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1st Student's Major

Biological Sciences

1st Student's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Students' Professional Biography

Angelique DuCharme graduated from New Prague High School in 2001, and immediately enrolled in classes at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Having received her Nursing Assistant’s licensure in 2000, she continued to work throughout college in her hometown nursing home and at Immanuel St. Joseph’s hospital in Mankato. She worked for two years in Dr. Marilyn Hart’s research lab, first as an assistant to a graduate student, then on this project. She has actively participated in Pre-med Club, serving as Treasurer during the 2004- 2005 school year, and in Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship, leading a small group discussion each week. She has been an active member of the New Market, Elko, and Webster Lions Club for 3 years, volunteering her time in many of the events they have each year. In May of 2006, Angelique graduated Summa Cum Laude from Minnesota State University’s College of Science, Engineering, and Technology with a Bachelors of Science in Biology, with an emphasis in Human Biology. She will be getting married in June and moving to the northern metro area while her husband pursues his degree. Angelique will be working, shadowing medical professionals, and volunteering. She will also be applying to medical school to pursue a career in psychiatry. Charity Faith Zabel is a 2001 graduate of Waconia High School in Waconia, Minnesota. Charity then journeyed to Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU) to further her education. During the summer of 2001, Charity had received her Nursing Assistant Certification, and actively worked as a nursing assistant in a variety of settings throughout her college career, including a nursing home, an assisted living facility, and a hospital. In addition to classes, Charity devoted her time to Campus Crusade for Christ, serving as a vocalist on the worship team and as a small group leader for a number of years, and to the Pre-med Club. Charity’s fifth year led her back to the dorms, where she held the Anatomy of Nursing Learning Community Coordinator position, which gave her a chance to use all the knowledge and wisdom that she’d gained to make a difference in the lives of freshmen prenursing students. This spring Charity graduated Summa Cum Laude from the MSU’s College of Science, Engineering, and Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a Human Biology emphasis. Charity is getting married at the end of June, and the couple will reside in Waconia, Minnesota for a year or two. During that time, Charity plans on spending plenty of time volunteering, job shadowing Physician’s Assistants and Medical Doctors, and working as a Nursing Assistant. Within a year or two, Charity hopes to get accepted to Physician’s Assistant School or Medical School, in order to continue her journey in the medical field.

Mentor's Name

Marilyn Hart

Mentor's Email Address

marilyn.hart@mnsu.edu

Mentor's Department

Biological Sciences

Mentor's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Abstract

Actin, a filamentous component of all cells, contributes to cell shape, cell motility and force transmission. Actin assembly and dynamics are regulated by a diverse array of regulatory proteins, including actin capping protein (CP). CP is a heterodimeric protein composed of two subunits, alpha (a) and beta (ß). Three isoforms of each subunit exist in eukaryotes. The ß isoforms have been shown to have distinct functions in vivo. The functions of the specific a isoforms have yet to be determined. Overall, the amino acid sequence of the a isoforms are highly conserved, sharing approximately 90% sequence identity. The region of divergence is also highly conserved among higher organisms, suggesting that the alpha isoforms have distinct functions in vivo. We hypothesize that the alpha isoforms perform different functions in cells/tissues. The purpose of this research is to investigate the function of the alpha proteins of CP by identifying proteins that interact with the a1 and a2 subunits. In a previous yeast two hybrid genetic screen, potential interacting proteins were identified. Two methods were utilized to purify the DNA from the yeast. The first method, the small-scale preparation of yeast DNA, did not give a high yield of DNA. The second method, the rapid isolation of yeast DNA, not only produced a high yield of DNA, but also transformed into E. coli. Future research is required to complete the characterization of the proteins that interact with the alpha subunits and determination of the subunits’ distinct functions.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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