Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons^™

Dexamethasone Treatment Effects On H3k27me3 Chromatin Organization Is Related To Nk Cell Immune Dysregulation, Michael Sarafeno Misale

Master's Theses

It is well-established that psychological stress reduces natural killer (NK) cell immune function. This reduction is mediated by stress-induced release of glucocorticoids (GC), which can suppress immune function. Associated with suppression of a particular immune function are GC induced histone-epigenetic marks. Histone-epigenetic marks are responsible for the organization and compartmentalization of genomes into transcriptionally active euchromatin domains that are localized to the interior of the nucleus. Transcriptionally silent heterochromatic domains are enriched with methylated epigenetic marks and are localized to the nuclear periphery. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the influence of GC on H3K27me3 chromatin organization by …

Secondary Data Analysis: A Non-Pharmacology Treatment For Individuals Living With Hiv/Aids, Joseph Jean, Carolee Dodge-Francis Ed.D

McNair Poster Presentations

At the end of 2015, 36.7 million people were living with HIV/AIDS world wide (WHO, 2017). Living with this disease puts individuals at increased risk for mental and physical health complications. Opportunistic infections and increased serious mental health conductions are common (NIH, 2016). Advances in antiretroviral therapies have been made to increase life expectancy but often times can adversely affect the individuals quality of life. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is one way to help improve quality of life. One form of CAM, massage therapy may offer benefits to PLWHA in terms of ability to cope with stress.

Effects Of Myrrh On Hsv-1 Using Plaque Assay, Badrieah Mohammad Alamri

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Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a highly infective human pathogen which infects a wide range of population in North America and worldwide. HSV-1 infection has two phases, lytic and latent. Recurrence of HSV-1 is a major challenge to clinicians to control the infection especially in immune depleted individuals. Acyclovir (ACV) is an antiviral drug used to treat HSV-1 infection. Low solubility of ACV in water, mutation of viral thymidine kinase, and mutation of viral DNA polymerase are major problems that cause usage limitations of ACV. Myrrh has been used as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory natural product in middle …

Effects Of Chromium On Mouse Splenic T Lymphocytes And Effects Of Ethanol Exposure During Early Neurodevelopment On Behaviors In Mice, Lu Dai

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

The dissertation consists of three major projects with the focus on the immunotoxicity of chromium and the behavior disorders caused by early ETOH exposure respectively.

Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is widely used in various industrial processes and has been recognized as a carcinogen. As the first line of host defense system, the immune system can be a primary target of Cr(VI). T cell population represents a major arm of the immune system that plays a critical role in host anti-tumor immunity. Dysfunction of T cells compromises host anti-tumor immunity resulting in oncogenesis. Using mouse splenic T cells as an in vitro …

Role Of Intracellular Growth During The Gastrointestinal Stage Of Listeria Monocytogenes Infection, Grant Steven Jones

Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics

Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular bacterium that causes foodborne disease in humans. L. monocytogenes invade the gut mucosa and then disseminate, causing systemic infections associated with high mortality rates in immunocompromised individuals. It is unknown how L. monocytogenes traffic to the mesenteric lymph nodes, which represent an important bottleneck for systemic spread. In addition, little is known about the gastrointestinal stage of infection due to the general resistance of mice to oral infection with L. monocytogenes. Our laboratory developed a novel foodborne mouse model of listeriosis utilizing a murinized strain of L. monocytogenes to investigate the gastrointestinal stage …

Novel Role Of Prostate Apoptosis Response-4 Tumor Suppressor In B-Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Mary Kathryn Mckenna

Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is defined by the accumulation of clonally expanded CD5+ and CD19+ B lymphocytes in blood and secondary lymphoid organs with impaired apoptotic mechanisms. CLL represents one third of all leukemia cases with an average age of 72 years at diagnosis making it the most common adult leukemia. The Eµ-Tcl1 mouse serves as an excellent model to study the development of CLL as they progress to a CLL like disease by 9-14 months of age, due to overexpression of an oncogene, T cell Leukemia 1(Tcl1), specifically in B cells through the Ig VH promoter and Eµ enhancer …

Lymphocyte-Mediated Inflamm-Aging In The Horse, Melissa Hope Siard

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Senior horses (≥20 years) exhibit inflamm-aging, or chronic, low-grade inflammation that occurs systemically with aging, similarly to humans. Inflamm-aging has previously been characterized in the horse in circulation as well as specifically being mediated by lymphocytes and monocytes. In humans, inflamm-aging has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. However, in the horse, relatively little about inflamm-aging is known regarding clinical effects or factors influencing severity. The contribution of lymphocytes to inflamm-aging of senior horses was examined, specifically through determining the relationships of inflamm-aging with various other health parameters, effects of seasonality, and the extent to which inflamm-aging can be …

