Uts vol3

Proceedings of the Biological Sciences Student Research Showcase 2012

LETTER THE EDITOR

students in a single cohesive article, bringing the focus on the student researchers and illustrating the connection between their exciting discoveries and our own lives.

Together with my fellow editors, I am pleased to present this year’s issue of Under the Scope. Exploring a diverse range of topics, from the development of heart cells to the phenomenon of synesthesia, from plant and ecological research to the science behind eating and appetite, we aim to highlight the work done by students in the 2012 Biological Sciences Student Research Showcase in a way that we hope you will enjoy. Happy reading!

FACULTY ADVISORY BOARD

EDITORIAL BOARD

STAFF ADVISORS

Executive Editor Vicky Hwang

Associate Dean for Education Cellular & Developmental Biology Gabriele Wienhausen, Ph.D. Emily Troemel, Ph.D. Steven Wasserman, Ph.D. Webmaster, Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution Biology Computer Services Heather Henter, Ph.D. Katie Lee

Production Editors Kriti Gupta Erica Couzens Neha Ahmed Features Editor Ayan Kusari Features Design Editor Neha Ahmed Technical Editors-Content Senior- Amelia Wong Junior- Arjun Patel

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or the fifth year in a row, undergraduate student researchers here at UC San Diego will be presenting their work at the annual Biological Sciences Student Research Showcase. And for the third year in a row, Under the Scope will be bringing their research to life through art and writing.

Following in the footsteps of Dr. Paul Saltman, our goal, like that of Saltman Quarterly, has always been to communicate scientific findings to a wider audience. With the creation of Under the Scope, our hope is to highlight the research of our undergraduate students not only to biologists, but to any reader who is interested in science. We want to convey the amazing, cutting-edge research in a way that anyone could understand, yet not lose any of the important science behind the discoveries.

Throughout the year, student authors and artists worked in teams to piece together a story about the research being presented at the Research Showcase.

They pulled out the key information from the technical jargon and wove together the narratives of multiple

UNDER THE SCOPE

Undergraduate Adviser Hermila Torres

Molecular Biology David Holway, Ph.D. Neurobiology Kathleen French, Ph.D.

CONTENTS

Vicky Hwang, Executive Editor, Under the Scope

WRITERS

ILLUSTRATORS

Alice Zalan Aimee Ermel Alisha Jain Kyle Koerber An Qi (Angela) Yao Neha Ahmed Brianna Egan Catherine Nakao David Linderman Demiana Sidrak Jacky Lu Jennifer Park Kelvin Noronha Maxwell Ruckstuhl Mitchell Zhao Priya Patkar Safwanul Haque Sharleen Dua Taruc Alvarez Yasaman Pirahanchi

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Cover Illustration by/ Aimee Ermel According to Ermel, the cover represents the science that surrounds, pervades, and lies within us. All of the “scientific matter” flowing freely in her hair is a kind of metaphor for science and creativity being a ubiquitous factor of life, as well as a representation of the many advances and discoveries that are products of the ingenuity of the mind.

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Pretty, Little, Heart-Makers

> Investigating the Growth and Differentiation of Heart Cells:

Differentiation, the process through which a cell becomes more specialized, is key in the development of the inner workings of the heart. By studying this mechanism, student researchers are furthering the unique approach of countering heart diseases and other cardiac conditions by starting from heart-making itself.

Illustration by/ Aimee Ermel

STEM CELL RESEARCH

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ccording to philosopher John Locke, individuals are and imaging them with a microscope.

This works through “in situ

born as “blank slates.” Human knowledge comes from hybridization,” where a small fragment of RNA, called a probe, is

experience and perception because we are essentially hybridized with the RNA in the zebrafish in order to detect the made of the accumulation of various experiences sequence coding for the protein in question.

Thus, at each stage of

throughout our lives. This theory growth, Tina tracked down specific sequences, of “tabula rasa” is not all that different each of which codes for specific proteins

from the various molecular triggers and necessary for proper zebrafish embryo of cell differentiation in stem development.

The signal transduction

markers cells of the developing embryo. These pathway of BMP is important for heart

stem cells have the potential to become muscle cells in the atrium. Through a any specialized cell in the body. decrease in BMP signaling, there is a

decrease in the number of these cells and Differentiation is the process by this causes a visible decrease in the size of

which cells use signals to adopt a specific the atrium. Although the mechanism of the The development of every organ in our impact of the atrium on the inflow tract growth

fate. bodies can be attributed to this process. As cells gather and vice versa is not completely known, Tina’s studies cellular signals, they gradually “learn” and are indicate that the cardiac inflow tract also decreased in

various programmed to attain their fate, losing their “blank slate” size when there is a decrease in BMP signaling.

identity. Student researchers here at UCSD set out to answer how exactly heart cells “learn” to become heart cells through Another molecular marker for differentiation used along

research on various signaling molecules and growth factors with bmp4 was islet1, which indicates progression of inflow that transform cardiac stem cells from “blank slates” into their tract development.

In order to assess the significance of certain

respective differentiated cells. genes, the genes must be inhibited in some way to examine the effect on the organism.

Tina used drug treatment with LDN

and Dorsomorphin to permanently inhibit BMP signaling The Proteins that Make Our Hearts Ache

in order to examine its effect in this pathway. Other methods One undergraduate researcher, Tina Vajdi, investigated to determine the importance of BMP included the lost-a-fin

differentiation in zebrafish heart tissue in Dr. Deborah Yelon’s lab mutation, which caused mild reduction of BMP signaling, and in UCSD’s Division of Biology.

The cardiac inflow tract is a crucial a heat-activated mutation, caused by heat-shocking the zebrafish,

structure in the heart, and how it forms is not well-understood. which decreased BMP signaling. Each of these treatments caused of this tract has been correlated with expression of the reductions in BMP signaling but the amount of this reduction

Formation signaling molecule BMP4, a member of the bone morphogenetic changed depending on which of the three methods was chosen.

(BMP) family of growth factors.

The decrease in BMP signaling caused a decrease in atrial size, and

protein this in turn decreased the size of the inflow tract. Thus, by looking

Tina examined the developmental stages of the inflow tract at the BMP receptor, more severe impacts of BMP signaling on by labeling embryos at each stage of growth by staining the cells the inflow tract can be observed.

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Repairing the Heart Through Regeneration

Gino Chesini, a Master’s researcher, performed research

on G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), which are involved in detecting external signals at the surface of cells in Dr. Joan

Hellar Brown’s lab in UCSD’s Department of Pharmacology. He that different GPCRs are preferentially expressed in cardiac

found progenitor cells (CPCs) as compared to mature cardiac cells. PCR revealed which of these G-proteins played the most active

analysis role in the heart stem cells, thereby allowing identifiable targets

for differentiation.

