This thesis focuses on the cytochrome P450 CYP24A1, which catabolizes 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1α,25-(OH)2D3) via two pathways commencing with C24-, or C23-hydroxylation and culminating in calcitroic acid or 1α,25-(OH) ...

The Hedgehog (Hh) family of secreted signalling factors play diverse roles in animal development. In mammals, the Hh ortholog Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is critical for the proper formation of the limbs, central nervous system, ...

Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) have long been known to help organisms resist freezing (antifreeze) or tolerate freezing (ice recrystallization inhibition). Discoveries made in my thesis research reveal a third function for ...

Kinesins use ATP hydrolysis-derived energy to power transport of cellular materials along microtubules and to regulate microtubule organization in eukaryotes. This enables them to serve various cellular functions including ...

The function of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is crucial for the development and proliferation of normal human breast cells. The primary activity of GR is in its binding to glucocorticoids and the subsequent activation ...

Microorganisms have evolved a stunning array of strategies for nutrient competition, ranging from concerted effort of antibiotic release to kill off competing species, to evolving complex enzymatic pathways that are capable ...

Altered glycosylation is a hallmark of cancer and can be used to distinguish cancer cells from normal cells. This thesis shows a comprehensive study of glycosylation on a variety of human prostate cell lines. Cell surface ...

Bacterial ice-nucleation proteins (INPs) initiate water freezing at high subzero temperatures. Despite having an opposite function to antifreeze proteins (AFPs), INPs and AFPs both have significant similarities in sequence ...