Protein kinases are an abundant class of enzymes which play important roles in numerous signal transduction systems. Arabidopsis TOUSLED kinase is a serine/threonine kinase which is essential for cell-cell communication within the shoot meristem. TOUSLED is encoded by a single gene in Arabidopsis. Recessive mutants in this gene show mild...
This dissertation describes the cloning and characterization of the TOUSLEDlike kinases genes of maize (ZmTLKs). The TOUSLED-like kinases (TLKs) are a conserved family of nuclear Ser/Thr kinases in higher eukaryotes. The maize genome has three TOUSLED-like kinase genes (ZmTLK1, ZmTLK2, and ZmTLK3). Based upon sequence similarity, the ZmTLKs are divided...
The thesis begins with an introduction to signal transduction
and an analysis of current understanding of plant signal
transduction. There are similarities between plants and animals,
but also key differences, including lack of protein kinase C and of a
cAMP signaling pathway in plants, and presence in plants of
calcium...
Prostaglandin F₂α (PGF₂α), a stimulatory hormone of luteal oxytocin
secretion, is known to activate protein kinase C (PKC); however, the
intracellular signals that promote exocytosis of oxytocin remain to be
elucidated. Myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS), a
protein specifically phosphorylated by PKC, crosslinks actin filaments
associated with the inner...
Phagotrophic protists are major consumers of microbial biomass in aquatic ecosystems. However, biochemical mechanisms underlying prey recognition and phagocytosis by protists are not well understood. We investigated the potential roles of cell signaling mechanisms in chemosensory response to prey, and in capture of prey cells, by a marine ciliate (Uronema...
Serum-free mouse embryo (SFME) cells, which were derived
from 16-day-old Balb/c mouse embryo brain, grow in absence of
serum without losing genomic normality or proliferative
potential, and require epidermal growth factor (EGF) for
normal growth. EGF is a well studied mitogen that binds to a
specific receptor on the cell...