Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is a genetic disorder caused by the inactivation of the
merlin tumor suppressor gene. NF2 patients develop bilateral vestibular schwannomas
(VS) and other nervous system tumors with no effective drug treatment option. In
pathological conditions, including NF2, production of the oxidant peroxynitrite leads to
protein tyrosine...
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), are environmental pollutants linked to increased disease susceptibilities. Alpha-Tocopherol (αT) supplementation decreases B[a]P-DNA adducts in smokers, particularly women; but the mechanism is unknown. To test the hypothesis that αT protection from B[a]P exposure is gender-dependent, male and female rats received 7 daily subcutaneous...
Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) is a genetic tumor disorder caused by mutations that inactivate the gene coding for the Merlin tumor suppressor. Patients with NF2 develop multiple tumors throughout the nervous system, mainly schwannomas, for which there is no cure or effective treatment. In NF2, redox signaling and oxidative stress...
The goal of this dissertation was to improve our abilities in acquiring critical in vivo data by establishing embryo-larva zebrafish as an exemplary model to quantitatively evaluate cancer progression. The living environment that encompasses a tumor has a significant effect on how cancer develops, grows and metastasizes. In order to...
Milk fever (MF), retained placenta (RP), and left displaced abomasum (LDA) are three common and costly metabolic diseases in cows during the first days of lactation. Some studies suggest that circulating concentrations of α-tocopherol (ATOC) are decreased by these three diseases. It is, however, unknown if and how long lower...
Linear oligosacchardies of 1,4 linked β-D-glucopyranose are commonly referred to as cellodextrins (CD) or cellooligosaccharides (CO). They are of interest to those working in disciplines involving cellulose chemistry because they are often used as model substrates for cellulose itself. They are of interest to food scientists and nutritionists because they...
In the presence of internal or external stressors, the body requires sources of energy that aide cells to combat inflammation. Fatty acids are an important source of energy and are vital components of cell membranes. Dietary fatty acids (n-6 and n-3) are of importance in immune function because they are...
Just as the structure of a protein determines its function, protein motions and lack-of-structure are also key to regulating protein behavior. The human eye lens is made up of high concentrations of extremely stable crystallin proteins, but even in this context, small motions over time can cause a loss of...
Doxorubicin is a widely used cancer therapeutic, but its effectiveness is limited by cardiotoxic side effects. Evidence suggests cardiotoxicity is due not to doxorubicin, but rather its metabolite, doxorubicinol. Identification of the enzymes responsible for doxorubicinol formation is important in developing strategies to prevent cardiotoxicity. In this study, the contributions...
Gadoid fish, like Alaska pollock and Pacific whiting, have a high level of trimethylamine-N-oxide demethylase (TMAOase) that catalyzes the breakdown of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) to formaldehyde (FA) and dimethylamine (DMA) even during frozen storage. FA reacts with amino acid residues to promote covalent cross-links in the formation of inter- and intramolecular...