First Advisor

Dr. Allyson Spence

Reader

Dr. Bethany Lucas

College

Regis College

Degree Name

BS

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Number of Pages

70 pages

Abstract

The immune system is the body’s defense against disease-causing bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and other foreign invaders. Many different cell types are involved in the defense process, including the T cell. T cells attack their targets with extreme specificity, but also have the potential to attack the body if they are not well-regulated. Failure of the regulation process can lead to autoimmune diseases such as type I diabetes. T cells undergo a process called negative selection during their development in the thymus that aims to prevent autoimmunity. During this process, the body deletes immature T cells that could cause autoimmunity. A protein called Nur77 has been implicated in the signaling pathways that lead to the death of these self-reactive T cells. Nur77 is also present in T cells after development, but it is unclear how this expression is important later in the T cell life cycle. This thesis provides a broad overview of the immune system before explaining what is currently known about how Nur77 functions in T cells. Then, it will propose a map for how Nur77 might function in regulatory T cells. Finally, it will argue for the importance of further basic research into Nur77 both in regulatory T cells and other contexts.

Date of Award

Spring 2021

Location (Creation)

Colorado (state); Denver (county); Denver (inhabited place)

Rights Statement

All content in this Collection is owned by and subject to the exclusive control of Regis University and the authors of the materials. It is available only for research purposes and may not be used in violation of copyright laws or for unlawful purposes. The materials may not be downloaded in whole or in part without permission of the copyright holder or as otherwise authorized in the “fair use” standards of the U.S. copyright laws and regulations.

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