Browsing by Department "Molecular Genetics and Microbiology"
Now showing items 1-20 of 139
-
Achieving Cell-Specific Delivery of Multiple Oligonucleotide Therapeutics with Aptamer Chimeras
(2012)Current standard cancer treatments such as chemotherapeutics, and radiation therapy are nearly as likely to kill the patient as cure the cancer. Therapies that have such a narrow window of efficacy are necessary for the ... -
Activation and Subversion of MDA5-Dependent Immune Responses by the Engineered Oncolytic Poliovirus PVSRIPO
(2018)Cancer-specific cytopathogenicity of oncolytic viruses is often defined by viralsensitivity to innate antiviral immune responses, e.g. type I Interferons (IFNs), limitingcytotoxicity to cells lacking these responses. However, ... -
Aminopeptidase-Dependent Modulation of Bacterial Biofilms by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Outer Membrane Vesicles
(2019)Pseudomonas aeruginosa, known as one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, secretes a variety of virulence-associated proteases. These enzymes have been shown to contribute ... -
Analysis of the Interaction between Viruses, Mirnas and the Rnai Pathway
(2008-04-03)The microRNA (miRNA) and RNA interference (RNAi) pathways have recently emerged as an important aspect of virus-host cell interaction. This interaction can occur in several different ways and may favor either the virus or ... -
Antineoplastic Cytotoxicity and Immune Adjuvancy of a Recombinant Oncolytic Poliovirus
(2016)Our group has pioneered the development of a live-attenuated poliovirus, called PVSRIPO, for the purpose of targeting cancer. Despite clinical progress, the cancer selective cytotoxicity and immunotherapeutic potential of ... -
Bacterial Extracellular Vesicles and the Plant Immune Response
(2021)Cells from all levels of life secrete vesicles, which are nanoscale proteoliposomes packaged with a variety of proteins, lipids, and small molecule cargo. Depending on their origin, these extracellular vesicles are termed ... -
Cell Wall Lipids Promoting Host Angiogenesis During Mycobacterial Infection
(2018)Mycobacterial infection leads to the formation of characteristic immune cell aggregates called granulomas. In humans and animal models, tuberculous granuloma formation is accompanied by dramatic remodeling of host vasculature ... -
Cellular Coordinators: Mechanisms by Which Non-Enzymatic Proteins Contribute to Growth and Cell Surface Remodeling in the Human Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans
(2022)My thesis work has focused on characterizing mechanisms by which human fungal pathogens regulate their adaptive cellular responses in order to survive and cause disease in the human host. Unlike most microbial fungi found ... -
Cellular Responses to Lactic Acidosis in Human Cancers
(2010)The physiology of the tumor microenvironment is characterized by lower oxygen (hypoxia), higher lactate, extracellular acidosis and glucose starvation. We examined the global, transcriptional cellular responses to each of ... -
Cha-Cha-Cha: Variable Adhesive Activity of the <italic>Haemophilus</Italic> Cryptic Genospecies Trimeric Autotransporter Cha
(2009)Disease caused by the Gram-negative <italic>Haemophilus</italic> cryptic genospecies begins with colonization of the maternal genital or neonatal respiratory tract. The primary goal of this work was to identify and characterize ... -
Characterization of Host Factors and Anti-viral Compounds for Diverse Mosquito-borne Flaviviruses
(2016)Our ability to convert basic knowledge into robust anti-viral therapeutics requires discovery of novel host-virus interactions as well as an informed anti-viral discovery pipeline. We used a genome-scale RNAi-based screen ... -
Characterizing novel molecular regulators of antiviral gene expression
(2020)The intracellular innate immune response to viral infection is among the first lines of defense against these pathogens. For the early establishment of an antiviral cellular state and initiation of inflammatory responses, ... -
Characterizing Stress-Induced Outer Membrane Vesicle Production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
(2013)As an opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa must be able to adapt to changes and survive stressors in its environment during the course of infection. To aid survival in the hostile host environment, ... -
Chemical and Microbial Regulation of Epithelial Homeostasis and Innate Immunity
(2019)The intestine is a multifunctional organ that must perform dichotomous roles in order to maintain health. While it is the primary site of absorption of dietary nutrients, it must also serve as a barrier to both the multitude ... -
Chlamydia Subversion of Host Lipid Transport: Interactions with Cytoplasmic Lipid Droplets
(2009)The <italic>Chlamydiaceae</italic> are Gram-negative, obligate intracellular bacteria that are significant pathogens of humans and animals. Intracellularly, the bacteria reside in a membrane-bound vacuole, called the inclusion, ... -
Chromatin Accessibility Dynamics Underlying Development and Disease
(2015)Despite a largely static DNA sequence, our genomes are incredibly malleable. Comparative studies of chromatin features between different cell types, tissues, and species have revealed tremendous differences in how the genome ... -
Combating Respiratory RNA Viruses with Adaptable Tools and Innate Host Defenses
(2022)In the 21st century, the world has already experienced two pandemics caused by respiratory RNA viruses, the 2009 H1N1 “swine-flu” pandemic, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The 2009 pandemic was, thankfully, mild in terms ... -
Concentration-dependent recruitment of mammalian odorant receptors
(2019)Deciphering natural odor plumes with dynamic changes in odor concentrations presents a common challenge to all animals. A fundamental challenge in studying the organization principles of the olfactory system to encode odor ... -
Cooption of Innate Immune Cells in Promoting and Combating Infections
(2018)The key components of innate immune defense to pathogens are various migratory as well as tissue resident innate immune cells, however, their interactions with pathogens as well as their immune-orchestrating roles are often ... -
Decoding the olfactory map: targeted transcriptomics link olfactory receptors to glomeruli
(2022)The external world is perceived via sensory receptors arranged in highly organized systems according to functional strategies, which in turn reflect features of critical importance to both the sense and the animal. The receptor ...