Building a scientific research environment by introducing new biotechnological technologies for undergraduates

Higher vocational education (HVE) combines theory and practiceto prepare students to successfully enter the world of work. Thiseducation in health sciences faces a significant transformation inrecent years. Technological advances lead vocational health educationto foster a culture of innovation in academic and industrialfields. We integrated an elective program for both trainingof students and building a scientific research environment inPathology Laboratory Techniques (PLT) associate degree program.We built a collaborative research team. First-year studentswho wished to involve in this program were trained by theresearch team to develop skills for reviewing literature, identifyingresearch questions through creative thinking and preparingproject proposals. We also introduced TUBITAK 2209AResearch Project Support Program. TUBITAK, the leading governmentalagency for funding of research in Turkey, encouragesundergraduate students at universities to conduct researchthrough 2209A program under guidance of an academic advisor.After training, a second-year student submitted a project proposalto 2209A program as the coordinator to investigate effectsof Polygonum cognatum extract on LPS-treated human dermalfibroblasts seeded on 3D printed TPU scaffolds. The project wasselected for support at the end of the evaluation procedure. Thestudent is the first one who was awarded this support among studentsstudying PLT program in Turkey. This project served as achallenge to motivate other students. Two second-year studentsalso submitted project proposals to 2209A program which werealso accepted by TUBITAK. One project is to produce 3Dprinted prostate tissue models for histopathology training andother project is to investigate the use of biofriendly Pimpinellaanisum extract as an alternative to xylene. In summary, applyingscientific outlook and integrating technologies will build aresearch environment in HVE, develop students’ skills and createan innovation culture.</p

Erythropoietin induces nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and heme oxygenase-1 expression in SH-SY5Y cells

Erythropoietin (Epo) exerts neuroprotective, glioprotective, and vascular protective effects in the nervous system. However, the mechanisms of the cytoprotective effect of Epo have not been fully clarified. Here, we investigated whether Epo affects the transcription and activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which is a key transcription factor of the cellular anti-oxidant defense system, and mRNA expression of its target genes including heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). Epo was added to SH-SY5Y cells at 1 U mL(-1) and cultures were incubated for 24 h and then mRNA expression of Nrf2 target genes were analyzed with real-time PCR. SH-SY5Y cells were incubated with Epo at different time points and the nuclear and cytoplasmic levels of Nrf2 protein expression were examined by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Specific inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) were used to find out the possible signaling pathways that mediate the activating effect of Epo on Nrf2 activation. In cultured human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and real-time PCR analysis demonstrated that Epo-induced nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and upregulates HO-1 expression. Inhibitors of MAPKs and PI3K decreased Epo-induced nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and HO-1 mRNA expression. These results suggest that Epo induces neural HO-1 expression through the activation of PI3K, MAPK, and Nrf2 pathways, and this may unveil a novel mechanism which mediates the cytoprotective responses elicited by Epo. Copyright C) (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd