Major: Biochemistry Research Department: Cell Biology Graduation Date: May 2021
Abstract: Quiescence is a reversible non-dividing cellular state brought on by stresses such as nutrient depletion or by developmental signals that plays an important role in ensuring the survival of unicellular organisms and maintaining tissue homeostasis in more complex eukaryotes. While cells most commonly enter quiescent states during the G1 phase of the cell cycle, some cells are able to access quiescent states outside of G1. Quiescence inducing stimuli are thought to work with the G1/S checkpoint, known as the restriction point in mammals and START in yeast. This transition acts as a bi-stable molecular switch by which a cell commits in an all-or-none response to synthesize its DNA and complete the cell cycle due to the maintenance of a state of high Cdk1 activity through positive feedback loops. During G1 a low Cdk1 activity state is maintained by preventing the accumulation of Cdk1 activators through transcriptional repression, Cdk1 inhibition, and APC-Cdh1 mediated proteolysis. How quiescence is achieved and maintained in a non-G1, high Cdk1 activity state, is not understood. My Green Fellows presentation focuses on the role of the transcriptional repressor xbp1 in establishing non-G1 quiescence in the baker’s yeast, S. cerevisiae Email:[email protected]
What does research mean to you? Time to get real nerdy. Research for me is a spiritual experience. Through research I feel as though I’m able to engage with the universe, with life, in a way that is uniquely intimate and humbling. It is a real honor and special role to pursue that of an investigator who gets to develop a better understanding of life, what it means to be alive and ultimately of what it means to be human.
Tell us about your journey. I was initially motivated to pursue the Green Fellowship as a way of continuing work I had done previously as a Summer student with my group and as a way of continuing to challenge myself and grow as a future research scientist. I originally joined my group, the former Doncic Laboratory, the Summer following a rather disappointing senior year of high-school in an effort to legitimately evaluate if research was something I seriously wanted to pursue and make the then sacrifices that would have to take place in order for me to do so. This was an incredibly daunting task. I had come in with absolutely no research experience and absolutely no education outside of what I’d received up to that point from my public high school. The learning curve was steep, and I encountered a lot of lows and times of self-doubt (I still do), but I was hooked. My experience in the lab that first Summer informed, inspired and pushed me to switch my major to biochemistry and to seriously pursue science. Research is TOUGH. It’s filled with struggle, failure, frustration and requires a special kind of perseverance, but herein lies its inherent beauty - the opportunity to GROW. The successes became that much more rewarding and the constant re-evaluation allowed me to consistently remind myself why I was doing what I was doing, reigniting that passion. I’d like to thank everyone a part of the Green Fellows team for making this possible, for their encouragement and for their support. I’d like to give a special thank you to my former PI, Andreas Doncic, posthumously, for giving me the initial opportunity that culminated in the Green Fellowship experience and to my lab members for their persistence, patience, and continued mentorship throughout this whole process.
How did the pandemic affect me? Despite its unfortunate and in some way premature end, I am incredibly grateful I pursued the Green Fellowship and believe I was able to glean from the program what I had hoped to going in. This experience has re-affirmed my desire and goal to go to go to graduate school and pursue a career in research. I actually think the odd nature of this situation - being ripped away from the bench and the experimental work as well as witnessing a time when the importance of biomedical research is so visible, strengthened this desire perhaps more so than if things had gone on as they usually do. This experience offered me the opportunity to think more deeply and subsequently get more excited about the work and the future of research.
Where am I now? My current plans: continue to pursue a career in research.
Advice for Future Green Fellows
You were selected for a reason; you can do this. Relax, pace yourself, take care of your health both mental and physical, and just embrace the fact that you’re there to learn. Everyone has to start from somewhere, so just start.