A two year phase one clinical trial by Dr. Roberto Bolli of the University of Louisville’s group was just completed that attempted

to promote cardiac repair using these cells. CPCs were isolated patients suffering from heart failure and were injected back

from into the patients. Administration of these stem cells resulted in

partial cardiac regeneration and recovery of cardiac function.

A better understanding of the cellular signaling mechanisms in CPCs may help to coax these stem cells to differentiate properly and heal the heart more effectively, a prospect Gino believes will

be promising for further research.

Big Hearts, Big Problems

Daniel McDonald, a Master’s researcher in the lab of Dr.

Paul Insel of UCSD’s Department of Pharmacology, has done extensive research uncovering new molecular targets to treat high

Insights into inflow tract development from Tina’s research blood pressure in the lungs, which is a condition that can lead to

could have potential for treatment of congenital heart disease

in humans, since zebrafish have hearts with one atrium and one ventricle.

This two-chamber system is a simplified model of the

human four-chamber system and allows scientists to induce mutations in the model system that could mimic potential genetic

mutations underlying the mechanisms of congenital heart disease.

heart failure. Increased pressure in the lung circulation leads to

the narrowing of the blood vessel that feeds deoxygenated blood to the lungs, restricting blood flow and causing shortness of breath.

Moreover, it causes the heart to swell up and become extremely large, forcing it to work harder with every pump.

Therefore,

there is a real need to find an effective heart-shrinking treatment patients.

Daniel’s research last year focused on finding

for these molecular “pumps” in the cells of the heart that could be blocked

by drugs to reduce their activity. This would ultimately inhibit their proliferation so the heart stays limber and reduce tension in

the muscles where these cells are located.

Each of our cells starts out life as a blank slate without a purpose and needs to be specified in order to work with

specific the rest of our bodies. Differentiation could in fact be seen as one important biological mechanisms in history because

of the most without this mechanism of assigning meaning to each cell, no

complex living organism could ever exist! As UCSD researchers have found, these key molecular markers in the cell during heart

development are true heart-makers!

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BY ALISHA JAIN, DAVID LINDERMAN, TARUC ALVAREZ,

& YASAMAN PIRAHANCHI. Alisha Jain is a Human Biology major from Thurgood Marshall College. She will be graduating in 2016. David Linderman is

a Biochemistry & Cell Biology and Psychology double major from Revelle College.

He will be graduating in 2013. Taruc Alvarez is a Biochemistry & Cell Biology

major from Eleanor Roosevelt College. He will be graduating in 2016. Yasaman Pirahanchi is a Biochemistry & Cell Biology major from Revelle College. She will

be graduating in 2014.

CELL RESEARCH

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Illustration by/ Neha Ahmed

NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH

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Undergraduates Explore Synesthesia’s Practical Side Synesthetes and their rare connection of sense stimulation could shine light on ways to aid people with learning disabilities

Priya Patel, a Marshall College sophomore, became involved in synesthesia research after learning about a neurological emember the refrigerator magnet alphabet set you had as a kid? You would use the letters to spell out words in condition called “phantom limb pain” prevalent in Haitian vibrant colors. Imagine if every letter and number had a amputee earthquake victims. Victims suffering from this unique color associated with it: one that you saw even if condition continue to feel painful sensations in their amputated limbs. Patel’s passion for biology and medicine began at a young the shape wasn’t colored. Each word would age when her mother suffered a brain hemorrhage. Patel was be a vivid picture and opening a book would The fascinated by how quickly and effectively the doctors were reveal a rainbow on every page. results of able to treat the problem. This interest soon developed into a desire to conduct research in neurology and This ability is known as testing 15 subjects, medicine, leading her to choose to attend UCSD grapheme–color synesthesia, and it’s 4 of whom exhibited because the faculty includes acclaimed psychology a fact of everyday life for synesthetes grapheme–color professor, V.S. Ramachandran. Ramachandran of this variety. People who exhibit this condition associate particular synesthesia, show that these has pioneered work in both synesthesia and in phantom limb therapy, which employs a box with colors with symbols — “C” and “S” subjects were able to a mirror to “trick” the brain into believing that the might be yellow, while “D” and “H” recognize the letters three image of a limb is real and then uses the association could be red. times faster than between vision and touch to treat the pain. control subjects.

There are many forms of synesthesia, When she first learned about synesthesia, Patel’s all of which stem from connections between curiosity was piqued by the many different research options the different lobes in the brain. Variants are classified by the associated stimuli and sensory feedback they elicit. Those available to her in the field. She and her fellow researchers chose with lexical–gustatory synesthesia, for example, associate the to test subjects with grapheme–color synesthesia because it is the sounds of speech with certain tastes. Sound–color synesthesia most common variant (it occurs in about 1% of humans) and is results in vibrant mental images when subjects hear music notes thus the most practical form of synesthesia to study. Patel aimed to determine whether or not subjects exhibiting grapheme–color or even everyday background noise. synesthesia recognize colors subconsciously before processing According to a 2009 study published in the journal the letters themselves. This process is called “blindsight,” soTECCOGS, most synesthetes are not aware of their atypical named for the subjects’ ability to process visual feedback without perceptive ability, but when recognized, synesthesia can be consciously seeing. To evaluate her hypothesis, Patel presented beneficial. Many people with the sound–color variety, such as subjects with puzzle pictures containing hidden or mirror-reversed famed composer Franz Liszt, have perfect pitch — when a tone letters. Because the letters were not in typical arrangements, they UNDER THE SCOPE

Patel’s research may suggest that the observed subconscious recognition may depend on the neighboring V4 section of the visual cortex. The findings potentially indicate that lower-level sensory processing of the colors occurs first and and is followed by the higher-level recognition of the graphemes in the fusiform gyrus through synaptic connections.

is played, they are able to accurately identify it. Grapheme–color synesthetes have also been known to be gifted mathematicians.

However, these seemingly supernatural abilities are rare.

