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A Little Complement Goes a Long Way: Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Membrane-Bound Complement Inhibitors

Zdinak, Paul M
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1596567376927017

Abstract Details

2020, Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, Biological Sciences (Arts and Sciences).
Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the causative agent of gonorrhea infection. The Center for Disease Control estimates that over 800,000 gonorrhea infections occur in the United States annually. Treatment of this pathogen is confounded by increasing levels of antibiotic resistance worldwide. To inform the development of novel therapeutics, future research must discern the mechanisms Neisseria gonorrhoeae uses to evade host immunity during infection. This work seeks to develop an assay to determine if Neisseria gonorrhoeae can utilize membrane-bound complement inhibitors expressed by epithelial cells to evade complement. Membrane-bound complement inhibitors typically protect human cells from aberrant complement activation. Additionally, flow cytometry is used to better characterize cell lines with differing surface expression levels of the membrane- bound complement inhibitors CD46, CD55, and CD59. By manipulating human cells and bacterial strains in this novel assay, we are able to elucidate the mechanisms that Neisseria gonorrhoeae uses to evade complement activation. This work is beginning to describe a previously unreported link between Neisseria gonorrhoeae and membrane- bound complement inhibitors expressed on infected epithelial cells.
Nathan Weyand, Dr. (Advisor)
Ronan Carroll, Dr. (Committee Member)
Mark Berryman, Dr. (Committee Member)
88 p.
Biology; Immunology; Microbiology
Neisseria gonorrhoeae; complement; complement inhibitors; complement evasion; CD46; CD55; CD59;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Zdinak, P. M. (2020). A Little Complement Goes a Long Way: Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Membrane-Bound Complement Inhibitors [Master's thesis, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1596567376927017

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Zdinak, Paul. A Little Complement Goes a Long Way: Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Membrane-Bound Complement Inhibitors. 2020. Ohio University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1596567376927017.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Zdinak, Paul. "A Little Complement Goes a Long Way: Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Membrane-Bound Complement Inhibitors." Master's thesis, Ohio University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1596567376927017

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1596567376927017
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This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.