Current Researchers

Research Interests/Projects

• Interest: Regulation of gene expression in prokaryotes.
• Interest: Interactions between DNA and transcription regulatory proteins.
• Project: Iron homeostasis in extremophiles. In this work, our laboratory seeks to discovery the biological function of three ferric uptake regulator homologs in the extreme thermophile, Thermus thermophilus. These proteins regulate gene expression when complexed with heavy metal co-factors. Therefore, they likely play a significant role in the recognition and response to environmental metals. We have established a novel, combinatorial approach to identify the preferred DNA-binding sequence of each of these proteins. From these results we will identify their transcription regulatory networks and shed novel insight into how this organism senses and responds to metals in their environment.

Faculty Mentor: Michael Van Dyke - Google Scholar

Research Interests/Projects

• Interests: Applied sciences. 
• Projects: Serve as PI and Co-PI on several grants investigating fungal pathogen and disease mitigation (bat white-nose syndrome) and the development of renewable growth substrates and semi-automated cultivation methods for culinary mushroom production, among other projects. You can learn more about our lab at https://bioinnovation.kennesaw.edu

Faculty Mentor: Christopher Cornelison - BioInnovation Lab

Research Interests/Projects

• Interest: Identification proteins for transferrin endocytosis in the African trypanosome.
• Project:  The protozaon Trypanosoma brucei causes human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), a neglected tropical disease. Endocytosis of the host protein, transferrin (Tf) is essential for trypanosome survival in a vertebrate host. However, the pathway for endocytosis of Tf is not completely characterized in the trypanosome. Most T. brucei genes lack homologs in model eukaryotes, making it difficult to completely delineate biological pathways using protein sequence alignments. We use a “discovery chemical biology” strategy to identify Transferrin (Tf) endocytosis pathway proteins in the African trypanosome. A small-molecule pyrrolopyrimidine AEE788, a kinase inhibitor, was used as a chemical probe of Tf endocytosis. Phosphoproteome analysis of AEE788- treated cells led to identification of a pseudokinase, Tb427tmp.160.4770 (TbNRP1) as a possible pathway protein for Tf endocytosis. We then employed a genetic approach (knock down of TbNRP1 by RNA interference) to validate TbNRP1’s role in endocytosis of Tf. Phosphoproteome  data from knockdown of TbNRP1 and from  “discovery chemical biology” strategy with AEE788 led to the identification of six new proteins that are under investigation as mediators Tf endocytosis in T. brucei. 

Faculty Mentor: Kojo Mensa-Wilmot - FacultyWeb

Research Interests/Projects

• Interest: Understanding the biological basis of fear and anxiety and their implications for mental health.
• Project: Investigating the interplay of stress responses, hormones, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Faculty Mentor: Ebony Glover - FacultyWeb

Research Interests/Projects

• Interests: Bridging the gap between mechanics and biology by developing a comprehensive understanding of the potential causalities between abnormal blood flow and disease pathways.
• Project: Investigating the cardiovascular risks posed by obese pregnancy on acquired pathologies such as acute aortic dissection.
• Project: Assessing the mechanobiological impact of microgravity and radiation from long-duration spaceflight on the carotid bifurcation.
• Project: Elucidating the role of blood flow and associated wall shear stress abnormalities resulting from hypertension on aortic valve calcification.

Faculty Mentor: Philippe Sucosky - FacultyWeb