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Long Point, Conesus Lake Summer School 1914
No full texthttps://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/cap-as-unidentified/1005/thumbnail.jp
IDS Project Newsletter Winter 24/25
Get PDFThe second issue of the IDS Project Newsletter where you can find all of the latest news and announcements
162 - Examining the Involvement of p27 and p57 in Clobetasol Induced Quiescence in the Vulvar Cancer Cell Line, UMSCV-4.
Get PDFQuiescence is a reversible cellular state where a cell exits the cell cycle and ceases replication in response to stress. Cells can re-enter the cycle once the stress is alleviated. Emerging evidence suggests that cells in a quiescent state may contribute to the long-term dormancy of cancer cells. Vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) is a rare form of female genital cancer, and while its treatment and diagnosis remain poorly understood, ultrapotent topical corticosteroids like clobetasol are commonly used to treat vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS), a skin condition that can precede vulvar cancer development. Our studies show that a subpopulation of the vulvar cancer cell line, UMSCV-4, enters a state of quiescence upon clobetasol exposure. After removal of clobetasol, this subpopulation re-enters the cell cycle. Using BrdU incorporation, a measure of DNA synthesis, we quantified the clobetasol-induced decrease in proliferation and assessed how quickly cells re-enter the cycle post-treatment. Notably, many cells did not re-enter the cell cycle, prompting us to use a caspase-3 assay to determine if these cells were undergoing programmed cell death or apoptosis. Finally, we examined the expression of two proteins, p27 and p57, which are linked to quiescence induced by glucocorticoid receptor activation in lung cancer. Both proteins are tumor suppressors that regulate cell proliferation by inhibiting complexes that drive progression through the cell cycle. Since clobetasol acts through the glucocorticoid receptor, we measured the expression levels of these proteins using western blot analysis of cell extracts after clobetasol treatment
207 - Mutations in the Reverse Transcriptase and Thumb of R2Bm Proteins and Their Impact on Nucleic Acid Binding
Get PDFHave you ever wondered what causes diseases like hemophilia, muscular dystrophy, or even cancer? The culprit may be lying in your genome: Transposable Elements (TEs) are genetic elements that replicate and move positions within a genome. Almost half of the human genome is comprised of TEs, with 17% being a specific type of TE called Long Interspersed Nuclear Elements (LINEs), which insert via Target Primed Reverse Transcription (TPRT). Studying these elements will lead to a greater understanding of both genome dynamics and genetic delivery tools. This study uses the R2 LINE element from Bombyx mori (R2Bm) which has an Open Reading Frame (ORF) that encodes Zinc-Finger (ZF), Myb, Reverse Transcriptase (RT), and a DNA endonuclease domain. We hypothesize that domain 6a is involved in binding to host DNA and the thumb in binding to both DNA and RNA. To test this hypothesis, conserved residues within these regions were mutated to alanine. Wild type and mutant R2Bm proteins were expressed in BL21 cells and purified using affinity chromatography. Purified proteins were run on SDS-PAGE gels and the amounts were quantified using a Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) standard curve. We were able to successfully purify proteins from the domain 6a mutant and the wild type. For the nucleic acid binding experiments, 5\u27 and 3\u27 PBM RNA were successfully synthesized using in vitro transcription. While experiments are ongoing, we have determined that the K675 and K676 residues from domain 6a are involved in DNA binding
272 - Florescence In Situ Hybridization in Zebrafish with the Neurod4 Gene
Get PDFNeurod4, neurogenic differentiation 4, is a protein encoding gene that is crucial for neuronal development and is expressed in the nervous system specifically within the brain. The purpose of this gene is to regulate the extreme, rapid growth of photoreceptor progenitors in the retina of Zebrafish (Danio rerio). Due to the highly similar, although not identical, gene patterns in humans, Zebrafish act as an exceptional model organism to provide significant insights of the role of Neurod4 in human retinal and neuronal development. The transgenic nature of Zebrafish allows for genetic modification to express the Neurod4 gene in this model organism. This allows for control of gene expression and to efficiently observe the role that it has in this study. Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) is a laboratory technique used to locate a particular DNA sequence. A small piece of DNA is tagged with a fluorescent dye, known as a probe, and is used to bind to its matching DNA sequence within a chromosome. This experiment is using isolated DNA from the Neurod4 transgene to develop an RNA probe to inject Zebrafish embryos. Through successful completion of this technique, a fluorescent glow is expected behind the retinas and along the spine. This will confirm the location of the Neurod4 gene as well as if the transgene shares the same function as the endogenous gene
230 - Examination of Gold Colloid Aggregate Formations within the Hippocampus of the Alzheimer’s Disease Rat
Get PDFAn entire section of the hippocampus of the Long Evans Cohen\u27s Alzheimer’s disease, AD(+), rat model was examined utilizing the Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) spectrum to study gold aggregates. An examination of normal rat, AD(-), tissues was also performed as a comparison and negative control. In the AD(+) rat hippocampal tissues, a limited quantity of larger gold colloid aggregates were identified. The SERS spectrum of each section in the hippocampus exhibited nearly identical spectral patterns in the region of Amide I, II, and III bands, as well as distinct spectral patterns in the 300 cm–1 and 1250 cm–1 region that previously could only be observed in AD(+) rat tissue. The amyloid fibril with a β-sheet conformation, formerly identified and reported in the AD mouse and human brain tissues, was observed to form with gold colloid aggregates. Gold colloid aggregates were found in the hippocampus brain section of AD(+) rats, with unique morphological characteristics when compared to hippocampus tissues from AD(-) rats. While there were no clear differences in spectral patterns to distinguish between sections of the hippocampus, the current study provided a definitive characterization to differentiate the hippocampal tissues in AD(+) and AD(-) rats
Ancient Maya Crisis and Resilience
Get PDFDuring the Maya Terminal Classic period (from about 750-1050 AD), many Maya sites in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras were abandoned. This radical change has been investigated for over 100 years, with drought and climate change recently given a central role. My research on the Maya collapse demonstrates great variability in the Terminal Classic, and not all sites were abandoned. In this lesson I focus on variability and resilience in the human response to climate change