Meet Michael Lee
Major: Biochemistry
Graduation Year: May 2016 Field of Study: Cell Biology Abstract: Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) is the major endocytic pathway by which mammalian cells internalize diverse cargo. CME is a highly regulated, multi-step process that begins with the formation of a clathrin-coated pit (CCP) on the plasma membrane upon cargo capture, followed by CCP maturation and vesicle scission. CME progression requires a core machinery consisting of AP-2, clathrin, and the GTPase dynamin. While many of the components necessary for CME have been identified, the underlying mechanisms governing their spatiotemporal hierarchy/regulation during CME progression remain largely unclear. Dynamin has been extensively characterized for its catalytic role in mediating membrane fission. Emerging reports have proposed an important role of dynamin in the early stages of CCP maturation. Although dynamin-2 (Dyn2) is ubiquitous whereas dynamin-1 (Dyn1) is highly enriched in neuronal tissues, they are in fact expressed at similar levels in non-neuronal cells. However, Dyn2, not Dyn1, knockdown potently inhibits CME in cultured cells. Dyn1 is proposed to be maintained in a quiescent state via cycles of phosphorylation/de-phosphorylation of Ser-774 byGSK3β. Here, we explore the effects of a phosphorylation-deficient Dyn1 mutant (Ser774Ala) on CCP dynamics and CME efficiency, in order to elucidate the isoform-specific roles of Dyn1 and Dyn2. |
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My Experience:
I first started my research experience at UT Dallas in a bionanotechnology lab. It was very exciting to be able to participate in the great endeavors of scientific discovery. This excitement motivated me to seek out the Green Fellows opportunity for a semester of research at UT Southwestern in order to broaden my scope of what life is like in the world of scientific research. Although there were admittedly many rough days (or weeks!), when challenges persisted with my experiments and results proved inconclusive, in retrospect, those were the moments when I was truly experiencing science--the good, the bad, and the ugly--and I loved every moment. Coming back to campus with these insights for my senior year, I now have greater, more genuine curiosity and appreciation for the contents of my coursework (and honestly more resilience in my work-ethic as well!). Altogether, my experience in the Green Fellows program has been truly influential, and has solidified my passions for scientific research. |
Advice for future students:
The transition into scientific research can be daunting; but hopefully these considerations may be of help: Firstly, when choosing a lab, I highly suggest finding a research topic(s) that you genuinely will be passionate about—it will be your life for the entire semester after all! During your lab search, look up recent publications (e.g., PubMed) from each lab to get a “feel” for whether you’d like to study these topics.
When you contact your lab’s Principal Investigator (PI) to introduce yourself, I would suggest also asking for recommended 'review articles'; these provide a big picture, less technical survey of the topics that will be related to your project. Once you start in the lab (or even beforehand, if possible; i.e., look online), try to learn the important techniques for your project as quickly, but meticulously, as possible. This will give you more time to get to the science! Don’t just memorize the procedures, but try to understand the underlying principles; this will help a lot when it comes time to troubleshoot experiments. Throughout the semester, stay focused, and don’t worry about making mistakes; every mistake is an opportunity to improve. When in doubt, however, make sure to ask your mentor. Above all, be inquisitive and enjoy every moment (the semester will pass by really quick). It will definitely be challenging at times (especially the commute; avoid rush hour!), but if you devote your complete energy and best effort, it can be an awesome learning experience.
Lastly, write everything down and keep a record of all your experiments throughout the semester. Also, keep in mind of the “big picture” hypotheses and scientific questions that you are addressing with your project, and then be able to understand how each of your experiments throughout the semester addresses them. These will be the central narrative of your “story” when you finally get to putting together your poster. Best of luck!
The transition into scientific research can be daunting; but hopefully these considerations may be of help: Firstly, when choosing a lab, I highly suggest finding a research topic(s) that you genuinely will be passionate about—it will be your life for the entire semester after all! During your lab search, look up recent publications (e.g., PubMed) from each lab to get a “feel” for whether you’d like to study these topics.
When you contact your lab’s Principal Investigator (PI) to introduce yourself, I would suggest also asking for recommended 'review articles'; these provide a big picture, less technical survey of the topics that will be related to your project. Once you start in the lab (or even beforehand, if possible; i.e., look online), try to learn the important techniques for your project as quickly, but meticulously, as possible. This will give you more time to get to the science! Don’t just memorize the procedures, but try to understand the underlying principles; this will help a lot when it comes time to troubleshoot experiments. Throughout the semester, stay focused, and don’t worry about making mistakes; every mistake is an opportunity to improve. When in doubt, however, make sure to ask your mentor. Above all, be inquisitive and enjoy every moment (the semester will pass by really quick). It will definitely be challenging at times (especially the commute; avoid rush hour!), but if you devote your complete energy and best effort, it can be an awesome learning experience.
Lastly, write everything down and keep a record of all your experiments throughout the semester. Also, keep in mind of the “big picture” hypotheses and scientific questions that you are addressing with your project, and then be able to understand how each of your experiments throughout the semester addresses them. These will be the central narrative of your “story” when you finally get to putting together your poster. Best of luck!