Abstract: Fos and Jun families are part of a group called immediate early genes transcribed first upon stimulation and are involved in addiction. Fos and Jun protein heterodimers bond and create a transcription factor called AP-1 that binds DNA. This AP-1 transcription factor reads many genes in the genome, creating different protein products. ∆FosB is a unique member of the Fos family, as most Fos proteins are produced rapidly and transiently, ∆FosB isoforms are extremely stable. ∆FosB is a truncated form of FosB, which is produced naturally in the brain upon stimulation. ∆FosB is induced in several brain regions upon exposure to drugs of abuse, stress, and other stimuli. Acute drug use causes rapid induction of all Fos family members, while repeated exposure induces ∆FosB, and induction of other Fos genes is desensitized. My experiment plans to target these genes to discover the mechanism through which they work. I plan on discovering the binding affinity of each Fos isoform to a Jun family member, therefore understanding the probability of which each AP-1 transcription factor will be formed. I also plan on understanding the activity of each AP-1 complex. I will test how much transcription activity each AP-1 complex possesses. Combining this information with the discovery of the binding affinities, I will be able to figure out how Fos and Jun are involved in the addictive phenotype.
. What does research mean to you? Research is a great environment to work in daily. I am constantly learning and being motivated to solve problems in new ways. This forces me to think in ways that studying, and classroom learning, do not. However, research is also very important to me due to the impact it has on our world. As I go in to work daily to discover new information about addiction, I sometimes forget how much this information is sought after. So many people live with diseases in which there are little to no treatment options. Research gives these people hope that one day, we will figure out how to cure them. Research has been a huge part of my life ever since entering college, and I am glad that the Green Fellowship allowed me to perform research at an even higher level.
Tell us about your journey. I began my research in Dr. Kilgard’s lab my freshman year of college. I was performing vagus nerve stimulation working in the neuroscience department. I worked in Dr. Kilgard’s lab up until the green fellowship my junior year of college. Here, I switched into Dr. Ram Madabhushi’s lab where I now study addiction in the psychiatry department. Even though I had already been performing research for a couple years prior to my start at UTSW, when I entered Dr. Madabhushi’s lab I knew nothing about my project nor how to perform the research. I spent the first couple of weeks reading papers covering the Fos and Jun family of proteins and figuring out the mechanisms behind addiction. After I had learned enough about the basic sciences, I began figuring out the protocols for experiments. I was working 40-50 hours a week, and it was hard research. I felt like my experiments would always fail, and that I wasn’t getting enough data to present on my poster at the end of the 4 months. However, as I got more comfortable in lab, I realized that this is just how research goes. It takes months to get good results, and it takes even more problem solving before those results have enough data to be meaningful. I am now in the SURF program continuing my same project under Dr. Ram Madabhushi. I plan to work in this same lab after my graduation in December, prior to entering medical school
Advice for Future Green Fellows
The Green Fellowship is a great learning experience. Even though you aren’t taking classes, you will learn a lot. Make sure you attend all the seminars and get the most out of the experience as possible! UTSW is a great campus too, so for lunches and free time it is great to go explore. Also, do not be nervous about joining your lab. Your professor knows you are coming in knowing almost nothing about your research topic, and because of this you will spend a lot of time reading papers when you first arrive at UTSW! This will help you get familiar with your project and will prepare you to begin doing experimentation. Lastly, have fun in your lab and with your research, and do not be afraid to ask questions! Also, write everything down.