May 2004 Volume 19, Number 2
THE NONSENSE SUPPRESSOR Newsletter of the Department of Biology College of Arts & Science University of Rochester Rochester, NY 14627-0211
Doris Kist, Production Editor Cheeptip Benyajati, Reviewing Editor and Photographer Ninety-four Graduates to TEL: 585/275-3850 FAX: 585/275-2070 EMAIL: [email protected] Receive Diplomas at WEB SITE: www.rochester.edu/College/BIO/ newsletter/ Afternoon Ceremony ______Fifty-three women and forty-one men are eligible to receive their IN THIS ISSUE degrees at the Diploma Ceremony of the Department of Biology being held on Sunday, May 16, 2004 at 2:30 p.m. in the River Road Auditorium. The COVER: ninety-four men and women of the Class of 2004 have satisfactorily completed the requirements for one of the four Biology Department Four years of work by graduates tracks—B.A. in Biology (BIO), B.S. in Biological Sciences: Cell and culminate in Biology Diploma Developmental Biology (BCD); B.S. in Biological Sciences: Evolutionary Ceremony. Biology and Ecology (BEB), B.S. in Biological Sciences: Molecular Genetics RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR (BMG). UNDERGRADS Dr. Thomas Eickbush, Professor of Biology and Department Chair, will be the Master of Ceremonies, welcoming students and guests and also General Research Experiences, p. 2-3 handing students their diplomas. This year’s student speaker, chosen by the faculty for excellence in Distinction in Research, p. 3 academics and research and for service to the College, is Maximilian Popp who will be introduced by Dr. Robert Angerer, Professor of Biology. Evan Kingsley, p. 4 Dr. Cheeptip Benyajati will present the Catherine Block Memorial Anat Kohn, p. 5 Prize, a College award given each year to a junior woman for excellence in Matt Maurer, p. 6 Mark O’Hara, p. 7 science. Sharon Paige (BCD), class of 2005, is the recipient. Dr. Elaine Sia, Max Popp, p. 8 Assistant Professor of Biology, will present awards to seniors. The Donald Rebecca Porter, p. 9 R. Charles Memorial Prize, given annually by the Biology Department to Anne Stey, p. 10 students who show great potential and have exhibited excellence in science will be received by Victoria Bottazzo (BCD), Julie Hull (BIO), Jehu Mathew UNDERGRADUATE SOCIETY RETURNS, p. (BMG), Matthew Maurer (BMG), Mark O’Hara (BMG), Maximilian Popp 11 (BMG). A slide show, organized by Jessica Marcinkevage aided by More senior research/professional experiences, p. 11-14 members of the class will be presented just before the awarding of diplomas. Announcement of honors—Phi Beta Kappa and Latin de Kiewiet Summer Fellowship, p. 14 Honors—along with the reading of blurbs written by the graduates will be done by Dr. Anthony Olek (BIO), Dr. Cheeptip Benyajati (BCD), Dr. John PROFESSOR RETIRES AFTER 36 YEARS Jaenike (BEB), Dr. David Hinkle (BMG). AT UR, p. 15 A reception will be held immediately following the ceremony in the tent on the front lawn. Stan Hattman on his research career DEPARTMENTS, p. 18 Congratulations and Best Wishes to the Class of Congratulations, p. 18; Arrivals and Departures, p. 19; Off Campus, p. 19; 2004 from the Biology Department Faculty and Staff Recent Publications, p. 20-21 Volume 19, Number 2 The Nonsense Suppressor May, 2004
The Department of Biology Graduating Class of 2004
Bachelor of Arts Jennifer E. Knipe Kelly L. Wentworth Matthew Cummins Trisha LeRoy Jonathan P. Wilmot Alexandra Louise Larson Nadia Boyd Alber Carmen E. Lewis Regine Wong Daniel McLaughlin Koya C. Allen Jeannine Elizabeth Manna Yan Ming Alvin Wong Andrea Murphy Jenna Lyn Arndt Jessica Ann Macinkevage Rebecca Ann Schlissermann Stephan Barrientos Andrew H. Marky Bachelor of Science Anthony Siniscal Marco A. Bernobich Stephanie L. Montrallo Adam C. Smith Birju D. Bhatt Swathi Nadindla Biological Sciences: Carolyn A. Waugh Seema Shashikant Bhopale Jaeyoung Park Cell and Developmental Kristin M. Broderick Noah D. Pavlisko Biology Miguel A. Brown Riley J. Payne Biological Sciences: Taylor J. Buckley Andrew S. Pederzolli Victoria M. Bottazzo Molecular Genetics Sarah D. Crimmins Kaitlin G. Poeth Jacob M. Budny Ben A. Cross Nathan Rimmke Nicole Renee Crnkovich Sara Ferri Taryn M. Cutting Crystalaida Angelita Carlos Shailey Sharad Desai Dariya S. Glazer Lisa Michelle Denmark Rufo Adam Goldstone David Iseminger Christine W. Du Danielle Clark Ruppert Albert Yung-Hsiang Huang Anat Kohn Molly E. Fuchs Rebecca Ryszkiewicz Evan Kingsley Jehu Mathew Matthew Jason Furman Alayna M. Sak Peter J. Moses Matthew Joseph Maurer Miranda Anne Gauvin Simmi Anil Shirwaikar Snehal Rajendrakumar Patel Mark H. O’Hara Alice Fitzgerald Goodwin Durga Singh Samit Shah Maximilian Wei-Lin Popp Kara Rachel Greenwald Shaila Singh Benjamin B. Solter Peter Damian Sidor Atul S. Gulati Michael Richard Sinkoff Marjorie Sophia Waterman Samuel P. Strom Lindsey Starr Hagstrom Deepak Sobti Jessica M. Szymaniak Joshua Hirschhorn Abraham Mead Spence Cheryl B. Thomas Julie C. Hull Kathleen M. Svala Biological Sciences: Cornelia Emilia Zorca Gabrielle A. Kapsak Jane Tam Evolutionary Biology and Mohammed Faraz Khan Satyen S. Undavia Ecology Sairah Khan Grace Anna Vangeison Jillian M. Kirstein Scott M. VanValkenburg Jessica Cassavaugh
Undergraduates Take Advantage of a Wide Range of Research Opportunities
The Biology Department of the University of Rochester, together with the research departments of the School of Medicine and Dentistry located just a five-minute walk away, offers to its majors a diversity of oppor- tunities for engaging in hand-on modern biomedical research. Those opportunities are limited only by students’ talents and by their persistence in searching for faculty doing research projects that match their interests. Every year Biology majors engage in laboratory research as volunteers, as student employees, for credit in IND 395, and in the summers as research fellows either at the UR or at other institutions as well in paying jobs for biotechnol- ogy companies.
Independent Research Fall 01/Spring 02 Jehu Mathew, Mark Noble, Bio- medical Genetics (1); Maximilian Twenty-eight members of Julie Hull, John Huelsenbeck, Biol- Popp, Robert Angerer, Biology (1); the Biology Department graduat- ogy (1); Mohammed Faraz Khan, Satyen Undavia, David Goldfarb, ing class of 2004 have done one or J.H. David Wu, Chemical Engi- Biology (2). more semesters of Independent neering (1). Research for credit. Those stu- Fall 03/Spring 04 dents, their faculty sponsors, spon- Fall 02/Spring 03 sor’s department and number of Nicole Crnkovich, Benjamin Samit Shah, Thomas Eickbush, Bi- Miller, Dermatology (1); Evan semesters of research each year ology (1); Kara Greenwald, Allen are: Kingsley, David Pearce, Ctr. for Orr, Biology (1); Rebecca Schlis- Aging and Developmental Biology sermann, John Jaenike, Biology (1); (1); Marjorie Waterman, Robert D.
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Frisina, Surgery-Otolaryngology (2); Maximilian Popp, Robert An- sley did his research in David (1); Jessica Cassavaugh, John gerer, Biology (2); Cornelia Zorca, Pearce’s lab in the Center for Ag- Jaenike, Biology (1); Matt Cum- Martin Gorovsky, Biology (2); ing and Developmental Biology on mins, John Jaenike, Biology (1); Kelly Wentworth, Luojing Chen, the project “Retinal pathology of Anthony Siniscal, John Jaenike, Ctr. for Human Genetics and Pedi- the Cln3-/- mouse, a model for Bat- Biology (1); Koya Allen, Wei-Ping atric Diseases (2). ten Disease.” Matt Maurer did re- Zheng, Microbiology and Immu- search under the direction of nology, Ctr. for Vaccine Biology de Kiewiet Summer Research Elaine Sia in the Department of (1); Jenna Arndt, David Calkins, Biology. His project was “Protein Ophthalmology (1); Stephan Barri- The Undergraduate Pro- factors involved in mismatch re- entos, Jiyong Zhao, Biomedical gram in Biology and Medicine pair of the mitochondrial genome Genetics (1); Birju Bhatt, Carl Pink- (UPBM) has been awarding de in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.” Mark ert, Pathology and Ctr. for Aging Kiewiet Summer Research Fellow- O’Hara and Cornelia Zorca and Developmental Biology (1); ships since 1983 to UR students worked on two different projects Ben Cross, John Jaenike, Biology majoring in one of the UPBM in Marty Gorovsky’s lab in the (1); Joshua Hirschhorn, John Wer- tracks. (See article on Summer 2004 Department of Biology. Mark did ren, Biology (1); Nathan Rimmke, Fellows.) Although the number of “Analysis of TWI4: a homologue of John Jaenike, Biology (1); Deepak applicants is small compared to TWI1” and Cornelia’s project was Sobti, Rulang Jiang, Ctr. for Oral most summer programs, the com- “Attempts to generate a germline Biology (1); Deepak Sobti, Carl petition is intense. Students ap- HHP1 knockout in Tetrahymena Pinkert, Pathology and Ctr. for plying must already have a mentor thermophila.” Kelly Wentworth’s Aging and Developmental Biology and must submit a detailed re- research was “Identification of the (1); Satyen Undavia, David Gold- search proposal. The summer fel- interacting proteins of the protein farb, Biology (1); Jonathan Wilmot, lows work fulltime in a lab for 10 kinase PKK by a yeast two-hybrid John Jaenike, Biology (1); Anat weeks. Class of 2004 graduates system” which she did under the Kohn, Elaine Sia, Biology (2); Jehu who have been de Kiewiet fellows direction of Luojing Chen in the Mathew, Mark Noble, Biomedical are: Evan Kingsley, BCD; Mat- Center for Human Genetics and Genetics (1); Matthew Maurer, thew Maurer, BMG; Mark O’Hara, Pediatric Disease. Elaine Sia, Biology (1); Mark BMG; Kelly Wentworth, BIO; O’Hara, Martin Gorovsky, Biology Cornelia Zorca, BMG. Evan King-
Four UPBM Graduates Earn Distinction in Research
The Undergraduate Program in Biology and sus local motion” was carried out under the sponsor- Medicine (UPBM) provides majors in the B.S. or B.A. ship of Charles J. Duffy and William K. Page of the tracks the opportunity to graduate with distinction in Department of Neurology. research. Students must achieve a minimum GPA of 2.7 and must defend their written thesis at a meeting Natasha Girgis, BMB, whose project “Enhanced in- of their advisory committee. Most students seeking a fection of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells degree with distinction have worked on a research using a modified adenovirus targeted to DC-SIGN” project for a year or more and have achieved signifi- was mentored by Stephen Dewhurst of the Depart- cant results. They then immerse themselves in the ment of Microbiology and Immunology. time-consuming process of writing the thesis. Those who successfully complete their research and then Ian Harwood, BBC, whose project “Purification and push on to write the required paper are rewarded with characterization of human cyclin-dependent kinase 1” the phrase “Distinction in Research” added to their was directed by Ravi Basavappa of the Department of transcripts. Biochemistry and Biophysics. The four members of the class of 2004 who have earned the honor of “Distinction in Research” Daniel Lioy, BNS, whose project “Characterization of are: the C17.2 stem cell as a model for studying arylhydro- carbon receptor-mediated neuronal development” was Zarina Sultana Ali, BNS, whose project “Neuronal undertaken with the guidance of Lisa Opanashuk of mechanisms of actively steering optic flow: global ver- the Department of Environmental Medicine.
