User:Alexa L. Magrath

Contact Info



 * Alexa L. Magrath
 * Loyola Marymount University

I learned about OpenWetWare from A faculty member at my university.

Education

 * 2009, BS, Loyola Marymount University

BIOL 598 - Advanced Topics in Gene Expression
Annotation of Figure 5 from A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Selected Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and their Derivatives Against Cancer Cells In Vitro

The image of Figure 5 shows an immunoblot analysis representing the expression of p75NTR after treatment with the specified NSAID drug. The cells used in this analysis were T24 cells; which are human bladder carcinoma cells. The procedure was conducted in the following fashion; first T24 cells were cultured in well plates for 24 hours, then the cultures were inoculated with the effective dose of each NSAID and allowed to incubate for 48 hours. The comparison of the DMSO well, which serves as a control to affirm that only NSAIDs will produce the desired results, with the 5 NSAID wells demonstrates that there is a significant difference in p75NTR expression. Since an actual numeric value cannot be realized from the immunoblot alone, a bar graph is also provided in the figure. The p75NTR glycoprotein is believed to induce apoptosis in cancer cells, thus reducing their survival rate and preventing further metastasis. So, this figure serves as a visual representative of which NSAID could potentially be the most effective cancer treatment. From the immunoblot and the bar graph one can deduce that R-flurbiprofen and ibuprofen have the greatest ability to induce apoptosis. It should also be noted that there was no significant expression of p75NTR using DMSO as treatment. The figure offers positive findings for the study and successfully illustrates that upon administration of an NSAID there is an increase in the amount of p75NTR that is expressed.

Annotation of Figure 8 from A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Selected Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and their Derivatives Against Cancer Cells In Vitro

Figure 8 is an immunoblot analysis showing the effects of a siRNA transfection on the T24 cancer cells. It has been previously believed that p75NTR plays a role in inhibiting cancer cell growth, however the exact pathway is still unknown. In order to prove that p75NTR is in fact a part of the molecular pathway that prevents further metastasis this gene was inhibited and the results were studied. The T24 cancer cells, which are human bladder cancer cells, were targeted with a siRNA transcript meant to block the pathway of p75NTR. Twenty-four hours post-transfection the cells were incubated with the NSAID drugs used through out the study. The immuntoblot (top) shows the siRNA targeted cells on the left and the non-targeted cells on the right. By visual analysis it is clear that the smears on the right are darker and larger, indicating a greater presence of p75NTR. The image below the immunoblot depicts a quantitative analysis of the results. The asterisk shows that there is a significant difference in the amount p75NTR expressed in the targeted cells versus the non-targeted cells. While the difference is significant for all of the drugs tested the difference appears to be the greatest in the R-fluriprofen and Ibuprofen. These results will also show a direct correlation with the ability of the cells to reduce and inhibit further growth of cancer cells.

Publications
// leave a comment about a paper here
 * 1) Paper1 pmid=6947258
 * 2) Paper2 pmid=13718526
 * 1) Book1 isbn=0879697164

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