Browsing by Type "mock grant proposals"
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Item Analysis of Acetate Ester Production in Wild Yeast to Identify Strains that Improve Flavor in Commercial FermentationPowell, Katie; Darby, Miranda; Biomedical and Environmental; Biomedical Science (M.S.)Craft beer has become a huge industry and every brewer is seeking a flavor blend that sets them apart. Small differences in flavor profiles in beer have been accomplished by varying ingredients, temperature, pitching rate, and top pressure, but differences in yeast gene expression may have a larger impact on flavor. The enzyme alcohol acetyl transferase I (AATase I) is encoded by ATF1 and catalyzes the reaction that produces acetate esters from ethanol and acetyl-CoA. The acetate esters have distinct attributes that are detected by smell and taste, and minute fluctuations in concentration can positively or negatively affect the flavor of the final product. In order to create commercial brewing strains that produce better tasting beer, we will take two different approaches. In the first approach we will collect yeast from the “wild” to compare to industrial strains. In the second approach we will induce mutations in ATF1 and its regulatory sequences to identify variations to generate commercial strains with an improved flavor profile. Our goal is to be able to unearth at least one viable strain for commercial fermentation use that will enhance the flavor of beer.Item Analysis of Metabolic Pathways in Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells(2018-04-06) Peach, Amanda; Beyer, Rachel; Biomedical Science; Biomedical ScienceCancer stem cells are now thought to play a critical role in cancer relapse and metastasis, therefore finding a way to target these cancer stem cells is crucial to cancer treatment. One such way to target the cancer stem cells is with drugs that target their metabolic phenotype. Cancer stem cells could have either a glycolytic or oxidative phosphorylation phenotype, there is not conclusive evidence on which phenotype cancer stem cells have. This proposed project will determine the metabolic phenotype of both the pancreatic cancer stem cells as well as the differentiated cancer cells. The data from the metabolic profiling will determine which drugs to use to treat the cancer stem cells. A viability assay will then be performed to determine the effectiveness of the drugs in targeting the cancer stem cells. This project will help determine the correct metabolic phenotype of pancreatic cancer stem cells as well as testing drugs that target the metabolic phenotype on their ability to kill cancer stem cells.Item DETERMINING REGULATION OF PROTEINS DUE TO ACCUMULATION OF ANKRD11 IN KBG SYNDROME(2018-02-25) Taylor, Kelly; Boyd, Ann; Biomedical and Environmental; Biomedical ScienceKBG Syndrome is a rare disease with a widely variable phenotype and a single known genetic cause. Different aberrations, including both sequencing and copy number variants, within the ANKRD11 gene produce KBG Syndrome. The genotype/phenotype correlation of this gene has been well studied but not enough research exists yet on how this disease progresses. Using primary somatic cells from KBG patients, the patients’ somatic cells will be converted into pluripotent stem cells and then differentiated into neurons. Since the cell lines will be generated using cells from affected patients, KBG-specific mutations will already be present. Each cell line will be grown into separate cultures, half of which will be edited and repaired using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Protein accumulation and regulation analysis will be done using protein microarrays to observe and compare the mutated cell line and the repaired cell line. This study aims to focus on understanding more of the mechanisms behind the disease and to determine more of the functional aspects of how this disease develops and progresses.Item Epidemiology and Epigenetics of Type 2 Diabetes Among Ethiopian Immigrants in the United States(2018-07-19) Mengistu, Sewnet; Dr. Labo, Nazzarena; Dr. Boyd, Ann; Dr. Beyer, Bachel; Biomedical and Environmental; Biomedical ScienceThe purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among long-term Ethiopian immigrants in the United States and probable mechanism of any increase thereof with special attention to epigentic modifications. Bisulfite assay will be performed to compare the degree of epigenetic modifications in diabetes cases and controls possibly resulting in altered gene expressions of the identified genes for Ethiopian immigrants in the United States.Item Identifying Telomere Repeat Change During Exercise Using Electric Pulse Stimulation(2018-11-08) Manraj, Randy; Smith, Oney; Boyd, Ann; Laufer, Craig; Biomedical ScienceThis project aims to discover a link between the reduced telomere length shortening and exercise. Human skeletal muscle cell (HSkMC) will be exposed to various treatment conditions and electric pulse stimulation to replicate the effects of exercise. Quantification of telomere length will be done by the use of TELOTAGGGTM. This project will help determine which metabolic conditions and/or if reactive oxygen species (ROS) impact the lengths of telomere repeats in HSkMC. This will help to determine if these factors are related to telomeres and exercise.Item STUDIES OF AXL, HER2, AND PDGFRβ RECEPTOR TYROSINE KINASES IN MUTANT KRAS-DRIVEN PANCREATIC CANCER IN VITROAlshahrani, Fahad; Beyer, RachelThis project proposes to demonstrate the overexpression of the selected tyrosine kinase receptor, RTK, (AXL, HER2, and PDGFRβ) and their participation in oncogenic KRAS driven pancreatic cancer in vitro. The experimental design is to analyze the mRNA expressions of using q-PCR and protein expression using flow cytometry and ELISA. The participation of these selected RTK in this type of cancer will be demonstrated after knockout of their genes separately using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system followed by an MTT proliferation assay to monitor any change in the proliferation rate after inactivating these genes. The inhibition of the selected RTK using their inhibitors, which are currently available for pancreatic cancer treatment, will also be used to demonstrate the participation of these selected RTK and will be evaluated to determine if further future drug development is needed. Therefore, R428, Lapatinib, and Sunitinib inhibitors will be used to inhibit AXL, HER2, and PDGFRβ, respectively. The confirmation of this hypothesis depends on the reduction of the proliferation rate in cell lines and may lead to new therapeutic strategies for pancreatic cancer.Item WNT/NFΚB CROSSTALK MAY DOWNREGULATE CYTOPLASMIC Β-CATENIN LEADING TO INDUCTION OF EMT.(2018-04) Wilt, Geoffrey; Hirschhorn, Ricky; Biomedical and Environmental; Biomedical ScienceMolecular interactions in the cell are not bound by discrete cellular pathways; there is significant communication between the pathways leading to tightly regulated processes. The current research will examine if Wnt and NFκB pathway component interplay can stimulate endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) via the cell-junction component β-catenin (Ctnn-B). The classical Wnt pathway utilizes Ctnn-B as a signaling molecule; specifically, under activated canonical Wnt signaling to induce development. Cell-cell structure is maintained through various junctions, such as adherens junctions which utilize Ctnn-B to connect the cytoskeleton to E-cadherin, a transmembrane protein. Recently, a novel mechanism has been proposed wherein the NFκB pathway can also be inhibited by Ctnn-B. To determine adverse effects of Wnt/NFκB crosstalk on EMT, a previously developed Wnt signal sensor cell line was used to demonstrate five genes with changes in expression common to both Wnt and NFκB pathways. These genes will be silenced utilizing siRNA, after which a Wnt signal will be induced and western blotting will demonstrate any adverse alterations of Wnt/NFκB signaling capable of altering expression of Ctnn-B. Subsequent cell motility assays will demonstrate that Wnt/NFκB pathway alteration observed from western blotting can promote EMT to prove that pathway changes ultimately impact cellular physiology.