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Seniors Share Experiences Which Have Shaped their Plans for the Future
After my first semester of washing dishes, I spent the summer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as a guest student in the lab of Cabell Davis. Dr. Davis researches local spatial distributions of plankton using a device called the Video Plankton Recorder (VPR). The VPR consists of high- magnification cameras and other sensors mounted on a hydrodynamic frame. It is towed behind a research vessel, where it records video that can be analyzed using computers on deck. I helped optimize the focus detection program that recognizes the plankton in the video images and worked toward creating a user in- terface for graphing the data collected. My first semester of independent research took place during my junior year. Since the first out- ward symptom of JNCL is blindness, I began looking at the retina of the Cln3-knockout mouse for any signs Evan Kingsley (BCD) of degeneration. Over two semesters of independent research and a summer, thanks to the de Kiewiet pro- It started with Stanley Hattman’s class fresh- gram, we discovered that, although there is no major man year. Once the ball started rolling, I couldn’t get it morphological change in the retina, there is a subtle to stop. Subsequent classes taught by David Goldfarb, loss of cells in a key retinal layer. The results have Jack Werren, and Bob Angerer confirmed that biology found their way into a paper that was recently sub- was my field of primary interest. During sophomore mitted to Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual year, I decided that I would concentrate in cell and Science. developmental biology. The intricacy of the mecha- My interest in the fundamental processes of nism that turns a single cell into a complex organism is biology has led me, through classes taught by Allen filled with many unknowns, and I was drawn to the Orr and Tom Eickbush, to the subject of evolutionary subject by my desire to know more about such a fun- biology, specifically molecular evolution. I will be damental process in the life of all multicellular organ- bridging my interests in developmental and evolu- isms. tionary biology next year with a job in the lab of David That same year, I began working as a dish- Lambert, a new professor here at the University. washer and media maker in the lab of David Pearce. I have learned much from the University of The Pearce lab researches an autosomal recessive, ju- Rochester over the past four years, academically, per- venile onset neurological disorder called Batten dis- sonally, and socially. I thank Dave Pearce for enabling ease, or Juvenile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis my first foray into scientific research, for much en- (JNCL). The defective gene in JNCL is Cln3, and the couragement, and for being an excellent mentor. lab uses both yeast and mouse models to study the Cheeptip Benyajati has helped me immensely on my disease. Although I wasn’t doing research yet, I be- educational journey and deserves more thanks than I came interested in a few of the lab’s projects. Fortu- can give her. Also, Allen Orr has been wonderful in nately, my position in the Pearce lab would later result aiding the planning of my future, and I owe him many in some fantastic opportunities for independent re- thanks. search. ______Nicole Crnkovich (BCD) Arabidopsis thaliana and Pseudo- ing a Ph.D. in Biology at Johns monas syringae. Last fall I worked Hopkins University. My course- Last summer I participated in a with Dr. Benjamin Miller at the work, research experience, and!the summer research program at the University of Rochester Medical professors!I have had during my University of Chicago with Dr. Center on a project optimizing college career were large motiva- Jean Greenberg. In Dr. Greenberg's novel bacterial detection tech- tors in this decision. lab I studied host-pathogen inter- niques. Next year I will be pursu- actions using the model system of
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Anat Kohn (BMG) ing accepted into MD/Ph.D. programs to receive both degrees. Obtaining both degrees would allow me to directly study a medical problem and work towards a solution, but also work directly with the people af- flicted with it. In order to work towards this goal, I interned at MIT working in the laboratory of Professor Robert Langer for the past two summers. My projects there included research on micro-sphere technologies for drug delivery methods. Uses for this technology in- clude better asthma inhalers as well as methods for releasing medicine directly into the sites of brain tu- mors. In addition, I participated in initial gene-therapy studies. If someone developed a gene-therapy method that worked safely and efficiently it would revolu- tionize the medical field. Instead of taking a lifetime of medications, people with genetic disorders (such as Galactosemia and Phenylketonuria) could have their genes altered and they could live a healthy normal life. Since my earliest memories I have been ex- To broaden my research experiences I joined tremely fascinated by the biological sciences. This in- the laboratory of Dr. Elaine Sia here in the Biology terest is likely a result of growing up in a home where Department for the past academic year. The lab stud- both parents had graduate degrees in the biological ies the mitochondria of the yeast Saccharomyces cere- sciences and spending much of my childhood playing visiae in hopes that what they learn from this single in labs instead of playgrounds. Since I started high celled organism will shed light on human disease and school my father has given me a place to further my aging related disorders. These types of disorders are scientific experiences at his lab at the Rutgers Univer- thought to be associated with mutations in the mito- sity Center for Biomaterials. My initial lab experiences chondrial genome. My studies were conducted in col- were similar to that of a glorified test tube washer. laboration with graduate student Leah Jablonski. We While I was given more interesting tasks I could not focused on studying the mitochondrial genome main- fully understand the science behind them, and only tenance gene MGM101. MGM101 is a necessary pro- knew how to carry them out. As I got older and my tein for maintenance of the mitochondrial genome; knowledge base increased I was given more chal- however, its exact role is unclear. Studies have shown lenging assignments and gained more insight into that MGM101 may be involved in DNA repair mecha- how my activities in the lab were relating to the re- nisms within the mitochondria. Throughout the year I search that needed to be completed. have developed various mutant forms of yeast. These The summers surrounding my freshman year mutants allowed us to study how changes to the at college were spent in the laboratory of Dr. Wise Mgm101 protein affect protein interactions and respi- Young at the W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative ration. By studying these changes we learned more Neuroscience, also at Rutgers University. At the Keck about how the normal protein functions. This line of Center I conducted research at the forefront of spinal research will continue. cord injury research working on ways to promote neu- In the up-coming year I will be in the “real ron regeneration. My experiences at the Keck Center world” conducting research at a place undecided at really shaped my future at UR, and my quickly ap- the time this article was written. In addition, I will be proaching future as a UR graduate. At the Keck Center applying to MD/Ph.D. programs hopefully to ma- there was a large focus on interacting with the people triculate the following year. I would like to thank all that our research was aimed at helping. People with my professors for their commitment to excellence in spinal cord injury were constantly in and out of the lab undergraduate teaching. Additional thanks are due to trying to learn more about what strides had been my advisors Drs. Hinkle and Sia for their support and made. This has motivated me to continue my study of guidance all these years. genetics not only by pursuing a Ph.D. but also by be- ______Adam Goldstone (BCD) how they were triaged. This expe- stream effects of nodal, an impor- During the summer of 2001, I rience was both interesting and tant gene in mouse development. I volunteered in the Emergency De- exciting as it helped solidify my spent most of the time genotyping partment at a hospital near my desire to become a physician. mice and setting up matings so we home in Maryland. I had the op- Last summer I worked with Dr. could then do experiments to ob- portunity to follow doctors and Michael Kuehn at the National serve where nodaal was expressed nurses on their rounds. I measured Cancer Institute in Frederick, MD. in the later stages of development. vital signs in patients and learned We were interested in the down-
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Matthew Maurer (BMG) sionally lucky enough to wash dishes too. I was asked to return to Dr. McCasland’s lab for the following summer and began to design an immunohistochemis- try protocol for them. Its purpose was to visualize the dendrites in the somatosensory cortex using light mi- croscopy and note differences between their wild type and mutant mice. In my junior year, I received a de Kiewiet Summer Research Fellowship to work in Dr. Elaine Sia’s laboratory at the University of Rochester. During this time I performed some biochemistry related tech- niques as well as molecular and genetic research, two areas in which I am very interested. I began by trying to purify the yeast mitochondrial mismatch repair protein, Msh1p, by affinity-column chromatography. I also began the work that I continued through two se- mesters of independent research. I contributed to Dr. Sia’s research interests by investigating genes and the proteins they encode for possible roles in mitochon- drial genome maintenance using S. cerevisiae as our model system. Multiple approaches were imple- mented for this task, giving me a great deal of experi- ence in various experimental techniques and also the chance to conceptually integrate the various pieces of As an athlete in high school I believed that I data into a logical conclusion. My work involved ma- wanted to become an orthopedic surgeon. I entered nipulating the genome by mutating a specific gene. the University of Rochester as a “pre-med” student, Using the mutant I constructed, I examined changes in majoring in biology primarily because it seemed to be mitochondrial phenotypes that are either directly or the most logical field of study in light of my future indirectly related to the stability of the genome. In the plans. As my first semester progressed I found myself latter case, I would follow up with experiments to frequently seeking out Dr. Anthony Olek, my first bi- support a cause-effect relationship between genome ology professor, to inquire about topics covered in his stability and a mutant mitochondrial phenotype. I also course. This experience led me to begin reconsidering fused epitope-encoding sequences to the genes of in- if becoming a surgeon was still what I desired. terest for biochemical work aimed at surveying physi- At first my questions were simple. They were cal protein interactions with Msh1p, our main protein formulated to elicit a simple answer to something di- of interest. rectly related to the class. However, I seldom received Before I applied for the de Kiewiet Fellowship, a simple answer, nor did I have my questions ever I had already decided what my next step after college directly answered. Instead, Dr. Olek would respond to would be. My professors—Dr. David Hinkle, who my questions by asking questions, thereby leading me later became my advisor, and Dr. Sia, who later be- to the solution. Looking back on this experience, I re- came my mentor—both spent countless hours (with no alize that Dr. Olek helped me acquire a skill com- exaggeration) answering my questions about biology monly referred to as critical thinking. Unknowingly at to satisfy my endless curiosity. It was during this time the time, I began applying this approach not only to that I decided I want to study biology in my career. I biology but also to chemistry and was soon discussing looked heavily to both Dr. Hinkle and Dr. Sia for ad- much more intriguing questions with my professors of vice as I transitioned from a future medical student to both of these courses. By the end of my first semester a future graduate student and they provided me with at college, I was truly thinking and learning and sim- invaluable help during that time. I am now preparing ply fell in love with doing both. to join Johns Hopkins University as a Ph.D. student in Although by the end of my freshman year I the Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology pro- had not dismissed the idea of a medical degree, I was gram. becoming more and more attracted to basic science. I Besides my parents who did anything to make sought out a summer job in the department of Cell & every opportunity possible for me, I also want to Developmental Biology in Dr. James McCasland’s thank every single one of my professors in Biology as laboratory at SUNY Upstate Medical University at well as Chemistry. Special thanks to Dr. Cheeptip Syracuse. I was originally hired as a lab aide and my Benyajati, Dr. Tony Olek, Dr. David Hinkle, and Dr. primary duty was to genotype their animals but I also Elaine Sia. frequently made solutions for the lab and was occa-
