RSS 1.0School of Biological Sciences (UMKC)
The School of Biological Sciences was established (originally as the School of Basic Life Sciences) in 1985. The School's vision is "to better the quality of life through excellence in education and research." This vision is realized through the provision of quality education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, the expansion of knowledge through scientific research, and the application of scientific information for the advancement of human welfare. The School has been designated as an eminence program by the curators of the University of Missouri, and as such is a unit targeted for expansion and development.
Research by faculty, as well as graduate and undergraduate students, is focused on cellular and molecular aspects of modern biology, with emphases in molecular genetics, cell biology and structural biology. Advances in these areas will provide fundamental knowledge for biotechnology, molecular medicine, environmental remediation and computational biology. Students are encouraged to gain hands-on research experience, involving them in the process of creating knowledge and equipping them to shape the future.
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The Ins and Outs and ABCs of Antifungal Drug Transport: Characterizing the Role of Membrane Transporters in Pathogenic Fungi
(2016)Pathogenic fungi cause serious disease and even death in humans, animals and plants. In medicine and agriculture alike, fungal infections are widespread and represent a significant threat to global public health. The ... -
The Molecular Mechanisms of Antifungal Drug Resistance In Pathogenic Fungi
(2016)Pathogenic fungi including Candida albicans, cause oral, systemic, and vaginal infections, mostly in immune-compromised individuals. Azoles are the most common antifungals used in treating these infections. The most ... -
Expression Pattern of Drug-Resistance Genes in Matched Clinical Isolates of Candida albicans at Variable Fluconazole Exposure Times
(2016)Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungus that exists naturally in the vaginal, urinary, and gastrointestinal tracts of humans. Typically, this yeast remains balanced with the body’s other natural microbial flora and the ... -
Alterations in cardiac contractility and heart rate mediated by bone loading
(2022)The skeleton is a dynamic organ in complex interplay with the other systems of the body and is highly responsive to input from the external environment. Increasingly, evidence is mounting that the skeleton is the source ... -
Bugs, Drugs and Data: Antibiotic Resistance, Prevalence and Prediction of Bug-Drug Mismatch using Electronic Health Records (EHR) Data
(2021)Bug-Drug Mismatch (BDM) occurrences are an important and modifiable category of inappropriate antibiotic therapy (IAAT) that increases adverse outcomes for patients and drives overall antibiotic resistance (AR). Surveillance ... -
A single molecule study on the structural basis of ion selective permeation in voltage-gated sodium channels
(2021)High resolution studies of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) can not reveal the dynamic nature of the channel structures, especially in lipid environments, which are vital for rational drug design. The bacterial NavAb ... -
Effects of Light on BDBT Puncta Formation in the Drosophila Eye Reveal Involvement of BDBT with Color Preference Behavior and Distinct Nuclear Localization Pathways for DBT and PER
(2021)In this dissertation, the research focus is on elucidating the mechanism behind BRIDE OF DOUBLETIME (BDBT) puncta/foci formation. During this process it was discovered that both the circadian and visual photoreceptors ... -
The canonical Wnt signaling pathway affects regeneration of mechanosensory hair cells in Danio Rerio
(2020)In vertebrates, mechanosensory hair cells are located in the inner ear and mediate hearing. When damage to these specialized cells occur, it leads to irreversible hearing loss. Not only do aquatic vertebrates have inner ... -
APP∙CNTN Complex Architecture is Conserved Throughout the Vertebrate Lineage
(2020)Contactins (CNTNs) are a group of up to six cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) of the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily found throughout the metazoan lineage. CNTN architecture is broadly conserved, and these proteins are composed ... -
Investigation of functional domains of drosophilia tribbles protein in the insulin signaling pathway
(2020)In this dissertation, I examined the function of the Drosophila melanogaster protein Tribbles (Trbl) within the insulin/insulin-like signaling (IIS) pathway. Trbl was initially discovered as a regulator of mitosis during ... -
Structure-Function Analysis of the Tribbles Pseudokinase
(2020)Members of the Tribbles (Trb) family of pseudokinases have roles in development, cell cycle control, insulin signaling, and the immune response and have been linked to many human diseases. The structure of Drosophila ... -
Non-genomic control of neuronal calcium signaling by the steroid hormone estrogen leads to neuroprotective effects
(2020)It has been well documented that the onset of menopause correlates with an increase in the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Estrogen supplementation was used as treatment/prevention for a ... -
Mechanism of Action of Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase Mediated Signaling in Oxidative Stress
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)Worldwide there are an estimated 1 billion people that are affected by a form of neurodegenerative disease. The most common forms of neurodegenerative disease are Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, along ... -
Structure/Function Analysis of Type IIa Receptor Tyrosine Phosphatases on Drosophila Muscle Integrity
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)The Lar-family of receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases (RPTPs); including Lar, RPTPσ and RPTPδ, are utilized in signal transduction pathways during neural development. Fundamentally, the processes of axon guidance ... -
Novel Dichloroacetate Prodrugs for Improved Targeting of Breast Cancer Chemotherapeutics
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2019)It is well documented that most cancer cells utilize aerobic glycolysis or Warburg metabolism instead of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation for cell energy production. Dichloroacetate is a synthetic small molecule ... -
Klamm’s Microbiology Laboratory Manual
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2019)This laboratory manual was developed for a microbiology laboratory course designed to give students in the health care professions basic knowledge and skills of the techniques used to study microbes. The course is taken ... -
Identification of Novel Regulatory Genes in Acetaminophen Induced Hepatocyte Toxicity by a Genome-Wide CRISPR/Cas9 Screen
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)Acetaminophen (APAP) is a commonly used analgesic responsible for over 56,000 overdose-related emergency room visits annually. A long asymptomatic period and limited treatment options result in a high rate of liver ... -
A Genetic Screen for Tribbles Suppressors Identifies the E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Neuralized as a Novel Target
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2017)In this dissertation, I used the Drosophila wing as a model tissue for a genetic screen to identify novel targets of Tribbles. Drosophila Tribbles is the founding member of a family of pseudokinases conserved between ... -
Structural Basis for the Regulation of the Ceramide Transfer Protein
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2017)Ceramide, a central intermediate in sphingolipid metabolism, is synthesized at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and transferred to the Golgi by the ceramide transfer (CERT) protein for conversion to sphingomyelin (SM). ... -
Biochemical and Structural Studies of the Role of FKBP(L)s in the fly and Mammalian Circadian Cycle
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2017)FK506 binding-like proteins (FKBPLs) are proteins that structurally resemble the immunophilins. Their functions in cell signaling include protein folding, molecular trafficking, RNA splicing and cell cycle regulation ...