Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Tara Sulur L&S Sciences

Determining the Sub-cellular Localization of Neuronal Protein Homologs in Choanoflagellates using Transmission Electron Microscopy

Choanoflagellates are single-celled eukaryotic organisms that are the most recent ancestor to multicellular animals. As such, they possess most of the proteins required for the transition to multicellularity. One choanoflagellate protein in particular, Homer, has been shown through immumofluorescence to localize to the nucleus. I will be using transmission electron microscopy with Immunogold staining and membrane fractionation to discover the sub-cellular localization of Homer. In animals, Homer plays a crucial role in adhesion and scaffolding at the synapses of neurons. Since neuro-sensory systems are unique to metazoans, I hope to take a step towards figuring out the function of a neuronal protein homolog in an organism with no neural function and hopefully learn more about the evolutionary history of multicellular animals.

Message To Sponsor

This award gives me the freedom to dedicate all my focus and time to my research without the constraints of classes or other activities. I am excited to interact with other students that have similar interests and learn how to effectively communicate about my research and science in general. Im interested in continuing research after I graduate and thanks to SURF, I finally get to experience the life of a full-time researcher.
Major: Integrative Biology
Mentor: Nicole King, Molecular and Cell Biology
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