Journal of Undergraduate Research

Jared R. Jackson and Dr. Robert Seegmiller, Physiology and Developmental Biology Introduction Stickler syndrome, caused by a mutation of the Collagen 2A1 gene, is the most common cause of inherited retinal detachment in children. A mutation of the same gene in mice causes Disproportionate Micromelia (Dmm). “In cases where mouse mutations occur in genes that […]

Nicholas H Bishop Purpose and Protocol My research aims to elucidate the protein interactions at cell-cell contacts (adherens junctions or AJs) by studying the fluorescence recovery of three known AJ proteins (zyxin, VASP, and actin) after photobleaching. At AJs, zyxin interacts with VASP (Vasioukhin et al., 2000) which in turn encourages the polymerization of actin […]

Ryan Anderson and Dr. Robert E Seegmiller, Physiology and Developmental Biology Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive disease resulting in the degeneration of synovial joint cartilage and is the leading cause of chronic disability in the elderly1. Despite the prevalence of this disease, its pathogenesis is poorly understood. There is need for low cost, short generation […]

Kylen Zibetti and Dr. Jonathan Wisco, Physiology and Developmental Biology The human body is amazingly complex. Every structure and function affects multiple other structures and functions in a very automated way. Going from sitting to standing includes thousands of activated neurons, millions of contracting muscle fibers, and perfect balance coordinated between the semicircular canals and […]

Ryan Williamson and Dr. Jeff Edwards, Physiology and Developmental Biology The hippocampus is thought to mediate learning and memory by altering the strength of synapses within its circuitry [1]. The plastic nature of these synapses allows the brain to alter the sensitivity of neurons to excitatory input. Improper regulation of synaptic plasticity may cause memory […]

Ashley Salin and Dr. Jonathan Wisco, Physiology and Developmental Biology Introduction At present, no one can diagnose a patient with Alzheimer’s disease until postmortem examination. It was our goal to change that theory and make it possible to diagnose varying degrees of Alzheimer’s through Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Analysis of the spatial overlap of non-heme iron, […]

Kristen Alexander and Dr. Marc Hansen, Physiology and Developmental Biology A key characteristic of cancer is metastasis of the primary tumor to other locations in the body. Hepatocyte-growth factor (HGF) is a highly characterized and studied factor that induces epithelial cell scattering, through the c-met pathway, and mediates a similar response to metastasis (Cecchi, et […]

Jeffrey Kartchner and Dr. David Kooyman, Physiology and Developmental Biology INTRODUCTION As the population in the US continues to age, osteoarthritis (OA) is becoming a larger issue, currently effecting over 27 million people1. Presently, pharmaceutical options aim to lessen the effects of the disease, while no preventative treatment is currently available. Much of the current […]

Jordan Huber and Dr. Jeffery Barrow, Physiology and Developmental Biology Introduction The Wnt family of secreted proteins consists of 19 family members (in the mouse) and is known to signal through multiple pathways that regulate crucial processes in the development of almost all tissues. Dissecting the roles of individual Wnts has been hampered due to […]

Jessica Flory and Professor David Bearss, Physiology and Developmental Biology Introduction Nek2 is a kinase that promotes centrosome separation during the cell cycle. Our lab has shown that Nek2 over-­‐expression is the best predictor of a poor outcome in multiple myeloma therapy, but the mechanism is unknown. The standard therapy for treating multiple myeloma is use […]