Schertzer Lab

Research:

I started my Ph.D. in Fall of 2014 in Dr. Schertzer’s lab. My work is help elucidate if there is any biomechanical role of OprF in OMV formation. Many gram negative bacteria, including the opportunistic pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, have been found to produce Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMV). These vesicles have been found to carry various virulence factors, proteins, quorum sensing molecules, and sometimes even nucleic acids. OMVs have many functional roles, like threat avoidance, cargo delivery, virulence, and biofilm development; however, how these vesicles form and how they are loaded remains unknown. OMV formation might be dependent on the conformational change in the outer membrane protein, OprF. This protein is of interest because it has two stable conformations, open and closed. In closed conformation it acts as an anchor between the outer membrane and the peptidoglycan. In open conformation it is completely detached from the peptidoglycan and acts as a porin. For this reason I am studying its importance in vesicle formation.

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About:

I got my undergraduate degree in Genetics, Microbiology and Chemistry and my Master’s degree in Microbiology from Bangalore University, India. During my undergraduate degree I conducted a field study on gene and genotype frequencies of autosomal and sex-linked Mendelian traits in humans which included a survey and study on 100 individuals for duration of one week. For my master’s research project I isolated and studied bioluminescent bacteria, Vibrio fischeri, which are found in the Indian Subcontinent area. The objective of this project was to understand the interaction between the symbiotic bacteria with their marine invertebrate hosts. After graduation I worked as a Senior Research Scientist at Rishibiotech Lab, Thane, India where I worked on a project to assess the effect of five plant essential oils on the biofilm forming ability of Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella pneumoniae which are one of the major pathogens that cause Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) in hospitalized individuals. At Binghamton University I have also worked as a Teaching assistant for different courses and been the Event Coordinator and Alternate Senator for Biology Graduate Student Organization (BGSO). In my free time I volunteer as a Site Coordinator for Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments (VINES) which is a non-profit organization committed to developing a sustainable and just community food system. I also like to paint, read and spend time with friends.