The primary function of the human urinary bladder is to store urine, while maintaining a permeability barrier that protects underlying tissues from noxious urinary components. Inflammatory diseases of the bladder, including urinary tract infection (UTI) and interstitial cystitis (IC), afflict millions of patients in the US annually and cause significant...
Most women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) initially present with metastases, but little is known about the regulation of ovarian tumor cell dissemination by the tumor microenvironment. Because ovarian cancer cell dissemination is mostly limited to the peritoneal cavity and often results in the accumulation of malignant ascites, the...
Arsenic trioxide (As<sub>2</sub>0<sub>3</sub>) is an arsenic-derivative that exhibits potent growth inhibitory effects against malignant cells. The remarkable antitumor effects of As<sub>2</sub>0<sub>3</sub> in vitro and in vivo have prompted the development of various clinical trials that established its activity in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). As<sub>2</sub>0<sub>3</sub> is part of the standard treatment...
Reactivation of latent human cytomegalovirus is of significant concern in immunocompromised transplant patients. However, the mechanisms controlling reactivation of latent CMV have not been understood. It is likely that reactivation is initiated by induction of IE gene expression. In this thesis, I studied molecular mechanisms leading to transcriptional activation of...
CD4-positive T cells express ligands for E- and P-selectins, carbohydrate-binding adhesion molecules that are induced on inflamed endothelium. The interaction between selectins and the selectin ligands facilitates the migration of T cells to sites of inflammation. The fucosyltransferase FucT-VII is essential for selectin ligand formation but the signaling and transcriptional...