Includes bibliographies. / 1 v. : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / The present study provides a detailed account of the anatomical and neurohistological structure of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in foetal and adult Australian Merino sheep. The purpose is to describe the innervation of the joint and to determine the possible roles of both afferent receptor structures and neuropeptides in the pathophysiology of experimentally induced osteoarthritis. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Anatomical Science, 1997

Errata is pasted onto back end paper. / Includes bibliographical references (26 leaves). / 115, [68] leaves, [8] leaves of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / This study entailed work towards the isolation of the pbl gene and preliminary characterisation of a candidate pbl transcript. Plasmid rescue of the genomic DNA flanking the inserted P element led to the isolation of a third candidate p61 cDNA, the 1A cDNA. This data suggests that the IA cDNA is encoded by the p61 gene. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Genetics, 1998

Copies of author's previously published articles inserted. / Amendments pasted onto back-end paper. / Bibliography: leaves 255-286. / ix, 286, [15] leaves, [5] leaves of plates : ill. (chiefly col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Aims to isolate the gene(s) responsible for Fancomi anaemia and breast cancer using a positional cloning strategy / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics, 1999

Errata is pasted onto back end paper. / Includes bibliographical references (26 leaves). / 115, [68] leaves, [8] leaves of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / This study entailed work towards the isolation of the pbl gene and preliminary characterisation of a candidate pbl transcript. Plasmid rescue of the genomic DNA flanking the inserted P element led to the isolation of a third candidate p61 cDNA, the 1A cDNA. This data suggests that the IA cDNA is encoded by the p61 gene. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Genetics, 1998

Master of Science (Medicine) / Clinical studies have demonstrated an arousal deficit in infants suffering Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA), and that treatment to alleviate the symptoms of OSA appears to reverse the deficit in arousability. Some sudden infant deaths are thought to be contingent upon such an arousal deficit. This research utilised young piglets during early postnatal development, and exposed them to intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia (IHH) as a model of clinical respiratory diseases. Arousal responses of control animals were compared to the animals exposed to IHH. Comparisons were also made between successive exposures on the first and the fourth consecutive days of IHH. Time to arouse after the onset of the respiratory stimulus, and frequency of arousals during recovery, demonstrated that arousal deficits arose after successive exposures and that these were further exacerbated on the fourth study day. After an overnight recovery period, the arousal deficit was apparently dormant, and only triggered by HH exposure. These studies confirm that both acute and chronic deficits can be induced on a background of otherwise normal postnatal development, suggesting that deficits observed in the clinical setting may be a secondary phenomenon.

M. Tech. / The persistent presence of neutrophils is associated with a wide range of inflammatory diseases. Resolution of inflammation in these diseases is also associated with the ingestion of apoptotic neutrophils by macrophages. Inflammation and apoptosis of inflammatory cells are common known features observed in the lung following exposure to crystalline silica. What is not known is how well these apoptotic cells are cleared by macrophages in the presence of crystalline silica? To investigate the latter, we incubated the U937 macrophages and neutrophils with crystalline silica and found that it could increase their apoptosis and necrosis especially those of the U937 cells. We then examined the ability of crystalline silica to induce the production of cytokines (TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-1β) as well as NO by these cells. We found that these particles could increase the production of TNF-α, IL-1β and NO but not IFN-γ in a time-and concentration-dependent manner. We also assessed the ability of crystalline silica to alter the levels of GSH in neutrophils and U937 macrophages. We found that it could drastically decrease the levels of this antioxidant in U937 macrophages with no additional effect in neutrophils as these latter cells would have low levels of GSH prior to their incubation with crystalline silica. Finally, we examined the effect of crystalline silica on the ability of U937 macrophages to phagocytose apoptotic neutrophils. We found that while untreated U937 macrophages were able to phagocytose apoptotic neutrophils, the presence of crystalline silica reduced this ability by 15%. Taken together, our results suggest that exposure to crystalline silica impairs the clearance of apoptotic neutrophils by decreasing their phagocytosis by macrophages and thus prevents the resolution of inflammation.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a severe form of stroke, with a high mortality rate and often resulting in irreversible neurological deterioration. Although animal studies have provided insight into the etiology of the disease, many of the causative genes and mechanisms implicated in cerebral-vascular malformations are unknown. Treatment options remain ineffective. With the present models, the pathophysiological consequences of ICH can only be assessed in situ and after histological analysis. Furthermore, common deficiencies of the current models include the heterogeneity, low expression and low reproducibility of the desired phenotype. Hence, there is a requirement for novel approaches to model ICH pathogenesis. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) has gained recognition as a vertebrate model for stroke research. Through a combination of pharmacological blockers, metabolite rescue, genetic approaches, and confocal imaging analysis, I demonstrate a requirement for the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR) pathway in regulating developmental cerebral-vascular stabilization. A transient loss in HMGCR function induces ICH, characterised by progressive dilation of blood vessels, vascular permeability and vessel rupture. These effects are likely due to reduced prenylation of Rho GTPases, evidenced by morpholino-mediated blocking of the prenylation pathway and in vivo assessment of endothelial-specific localization of cdc42, a Rho GTPase family protein. These results are in conformity with recent clinical and experimental evidence. I have further shown that this model consistently replicates common pathoghysiological processes associated with ICH. The hemorrhages are associated with the disruption of the blood-brain barrier, vessel disintegration, hematoma expansion and edema into the adjacent brain regions. Also, enhanced apoptosis, activation of inflammatory mediators in the periphery of the hematoma, enriched heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) expression and localised thrombosis were observed in these embryos. I show that the patterning and distribution of catecholaminergic neurons, response to sensory stimulus and swimming speed were impaired as a consequence of ICH. These results suggest that HMGCR contributes to cerebral-vascular stabilisation through Rho GTPase mediated-signalling and that zebrafish can serve as a powerful paradigm for the systemic analysis of the etiological and pathophysiological underpinnings of ICH and can help establish the basis for future studies into screening for putative therapeutics and elucidating mechanisms aiding functional recovery.

