Department of Biology

YangNan Gu
3^rd Year MCDB Ph.D. Student

I am a Chinese student from Weihai, a beautiful coastal city located in eastern part of China. I entered the IU MCDB program in 2007, and joined Roger Innes's lab starting research in the field of programmed cell death regulation. Our primary interest is in understanding the genetic and biochemical basis of disease resistance in plant. We have previously shown that loss-of-function mutations in the EDR1 gene confer enhanced resistance to infection by pathogens. Significantly, this resistance is correlated with activation of programmed cell death and defense genes. The edr1 mutant appears to be deficient in autophagy, an intracellular recycling system responsible for breakdown of damaged organelles such as mitochondria and chloroplasts. I found that EDR1 localizes to endomembrane vesicles and the endoplasmic reticulum, thus we hypothesize that EDR1 may be involved in regulation of vesicle trafficking and/or formation and processing of auotphagosomes. I am currently testing this hypothesis using combined cellular, genetic and biochemical approaches. This department has been providing an amazingly wonderful academic atmosphere and instrumental facility, such as our state-of-the-art Light Microscopy Imaging Center, which I love so much!  Plus, Bloomington is such a wonderful and peaceful place to live in!

Shera Lesly
4^th Year MCDB Ph.D. Student

I am from Medan, a city on the Sumatra Island in Indonesia.  I went to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, for college before starting graduate school at IU in 2006. I am currently in the MCDB program in the lab of Brian Calvi. I work with Drosophila melanogaster (commonly known as the fruitfly), and my thesis project centers around defining the cell and molecular function of hd. The humpty dumpty (hd) gene was previously identified in the lab in an effort to identify new proteins that are required for genome duplication. hd was initially identified based upon its thin eggshell phenotype due to defects in eggshell (chorion) gene amplification (Bandura JL et al., Curr Biol., 2005:15:755). Published results by Bandura JL et al. have confirmed that hd is required for genomic replication and is essential for DNA amplification in the ovary. Developmental amplification is a selective increase in DNA copy number at 6 genomic loci in follicle cells of the ovary, including rereplication of the genes that encode chorion structural proteins (Calvi BR and Spradling AC, Methods 1999:18, 407-417). Given that all previous thin eggshell mutants were conserved regulators of genomic regulation (e.g. Orc2, MCM6, E2F1, etc), this suggests that hd would also have a role in regulating genome duplication.

Dr. Andrian Gutu, Ph.D.
2010 Graduate, MCDB Program

Originally from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, I graduated from the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Program in 2010.  I conducted my doctoral research in the laboratory of David Kehoe.  I am now a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University.  Currently, I research the molecular mechanisms of the circadian clocks in microorganisms. The circadian clock is, in essence, a genetically programmed process that enables organisms to anticipate the daily changes in their environment, specifically light and temperature. My project addresses how the internal molecular clock relates to the transcriptional regulation in a bacterial model system such as Synechococcus.
 
During my PhD at IU, I learned to become a scientist. I acquired a critical set of skills such as: intellectual discipline; patience; broad biological knowledge; experience in a number of molecular biology techniques, and most importantly, honed my capacity of critical thinking. A PhD is a great life experience.

Dr. Hyun-Joo Kang, Ph.D.
2010 Graduate, MCDB/EEB Programs

I am originally from Seoul, Korea.  I received my undergraduate degree from University of California, Irvine.  My doctoral research at Indiana University, Bloomington was interdisciplinary between the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and Ecology Programs.  I worked in the laboratories of both Jim Bever and Miriam Zolan.  My doctoral project was on the basic genetics of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.  I graduated in 2009, and have since gone on to a position as a Research Lab Specialist in Dr. Kentaro Nabeshima’s laboratory at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  We are trying to identify genes involved in homologous chromosome pairing and synapsis using a visual screen in conjunction with a functional genomics approach.  The IU Biology Department offered wonderful faculty and staff support for grad students in learning and developing the research skills needed for biological research.

Joseph Ipe
3rd Year MCDB Ph.D. Student

My hometown is Tiruvalla, Kerala, India, and I completed my undergraduate studies at Nagpur University.  I came to the Indiana University Biology Department in 2007, and joined Joe Pomerening’s laboratory where we research Cell Cycle Regulation, and study the role of Cdh1 in early embryonic cycles.  The larger context of my research is to understand the regulation of proteins during early developmental stages of organisms.  In the future, I am interested in teaching and/or training.  I am open to academic and industry related careers. 
My major reason for choosing IU was the diversity in science that IU offers. There were several labs that I was interested in. When I applied to graduate schools, my interests were widespread, and I was undecided about the exact field in which I wanted to work. IU Biology provided me the opportunity to rotate in diverse labs and get the feel of each environment. The faculty, staff and students at IU are extremely nice and supportive at every step of the way!