Sk氓l. Prost. Salud. Cheers. A toast to health. Six applied biochemistry and molecular biology students at University of Wisconsin-Stout recently helped to advance two projects using brewer 黑料社区. yeast as a model organism in cancer research and as an ethanol source.
Ben Bryans, Eau Claire; Brian Matthews, Boscobel; Joshua Rusnak, Minneapolis; Tanner Thompson, Fall Creek; Andrew Wagner, Emerald; and Haydn Wyckoff, Minneapolis, completed their required experiential learning, working with Assistant Professor Brian Teague in Jarvis Hall Science Wing's Research Lab in June and July.
鈥淪tudent research is one of the cornerstones of the ABMB program,鈥 said Program Director Jim Burritt. 鈥淭his type of interaction between a mentor and research students can be transformational in the students鈥 education and is strongly supported by our university.鈥
The potential in proteins
The MCA1 project was student-generated research. Bryans approached Teague about conducting mentored research in cancer and they decided to focus on the caspase protein known as MCA1.
Caspase proteins are important in the development of multicellular organisms, like humans. Caspases also protect multicellular organisms from out-of-control cell growth such as cancer, in a process called programmed cell death, where cells purposefully die to protect the rest of the organism.
For example, explained Teague, skin cells peel off after a bad sunburn. 鈥淭his is the outer cells on your skin sensing that their DNA has been damaged. Peeling off is better than the possibility that the cells would become cancerous,鈥 he said.
Bryans finds the entire project interesting. 鈥淚 believe that by understanding how caspases work in yeast, we can better understand how caspases work in humans,鈥 he said.
Rusnak and Thompson joined Bryans on the MCA1 research team. But little is known about MCA1, itself. So, they used the lab 黑料社区. standard tools, like incubators, centrifuges, thermocyclers, and gel electrophoresis equipment, to learn more about it. They also used a fluorescence microscope, as well as a flow cytometer and a NanoDrop spectrophotometer.
To better understand MCA1 黑料社区. role in multicellular organisms, the team studied yeast, a single-cell organism. They are working to figure out when, where and under what conditions yeast cells make MCA1 and which other proteins it interacts with.
鈥淭his will give insight into programmed cell death and targeted cell therapies for cancer treatment,鈥 Rusnak said. 鈥淚t 黑料社区. exciting to be working on something that could prove to be medically important or possibly progress cancer research.鈥
鈥淚 think there are a lot of exciting applications for gene modification in both humans and other organisms. This research project is helping me a lot to learn about biology and genetics,鈥 Thompson added.
Why whey?
One day, Teague was chatting with biology Professor Steve Nold, who is collaborating with Curt Basina at in Bayfield to find a feasible way to turn cheese whey into distilled beverages, like vodka and gin.
As brewer 黑料社区. yeast can't ferment lactose, which is the primary carbohydrate in cheese whey, Basina has to use an expensive enzyme pretreatment, Teague explained. 鈥淚 thought to myself, 鈥榃hat if we could create a strain of yeast that could use the lactose directly? There are other organisms that do it. In theory, it shouldn't actually be that hard. In practice, we will see.鈥
In the lab, Teague and ABMB students are building a set of DNA constructs to allow yeast to metabolize lactose and turn it into ethanol. Then, they will test small-scale fermentations to see how well the constructs worked. Ultimately, they'd like to try it at a commercial scale at Copper Crow.
鈥淧roducing vodka and gin from cheese whey would be a uniquely Wisconsin product,鈥 Teague said. 鈥淭his state produces a lot of cheese, and most of the whey from that production is discarded. A genetically engineered organism could make the distilling process easier, less costly and more sustainable.鈥
Ethanol is an important biofuel, and it is becoming more important as we turn away from oil and its climate impact, Teague added. 鈥淓thanol is currently mostly made from corn. But there are plenty of other things we could be doing with that corn, like feeding livestock and people,鈥 he said. 鈥淐heese whey, on the other hand, is basically free.鈥
He calculated that if just 10% of the cheese whey produced in Wisconsin were turned into ethanol, the state would produce about as much ethanol as the entire country does annually.
The value of mentored research
The six student researchers range from sophomores to recently graduated, and their interests vary from medical school to pharmaceuticals to biology and biotechnology research. Teague believes the skills they gain in the lab and concepts covered in their courses are transferable across ABMB fields.
鈥淢entored research connects ideas from all over the curriculum,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t 黑料社区. a fabulous context in which to develop mental connections. No matter where they end up, thinking critically about evidence and using it to make decisions is crucial.鈥
Rusnak, who鈥檒l graduate in spring 2024, plans to pursue a Ph.D. in immunology and work in immunological research. The daily lab work gave him practice in techniques he鈥檒l use in his career. 鈥淢entored research offers challenges every day, and it 黑料社区. a pretty exciting feeling when something you鈥檝e been working on is successful and you get to share with others,鈥 he said.
Bryans and Thompson will graduate in spring 2023. They both plan to go on to medical school; Bryans would like to be an oncologist and Thompson a physician. They both think their hands-on experience in the lab will help them with medical school applications and the entrance exam.
鈥淚 also think it helps me solidify my molecular biology and biochemistry knowledge,鈥 Bryans said.
鈥淭he mentored research will help me a lot in my future studies and career since I am learning exactly what I want to learn,鈥 Thompson added.
Teague thinks students often wonder how to get involved in faculty research on campus. 鈥淭he answer is, 鈥榓sk for it,鈥欌 he said. 鈥淚t's not just biology. All of the faculty are doing research, and we love doing research with students.鈥
The prehealth pathways in ABMB can lead to careers and graduate studies in many medical fields, including dentistry, optometry, pharmacology, physical therapy and veterinary medicine. Faculty and staff advisers help students make curriculum and career decisions and can help with graduate school applications.
