Browse Exhibits (81 total)

Proteins are essential to life. They perform a variety of functions within the cell, including cell regulation and DNA synthesis. Just as important as protein synthesis is the antiparallel process of protein degradation. A protein must be degraded when it is no longer necessary, is damaged, or behaves aberrantly to prevent organismal harm. Proteins can behave aberrantly by persistently engaging with a protein channel called the translocon, which allows proteins to move across the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum. In humans, a protein known to clog the translocons is a component of low-density lipoproteins (or “bad cholesterol”). A ubiquitin ligase in yeast known as Hrd1 polyubiquitylates the aberrant protein, tagging it for degradation via the proteasome. The proteasome detects polyubiquitination and degrades tagged proteins, recycling them into shorter fragments. Ubiquitin ligases rarely function alone, and yeast lacking Hrd1 still exhibit residual degradation of translocon-clogging proteins, suggesting the existence of alternative degradation pathways. We performed a genome-wide screen to identify genes that may play a role in protein degradation of translocon-clogging proteins, identifying a potential 150 candidates. Further small-scale reporter assays were performed, confirming the role for 42 genes in protein degradation. Additional biochemical validation using cycloheximide chase showed the requirement of 3 genes, one of which is part of a heterodimeric transcription factor complex involved in lipid synthesis. With the process of protein degradation being conserved in both yeast and humans, validated genes may represent therapeutic targets for patients with elevated levels of cholesterol.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Eric "VJ" Rubenstein

Department of Biology

Graduate

MitoNEET is a outer mitochondrial membrane protein that contains a [2Fe-2S] cluster. Since its discovery, three genes of the protein family have been identified as CISD1 (mitoNEET), CISD2 (NAF-1), and CISD3 (Miner 2). If the metal cluster is lost from NEET proteins, it can cause oxidative stress because free iron causes the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can then go on to cause the formation of reactive sulfur species (RSS). These reactive species cause damage to proteins, lipids or DNA.  MitoNEET and NAF-1 play unclear role(s) in resistance to oxidative stress and are possible drug targets for cancer cell, diabetes, and Parkinson’s Disease. In my project I have started to explore how 1.)  mitoNEET contributes to sulfur-metabolism in human biochemistry and 2.) how NEET proteins interact with each other. This study is impactful because oxidative stress in cells is strongly influenced by the balance between ROS and RSS. I am completing this project to understand how the chemistry of mitoNEET impacts RSS and then extending this knowledge into yeast cells to examine the results in a cellular environment under oxidative stress. The primary research methodology of thin-layer chromatography showed that a new chemical is being made when the amino acid cysteine is combined with mitoNEET. This result indicates an enzymatic function of mitoNEET that would integrate into maintaining cellular redox balance. Additionally, yeast-2 hybrid experiments have shown an interaction between NAF-1 with itself and NAF-1 with mitoNEET. Future studies will extend this work by examining how NAF-1 interactions in yeast cells are impacted by oxidative stress.

Faculty Mentor: Mary Konkle

Biology

Graduate

This presentation analyzes the ways in which food throughout the film Parasite symbolizes the divide between rich and poor, using contemporary research to further build on how food is a signifier of class and wealth. From the less wealthy eating prepackaged foods, to the ignorance of wealth and privilege on the part of the upper classes, there is a clear indication throughout the film of food as a signifier of status and class. I take this divide and analyze its significance to the modern culture and society of South Korea, then further apply this to its relevancy in a modern United States. Parasite flourished in American society—both are countries wherein a capitalist ‘meritocracy’ rules for the most part, and an analysis of the culture around the film will show the ways in which the cultures that consumed this media are similar in their class divides.

Faculty Mentor: Emily Ruth Rutter

English

Undergraduate

Honors College 

Little research has currently been done focusing on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental and emotional processes of people in the United States. The few studies that have been published so far have focused on self-report measures to analyze the impact (Son et al., 2020; Taylor et al., 2020). While these publications are a good first step, more research needs to be done using methods controlling for the bias often found in self-report data. As very research has been used with naturally occurring data, the present study focuses on this approach.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Thomas Holtgraves

Psychological Science

Undergraduate

RefReps, a start up company, currently has an application meant to train referees. Creating lessons for the referees can require a lot of technical knowledge. To aid the team at RefReps, our team was brought to add additional functionalities to allow for admins to expedite the process of uploading, organizing, and shipping these lessons.

The project included a Unity project that had training videos and lessons hard-coded in. Every time a new lesson or video needed to be added, it was a long process that required a developer. In working on this, we have implemented a React app (our “Admin Portal”) and a Firebase database to automate a majority of the process. The React app was created to store the relevant data for lesson packs in the database.

Within the original Unity project, changes have been made to connect the firebase to the application, allowing for lessons to be pulled and displayed without any hardcoding. These lessons are now coming from the database itself. The application also creates the relevant connections for the lessons and properly displays their contents.

Final iterations of this project are geared towards statistics gathering and gamification. Admins are able to see their users' statistics and users are able to view achievements to complete.

Faculty Mentor: Huseyin Ergin

College of Sciences and Humanities

Undergraduate