|
 |
|
An NSF-Supported Research
Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
hosted
by the biology departments at James Madison University,
Bridgewater
College and Eastern Mennonite University
Dr. Stephen Baron
(BC), PHA depolymerase in Streptomyces: Cloning and regulation
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are plastic-like polymers produced by soil
bacteria. Biodegradation of PHAs is carried out by extracellular
PHA depolymerases secreted by many soil microorganisms. My lab
studies how PHA depolymerase synthesis is regulated in the soil
bacterium, Streptomyces sp. 5A. Our objectives are: 1) to
clone and sequence the gene encoding the PHA depolymerase (phaZ);
2) to identify upstream sequences that might be involved in
transcriptional regulation; 3) to isolate mutants of the organism
deficient in glucose repression of PHA depolymerase synthesis; and 4)
to
isolate and characterize PHA-binding proteins that might be involved in
induction of PHA depolymerase synthesis.
|
Dr.
Marta Bechtel
(JMU),
Molecular biology and mechanical properties of cartilage tissue
A recent research focus is studying cartilage tissue as a tissue
engineering model system to better understand basic cell and molecular
biology of chondrocytes, the cell population present in cartilage
tissue, and to learn more about the biomechanical properties of
cartilage tissue. Tissue engineering requires an understanding of
the structure and organization of a tissue's extracellular matrix, what
the role is for the cells that reside in the tissue, and what part the
mechanics and dynamics of the three-dimensional structure play in the
function of a tissue. One goal of this research is to help
further delineate the role of chondrocytes in forming and organizing
the extracellular matrix that comprises cartilage tissue.
|
Dr.
Tim Bloss (JMU), Control of apoptotic cell death
Apoptosis is a ubiquitous cell death process that removes unnecessary
or badly damaged cells throughout the life of an organism. This
mechanism of cell killing plays a central role in both development and
cellular homeostasis, and proper control of apoptosis, both positive
and negative, is required for survival. My lab studies control of
apoptosis in C. elegans, a small roundworm, and we have identified two
novel repressors of apoptosis, ICD-1 and -2, which appear to repress
apoptosis in every cell of the worm. We are using RNA interference, DNA
cloning and western analysis along with other techniques to determine
how ICD proteins repress apoptosis, and how this repression is released
in cells fated to die.
|
Dr.
Justin Brown (JMU), The role of medullary serotonin in thermoregulatory effector pathways
The primary goal of
this research project is to determine the role of serotonin (5HT) in
the neural control of thermoregulatory responses to stress. 5HT
may act as a relay station for a variety of autonomic responses
including sweating, shivering, and seeking warmer/cooler ambient
temperatures. Students will measure body core and preferred
ambient temperatures in rats surgically instrumented with
state-of-the-art biotelemetry techniques following injection of
serotonergic blockers into the brainstem. This will decrease 5HT
release and help to determine the role of 5HT in thermoregulatory
responses to stress.
|
Dr. Stephen Cessna (EMU), Anti-oxidants and stress responses in Arabidopsis
Plants are continuously subject
to several environmental insults, including drought, heat, cold,
pollution, disease, and insects. While some plants have evolved the
ability to specifically combat one or more of these stresses, all
plants have adaptive ability to tolerate most stresses. This is
achieved at the cellular level by the transcription of specific
stress-activated genes. My research focuses on roles of small
oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide in activating these stress-activated
genetic programs. We will grow Arabidopsis plants that are
genetically-altered so that they are missing genes encoding
anti-oxidation enzymes, and then measure their ability to withstand
stress. We will also measure several physiological and
biochemical parameters of plant fitness with fluorescence microscopy,
gas and liquid chromatography, and
western blotting.
|
Dr. Steve Cresawn (JMU), Genomics
of phages infecting Mycobacteria
Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that infect bacteria. Because they
kill bacterial cells, phages and the genes found in their genomes are
of great interest as potential clinical and diagnostic tools. My lab
studies phages that infect Mycobacterium smegmatis, a soil bacterium
related to the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Students in
my lab will learn molecular biology and genomics techniques as they
characterize phage genomes.
|
Dr.
