Mentor: Hening Lin
Education:
Cornell University – B.S., Biological Sciences (2022)
Awards and Honors
- CHAMPS Scholar, Cornell U.
- CALS Promise Undergraduate Scholarship Recipient, Cornell U.
Research Experience:
- Research Lab of Dr. Hening Lin – Cornell U.
- Lab Rotations: Yuxin Mao, Haiyuan Yu, Shaoyi Jiang
Current Research Activities:
In most cases, the sensing of pathogens or cytokines by immune cells will lead to changes in protein post-translational modifications which initiate downstream signaling events. Investigating the role of PTMs on proteins is essential to understanding immune signaling and developing therapeutics for immune associated human diseases including autoimmune disorders and cancer. Over 400 types of PTMs are known to occur on proteins. These modifications affect multiple aspects of protein function such as protein-protein interactions, enzymatic activity, and localization. One type of PTM, S-palmitoylation, involves the addition of a 16-carbon palmitoyl group to the cysteine residues of proteins via a thioester bond. Global profiling screens have identified S-palmitoylation to occur on multiple immunity-associated proteins. However, the role of palmitoylation in many of these proteins are still not fully characterized. My research focuses on characterizing the role of palmitoylation in ABHD16A, a serine hydrolase which forms a lipid signaling network that manages the macrophage immune response in neurological processes in mouse models. Preliminary findings involving ABHD16A and a potential interacting substrate along with its relevant palmitoyltransferase led me to hypothesize a novel model on how S-palmitoylation occurs in cells. In my research, I will utilize chemical biology, enzyme chemistry, and biochemistry tools to test and refine this working model. Should additional findings support this model, it will lead to several innovations in the S-palmitoylation field and change our understanding on the function of the ABHD family and palmitoyltransferases and could provide a new approach for future immune disease therapeutics.