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Mark O’Hara (BMG) Tetrahymena thermophila, a ciliated protozoa, as an ex- perimental model system. Among other things, he de- scribed the two nuclei—the germline micronucleus and the vegetative macronucleus—and the sexual process of conjugation in which the cells pair and ex- change gametic nuclei. In this process, the micronu- clear chromosomes are fragmented at specific sites to differentiate into the macronucleus. Although the ge- netics associated with such a system was enough to make me possibly rethink working with Tetrahymena, I quickly changed my mind as he described one of the projects carried out by one of his postdocs, Dr. Ka- zufumi Mochizuki (Kaz). Kaz had been working with TWI1 a member of the Argonaute family of genes which have been implicated in RNA interference (RNAi). Kaz found that TWI1 is essential for DNA elimination in the development of the macronucleus from the micronucleus during conjugation. He devised an extraordinary RNAi-like mechanism—the scan RNA model—to explain how DNA elimination might When I was a freshman, my biology courses occur in this system. worked to open my eyes in a few different ways. I excitedly started working with a gene Taking Gene Structure and Function and getting my homologue of TWI1, TWI7 and continued working on first exam back, I realized that I would need to study a this through two independent studies during my sen- bit more than just the night before an exam in college. ior year. At first I found that it was expressed during I also knew after this class that I wanted to continue to conjugation. I next worked on trying to create a study molecular genetics as my major, something I knockout construct of my gene. This is where I learned previously thought might be too difficult to do. While about “real” research—nothing ever works the first working through Molecular Cell Biology in my second time around. For me, nothing really worked until semester, I was awakened to the wonders of experi- what seemed the one hundredth time. Finally getting mental techniques which led me to explore these is- the knockout construct, I was able to obtain a germline sues further as a teaching assistant the following year knockout mutant in Tetrahymena and, through a series and to look into the possibility of doing research as an of different matings, I found that the gene is likely es- undergraduate. sential for conjugative or vegetative growth. This interest only accumulated while I took While my project was cut short by the end of classes such as Eukaryotic Genomes, Biochemistry, the semester, I saw both sides of research—the frus- and Molecular Biology over my sophomore and junior trating side requiring patience and the exciting side years, feeling too overwhelmed with classes, teaching where I actually saw results. I am very grateful to all assistantships, and extra-curricular activities to be able my professors for helping excite me about biology and to start researching in a lab. Finally, I took my first especially to Dr. Gorovsky, Kaz, and everyone in the plunge as a de Kiewiet Fellow in Dr. Martin lab for all of their support and patience. I look forward Gorovsky’s lab over the summer after my junior year. to carrying this research experience into further re- Before I applied for the de Kiewiet Fellowship, search projects during medical school in the coming Dr. Gorovsky explained to me a bit about the use of years. ______
Samuel P. Strom (BMG) real-time quantitative polymerase order so that a quick, easy, and chain reaction. inexpensive test can be developed For the past three summers I have to screen newborns. If successful, worked at Quest Diagnostics During my second summer I de- these tests could prevent up to Nichols Institute in San Juan Cap- veloped a sequencing assay for a 10% of all blindness in the United istrano, California as a Research gene called CYP1B1, mutations of States. Associate. Working with the In- which are known to lead to Pri- fectious Diseases and Molecular mary Congenital Glaucoma (PCG). This research project and others at Genetics research teams, I have This disorder leads to blindness, Quest provided me with insight had the opportunity to work with and while it is treatable by sur- into the joys and labors of labora- some of the most cutting edge gery, diagnosis is very difficult. tory research and I plan to con- techniques and equipment such as The aim of my project was to de- tinue this exploration via graduate automated DNA sequencing and velop a system to determine which school in genetics. specific mutations lead to this dis-
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Maximilian Popp (BMG) the value of patience and the enormous role of trou- bleshooting in science. As an entering freshman, I knew that science During the summers after my sophomore and interested me a great deal. With two parents who junior years, I worked in Dr. Bob Weinberg’s lab at the worked at Kodak as chemists, this wasn’t surprising, Whitehead Institute. My project involved investigating but I still wasn’t sure what subject to major in. It was the cohort of genes affected by the prolactin (Prl) sig- after I took Dr. Hattman’s wonderful introductory ge- naling pathway in mammary tissue, a pathway that netics course that I realized how fascinating and dy- has important implications in mammary gland tu- namic the cell is. So I promptly decided to major in morigenesis. I performed chip-on-chip experiments, molecular genetics and become involved in research. looking at the genes controlled by Stat5, a downstream My first introduction to lab research was transcription factor in the Prl pathway. To comple- during the summer of 2001. I worked in Dr. Jeffrey J. ment these experiments and eliminate any false posi- Hayes’ (Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics) tive results from ChIP experiments, in vivo mouse lab through the GEBS Summer Scholars program. I studies were performed. A recombinant prolactin re- investigated the accessibility of enzymes to DNA ceptor with an FK506 binding domain replacing the complexed with histone proteins. To determine the prolactin-binding domain was generated in a prolactin degree to which T4 ligase is able to gain access to receptor mouse knockout background. After preg- DNA in chromatin, I synthesized nucleosomal sub- nancy, mice were injected with the dimerizing agent strates containing a ligatable nick oriented either di- (FK506) to induce Prl response, and I harvested rectly away from or directly toward the histone sur- mammary glands at various time points. cRNA for face, or at intermediate positions between these two microarray analysis was made from both stimulated extremes. I found that the accessibility of ligase to nu- and unstimulated glands to quantitatively reveal both cleosomal DNA is extremely limited for all orienta- the identity of the RNA products generated in re- tions; nicks in all positions were nearly completely sponse to prolactin signaling and the time when they refractory. T4 ligase activity may be inhibited in the are induced. 154 bp substrate because the histone tail domains sterically block access to the nick site. In my junior year, I took Dr. Angerer’s fantas- tic developmental biology class and immediately be- came interested in development. That year, I decided to start doing a Bio 395 course in his lab. I worked on the sea urchin goosecoid protein (SpGsc), a ho- meodomain containing transcriptional repressor that has been shown to link the specification of cells along the animal-vegetal and oral-aboral axes. The overall goal was to elucidate the regulatory elements that comprise the SpGsc promoter in order to understand how expression of SpGsc is spatially and temporally controlled. To do this, I conducted a series of electro- phoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) using different candidate regions of the SpGsc promoter to probe sea urchin nuclear protein extracts. I also made a series of The University of Rochester makes conducting 5’ deleted SpGsc promoter constructs that were used to undergraduate level research extremely easy and re- drive the expression of a luciferase reporter gene. By warding. The department offers incredible opportuni- injecting these constructs into embryos at the single ties to do independent research and this, in addition to cell stage and including the RNA of a candidate SpGsc the many excellent professors (especially Dr. Hattman, regulatory protein, it’s possible to monitor the lu- Dr. Benyajati, and Drs. Bob and Lynne Angerer) has ciferase activity during development. This allows a influenced my decision to go to graduate school. After quantitative determination of the amount by which completing a Take-Five project in Milan, Italy, I will be the candidate SpGsc regulatory protein is able to working towards a Ph.D. at MIT. modulate SpGsc expression. Although these projects (Editor’s note: Max was a 2003 Goldwater Scholar.) did not yield immediate results, they have taught me ______
Grace Vangeison (BIO) Center. I have worked under Dr. importantly, my time in the labo- David Rempe and Dr. Howard ratory has been integral to my de- For the past year and a half I have Federoff in trying to further elicit cision to remain at the University worked as a Research Assistant in the molecular mechanisms of of Rochester to pursue my Ph.D. in the Center for Aging and Devel- stroke. The experience has been Neuroscience for the coming years. opmental Biology at the Medical rewarding and invaluable. Most
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Rebecca Porter (BBC) had to leave. This position exposed me to all the techniques performed in the lab, which was an incredible learning experience. Surprisingly, the time I spent in Dr. Qi's lab piqued my interest in research, instead of simply reinforcing my desire to enter into the medical field as I had expected it to. I decided to apply for the de Kiewiet Summer Research Fellowship for the following summer to further my research experiences. I opted to leave Dr. Qi's lab due to a desire to work in a less clinically-oriented setting and joined Dr. Yi-Tau Yu's lab in the department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Dr. Yu's group investigates the role of post-transcriptional modifications on small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) involved in pre-mRNA splicing. My first few weeks in the lab were spent working with a graduate student screening the S. cerevisiae genome for proteins that affect the efficiency of splicing in hopes of identifying novel splicing factors. By comparing the level of mRNA accumulation in in vitro splicing My education at UR has helped me to reactions with different proteins added, we were able establish a greater appreciation for science and a to identify several pools of proteins which looked broader range of career interests. After years of promising for affecting splicing activity. I then moved proofreading my mother's medical transcription onto my own project involving U1 snRNA. The documents and volunteering in a nursing home, I purpose of the project was to investigate the role the came to UR confident that I would eventually practice two conserved pseudouridines in the 5' end of U1 play medicine. While this dream is still in place, I now in selecting and base pairing with the correct 5' splice know it will not be the extent of my career. My site in the pre-mRNA, making use of the Xenopus professors and fellow students have helped to instill in oocyte system. me a passion for the sciences, the ability to think In Dr. Yu's lab I have had