Martha Arciniega
MARC Fellow -Junior

Lab Group: Zehr Lab
Major: Marine Biology

Research: The focus of the Zehr lab is to study tropical and subtropical marine nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria including the specie Prochlorococcus. Prochlorococcus is one of the most abundant type of bacteria in the ocean and contributes to primary production. Cyanobacteria are unique primary producers because they can thrive in the nutrient poor water of the open ocean.
A project for me should involve gel purification of multi-band PCR products, cloning and DNA sequencing to determine the nature of the PCR products. The sequence results may be used to establish genotypes of nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria in the marine environment.

Internships/Presentations/Awards:

MARC/MBRS/CAMP Summer Research Institute. University of California, Santa Cruz. June 25 - August 17, 2007.

Ivan Cruz
MARC Fellow - Senior

Lab Group: Rexach Lab
Major: Molecular Cell & Developmental Biology

Research: I am currently working in Dr. Rexach's lab. The lab is attempting to further elucidate the structure and function of of the nuclear pole complex(NPC). This is a multi-protein complex that regulates the import and export of large molecules between the cytoplasm and nucleus. My project is to detemine the location of a hightly-conserved sequence with in the NPC.

Internships/Presentations/Awards:

Ivan Cruz, Michael Rexach. Department of Molecular Cell & Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz. NUCLEAR PORE COMPLEX: IDENTIFICATION OF ANCHORING DOMAINS FOR FG-NUCLEOPORING. SACNAS National Conference, Kansas City, Missouri. October, 2007. Poster Presentation. Abstract. Travel Award recipient.

Ivan Cruz, Michael Rexach. Department of Molecular Cell & Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz. NUCLEAR PORE COMPLEX: IDENTIFICATION OF ANCHORING DOMAINS FOR FG-NUCLEOPORING. Undergraduate Research Symposium UCSC June, 2007. Poster Presentation. Abstract

MARC/MBRS Summer Institute. University of California, Santa Cruz. June 26 - August 18, 2006

Jason Gonzales
MARC Fellow - Senior

Lab Group: Zuniga Lab
Major: Molecular Cell & Developmental Biology

Research: Immunological tolerance is mediated by a variety of mechanisms, which are not well understood. Using a transgenic mouse model, the Zuniga lab has found that tolerated foreign skin grafts are infiltrated by various cells of the immune system. The immunosuppressive properties of regulatory T cells are also suspected to be responsible for graft acceptance. Immunohistochemistry is being used to identify suspected cell types infiltrating tolerated skin grafts (as compared to skin grafts undergoing rejection). Image J is being used to quantify the various cell populations infiltrating the skin. Further quantitative analysis with be carried out using flow cytometry with fluorescent antibodies against suspected cell types. With these techniques we intend to identify the cell types responsible for immunological tolerance of foreign skin grafts. My project title is "Quantitative analysis of cellular infiltrates in tolerated allogeneic skin grafts in a transgenic mouse model".

Internships/Presentations/Awards:

MARC/MBRS/CAMP Summer Research Institute. University of California, Santa Cruz. June 25 - August 17, 2007.

Marcos Grabiel
MARC Fellow - Junior

Lab Group: Pogson Lab
Major: Marine Biology

Internships/Presentations/Awards:

Marcors Grabiel*, Dr. Steven Morgan**. *University of California Santa Cruz, ** University of California Davis.GRAZING REDUCTION BY TEGULA FUNEBRALIS IN THE PRESENCE OF A KEYSTONE PREDATOR, PISASTER OCHRACEUS: EVIDENCE FOR TRAIT-MEDIATED INDIRECT INTERACTIONS. SACNAS National Conference. October 10-14, Kansas City, MO. Poster Presentation.

Michelle Herrick
MBRS Student- Junior

Lab Group: Lokey Lab
Major: Chemistry

Research: My research consists in the preparation of a fully protected a-amino acid for L-Serine. The chemistry I use consists of four reactions, Fischer Esterification, Tritylation, Benzylation, and Hydrolysis respectively. My graduate student takes on my final product from the Hydrolysis and performs two more reactions. After the two reactions she then has her precursor for the b-Lactam chemistry via an intramolecular Wolff like Rearrangement mechanism. This mechanism was discovered by a previous graduate student in our lab. Our research is focused on developing this new method and obtaining reproducible high yields of the enantiopure b-lactam.

Internships/Presentations/Awards:

Herrick, Michelle. Organic Chemistry, C. Fiore Chemistry Prize. December, 2007.

