Physiology Commons^™

Hmgb1 And Ceramides: Potential Mediators Of Cigarette Smoke-Induced Metabolic Dysfunction, Mikayla Orton Thatcher

Theses and Dissertations

While cigarette smoking is a common-knowledge way to stay lean, it has long been known as a risk factor for diabetes and obesity. Here we establish that smoking causes fat gain and metabolic disruption in mice, effects which are exacerbated by a high-fat, high-sugar diet. We found that smoke exposure increases levels of ceramide—the lipid responsible for diet-induced insulin resistance—and that blocking ceramide production with the pharmacological inhibitor myriocin restored insulin sensitivity, stopped weight gain, and rescued mitochondrial respiration in vivo and in vitro.We also sought to assess the impact of the RAGE ligand HMGB1 on skeletal muscle metabolism. We …

The Caffeine Dose Response In Habitual Consumers Performing A Maximal Anaerobic Test, N T. Smith, K J. Ogden, A B. Mininger, J L. Haak, H S. Kieffer Facsm

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

Please view abstract in the attached PDF file

Β-Alanine Supplementation Has No Effect On Rowing Performance In College Age Athletes, B J. Chrisfield, T D. Stutzman, Z Schutte, I Starr, A B. Porto, H S. Kieffer Facsm

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

Please view abstract in the attached PDF file.

Mapping The Trigeminal Nerve, Kinnison Edmunds, Dr. Jonathan Wisco

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The goal of my project was to create a data-driven, three-dimensional map of the human trigeminal nerve from the trigeminal ganglion to the ends of its major pathways throughout the face and head. The purpose was to test conventional wisdom regarding the pathways of the trigeminal nerve and expose any inconsistencies between artistic representations and a data-driven mapping of the nerve. It was my hypothesis that by comparing my completed nerve map to the currently accepted anatomy literature, I will be able to challenge existing discrepancies and improve the validity of current anatomical representations.

Microarchitectural Analysis Of The Ulnar Collateral Ligament To Inform Its Reconstruction, Jakob Gamboa, Dr. Jonathan Wisco

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ligaments are specialized connective tissues that stabilize the different synovial joints found in the body. Ligaments consist of fibroblast cells surrounded by a framework of dense fibrous bands of collagen, which anchor to bones to provide support and elasticity. Their varying biomechanical functions in different locations of the body require diversity in matrix composition, shape, density, and arrangement to adapt to the complex functions they perform. These characteristics may even vary within different regions of the same ligament. Damage to ligaments compromises integrity and movement of the joint and can lead to serious complications.

Customizing 3d Models From Mri Data: Creating Educational Anatomy Models Of Neurologic Disease, Brett Gardiner, Dr. Jon Wisco

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Neuroanatomy lab specimens are limited to cadaver availability and inconsistently demonstrate variations confronted in pathology. Using rapid prototyping (RP) technology to create 3D models from segmented MRI data offers distinct benefits to medical education. An efficient and replicable procedure for customizing these models can be developed to provide unique visual experiences for students and offer additional perspectives of brain models from real data.

Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Mediates Par-Induced Bladder Pain., Dimitrios E. Kouzoukas, Katherine L. Meyer-Siegler, Fei Ma, Karin N. Westlund, David E. Hunt, Pedro L. Vera

Physiology Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, is constitutively expressed in urothelial cells that also express protease-activated receptors (PAR). Urothelial PAR1 receptors were shown to mediate bladder inflammation. We showed that PAR1 and PAR4 activator, thrombin, also mediates urothelial MIF release. We hypothesized that stimulation of urothelial PAR1 or PAR4 receptors elicits release of urothelial MIF that acts on MIF receptors in the urothelium to mediate bladder inflammation and pain. Thus, we examined the effect of activation of specific bladder PAR receptors on MIF release, bladder pain, micturition and histological changes.

METHODS: MIF release was measured …

Investigating The Effect Of Ethanol On Exocytosis In Vitro, Brady Hunt, Dixon Woodbury

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My research focus has been to investigate how ethanol’s pharmacological effects could be tied to it’s interactions with a key component of all cellular membranes, lipid bilayers.