the oppotunity to critically, and the desire to conduct research in the work very independently which has helped me not basic sciences. only to learn the necessary techniques, but to really The summer after my sophomore year I think about the science behind the experiments. I've sought out a position in Dr. Ming Qi's lab in the also had opportunities to be part of weekly lab meet- departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine ings, to attend seminars and to meet many of the fac- and the Center for Cardiovascular Research. I was ulty in the department. These experiences have helped attracted to his lab group which studied the molecular to solidify my passion for science and research and mechanisms of the Long QT Syndrome because of have led me to realize that my interests are not only their emphasis on cardiology, the field I planned to geared toward clinical medicine. Although I am pas- pursue in my medical career. I wasn't expecting the sionate about medicine, I could also envision myself lab to be so molecularly oriented and was not hoping being fulfilled with a career in research. To give myself for the basic science research experience that I some more time to decide between medical school and encountered. I spent the first few weeks of the summer graduate school, I applied for and received a fellow- orienting myself to the literature and techniques of the ship to do an additional year of research at the Na- research group. Soon, with the help of Dr. Qi, I began tional Institutes of Health starting in June. I hope to to formulate my own project investigating the gain valuable insight from my time there. Putting to- possibility of alternative splicing of the identified Long gether all my experiences in medicine, research, tu- QT genes playing a secondary role in the variable toring and being a teaching assistant, I envision myself phenotypic expression of the dominant Long QT eventually practicing medicine, supplementing that mutations. Unfortunately, due to lack of funding, I with research relevant to my clinical work, and hope- was unable to begin the project. Instead, I was asked fully doing some teaching. to work as a lab technician as our former technician ______
Danielle Ruppert (BIO) tant. As such, my duties included removing organs, Starting the summer before my senior year I taking pertinent tissue samples for additional analysis, began training in the department of Neuropathology and preparing the bodies to be sent to funeral homes. and Postmortem Medicine to become a diener. Origi- This unique experience has further confirmed my in- nally a German term meaning servant or attendant, terest in the human body and my desire to pursue a the medical world uses it to refer to an autopsy assis- career in medicine.
9 Volume 19, Number 2 The Nonsense Suppressor May, 2004
Anne Stey (BNS) mitochondrial calcium build up. Over the three years I worked in the lab I had complicated results when working with whole neurons so I switched to working in isolated brain mitochondria. My goal was to see how chemicals that acted on the ryanodine receptor affected calcium content in the mitochondria. I accom- plished this by seeing how adding these drugs changed the emitted level of fluorescence of a calcium indicator dye. The first chemical I used was dantrolene, which closes the receptor or acts as an antagonist. Adding dantrolene resulted in an increase in mito- chondrial calcium. Similarly, addition of a different antagonist, azumolene and ryanodine, also showed a calcium increase. The same results with the different chemicals suggested that the drugs’ effects were be- cause of their same action on the ryanodine receptor. The second set of chemicals I used are known to open the channel, or act as agonists. Adding the agonist caffeine elicited a decrease in mitochondrial I enjoy biomedical research because it gives calcium. In conjunction with the data presented above, hope. The discoveries made in the laboratory are ulti- this suggested that the ryanodine receptor functions as mately responsible for giving physicians new and a release channel for calcium in the mitochondria. better ways to heal and improve the human condition. The last chemical tested is known to compro- Although I want to be a clinical physician I plan to mise the structural integrity of the receptor/channel. continue in research. My area of interest is glutamate In effect, it makes the complex “leaky” so calcium can excitotoxicity. pass through it more easily. In addition, chemicals that One of the ironies of science is that glutamate, bind to the complex do so with more difficulty and as the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, is a result are less able to illicit physiological changes. lethal to neurons in high concentrations. This type of This chemical is FK506 and when added to mitochon- cell death is called glutamate excitotoxicity and has dria calcium content decreased. Furthermore, when been implicated in many neurodegenerative disorders used in combination with ryanodine, the ryanodine from stroke to Lou Gherig’s disease. Cell death is the induced increase in calcium was prevented. This sug- result of a huge increase in intracellular calcium medi- gested that both FK506 and ryanodine acting at the ated by the opening of the glutamate/NMDA- ryanodine receptor. activated calcium channel. Once inside the cytosol, My results suggested that the ryanodine re- calcium is taken into the mitochondria and initiates ceptor could play an important role in ridding the pathways that lead to cell death. This build up of cal- mitochondria of calcium. This could be therapeutically cium in the mitochondria is what causes excitotoxic meaningful if agonists are given for glutamate exci- cell death. toxicity. These drugs could prevent the mitochondria My mentor, Dr. Shey-Shing Sheu, is interested from becoming overwhelmed with calcium and initi- in the role of a recently identified calcium channel (the ating cell death. ryanodine receptor) in perpetuating this excitotoxic
______Gabrielle Kapsak (BIO) During 2002-2003 I helping with the first after shadowed Dr. Fernandez at school program for underprivi- In the summer of 2001 I Strong Hospital. Dr Fernandez leged children and first shad- was honored to attend the Na- is bilingual in Spanish and Eng- owing at a clinic for the poor in tional Youth Leadership Forum lish and I was able to see how the city and then working in on Medicine: Mission to China, the challenges of providing care Nepal Orthopedic Hospital, the their first international confer- to non-native English speakers only orthopedic hospital in the ence. Over the course of a is being addressed as well as country, changing bandages, month, we traveled through learn about obstetrics and gyne- stitches, casts and helping in China and looked at their health cology. surgery. care system, health delivery Last summer I was All of my experiences system and Medical schools. We again able to combine my love have led me to pursue a career also were able to see how Tra- of travel, learning and service, in medicine, with an interna- ditional Chinese Medicine was this time through Teaching and tional service component. integrated into the western Projects Abroad. I spent the medical treatments. summer in Katmandu, Nepal,
10 Volume 19, Number 2 The Nonsense Suppressor May, 2004
Society of Undergraduate Biology Students Emerges from Hibernation by Jessica Marcinkevage andVicki Bottazzo coursework, many biology majors were complaining of being better acquainted with their textbooks than their fellow bio majors. Here’s where SUBS stepped in. Throughout the year SUBS worked to coordi- nate events on campus, the first being a kickoff picnic (a.k.a. FREE FOOD), where students and faculty played volleyball and discussed everything from Dro- sophila to the Red Sox. During the semester, events continued with two movie nights featuring guest pro- fessors to discuss issues presented in the film. And of course what biology experience would be complete without a TGIF celebration? The Friday afternoon ac- tivity of “Subs with SUBS” brought undergraduates, graduates, professors, and even some future SUBS members (okay, maybe 15 years from now…) out for some good old Wegman’s subs. This year’s finale will involve a senior picnic, allowing a final chance to bond over our love for the study of life. Speaking as outgoing SUBS exec members, we are glad to have been involved in the rejuvenation of At the beginning of the 2004-05 school year the group and are sad to be leaving it when it is off to the word was out: the Society of Undergraduate Biol- such a rolling start. However, we know it is in the ogy Students was back in town. A council that had good hands of the future exec board members. We been in hibernation for six years, SUBS was revived by know when we’re back for a Meliora weekend, SUBS an enthusiastic committee of UR students at the be- will be alive and kickin’ (and still offering FREE ginning of the fall semester. The purpose of the group: FOOD!). Thanks for a great year! J to rescue biology majors from their many coffee-laden hours in Carlson and promote student involvement and faculty interaction. As a result of rigorous
More Senior Research/Professional Experiences
Vicki Bottazzo (BCD) contact it has allowed me to inter- mation to others, especially my act a great deal with doctors, peers. I have become much more Most students at the University of nurses and other health care pro- confident since working as a TA, Rochester use the time during the fessionals. I feel that being a part in both my public speaking abili- summer months as an opportunity of the team that works in the hos- ties and my knowledge of biology. to gain experience in fields they pital has taught me many lessons I have also built a good network of are interested in and hope to pur- about how to be a successful peers that I worked with each se- sue after their education is com- member of that team once I com- mester. I was able to be extensively plete here. Following that lead, plete my graduate program as a involved in helping others learn and using to my advantage the Physician Assistant. biology and I think that strength- numerous opportunities that un- ened my own experiences here as a dergraduates have to work at the In addition to hospital experience, biology major. Medical Center because of its af- an extensive part of my time spent filiation with the University, I have at UR in the biology department Jessica Marcinkevage (BIO) worked in a laboratory at Strong has been as a teaching assistant. I since the summer after my fresh- have worked as a teaching assis- It was difficult for me to choose man year. I work in the Specimen tant for three different biology exactly in what aspect of biology I Receiving lab, or SMS, as a Clinical classes, tutored for those biology wished to concentrate my studies; Technician. Knowing that I wanted classes and conducted study for this reason, the BA biology de- to work in medicine as a career led groups through LAS as well. Be- gree was perfect for me. As a stu- me to apply for this job and it has fore I began TAing I didn't have a dent at the University I've been not disappointed me. Although it lot of confidence in my abilities to able to take advantage of the many does not include patient care or speak in public or convey infor- opportunities available to those
