Urban Barcode Research Project Team DZJ Columbia 2018-2019
Program:
Urban Barcode Research Project
Year:
2018-19
Research Topic:
Wildlife & health
Taxonomic Group Studied:
Animals

Project:

Analysis of SMPD protein and Its Different Isoforms
Students:
Zoraiz Irshad, Janen Khan
Institution:
Columbia University Medical Center, Manhattan
Mentors:
Delfina Larrea

Abstract:

Early stages of Alzheimer's disease show alterations in lipid metabolism. There is an upregulation of de novo ceramide synthesis and an increase in the activity of sphingomyelinase. The field is trying to find the link between genetic mutations in genes like amyloid precursor protein (APP), presenilin-1 (PS1), and presenilin-2 (PS2) and changes in lipid homeostasis. The aim of this project is to identify the genomic sequences of SMPD5 in humans, as well as to identify and analyze its different isoforms. In order to perform this project we will isolate the genomic DNA from human cell lines used in our lab, develop different primers to bind to different segments of the DNA, run PCR using the primers we developed, and, hopefully, if we succeed in identifying the human SMPD5, we will clone the product and analyze the clones using restriction analysis and DNA sequencing. The identification of these variants will allow us to correlate the relationship between AD and lipid metabolism.

Poster:

DNA Barcoding Poster
View team poster (PDF/PowerPoint)

Team samples: