Life Experiences

Currently, I am working with a graduate student named Helen Mao. She is from China and I have really enjoyed getting to know her over the last couple of months. We became fast friends and are learning so much from each other. As she teaches me about two-yeast hybrid assays I am teaching her more about the American culture. It is amazing how different China is from the United States and how her experiences compare to mine. We share stories and laughs as we describe growing up and the special moments in our lives that define our cultures.
We have spent the semester working on techniques like electrophoresis, bacterial transformation, DNA plasmid isolation, and the yeast two-hybrid assay to identify the binding partners of the copine A protein. This can help us to determine the possible functions of copine A proteins and the signaling pathway in which they may be involved. It was a frustrating semester full of trial and errors as we tried to conduct a yeast- two hybrid assay that had never before been performed using Dictyostelium discoideum DNA. When the plates did not show results there were many variables to consider causing us to have to perform the experiment several more times. We discovered that instead of using 0.5 µL of DNA as the protocol suggested we had to use approximately 2,000 times that amount for the yeast to grow properly on the plates. Even though the experience was frustrating because it put my ability as a scientist into question I felt that I gained knowledge and skills that I would not have learned otherwise. I learned how to form questions and hypothesize about the results or lack of results we received and understand the process of the yeast two-hybrid to a much greater extent.