Student Research

Student Research

Student research is an integral part of the Biochemistry Major at Bowdoin. Students work with faculty members on cutting-edge research projects using state-of-the-art equipment, and they are often able to publish completed projects. Biochemistry majors may work with Biology and Chemistry Department faculty who are not members of the Biochemistry Program.

Student Presentations

Honors graduates in Biochemistry present their research projects to the faculty and to other students in a poster session held in May.

2007-2008 Biochemistry Honors Projects:

Becca Lewis - Localization of glycine rich protein, verbascose synthase, and o-methyltransferase green fluorescent fusion proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana

Laura Onderko - Characterization of Peptide Fragmentation Using Energy Resolved SORI-CID

Lincoln Pac - Exploring the role of delta-arginine methylation in yeast translation

Elizabeth Richardson - Metabolic incorporation of unnatural azidosugars into Helicobacter pylori

Aki Shishido - Binding Wall Associated Kinase to Pectin in vitro

Duncan Smith - Isolation and Identification of WAK Associated Proteins

David Soohoo - The Use of a Cobalt (I) Catalyst in the Production of Linear α-olefin Products

Ben Stormo - Differential effects of eastern dwarf mistletoe infection on the expression of senescence-related genes in host white and red spruce

Alex Wilkinson - Characterization of a methylated protein in Candida albicans

A sampling of peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts co-authored by Biochemistry students (students indicated with *):

Christensen RL, Barney* EA, Broene RD, Galinato MG, Frank HA (2004) Linear polyenes: models for the spectroscopy and photophisics of carotenoids.  Arch. Biochem. Biophys.  430:30

Graustein* A, Walters* J, Gaspar* J, Palopoli MF (2002) Levels of DNA polymorphism vary with mating systems in the nematode genus Caenorhabditis. Genetics 161: 99-107

Kohorn BD, Kobayashi M, Johansen S, Riese J, Huang L-F, Koch K, Fu* S, Dotson* A, Byers* N (2006) An Arabidopsis Cell Wall Associated Kinase Required for Invertase Activity and Cell Growth. The Plant Journal 46: 307-316

Kohorn BD, Kobayashi M, Johansen S, Fischer* A, Byers* N (2006) Wall Associated Kinase 1 is Crosslinked in Endomembranes and Transport To The Cell Surface Requires Correct Cell Wall Synthesis. Journal Cell Science 119: 2282-2290

Logan BA, Kornyeyev D, Hardison* J, Holaday AS (2006) The role of antioxidant enzymes in photoprotection.  Photosynthesis Research (2006) 88: 119-132

McBride AE, Zurita-Lopez C, Regis A, Blum E, Conboy A*, Elf S Clarke S (2007) Protein arginine methylation in Candida albicans: Role in nuclear transport.  Eukaryot Cell. 6(7): 1119-29

McBride AE, Cook JT*, Stemmler EA, Rutledge KL, McGrath KA* Rubens JA (2005) Arginine methylation of yeast mRNA-binding protein Npl3 directly affects its function, nuclear export, and intranuclear protein interactions.  J Biol Chem 280(35): 30888-98

Stemmler EA, Cashman* CR, Messinger DI, Gardner* NP, Dickinson PS, Christie AE  High resolution direct-tissue MALDI-FTMS reveals broad conservation of three neuropeptides (APSGFLGMRamide, GYRKPPFNGSIFamide and pQDLDHVFLRFamide) across members of seven decapod crustaean infraorders. Peptides. in press

Stemmler EA, Hsu YA, Cashman* CR, Messinger DI, de la Iglesia HO, Dickinson PS, Christie AE (2007) Direct tissue MALDI-FTMS profiling of individual Cancer productus sinus glands reveals that one of three distinct combinations of crustacean hyperglycemic hormone precursor-related peptide (CPRP) isoforms are present in individual crabs. General and Comparative Endocrinology 154: 187-192