Some researchers believe that artificially inducing synesthesia might eventually play a role as a learning aid for patients with autism. A small number of autistic people have trouble identifying objects and symbols, and efforts are being made to devise a viable method of “environmental” stimulation, in which patients are repeatedly exposed to colored letters and numbers to help improve the speed and accuracy of their recognition. Researchers generally believe, however, that grapheme–color synesthesia is not produced by environmental factors, but rather that it stems from “hard-wired” connections in the brain. If they are right, then an effective treatment for this aspect of autism would have to reshape the brain, perhaps by increasing the number of synaptic were intended to be difficult for normal subjects to immediately connections in the visual cortex. recognize. Patel, along with fellow researcher Elizabeth Seckel and faculty advisor Ramachandran, hypothesized that synesthetes Although we currently have no way to accomplish such would be able to recognize the reversed letters more quickly than changes, the possibilities suggested by Patel’s results hold vast normal subjects, who are limited to cues from the shape of the implications for the future of mental treatments. Patel remarked letters. that such a treatment, if found, could “change the lives of millions of Americans who have learning disabilities.” The topic The study included 15 subjects, four of whom exhibited has certainly made its mark on Patel — she plans to continue grapheme–color synesthesia, and recognition time was measured her work in the field and pursue a career in neurosurgery or using a simple stopwatch. Patel found that the difference in neuroscience research. recognition time between grapheme–color synesthetes and controls was extraordinary — the synesthetes were consistently WRITTEN BY SHARLEEN DUA, JENNIFER PARK, KELVIN NORONHA, three times quicker. These results suggest that synesthetes do in AND MAXWELL RUCKSTUHL. Sharleen Dua is a Human Biology major fact process letters with a form of blindsight, speeding up the from Sixth College. She will be graduating in 2016. Jennifer Park is a General Biology major from Thurgood Marshall College. She will be graduating in 2016. cognition process.

Visual recognition typically occurs in the fusiform gyrus, a visually-oriented part of the brain’s temporal lobe. However, Illustration by/ Neha Ahmed

Kelvin Noronha is a Physiology & Neuroscience major from Eleanor Roosevelt College. He will be graduating in 2016. Maxwell Ruckstuhl is a Physiology & Neuroscience major from John Muir College. He will be graduating in 2016.

NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH

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ver the past fifty years, researchers at UCSD have been putting their plants to work. The Yanofsky lab has made groundbreaking discoveries of fruit development genes involved in fruit formation and opening. The Estelle lab studies the plant hormone auxin and its impact on plant growth pathways. These are only some of the labs striving to elucidate how plants perform their core functions. Contrary to common belief, plants possess intricate internal processes and functions that are highly relevant to our own lives. Photosynthesis is a crucial process for plant growth. Leaves have structures called stomata on their lower surface that regulate carbon dioxide and allow for water exchange with the atmosphere. In transpiration, plants undergo water exchange to maintain fitness. Most plants adaptively use photosynthesis to make sugars and store them as starch during the day. They break down this starch for energy during the nighttime, allowing the plants to grow and flourish.

When Plants Face Drought Stress conditions, like drought or lack of nutrients, cause plants to produce the hormone abscisic acid (ABA). ABA stimulates stomatal guard cell closure to prevent further water loss and cytosolic calcium ions are involved in this process. A cell’s surface is embedded with a multitude of proteins for sensing signals and compounds, like calcium ions, with great specificity.

Desiree Nguyen, an undergraduate researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Julian Shroeder, attempted to characterize the molecular role of two types of calcium sensors in the stress response: Calcium Dependent Protein Kinases (CPKs) and Calmodulin-like (Cml) proteins.

the two respective sensor kinases, making them “double mutant” plants. These double mutants displayed impaired stomatal opening, a process that relies on ABA and calcium.

Meanwhile, plants with “knocked out,” and thus nonfunctional, Cml9 protein were drought sensitive and their seedlings showed ABA-dependent growth. Nguyen noted that although the Cml sensors did not display significant involvement in ABA-dependent growth, the calcium dependent kinases hold some promise. If so, the impact is great as the kinases could be harnessed to better control plant transpiration and growth in stress conditions.

Today, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood, but Nguyen and the Shroeder lab continue to study the proteins, hoping to decipher the molecular pathway.

They plan to isolate cpk3/cpk4/cpk6/cpk11 and cpk5/cpk6/cpk11/ cpk23 “quadruple mutant plant lines,” each with mutations in 4 different calcium dependent kinases. Presently, Nguyen has isolated one quadruple mutant plant line and is in the process of studying the resulting root growth phenotypes. She hopes to compare the double and quadruple mutant in future experiments.

All the confirmed mutant lines will undergo biological experiments for stomatal movement in response to various stimuli, such as ABA. These phenotypic studies can help elucidate the role of the proteins in a plant’s stress tolerance to environmental factors. Improved understanding of this complex transpiration molecular pathway can facilitate the development of innovative strategies to combat harmful environmental conditions faced by plants. Global climate change is likely to bring drastic changes in weather conditions including extreme drought. Research by Nguyen, and others like her, holds the potential to counter the CPK sensors were found to be more effective than Cml agricultural impact of these environmental stresses. With more sensors in inducing cytosolic calcium production. Nguyen study, plants could survive drought and produce increased crop explored various plant strains with different mutations in these yields. sensors. She discovered two different strains of plants, cpk3/6 and cpk4/11. Each strain consisted of plants with mutations in

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Illustration by/ Kyle Koerber & Neha Ahmed

PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH

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Other undergraduate researchers at UCSD have illustrated an alternate role for ABA in plants: in their circadian rhythms.

The ABA pathway resides deep at the molecular basis of plants but circadian behaviors can be observed even externally. Ying Sun, a student in Dr. Steve Kay’s lab, investigated the details of this circadian clock in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Arabidopsis is often the model plant of choice in research. Like most plants we eat, it is a dicot and has pathways applicable to most other plant systems. Plant internal processes like photosynthesis and metabolism of starch all occur in distinct and repetitive cycles within a period of about 24 hours. This phenomenon is known as a circadian rhythm and such rhythms are present in animals, plants, and fungi. For example, photosynthetic activity occurs during the day as it needs light to proceed. Understanding circadian rhythms in plants can affect our daily food sources, and future global warming will require plants to acclimate to dynamic environments, weather and periods of daylight and night.

The main components of the circadian clock are transcription factors. Genes in a plant are transcribed into RNA which is translated into functional protein that help the plant perform certain functions. Specific transcription factors can determine the timing and quantity of this protein translation. TOC1 protein is a key player in the plant circadian clock produced during the day and it encourages CCA1 and LHY production. The latter are transcription factors that interact with clock genes. CCA1 and LHY form a negative feedback loop inhibiting production of TOC1 as it peaks at dusk. Over the course of the night, when CCA1 and LHY break down, their lower levels allow TOC1 to reaccumulate during the day and continue the cycle.

