Sourcing Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia coli in Aquatic Ecosystems: A Combined Laboratory and Field Module.

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria represents a growing threat in aquatic ecosystems. In this combined field and laboratory activity, students will determine whether Escherichia coli, an indicator bacteria species commonly found in aquatic ecosystems, shows signs of resistance to common antibiotics. In addition, students will use molecular biology techniques to identify whether Escherichia coli cells sourced from different hosts (i.

Synthesis and evaluation of etoposide and podophyllotoxin analogs against topoisomerase IIα and HCT-116 cells.

Etoposide is a widely-used anticancer agent that targets human type II topoisomerases. Evidence suggests that metabolism of etoposide in myeloid progenitor cells is associated with translocations involved in leukemia development. Previous studies suggest halogenation at the C-2' position of etoposide reduces metabolism.

Enoxacin and Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) Act Synergistically to Inhibit the Growth of Cervical Cancer Cells in Culture.

Cervical cancer is a major cause of death in females worldwide. While survival rates have historically improved, there remains a continuous need to identify novel molecules that are effective against this disease. Here, we show that enoxacin, a drug most commonly used to treat a broad array of bacterial infections, is able to inhibit growth of the cervical cancer cells.

The cardiac glycoside convallatoxin inhibits the growth of colorectal cancer cells in a p53-independent manner.

Cardiac glycosides are plant-derived molecules that have shown antiproliferative properties against cancer cells, though the mechanism of action is not completely understood. We show that one cardiac glycoside, convallatoxin, presents antiproliferative effects against colorectal cancer cells in culture and that the resulting cell death is independent of the p53 tumor suppressor. Our data suggest that convallatoxin may be useful in the treatment of cancers that harbor inactivating mutations in the p53 signaling pathway.

ISG20L1 is a p53 family target gene that modulates genotoxic stress-induced autophagy.

Background: Autophagy is characterized by the sequestration of cytoplasm and organelles into multimembrane vesicles and subsequent degradation by the cell's lysosomal system. It is linked to many physiological functions in human cells including stress response, protein degradation, organelle turnover, caspase-independent cell death and tumor suppression. Malignant transformation is frequently associated with deregulation of autophagy and several tumor suppressors can modulate autophagic processes.

DeltaNp63 antagonizes p53 to regulate mesoderm induction in Xenopus laevis.

p63, a homolog of the tumor suppressor p53, is critical for the development and maintenance of complex epithelia. The developmentally regulated p63 isoform, DeltaNp63, can act as a transcriptional repressor, but the link between the transcriptional functions of p63 and its biological roles is unclear. Based on our initial finding that the mesoderm-inducing factor activin A is suppressed by DeltaNp63 in human keratinocytes, we investigated the role of DeltaNp63 in regulating mesoderm induction during early Xenopus laevis development.

Delta Np63 alpha expression is regulated by the phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway.

p63 is a homologue of p53 that functions to maintain progenitor cell populations in stratified epithelia. Delta Np63 alpha is overexpressed in epithelial cancers and has been shown to have oncogenic properties. We have previously reported that inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor signaling results in a decrease in Delta Np63 alpha expression.