Steven Hobbs
MARC Fellow - Junior

Lab Group: Karplus Lab
Major: Bioinformatics

Pedro Medina
MARC Fellow - Junior

Lab Group: Zahler Lab
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Research: Alternative splicing has been found in some genes to be regulated in a tissue specific manner. With the use of an in-vivo splicing reporter, quantitative data has been obtained on the alternative splicing of unc-32 in C. elegans. Unc-32 encodes the subunit a of the vacuolar ATPase pump and contains 6 isoforms. Tissue specificity has been observed to determine the selection of three mutually exclusive exons for exon 4. Isoforms containing exon 4A have been most abundant in our reporter construct containing a muscle promotor, whereas isoforms containg exon 4B have been most abundant in our reporter construct with a neural promoter. Using deletion mutagenesis on intronic regions that are highly conserved between C. elegans, C. briggsae, C. remanei, we hope to identify cis- and trans- regulatory elements of tissue specific splicing in unc-32.

Internships/Presentations/Awards:

MARC/MBRS/CAMP Summer Research Institute. University of California, Santa Cruz. June 25 - August 17, 2007.

Monica Muñiz
MARC Fellow - Senior

Lab Group: Fink Lab
Major: Chemistry

Research: Alpha-synuclein is a presynaptic protein that is abundantly distributed in the brain. It is a natively unfolded protein but in patients with Parkinson’s disease, it adopts a polymerized conformation known as amyloid fibrils. The exact mechanism of Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis is not understood but fibrillation of a-synuclein in dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra is believed to play a major role. Epidemiological studies have shown that smoking can lessen the incidence of Parkinson’s disease, indicating that smoke may contain chemicals that are neuro-protective. The kinetics of a-synuclein fibrillation have been studied in relation to five different compounds found in cigarette smoke: anabasine, cotinine, hydroquinone, nicotine and nornicotine. An in vitro assay based on the fluorescence of the dye Thioflavin T when it binds to fibrils was used to monitor the rate and extent of fibril formation. Our results will show if these compounds affect the rate of fibrillation: if they decrease fibrillation it could explain the positive effects of smoking on Parkinson’s disease.

Internships & Presentations:

Monica Muniz, Christopher Barry and Anthony Fink. Smoking and Parkinson’s Disease: Does nicotine affect a-Synuclein Fibrillation. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz. SACNAS National Conference, Kansas City, Missouri. October, 2007. Poster Presentation. Abstract.Travel Award recipient.

Monica Muniz, Christopher Barry and Anthony Fink. Smoking and Parkinson’s Disease: Does nicotine affect a-Synuclein Fibrillation. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz. Undergraduate Research Symposium UCSC June, 2007. Abstract

MARC/MBRS Summer Institute. University of California, Santa Cruz. June 26 - August 18, 2006.

Crystal Nyitray
MARC Fellow - Junior

Lab Group: Mascharak Lab
Major:Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Milana Pebenito
MARC Fellow - Senior

Lab Group: Hinck Lab
Major: Molecular Cell & Developmental Biology

Research: I study the interactions of secreted guidance cue SLIT with its receptor ROBO in vivo, in the developing mammary gland. SLIT:ROBO interactions are important in maintaining the adhesive quality of the cellular bilayer that forms the ductal structure of the mammary gland. I use immunohistochemistry to identify processes that are deregulated in Slit2-/-;Slit3-/- mammary tissue, as well as in Robo1-/- mammary tissue. I have found that loss of Slit2 and Slit3 results in hyperplastic lesions, with myoepithelial cells migrating into the lumen of the duct. Furthermore, Slit2-/-;Slit3-/- mammary epithelial cells up-regulate expression of the metastasis marker CXCR4, as well as its receptor SDF-1. These results are evidence of tumor-suppressive roles played by Slit, and suggest that there may be significant clinical potential for targeting Slit in the treatment of human breast cancers.

Internships & Presentations:

Milana PeBenito, Dr. Lindsay Hink, Dr. Rebecca Marlow, Physllis Strickland. SLITS FUNCTION AS TUMMOR SUPPRESSORS IN MOUSE MAMMARY GLAND. Department of Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz. ABRCMS Conference. Austin, TX. November 7-10, 2007. Poster Presentation. Cell Biological Science Poster Awardee.

