Summer researchers report back: Yewon Lee ’19 forges ahead with protein mutation research

Summer researchers report back: Yewon Lee ’19 forges ahead with protein mutation research

BY SABRINA EDWARDS ’18

Q: Where did you do research this summer?

A: I was here at Mount Holyoke in Professor McMenimen’s lab.

Q: What was your project?

A: I was assigned a new project with my lab partner during the spring semester, but my lab partner had another internship so she wasn’t here for the summer, so I was alone in the lab. I created a TAG point mutation in the n-terminus region using PCR of a small heat shock protein, specifically HSP27. Traditionally, the translational machinery would stop translation at the stop codon, and produce a truncated version of the protein. In my research, I transformed an orthogonal translational machinery and with the addition of unnatural amino acids (UAA), we are hoping to see the machinery charge the UAA at the stop codon, and continue translating to produce a full length protein.  

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Never Fear: Ask

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BY TEAGAN WEBB ’18

As someone who works with my brain all day, it can be really scary when my body hurts and I can’t figure out why. “Why can’t I control this? Why is my body falling apart?” I think in a panic at 3 a.m., after googling ‘clitoris pain’ again but this time adding ‘sharp’ and ‘random.’ Luckily, I am blessed with funny, frank and non-judgmental friends. They sit with me while I read forums and tell me about their most unfortunate UTI’s. Moments like these remind me to feel unashamed that I can’t control the most vulnerable parts of my body. 

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