Dissertation
DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS OF PROTEINS: FROM CANCER CELL ANALYSIS TO DEVELOPMENT OF BIOFUEL CELLS AND BIOSENSORS
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
01/2018
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/16419
Abstract
PROJECT A: Tumor microenvironment plays an important role in the aggressive behavior of malignant tumors. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are closely linked with promoting tumor progression and metastasis via the secretion of a wide range of growth and proangiogenic factors like Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF). EGF is one of the key regulators for several signaling pathways causing tumor progression. The work presented under Project A aims to shed light on the effect of a wide range of EGF concentration and gradients on cancer cell migration using a microfluidic device-based experimental platform. Our study showed that cancer cell migration is influenced by change in EGF gradient, but not by change in EGF concentration. Moreover, among the heterogeneous cell population, only a small fraction of cells showed enhanced migration; the rest remained non-responsive to the stimulant. We also developed a criterion to separate these highly responding cells from the heterogeneous cell population by using GFP-tagged Akt proteins as a molecular sensor. We believe that, in an actual cancer microenvironment, this small cell population has a high probability to metastasize.
PROJECT B: Efficient electron transfer in enzymatic electrodes has tremendous possibilities in biofuel cell and biosensor application. However, developing better connections between immobilized enzyme active sites and electrodes is a challenging task. In the work presented under project B introduces an unique approach to achieve better electrochemical connection between enzyme active site and electrode. According to Marcus theory, the probability of electron transfer increases exponentially when the electron hopping distance is reduced. We hypothesized that minimizing the overall structure of an enzyme will reduce the distance between enzyme active site and electrode and therefore will increase the electron transfer probability. In this study, we used pyranose 2-oxidase (POx) as catalyst for glucose oxidizing enzyme electrode application. We identified and removed some disordered regions in the POx enzyme structure that are located far away from the active site. Our study demonstrated that, by removing flexible regions, the electron transfer properties of an enzyme can be improved. This work has opened a new direction of research that can effectively enhance the electrochemical performance of enzymes.
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Details
- Title
- DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS OF PROTEINS
- Creators
- Tanzila Islam
- Contributors
- Alla Kostyukova (Advisor)Su Ha (Committee Member)Haluk Resat (Committee Member)Cornelius Ivory (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 195
- Identifiers
- 99900581622201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation