East Carolina University : Research and Creative Achievement Week 2011
The Role of Synaptopodin-2 in Cancer Cell Differentiation, Kelli Shortt, Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858 Synaptopodin-2 is an actin-binding protein commonly found in brain, kidney, and skeletal muscle tissues in mammals. It binds to and causes raid polymerization of G-actin, a protein that is essential in many cell functions. Synaptopodin-2 can also associate with a number of other proteins, such as myosin, calmodulin and ±-actinin. Association with ±-actinin promotes the translocation of synaptopodin-2 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, where it is involved with the chromatin-remodeling complex and therefore transcriptional activity. Recent studies have shown that myopodin, a homologue of synaptopodin, can act as a tumor suppressor gene and is frequently deleted in invasive prostate cancers and silenced by hypermethylation in bladder cancer. My research goal is to analyze the expression of synaptopodin-2 during the different phases of the cell cycle using a colon cancer cell line HT29. My hypothesis states that synaptopodin-2 will have a different expression pattern during different phases of the cell cycle. To test this hypothesis, a technique called a double-thymidine block will be used to synchronize the HT29 cells. The localization of synaptopodin-2 will be analyzed after arresting the cells at different phases of the cell cycle by immunofluorescence using a specific monoclonal antibody. I hope to confirm a pattern similar to other cancers that will help in understanding the role of synaptopodin-2 in oncogenesis and inspire more research in this field.
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FoodMASTER: Utilizing Hands-on, Food-based Lessons to Introduce New Foods in the Preschool Classroom, Ashley Roseno, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858 Rather than reject new foods based on taste, young children may reject them due to unfamiliarity. Research shows repeated exposure to new foods may increase young children's familiarity and preference for those foods. The objective of this study was to engage preschool children in handson, food-based nutrition education, providing them with the opportunity to explore new foods in a familiar and supportive environment. The FoodMASTER Initiative partnered with Head Start to develop and implement nutrition education geared towards introducing a variety of familiar and unfamiliar nuts and seeds. Children were engaged in two-weeks of daily 30-minute lessons that encouraged food exploration. Implementation occurred in two classrooms (n=25) and two classrooms served as control (n=18). IRB approval and informed consent was obtained prior to implementation. Photographed foods in combination with a five-point Likert scale (1= really sad, 5 = really happy) were used to measure food preference pre- and post-test. Pre-test data indicated the majority of children were unfamiliar with the nuts and seeds introduced. Post-test data indicated after exposure to the targeted nuts and seeds, children preferred the taste of almonds (µ=3.86, 182
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