Whitman College Undergraduate Conference Program 2020

Poster Session
1 - 3 p.m., Cordiner Hall
MOSES BARTON, LOUIS MOENCH, Identification of a Key
Structure in Morphological Development of Neurons
Neurons, the cells of the brain, perform their normal functions
through connections between each other. The process of
growing connections is associated with learning, memory and
general cognitive ability and is implicated as an important
factor in understanding neurological disorders related to
these processes. Examining videos of neurons growing in
culture, we observed a structure called a lamellipodium whose
appearance was associated with growth and branching. We
hypothesized that this structure was a precursor to neuronal
branches and predicted that it would appear at sites of future
branch formation. We developed working definitions for other
morphological features that also appeared to be associated
with the branching process and tested whether there was
a predictable sequence of events that could predict a new
neuronal branch. Quantification showed that 98% of the time,
new branches were preceded by lamellipodia, suggesting this
could be an essential intermediate step in branch formation.
Faculty Sponsor: Ginger Withers
ESTELLA BASTIAN, Terazosin and Pgk1: Enhancing Enzyme
Activity to Reduce Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Cell Death in
Neurodegeneration
Energy impairment and oxidative stress are fundamental
agents involved in the pathology of many diseases including
Parkinson’s, a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the
loss of dopaminergic neurons. High levels of oxidative stress can
lead to mitochondrial energy failure and ultimately cell death.
Developing a therapeutic strategy that can augment glycolysis
may counteract mitochondrial dysfunction and therefore prevent
neuronal death. Terazosin, a widely used hypertension drug,
was found to activate Pgk1, a key energy-generating enzyme
in glycolysis. By activating Pgk1 and therefore increasing
mitochondrial energy production, terazosin is able to prevent
neuronal cell death in animal models. I performed an in vitro
assay to investigate Pgk1’s activity under the presence of
potential activators that closely resemble terazosin in structure.
Current therapies for Parkinson’s treat symptoms, but terazosin
may be the first to prevent the disease’s progression.
Faculty Sponsor: Michael Coronado
JAMES BENT, 1 H-qNMR Analysis Reveals New Trends in Substrate
Specificity of Benzoate Dioxygenase in Ralstonia eutropha B9
Biocatalysis leverages the power of enzymes to carry out
complex reactions that can provide novel approaches to the
synthesis of chiral molecules. Ralstonia eutropha B9 is a
mutant soil bacterium that expresses benzoate dioxygenase
(BZDO). BZDO specializes in the cis-dihydroxylation of
benzoate at the 1,2 position as the first step in its metabolic
degradation. The metabolites derived from this transformation
have proven to be excellent chiral precursors for the synthesis
of epoxyquinoid natural products, compounds which
have been shown to be potent inhibitors of angiogenesis.
My research uses quantitative proton nuclear magnetic
resonance ( 1 H-qNMR) to characterize the activity of BZDO on
new substrates of this enzyme system, allowing us to draw
new conclusions concerning the effects of size and electronwithdrawing
character on the rate of metabolic activity.
Faculty Sponsor: Jon Collins
MATT BIHRLE, The Plankton Paradox: Drivers of Phytoplankton
Biodiversity Off the Coast of New Zealand
Phytoplankton present an ecological paradox. It is
generally believed that when two species compete for the
same resources one will be driven to extinction. However,
aqueous environments are able to support diverse plankton
populations while each species is competing for the same
resources in the same environment. My study aimed to
discover which environmental variable or combination
of variables are the most important in influencing
phytoplankton diversity across unique environments off
the northeastern coast of New Zealand. Using multivariate
analysis, I found that fluorescence, a proxy for wholecommunity
productivity, is most closely correlated with
diversity by genus. This finding emphasizes that community
membership is dependent upon what other species are
present rather than environmental variables alone. Just as in
macro-communities, these microscopic communities depend
heavily on interspecies relationships to maintain biodiversity.
Faculty Sponsor: Arielle Cooley
ZANE BOYER, Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Epoxyquinoid
Natural Products
Epoxyquinol A is a representative member of a group of
naturally produced compounds known as epoxyquinoids.
These compounds display a broad range of biological
functions, including inhibition of angiogenesis (growth
of new blood vessels). Angiogenesis has been linked to a
number of disease states, including cancers, arthritis and
inflammation. I present a novel chemoenzymatic approach
to the synthesis of epoxyquinol A and related compounds.
My ultimate goal is to develop the synthesis of a suite of
compounds so that their biological activities may be explored.
Faculty Sponsor: Jon Collins
JESSICA BOYERS, Location of DDT on Sediment Particles
DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) was used in the mid-
20th century as a common and popular insecticide. In the
1970s it became regulated due to its negative environmental
effects on wildlife and as a probable human carcinogen.
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