Milana PeBenito, Dr. Lindsay Hinck, Dr. Rebecca Marlow. SLITS FUNCTION AS TUMMOR SUPPRESSORS IN MOUSE MAMMARY GLAND. Department of Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz. Undergraduate Research Symposium UCSC June, 2007. Poster Presentation. Abstract

Milana PeBenito, Dr. Lindsay Hinck, Dr. Rebecca Marlow. SLITS FUNCTION AS TUMMOR SUPPRESSORS IN MOUSE MAMMARY GLAND. Department of Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz. CAMP Research Symposium. February, 2007. Abstract Oral Presentation. Distinguished Oral Presenter Award.

Marissa Perez
MARC Fellow - Junior

Lab Group: Zahler Lab
Major: Molecular Cell & Developmental Biology

Research: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short pieces of non-encoding RNA that bind to the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of mRNA. Usually 15-25 base pairs long, they repress translation or cleave their target mRNA based on how they match to it. Clevage occurs when the two sequences are perfectly complimentary and translational repression occurs when they are not perfectly complimentary. It has been predicted that roughly thirty percent of human genes are regulated by miRNAs and changes in the miRNA expression have been linked to cancer. In the lab, my project is to develope an in vitro miRNA-directed translational repression system in our model organism, C. elegans. And with that system, use different miRNAs to see if these miRNAs have clevage or translational repression activity in C. elegans.

Internships & Presentations:

MARC/MBRS/CAMP Summer Research Institute. University of California, Santa Cruz. June 25 - August 17, 2007.

Michelle Riener
MARC Fellow - Junior

Lab Group: Crews Lab
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Christina Sanchez
MARC Fellow -Junior

Lab Group: Lokey Lab
Major: General Biology

Amber Smith
MARC Student- Senior

Lab Group: Holman Lab
Major: Molecular Cell & Developmental Biology

Research: Previous research has strongly suggested that there is an interaction between the damage resistant heme binding protein Dap1 and the cytochrome P450 protein Erg11. Previous studies have hypothesized that Dap1p could be an initiator to Erg11p1. This interaction is important because it has been demonstrated that Dap1p mutants are sensitive to antifungal agents which are direct inhibitors of the Erg11 enzyme by an unknown mechanism. These findings suggest that Dap1p maybe a good target for both antifungal drug recovery and may serve as a model for drug resistance in mammalian cells. The focus of our research will be to express and purify both Dap1p and Erg11p. We have successfully expressed Dap1p with a pET28a vector and purified it to high homogeneity. Initial expression trails for Erg11p in a pET28a vector did not yield soluble protein. Next we will express Erg11p with a vector traditionally used for P450 expression. Once expressed a NiNTA column will be used for initial purification. The binding conditions of Dap1p to Erg11p will be identified using Western blots and size exclusion chromatography. We will measure binding affinities with isothermal titration calorimetry. These results will inform the design of future experiments to identify novel chemotherapeutic agents and models.

Internships & Presentations:

Amber Smith, Alisha Thompson, Nadine Gassner and Theodore R. Holman, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa. CHARACTERIZATION OF THE INTERACTION OF THE YEAST PROTEINS DAP1 AND ERG11. SACNAS National Coference. Kansas City, Missouri. Poster Presentation. Abstract. Travel Award Recipient.

Amber Smith, Alisha Thompson, Nadine Gassner and Theodore R. Holman, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa. CHARACTERIZATION OF THE INTERACTION OF THE YEAST PROTEINS DAP1 AND ERG11. Undergraduate Research Symposium UCSC June, 2007. Poster Presentation. Abstract

Summer 2006. University of California, Santa Cruz, MBRS Research Training Program, June-August 2006.

Shewit Tekeste
MARC Student

Lab Group: Jurica Lab
Major: Molecular Cell & Developmental Biology

Research: My project is to investigate factors involved in early recognition of the 3'splice site in an AG dependent mutant substrate that has PP7 binding sequence in the 5' exon and MS2 label at the end of the 3' exon. We study this unknown complex by characterization using cryo-electron microscopy in conjunction with mass spec, northern, western analysis and natives.

Internships & Presentations:

Shewit Tekeste, Dr. Melissa Jurica, Gabriel Roybal. Deparment of MCD Biology, University of California Santa Cruz.STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF SPLICESOME ASSEMBLY IN AN AG DEPENDENT SUBSTRATE USING PP7 BINDING SEQUENCE. California Alliance for Minority Participation Conference. February 22-24, 2007. University of California, Irvine.Oral Presentation .

MARC/MBRS/CAMP Summer Research Institute. University of California, Santa Cruz. June 25 - August 17, 2007.