Sun was able to identify transcriptional co-activators that may help in the transcription process and enable transcription

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the mid-gut of the mosquito. The disruption can prevent malaria transmission from one host to the next, as malaria is most often Plants can also be a good resource for achieving medical transmitted when mosquitoes bite human hosts. progress. For thousands of years, malaria has caused millions of The past year showed promising progress in plant research deaths around the world. People previously believed there was at UCSD. Examining the effects of calcium dependent sensors no possible cure or prevention for this fatal disease. However, in 2012, the biological science research division at UCSD kindled and abscisic acid on leaf stomatal guard cells is important in new hope for malaria victims. The possibility of eradicating helping plants cope with drought conditions and preserving malaria, as with smallpox, finally seemed within our grasp. Lauren their essential internal water supply. Similarly, knowledge from Tomosada, a student researcher in the lab of the renowned Dr. continued study of transcription factors involved in the plant circadian clock will further come into play for producing ideal Stephen Mayfield, was a part of this research. plant growth. Both hold great importance as the effects of global The female mosquito is the vector that transmits malaria. climate change take effect on our world. On an alternate note, Within the gut of the mosquito, malaria agents reproduce as diseases like malaria continue to claim lives, new methods for sexually, producing zygotes. Tomosada aimed to stop this stage of vaccine production give a promising hope for a cure. The ability reproduction by using algae plants. The algal chloroplast is used to produce algae efficiently and sustainably is a great solution not as a platform to produce subunit vaccines. These vaccines cause only for producing alternative fuels, but also for producing new the production of antigens in the body. The specific antigens vaccines in the future. The plant world holds great and extensive Plasmodium falciparum surface protein 25 (Pfs 25) and 28 (Pfs potential and further study is sure to bring a brighter and better 28) were difficult to produce in other forms of vaccines due to future for generations to come. their complex structure and lack of sugar coat.

Turning Chloroplasts into Vaccine Machines

Tiny Molecules, Ticking Clocks

CCA1 CCA1 LHY

TOC1 TOC1

Illustration Concept Courtesy of Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology

TOC1 activates CCA1 and LHY, which then repress levels of TOC1 throughout the night until it reaccumulates during the day. factors to recruit RNA polymerase and nucleotides. She screened and selected mutant plants showing possibly altered circadian pathways. The output of such pathways can often be observed externally. For example, some outputs that follow distinct rhythms are petal opening and flowering. Circadian rhythms similarly affect the expression of transcription factors, and changing the genes for these factors can affect the whole function of a plant.

Sun will examine plants with various disruptions in these co-activators for altered phenotypes. Her observations will focus on circadian-related outputs and whether the experimental plants will maintain circadian responses to various stresses. Though the research may be academic in its pursuits, the resulting knowledge can go far in establishing a foundation to enhance agricultural yield.

However, these unique features were formed in the algal chloroplast. Using western blot analysis, a process used to detect specific proteins, it was clear that the chloroplast was a successful agent in producing these antigens. Although subunit vaccines are generally more costly to produce than traditional vaccines, algae are widely used as a platform for subunit vaccine production because they are relatively easy and inexpensive to grow, have a short lifespan, and do not have viral contaminants within their systems, making them an ideal implement in vaccine production.

This algae vaccine has yet to be tested on humans but experiments in mice models have shown successful results. The surface proteins elicit antibodies against Plasmodium falciparum, which disrupts the sexual development of malaria parasites within Illustration by/ Neha Ahmed

WRITTEN BY PRIYA PATKAR, SAFWANUL HAQUE, AND CATHERINE NAKAO. Priya Patkar is a Biochemistry and Cell Biology major from Sixth College. She will be graduating in 2013. Safwanul Haque is a Microbiology major from Thurgood Marshall College. He will be graduating in 2014. Catherine Nakao is an undeclared major from Sixth College. She will be graduating in 2016.

PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH

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Students find how scent attracts us to food and how eating at certain times may change the way our bodies process the food, bringing insight to our eating patterns.

The moon glares through your dorm window and your desk spills over with scrawled-out Organic Chemistry notes and plastic ball-and-stick models of alkanes. The menacing growl from your stomach catches you off guard: time for yet another late-night Burger King run.

Or is it? Eating healthy and at regular intervals often falls as the last priority in a schedule full of midterms, meetings and meltdowns.

However, what if it’s not within your conscious control to decide what to eat?

Generally, people assume you are what you eat. Instead, it turns out that you eat what you are: You are, at a starkly scientific level, a jumble of of organs with a brain that directs them, thus making possible actions such as sleeping and eating. The interplay between neurons and food breakdown may be responsible for what you eat by controlling things such as your desire or distaste for certain dishes and even determining how the body will process foods

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Illustration by/ Aimee Ermel

depending on the time of day. Undergraduate researchers at UC San Diego are beginning to define these biological forces.

Our attraction for certain smells can be traced to the olfactory system. Beginning at the nose, this system allows us to detect the scents in our environment as our brain processes the thousands of odors we smell every day. Olfactory receptors in the brain detect specific odorants in the environment.

As we further explore this system, we can pinpoint the exact neural mechanisms that are involved.

Sniffing Out the Science of Attraction In Dr. Jin Wang’s neurobiology laboratory, Tricia Ngo conducted research on pheromones, the chemicals secreted by organisms that influence the behavior of members of the same species. The pheromone in this study, cVA (11-cis vaccenyl acetate), is responsible for attracting fruit flies to food NEUROBIOLOGY RESEARCH

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sources. “We came into the research already knowing that cVA was a pheromone for the fruit flies, but we determined which parts of the brain were actually necessary for attraction to it by blocking certain areas,” Ngo said. Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) were placed onto three separate test plates with either a food source of vinegar, cVA, or both. The flies’ responses showed the greatest attraction to the mixture of cVA and vinegar. “We’re still trying to find out why the mixture leads to this greater attraction,” Ngo said, “[Now] we are going to look at imaging data as a result of our behavioral data. Using photon microscopy, we will be able to have images of brain activation in response to the cVA.” Ngo determined that only certain parts of the Drosophila olfactory system are necessary for detecting cVA. Some neurons in the DrosopShila brain inhibit the ability to detect the cVA while other structures in the brain inhibit the attraction to cVA. This means that although the fruit fly can detect the pheromone, it will not display the same attraction response. To understand the effect, imagine the scent of your favorite freshly-baked cookies wafting your way but feeling no desire to run to the kitchen and eat because a part of your brain is turned off. Just as the fly’s desire to eat is largely based on its ability to pick up on scents, hungry students rely on cravings—or a lack thereof—to fill their stomachs.

In another sector of Dr. Wang’s lab, Lea May Currier explored how the Drosophila flies develop meal preferences early in development. “What we wanted to do was to basically figure out what the causal experiences are for flies to have preference for a particular smell—and usually a smell related to food,” Currier said. After hatching, fly pupae were contained in conditioning vials for three days, which Currier determined to be a critical period for flies to develop exposure and preference towards a scent. A group of flies was exposed to apple cider vinegar in the vials and thus conditioned to the scent, while a control group had

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no exposure to vinegar. After a period of starvation, female adult flies, whose olfactory senses are stronger than those of males, were introduced into a test plate containing a droplet of apple cider in the center. Blinded by a red light, the flies relied solely on their olfactory sense. If the fly remained at the center for ten seconds, it had made a definite “response” in recognizing the scent.