11 Volume 19, Number 2 The Nonsense Suppressor May, 2004 interested in science and research. ence. I learned a great deal of new Nkx2.2, enteroendocrine cells are. During the summer of 2003 I was laboratory techniques and proce- Serotonin, gastrin, secretin, GIP, accepted into the Graduate Educa- dures and was able to get a better CCK, and substance P gastrointes- tion for the Biological Sciences grasp of what it means to be a re- tinal peptide levels are down- Summer Internship program at the search scientist. The knowledge I regulated in the Nkx2.2 mutants University of Rochester Medical obtained from this experience goes compared to wildtype. However, Center where I conducted research far beyond anything a textbook or PYY and NPY peptide levels re- in the Department of Environ- a lecture course can offer. main the same. In addition, as pre- mental Health Sciences. My re- viously found in the pancreas, glu- search focused on the role of arse- Miguel Brown (BIO) cagon/ghrelin double staining nic as a chemotherapeutic agent shows that Nkx2.2 mutants pro- used for treating specific cancers. Since my senior year in high duce less glucagon and more Because of my interest in the topic school I have worked at Ortho- ghrelin secreting cells than normal. and the proximity of the lab I was Clinical Diagnostics, a division of Now I am verifying these results able to continue my research Johnson & Johnson through the by in-situ hybridization, real-time throughout my senior year. high school co-op program. I have PCR and a gain-of-function cell been kept on as a college intern. transfection experiment. Also, during the Fall 2003 semester While the work that I have been I worked as a Teacher's Assistant doing there is not biologically re- This year in Colorado has shown for Professor Terry Platt's Bio- lated, it has opened doors of op- me that my years in Rochester chemistry 250 class. I consider it an portunity to work within the com- have given me a unique way of honor to have been able to work in pany. Upon graduation I hope to thinking which will be part of me such a position, having learned a obtain a lab position in one of for the rest of my life. great deal overall through the ex- Johnson & Johnson’s companies. perience. I have recently accepted Christine Du (BIO) a position in the Master of Public Shailey Desai (BCD) During the summers of 2002 and Health program at Emory Univer- At first I wasn’t sure what to ex- sity's Rollins School of Public 2003 I was a research fellow in the pect from my year of research at Strong Children’s Research Center Health where I will study Interna- the University of Colorado Health tional Health, focusing on public Summer Program. I was mentored Sciences Center in Denver but I by Dr. Olle Jane Z. Sadler and did nutrition. I have had a wonderful have enjoyed every moment four years at the University of clinical research studies with mu- working as a research assistant in sic therapist Rosemary Oliva, MT- Rochester and know that it would Dr. Lori Sussel’s lab. Having the not have been any better anywhere BC. I used a Biograph program opportunity to build on the foun- and ProComp+ for biofeedback else. To my fellow seniors and bi- dation of scientific knowledge I ology enthusiasts, and to the biol- sessions and participated in orga- gained at UR has been one ex- nized music groups for pediatric ogy faculty, thank you for giving tremely insightful experience. me the opportunity to learn and patients. My projects included: grow—with, of course, some good Currently I am studying intestinal The purpose of the project “The times along the way! I wish you all development in the mouse. More the best. Use of Music Therapy/Relaxation specifically, I am looking for the to Induce Drowsiness/Sleep” was intestinal cell types that are af- Koya Allen (BIO) to develop, standardize, and test fected by the Nkx2.2 gene known the efficacy of music therapy in- to be important for proper pancre- As most undergraduates do, I tervention as procedural support atic development. Since I have for pediatric patients receiving started off working in several dif- successfully found an intestinal ferent laboratories doing the typi- lumbar punctures. I drafted sur- phenotype for Nkx2.2 null mice, veys, recruited patients, collected cal grunt work—glassware, auto- we are now trying to determine claving, etc. Luckily I had the op- and analyzed data and explained how this gene plays a role in the the study at a poster presentation. portunity to take things a step intestinal cell differentiation path- further by doing an Independent way and maybe even diabetes. Research project in an Immunol- For the project “Stress Reduc- tion/Relaxation in Bone Marrow ogy Laboratory. Under the direc- Initially I performed immunofluo- tion of Dr. Weiping Zheng I was Transplantation” I aided in re- rescence with wildtype and Nkx2.2 cruiting patients and interventions. able to do research on the Foxp3 mutant mouse intestinal tissue to gene. This project is still underway determine which cell types are af- “Music Therapy as Procedural but the goal is to make a working fected by the gene. Those results Support During Botulinum A fusion protein which would be showed that while stem cells, gut Toxin Injections for Pediatric Pa- involved in the regulation of T epithelial cells, enterocytes, and tients” was undertaken to develop, cells. This was a very good experi- goblet cells are not affected by standardize, and test the efficacy
12 Volume 19, Number 2 The Nonsense Suppressor May, 2004 of music therapy intervention. I whole blood cultures, running My goal was to engineer phage T7 modified the original protocol, various assays and helping the to have non-optimal codons in its recruited patients, collected and postdocs with their research as coat protein and then assess its analyzed data. These were ongo- well. This was a great opportunity fitness in comparison to that of a ing projects which I continued for me to observe how research wild type phage. This project con- working on during my senior year. and patient care melded together. I tinued through the summer, and The abstract of the Botox study was able to observe and interact while it was a bit frustrating at was recently published in Pediatric with many SLE sufferers during times, it was that summer that I Research Supplement Abstract their time in the clinical trial. really began to work independ- Issue, Volume 55(4), Part 2 of 2, ently and efficiently in the lab. Abstract # 492, Page 87A as "Music The following summer I conducted Therapy as Procedural Support independent research at the Uni- Unfortunately, the Huelsenbeck During Botulinum Toxin Injec- versity of Pennsylvania's Center laboratory moved to California tions." for Experimental Therapeutics. I and I began searching for another learned how to use many pieces of lab. I landed in Dr. Yu’s lab in the During the time I spent working machinery integral to cellular re- Department of Biochemistry and on these studies I met people and search while finding out more as- Biophysics. I was hired to help one had experiences that will forever pects of research medicine. I also of his graduate students which make an imprint on my life. I am met many individuals from all gave me a chance to get situated in grateful that I was able to learn over the world in that lab and my new surroundings. Over the and grow by working with Dr. learned much about their various summer, however, I participated Sahler and her!colleagues and I backgrounds. in the UR’s REU/GEBS program thoroughly enjoyed my time with and was given my own project. I all of them. The summer before my senior year began studying the effect of pseu- I was fortunate to acquire a re- douridylation at position 35 of Lindsey Hagstrom (BIO) search associate position at Har- tRNATYR on the processing of the vard Medical School's Cutaneous molecule. I presented a poster il- I have participated in research the Biology Research Center where I lustrating my topic and results at past three summers at the Univer- conducted apoptosis gene regula- the end of the summer and was sity of Minnesota investigating tion research in Drosophila. Along able to continue work on this pro- Natural Killer cells and their func- with basic lab techniques I learned ject through the fall semester. tion in adult peripheral blood and a great amount about genetics and umbilical cord blood samples. Ad- gene manipulation. I was also able As an undergraduate, I have also ditionally, I did research the sum- to receive guidance both in my served as a TA for two courses, mer after my freshman year at the research and in my higher educa- Molecular Cell Biology and Princi- Parker Hughes Institute in tion plans from the people in the ples of Genetics. I thoroughly en- Roseville, MN, where I examined lab as well as neighboring labs. joyed both my research and the efficacy of several different teaching experiences at the UofR. drugs manufactured by the Insti- In my summers of research I have These experiences have given me tute in killing one strain of brain learned a lot about life as well as the ability and the confidence to tumor (glioblastoma) cells and science and medicine. Without move on to the next step. Next breast cancer cells. I have also vol- these experiences as well as my year, I will begin working towards unteered in the Oncology Unit of experiences here at the University a Ph.D. at the University of Vir- Strong the past two years. I was a of Rochester, I am sure that I ginia. TA for Bio 111, Bio 110 and Bio 205 would not be the person that I am as well. Finally, I took a trip to now, nor would I have decided on Rebecca Schlissermann (BEB) Chimaltenango, Guatemala, this the same path for my future. past January for a week to act as a Not knowing exactly what career medical translator and work side Julie Hull (BIO) in biology I liked, I pursued a di- by side with surgeons and nurses verse range of activities within and assisting in hernia and Ob/Gyn After transferring to the UR during outside of Rochester. In summer surgeries. my sophomore year, I was eager to 2001, I took a six week Aquatic get involved with research. I dis- Entomology course at Stone Labo- Albert Huang (BCD) cussed this desire with my biosta- ratory, a field station of Ohio State tistics professor, Dr. Huelsenbeck, U. The next summer, 2002, I Every summer since freshman and was thrilled when he asked if worked as a research assistant year I have conducted research in I’d like to assist his graduate stu- with Dr. Tom Getty of Michigan one laboratory or another. My first dent in order to gain some experi- State U. I spent my days hanging summer, I assisted in a Systemic ence. After one semester of work- out in a stream labeling Calopteryx Lupus Erythematosus Lab at the ing with his student, I began maculata, the black winged damsel- University of Florida generating working on an independent study. fly. Dr. Getty’s previous graduate
13 Volume 19, Number 2 The Nonsense Suppressor May, 2004 student had found a correlation Marjorie Waterman (BCD) fined. In the summer of 2002, I between body fat and color of the obtained my EMT-B license and damselflies so we followed up that Since my degree requirements have been working with MERT study by trying to see if color were completed in December 2003, since. I have also volunteered in made an impact on mating suc- I have decided to take the Spring the pediatric in-patient unit at cess. Back in Rochester I pursued semester to work in the Neonatal Strong, as well as at Bertrand an independent study in Dr. Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Chaffee Hospital in Springville, Jaenike's lab. Strong Memorial Hospital. I NY. As a sophomore I worked as a wanted to learn more about pa- study group leader for Molecular This past summer I had an intern- tients, medications and hospital Cell Biology and as a junior was an ship with the Erie County Forensic practice before I attend medical Organic Chemistry I workshop Laboratory. I spent a lot of time in school in the fall. I have also been leader. I have been employed in the biology department, but also conducting research on age-related the office of Ruth A. Lawrence, worked in the chemistry lab, fire- hearing loss (presbycusis) in the MD since freshman year main- arms division, and fingerprint lab. lab of Robert D. Frisina, Ph.D. Of taining a database on human lac- Forensic science appealed to me as particular interest to our research tation and the factors that influ- a practical use for biology. I'm group is gene regulation in mice ence a mother's decision to breast- looking forward to starting my having presbycusis. In February, I feed. Since December, I have also master’s degree in forensic science presented a poster at the annual been working closely with Dr. next fall at Virginia Common- meeting of the Association for Re- Lawrence editing the sixth edition wealth University. search in Otolaryngology (ARO) in of her textbook, Breastfeeding: A Daytona. My findings were sig- guide for the Medical Profession. nificant in that a particular path- way in the degradation of the auditory pathway was further de- de Kiewiet Research Fellowships Awarded to Eight UPBM Majors for Summer 2004
Eight undergraduates majoring in four of the B.S. tracks of the Undergraduate Program in Biology and Medicine (UPBM) have been awarded de Kiewiet Research Fellowships for the summer of 2004. The de Kiewiet Fellowships were established in 1983 in memory of former UR president C.W. de Kiewiet. Every year since then they have provided the opportunity for UPBM undergraduates to spend the summer doing research full time. This year each Fellow will receive a stipend of $3,000 for ten weeks of research in the laboratory of a University researcher as well as a housing stipend. Listed below are the recipients of the 2004 de Kiewiet Summer Research Fellowships, their projects and their mentors.
