The lab seeks to understand the breakdown of manmade pollutants in motile bacteria, which are able to move towards the source of the pollutant and degrade the compound. Specifically, Christie is researching how a certain strain of bacteria can detect the presence of a specific compound, known as phenylacetate – a common compound found in many plastics and perfumes. Applications of this research include reducing the accumulation of environmental pollutants and minimize the effects of pollutants, helping preserve the planet. 

For this project, Kimberley is working with Dr. Dinesh-Kumar in the Plant Biology department at the University of California, Davis. The lab studies the mechanisms by which plants recognize invading pathogens, initiate a signaling pathway, and execute a defense response. In general, the research aims to gain a better understanding of plant immunity. This information could be used to prevent plant disease in the agricultural market, promoting higher productivity of food products for the ever-growing human population.

Sarah Dukes-Schlossberg is working at the Center for Health and the Environment at the University of California, Davis. She is working with Kent EPinkerton, Ph.D. of the School of Veterinary Medicine. She is researching the effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on the lungs of rats. Dukes-Schlossberg is comparing the lung tissues of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with those of control rats, SHR is a model for cardiovascular disease in humans. The results of the study will be used to better understand the effects of ETS on the lungs of humans and to develop better preventative measures and treatments.

Andrew's project is to determine the structural changes of the protein responsible for staph infections when incorporated in lipid vesicles that mimic cell membranes.  After creating the vesicles, he determines if the lipids maintain their spherical shape and the protein structure using infrared spectroscopy, a technique that analyzes absorbed light.  This project will allow researchers to gain a better understanding of how proteins interact with cell membranes.

Creating a pesticide against the olive fruit fly, which damages olives and affects the quality of olive oil. Irene is working on this project by using computer software to build molecules and test how well they work. An effective pesticide would have a large positive impact on the California olive oil industry, which produces a majority of American olive oil.

Two parental and 16 F2 offspring nematode lines were studied using polymerase chain reactions, restriction enzyme digestions, and agarose gel electrophoresis. Analysis of the final banding patterns allowed for comparison of parental and offspring mitochondrial DNA.

Results showed that paternal mitochondrial inheritance did not occur in any of the offspring lines. Even so, the limited sample size makes further experimentation necessary in order to conclude whether ever paternal inheritance occurs. Even more analysis is required to determine whether nematodes’ amoeboid sperm is responsible for this phenomenon.

Protein synthesis is an important facet of any biological process. In the cardiac muscle, it is especially important in determining the state and condition of the muscle. One cardiovascular condition that is closely related to protein synthesis is cardiac hypertrohy. Cardiac hypertrophy is a thickening of the heart muscle, which results in a decrease in size of the chamber of the heart, including the left and right ventricles. This hypertrophy is a common known response to the increased workload of the heart that is associated with hypertension. The larger heart and cardiac cell mass means that more protein is necessary to make up the additional mass of the heart. This project investigated which proteins are specifically synthesized for the sake of contributing to cardiac hypertrophy and exactly how the rate of protein synthesis increases when cells are induced with hypertrophy by the cancer drug Doxorubicin. Using Click-iT AHA Protein Labeling Kits, and SDS-PAGE Gels, we were able to determine that the rate of protein synthesis increases by an average of 30.26%. In addition, we determined that Meclofenamate sodium, a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflamatory Drug (NSAID), decreased the rate of protein synthesis in cardiac cells while simultaneously decreasing protein degradation, an important step in determining how exactly NSAIDs affect cardiotoxicity and induce cardiovascular disease. 

Nelson Chou conducts a research project in the Department of Plant Sciences. The mentors of this young scholar are Dr. Johan Six and Dr. Sandra Yanni of the Agroecology Lab group. The objective the research is to explore the effects of photodegradation on littler and soil organic matter and its magnitude and rate in a California grassland. Photodegradation is an abiotic process in which sunlight, composed of both ultraviolet and visible light, degrades organic materials and can therefore facilitate subsequent microbial decomposition of organic matter. The carbon and nitrogen amounts of soil, grass litter, light effect on decomposition will be strategically analyzed. These understandings will form a basis of accurate prediction of annual decomposition rates of highly sun-exposed ecosystems such as the California grasslands.