Tracking the Spread of House Finch-associated Mycoplasma gallisepticum (HFMG) in wild songbirds
Developed a qPCR assay to differentiate between house finch associated M. gallisepticum (HFMG) strains and poultry strains in a number of unknown samples isolated from a range of wild bird species and poultry. See our publication on this work at the Journal of Wildlife Diseases by clicking here.
Identifying a gene that confers Kanamycin Resistance in Mycoplasma sturni
In an effort to separate field isolates of M. gallisepticum from mixed M. gallisepticum and M. sturni field swabs, I performed antibiotic sensitivity assays on both M. gallisepticum and M. sturni. Surprisingly, I found that M. sturni was potently resistant to kanamycin. Using bioinformatic and experimental approaches I was able to attribute this phenotype to the presence of an aminoglycoside acetyltransferase gene in M. sturni.
OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Computational Methods in Microbiology
| 1. Performed de novo genome assembly of Escherichia coli K-12 SRR1770413 using multiple assembly programs such as Velvet, ABySS, MaSuRCA, and SPAdes which resulted in an award for best de novo genome assembly in the course 2. Annotated said genome assembly with multiple programs such as prodigal, BLAST, Glimmer, GeneMark to determine gene functions 3. Performed genome alignments for variant calling using MuMer, bwa and bowtie 4. Developed Perl scripting skills for the purpose of evaluating and analyzing large scale genomic/transcriptomic/proteomic data |
Studying Embryonic Development of Zebrafish
| 1. Knocked-down/Downregulated gene expression via Morpholino microinjections in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo and studied the resulting phenotypes. Among the chosen morpholinos were ones targeting Vangl2/strabismus, no tail, chordin, blimp, mindbomb genes 2. Disrupted developmental processes of the zebrafish embryo (shield formation, Planar Cell Polarity, Convergent Extension Movements, Somitogenesis) via treatments with pharmacological agents such as DAPT, DEAB, etc. 3.Used wholemount in situ hybridization, fluorescence microscopy, high resolution microscopy to characterize the effects of the aforementioned agents on the phenotype, and wrote scientific reports on their mechanisms and effects on the developing embryos 4. Independently investigated the effects of EtOH exposure on neuronal and somite development in the Zebrafish embryo as a model for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome |
MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY
| 1. Performed isolation and identification of bacteria while utilizing aseptic technique, bacterial differential staining methods (Gram, Spore, etc.), biochemical assays (fermentation, enzyme production, motility, differential and selective media, etc.) 2. Investigated environmental water samples for bacterial presence using culturing techniques, plating methods (streak, spread, pour, replica) and determined the number of bacteria in the samples using the Most Probable Number (MPN) statistical method, direct counts with light microscopy, and the membrane filtration technique 3. Prepared and utilized various selective and differential media (MacConkey, TSB, SF, blood agar)Performed antibiotic assays to determine relative antibiotic strength and relative antibiotic resistance 4. Practiced aseptic and sterile techniques, utilized light microscopy, performed viral plaque assays, studied bacterial morphology at the colony and microscopic levels and other basic laboratory procedures 5. Kept detailed notes on the lab notebook and wrote clear and concise laboratory reports for the experiments performed |
Biochemistry Laboratory
| Performed various protein isolation and purification techniques such as Thin Layer Chromatography, Affinity Chromatography, Gel Filtration Chromatography, SDS-PAGE, Western Blots, etc. |