RSS 1.0Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Electronic Theses and Dissertations (UMKC)
The items in this collection are the theses and dissertations written by students of the Division of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. Some items may be viewed only by members of the University of Missouri System and/or University of Missouri-Kansas City. Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the works.
Items in MOspace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
Recent Submissions
-
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 ... -
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 ... -
Conformational Behavior and Structural Parameters of Some Cyclic and Chain Molecules
(University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2017)The physicochemical properties of a molecule derive from its molecular structure, and that structure often involves the orientation of one part of the molecule about a particular bond with respect to the rest of the ... -
Modulation of calcium signaling through direct and indirect actions of polyphenolic phytostilbenes on neuronal calcium channels
(University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2017)Today in the United States there are 6.5 million people affected by a neurodegenerative disease. Recent findings hypothesize that calcium dyshomeostasis and reactive oxygen species contribute to the progression of many ... -
Regulation of Antimicrobial Peptide Genes in Insects by the Toll Pathway and NF-kB Transcription Factors
(University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2017)Insects lack adaptive immunity and solely rely on innate immunity to combat pathogens. Innate immunity in dipteran and lepidopteran insects mainly depends on two canonical pathways, the Toll pathway that provides ... -
Hyper-Plastic Structural Evolution Of The PEX Domain - A Model Of Evolutionary Exaptation And Neofunctionalization At The Molecular Level
(University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2017)With the advent of sophisticated genetic, biophysical and in silico technology an enormous amount of information is being generated regarding the structural, biochemical and physiological aspects of proteins. Tertiary ... -
Role of Toll-Like Receptor 4 in Oxidant-induced Inflammatory Phenotypes in Macrophages
(University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2017)A common mechanism by which redox stress may activate inflammatory responses to potentially initiate, propagate and maintain many diseases states has not been characterized. Accumulating evidence suggests that pattern ... -
An Investigation into the Effects of Alterations in Ribosomal Proteins S4 and S5 on Translational Accuracy, Ribosomal RNA Processing, and Ribosome Assembly
(University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2016)Accurate translation of genetic message is an essential step in gene expression and is carried out by the ribosome. Ribosomal proteins S4 and S5 are critical for the decoding and the assembly processes on the ribosome. The ... -
Identification of a Novel Link between the Motor Proteins Dynein and Kinesin-1
(University of Missouri–Kansas City, 2016)The motor proteins dynein and kinesin are fascinating biological machines which, like vehicles in a city, move various cellular cargoes along cytoskeletal microtubules (MT). In filamentous fungi, these motors are important ... -
Structural Basis for the Formation of PTPRG•CNTN Complexes in Neural Tissues
(2016)Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase gamma (PTPRG) is a cell surface receptor expressed primarily on neurons. It combines cytoplasmic tyrosine phosphatase domains and an extracellular region that includes a carbonic ... -
Independent Functions Of Clueless In Differential Integrin Secretion And Mitochondrial Quality Control In Drosophila Muscle
(2015)Drosophila Clueless (Clu) and its conserved orthologs are known for their role in the prevention of mitochondrial clustering. Here, we uncover its independent roles in the delivery of integrin subunits and the regulation ... -
Regulation of Gene Expression by Non-coding RNAs in Arabidopsis and Brachypodium
(2014)Expansion of high-throughput sequencing technology has increased our understanding in the importance of pervasive transcription and the resulting indispensable molecules, noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). A significant effort has ... -
The Role of Host Translation Initiation Factors eIF4H and eIF4A and the Exon Junction Complex in the Control of mRNA turnover and Translation by the Virion Host Shut off Protein of Herpes Simplex Virus
(2013)During lytic infections, the HSV Vhs endonuclease (UL41) degrades many viral and cellular mRNAs. This endonuclease activity is dependent upon the ability of Vhs to bind the host translation initiation factors eIF4AI/II and ... -
The Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Prostaglandin E₂ in Myogenesis
(2013)Prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), the most abundant prostaglandin (PG) in our body, has multiple biological functions related to physiological activities and the development of diseases. Emerging evidence has shown that PGE2 plays ... -
The function of Drosophila Integrin-Dim7-Elmo-Mbc→Rac signaling pathway in the muscle attachment formation and maintenance
(2013)The Engulfment and Cell Motility (Elmo)-(Myoblast city) Mbc→Rac signaling pathway is evolutionarily conserved from C. elegans to vertebrates and is essential for many developmental processes, including phagocytosis and ... -
The Middle Region is Required for Phosphorylation Regulation of Ceramide Transfer Protein
(2013)The trafficking of ceramide from endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where it is synthesized, to the Golgi for sphingomyelin synthesis is mediated by the ceramide transfer protein (CERT) in a nonvesicular fashion. CERT is a cytosolic ...