Long before starting at Scripps, biology major Sophia Albanese 鈥�21 knew scientific exploration would be in her future. The child of an attorney and a chemist, she 鈥済rew up surrounded by science and law,鈥� and in middle school got her first glimpse of how she could pursue this goal at the W.M. Keck Science Center during a tour of The Claremont Colleges. Now on a pre-med track focusing on forensic pathology, the rising senior is delving into scientific research as a summer research assistant with Scripps Professor of Biology Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert鈥檚 project studying cellular stress.
As a member of the research team led by Edwalds-Gilbert, Albanese is exploring the impact of stressors at the macromolecular level, namely the gene expression process in which a cell produces a specific protein. DNA will produce RNA, Albanese explains, which will then go on to 鈥渢ranslate at the initiation site鈥� to create the protein workhorses required for healthy cell function. But disruptions to that process can occur.
鈥淲hat Professor Edwalds-Gilbert discovered in her lab is that when a stressor is introduced to a cell鈥攑erhaps oxygen poisoning, starvation, temperature change, or chemicals鈥攖hese RNAs start translation at an earlier initiation site and create an alternate or 鈥榚xtended鈥� version of proteins, which then travel to different parts of the cell,鈥� Albanese says. 鈥淭he ultimate goal of the project is to understand the implications of these proteins going into an area where they typically would not belong.鈥�
In particular, Albanese is tasked with studying the extended Lsm1 protein which 鈥渢argets鈥� mitochondria, the energy-makers of the cell. 鈥淚鈥檓 trying to figure out how LSM1 goes into mitochondria, because there are a lot of different pathways it can take to get there, as well as many reasons that would be its target. I鈥檓 also looking at which stressors are creating this extended protein,鈥� she says.
Funded by a Keck faculty research grant, the project involves experimentation using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an ideal strain for this study because of its conserved genetic pathways and structures comparable to those found in humans. Unsurprisingly, the current pandemic has caused its own disruptions, temporarily pushing Albanese and Edwalds-Gilbert鈥檚 team out of the lab and over to Zoom to continue their work. With hands-on testing on hold, Albanese is conducting intensive analyses of relevant scientific papers to strengthen her comprehension of the project鈥攕omething she calls a 鈥渄emanding but valuable upside鈥� to being off campus.
Despite these changes, Albanese is hopeful she鈥檒l return to the lab in spring to probe the study鈥檚 potential outcomes, especially given the rise of cellular stress as a hot topic in a world grappling with climate change, a pandemic, and other global issues impacting human health. 鈥淐ellular stress has been increasingly linked to cancer in humans, metabolic disorders, diabetes, obesity, and other conditions,鈥� she notes. 鈥淧eople are interested in how to reduce or eliminate dysfunction in the cell to mitigate these problems.鈥�
While Edwalds-Gilbert鈥檚 research is grant-funded, Albanese鈥檚 research role was made possible through an Esterly award. Established in 1949, the Virginia Judy Esterly awards are granted to students who combine the qualities of good scholarship, effective service in student activities, and responsible citizenship for worthwhile educational summer projects. And though Albanese would be the first to tell you her standard approach to 鈥済ood scholarship鈥� is rooted in finding concrete answers to clear-cut questions, she appreciates that this research is teaching her to stay flexible.
鈥淲hen I first began this project, I was expecting it to be more directive and 鈥楢-B-C鈥欌�攂ut Professor Edwalds-Gilbert has helped me get comfortable with asking open-ended questions,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned so much, specifically about cellular stress response and mitochondrial import, but more than anything this project has really shown me that nothing is always definite鈥攁nd that鈥檚 not a bad thing. It makes for more exciting possibilities to explore.鈥