Thesis (M.Phil.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-62). Also available in electronic version.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 250-288). Also available in electronic version.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Neurobiology, Pharmacology and Physiology, December 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular biology, March 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of California, San Francisco, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Thesis (M.Phil.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 164-165). Also available in electronic version.

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-77). Also available via Humboldt Digital Scholar.

Thesis (Ph.D.) OGI School of Science & Engineering at OHSU, September 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 186-211).

The investigation into the mechanisms by which compounds such as butyrate induce differentiation in HT-29 cells, is lacking. The colonic carcinoma cell line, HT-29, undergoes differentiation induction in the presence of butyrate and acetoacetate. The Caco-2 cell line spontaneously differentiates on contact inhibition. In this study, a signal transduction pathway involving ATP, cAMP, Ca2+ and the transcriptional factor CREB was investigated following suggestions that the energy state of the cell and diffferentiation are linked. The activity of the MAP kinase cascade, including possible crosstalk that may exist between these pathways was determined. The HT-29 cells were exposed to 5 mM acetoacetate, butyrate, DMSO and propionate. The results of this differentiation induction were compared to Caco-2 and HeLa cells, which are cervical carcinoma cells. It was found that ATP levels are decreased on differentiation induction in HT-29 cells, which, in turn affected the cAMP concentrations. Theoretically, the inducers do not have any effect on PDE 4 activity, and may facilitate the interaction between cAMP and PKA. Influx of Ca2+ into the cells was inhibited to a degree by the inducers, which was possibly overcome by crosstalk between the cAMP and Ca2+ pathways. CREB activation, lineage-specific gene expression, ERK activity and c-myc expression were all dependent on both the inducers used and the cell-type. PKA played a major role in CREB activation in acetoacetate- and butyrate -induced HT-29, Caco-2 and HeLa cells, while a2+/Calmodulin-dependent kinases I/IV may have a secondary role. Alkaline phosphatase expression in HeLa cells was independent of CREB. Evidence that crosstalk between the MAP kinase cascade and the REBactivation pathways exist, was illustrated by increased CREB activation on ERK inhibition in acetoacetate- and butyrate-induced HT-29 and HeLa cells. Also, the role that ERK played in the cells differed with inducer and cell-type. The dependence of cmyc expression on c-jun and c-fos, appeared to be differentiation induction- and celltype specific. Results from this study indicate the potential use of acetoacetate and butyrate as anti-cancer compounds.

The Best PhD Thesis in the Faculties of Dentistry, Engineering, Medicine and Science (University of Hong Kong), Li Ka Shing Prize,2001-2003 / published_or_final_version / Medicine / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy