targets such as Leukemia Inhibitory Factor, …

Uca1 As A Key Regulator Of The Warburg Effect During Anoikis Resistance In Colorectal Cancer Metastasis, Ricardo Pequeno Bracho, Salique Hassan Shaham, Yamile Abuchard Anaya, Sophia Leslie, Kyle Doxtater, Subhash Chauhan, Bilal Hafeez, Tamer Oraby, Manish K. Tripathi

Research Symposium

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States. While localized CRC has a 90% five-year survival rate, this drops sharply to 14% upon metastasis. Metastasis occurs in approximately 40–50% of CRC cases and requires cancer cells to acquire anoikis resistance—a critical adaptation allowing survival after detachment from the extracellular matrix, enabling migration and colonization of secondary sites. Understanding the molecular mechanisms driving anoikis resistance, particularly those linked to altered glucose metabolism, is essential for developing targeted therapies for metastatic CRC.

Cancer cells frequently exhibit the Warburg Effect, a metabolic adaptation favoring glycolysis over …

5-Hydroxymethylcytosine Sequencing Of Plasma Cell-Free Dna Identifies Epigenomic Features In Prostate Cancer Patients Receiving Androgen Deprivation Therapies, Qianxia Li, Chiang-Ching Huang, Shane Huang, Yijun Tian, Jinyong Huang, Amirreza Bitaraf, Xiaowei Dong, Marja T. Nevalainen, Manishkumar Patel, Jodie Wong, Jingsong Zhang, Brandon J Manley, Jong Y. Park, Manish Kohli, Elizabeth M. Gore, Deepak Kilari, Liang Wang

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: We evaluated whether 5hmC signatures in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) are associated with treatment failure to androgen-deprivation therapies (ADT) among men with hormone-naive prostate cancer.

METHODS: We collected a total of 139 serial plasma samples from 55 prostate cancer patients receiving ADT at 3 time points including baseline (before initiating ADT, n = 55); 3 months (after initiating ADT, n = 55); and disease progression (n = 15) within 24 months or 24 months if no progression was detected (n = 14). We used selective chemical labeling sequencing to quantify 5hmC abundance across the genome and Kaplan-Meier analysis to assess …

Uncovering The Mechanisms Of Glioblastoma Relapse Prevention With Niclosamide And Camptothecin Treatment, Xiaoqian Fang, Araely Ruiz, Eunseo Yang, Brianna Morin, Kimberly Herrera-Toscano, Megan Szobody, Josue Fonseca, John-Beloved Osho, Raquel Lara

Research Symposium

Background: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and lethal malignant primary brain tumor for which the development of efficacious chemotherapeutic agents remains an urgent need. In our previous studies, we demonstrated that niclosamide and camptothecin (CPT) synergistically suppressed the proliferation in human glioblastoma U87 MG cells. Recently, we observed that U87 MG cells failed to resume growth after the combined treatment was removed, a phenomenon not seen with either agent alone. We aimed to explore the sustained anti-tumor effects of niclosamide and CPT in GBM.

Methods: Human glioblastoma U87 MG cells were treated with 5 mM niclosamide, 5 mM …

The Encyclopedia Of North American Drosophilids Volume 3: Drosophilids Of The Northwest, Thomas Werner, Tessa Steenwinkel, John Jaenike

Open Access Books

The Encyclopedia of North American Drosophilids Volume 3: Drosophilids of the Northwest provides an introduction to the flies of the family Drosophilidae of the Northwest of the United States. The book strives to facilitate identification of most of the drosophilid species in this region and provides remarks on interesting aspects of their biology and suggestions for future research on them. The book is intended for researchers, teachers, and students wishing to discover the diversity of these flies.

View the 3 Volume Series of The Encyclopedia of North American Drosophilids here: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/fruitflies/

Access The Encyclopedia of North American Drosophilids Volume 1: …

Cargo Hitchhiking Autophagy - A Hybrid Autophagy Pathway Utilized In Yeast, Katrina F Cooper

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Macroautophagy is a catabolic process that maintains cellular homeostasis by recycling intracellular material through the use of double-membrane vesicles called autophagosomes. In turn, autophagosomes fuse with vacuoles (in yeast and plants) or lysosomes (in metazoans), where resident hydrolases degrade the cargo. Given the conservation of autophagy,

Artesunate Enhances The Efficacy Of Enzalutamide In Advanced Prostate Cancer, Xinyi Wang, Jinghui Liu, Fengyi Mao, Yifan Kong, Qiongsi Zhang, Chaohao Li, Daheng He, Chi Wang, Yanquan Zhang, Ruixin Wang, Sally R. Ellingson, Qiou Wei, Zhiguo Li, Xiaoqi Liu

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the leading causes of death among men worldwide. Treatments targeting the androgen receptor pathway remain the standard therapy for PCa patients. Enzalutamide (ENZ), a second-generation androgen receptor inhibitor, was developed to treat castration-resistant prostate cancer. However, while patients initially respond to ENZ, drug resistance typically develops within a few months. Artesunate (ART), a semisynthetic derivative of the Artemisinin plant, is approved for antimalaria treatment. In this study, we conducted an FDA-approved drug screening and identified ART as a potential candidate for overcoming ENZ resistance in PCa. Mechanistically, ART induces the degradation of c-Myc, enhancing …

Overexpression And Biophysical And Functional Characterization Of A Recombinant Fgf21, Phuc Phan, Jason Hoang, Thallapuranam Krishnaswamy Suresh Kumar

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is an endocrine FGF that plays a vital role in regulating essential metabolic pathways. FGF21 increases glucose uptake by cells, promotes fatty acid oxidation, reduces blood glucose levels, and alleviates metabolic diseases. However, detailed studies on its stability and biophysical characteristics have not been reported. Herein, we present the overexpression, biophysical characterization, and metabolic activity of a soluble recombinant FGF21 (rFGF21). The far-UV circular dichroism spectra of rFGF21 show a negative trough at 215 nm, indicating that the protein’s backbone predominantly adopts a β sheet conformation. rFGF21 shows intrinsic tyrosine fluorescence at 305 nm. Thermal …

The Correlation Between Temporomandibular Disorder (Tmd) And Vitamin D Deficiency, Iris Kim, Claudia Freitas

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.