Dept. of Molecular Biology and Genetics - Ph.D. / Sc.D.
Recent Submissions
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Elucidating immunomodulatory effects of telomeric repeat mimicking synthetic A151 oligodeoxynucleotide on immune cell transcriptome
(Bilkent University, 2019-09)Recent evidence revealed that DNA is beyond just the blueprint of life; it is also involved in immunomodulation. Unmethylated Cytosine-phosphate-Guanine (CpG) motifs of prokaryotic DNA stimulate immune response by ... -
The role of lipid-induced integrated stress response in metaflammation and atherosclerosis
(Bilkent University, 2019-07)Chronic inflammation resulting from metabolic overloading of organelles (such as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria that control cellular homeostasis) is a major cause of metabolic disorders including diabetes, ... -
TLR agonists on autoimmunity, cancer and M1/M2 macrophage polarization
(Bilkent University, 2019-07)Macrophages play an important role in the initiation of immune responses and the maintenance of immune homeostasis. Alterations in their phenotype, function and activation state have been implicated in the pathogenesis ... -
Effects of Cholinergic Receptor Nicotinic Alpha 5 (CHRNA5) RNAi on apoptosis, DNA damage response, drug sensitivity, and HSA-MIR-495-3P overexpression in breast cancer
(Bilkent University, 2018-12)Cholinergic Receptor Nicotinic Alpha 5 (CHRNA5) is associated with nicotine addiction and it has an important role in the prognosis of lung cancer. Despite its important cellular functions, its role in breast cancer remains ... -
Effects of PI3K/AKT/MTOR and VEGFR pathway inhibitors on liver cancer stem cells and bioactivities of novel pyrazolic chalcone derivatives on liver cancer
(Bilkent University, 2018-01)Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality, such that it the second most frequent cause of cancer death worldwide. Due to its heterogeneous composition and aggressive behavior, ... -
Prediction of prognosis and chemosensitivity in gastrointestinal cancers
(Bilkent University, 2018-01)Colon and gastric cancers are the third and fifth cancer types with the poorest survival. Surgery is considered the primary treatment option, which can be curative. However the decision as to whether chemotherapy ... -
Identifying and targeting coding/non-coding molecular switches regulating drug resistance and metastasis in breast cancer
(Bilkent University, 2017-09)Breast cancer is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer associated deaths in women worldwide. Despite the availability of large number and various types of therapy agents which are effective in ... -
Development of novel tools for cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment using intra- or inter-species transcriptome metaanalysis
(Bilkent University, 2017-09)In the past decades, a considerable number of studies have performed meta-analysis on large data collections to prioritize sets of genes, pathways or types/categories of disease focusing on either differential expression, ... -
Investigation of novel RNAi and nanoparticle approaches for their anti-proliferative and drug-sensitizing effects in breast cancer
(Bilkent University, 2017-08)Drug resistivity remains a major challenge in treating different cancer types. Among several strategies adapted to increase drug sensitivity in breast cancer cells, in the present thesis I studied an RNAi molecule targeting ... -
The role of IRE1 in metaflammation and atherosclerosis
(Bilkent University, 2017-06)Chronic metabolic overloading of anabolic and catabolic organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria is a major cause of inflammation in obesity. ER serves as a critical metabolic center for protein, ... -
Role of histone variant H3.3 in transcription and mitotic progression
(Bilkent University, 2017-05)Chromatin structure needs to be dynamic and flexible in order for the eukaryotic cellular processes to function correctly. Incorporation of histone variants into chromatin serves to increase epigenetic plasticity by ... -
Immunotherapeutic action of extracellular vesicles and effects of TLR signaling to immune dysfunction of SCI patients
(Bilkent University, 2017-03)The primary aim of this thesis is to extend the breadth of in vivo application of externally loaded exosomes as prophylactic or therapeutic carriers against disease treatment. Exosomes are secreted from all cells and ... -
In vivo applications of liposomal vaccines encapsulating single or dual pathogenassociated molecular patterns
(Bilkent University, 2017-03)Nucleic acid-based pattern recognition receptor (PRR) agonists are promising adjuvants and immunotherapeutic agents. Combination of PRR ligands potentiates immune response by providing synergistic immune activity via ... -
Cancer testis gene expression as a biomarker of one-carbon metabolic activity, drug sensitivity and phenotypic heterogeneity in non-small cell lung cancer and malignant melanoma
(Bilkent University, 2016-09)Expression of cancer-testis (CT) genes on X chromosome (CT-X) is restricted to tumors, with very low or no expression in normal adult tissues. CT-X gene expression is one of the factors contributing to tumor heterogeneity ... -
Immunotherapeutic applications of nucleic acid based tlr agonists and antagonists
(Bilkent University, 2014)Recent evidence suggests that genetic material is not just the blueprint of life. Depending on the type of the source that genomic material is extracted or the type of motif that DNA harbors DNA could be immunostimulatory ... -
Analysis of 45S rDNA promoter methylation and expression of rRNA transcripts in breast cancer
(Bilkent University, 2015-06)Ribosome biogenesis has a central role in cell growth and proliferation that is usually disrupted in tumor cells by the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes and activation of oncogenes. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene expression ... -
Identification of novel genetic elements controlling transcriptional regulation of the human Na(formula)/I(formula) symporter (NIS) gene
(Bilkent University, 2006)The function of sodium iodide symporter (NIS) in mammary gland epithelial cells is essential for the accumulation of iodide in mother’s milk, which is the first source of iodide for the synthesis of thyroid hormones in ... -
Heterogeneity of hepatocellular malignant phenotype
(Bilkent University, 2006)Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most wide-spread carcinomas throughout the world - responsible for more than 600,000 deaths annually - and is strongly associated with several etiological factors; including ... -
In silico identification of candidate MECP2 targets and quantitative analysis in rett syndrome
(Bilkent University, 2006)Rett syndrome (RTT) is an X-linked neuro-developmental disorder seen exclusively girls in the childhood. It is one of the most common causes of mental retardation with an incidence rate of 1/10,000-1/15,000. Mutations ... -
WNT/(formula)-Catenin signaling pathway activation in epithelial cancers
(Bilkent University, 2006)Wnt signaling is involved in a large set of cellular and developmental processes, and when mis-regulated can lead to both degenerative diseases and many types of cancer. The involvement of Wnt signaling was already well ...