Max Banko, BMG major, class of 2005, has known lab of Dr. David Goldfarb in the Biology Department he wanted a career in science since elementary school. where he has been doing a semester of Independent While a high school student his career plans were con- Research laying the foundation for this summer’s firmed when he did a fulltime summer research in- project. Steve will be exploring “Multiple translocation ternship at Pacific Northwest National Laboratories. pathways across the nuclear pore complex.” As a UR junior Max has already achieved a stellar Patrick Corey, BEB major, class of 2005, had academic record as well as gaining extensive labora- teaching experience TAing Bio 110, 111 and 111L be- tory experience. During the summer of 2003 he had a fore he got involved in research. Pat began his journey GEBS internship to do research in Dr. Elaine Sia’s Bi- into the realm of research last November when he ap- ology Department lab and has continued that work as proached Dr. Jim Fry of the Biology Department about formal Independent Research during the year. Taking doing an Independent Research project in his lab. Pat’s his research forward this summer, Max will be work- strong interest in evolution led him to choose a project ing on “Synthetic lethality screen for proteins that ge- on the relationship between adaptation and reproduc- netically interact with the mitochondrial DNA polym- tive isolation in Drosophila melanogaster. The excite- erase, Mip1p.” ment generated by this project has led Pat to decide to Steven Chan, BBC major, class of 2005, thought combine his interest in medicine with his new found his career goal was to become a doctor until he took interest in research and to aim at earning an Molecular Biology, the first course in which he studied MD/Ph.D. His de Kiewiet project is “Ethanol induced original experiments and learned how data is inter- responses of Drosophila species.” preted and experimental design tested. Through dis- (Continued on page 17) cussions with his instructor he found his way to the
14 Volume 19, Number 2 The Nonsense Suppressor May, 2004
Long, Successful Career in Biology Research Grew From a College Major in Physics Stan Hattman, Ph.D. Reflects on Stan Hattman
How did a nice boy from Brooklyn end up spending more than half his life doing sci- ence/teaching at the University of Rochester? Could I have been subliminally drawn by the name Rochester, having grown up one city block from Rochester Ave- nue. I attended an all boys high school, Brooklyn Technical H. S. and, despite having a highly sci- ence/technical oriented curriculum, I never took a biology course. After graduating in 1956, I started CCNY as a physics major (math minor). My new commute was over an hour each way, so I gave up varsity swimming and concentrated on the books. Since 5 credit courses met 5 days a week there was little breathing room. Despite doing very well, in my sohomore year I became disenchanted with physics. (Advanced Mechanics tended to have that effect on students.) I still didn’t dream of switching majors. Then in the fall of my junior year I had an epiphany. It was in my first biology course—what was to be a year long, mindless exercise in memory/taxonomy. Even worse, the fall bio lab started at 8:00 am which meant I had to leave home at 6:30 am. I still remember the lonely, freezing winter walks in the dark to the sub- way—made spooky by my footsteps echoing in the empty streets, or the sounds of snow crunching under my boots. What was this epiphany? It came during one of the first dissection exercises; viz. the earthworm. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I confess—I was blown away when I discovered all that ‘stuff’ inside. Wow, I was so naïve that I was expecting a hollow tube. Biol- ogy suddenly became interesting. Now, was there me. I could even apply target theory and use some some way I could apply physics to biology? I didn’t simple differential equations in my paper which I know, but it seemed like a viable notion. I played with printed by hand because I did not type. that idea for some time and then I discovered that one The approach of summer demanded an im- of the CCNY physics faculty members was reputed to portant decision. After working six years as a life- be a ‘biophysicist’. After I visited with him he agreed guard, I now decided to pass that up for a position in to mentor me in an independent study course in the the clinical radio-iodine lab at Sloan-Kettering Institute coming spring semester. He did this by farming me (arranged by my mentor). After one week, I had mas- out to a cancer research lab at the Francis Delafield tered all there was to learn, so in my spare time I be- Hospital. Having had little meaningful biology and no gan hunting all around the building to see what else organic chemistry, all I did was shave the hind quar- was going on. It was my good fortune to find a small ters of mice so that (un)irradiated tumor tissue could group doing X-ray inactivation studies on bacterio- be injected, practice pipetting, and watch/talk with phage and phage-infected cells. I could not have been the lab folk. Halfway through the semester I was in- happier and I went there at every opportunity. I formed that in order to get college credit for the started reading original journal articles and discovered course, I would have to write a term paper. Uh-oh!! the recently published book, Bacteriophages, by Mark Since I had nothing substantive to show for my ‘work,’ Adams which I still have on my shelf. I decided that my mentor gave me a choice of topics: radiation effects phage research was what I wanted to do and I ar- on bacteria or radiation effects on viruses. Viruses ranged another independent study, but at Sloan- sounded ‘sexier’, so I chose the latter. In 1959, the lit- Kettering with the phage group. My time was divided erature was limited, but there was enough to occupy between courses on campus and research on the so-
15 Volume 19, Number 2 The Nonsense Suppressor May, 2004 called ‘oxygen effect’ on phage-infected cells, a higher variants. These mutants fell into two phenotypic sensitivity to X-irradiation damage in the presence of classes: resistant only to T4, and resistant to phages T3, oxygen vs nitrogen. As a footnote, my data was subse- T4 and T7. Surprisingly, a single growth cycle of quently published, but I was neither co-author nor phage T2 in B/4o (but not B/4) yielded a modified even acknowledged for doing the experiments. No form, designated T*2, that had lost the ability to infect matter, I was still thrilled to see my data in print. all E. coli B and K12 strains, hence the name “host- With the fall semester drawing to an end, I induced-modification”. However, T*2 phage was able had to begin thinking about graduate schools. Several to infect a related enteric bacterium, strain Sh of Shig- had programs in biophysics, including MIT and Johns ella dysenteriae. Hopkins University. From my reading Bacteriophages, I began by checking out all the bacterial strains the leading workers were readily identified by having that I would be working with. Since the Luria lab used the largest numbers of citations in the Bibliography. agar media with various sugars and dyes, I decided to By chance, one of them, Salvador E. Luria, later a No- streak out my cultures on these plates in order to ex- bel Prize recipient, had recently moved to MIT. One of amine their carbohydrate utilization abilities. I was not - my buddies had known him at U. Illinois, Urbana, and surprised to see that B/4o was gal , while the parental B said he was a great guy. This seemed like a great con- and mutant B/4 were gal+. I thought, OK, different figuration of the stars; so, with the blessing of my receptors were affected by the B/4 vs. B/4o mutations, CCNY and Sloan Kettering mentors, I applied to MIT and these might require different carbohydrate- over Thanksgiving break. Surprisingly, before the new utilization capabilities. It had no special significance to year, I received their acceptance. And so it was that me, and I just made a mental note of the observation. my fate was decided. To confirm the production of T*2, I carried out a one- Within weeks of arriving at MIT, I switched to step growth experiment in E. coli strain B/4o, moni- the Microbiology track. Deep down I had known all toring progeny phage titers on different host strains. along that I had no more interest in physics or bio- Everything went as expected; the very next day, To- physics. Still it was necessary to pay the price for shio Fukasawa arrived from Japan. As I was thinking having had such a weak background. Now I had to about what I should do next, he began informally de- take the undergraduate courses in Biochemistry, Ge- scribing his research to my bench neighbor. Interested netics, Physical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry. in galactose metabolism, Toshio had isolated and There were no lab rotations at that time. So in the characterized the enzymatic defect in each of a num- summer of ’61, I attended the Cold Spring Harbor ber of E. coli K12 gal- mutants. One such gal- strain Symposium on Gene Regulation and stayed on to take [W4597] behaved strangely. When he infected it with the Bacterial Genetic lab course along with a dozen or phage T4, although the cells lysed at the normal time, so post-docs and seasoned scientists. One of the par- they did not appear to produce progeny phage; i. e., ticipants was Heinrich Matthei, whose name is proba- there was no apparent increase in phage titer when bly unknown to everyone still reading this. During assayed on E. coli K12 or B strains. BINGO!!! It was one afternoon break, I remember him describing his suddenly all clear to me, and I burst into their conver- research to a group of fellow students, all of whom sation that I had just solved both his problem and the seemed excited by his account. I glanced at the writing T*2 mystery. At this point, I should mention that on the blackboard and sniffed, “Oh, biochemistry,” phage T2 (as well as T4 and T6) DNA is highly un- and I looked away. What Heinrich was relating was usual. First, all the cytosine residues are replaced by 5- his ground-breaking post-doctoral work on in vitro hydroxymethylcytosine [hmCyt]. Moreover, these poly U-directed polyphenylalanine synthesis. To this residues are glucosylated [by phage-induced gluco- day, I am embarrassed—and miffed that Heinrich did syltransferases] to produce hmCyt-glucose. As it not share the Nobel Prize with his mentor Marshall turned out, Toshio’s odd W4597 gal- mutant strain was Nirenberg. defective for UDPG-pyrophosphorylase, an enzyme I returned to MIT and started research in the involved in the synthesis of UDP-glucose. This cellular Luria lab. I worked on two projects that hit dead ends. metabolite was the glucosyl donor for the phage glu- - Although we did publish a NOTE on one of them, cosyltransferases. Thus, I predicted that strain B/4o gal there was no real thesis project in sight. A year later, in had the same enzyme defect as W4597, that T*2 DNA + the summer of ‘62, I spent time in Geneva, Switzer- lacked glucose, that gal revertants from B/4o would land, working in the lab of Werner Arber (later , also a not produce T*2 phage, and that T4 grown in W4597 Nobel Prize recipient) on the transfer of phage l host- would have a normal titer if plated on Shigella Sh (i. e., specificity through successive growth cycles in differ- it would have a T*4 phenotype). Within a month, all ent hosts. This experience convinced me that I had to these predictions were corroborated, and my “thesis study the host-specificity phenomenon which had problem” was no longer a problem. Talk about being been discovered by Luria working with phage T2. Af- in the right place at the right time! ter returning to MIT I pushed to drop my old project, We published these results, which represented and Salva finally agreed. Ten years earlier Luria came the first case where the chemical basis of a host- upon an E. coli B strain which he designated B/4o. It induced modification had been elucidated. It would be was isolated during the selection of phage T4-resistant two more years before W. Arber showed that DNA
16 Volume 19, Number 2 The Nonsense Suppressor May, 2004 methylation was involved in host-induced- expression (transcriptional and translation regulation modification of phage l. However, DNA methylation, of the mom operon in bacteriophage Mu); the other not glucosylation, was the more general mechanism was devoted to study of the enzymes that mediate for conferring host specificity, as well as playing a role DNA methylation in prokaryotes and lower eukaryo- in a wide variety of other biological functions. Well, tes and their biological function(s). I can say with that was more than 40 years ago. I’ve done a lot of sci- some (im)modesty that I’ve made good contributions ence since then, but all subsequent discoveries came to both fields. Now, although I will be hanging up my after considerable effort. Nothing occurred with the professional garb on July 1, that will not be true of my lightning insight I experienced on that fateful day in lab coat. So, see you around Hutch. 1962, although my love of phage never diminished in (That is if he’s not spending more time with his all the years. At Rochester I’ve had basically two inde- two new grandchildren.) pendent careers: one was studying regulation of gene
Meet the newest Hattman grand- children—Rebecca’s son Andrew Conlin Spencer (4 1/2 months in the picture) and Ursula’s son Gavin Winter Suskin (2 weeks old in the picture).
