Elizabeth’s BioBlog

Scientific Research is known for its unpredictability. Researchers are taught from the start to expect setbacks and problems in their investigative process. My experience during this semester is no exception. Though the setbacks have been minimal they have had an impact on the primary goal of my project. We had some problems in acquiring the antibody for the myosin protein that we wanted to observe, which arrived just a few weeks ago. Then, after I was able to stain the fixed embryos with the myosin antibody, we received the news that the confocal microscope was not working. For this reason, we have not been able to see the myosin in the embryos. Another big setback has been the environmental changes in the Lab due to problems with the incubator and the air conditioning system.

However, during this time I have been practicing how to fix embryos and how to do antibody staining. Now, when the time comes to stain the embryos with the necessary antibodies, I will be able to easily execute the task. When the confocal microscope becomes available, I will be able to see the myosin in the embryos.

For the next semester, my goal is to continue at a faster pace my work with the myosin antibody. I also plan to USE SOME OTHER antibodies for various motor proteins to observe their function in the drosophila synaptogenesis.

It is great to be in the learning process where everything is new to me. With the help of my mentor I have been learning how to perform basic, project-specific, and advanced skills in the laboratory. Some specific skills have been the dissecting of Drosophila embryos. During the past months I have been improving my dexterity at using extremely thin needles to perform nearly nanoscale dissections. I have been able to develop a fantastic stability in my hands and also how to manage the applied pressure to avoid squishing the fragile embryos. It has been a fun experiencing but incredibly hard to learn.

I have also been learning how to do embryo fixations and antibody staining to be able to visualize the state of the embryo at specific development stages. In addition, I have gone with my mentor to work with the Confocal Microscope at the Microscopy Center at RUM. The picture at the left was taken with this microscope last Friday. To see more pictures please go to the pictures section. The importance of learning these techniques is to be able to see and understand what is happening with the axons and the muscles during the stages of embryogenesis. Once I am able to master them it will be easier to proceed with more advanced steps in the research.

It has been very interesting to visit blogs written by other BioMinds partners. It is an opportunity to see what other things are being done by undergrad students in Puerto Rico and to see how determined they all are to succeed. Some of the blogs I visited were dealing with microbial ecology at Humacao, microbes in cow udders in Mayaguez, and crystallization of lysozymes also at RUM. We are all working with different things, but with the same goal in mind: To advance the field of science and human knowledge of the world around us.

This semester I haven’t had much time to work in teams with the other students in the lab because we all have very different schedules and different projects. Most of the time I am doing tasks with my mentor or alone. However, the times I have worked with the other lab members have been pleasant and helpful. We teach each other skills we haven’t done before and help each other in performing certain tasks. In our lab meetings team work goes a long way. We usually have to help each other out to answer the tricky questions our mentor makes. In a team, when everybody contributes to the overall goal, a solution can be found much easier and quicker. Each individual member should understand that their participation is essential to the success of the whole team, and therefore it is never wasted. When working in a team, it is important to remember that it is not a time to try to get ahead of the rest. A team can suffer when a member is not working for a common goal but rather a personal goal.

 During the next three semesters I will be working on a project called “Pathway to a synapse: Motor protein function at the onset of synaptogenesis”. My mentor is Dr. Franklin Carrero from the Department of Biology at UPR-Mayaguez.The purpose of this research is to identify a specific myosin protein (a type of motor protein) that is necessary to the process of synaptogenesis in a Drosophila embryo. This protein functions as an essential vehicle in cytoplasmic transport, and carries a set of proteins known as PSD95/Dlg. The presence of these proteins in the muscle cell’s myopodia (muscle filopodia) determine the formation of the neuromuscular synapses.  Our goal this semester is to be able to collect Drosophila embryos and study them under a set of conditions to identify the motor protein present in the myopodia.

       In the lab I have had several experiences that have helped me learn the process of scientific research. Our work group has had several meeting to present and discuss scientific articles that are somewhat related to our projects. I will have the opportunity, in a few weeks, to present an article I have been studying. The article is called “Muscle arm development in Caenorhabditis elegans” and it is deeply related to our project. This week I worked on a needle puller calibration, making egg laying plates, and transferring our Drosophilas into an egg laying cage. In subsequent blogs I will post my experiences in working with the extremely small embryos as I learn to manipulate them.