Ventral Tegmental Area Dopamine And Gaba Neurons: Physiological Properties And Expression Of Mrna For Endocannabinoid Biosynthetic Enzymes And Type I Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors, Zachary Hopkins, Jeffrey G. Edwards

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The ventral tegmental area or VTA is considered to be one of the foremost centers involved in motivation and reward processing in the brain [1]. This area is also heavily implicated in addiction. However, little is known in regards to the exact cell types and subtypes found there, or the types of signaling that occur. We were interested in investigating the possibility of retrograde signaling among the two predominant cell groups in the VTA: GABA and dopamine neurons. Both cell types can be acted on by drugs of abuse, either to directly affect DA release or indirectly through GABA cells …

Novel Comet Assay Identifies Preliminary Dna Damage Prior To Cell Apoptosis In Mouse Model Of Rage Over-Expression, Steven Knapp, Paul Reynolds

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The goal of this project was to characterize the predisposing susceptibility of mice that overexpress receptors for advanced gylcation end products (RAGE) to apoptosis (cell death) and autophagy. Work has already been done to characterize this mouse model as pro-apoptotic; this new project will allow us to identify powerful markers that track DNA damage prior to cell death. RAGE is found in the lungs and aids in the transitioning of cell types (Reynolds P et Al., 2011). The expression of RAGE increases during instances of disease including COPD, diabetes, and lung cancer (Celli BR et Al., 2004, Wu L et …

3d Mapping Of Cardiac Nerves For Improved Cardiac Ablation Procedures In The Treatment Of Cardiac Arrhythmia, Adam Jorgensen, Jonathan J. Wisco

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Arrhythmia is a serious heart condition that affects 14 million people in the United Statesⁱ, and is characterized by irregular frequency of atrial and ventricular beats.ⁱⁱ The most serious effects of arrhythmia include sudden cardiac arrest and stroke.ⁱⁱⁱ About 383,000 cases of cardiac arrest are recorded annually in the United States alone.^iv In a report complied in 2011 by the World Health Organization, stroke has the second highest death rate of any disease worldwide, ending the lives of 6.1 million people annually.^v

Immunolocalization Of G Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor In The Rat Epididymis, Griselle B. Martinez-Traverso, Christopher Pearl

Peer Reviewed Articles

Background

Estrogen plays an important role in male reproduction, and males lacking estrogen signaling in the reproductive tissues are infertile. Estrogen signaling is mediated via two nuclear receptors, ERα and ERβ, but it was recently found that a G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) is present in the testis. It is believed that GPER is a membrane form of the estrogen receptor and mediates non-classical estrogen signaling. However, the cellular localization of GPER in the epididymis is unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the cellular and regional expression of GPER in the rat epididymis.

Findings

To localize …

Effects Of Blocking Tlr 4 And Rage On The Progression Of Oa In The Tmj, David Mecham, David Kooyman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the cartilage that affects more than 80% of Americans above the age of 65 (1). Many adults also suffer from Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD), and 80% of such individuals eventually develop Temporomandibular joint associated Osteoarthritis (TMJ OA) (2). Current pharmaceutical options target symptoms of OA, but there are no known treatments available. Research is being undertaken to elucidate the root causes of the disease at a cellular level. Our lab has previously shown that mice lacking the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products are protected from OA (3). Other researchers have shown that blocking …

Hyperosmolarity And Trophoblast Behavior In Gestational Diabetes, Preeclampsia, And Intrauterine Growth Restriction, Camilo Mejia, Juan Arroyo

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Pregnancy necessitates interactions between the mother and the fetus, and the placenta is the medium through which this is accomplished. Many complications during pregnancy, such as intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and preeclampsia (PE) arise from abnormalities in trophoblast cells of the human placenta. Trophoblast cells form the connection between the fetus and the uterine wall. We see placental hyperosmolarity in pregnant patients with diabetes, and there are some reports of aberrant trophoblast functioning during IUGR and PE at term, but more needs to be studied regarding the hyperosmolar stress associated with these pathologies and its role in embryo development. Deviation …