Genetic Interference And Receptor Biology Of Neglected Influenza Viruses, Runxia Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Influenza B virus (IBV) is an important pathogen that infects humans and causes seasonal influenza epidemics. By using next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach, we analyzed total mRNAs extracted from A549 cells infected with B/Brisbane/60/2008, and identified four defective genomes in IBV with two from the polymerase basic subunit 1 (PB1) segment and the other two from the matrix (M) segment. Each of them can potently inhibit the replication of IBV. One derived from PB1 segment was able to interfere modestly with influenza A virus (IAV) replication. The productions of the four defective RNAs are not dependent on the cell types. The …

Expansion Of Comprehensive Screening Of Male Sexually Transmitted Infection Clinic Attendees With Mycoplasma Genitalium And Trichomonas Vaginalis Molecular Assessment: A Retrospective Analysis, Erik Munson, David Wenten, Sheila Jhansale, Mary Kay Schuknecht, Nicki Pantuso, Joshua Gerritts, Aaron Steward, Kimber L. Munson, Maureen Napierala, Deb Hamer

Clinical Lab Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Of 1,493 encounters of males at a sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic in a community with a high prevalence of STI, Chlamydia trachomatis was detected in 8.7% and Neisseria gonorrhoeae was detected in 6.6%. Additional Trichomonas vaginalis and Mycoplasma genitalium screening found 17.4% and 23.9% of the encounters, respectively, to be positive for STI. STI agents were detected in 13.7% of urine specimens; addition of pharyngeal and rectal collections to the analysis resulted in detection of STI agents in 19.0% and 23.9% of encounters, respectively. A total of 101 (23.8%) encounters of identified STI involved sole detection of M. genitalium. …

Using Extremophile Bacteriophage Discovery In A Stem Education Professional Development Partnership To Explore Model Classroom Research Experiences Integrating The Three Dimentions Of The Next Generation Science Standards, Carrie L. Boudreau Ms

All Student Scholarship

The National Research Council’s (NRC) A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas describes a vision of what it means to be proficient in science. The project discussed in this thesis was developed with a NIH SEPA Grant 8R25OD010937 to the Virology and Electron Microscopy Laboratory at the University of Southern Maine (USM) under the direction of Dr. S. Monroe Duboise. The goal of the project was to explore using discovery of extreme environment bacteria and their bacteriophages as a model for using the three dimensions of learning to teach Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Specifically, …

Vitamin D3 And Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling Proteins Reduces Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines In An Alzheimer's Disease Like-Model Consisting Of Microglial And Neuronal Co-Cultures, Alexander Evdokiou

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This study examined the inflammatory effects of amyloid-beta (A[beta]42) in a microglial-neuronal co-culture system and determined whether 1a, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3) along with suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 and SOCS 3 mimetics would attenuate the inflammatory response to A[beta]42. This culture system, when seeded with A[beta]42, serves as an in vitro model for Alzheimer's disease (AD). In a neuronal-microglia co-culture, A[beta]42 stimulated microglia to secrete TNF-a, but with the addition of 1,25-(OH)2D3, TNF-a levels dropped by nearly eight-fold and to near zero values in the presence of both 1,25-(OH)2D3 and SOCS1 and SOCS 3 mimetics. The reduction of the inflammatory …

Dnp63a Suppresses Cell Invasion By Targeting Rac1 Through Mir-320a, Amjad Ahmed Aljagthmi

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DNp63a, a member of the p53 family of transcription factors, is overexpressed in a number of cancers and known to play a role in proliferation, differentiation, migration and invasion. DNp63a has been shown to regulate several microRNAs that play a role in both development and cancer, but to date there has not been a global analysis of p63- regulated miRNA. Using next-generation sequencing of small RNA from wild type and sip63 transfected HaCaT cells, our laboratory recently identified a number of DNp63a- regulated miRNAs by RNA-Seq studies which may serve as biomarkers of cancer progression. We identified a novel miRNA, …

Molecular Biology Of A Surface-Exposed Protein Family Of Bartonella Bacilliformis, Hannah Fay

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Bartonella bacilliformis is a gram negative alpha-proteobacterium native to the Andes of South America. Bartonella causes Carrion’s disease, a potentially life threatening disease transmitted by the sand fly. It has a mortality rate of 88% when untreated and 10% when treated. Diagnostics and control measures for the disease are underdeveloped and no vaccine is available. Recent outbreaks indicate that the range of the pathogen is increasing with nearly 1.7 million people in western South America at risk. Little is known about the epidemiology and pathogenesis of B. bacilliformis. Recent research done by UC San Diego found a paralogous gene …

Micrornas Modulate Pathogenesis Resulting From Chlamydial Infection In Mice, Laxmi Yeruva, S. Pouncey, Michael R. Eledge, Sudeepa Bhattacharya, Chunqiao Luo, Erin W. Weatherford, David M. Ojcius, Roger G. Rank

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Not all women infected with chlamydiae develop upper genital tract disease, but the reason(s) for this remains undefined. Host genetics and hormonal changes associated with the menstrual cycle are possible explanations for variable infection outcomes. It is also possible that disease severity depends on the virulence of the chlamydial inoculum. It is likely that the inoculum contains multiple genetic variants, differing in virulence. If the virulent variants dominate, then the individual is more likely to develop severe disease. Based on our previous studies, we hypothesized that the relative degree of virulence of a chlamydial population dictates the microRNA (miRNA) expression …