Under what conditions did the flies not respond to the smell? Both the flies left unconditioned and the conditioned flies that lacked certain olfactory receptors altogether passed over the droplet. Currier performed genetic crosses to create these “knockout” lines of flies lacking specific olfactory neurons and found each of these neurons to be directly needed for a fly’s retrieval of the vinegar, establishing an innate neural-based preference.

Currier, who is now taking a gap year before attending medical school, is currently furthering her research. The Wang lab lab has introduced a novel calcium imaging method to observe how, at a cellular level, olfactory neurons can be excited by certain scents. They are exploring if flies consume foods due to higher nutritional content. Ultimately, she explains, deciphering food preference in flies can be understood on a larger scale. “With all these environmental cues, we want to know what makes a fly have an aversion to something toxic and an attraction to something delicious,” Currier said. “We want to figure out how something with such a tiny brain is able to navigate effectively—it all leads back to food preferences and how when you’re younger you usually develop them.”

What would happen if these innate and developed preferences did not exist? Clearly, we do not give in to every craving. Instead, many of our decisions are based on what nutrition labels and clocks tell us. Whether processing quick bites or full meals, our stomachs are subject to on-demand digestion. Some people may experience a 24/7 urge to consume while others limit themselves

to set times in the day. Is one habit better for overall health? As college students, those feeding schedules long-enforced by parents and lunch bells are now disrupted by a lifestyle filled with not only a long-desired freedom, but also disorder. Lots of it. Interestingly, science seems to explain which feeding pattern whether around the clock or in regulated intervals is best.

Dialing Back on Snack Attacks

lifestyle intervention can be a preventative method to metabolic disease. If an innate preference is telling you to snack on those fried potato chips at midnight and again at three in the morning, it is important to disregard the preference, and focus on an eating time that is better for health purposes. Greater restriction and reformed eating patterns can greatly reduce the risk of chronic illnesses later in life.

Whether among fruit flies or mice, babies or college To explore this students, eating habits play an phenomenon, undergraduate essential role in determining student Ishika Arora, working in The whole experiment surprised day-to-day schedules and Dr. Satchidananda Panda’s lab, divided a sample of mice into me... It has so much potential in the general well-being. It is time to regain control over what groups based on two feeding real world that it could even work for nutrients you put inside your patterns. One group was given body and when you do so. humans. food with a high fat content Don’t let your neurons and

around the clock while the other your marathon study sessions group was fed the same high fat

- Ishika Arora do all the talking—or in this food for around eight hours a case, all the eating. Before you day. reach for that cup of sodium and chemicals that is Top Ramen at two in the morning, pause to think about what’s driving you to Despite the difference in food access times, the mice make such a decision. In order to eat healthily and responsibly, we consumed the same amount of calories. However, Arora discovered must first strive to be intentional about the meals on our plates. In that the mice who ate with a time restriction had normal this way, we can indeed eat the way we are. cholesterol levels and did not become diabetic, compared to their counterparts who were obese and mostly diabetic with extremely high cholesterol levels. “The whole experiment surprised me. The phenomenon is so amazing with the restricted feeding. It has so much potential in the real world that it could even work for WRITTEN BY BRIANNA EGAN, DEMIANA SIDRAK, AN QI (ANGELA) YAO, AND ALICE ZALAN. Brianna Egan is a Biochemistry and Cell Biology humans,” Arora said. major from Sixth College. She will be graduating in 2016. Demiana Sidrak is a Human Biology major from Sixth College. She will be graduating in 2015.

Theoretically applying her results to humans’ dietary An Qi (Angela) Yao is a Human Biology major from Revelle College. She will patterns, Arora believes that to become healthier, one just has to be graduating in 2013. Alice Zalan is a General Biology major from Thurgood limit the time per day that one consumes high fat foods. This Marshall College. She will be graduating in 2016.

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Understanding the human psyche is already an enormously complicated task: imagine trying to understand the behaviors of the vast numbers of animals and plants also on our planet. This is the daunting task faced by UCSD’s undergraduate ecological researchers, who spend countless hours in the lab trying to understand different facets of Mother Nature. Annika Nabors of the Nieh Lab explored an aspect of the enormously complex pollination behaviors of bees. Garfield Kwan of the Shurin Lab sought to maximize the quantity and survivability of biofuel product from algae by growing several different varieties of algae together. Finally, Elizabeth Miller of the Hastings Lab investigated the thin line of separation between different species of triplefin blenny fishes.

A Guide for Pollinators

the experiment, Annika designed artificial flowers to use in her experiment. Each artificial flower consisted of a rectangular plastic block with a sky blue circle inside of a forest green square pattern with a white plus sign to represent the nectar guide. To perform her experiment, Annika made two types of artificial flowers: one with an accurate nectar guide where the sugar would be placed in the nectar guide and another with an inaccurate nectar guide where the sugar would be placed in a different location than the nectar guide. She timed how long the bees would forage for the sugar on the plastic flowers, performing over 500 individual trials with both the accurate and the inaccurate nectar guide. Then, Annika compared the foraging time for bees on flowers with accurate nectar guides to the foraging time for bees on flowers with misleading nectar guides.

Annika’s results so far support the hypothesis that pollen It is not surprising to learn that bees are the most prolific guides play an important role in pollination. Bees spent less time pollinators in the world, pollinating more than any other foraging on flowers with accurate nectar guides, so she concluded organism. They have a symbiotic relationship with flowers, that nectar guides are not merely aesthetically pleasing, but also collecting pollen on different parts of their bodies and transferring have a functional purpose. Her research on pollination has a this pollen to other flowers. These pollinated flowers often display significant impact on the agricultural industry. intricate patterns, such as thin lines pointing towards the center Harnessing Algae for Energy of the flower, to indicate the location of its pollen. Annika Nabors asked whether the patterns, called nectar guides, are simply a case Another topic explored by UCSD undergraduate ecological of form following function where the design on a petal points inward just because of the shape of the petal or whether the nectar researchers is alternative energy sources. As fossil fuel reserves guides actually have a functional purpose in guiding the bees run low, viable alternatives for fuel sources such as biofuel are towards a source of nectar. She performed an experiment to test becoming more and more important. the functions of nectar guides and their foraging effects on the Garfield Kwan examined the production of algal biofuel. To bumblebee species, Bombus impatiens. “Bees are very important to agriculture. Understanding how and why they forage on different become a more feasible alternative to fossil fuels, biofuel must be things and at what speeds they go helps us to better control our produced efficiently. The old method, where companies simply grew vats of one species of algae to produce biofuel, was highly agriculture and pollinate things with bees,” says Annika. impractical because the algae were extremely vulnerable to invasive Because real flowers could not be scientifically controlled species and disease. Contaminated cultures would be tossed out, and would introduce variables such as odor that could distort wasting both time and money and severely limiting the successful

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UNDER THE SCOPE

Illustration by/ Neha Ahmed

ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH

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Elizabeth spent many hours in her lab characterizing the three new species of triplefin blennies by their morphological characteristics, specifically working with ones that live off the Pacific coast of Mexico. Every one of the fishes’ scales had to be meticulously counted and categorized into 4 or 5 different groups under a microscope. Elizabeth also used an x-ray to count the number of fin rays and vertebrae bones in each fish specimen.