Three-Dimensional Modeling Of Facial Nerve Vii, Dani Peterson, Jonathan Wisco

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Due to its long and complicated trajectory through the cranium, facial nerve VII (CN VII) (see figure 1) can be damaged in surgeries, sometimes resulting in facial muscle paralysis. Surgical removal of acoustic neuromas and parotid tumors, in addition to surgical repair of the temporomandibular joint disorder are associated with a risk of damage to CN VII. In addition, insertion of auditory implants can damage the nerve, as can improper stimulation to the nerve after the implantation has occurred. This study’s focus was the creation of a three-dimensional (3D) model based off of data from dissection of the nerve in …

The Role Of Endocannabinoid Receptor Gpr55 On Learning And Memory, Bradley Prince, Jeffery Edwards

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Each year millions of people are affected by Alzheimer’s disease, one of the most common forms of dementia. Extensive research has shown that Alzheimer’s affects the hippocampus, the part of the brain principally responsible for learning and memory. The mechanisms responsible for learning and memory are just beginning to be elucidated, and a more comprehensive knowledge of them will be essential in order to understand the brain under normal situations as well as in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Studies in this area have sought to understand the causes and treatments of disease, but so far both the underlying physiology …

Utilization Of The Tgf-Β Signaling Pathway And Cell-Substrate Interaction In A Novel Anti-Cancer Drug Screen, Nicholas Saguibo, Dr. Marc Hansen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The TGF-β signaling pathway has been researched extensively over the past few years, and has been shown to be active in the majority of metastatic tumors. Interestingly, tumors expressing TGF-β activity are positively correlated with poorer prognosis in patients, making it a logical target for cancer therapeutics. Furthermore, research conducted in our lab in recent years has demonstrated that the stiffness of the substrate upon which metastatic cancer cells are adhered plays a significant role in the rate of metastasis. To summarize: the harder the substrate, the higher the rate of metastasis. This same research has also demonstrated that softer, …

The Countering Effects Of Exercise On Stress Reduced Long-Term Potentiation In Mouse Hippocampi, Jacob Trotter, Dr. Jerffrey Edwards

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The hippocampus is an area of the brain that mediates learning and memory by changing the properties of synapses between its neurons. This ability of synapses to change is known as synaptic plasticity. Long-term potentiation (LTP), a long-lasting increase in signal transmission between two neurons, is one of several phenomena underlying synaptic plasticity and is the cellular correlate of memory and learning. Several studies of LTP in mice show that there is a marked impairment of LTP in hippocampal slices taken from rodents exposed to stress. Their data suggests that stress may lead to deficits in learning and memory. In …

The Effects Of Stress And Exercise On Learning And Memory, Teresa Nufer (St. Pierre), Jeffery G. Edwards

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Both stress and exercise have significant physiological effects. Researchers have studied these effects throughout the body, and current evidence suggests that exercise and stress also have profound effects on the brain. While stress decreases brain function, exercise has been show to enhance brain function. Recently, researchers have begun to investigate the effects of stress and exercise on the brain simultaneously, instead of studying the effects individually. Our lab has furthered these studies through the use of electrophysiology and behavioral experiments. Four groups of mice were studied: a control group, a group that experienced a chronic stress protocol, a group that …

Expressing And Characterizing Mechanosensitive Channels In Xenopus Oocytes, Grigory Maksaev, Elizabeth S. Haswell

Biology Faculty Research

The oocytes of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) comprise one of the most widely used membrane protein expression systems. While frequently used for studies of transporters and ion channels, the application of this system to the study of mechanosensitive ion channels has been overlooked, perhaps due to a relative abundance of native expression systems. Recent advances, however, have illustrated the advantages of the oocyte system for studying plant and bacterial mechanosensitive channels. Here we describe in detail the methods used for heterologous expression and characterization of bacterial and plant mechanosensitive channels in Xenopus oocytes.