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Expression of microRNA in Alveolar Macrophages Deficient in PPARy
(East Carolina University, 2014)
The nuclear transcription factor Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is a negative regulator of macrophage activation and inflammatory mediators. Alveolar macrophages of healthy individuals constitutively express PPARgamma Decreased activity and expression of PPARgamma are observed in the alveolar macrophages from patients suffering from inflammatory conditions such as pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) and sarcoidosis. These finding suggest that PPARf× activity may have an integral role in maintaining lung homeostasis. This study tested the hypothesis that microRNA expression would be dysregulated in murine alveolar macrophages deficient in PPARgamma. microRNA (miR) are small non-coding RNA molecules that post-transcriptionally regulate the expression of messenger RNA. Evaluation of microRNA in the murine model of PAP, the GM-CSF-KO mouse, demonstrates the elevation of miR-27a and miR-27b which target PPARgamma. The deficiency of PPARgamma and the lipid transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1 have been shown to contribute to the pathology of PAP. The microRNA miR-33-3p and miR-33-5p, which target these lipid transporters, were also elevated in GM-CSF-KO mice. Pulmonary granulomas comparable to those observed in pulmonary sarcoidosis are induced by instillation of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in C57Bl/6 mice. These animals have decreased PPARgamma activity and show elevated expression of miR-27a and miR-27b. It was also observed that the expression of the transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1 were decreased in MWCNT instilled mice. Expression of miR-33-3p and miR-33-5p was elevated in MWCNT instilled animals. The expression of microRNA that affects the activity of NF-£eB is also elevated in both murine models. We next investigated the use of PPARgamma agonist rosiglitazone on the expression of microRNA and messenger RNA. The use of rosiglitazone altered the expression of microRNA in both GM-CSF-KO and C57Bl/6+MWCNT mice. Rosiglitazone treatment altered the expression of the lipid transporter ABCA1and ABCG1 in C57Bl/6+MWCNT mice. The elevation of proinflammatory cytokines was also observed. Taken together, these observations support the hypothesis that PPARgamma activity effects the microRNA and gene expression in alveolar macrophages which is critical to overall lung homeostasis. Understanding the relationship between PPARgamma and microRNA in alveolar macrophage biology will provide insight into the regulation of the lung environment and possible therapeutic targets. ...
miRDiabetes : A microRNA-Diabetes Association Database Constructed With Data Mining on Literature
(East Carolina University, 2014)
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a growing class of non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression by translational repression. A role for miRNA in diabetes was first established in 2004 and research in miRNA-diabetes association has ...
Comparison of ZnO nanoparticles and ZnCl₂ induced germ cell apoptosis in Caenorhabditis elegans
(East Carolina University, 2014)
There is inadequate research data available on manufactured ZnO nanoparticles. Manufactured nanoparticles are widely used in various products and production of manufactured nanoparticles is becoming increasingly abundant. ...
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, ...
Drosophila Ctf4 is essential for genome stability and normal cell cycle progression
(East Carolina University, 2010)
Proper DNA replication and well-timed cell cycle progression are vital to the normal functioning of a cell. Precise coordination between these mechanisms' constituent proteins ensures their processivity while safeguarding ...
USE OF GENETIC TECHNIQUES TO IDENTIFY THE DIET OF COWNOSE RAYS, RHINOPTERA BONASUS, IN NORTH CAROLINA AND VIRGINIA : AN ANALYSIS OF SHELLFISH PREY ITEMS
(East Carolina University, 2013)
Cownose rays, Rhinoptera bonasus, are considered voracious predators on mollusks and have been implicated in the consumption of commercially important species of shellfish on the East Coast. Digestive tracts of the 32 ...
A Study of the Abundance, Distribution, and Grazing Effects of Zooplankton in the Chlorophyll Maximum (CMAX) of the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina
(East Carolina University, 2012)
Phytoplankton tend to accumulate in distinct zones referred to as chlorophyll maxima, or CMAX. A pronounced CMAX occurs in the Neuse River Estuary (NRE), North Carolina, where as much as over 60% of the estuary's phytoplankton ...
DISINTEGRIN-LIKE DOMAIN IN KSHV ENCODED gB IS A NECESSITY TO PROMOTE VIRUS LATENCY
(East Carolina University, 2011)
KSHV glycoprotein B (gB) is a lytic structural protein expressed on the envelope of mature virions and on the membrane of cells supporting lytic infection. Previous studies have identified that in addition to the role of ...
GILLNET CALIBRATION FOR SPINY DOGFISH ABUNDANCE ASSESSMENT
(East Carolina University, 2013)
Spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) is one of the most abundant species in the Northwest Atlantic however; the stocks collapsed in the late 1990s and were declared overfished April 3, 1998 by the Atlantic States Marine ...
Hypoxia and Serum Deprivation in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells, and the Protective Role of Thymosin [Beta]-4
(East Carolina University, 2011)
Background: Current literature suggests nutrient deprivation and hypoxia affect human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) survival after cell transplantation. Wound-healing protein Thymosin [beta]-4 (T[beta]-4) has been shown ...