Background-In cardiomyocytes from patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, mechanical dysfunction and arrhythmogenicity are caused by mutation-driven changes in myofilament function combined with excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling abnormalities related to adverse remodeling. Whether myofilament or E-C coupling alterations are more relevant in disease development is unknown. Here, we aim to investigate whether the relative roles of myofilament dysfunction and E-C coupling remodeling in determining the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy phenotype are mutation specific. Methods and Results-Two hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mouse models carrying the R92Q and the E163R TNNT2 mutations were investigated. Echocardiography showed left ventricular hypertrophy, enhanced contractility, and diastolic dysfunction in both models; however, these phenotypes were more pronounced in the R92Q mice. Both E163R and R92Q trabeculae showed prolonged twitch relaxation and increased occurrence of premature beats. In E163R ventricular myofibrils or skinned trabeculae, relaxation following Ca2+ removal was prolonged; resting tension and resting ATPase were higher; and isometric ATPase at maximal Ca2+ activation, the energy cost of tension generation, and myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity were increased compared with that in wildtype mice. No sarcomeric changes were observed in R92Q versus wild-type mice, except for a large increase in myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity. In R92Q myocardium, we found a blunted response to inotropic interventions, slower decay of Ca2+ transients, reduced SERCA function, and increased Ca2+/calmodulin kinase II activity. Contrarily, secondary alterations of E-C coupling and signaling were minimal in E163R myocardium. Conclusions-In E163R models, mutation-driven myofilament abnormalities directly cause myocardial dysfunction. In R92Q, diastolic dysfunction and arrhythmogenicity are mediated by profound cardiomyocytesignaling and E-C coupling changes. Similar hypertrophic cardiomyopathy phenotypes can be generated through different pathways, implying different strategies for a precision medicine approach to treatment.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a multi-organ disorder. It is diagnosed from motor impairments that arise from neurodegeneration in the midbrain. However, the disease begins decades earlier in the gut prior to involvement of the brain. PD is characterized by persistent inflammation, both in the brain and in the periphery in addition to neurodegeneration. Here, I investigate the role of the adaptive immune system in disease pathogenesis and as a driver of prodromal symptoms of PD in both humans and mice. In Chapter 1, I introduce Parkinson’s disease, its pathological hallmarks and the progression of the symptoms, and discuss genetic and environmental influences. Then, I elaborate on the inflammatory phenotypes observed in the disease and recent work describing the role of inflammation in animal models for PD. In Chapter 2, I examine the autoimmune features of Parkinson’s disease from analysis of patients’ blood. I found that approximately 40% of PD patients possess aspects of autoimmunity against α-synuclein. By screening peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients and healthy controls for potential neoantigens derived from α-synuclein protein, I identified two antigenic regions of the protein that elicit an immune response. The immune responses to a specific α-synuclein neo-antigens were linked to unique HLAs that are over-represented in our PD cohort and are associated with PD in genome wide association studies (GWAS). In Chapters 3 and 4, I describe the effects of recapitulating α-synuclein autoimmunity in a humanized mouse strain expressing the HLA allele risk for PD. In Chapter 3, I show that the humoral and cellular immunity is mounted against α-synuclein in the humanized mice, similar to what is observed in PD patients; however, there is no inflammation or immune response toward the brain. In Chapter 4, I show how the autoimmune response to α-synuclein induces inflammation and neurodegeneration in the gut leading to constipation in mice, recapitulating the prodromal aspects of the human disease. Finally, in Chapter 5, I discuss the implications of these findings for α-synuclein autoimmunity in the periphery, gut and brain in Parkinson’s disease. I also elaborate on the implications of these findings for potential future diagnostic screening and treatments for Parkinson’s disease.

No description available.