In this thesis, I study 1) metabolic alterations in tuberculosis related to wasting syndrome in human patients as well as in rodent and fish animal models. 2) effects of the mutation of the leptin... Show moreIn this thesis, I study 1) metabolic alterations in tuberculosis related to wasting syndrome in human patients as well as in rodent and fish animal models. 2) effects of the mutation of the leptin gene on cachexia and diabetes in rodent and zebrafish animal models. 3) how tuberculosis infection and resulting metabolic reprogramming are dependent on leptin signaling in mice and zebrafish larvae. Show less
As the zebrafish, Danio rerio, has been increasingly used as an animal model for biomedical research, we aimed to establish zebrafish cell line models for inflammation and cancer studies in this... Show moreAs the zebrafish, Danio rerio, has been increasingly used as an animal model for biomedical research, we aimed to establish zebrafish cell line models for inflammation and cancer studies in this thesis. Several zebrafish cell lines were characterized and their genetic and physiological properties were compared. We also developed a set of tool methods to investigate cellular signaling events in zebrafish cell lines. Our case studies illustrated that zebrafish cell lines are as reliable models as the widely used mammalian cell cultures. Taking advantage of the transparency of zebrafish embryos and cell implantation protocols, zebrafish cell lines can serve as a bridge platform between in vitro, in silico, ex vivo and in vivo studies in order to enhance our understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying disease progression. Show less
