Latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A) and LMP2B are viral proteins expressed during Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latency in EBV-infected B cells both in cell culture and in vivo. Although Lyn has been shown to be important in mediating LMP2A signaling, it is still unclear if Lyn is used preferentially or if...
The studies in this thesis are directed towards defining the signaling mechanisms that regulate astrogliosis after SCI and towards developing potential therapeutic techniques for modifying this process. The central hypothesis is that alteration of the extracellular milieu after SCI can limit the deleterious effects of glial scar formation and enhance...
TGF-β has been named the molecular Jekyll and Hyde of cancer due to its ability to both suppress and promote tumor development. Components of the TGF-β signaling pathway are often mutated in cancer to inhibit the tumor suppressor roles of TGF-β. Our lab studies how a 3-alanine deletion in the...
Previous research has shown that creative insight problem-solving is distinct from systematic analytical problem-solving. Behaviorally, a positive mood has shown to facilitate insights but without knowing the processes that are fundamental to insight, the mechanisms as to how a positive mood facilitates insights have remained unspecified. Here, we investigate the...
Pain normally subserves a vital role in the survival of the organism by prompting the avoidance of situations associated with tissue damage. However, the sensation of pain can become dissociated from its normal physiological role when the pain-sensing nervous system becomes hypersensitive, a condition known as neuropathic pain. Currently available...
Short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) are both processed from longer, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) presursors by a member of the Dicer (Dcr) family of proteins. siRNAs generally arise from perfectly base-paired dsRNAs, whereas miRNAs are excised from 60-70 nt pre-miRNA hairpins containing multiple bulges and mismatches within the duplexed...
Meiosis is a specialized form of cell division where chromosomes are duplicated once and segregated twice, in order to reduce the chromosome number by half to generate haploid gametes. In contrast to mitosis, oocyte meiosis in many species occurs in the absence of centrosomes, the microtubule organizing centers that nucleate...