These details help in mapping out a phylogenetic tree, which will use the different morphological characteristics, such as bone structure, to identify which fish species are evolutionarily older Garfield discovered a complex relationship between the than other species and which species are more closely related to number of algae species and the amount of biofuel output. For each other. two or three species of algae, productivity of biofuel and overall One of Elizabeth’s proposed causes for speciation is survivability of the algae increased. Surprisingly however, the sample with ten species of algae suffered major losses and most geographic isolation. The Baja California area is rich in geologic of the algae died. On average, however, when there is more than history, having withstood the shifting of tectonic plates along one species of algae present and less than ten species of algae the San Andreas Fault. These events have broken up peninsulas present, biofuel will not only be produced in larger quantities, and created new aquatic environments, promoting geological but also resist predation better. Algal biofuel companies can use separation and thus creating circumstances for entirely new species this information to improve upon their techniques and produce to evolve through geographical isolation. “[My research] … helps higher amounts of biofuel, thus making it cheaper and more us understand both the geologic history of [Baja California] and practical for purchase and eventual use. According to Garfield, the evolutionary history of the fishes in that region, which I think “I can’t predict anything, but I would hope we will [start using is important and contributes to our understanding of marine biofuels] in our lifetime. I would hope to see that we don’t run out evolution in general,” says Elizabeth. of fossil fuels and then use biofuels.”

Biological research deals with widespread topics not only about the human body, but also about the environment in Fishing up the Past which we live in. Annika, Garfield, and Elizabeth have explored Knowledge about the evolutionary past of animals helps the bees that pollinate our crops, the algae that can reduce our scientists understand how and why different organisms evolved dependence on fossil fuels, and the fish that can provide a window to fill specific niches in their environment. Elizabeth Miller into geological history. We are adding to our understanding of the studied deceased and preserved fish at the Scripps Institute of world we live in, one research project at a time.

Oceanography. Her research confirmed the speciation of three entirely new species of triplefin blenny fishes, a type of fish that WRITTEN BY JACKY LU AND MITCHELL ZHAO. Jacky Lu is a General Biology major from John Muir College. He will be graduating in 2016. Mitchell lives near the bottom of the ocean. adaptation of algal biofuel as an alternative energy source. For his research project, Garfield studied the viability of algal biofuel produced by several different species of algae as compared to the viability of biofuel made by only one species. The groups of algal biofuel that he used contained anywhere from one to ten different species of algae. For each group, Garfield tested how the vats of algae reacted to herbivores or variations in food supply or lighting.

Then, he measured the amount of biofuel product that came out of each sample.

Zhao is a Biochemistry & Cell Biology major from John Muir College. He will be graduating in 2016.

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UNDER THE SCOPE

2012 Biological Sciences Research Showcase abstract list Cellular and Developmental Poster # 1 Functions of Cathepsins in Drosophila Immunity and Lifespan Aditi Mary Abraham Dr. Willis Li Poster # 2 Extended Daily Fasting Overrides Harmful Effects of a High-Fat Diet Ishika Arora Dr. Satchidananda Panda Poster # 3 Immunosenescence is Associated with Disease Progression but not Depression in Presymptomatic Stage B Heart Failure Patients Tiefu Cheng Dr. Suzi Hong

Poster # 4 Role of the Cytoplasmic Domain in Alpha-4 Signaling Mechanisms Megan Marie Craig Dr. Dwayne Stupack Poster # 5 The inductive effects of mercury (II) chloride on S. purpuratus ATP-binding cassette transporter genes Rose Zabel Hill Dr. Amro Hamdoun Poster # 6 Protective activities of aldolase on Lactate Dehydrogenase against various effects Jinkook Kang Dr. Percy Russell Poster # 7 Comparison of Glaucoma Progression in Series of Heidelberg Retina Tomograph Images with the Visual Field Jaein Kwon Dr. Linda Zangwill Poster # 8 The Interplay of AMPK and GIV in Linking Energetic Stress to Loss of Epithelial polarity and Oncogenesis Jeremy Yenjang Lin Dr. Pradipta Ghosh Poster # 9 Identification and characterization of a regulatory mutation that causes hypervariable phenotypes in Drosophila embryos Jasmine Ong Manubay Dr. Steven A. Wasserman Poster # 10 The role of the homeodomain protein Six6 in pituitary gonadotrope gene expression Chiara Maruggi Dr. Pamela Mellon Poster # 11 Role of Mindin in Fibroblast

Activation Amy Haru Morioka Dr. Colin Jamora Poster # 12 Investigating the cytokine activity of the Drosophila Toll Pathway Allen Ninh Dr. Steven A. Wasserman Poster # 13 Chytrid pathogenesis programs the algal host proteotype Fiona Margaret Nohilly Dr. Steven Briggs Poster # 14 Protective effects of spinach aldolase on muscle adenylate kinase and phosphofructokinase-1 activities Brian Jihoon Park Dr. Percy Russell Poster # 15 Intestinal Intraepithelial Lymphocyte (IEL) Decline in the Obese Mouse Model Christa So Hyun Park Dr. Julie Jameson Poster # 16 Signaling Pathways Governing Cardiac Inflow Tract Formation in Zebrafish Tina Neda Vajdi Dr. Deborah Yelon Poster # 17 Characterizing divergent bacteriophage-encoded tubulin homolog “PhuZ” Hannah Wang Dr. Joe Pogliano Poster # 18 Effects of kisspeptin signaling on body weight in mice Stephanie Chien-Huei Yen Dr. Alexander (Sasha) Kauffman Poster # 19 Using Rodent Parasite Systems RESEARCH SHOWCASE

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to Study Anthelmintics (anti-worm drugs) for Human Intestinal Parasites Ying Ying Yiu Dr. Raffi Aroian

Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution Poster # 20 Comparison of the embryonic cell lineage of C. briggsae x C. sp 9 hybrids to the parental C. briggsae lineage Stephanie Grace Fairbairn Dr. Scott Rifkin Poster # 21 The effects of various precipitation patterns on the rates of nutrient mineralization within a chaparral ecosystem.

