Browsing by Author "Alsultan, Abdullah"

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Exploring the Functions of the Ccr4-NOT Complex and eIF4A2 in Cytosolic and ER Translation of Integrin Alpha 5, Integrin Beta 1, and Fibronectin 1
(University of Glasgow, 2024-08-05) Alsultan, Abdullah; Fernandez, Luis
The CCR4-NOT complex serves a critical function in mRNA deadenylation and subsequent degradation, significantly impacting post-transcriptional gene regulation. Its involvement in translational control, particularly in the context of specific mRNA targets, remains an area of active research. This study investigates the regulatory functions of the CCR4-NOT complex and its interactor eIF4A2 in cytosolic and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) translation processes, focusing on ITGA5, ITGB1, and FN1 mRNAs. Using qPCR, immunofluorescence, and ddPCR, we analyze mRNA distribution under various conditions, including eIF4A2 knockdown, rapamycin treatment, and CNOT1 knockdown. The experimental findings demonstrate that the CCR4-NOT complex exerts differential control over these transcripts, with its regulatory impact being highly context-dependent and varying substantially across diverse experimental parameters. Notably, Integrins alpha5 and beta1 mRNA levels showed significant changes upon CNOT1 knockdown, highlighting the complex's role in its regulation. The depletion of CNOT1, a key scaffolding component of the CCR4-NOT complex, disrupts the entire complex, affecting its overall function. This distinction is important when interpreting the results, as CNOT1 knockdown impacts the entire CCR4-NOT complex rather than just a single subunit. Additionally, our findings with RAB7 suggest increased degradation of FN1 mRNA, further emphasizing the complex's role in mRNA stability regulation. In conclusion, this study provides insights into the differential regulation of specific mRNAs by the CCR4- NOT complex, highlighting the importance of mRNA-specific features in determining susceptibility to CCR4-NOT-mediated regulation. These findings contribute to our understanding of post-transcriptional gene regulation mechanisms and their impact on protein expression.
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Optimizing and Redesigning of Flow Electrode Deionization Cell for High Desalination Performance
(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-08) Alsultan, Abdullah; Peng, Zhenmeng
Clean water is fundamental to life on earth and to many other human existence elements. Nevertheless, natural freshwater sources are unable to fulfill the increasing demand for clean drinking water. Hence, the world must seek new, sustainable, and environmentally friendly desalination technologies to address the growing demand for clean water across the globe. The Flow electrode capacitive deionization (FCDI) technology has been recently developed and shows a potential solution to desalinate saline water efficiently with low energy consumption. However, the FCDI desalination approach is still in its early stage and faces several challenges that limit its applicability in real-life desalination applications. This research focuses on optimizing the flow electrode materials and developing innovative methodologies for the charges and ions transferring within the FCDI cell. For flow electrode material optimization, carbon is an ideal option to be used as flow electrode material due to its exceptional conductivity and large specific surface area that benefit from efficient ion-capacitive adsorption processes. However, the problem of bare carbon is the agglomeration and sedimentation in aqueous electrolyte leads to instability in the flow electrode, standing as a challenge for this desalination technology. In this research, we proposed a novel approach to address this issue by modifying the surface of carbon particles using direct blue (DB) molecules. Hence, increasing the affinity toward the aqueous electrolyte allows the formation of concentrated, stable carbon slurry electrodes and leads to highly active, long-term durable FCDI performances. Furthermore, to prompt charges and ions transfer within the FCDI cell, we employed carbon foam as current collectors to enhance the charge pathways in the flow electrode compartments. Additionally, we improved the ion diffusion kinetics and migration process by integrating the ion exchange resin (IER) approach in the feedwater channel. Through these improvements, our enhanced FCDI system displayed remarkable efficiency in desalinating seawater to the drinking water level. These improvements highlight the practicality of FCDI technology towards an efficient and low energy consumption technique and its applicability in real-world desalination.
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