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Newsletter
- Fall 2001
Faculty
Update
Dr. Allen Sanborn
(RISE) presented a poster at the Experimental Biology Meeting, March 31
- April 4, 2001. He also co-authored two oral presentations at the Florida
Academy of Sciences meeting, Orlando, Florida, March 8-10, 2001. Dr. Sanborn
completed a two month internship in the lab of Dr. Fernando Noriega, University
of Arizona, Summer 2001. There he learned techniques of molecular taxonomy.
He learned how to isolate DNA from preserved specimens, to identify specific
genes that would be useful in determining the relationships of cicadas,
and amplified the genes so they could be sequenced. The procedures are
currently being fine tuned so that they may get sequences to produce phylogentic
analyses. Dr. Sanborn also gave a seminar at the Center for Insect Science,
June 1, 2001.
Dr. Jeremy Montague
(RISE) completed a two-month study in the lab of Kathleen Rein, Ph.D.,
an organic chemist, Florida International University, Summer 2001. Dr.
Montague worked with DNA extracted from a marine dinoflagellate (Genus
Symbiodinium). These microscopic algae are closely related to certain
red-tide
dinoflagellates that are known to produce deadly polyketides. After purifying
and amplifying selected pieces of DNA, Dr. Montague was able to insert
the pieces into bacterial plasmids, which he then used to transform E.
coli cells. The transformed bacteria now carry selected pieces of algal
DNA. Drs. Rein and Montague discovered that the inserted DNA comes from
within a polyketide synthase (PKS) gene. This gene produces one of the
enzymes that make the toxic polyketides. Dr. Montague also began work
on a total genomic DNA library for Symbiodinium; he has successfully inserted
large pieces of the genomic DNA into host bacteria, which now replicate
portions of the algal genome. It is hoped that his research will lead
to a better understanding of gene expression in the notorious red-tide
algae.
Faculty travel and
summer internships were funded by the MBRS RISE grant.
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"I am very
glad that I chose Barry University for many reasons. I enjoyed the
classes, the one on one interaction with the professors, but most
of all, I benefited immensely from the opportunities that Barry
gave me to apply what I learned. Barry encouraged me to conduct
research which gave me the experience that graduate schools were
looking for; the opportunity to give presentations on my research,
which is definitely a skill that I have continuously used throughout
my graduate education."
- Lexia Valdes,
MARC '91. Lexia is a 4th year student at the University of Delaware
(Ph.D. Marine Science)
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