Science Majors to Attend Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Conference

Professors Dean Fraga and Paul Edmiston to accompany nine students to San Diego in April

Dean Fraga

Paul Edmiston

WOOSTER, Ohio - Dean Fraga, associate professor of biology, and Paul Edmiston, associate professor of chemistry, will join nine science majors from The College of Wooster in sharing their research with thousands of fellow faculty members and students from across the country when they travel to San Diego for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Annual Conference, April 5-10.

Nicholas Amato, a senior biochemistry and molecular biology major from Norwalk, Ohio, will discuss his work on the synthesis and purification methods used in obtaining a 94% pure proposed analog of phosphatidylserine, which is known to participate in the mechanism leading to unwanted cell death. His research will allow for further experiments to be pursued, potentially opening new doors in understanding and preventing unwanted cell death, as seen in individuals with Alzheimer's Disease.

Valerie Andrus, a junior biochemistry and molecular biology major from Richmond Heights, Ohio, will share her work in localizing one isoform of the C. elegans' arginine kinase. This is the first study to specifically examine the tissue distribution of this family in an invertebrate, and her results suggest the tissue specialization evolved early in this family of proteins.

Jocelyn Barker, a senior biochemistry and molecular biology, and mathematics double major from San Jose, Calif., will talk about methods she has developed for examining the details of evolution between closely related organisms using data from sequencing the organisms' genomes.

Emily Barth, a sophomore biochemistry and molecular biology major from Houston, Texas, will share her efforts to change the substrate specificity of an enzyme important in energy homeostasis.

Ray Gaines, a senior self-designed neuroscience major from Burghill, Ohio, will present his study of the function of the Calcineurin family of proteins in the single-celled organism Paramecium tetraurelia.

Jim Graham, a senior biochemistry and molecular biology major from Olmsted Township, Ohio, will explain his investigation of an uncharacterized domain of a structurally unique protein tyrosine kinase found in bacteria in order to determine its possible role in the function of the protein. His results indicate that the domain is essential for activity.

Marissa McGinley, a senior biochemistry and molecular biology major from Maumee, Ohio, will discuss her study of a group of proteins that are needed for organisms to store and release energy. Specifically, she looked at the evolution of their structure.

Allyson Palmer, a sophomore biochemistry and molecular biology major from Burghill, Ohio, will relate her experience in conducting structure/function studies of an enzyme involved in regulation of energy levels in the body, and exploring a newly discovered way in which it is regulated.

Warren Swegal, a senior biochemistry and molecular biology major from Sewickley, Pa., will describe a new method to do directed molecular evolution. Specifically, he has developed a means to use selective pressure in a bacterial host system to "evolve" a protein into performing new functions. His project has implications for protein engineering.

"Presenting at a national conference such ASBMB not only gives the students a chance to practice their skills at communicating their scientific findings, but it also gives them the opportunity to see the broader world of biochemistry/molecular biology by attending talks given by some of the thousands of other scientists attending the conference, who, like them, are on the forefront of their disciplines," said Edmiston.