The effects of ethanol on adenylate cyclase activity of cultured chick neural retina cells / by Douglas Casey Lee.
| Author/creator | Lee, Douglas Casey author. |
| Other author | Kalmus, Gerhard W., degree supervisor. |
| Other author | East Carolina University. Department of Biology. |
| Format | Theses and dissertations |
| Production | 1985. |
| Description | ix, 72 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Access via ScholarShip |
| Subjects |
| Summary | Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a collective term encompassing the many detrimental fetal effects resulting from maternal ethanol consumption. Some of these effects include: microcephaly, cleft palate and reductions in overall size of the neonate. This thesis addresses the hypothesis that ethanol reduces growth in an organism via a mechanism involving cyclic 3',5' adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). In this study, growth and cAMP concentrations were measured in response to varying ethanol dosages in cultured chick neural retina cells. It was demonstrated that ethanol alone (50 and 200 mg/dl) did not significantly reduce the total protein content of the cells, while a 50 mg/dl dose of ethanol did not significantly affect DNA content of the cells. However, when a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 11.5 ug/ml of 1 methyl,3 isobutylxanthine (MIX), was added at low concentrations to the ethanol-treated cells (50 and 200 mg/dl), protein and DNA content was significantly reduced. Total protein content in the ethanol-dosed cells treated with MIX (11.5 ug/ml) was reduced 23% (p< 0.001) for the 200 mg/dl ethanol-dosed samples and 19% (p<0.001) for 50 mg/dl ethanol-dosed samples compared to the vehicle dosed cells. DNA content for the 50 mg/dl ethanol plus MIX (11.5 ug/ml) treated cells although not statistically significantly different was 20% lower than the vehicle treated cells. Cyclic AMP concentrations for the ethanol-treated cells (50 mg/dl) samples were 20% (p<0.01) higher than the control cells. Cyclic Amp concentrations for 50 mg/dl ethanol plus 11.5 ug/ml MIX were 24% (p< 0.01) higher than the vehicle values. These data suggest that although ethanol treatment does increase cAMP levels, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor is necessary to maintain the CAMP concentrations and thus elicit a cAMP-mediated suppression of growth. |
| General note | "Presented to the faculty of the Department of Biology ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Biology." |
| General note | Advisor: Gerhard W. Kalmus |
| Dissertation note | M.S. East Carolina University 1985 |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-58). |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |
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