Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Virginia, 1997. / Spine title: Cytokeratin 8 is a plasminogen receptor ... Includes bibliographical references (132-140). Also available online through Digital Dissertations.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Melbourne, Howard Florey Institute & Centre for Neuroscience, 2009. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [1]-[10])

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Case Western Reserve University, 2006. / [School of Medicine] Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology. Includes bibliographical references. Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-136).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed June 30, 2010). Additional advisors: Lori McMahon, Stephen Watts. Includes bibliographical references (p. 31-35).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--McMaster University, 2003. / Advisor: David Andrews. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 206-242). Also available via World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 1995. / Title from title page screen, viewed May 2, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Anthony J. Otsuka (chair), Herman E. Brockman, David W. Borst, H. Tak Cheung, Radheshyam K. Jayaswal. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-187) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center; full text release delayed at author's request until 2006 Nov 29

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-127).

Leishmania caracteriza-se por apresentar duas formas morfologicamente distintas em seu ciclo de vida: promastigotas e amastigotas. As formas promastigotas vivem tubo digestório do vetor flebotomíneo, sob as condições de pH 7,0 e temperatura ambiente, ao redor de 25ºC. As formas amastigotas são encontradas no interior dos fagolisossomos de macrófagos infectados onde encontram um ambiente de pH ácido e temperatura ao redor de 34ºC. Leishmania utiliza arginina para a síntese de poliaminas, que desempenham papel fundamental no crescimento, diferenciação celular e sucesso da infecção. A tomada de arginina em L. (L.) amazonensis é feita pela proteína transportadora de aminoácidos - amino acid transporter-like 3 (AAP3), codificada por duas cópias do gene (5.1 aap3 e 4.7 aap3) dispostas em tandem no genoma. Os transcritos de 5.1 aap3 e de 4.7 aap3 apresentam 98% de identidade entre as ORFs, mas diferem nas 5\' e 3\' UTR. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar se os sinais de temperatura, pH e privação de arginina disparam a regulação da expressão de aap3 em formas promastigotas e amastigotas. Para isso avaliamos o nível dos transcritos e realizamos ensaios de tomada de arginina em células submetidas à privação ou suplementadas com arginina, nas temperaturas de 25°C ou 34°C em pH 7,0 ou 5,0. Constatou-se em formas promastigotas que o transcrito 5.1 aap3 apresentou maior abundância em relação a 4.7 aap3, e que a privação promoveu o aumento da tomada do aminoácido quando os parasitos eram mantidos em pH 7,0 a 25°C, corroborando dados anteriores do nosso grupo. Demonstramos que a mudança de temperatura foi um fator importante para o aumento do número de cópias de 5.1 aap3 em promastigotas privadas, principalmente quando associadas com o pH 5,0. Além disso, o aumento da temperatura favoreceu a tomada de arginina, corroborando com a elevação do número de cópias observada para o transcrito 5.1 aap3. Em amastigotas-like, mantidas a 25°C e pH 7,0 a privação reverteu a expressão de 5.1 aap3 para o mesmo perfil observado para promastigotas. Contudo, não observamos um favorecimento na tomada de arginina. Ainda em amastigotas, o tratamento a 34°C e pH 7,0 favoreceu a tomada de arginina, porém não observamos um aumento correspondente na quantificação do transcrito. O transcrito 4.7 aap3 não apresentou alteração significativa em qualquer tratamento em promastigotas e amastigotas. Os nossos resultados indicam que a variação de temperatura e do pH, além da privação de arginina, podem ser sinais importantes para regulação da expressão diferencial de aap3, principalmente a cópia 5.1 aap3, de forma a assegurar a oferta de arginina em formas promastigotas previamente à entrada no hospedeiro mamífero e em formas amastigotas, na passagem para o vetor, assegurando o sucesso da infecção / Leishmania presents two morphologically distinct forms in its life cycle: promastigote and amastigote. The promastigotes live in the midgut of the sand fly vector under the conditions of pH 7.0 and room temperature, around 25°C. The amastigote forms are found inside the phagolysosomes of infected macrophages where they encounter an environment of acidic pH and temperature around 34°C. Leishmania uses the arginine to synthesize polyamines which play an important role in cell growth, differentiation and in the successful of infection. The arginine uptake in Leishmania (L.) amazonensis is made by an amino acid porter 3-like protein (AAP3), coded by a two copies gene (5.1 aap3 e 4.7 aap3) arranged in tandem in the genome. The transcripts, 5.1 aap3 and 4.7 aap3, present 98% of ORFs identity, but differ in the 5\' and 3\' UTR. The aim of this work was to evaluate if canges in temperature, pH and arginine deprivation represent signals to trigger the regulation expression of aap3 in promastigotes and amastigotes. For this, we evaluated the transcripts level and performed assays of arginine uptake in parasites subjected to arginine starvation or supplemented with arginine, at temperatures of 25°C or 34°C and pH 7.0 or 5.0. In promastigotes we verified that the transcript 5.1 aap3 showed higher abundance in relation to 4.7 aap3, and that the arginine starvation promoted an increase in the amino acid uptake when the parasites were maintained at pH 7.0 and 25°C, confirming previous data from our group. The change of temperature was an important factor to the increase of 5.1 aap3 transcripts - in starved promastigotes, particularly when associated with pH 5.0. In addition, the increase of the temperature led to an increase of the arginine uptake, correlated to the increase of 5.1 aap3 transcript. The amastigotes-like maintained at 25°C and pH 7.0 and submitted to the amino acid starvation reverted 5.1 aap3 expression profile to the same observed for promastigotes. However, those condictions did not favor an increase in arginine uptake. The treatment of amastigotes at 34°C and pH 7.0 facilitated the increased of arginine uptake, but did not correlated with the transcripts level. The 4.7 aap3 transcript did not change significantly in any promastigotes and amastigotes treatments. Our results indicate that variation in temperature and pH, in addition to arginine starvation may be important signals for regulating the aap3 expression, mainly the copy 5.1 aap3, in order to ensure the correct supply of arginine in the previous period in relation to the entry of the promastigotes into the mammalian host or to the amastigotes transition in the vector, ensuring the success of the infection.