Individual Student Views - 2002

Alexandra Amaro
Huffaker Lab
BMCB Field (entered program fall 2002)

From: San Diego, CA
Undergraduate: University of Notre Dame. BS (Biological Sciences) in 2002

Statement

The highly collaborative environment at Cornell was one of the main reasons I decided to join the BMCB program. Many labs work in similar areas, which allows the labs to hold joint journal clubs, discuss problems, and troubleshoot protocols. Its great to have the entire building as a resource whenever you have a question because chances are someone is willing and able to help. Everyone in the department is very supportive and friendly, which makes for a great working environment.

Research

The formation and stability of the mitotic spindle during the cell cycle is critical for proper segregation of chromosomes. The bipolar spindle is composed of microtubules and associated proteins. Using the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, I am interested in understanding the role of the essential microtubule-associated protein Stu1 in assembly and maintenance of the mitotic spindle. Stu1 is a member of a family of proteins conserved from yeast to humans that localizes to the spindle and binds microtubules. Loss of Stu1 results in a compromised collapsed spindle. I am currently investigating if Stu1 maintains spindle integrity by modulating microtubule dynamics.

Awards

NIH Pre-doctoral Fellowship 2005

Outreach

Expanding Your Horizons Publicity/Brochure Chair (2005-2008)

Publication

• Amaro I.A., Costanzo M., Boone C., Huffaker T.C. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae homolog of p24 is essential for maintaining the association of p150Glued with the dynactin complex. Genetics (submitted)
  

Conference

• American Society for Cell Biology. December 2006. Ldb18 is a component of the dynactin complex in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (poster)
  
• Northeast Regional Yeast Meeting. April 2007. LDB18 is a Component of the Dynactin Complex in Saccharomyces (Oral presentation)
  
• Vincent du Vigneaud Memorial Symposium. May 2007. LDB18 is a Component of the Dynactin Complex in Saccharomyces (poster)
  

Gary Isaacs
Kraus Lab
BMCB Field (entered program fall 2002).

From: Delaware
Undergraduate: Liberty University, BS (Premed) in 1999

Statement

The BMCB field in the Molecular Biology and Genetics Department was the reason I chose to come to Cornell. With past experience as a high school science teacher, I knew I needed a broad foundation in biochemistry and molecular biology in order to meet the challenges of teaching science in the future. Since the program contains professors from various fields of study, I quickly found the area of research that sparked my interest the most. To this day, collaborations and interactions within the MBG Department challenge my way of thinking about science and enable me to be a better teacher in the future.

Research

My research in the Kraus Lab is directed at understanding the mechanism by which AP-1 transcription factors activate transcription. I am particularly interested in how estrogen receptors cause an activation of certain AP-1 driven genes in a ligand-dependent manner. I am attempting to determine the proteins that compose these transcription complexes and determine their role in transcriptional activation.

Career Interest

Currently I am working towards a career in academia with the desire to teach courses in biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology full-time.

Awards

2006-2009 Department of Defense Predoctoral Traineeship Award
2005-2006 Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Fellowship
2005-2006 Endocrine Society Travel Grant
2004-2005 The Chancellors List
2003-2004 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant

Abstracts

• Gary D. Isaacs, Miltiadis Kininis, Edwin Cheung, Adam G. Diehl, Adam C. Siepel, Jeffrey A. Ranish, W. Lee Kraus (2007). Molecular Mechanisms of Estrogen-Dependent Transcription through Activating Protein-1: Genomic, Bioinformatic, and Proteomic Studies. Endocrine Society Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada.
• Miltiadis Kininis, Gary D. Isaacs and W. Lee Kraus (2007). Genome-Wide Analysis of RNA Polymerase II Binding and Regulation by Estrogen Signaling. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Transcription Meeting, NY, USA.
• Miltiadis Kininis, Gary D. Isaacs and W. Lee Kraus (2007). Regulation of RNA Polymerase II Activity by Estrogen Signaling. Cornell Center of Vertebrate Genomics, 3rd Annual Symposium, Ithaca, NY, USA.
• Gary D. Isaacs, Edwin Cheung, Jamie Anastas and W. Lee Kraus (2005). Molecular Mechanisms of Estrogen-Dependent Transcription Through Activating Protein-1. Endocrine Society Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA.

Oral Presentations

• Gary D. Isaacs. Integration of Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Signaling Pathways in the Estrogen-Dependent Control of Gene Expression (2007). Great Lakes Nuclear Receptor Conference, Pittsburg, PA. Audience: 100.
• Publications
  M. Kininis, B. Chen, A. Diehl, G. D. Isaacs, T. Zhang, A. Siepel, A. Clark, and W. Lee Kraus. Genomic Analyses of Transcription Factor Binding, Histone Acetylation, and Gene Expression Reveal Mechanistically Distinct Classes of Estrogen-Regulated Promoters, Molecular and Cellular Biology, July 2007, p. 5090-5104, Vol. 27, No. 14.
• Miltiadis Kininis, Gary D. Isaacs, and W. Lee Kraus (2007).  Post-Recruitment Regulation of RNA Polymerase II Activity at a Majority of Estrogen Target Genes. (Submitted)
• Gary D. Isaacs, Miltiadis Kininis, and W. Lee Kraus (2007).  The Promoter-Associated Distribution of JNK1 and Its Role in Mediating Transcriptional Responses. (In Preparation)
• Gary D. Isaacs, Nina Heldring, Jeffrey A. Ranish, and W. Lee Kraus (2008).  Tamoxifen-bound Estrogen Receptors can Alter the Composition of Activating Protein-1 Complexes to Mediate Transcriptional Activation. (In Preparation)

Alex Wong

Aquadro & Wolfner labs
G&D Field (entered program fall 2002)

From: Ottawa, Ontario
Undergraduate: Carleton University, Ottawa ON, Canada. BA (Biology/Philosophy) in 2000.
Graduate: Carleton University. MA (Philosophy) in 2002.

