Browsing by Subject "Biochemistry"
Now showing items 1-20 of 22
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Design and Quantitation of Membrane Binding Lipid Anchors : Exploring Prion-Prion Interactions on Membrane Surfaces
(East Carolina University, 2011)The prion protein (PrP) is an endogenous, metal binding protein present in the neuronal cells of the central nervous system. Prion is associated with a class of neurodegenerative diseases known as transmissible spongiform ... -
Discovery and investigation of a novel role for mitochondrial prohibitin in mitigating acute heart failure in endotoxic shock
(East Carolina University, 2014)Sepsis results in more than 200,000 deaths annually and is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States (US). In spite of significant advances in medical care the mortality rate for sepsis has continued to rise. ... -
The Distribution Of Regulated Actomyosin States Is Central To Cardiac Muscle Regulation And Disturbance Of This Distribution Leads To Congenital Cardiomyopathies
(East Carolina University, 2009)Hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathies are congenital cardiac diseases that have an incidence of over one in five hundred and may lead to sudden cardiac death. One of the main impediments to directed treatment is ... -
Effects of Exogenous and Autocrine Growth Hormone (hGH) on Prostate Cancer Cell Function
(East Carolina University, 2012)Human growth hormone (hGH) is a major product of the anterior pituitary. In addition to its endocrine activities, hGH overexpression in extra-pituitary tissues has been correlated with the oncogenic behavior of these ... -
Effects of Nicotine on Caenorhabditis elegans survival, reproduction, and gene expressions : Development of an Invertebrate Animal Model for Drugs of Abuse
(East Carolina University, 2011)Although much is known about the addictive effects of nicotine, the molecular mechanisms of nicotine-induced effects remain largely unclear. Specifically, little is known about the effects of nicotine on gene expression, ... -
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PYRUVATE DEHYDROGENASE COMPLEX AS A CENTRAL REGULATOR OF MITOCHONDRIAL REDOX WITHIN SKELETAL MUSCLE
(East Carolina University, 2013)Once regarded as "byproducts" of aerobic metabolism, the production of superoxide/H₂O₂ is now understood to be a highly specialized and extensively regulated process responsible for exerting control over a vast number of ... -
An examination of the functional role of TMEFF2 in prostate cancer and the translational regulatory mechanisms controlling its expression
(East Carolina University, 2012)Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American men and accounts for approximately 11% of cancer-related deaths. Although promising treatment strategies have been developed and are currently being tested ... -
Fesselin and caldesmon: natively unfolded proteins in smooth muscle regulation
(East Carolina University, 2010)Dysregulation of smooth muscle contraction is linked to diseases such as atherosclerosis, asthma, hypertension, urinary incontinence, premature birth and others. The goal of this project is to contribute to our understanding ... -
Fesselin, an intrinsically disordered smooth muscle protein, organizes and stabilizes actin-myosin and myosin
(East Carolina University, 2014)Fesselin is an intrinsically disordered protein that is known to bind a large variety of cytoskeletal proteins. The proteins fesselin is known to bind include: actin (Leinweber et al. 1999), [alpha]-actinin (Pham et al. ... -
Fish oil disrupts B cell plasma membrane lateral organization and immunological synapse formation
(East Carolina University, 2012)Fish oil has immunosuppressive properties that could provide treatment for numerous inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. The primary bioactive components of fish oil, which are the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) ... -
The Influence of Energy Expenditure on Mitochondrial Functions, Oxidative Stress and Insulin Resistance under Metabolic Oversupply Conditions
(East Carolina University, 2011)Mitochondrial respiratory capacity and oxidative stress have been implicated in the development of insulin resistance (IR) and type II diabetes. A causative role of mitochondrial oxidative stress in the etiology of ... -
Metabolic Inflexibility in Response to Lipid Oversupply with Obesity: Epigenetic Modifications Play a Role
(East Carolina University, 2013)The ability to adjust substrate oxidation according to nutrient availability has been termed `metabolic flexibility' and is a critical factor in overall metabolic health. In respect to fatty acid oxidation (FAO) metabolic ... -
Multiple Translation Factor eIF4G (IFG-1) Isoforms are Required for the Apoptosome-Dependent Activation of Germ Cell Apoptosis
(East Carolina University, 2010)Apoptosis is a naturally occurring process during animal development required for the programmed killing and removal of injured cells. Cellular insult induces a switch in translation that allows for the rapid synthesis ... -
Paired Effects of Dietary Leucine Supplementation and Overload on Protein Translational Signaling and Hypertrophy in Aged Rat Skeletal Muscle
(East Carolina University, 2012)Sarcopenia is an age-associated disorder that causes loss of skeletal muscle mass, particularly in type II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers. This loss in muscle mass can cause disability, reductions in the quality of life, and ... -
Post-Transcriptional Regulation of mRNA Metabolism during Differentiation of 3T3-L1 Cells: Role of HuR
(East Carolina University, 2010)Our studies address early control points in the differentiation process that are necessary for expression as well as the maintenance of the adipocyte phenotype. We have focused on the post-transcriptional regulation of ... -
Prothymosin-Alpha : Features of the protein sequence that contribute to the anti-HIV Activity
(East Carolina University, 2010)Prothymosin-alpha (ProT[alpha]) is a protein mainly located in the nucleus of the cells. Though its exact function is not known, it is believed to be involved in cell proliferation. The ability of this protein to inhibit ... -
Resolving the Role of POU1F1 in Human Growth Hormone Locus Activation
(East Carolina University, 2012)The human growth hormone gene ( hGH-N) is regulated by a distal locus control region (LCR) composed of five deoxyribonuclease I hypersensitive sites (HSs). The region encompassing HSI and HSII contains the predominant ... -
The Role of eIF4G-1 Isoforms and Live Cell Imaging of IRES-mediated Translation Initiation in Breast Cancer Cells
(East Carolina University, 2012)The development of cancer is a consequence of mutations that lead to dysfunctional cell processes such as unrestrained cell proliferation, resistance to apoptosis, and improper regulation of cell processes such as translation. ... -
The therapeutic potential of Rho GTPase intervention
(East Carolina University, 2013)Small GTPases of the Rho family are well established regulators of critical cellular functions including cytoskeletal remodeling, motility, vesicle trafficking and cell cycle control. Additionally, aberrant signaling ... -
Thermodynamic and Spectroscopic Investigations of Novel Antimicrobial Peptides containing Unnatural Amino Acids with Model Membrane Systems
(East Carolina University, 2011)With the over prescription and use of antibiotic drugs the evolution of drug resistant bacteria strains has become a world wide health crisis. In response to this crisis, the search for new drugs to kill bacteria via a ...