Waterborne fecal contamination poses serious risks to human health and can disrupt aquatic ecosystems. Molecular marker methods are widely used to identify and, in some cases, quantify the sources of contamination and guide management decisions regarding water resource protection. However, methods to detect some likely sources of fecal contamination such...
The immune toxicity of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) has been studied for over 35 years, but only recently has the profound immune suppression associated with TCDD exposure been linked to induction of regulatory T cells (Tregs). The effects of TCDD are mediated through binding the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated transcription...
For the past twenty-seven years, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has become a worldwide pandemic. Due to the properties of HIV, such as its fast replication rate and error-prone reverse transcriptase, researchers have been unsuccessful in finding a cure or vaccine. Researchers have, however, developed a treatment regimen...
In this thesis, I studied the translation of dengue virus RNA using a luciferase reporter gene system in Vero cells. The dengue reporter mRNA construct, which harbors 5´-terminal viral nts and 3´-terminal nts, could be translated efficiently compared to an alpha globin reporter construct. The 5´-cap structure and 3´-untranslated region...