Vitamin D3 And Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling Proteins Reduces Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines In An Alzheimer’S Disease Like-Model Consisting Of Microglial And Neuronal Co-Cultures, Alexander Evdokiou

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the inflammatory effects of amyloid-ß (Aß42) in a microglial-neuronal co-culture system and determined whether 1a, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3) along with suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 and SOCS 3 mimetics would attenuate the inflammatory response to Aß42. This culture system, when seeded with Aß42, serves as an in vitro model for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In a neuronal-microglia co-culture, Aß42 stimulated microglia to secrete TNF-a, but with the addition of 1,25-(OH)2D3, TNF-a levels dropped by nearly eight-fold and to near zero values in the presence of both 1,25-(OH)2D3 and SOCS1 and SOCS 3 mimetics. The reduction of the inflammatory …

The Effect Of Gram-Positive Staphylococcus Aureus Cell Wall Components Lipoteichoic Acid And Peptidoglycan On Cytokine Production, Cytoskeletal Arrangement, And Cell Viability On Raw 264.7 Murine Macrophages, Gabrielle String

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In this study, gram positive Staphylococcus aureus cell wall components such as lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and peptidoglycan (PGN) were used to study the potential inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine response, cytoskeletal arrangement and cell viability on RAW264.7 murine macrophages over 24 hours. The effect of S.aureus LTA and PGN (5 [mu]g/mL) on RAW 264.7 macrophages was evaluated every six hours for twenty-four hours. Inflammatory cytokine (TNF-a) production peaked at 6 hours before decreasing over time. Anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) production peaked between 12 and 18 hours. During the first twenty-four hours, cytotoxicity of treated macrophages, as defined as the release of lactate …

The Impact Of Socs1 And Socs3 Peptide Mimetics On Rho And Cdc42 Proteins Expression, F-Actin Cytoskeleton Rearrangements, And Cytokines Production Of Uninfected And Hsv-1 Infected M1 And M2 Raw 264.7 Murine Macrophages, Maha A. Elwardany

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The immune system plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of HSV-1 during the lytic phase of the disease, orchestrating the inflammatory response, retaining the virus in its latent phase and preventing the recurrence of HSV-1 infection. Macrophages display a vital role in the innate and adaptive immune responses during multiple phases of HSV-1 infection. Polarized macrophages are categorized into two distinct classes with diverse functions. The classically activated M1 can engulf and destroy the microbial agents, produce proinflammatory cytokines, and participate in the pathogenesis of many inflammatory diseases. The alternatively activated M2 induces anti-inflammatory mediators and stimulates tissue remodeling …

Effect Of Exposure Of Raw264.7 Macrophages To Salmonella Typhimurium Components On Cell Viability, Cytoskeleton Re-Arrangement And Cytokine Secretion, Khalid Abdullah Alyahya

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Innate immune system plays an important role in individual's protection against pathogens and in activation of adaptive immune system. Utilizing RAW 264.7 murine macrophages as an innate immune response representative in this study, we analyzed the effect of invasive pathogen's components (e.g. flagellin) on the arrangement of macrophage's cytoskeleton, on viability of immune cells and on secretion of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and on fluorescence intensity of cytoskeleton after rearrangement. Additionally, we studied the similarity and differences between bacterial (Salmonella typhimurium) and synthetic TLR4 agonist (synthetic lipid-A) on viability, fluorescence intensity, cytokine secretion, and cytoskeleton rearrangements. Similarly, we studied the …

A Novel Molecular Relationship Between Parn And Pld That, When Deregulated, Contributes To The Aggressive Phenotype Of Breast Cancer Cell Lines., Taylor Elaine Miller

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The removal of mRNA transcript poly(A) tails by 3'-5' exonucleases is the rate-limiting step for controlled mRNA decay in eukaryotes. Poly(A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN) is one such exonuclease that degrades poly(A) tails, and although its in vitro activity is well-characterized, PARN’s patho-physiological roles in the cell are not well understood. Prior studies have found a possible role for PARN in cancer, in that PARN expression levels in human breast cancer tissues are often decreased compared to normal control tissues. Indeed, data mined from the ONCOMINE cancer array database showed that PARN is downregulated in patient invasive breast carcinoma samples compared to …

The Neonatal Anti-Viral Response Fails To Control Measles Virus Spread In Neurons Despite Interferon-Gamma Expression And A Th1-Like Cytokine Profile, Priya Ganesan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neonates are highly susceptible to infections in the central nervous system (CNS) and have a greater risk of viral infections and encephalopathies. Neurotropic viral infections can lead to blindness, hearing loss and neurological deficiencies such as cognitive impairment, epilepsy, and even death in the neonatal and pediatric populations. Viral infections also are hypothesized to indirectly contribute to neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases such as Schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease later in life due to early neuronal damage or stress. Many diverse viruses are capable of invading the neonatal CNS including Borna Disease Virus, Coxsackievirus (CV), Herpes simplex viruses (HSV), and measles virus. …