Hello everyone! My name is Kirsten Bickford and I am doing summer research with Catherine O’Keeffe and Dr. Parrish. We are using the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum to eventually isolate putative mRNA decapping enzymes. These enzymes, termed Nudix enzymes, are found in large viruses all the way up to humans so being able to isolate and define the function of these enzymes is very exciting.

In order to do our experiments, we need a constant stock of healthy cells. We grow the Dicty cells on plates and in a flask and usually pass them about 3 times a week, so as to diminish genomic mutations. So far we have isolated genomic DNA, and are starting the process of doing a gene knockout. Currently, we are ligating and transforming parts of the gene into bacterial cells, but this is just the beginning of the process.

Compared to working in class laboratory settings, summer research is much more independent. Although I have learned sterile technique previously, there is much more pressure to do it properly as our cells will become contaminated otherwise. Many of the molecular techniques are new to me but with Dr. Parrish’s supervision, I have been able to learn how to do them properly and on my own. Pipetting is a huge factor and my technique has definitely improved since the start of the summer.

Hopefully our research will continue to go as planned, without equipment failures or major contamination. We will definitely be busy for the next 5 weeks, but another blog post is coming soon!