FHIT inactivation combined with cigarette smoke enhances the oxidative stress response

Recommended Citation Boylston, Jennifer A.. "FHIT inactivation combined with cigarette smoke enhances the oxidative stress response. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Foremost, I'd like to thank the members of the Brenner Laboratory, each of whom helped to make my research both successful and enjoyable. I would like to highlight the contributions of my mentor, Charles Brenner, who helped to not only develop this dissertation project, but also contributed an unwavering optimism and energy that propelled it forward. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Brenner for his dedication in moving the laboratory from Dartmouth College to the University of Iowa as seamlessly as possible. This could not have been the success it was without his efforts. While each member of the Brenner Lab contributed in special ways, I would like to specifically recognize Dr. Rebecca Fagan, whose cheerfulness reminded me to approach my research with levity, and Sam Trammell for his propensity for cantankerous debate. Both helped to make my time spent in lab not only productive but also fun. Dr. Omar Jaffer was introduced to basic bench research in our lab, and I'm proud to say that both he and his wife, Dr. Alison Beer have become great friends. I'd also like to grant special recognition to Mark Schultz and Hayley Mcloughlin – we commiserated over the fact that science is a difficult and often thankless endeavor over more lunches than I can count. Dr. Edgar Rodriguez was an incredible and indispensible source of information and encouragement over the past few years. I hope that all of these people, as well as Edgar's wife, Erica, continue to be present in our lives for years to come. for the contributions that they have made to this dissertation. Their suggestions and ideas have been invaluable, and I'd iii particularly like to thank them for their encouragement in both past as well as my future pursuits. Finally, my partner and best friend, James Geoghegan. I may not have completed this project without his constant faith in my ability to do so. Over lunch recently, I declared that I'd only be " 50% as good as I am " without him. I'll continue to assert that this statement is true. iv ABSTRACT The FHIT gene is located on the most fragile site in the human genome. FHIT gene deletions are among the earliest and most frequent events in carcinogenesis, particularly in carcinogen-exposed tissue. Previous work in mouse …