Chemistry and Materials Science Seminar: Reconstituting Neuronal Self- and Non-self Recognition Assemblies

Chemistry and Materials Science Seminar
Reconstituting Neuronal Self- and Non-self Recognition Assemblies

Elizabeth May
Ph.D. Candidate
Harvard University

Register Here for Zoom Link
This seminar may be attended in person in 2305 Gosnell Hall or online via Zoom.

Ms. May will present on her research at Harvard involving how neurons in the brain discriminate between correct and non-correct cell-cell contacts with synaptic partners.

Abstract:
It is increasingly clear that many neurological disorders manifest physiologically as a miswiring of neural circuits in the brain – from an individual neuron’s perspective, a case of mistaken identity when it comes to making the appropriate connections. I study how neurons discriminate between correct and incorrect cell-cell contacts to determine their synaptic partners. Neuronal proteins called clustered protocadherins are important markers of cell identity and regulators of neuronal connectivity; juxtaposed cells in the brain compare their unique sets of cell-surface protocadherins to distinguish one another. I am building an artificial membrane system so that we can use fluorescence microscopy methods to observe the organization and dynamics of clustered protocadherin proteins as they interact with one another. Deciphering these molecular and cellular mechanisms is key to understanding how clustered protocadherins function as cell identity markers to facilitate neural circuit wiring.

Speaker Bio:
Elizabeth graduated from RIT in 2016 with a degree in biochemistry. During her time at RIT, she discovered research in the lab of Dr. Scott Williams, where she first worked on optimizing synthesis methods for piezoelectric thin films and later developed assays to detect frequently-counterfeited tuberculosis treatment medications. In her senior year she worked in the lab of Dr. Lea Michel, where she purified and tested mutant versions of the dual-oriented E. coli peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein. The summer before her senior year she participated in an internship program at Harvard University, where she worked in the lab of Dr. Xiaowei Zhuang investigating the function of a novel cytoskeletal protein structure that their group had discovered in the axons of neurons. Elizabeth returned to Harvard in 2016 to pursue her PhD and combined her interests in biochemistry and neurobiology in the lab of Dr. Rachelle Gaudet to form her current project on the molecular mechanisms of neuronal self- and non-self recognition.

Intended Audience:
Undergraduates, graduates, experts. Those with interest in the topic.

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