Visiting Graduate Student, Brown University, 2007-present
BS Biology, May 2000, Salisbury University
Research Interests or Career Goals
My thesis research investigates the gene silencing mechanism RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) in the plant model Arabidopsis thaliana. In eukaryotes, DNA methylation serves as an epigenetic marker of transcriptionally silent heterochromatin. In plants, DNA methylation can be guided by double-stranded RNA molecules with sequence identity to the target DNA. RdDM is interrelated with RNA interference (RNAi), a different mechanism of gene silencing also triggered by double-stranded RNA. RdDM of a target sequence correlates with the appearance of target-specific small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and nucleolytic cleavage of target-derived transcripts via the RNAi pathway. The goal of my research is to determine if specific ribonucleases (Dicers) are devoted to the RdDM and RNAi pathways respectively. I am using reverse genetics to create Dicer mutant lines in order to tease out which Dicers are specifically required for RdDM. These experiments will not only help elucidate the mechanism underlying RdDM in plants, but also create a better understanding for mammalian gene silencing disorders such as genomic imprinting diseases and tumor formation in cancers.
Why I Chose Hopkins
I chose Johns Hopkins because of it's reputation for being an outstanding basic science/clinical research institution. Since coming to Hopkins as a technician in 2000 I have had the opportunity to work on a wide array of research projects ranging from working directly with patients to animal/plant models to cells in culture.