Statement

I was interested in coming to the Field of Genetics and Development because of the wide range of research being conducted, in diverse fields such as developmental biology, molecular genetics, population genetics, and molecular evolution. I was excited about the possibility of doing interdisciplinary work for my PhD, where I could use tools from both molecular evolution and molecular genetics to address interesting questions. Moreover, Ithaca has a lot to offer outside of the University like great hiking, good restaurants, and a lively music scene.

Research

I work on the molecular evolution and functional analysis of genes involved in fruit fly reproduction. Following mating, female fruit flies undergo many behavioral and physiological changes: they store sperm, resist further mating attempts, and increase their rates of ovulation and egg laying. Interestingly, some of the genes that cause such post-mating changes evolve very rapidly between species; this observation also holds true for many reproductive genes in marine invertebrates, mammals, and plants. It has been suggested that interactions between proteins produced by males and those produced by females underlie this rapid evolution. Differing reproductive interests of males and females may, for example, drive a molecular arms race similar to that observed between immune molecules and their targets. I am determining the effects of rapid amino acid divergence on the dimerization of a male seminal fluid protein, ovulin, that induces ovulation in females after mating. In addition, I am characterizing the functions and evolution of a number of proteases expressed in the male and female reproductive tracts.

Selected Publications

Wong A, Turchin MC, Wolfner MF, Aquadro CF. Accepted pending minor revisions. Evidence for positive selection on Drosophila melanogaster seminal fluid protease homologs. Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Drosophila 12 Genomes Consortium. 2007.  Evolution of Genes and Genomes on the Drosophila Phylogeny.  Nature, in press.

Haerty S, Jagadeeshan S, Kulathinal R, Wong A, Ravi Ram K, Sirot LK, Levesque L, Artieri C, Wolfner MF, Civetta A, Singh R. 2007. Evolution in the fast lane: rapidly evolving sex-and reproduction-related genes in species of the genus Drosophila. Genetics, in press.

Jensen JD, Wong A, Aquadro CF. On statistical and functional approaches for identifying targets of positive selection. Trends in Genetics, in press.

Wong A, Jensen JD, Pool JE, Aquadro CF. 2007. Phylogenetic incongruence in the melanogaster species group. Mol Phy Evol 43(3): 1138-50. Epub. 2006 Sep 9.

Wong A, Albright SN, Wolfner MF. 2006. Evidence for structural constraint on ovulin, a rapidly evolving Drosophila melanogaster seminal protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103:18644-9.

Wong A, Wolfner MF. 2006. Sexual behavior: a seminal peptide stimulates appetites. Current Biology 16(7):R256-7.

Swanson WJ, Wong A, Wolfner MF, Aquadro CF. 2004. Evolutionary EST analysis of Drosophila female reproductive tracts identifies several genes subjected to positive selection. Genetics 168(3): 1457-65.

Wong A, Smith ML, Forbes MR.  2003.  Differentiation between subpopulations of a polychromatic damselfly with respect to morph frequencies, but not neutral genetic markers.  Molecular Ecology 12(12):3505-13.

Oral Presentations

Wong A, Kristipati RR, Sirot L, Wolfner MF. May 2007. Molecular evolution of male and female reproductive tract proteins in Drosophila. Eastern Great Lakes Molecular Evolution XI, York University, Toronto ON.

Wong A, Sirot L, Wolfner MF, Aquadro CF. November 2006. Identification and characterization of female reproductive genes in Drosophila melanogaster by comparative genomics and knockout/knockdown studies. 9th International Insect Seminal Peptides Meeting, Cornell University, Ithaca NY.

Wong A. September 2006. Self-interaction of ovulin, a rapidly evolving D. melanogaster egg-laying hormone. Howard Hughes Medical Institute Meeting of Predoctoral and Physician Postdoctoral Fellows, Chevy Chase MD.

Wong A, Sirot L, Aquadro CF, Wolfner MF. May 2006. Functional annotation of female reproductive genes in Drosophila melanogaster by coupling inferences of positive selection and knockout/knockdown studies. Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution Annual Meeting “Genomes, Evolution, and Bioinformatics”, Arizona State University, Tempe AZ.

Wong A. February 2006. Invited seminar for graduate student recruitment: Self-interaction of ovulin, a rapidly evolving D. melanogaster egg-laying hormone. Department of Genetics and Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Poster Presentations

Wong A, Turchin MC, Wolfner MF, Aquadro CF. June 2007. Molecular evolution of proteases and protease inhibitors involved in reproduction in Drosophila. Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution Annual Meeting, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS.

Wong A, Albright SN, Giebel J, Ram KR, Ji S, Fiumera AC, Wolfner MF. June 2007. A role for the Drosophila melanogaster seminal fluid lectin Acp29AB in female sperm storage. The Genetics Society of Canada 50th Annual Conference, McGill University, Montreal, PQ.

Wong A, Swanson WJ, Albright SN, Ram KR, Aquadro CF, Wolfner MF. February 2005. Interactions of Drosophila melanogaster accessory gland proteins. “Sperm and seminal fluid: what males produce and how females respond”, Monte Verita, Switzerland.

Wong A, Swanson WJ, Wolfner MF, Aquadro CF. March 2004. Evidence for positive selection on genes expressed in the reproductive tract of female Drosophila melanogaster. 45th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Washington DC.

Honors

Genetics Society of Canada poster award (2007 GSC/CanFly Meeting)
Hsien Wu and Daisy Chen Wu Scholarship (2006, Cornell University)
NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (2005-2007)
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant (2004)
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Predoctoral Fellowship (2003-2008)