xiii, 107 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.1973) from the Dept. of Biochemistry, University of Adelaide

There is much evidence in the recent literature that peptides may be intermediates in normal protein biosynthesis. This has also been inferred from certain disease states and other conditions under which protein biosynthesis is blocked at some point, e.g. cadmium, amino acid analogues or (in bacteria) antibiotics. The literature covering this concept will be presented. The present studies have been carried out on children, who because they are suffering from chronic protein malnutrition have very much lowered rates of protein synthesis and breakdown. In this unfortunate, but natural experiment, it was hoped that some factor or factors derived from protein synthesis might be found which influenced the synthetic mechanism as a whole. Evidence from the literature has been summarized which concludes that urine, apart from being convenient to collect, is the biological fluid most likely to contain high concentrates of peptides which are released during cellular metabolism.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Uppsala universitet, 2005. / Härtill 7 uppsatser.

No description available.

Typescript (photocopy) / xii, 182 leaves, [60] leaves of plates : ill. ; 30 cm / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Dept. of Plant Pathology, University of Adelaide, 1981

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-112).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Florida, 2004. / Typescript. Title from title page of source document. Document formatted into pages; contains 51 pages. Includes Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

The gene products produced by murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) in infected cells prior to viral DNA synthesis are believed to control the interaction of the virus with the cells, determining whether a permissive infection results, with virus replication, or whether further virus gene expression is inhibited, resulting in a latent or abortive infection. The aim of this study was to characterize the early viral gene products that are produced in permissive and nonpermissive cells. The proteins produced in 3T3-L1 cells, permissively infected with MCMV, during the first six hours of infection (the period prior to viral DNA replication) were characterized by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Ten of the proteins were classified as immediate-early (IE) and seven as early according to their time of synthesis and also according to their synthesis in the presence of actinomycin D following the reversal of a cycloheximide mediated block in protein synthesis. The estimated molecular weights ranged from 28K - 100K. The synthesis of a dominant IE protein of 100K was significantly increased, after the reversal of a cycloheximide block, compared to unenhanced conditions. The synthesis of two other major IE proteins of 96K and 89K were also significantly enhanced by this treatment. The 100K and 89K proteins partitioned with the nuclear, cytoplasmic and cytoskeletal fractions, while the 96K protein partitioned more strongly with the nuclei. These proteins were phosphorylated. The other IE proteins were synthesized in lesser amounts. The major early proteins, which had molecular weights of 39K and 36K, were also phosphorylated and were exclusively nucleus-associated. A number of the IE and early proteins had affinity for native and denatured DNA-cellulose. The same major IE and early proteins were identified in nonpermissively infected J774A.1 macrophage cells. Although 0.6% of these cells became permissively infected with MCMV and the rest appeared to be nonpermissively infected, viral DNA and late protein synthesis was not detected. The major difference between the proteins produced in 3T3-L1 cells and J774A.1 cells was the affinity of the 96K protein for denatured DNA-cellulose, which was only observed when the protein was synthesized in J774A.1 cells. The main IE and early MCMV induced proteins were also synthesized in nonpermissively infected human fibroblast cells. The only difference between the proteins produced in these cells and 3T3-L1 cells was that the 100K IE protein appeared to have a greater nuclear-affinity, when produced in the human fibroblasts, than was found when synthesized in infected 3T3-L1 cells. In conclusion, a larger number of IE and early MCMV-induced proteins were identified in infected cells than had been previously characterized. There was no evidence of restricted MCMV gene expression occurring in two different cell types that were nonpermissively infected. This appeared to indicate that, in the nonpermissive experiments described, MCMV replication was inhibited at the stage of viral DNA synthesis. / Medicine, Faculty of / Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of / Graduate

The nerve-derived trophic factor neuregulin (NRG) is a prime candidate molecule for modulating muscle fiber growth. NRG regulates signal transduction in skeletal muscle through activation of ErbB receptors present at the neuromuscular junction. In this study, we hypothesize that NRG increases protein synthesis in maturing muscle via a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent mechanism. NRG signal transduction and its ability to stimulate protein synthesis (measured by incorporation of [3H]phenylalanine into the protein pool) were investigated in differentiated C2C 12 myotubes and rat diaphragm muscle (DIAm). In C2C 12 myotubes, NRG dose dependently increased phosphorylation of ErbB3 and recruitment of the p85 subunit of PI3K. NRG also increased phosphorylation of Akt, a downstream effector of PI3K. NRG treatment increased total protein synthesis by 35% compared with untreated control myotubes. This NRG-induced increase in Akt phosphorylation and protein synthesis was completely blocked by wortmannin, an inhibitor of PI3K but was unaffected by PD-98059, an inhibitor of MEK. In DIAm obtained from 3-day-old rat pups, Akt phosphorylation increased ∼30-fold with NRG treatment (vs. untreated DIAm). NRG treatment also significantly increased protein synthesis in the DIAm by 29% after 3 h of incubation with [3H]phenylalanine (vs. untreated DIAm). Pretreatment with wortmannin abolished the NRG-induced increase in protein synthesis, suggesting a critical role for PI3K in this response. The results of the present study support the hypothesis that nerve-derived NRG contributes to the regulation of skeletal muscle mass by increasing protein synthesis via activation of PI3K.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-139).