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(de Kiewiet Summer Fellows continued from p. 14) de Kiewiet project, “Determining the variation in post- Brandi Davis, BBC major, class of 2005, spent 40 spike effects during errors,” has grown out of her ex- hours a week one summer coordinating an interna- periences there. Vanessa is interested in the possibility tional conference on Heme Oxygenase for Dr. Mahin of entering an MD/Ph.D. program. Maines while at the same time volunteering in the lab Andrew Hart, BNS major, class of 2005, came of Dr. Jeffrey Hayes in Biochemistry and Biophysics. to UR with the intention of studying the mind and the She began working with Physarum polycephalum, a brain from a biological perspective. He worked for slime mold, trying to find DNA sequence information. eight months as a laboratory assistant in one lab in the All that was in pursuit of her desire since the age of 6 Center for Aging and Developmental Biology and or 7 to be a scientist when she “grew up.” She has been then spent three summer months doing research in a a TA for BIO 111, BIO 111L and CHM 131L along the neighboring laboratory. Last January he began an In- way and found that teaching these courses helped her dependent Research project with Dr. Kathy Nordeen to re-evaluate her own research work. All this has led in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. It to her de Kiewiet project “Generation of a cDNA li- is this project, “The role of dopamine in avian vocal brary and identification of histone H1 clone from Phy- learning” that he will expand during his de Kiewiet sarum polycephalum.” Brandi hopes to enter a Ph.D. summer. program and eventually both to teach and to do re- Jason Moore, BNS major, class of 2005, has a search at a University. long list of activities: TA for BCS 200 Statistics and Ex- Vanessa Franco, BNS major, class of 2005, did perimental Design and for the NSC 203 Laboratory in summer research in an Environmental Protection Neurobiology, tutor in the College Writing Program, Agency Program at the University of Cincinnati while Business Manager and Primary Science editor for she was still in high school. Just before graduating Journal of Undergraduate Research. For a career Jason from high school Vanessa contacted a few researchers is interested in the effect that scientific research can at UR and came up with an offer to work in Dr. Marc have on the field of medicine, especially in discovering Schieber’s lab her freshman year. She has stayed there treatments for diseases. He hopes “to translate clinical for two and a half years including two summers. Her observation into scientific hypotheses and scientific
17 Volume 19, Number 2 The Nonsense Suppressor May, 2004 research into clinical treatments” and will pursue an ment beyond the summer. That study, on levels of re- MD/Ph.D. to reach that end. His de Kiewiet research inforcement in D. recens and D. subquinaria, has culmi- project will be done in the laboratory of Dr. James Ison nated in a paper for Evolution on which Julie will be a in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. co-author. The focus of her de Kiewiet project, while The title is “Effects of aging in mice and humans on involving Drosophila, as did her summer of 2003 re- gap detection for within- and between-channel fre- search and that of her fall semester, will be slightly quency signals.” different from her original project. This summer’s Julie Sullivan, BEB major, class of 2005, con- project is “Behavioral ecology in Drosophila innubila siders herself lucky to have had the opportunity to do and Drosophila recens” which involves behavioral research last summer in the GEBS program at UR be- studies of Drosophila mating. Julie plans to go to cause she has been able to continue her project in the graduate school and make a career out of research in laboratory of Dr. John Jaenike in the Biology depart- evolution and ecology.
Congratulations
Awards and Grants
Marty Gorovsky has been made a Fellow of the studying chromatin boundary elements that define American Academy of Microbiology. domains of gene expression in the yeast model organ- ism. Qun is advised by Xin Bi. Naina Phadnis was chosen by the University to re- ceive the Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in John Jaenike has been awarded an NSF grant for 2003 Teaching by a Graduate Student. She received $500 for through 2006 for his project “Evolutionary ecology of her outstanding teaching efforts and the Department male-killing Wolbachia in Drosophila innubila”. received $250 to improve undergraduate course mate- rials or laboratory equipment. Robert L Minckley was awarded a grant of $45,000 for his project “Borderland ecosystem effects of the Qun Yu has been awarded a Messersmith Fellowship. invasive plant saltcedar to a keystone ecological proc- This prestigious fellowship, which the University ess” by Center of Environmental Research & Policy awards to only one or two outstanding graduate stu- effective 1 June 2004- 30 May 2005. dents in the sciences each year, will contribute one year of support to Qun's graduate stipend. Qun is
Births
Xiaoyun and Junqiang Ye are the proud parents of a weighing 7 lbs. He was 19 3/4 inches long. Sonia girl, Jenny Zixuan. Jenny was born on Saturday, Feb- D’Silva is a graduate student in the Miller lab. ruary 28, weighing 6 lbs. 15 oz. She was 20 1/2 inches long. Junqiang is a graduate student in the Eickbush Adam and Rebecca Mason are the proud parents of lab. Laura Alice Mason born March 31, 2004, weighing 6 lbs. 9 oz. and 19 inches long. Adam Mason is a post- Amit and Sonia are proud parents of a boy, Joshua doc in the Goldfarb lab. Mark Fernandes. Joshua was born on Friday, March 5
Other
Jack Werren is promoting the full genome sequencing Jaenike and Cathy Westbrook are organizing this of Nasonia, an emerging model system for studies of meeting. complex genetic traits. A full genome sequence will make positional cloning of genes more practical. This On the non-science front, Jody LaRose is happy to re- May the NSF Frontiers in Integrative Biological Re- port that Sunshine, her Shetland Sheepdog, has earned search (FIBR) group on Biology of Wolbachia is meeting her Novice Agility titles in both "Standard" and outside Tucson, Arizona, to coordinate the use of Wol- "Jumpers with Weaves" AKC dog agility competition. bachia in research and education. Jack Werren, John
Class of 2003 Choose Permanent Labs
Five graduate students completing their first year have Bradford Berk’s lab in the Department of Medicine; been assigned to the labs in which they will do their Lu Gao has chosen Robert Bambara’s lab in the De- doctoral research. Chun Chen will do her work in partment of Biochemistry & Biophysics; Rhitoban Ray
18 Volume 19, Number 2 The Nonsense Suppressor May, 2004
Choudhury has joined Jack Werren’s lab in the De- of Biology. Susan Elizondo will do a fourth rotation partment of Biology; Deborah Stage and Jun Zhou with Xin Bi in Biology. will be working with Tom Eickbush in the Department
Arrivals and Departures
Molly Saweikis is the new Lab Tech in Jim Fry’s labo- in 2003. As a postdoctoral fellow, Paul will study the ratory. Molly earned a BS in Biotechnology at RIT in role of gamma tubulin in the biogenesis and regula- 2002. Her interests are rock climbing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu tion of centriole/basal body formation in Tetrahymena. and pets. When not studying the lower eukaryotes, Paul likes to run with the Genesee Valley Harriers. His other inter- Hong Qin, Ph.D. will be a visiting professor in the ests include yoga, photography, the histories of sci- Goldfarb lab with the title of Assistant Professor, ence and architecture, ethnic food and conversation. Center for Aging and Developmental Biology. Dr. Qin comes from a postdoc position at the University of The Gorovsky lab will miss their hard working under- Chicago. graduate students, Cornelia Zorca and Mark O'Hara, who will graduate in May. Robert Gromadka began his postdoctoral studies in January of 2004 in the Gorovsky lab. He received his Michael Clark will be a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Ph.D. from The Institute of Biochemistry and Bio- labs of Jack Werren and John Jaenike. He will be physics PAS (Poland). Robert will analyze the function working on several projects on interactions between of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase in DNA elimi- Wolbachia and their insect hosts. Michael has been do- nation. Robert’s hobbies are reptile breeding and cre- ing a post-doc with Tim Karr at the University of Chi- ating stained glass. When not in the lab, Robert likes to cago. roller skate with his friends. In Poland, he spends much time in a stable and horseback riding. Cathy Westbrook is a new Laboratory technician in the Werren Lab. She received a B.A. in Biology in 1996, Tomoko Noto joined the Gorovsky lab as a postdoc in from the University of California, Berkeley, and an February, 2004. She received her Ph.D. from Kana- M.S. in Entomology in 2003, from Cornell University. zawa University in 2003. Tomoko’s research project Cathy is engaged to Bill Turechek, a plant pathologist will focus on the functional study of TWI gene family at Cornell. She is the owner of a 12 year old puppy in Tetrahymena. Besides research, she likes reading dog named Leibniz. Cathy likes to play soccer and to books and snowboarding. cook.
