Abstract

The overall objective of this program is to stimulate minority undergraduate students to become biomedical research scientists who are motivated to pursue further study in biomedical and health-related graduate schools and to enter competitive biomedical research careers. To accomplish this goal, we will expose and directly involve minority students in on-going biomedically related research projects. The specific scientific aim of this research project is to measure the extent of accumulation of defective aspartyl residues (D-aspartate and L- isoaspartate) in aged and dysfunctional proteins isolated from animals and humans and to correlate the presence of altered aspartate to the age and dysfunctionality of those proteins. Various types of proteins are being examined, namely: malignant and nonmalignant tumor proteins, brain proteins from victims of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease, proteins from teeth enamel and dentine, and eye lens nucleus. Measurement of D-aspartate is accomplished by gas chromatographic techniques, and L-isoaspartate is measured by an enzymatic assay procedure using protein carboxyl methyltransferase.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Minority Biomedical Research Support - MBRS (S06)
Project #
5S06GM045455-03
Application #
3778392
Study Section
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
Budget End
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1993
Total Cost
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
Barry University
Department
Type
DUNS #
046033999
City
Miami Shores
State
FL
Country
United States
Zip Code
33161

  Publications

Tsesarskaia, Mara; Galindo, Erika; Szókán, Gyula et al. (2009) HPLC determination of acidic D-amino acids and their N-methyl derivatives in biological tissues. Biomed Chromatogr 23:581-7
Petrino, Teresa R; Toussaint, Gesulla; Lin, Yu-Wai P (2007) Role of inhibin and activin in the modulation of gonadotropin- and steroid-induced oocyte maturation in the teleost Fundulus heteroclitus. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 5:21
Jarvis, Karen; Assis-Nascimento, Poincyane; Mudd, Laura M et al. (2007) Beta-amyloid toxicity and reversal in embryonic rat septal neurons. Neurosci Lett 423:184-8
Fisher, G; Lopez, S; Peterson, K et al. (2007) Is there a correlation between age and D-aspartic acid in human knee cartilage? Amino Acids 32:27-30
Assis-Nascimento, Poincyane; Jarvis, Karen M; Montague, Jeremy R et al. (2007) Beta-amyloid toxicity in embryonic rat astrocytes. Neurochem Res 32:1476-82
Spinelli, Patrizia; Brown, Euan R; Ferrandino, Gabriele et al. (2006) D-aspartic acid in the nervous system of Aplysia limacina: possible role in neurotransmission. J Cell Physiol 206:672-81
D'Aniello, Salvatore; Spinelli, Patrizia; Ferrandino, Gabriele et al. (2005) Cephalopod vision involves dicarboxylic amino acids: D-aspartate, L-aspartate and L-glutamate. Biochem J 386:331-40
Barclay, Dawn C; Hallbergson, Anna F; Montague, Jeremy R et al. (2005) Reversal of ethanol toxicity in embryonic neurons with growth factors and estrogen. Brain Res Bull 67:459-65
Bingham, Stephanie M; Mudd, Laura M; Lopez, Tomas F et al. (2004) Effects of ethanol on cultured embryonic neurons from the cerebral cortex of the rat. Alcohol 32:129-35
Lin, Yu-Wai Peter; Petrino, Teresa R; Wallace, Robin A (2004) Fundulus heteroclitus gonadotropins.5: Small scale chromatographic fractionation of pituitary extracts into components with different steroidogenic activities using homologous bioassays. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 2:14

Showing the most recent 10 out of 24 publications