Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Peter Um, a Westminster College senior molecular biology major from Gainesville, Va., recently won the Award for Best Poster Presentation in Academia at the 4th International RNAi conference held in Boston.
"Peter has been able to combine his skills and experience as a molecular biology major with his interest in the fields of tissue engineering and prosthetics," said Dr. Joshua Corrett-Bennett, assistant professor of biology and faculty advisor to Um. "Prelimary results from Peter's work suggests that a new molecular technique called ribonucleic acid interference, or RNAi, is capable of temporarily shutting down defense mechanisms of some pathogenic bacteria, possibly making them more susceptible to antibiotics or the body's own immune response."
Um was recently awarded a Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Undergraduate Research Travel/Presentation Grant.
"The research grants for projects and creative activities must be conducted under the mentorship of Westminster College faculty," said Dr. Virginia Tomlinson, director of the Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Westminster College. "Funding may include supplies, equipment, travel to libraries and data sources, and travel to make presentations. In order to apply for research support, the student must have a research proposal completed as a degree-seeking student at Westminster College, and be in good academic standing."
Um is a son of Kyo Ho and Chang Nam Um, Gainesville, Va. and a graduate of W.T. Woodson High School. The title of his research is "Inhibition of Operon Based Biofilm Synthesis of Staphylococcus aureaus Using Hybrid Mediated Silencing."
"Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of nosocomial infections. Its virulence is partially attributed to its ability to produce a biofilm, which facilitates in immunoresponse evasion and promotion of cellular adhesion. The genes affiliated with biofilm production – icaA, icaD, icaB, and icaC respectively– are located in the ica operon. I hypothesized that suppression of these genes using post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) could statistically reduce biofilm formation. Drawbacks to using PTGS in prokaryotic systems include difficulty with passive transformation of RNA molecules and the fact that eukaryotic homologs of silencing proteins have not yet been identified in prokaryotes. Research at Livermore National Laboratory suggests that molecules known as siHybrids-double stranded RNA:DNA duplexes-can successfully transform and silence prokaryotic genes. For this study, siHybrid silencing was applied to the ica operon of S. aureus in order to confirm passive transformation and detect threshold levels of PTGS in a prokaryotic system. Results indicated a significant decrease in biofilm synthesis when all genes encoded in the operon were simultaneously co-suppressed (sense and antisense) with siHybrids. These findings suggest that siHybrid technology may have the potential to help combat antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens," wrote Um.
Contact Coreette-Bennett at (724) 946-7208 or e-mail corretjc@westminster.edu for more information.