Paul Cheresh joined the Gorovsky lab in April of 2004. Laura Baldo, visiting scientist in the Werren lab, has Paul received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University returned to her home institution, U. Milan, Italy.
Off Campus
James Fry was an invited speaker at the Symposium ton, DC. The title of his talk is “Small RNAs in genome on Comparative Biology of Ethanol Consumption, So- rearrangement in Tetrahymena”. ciety for Integrative and Comparative Biology in New Orleans, LA, January 6-8, 2004. The title of his talk Stan Hattman performed with Afrikuumba, the Afri- was "Ethanol tolerance in Drosophila: evolutionary and can Dance and Drum Ensemble, at Monroe Commu- ecological genetics." At the Gordon Conference on nity College during its International Day celebration Plant-Herbivore Interactions in Ventura, CA, March 2- on April 28. 5, 2004, Jim’s talk was "Towards an evolutionary ge- netic understanding of host specialization in insects". John Jaenike spoke at an invited seminar at Penn State. Dave Goldfarb spoke on autophagy of the nucleus and cell death in yeast at, the Department of Anatomy Robert Minckley gave a talk on “Evolutionary and and Structural Biology, Einstein College of Medicine, ecological consequences of floral exploitation by spe- 12/10/03 and the Biology Department, University of cialist bees” at Cornell University on February 9, 2004 North Carolina, Asheville, 4/26/04. and at Brock University on January 24. Marty Gorovsky gave an invited talk at a Meeting of Allen Orr gave a seminar at The College of William the French Society of Protistology in Montpellier, and Mary, Department of Biology, in February, 2004. France on May 12. The title of his talk is “The role of In March he gave the Plenary Lecture at the Mecha- RNAi in genome rearrangement in Tetrahymena”. On nisms of adaptation, genetic differentiation and spe- May 17 Marty will give an invited talk at the NAS ciation meeting, Tutzing, Germany, "Population ge- Sackler Colloquium on Biology of RNAi in Washing- netic theories of adaptation." In April, Allen gave the
19 Volume 19, Number 2 The Nonsense Suppressor May, 2004
Lecture to Staff Scientists at National Institutes of preparation, merit review, and challenges and oppor- Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences tunities and new directions. on "The genetics of speciation in Drosophila" and at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Department of Jack Werren spoke at the following seminars and con- Embryology, 26th Annual Mini-Symposium (Topic: ferences: Seminar on Organismic and Evolutionary Evolution), he spoke on "The genetics of speciation in Biology, U. Mass, 2004; Wolbachia FIBR Working Drosophila." Group Meeting (Organizer); 45th Annual Drosophila Meetings Workshop;conference on Genetics of Non- Louise Vanni and Kathy Giardina attended an NSF Drosophilid Insects (Co-Organizer & Speaker); semi- Regional Grants Conference held at Columbia Univer- nar at Baylor Human Genome Center, “Using haploid sity March 15-16, 2004. The conference offered several genetics in a complex eukaryote: Nasonia as an emerg- general and specific sessions led by top officials from ing model system"; conference speaker at Keystone NSF. Louise and Kathy attended sessions on Biological Meeting Genetic Variation in Model Organisms; semi- Sciences and Grant award and Administrative issues. nar at NYU, Biotic Resources: Integrating Development, Jean Feldman, Policy Office head, Office of Budget, Genetics, Evolution, and Systematics Program; seminar Finance and Award Management, Division of Grants at Department of Entomology, U. Mass, “Plant gameto- and Agreements, gave an outstanding presentation. phytes: evolution, development and function; opening Other topics covered were: NSF overview, proposal lecture, Ascona, Switzerland, 2nd Nasonia Workshop, Schiermonnikoog, Netherlands.
Recent Publications
Eickbush Rice vs. Felsenstein. Evolution terol binding protein Osh1p in Sac- 57:1735–1746. charomyces cerevisiae. J. Cell Science, Christensen S, T.H. Eickbush. 2004. submitted. Footprint of the retrotransposon Fry, J.D. 2003. Detecting ecological R2Bm protein on its target site be- trade-offs using selection experi- Patent Pending: Materials and fore and after cleavage. J Mol Biol. ments. Ecology 84:1672–1678. methods for identifying genes Mar 336(5):1035-45. and/or agents that alter replicative Fry, J.D. and S.V. Nuzhdin. 2003. lifespan. Filed as U.S. Serial No. Bibillo A, T.H. Eickbush T.H. 2004. Dominance of mutations affecting 10/790, 456 on March 1, 2004. End-to-end template jumping by viability in Drosophila melanogaster. the reverse transcriptase encoded Genetics 163:1357-1364. Gorovsky by the R2 retrotransposon. J Biol Chem. 279(15):14945-53. Messina, F.J., and J.D. Fry. 2003. Mochizuki, K. and M.A. Gorovsky. Environment-dependent reversal 2004. Small RNAs in genome rear- Fry of a life history trade-off in the rangement in Tetrahymena. Curr. seed beetle Callosobruchus macula- Opin. Genet. Dev. 14:181-187. Fry, J.D. 2004. How common are tus. Journal of Evolutionary Biol- overdominant mutations? Genetics ogy 16:501-509. Hattman 167 (1): in press. Goldfarb Hattman, S. and E.G. Malygin. Fry, J.D. 2004. Estimation of ge- 2004. Bacteriophage T2 and T4 netic variances and covariances by Strawn, L.A., T. Shen, N. Shulga, Dam DNA-(N6-adenine)- Restricted Maximum Likelihood. D.S. Goldfarb and S.R. Wente. methyltransferases. Prog. Nucl. In A. Saxton, editor, Genetic Analy- 2004. Minimal nuclear pore com- Acid Res. & Mol. Biol. 77: 67-126, sis of Complex Traits with SAS. SAS plexes: Genomic strategy defines in press. Books for Users Series, SAS Insti- FG repeat domains essential for tute, Cary, NC., in press. transport. Nature Cell Biol. 6:197- Jaenike 206. Fry, J.D. 2004. On the rate and Dombeck, I. and J. Jaenike. 2004. linearity of viability declines in Jarolim, S., J. Millen, G. Heeren, P. Ecological genetics of abdominal Drosophila mutation-accumulation Laun, D.S. Goldfarb and M. Bre- pigmentation in Drosophila falleni. experiments: genomic mutation itenbach. A novel assay for repli- Evolution 58: 587-596. rates and synergistic epistasis re- cative lifespan in Saccharomyces visited. Genetics 166:797-806. cerevisiae. FEMS Yeast Res, in Shoemaker, D.D., K.A. Dyer, M. press. Ahrens, L. Sheill, C. Militzer, and J. Fry, J.D. 2003. Multilocus models Jaenike. 2003. Molecular evolu- of sympatric speciation: Bush vs. Kvam, E. and D.S. Goldfarb. Nvj1p tionary effects of Wolbachia infec- is the nuclear receptor for oxys- tions: decreased diversity but in-
20 Volume 19, Number 2 The Nonsense Suppressor May, 2004 creased substitution rate in host M. Lachmann, N.W. Blackstone, D. mtDNA. Genetics, submitted. Orr, H.A. 2004. A passion for evo- Haig, A. Kowald, R.E. Michod, E. lution (review of A Devil's Chap- Szathmáry, J.H. Werren, and L. Dyer, K.A. and J. Jaenike. 2004. lain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, Sci- Wolpert. 2003. Cooperation and Evolutionarily stable infection by a ence, and Love by Richard conflict in the evolution of ge- male-killing endosymbiont: Mo- Dawkins). The New York Review nomes, cells, and multicellular or- lecular evidence from the host and of Books, February 26, 2004, pp. ganisms. In Genetic and Cultural parasite genomes. Genetics, sub- 27-29. Evolution of Cooperation. Dahlem mitted. Conference Publications, Berlin, Werren GE. Minckley Werren, J.H. 2003. Invasion of the Bordenstein, S.R., D.H.A. Fitch and Minckley, R.L, J.H Cane, L Kervin Gender Benders. Natural History J.H. Werren. 2003. Absence of Wol- and D. Yanega. 2003. Biological 112:58-63. bachia in Nonfilariid Nematodes. J. impediments to measures of com- Nematol. 35(3):266-270. petition among introduced honey Baldo, L., J.D. Bartos, J.H. Werren, bees and desert bees (Hymenoptera: C.. Bazzocchi, M. Casiraghi and S. McAllister, B.F., L.W. Beukeboom Apiformes). Journal of the Kansas Panelli. 2003. Different rates of and J.H. Werren. 2004. Site-specific Entomological Society 76: 306-319. nucleotide substitutions in mapping of the paternal-sex-ratio Wolbachia from arthropods and (PSR) chromosome. Heredity 92 Minckley, R.L and T.H Roulston. nematodes: arms race or host (1): 5-13. 2004. Incidental mutualisms and range? Parasitologia 44: 179-187. pollen specialization among bees. Werren, J.H. 2004. Heritable mi- In, N.M. Waser and J. Ollerton Baudry, E., K. Emerson, T. Whit- croorganisms and reproductive (eds.) Specialization and generaliza- worth and J.H. Werren. 2003. Wol- parasitism., New York. tion in plant-pollinator mutualisms. bachia and genetic variability in the Univ. of Chicago Press. birdnest blowfly Protocalliphora Velthuis, B.J., W. Yang, T. van sialia. Molecular Ecology 12:1843- Opijnen and J.H. Werren. 2004. Orr 1854. Intra-specific variation in sexual isolation: Genetics of female mate Coyne, J.A. and H.A. Orr. Specia- Bordenstein, S.R., J.J. Uy and J.H. discrimination in Nasonia longico- tion. 2004 Sinauer Associates, Sun- Werren. 2003. Host genotype de- rnis (Darling) (Hymenoptera, derland, MA. 480 pp. termines Wolbachia cytoplasmic Pteromalidae). Animal Behavior, incompatibility type in Nasonia. in press. Orr, H.A. 2004. The probability of Genetics 164:223-233. parallel speciation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, submitted.
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