The teneurin C-terminal associated peptides (TCAP) are a family of four predicted peptides that are expressed in all metazoans where the teneurins have been studied to date. Of the four peptides, TCAP-1 has been studied most extensively. In vitro, TCAP-1 increases neuronal proliferation and neurite outgrowth. In vivo, the peptide reduces CRF-induced behavioural responses in rats. Despite the large body of evidence indicating a strong biological role for TCAP-1, little is known about the chemistry and solubility of the peptide, or the signaling pathway(s) mediating these effects. The aim of this research was to appropriately solubilize the peptide and to develop detection assays for its study in greater detail. I have now established an appropriate formulation of TCAP-1 and developed an immunoassay to assess its concentrations in tissues and in circulation. Also, by examining a number of transcriptional response elements, I have found two assays for probing the signal transduction mechanisms of this peptide.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/24270 |
| Date | 06 April 2010 |
| Creators | Nock, Tanya Gwendolyn |
| Contributors | Lovejoy, David A. |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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