Claudia Singh Gill, Year 4, Neuroscience Tell us about your research Communication between brain cells (neurons) occurs in specialized structures called synapses. The organization and function of synapses rely on protein-protein interactions which need to be regulated both in time and space. This is achieved through post-translational modifications (PTMs). Among them is the process called SUMOylation, which is found to control membrane potential and cell excitability. Recent studies identified 51 out of 402 SUMO-modified presynaptic proteins associated with Epilepsy, a condition characterised by frequent seizures. I used bioinformatic analysis during my project to identify the key presynaptic proteins with high SUMO interaction. I was able to perform the SUMOylation assay to determine the SUMOylated presynaptic proteins using western blotting. I wanted to validate Synaptotagmin 1 (a known SUMO target) using the same assay but the results concluded the protein was not SUMOylated, something that contradicts the knowledge in the literature. This was an unexpected result but I learnt that in research it is important to reflect on your experiment, think about what went wrong and repeat it again! This crucial work defined whether molecules important for synaptic function are SUMOylated and how disruption or alteration in those SUMOylated proteins contribute to the aetiology of brain disorders. What were the highlights? I really enjoyed the physical lab experience, such as transfecting and lysing the cells. Before this internship, I encountered these experiments only in research papers. When you participate in a study and perform the experiment yourself, it feels different and you look at the scientific papers with a much clearer perspective! I want to thank the university for giving me this opportunity, which will help me pursue my profession in medicine and neuroscience research. View Claudia's poster to find out more Document Claudia poster (1.06 MB / PDF) This article was published on 2024-08-05
