Death receptor (DR) ligation elicits two different modes of cell death (necroptosis and apoptosis) depending on the cellular context. By screening a plant extract library from cells undergoing necroptosis or apoptosis, we identified a water extract of Terminalia chebula (WETC) as a novel and potent dual inhibitor of DR-mediated cell death. Investigation of the underlying mechanisms of its anti-...

Calcyon, once known for interacting directly with the dopamine D(1) receptor (D(1)DR), is implicated in various neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Although its direct interaction with D(1)DR has been shown to be misinterpreted, it still plays important roles in D(1)DR signaling. Here, we found that calcyon interact...

Several weeks after the test, Mr Jones learned that he tested positive for a mutation and was sent a form letter stating that “men with this mutation have a 6 percent chance of developing breast cancer and a 7 percent chance of developing prostate cancer before age 70.” Concerned about his results, he went to see Dr Seelinn to find out what he should do with this new information. As he handed D...

Scientific objective: In a recent blog post Dr Andrew Thorburn 1asks why many published discoveries cannot be replicated. He summarizes examples from Dr Glenn Begley (Vice President for oncology at Amgen) that show how Amgen has been unable to reproduce many high-profile discoveries. Dr Thorburn raises the possibility that ‘sloppy science’ may partly explain our inability to measurably improve ...

Silent information regulator 2 (Sir2), an NAD(+)-dependent protein deacetylase, has been proposed to be a longevity factor that plays important roles in dietary restriction (DR)-mediated lifespan extension. In this study, we show that the Sir2's role for DR-mediated lifespan extension depends on cAMP-PKA and casein kinase 2 (CK2) signaling in yeast. Sir2 partially represses the transcription of...

Dr. Arne Holmgren (Ph.D., 1968) is recognized here as a redox pioneer, because he has published at least one article on redox biology that has been cited over 1000 times and has published at least 10 articles, each cited over 100 times. He is widely known for his seminal discoveries and in-depth studies of thioredoxins, thioredoxin reductases, and glutaredoxins. Dr. Holmgren, active throughout ...

Power companies such as Southern California Edison (SCE) uses Demand Response (DR) contracts to incentivize consumers to reduce their power consumption during periods when demand forecast exceeds supply. Current mechanisms in use offer contracts to consumers independent of one another, do not take into consideration consumers’ heterogeneity in consumption profile or reliability, and fail to ach...

COMBATING RESISTANCE TO EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR RECEPTORINHIBITORS IN TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCERbyJULIE M MADDENAugust 2014Advisor: Dr. Julie L BoernerCo-Advisor: Dr. Raymond R MattinglyMajor: Cancer BiologyDegree: Doctor of PhilosophyTriple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients suffer from a highly malignant andaggressive cancer that lacks an effecti...