Mollee Maree Faulkner Dr. Elsa Cleland

Poster # 27 Exploring the Regulation of yidC2 in Bacillus subtilis George Hueisun Chen Dr. Kit Pogliano Poster # 28 Algae-Produced Pfs25 Elicits Antibodies That Inhibit Malaria Transmission Chesa J Cox Dr. Stephen Mayfield

Poster # 22 The effect of long-term parthenogenesis on Drosophila mercatorum Hiroto Kameyama Dr. Therese Markow

Poster # 29 Intron retention and alternative AUG site usage characterize the unique regulation of a glycolytic transcription factor in response to glucose availability in S. cerevisiae.

Mary Fok Dr. Tracy L. Johnson

Poster # 23 Effects of Algal Diversity on Biomass Yield, Grazing Resistance, and Resource Use Efficiency Tsz Fung Kwan Dr. Jonathan Shurin

Poster # 30 Vax1 and cFos regulation of GnRH transcription changes during GnRH neuron maturation Ping Gong Dr. Pamela Mellon

Poster #24 Three New Species of Triplefin Blennies from the Tropical Eastern Pacific Elizabeth Christina Miller Dr. Phil Hastings

Poster # 31 The Unique Shuttling Pathway of the Peroxisomal PTS2 Receptor, Pex7, in Pichia pastoris Danielle Nicole Hagstrom Dr. Suresh Subramani

Poster # 25 The relationship between nectar guides and foraging speed in Bombus impatiens Annika Joy Nabors Dr. James Nieh

Molecular

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Poster # 26 Activation of AMPK inhibits Monosodium Urate (MSU) crystal-induced Inflammation David D Chen Dr. Ru Bryan

UNDER THE SCOPE

Poster #32 What do mRNA quality control and neurodegeneration have in common? A tale of a ribosome-associated E3 ubiquitin ligase Aleksandar Jamborcic Dr. Claudio Joazeiro

Poster # 33 The Cap Binding Complex (CBC) regulates translation of the unspliced GCR1 transcript in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to regulate metabolic gene expression during glucose starvation.

Mireille Kamariza Dr. Tracy Johnson Poster # 34 Role of Tissue-nonspecific Alkaline Phosphatase and Fetuin in Biomineralization Bryan Anthony Lam Dr. Paul Price Poster # 35 Characterization of HepatocyteSpecific SRSF1 (ASF/SF2) Knockout Mice Magda T Langiewicz Dr. Nicholas Webster Poster # 36 Modulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 expression by a leading Grampositive bacterium Aaron Louie Dr. Victor Nizet Poster # 37 Screening for Heterochromatin Promoting Drug in Drosophila Andre Christopher Loyola Dr. Willis Li Poster # 38 A Novel Anti-RON Antibody, RON8, Inhibits Tumor Growth in an Orthotopic Patient-Derived Xenograft Model of Pancreatic Cancer Jaclyn Kuniko Miyamoto Dr. Andrew M. Lowy Poster # 39 Role of calcium sensors in stress responses of plants Desiree Nguyen Dr. Julian I. Schroeder Poster # 40 Insulin Effector, FOXO1,

Decreases Activin Induction of Folliclestimulating Hormone Beta Gene Expression Chung Hyun Park Dr. Varykina Thackray Poster # 41 Comparison of the activities of the human TUTases Jong H Park Dr. Jens Lykke-Andersen Poster # 42 Protein Kinase C-Theta phosphorylates and inhibits GIV´s Guanidine Exchange Factor (GEF) Activity Shabnam Pedram Dr. Pradipta Ghosh Poster # 43 Stem Cell Regulation by Class III HD-ZIPs in Arabidopsis thaliana Christopher Shaun Probert Dr. Jeff Long Poster # 44 PTHrP promotes proliferation and confers radioresistance in vestibular schwannoma in vitro Elham Rahimy Dr. Martin Haas Poster # 45 Functional characterization of Pex19p N and C-terminal deletions in Pichia pastoris Helen Hao Shang Dr. Suresh Subramani Poster # 46 The role of secondary metabolites in the interspecies interactions of Serratia marcescens and Bacillus subtilis Michael Dean Sharp Dr. Kit Pogliano Poster # 47 Androgen-mediated transcriptional regulation of gonadotropinreleasing hormone receptor Shadi Shojaei

Dr. Pamela Mellon Poster #48 Investigating the regulation of the Circadian clock output Ying Sun Dr. Steve A. Kay Poster # 49 In-vivo expression analysis of potential virulence genes of Leptospira interrogans in a hamster model of infection Jason Robert Tanseco Dr. Joseph Vinetz Poster # 50 Activation of the Akt Pathway by Small Molecule Compounds Amy Elizabeth Taylor Dr. Nicole Purcell Poster # 51 Algae-Produced Pfs25 Elicits Anitbodies That Inhibit Malaria Transmission Lauren Michele Tomosada Dr. Stephen Mayfield Poster # 52 Development of a p27-GFP Reporter Fusion Protein to Detect Transition Across the G1 Phase Restriction Point Eric Casey Warren Dr. Steven F. Dowdy

Neurobiology Poster # 53 Looking at Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors in Mouse Models as Potential Treatment in Human Huntington’s Disease Christine Marie Boyajian Dr. Jody Corey-Bloom Poster # 54 Olfactory imprinting in Drosophila Lea May Currier Dr. Jing Wang

Poster # 55 Synthesis of Molecular Rotors to Visualize Alzheimer’s Disease Amyloid Deposit Thai Hoang Do Dr. Emmanuel Theodorakis Poster # 56 Characterization of Optimal Developmental Stage of Spinal Cord Neural Precursors for Formation of Functional Relays After Spinal Cord Injury Audris M Fan Dr. Mark Tuszynski Poster # 57 Immunohistochemical assessment of brain pathology in an experimental model of HIV infection and METH exposure Maria Noelle Valila Florendo Dr. Cristian Achim Poster # 58 Interaction of Multiple Contexts in Modulating Behavioral Choice of the Medicinal Leech Fred Gardezy Dr. William Kristan Poster # 59 Effects of Immunosuppressants Cyclosporin A and FK506 on Central Axon Outgrowth in vitro Ari David Kappel Dr. Mark H. Tuszynsk, Dr. Ephron R. Rosenzweig Poster # 60 In Vivo Evaluation of the Signaling Mechanisms of Melanopsin Irene M Kim Dr. Ludovic Mure Poster # 61 Loss of SNX27 from Dopamine Neurons is Independent of Survival Rate in Mice and Displays Wild-type Cocaine Sensitization Response Seung Jin Lee RESEARCH SHOWCASE

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Dr. Michaelanne Munoz Poster # 62 Neural Mechanisms underlying the Regulation of Food Search Behavior by Social Cues Tricia Ngo Dr. Jing Wang Poster # 63 Synesthetic blindsight in a projector synesthete: Lower-level processing of colors allows for faster recognition of graphemes.