Susan Halsell (JMU), Genetic and molecular characterization of shape remodeling during development
Morphogenetic
processes remodel the shape of an embryo, generating the complex forms
and structures that characterize the mature organism. Defects in
morphogenesis give rise to birth defects such as spina bifida. Work in
my laboratory focuses on a key cellular aspect of morphogenesis, the
generation of cell shape changes. Specifically, we study the
signal transduction molecule, RhoA. My research exploits the powerful
molecular and classical genetic techniques afforded by the model
organism, Drosophila melanogaster
(a.k.a., the fruit fly). Because the molecules and cellular
processes that direct morphogenesis are so similar between fruit flies
and mammals, these studies have broad relevance. Our
investigations and characterizations of morphogenesis are important
steps in understanding how to overcome birth defects.
|
Dr. Carol Hurney (JMU), Salamander tail development
My research project
explores the formation of embryonic and post-embryonic tail segments in
the four-toed salamander, Hemidactylium scutatum. Axial elongation in the four-toed salamander, H. scutatum
occurs throughout larval, juvenile and adult life history stages via
the development and growth of new tail segments. How cool is
that? Thus, our goals are to characterize embryonic segmentation
by visualizing somites, and determine the molecular pathways involved
in tail segment development throughout all life history stages.
|
Dr.
Jon Monroe (JMU), Functional genomics of beta-amylases in
Arabidopsis
Plant leaves accumulate starch during the day and break it down at
night in order to supply the plant with reduced carbon when
photosnthesis is not active. The pathway for
starch degradation
involves hydrolysis by beta-amylases (BAMs)
located in plastids. The Arabidopsis
thaliana genome contains
nine BAM
genes, six of which encode proteins that are targeted to plastids where
they apparently work cooperatively. We have generated mutants lacking
two or three BAMs, some of which accumulate excess starch. In addition, we are expressing the BAM proteins in E. coli
to characterize their properties. We hope that clues from the mutants
and purified proteins will help us to identify the functions of
these enzymes.
|
Dr.
Terrie Rife (JMU), Understanding transcriptional and translational controls of mitric oxide synthase I
Transcriptional and
translational regulation of the enzyme Nitric Oxide Synthase I
(NOS1) is important for many physiological processes such as
brain development and muscle movement. Student researchers
in my lab uses rodent cell culture models, cloning, reverse-
transcription, and PCR techniques to study the causes of these
changes. Our lab is currently studying four different promoters
that regulate gene transcription and we have found a novel exon
for which we are trying to find a function.
|
Dr. Ken Roth (JMU), The Role of Interleukin-3 in the Immune Response in Mice
Interleukin-3
(IL-3) is a cytokine that has been shown to be involved in the immune
system’s response to infection in a variety of ways. In our
lab, we study the general biological responses of IL-3 using mice that
have been genetically modified such that they lack the ability to
produce the cytokine. In this study, we will be investigating the
role of IL-3 in cutaneous leishmaniasis, a potentially disfiguring skin
disease caused by the protozoan pathogen Leishmania major. Previous studies in mice suggest that interleukin-3 (IL-3) may play a significant role in the immune response to L. major
infection. We will attempt to determine how IL-3 shapes the
immune response to cutaneous leishmaniasis by comparing how
IL-3-deficient (“knockout”) mice and their genetically
normal (“wild type”) counterparts respond to infection.
|
Dr.
Louise Temple (JMU), Studying respiratory disease in poultry caused by Bordetella
avium
Commercially grown turkeys frequently get infectious diseases, and one
of the most common infectious agents is a bacterium called Bordetella avium. In our lab
we study how the bacterium causes the disease and how the ciliated
tracheal cells are killed, in an effort to create an effective vaccine
to prevent the disease. We use molecular biology tools as well as
field work to compare different isolates of the bacterium from sick
turkeys and apparently healthy wild birds. Students learn
microbiology, biochemistry, and DNA/protein handling techniques in our
lab.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For information contact:
Sheila Santee, Burruss 242
540-568-6225 or 6733
Dept. Fax:
540-568-3333
Web site maintained by:
Jon Monroe
|
Mailing address:
Department of Biology
MSC 7801
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA 22807 USA |
Express mailing address:
Department of Biology
Burruss Hall, Room 243
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA 22807 USA
|
|
@ 2005-2009,
Department of Biology. All rights reserved. Privacy
Statement
|
|
