Cancer continues to be a formidable threat to human health as the second leading cause of death in the United States. Many end-stage cancers frequently evolve into multidrug-resistant (MDR) forms, posing significant challenges in treatment design. To combat this, the Mancini Lab has recently devised a new mechanism of action known as Bystander-Assisted Immunotherapy (BAIT). […]
C21: Determination of NDM-4 Metallo-β-lactamase Structure: Insights on Antibiotic Resistance
Through mutations and horizontal transfer, bacteria has been able to acquire different forms of antibiotic resistance. In particular, bacteria that produce β-lactamases as a result of mutated or acquired genes have the ability to break down the β-lactam ring structure in many common classes of antibiotics (penicillins, carbapenems, monobactams, and cephalosporins). Metallo-β-lactamases, enzymes that confer […]
C22: Investigating How the Presence of Cholesterol Impacts Membrane Protein KCNE4 Dynamic
KCNE4, a transmembrane protein, is an accessory subunit belonging to the KCNE family. It functions as a modulator of voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels such as Kv7.1 (KCNQ1). KCNE4 is unique in the KCNE family as it is known to inhibit Kv current. Incorrect modulation of current through these channels has been linked to several diseases […]
C23: Testing Temperature-Dependent Reversible Aggregation of Elastin-Like-Peptides Expressed on T7 Phages
Bacteriophage (phage) therapy is a potential solution for treating antibiotic-resistant infections7. Since bacteriophages are bacterial in origin and are ‘expressed’ in bacteria, it is paramount that endotoxins are removed before delivery to avoid immunogenic shock. Traditionally, the purification process requires chromatography and is a bottleneck in the industrial-scale production of bacteriophage therapies. Elastin-like peptides (ELPs) […]
C69: Uncovering Protein Misfolding: Structural changes for UbcH5b mutants to study the complex CHIP-E2-Ub for the ubiquitination pathway
In this research, we delved into the intricate interactions within the CHIP-mediated ubiquitination pathway, focusing on the interplay among E1-ubiquitin-activating enzyme, E2-ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (UbcH5b), and E3-ubiquitin ligase (CHIP) with Ubiquitin. The absence of available structures for CHIP in complexes with an E2~ubiquitin conjugate spurred our investigation, aiming to unravel the mechanistic insights and structure of […]
C34: Development of a Bacteria Biosensor for Herbicide Detection
Escherichia coli (E. coli) has been used as a biosensor for detection of a wide range of analytes such as TNT, insecticides or lead. Glyphosate is a widely-used herbicide in US agriculture that can pose harms to marine life, mammals and endangered species. Due to the structural similarities between glycine, an amino acid that has […]
C05: Evolutionary and Structural Adaptations in the Eye Lens of the Freeze-Tolerant North American Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica)
My general research area is evolutionary biology and bioinformatics. My project is working with the North American wood frog (Rana sylvatica) to study stability and adaptability in lens crystallin proteins. Instability and aggregation of lens crystallins can cause cataracts, which are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. The wood frog is a cold-adapted vertebrate that […]
A19: The Role of the Paraventricular Nucleus of the Thalamus in the Expression of Safety Learning
An estimated 70% of the population experiences a traumatic event at some point in their life, and up to 20% of these individuals go on to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a debilitating condition that significantly reduces the quality of life and alters an individual’s ability to regulate fear and safety cues. Rodent […]
C36: Virus hopping between animal and human: Structural characterization of equine G14P[12] rotavirus via X-ray crystallography
Rotavirus is a virus that infects both humans and animals. Group A Rotaviruses are comprised of five genogroups P[1] through P[V], which are further organized into 37 genotypes P[1] through P[37]. These categorizations are based on sequence comparisons of spike proteins VP4 and VP7. As a general rule, P[I] RV’s infect animals, and P[II] infect […]
C33: Engineering Auto-catalytic CRISPR-Cas Sensors for Ultra-sensitive Lead Detection
Lead is an industrially useful element, but too much exposure is known to be extremely dangerous to human health. Toxicity and poisoning can result with symptoms such as anemia, kidney and brain damage, and death. A particular concern is lead toxicity in children due to the irreversible neurological damage and developmental defects that can occur. […]