Priya Hasmukh Patel Dr. V.S. Ramachandran Poster # 64 Through The Looking Glass: Using Mirror Box Therapy to Treat Phantom Limb Pain in Port-au-Prince, Haiti Elizabeth Laura Seckel Dr. V.S. Ramachandran Poster # 65 Glaucoma - are certain subtypes of Retinal Ganglion Cells more susceptible to the disease?

J. Bradley Segal Dr. Andrew Huberman Poster # 66 Conditioned place preference to assess anti-hyperalgesic effect of gabapentin on cisplatin-induced painful neuropathy in mice James Christian Frederick Skahen Dr. Tony Yaksh Poster # 67 Novel Role of Mannose Binding Lectin in Age Related Neuroinflammation and Neurocognitive Consequences in HIV Infected Brain Dong Mai Tran Dr. Kumud K Singh

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Master’s Research

UNDER THE SCOPE

Poster # 68 Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells are Targeted Early During Arenavirus Infection Aaron Yu-Yuan Chang Dr. Elina Zuniga Poster # 69 Assay Development for Novel Drug Discovery Against Whipworm Parasites Sandy Chang Dr. Raffi Aroian Poster # 70 MicroRNAs: The Role of Let-7 in Human Embryonic Stem Cell Derived Neural Precursor Cells Connie Chen Dr. Alexey Terskikh Poster # 71 GPCR signaling in Cardiac Progenitor Cells Gino Paul Chesini Dr. Joan Heller Brown Poster # 72 The Role and Therapeutic Potential of gp130 Receptor in Chronic Viral Infection Aleksandr Dolgoter Dr. Elina Zuniga Poster # 73 Novel role of MBL in HIV1 related Neuroinflammation and CNS Impairment in Methamphetamine Users Brent Jacob Geffen Dr. Kumud Singh Poster # 74 Performance of native and exotic species following fire in San Diegan coastal sage scrub communities Scott Charles Gressard Dr. Elsa Cleland Poster # 75 Mating System and

Evolutionary Genetics of an Invasive African Drosophilid: Zaprionus indianus Giovanni Hanna Dr. Therese Markow Poster # 76 RON Overexpression Induces Acincar-Ductal Metaplasia and Accelerates Tumorigenesis in a KRAS Mutant Mouse Model of Pancreatic Cancer Megan Michelle Harper Dr. Andrew M Lowy Poster # 77 Isolation of potential inner membrane proteins targeting the Yersinia pseudotuberculosis YopE effector to the Type III Secretion System in preparation for secretion and translocation Surina R Hemani Dr. Partho Ghosh Poster # 78 The role of Src kinase proteins in pDC cytokine response to TLR ligands Charles Robert Hesser Dr. Elina I. Zuniga Poster # 79 An MICROscopic analysis of fruit patterning in Arabidopsis thaliana Ting Ting Hon Dr. Martin Yanofsky Poster # 80 A scalable system for identifying changing patterns of DNA-binding proteins during stem cell differentiation Erica Hsiao Dr. Benjamin D. Yu Poster # 81 A Study of Death Associated Protein Kinase Function in C. elegans Tiffany Iris Hsiao Dr. Andrew Chisholm Poster # 82 Axonal growth and myelination

of E-14 transplanted spinal cord stem cells Matthew Adam Hunt Dr. Mark Tuszynski

Signaling Is Required for HSC Formation Jennifer Erin Manegold Dr. David Traver

Poster # 83 The role of Foxo3 in neutrophil homeostasis Hannah Kang Dr. Stephen M. Hedrick

Poster # 90 G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) arrays identify physiologically relevant targets in Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells (PASMC): mRNA to Function Daniel Scott Mcdonald Dr. Paul A. Insel

Poster # 84 Disease-stage specific G-protein coupled receptor expression in clinical disorders: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia as a model Trishna Chetan Katakia Dr. Paul Insel Poster # 85 Dentate Gyrus Network Reorganization During Medial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Leads to Dysfunctional Dentate Neural Network in Rats Vicky Lam Dr. Jill Leutgeb Poster # 86 Co-culturing nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria and diatoms in nitrogendeplete media for biofuels production William Franklin Lambert Dr. Brian Palenik Poster # 87 Redox Regulation by Thioredoxins in Plant Immunity Yujung Michelle Lee Dr. Steven P. Briggs Poster # 88 Interleukin 33 Recruits Lineage Negative Myeloid Cells Into The Lung And Replicates The Allergic Asthma-like Phenotype In Mice In The Absence Of Antigen Or Lymphocytes Jenna-Marie Emilia Magat Dr. Timothy Bigby Poster # 89 Endothelial-Specific FGF

Poster # 91 The role of Atg18 and Atg18-like proteins in D. melanogaster autophagy Michael Ngumi Dr. Amy Kiger Poster # 92 Long-Distance Outgrowth from Neural Stem Cell Grafts in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury Kenneth Cong Nguyen Dr. Mark Tuszynski Poster # 93 Peroxisomal Degradation and Hepatitis C Virus Proliferation Shereen Nourollahi Dr. Aleem Siddiqui Poster # 94 Physical and genetic interactions of proteins required for asymmetric cell division in maize Yeri Park Dr. Laurie Smith Poster # 95 Spermidine as a Stimulus of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase N2 Mediated Protection of Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Function Harrison M Penrose Dr. Kim Barrett Poster # 96 Inhibiting Wnt-Ryk signaling to promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury

Maysam M Pessian Dr. Yimin Zou Poster # 97 The Mechanism of Fibroblast Activation in Cancer Nimesh Rajakumar Dr. Colin Jamora Poster # 98 The Search for Novel Anthelmintics: Assay Development as Critical for New Drug Discovery Against Human Intestinal Parasites Arash Rafiei Safavi Dr. Raffi V. Aroian Poster # 99 Proteins that Interact with Arabidopsis TANGLED Tianying Su Dr. Laurie Smith Poster # 100 EhCP1 and EhCP5: key released cysteine proteinases of Entamoeba histolytica as drug targets Jasmine Ta Dr. Sharon Reed Poster # 101 Co-expression Analysis of the Maize Seed Kevin James Wu Dr. Steven Briggs Poster # 102 Effects of In Vivo Expression of Gap Junction Mutant Hve-innexin1PL on Neural Coupling & Coexpression of Other Innexins Neema Yazdani Dr. Eduardo Macagno Poster # 103 Treating Atherosclerosis by Targeting Heparan Sulfate and RAGE Interactions Jeffrey H Young Dr. Jeffrey Esko

RESEARCH SHOWCASE

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