Author Archives: Simeon Holmes

Throughout the course of the summer we have listened to talks from professionals from all sorts of backgrounds and focuses particularly in the field of science. We were able to here from multiple perspectives as to how these medical doctors, researchers, and some medical doctors/researchers achieved their goals in science and even what they are doing to reach their goal. It was interesting seeing how two people could end up at the same point but take two totally different paths to get to that point and it really helped me to understand that my path is not set in stone it is free to change as I discover my interest and what I want to do in the future.

With all that being said I have to say the my favorite talk was most definitely Lawrence David. He seemed to struggle  with the same problems that I am tackling as an undergraduate currently, which made his talk very relatable. I found his research about “Nutrition and the Human Microbiome” interesting and it may be something that I want to look into in the near future. Through his stories about how his interest change from possibly wanting to go to medical school thank deciding to do research, I realized that my interest may change and I should be open to that change.

I found his advice on how to choose and undergraduate lab very helpful. I was struggling for the longest time trying to decide if I would stay in the lab I am in now, move to a different lab, or try an new experience all together. I realized that no matter what I would be gaining experience and that is what is most important.

I definitely see him as a possible mentor to help me make some important decisions in the near future!

Cryptococcus deneoformans is an opportunistic human fungal pathogen that mainly infects immunocompromised patients, including AIDs patients and patients with organ transplants. It infects approximately 280 thousand people and contributes to about 180 thousand deaths per year. Few strategies are available in treating Cryptococcosis. Dr. Heitman’s lab discovered two essential cell cycle regulating genes involved in the endoreplication pathway during C. deneoformans unisexual reproduction. This research focuses on developing strategies in studying these two essential genes. We generated expression constructs using the copper repressive promoter pCTR4-2 and the galactose-inducible promoter pUGE2 to modulate gene expression. We also used DAmP technique to reduce gene expression by disrupting the terminator sequence. By up- and down-regulating these genes, we would like to examine how perturbation of gene expression could impact C. deneoformans unisexual reproduction and other cellular processes. Study of essential genes also provides the opportunity for discovery of novel drug targets that are essential for cell growth. We are interested in testing how these genes impact the virulence of the pathogen by using DAmP alleles in different animal models. Based on this work, we could potentially broaden essential gene studies in both C. deneoformans and other fungal pathogens and provide hope in novel anti-fungal target discoveries.

I enjoyed being able to here about the various research projects going on by my fellow B-Surfers. It was interesting hearing the different problems/questions posed and seeing the ways and which these research questions were being answered. I found it intriguing how some of us were looking at similar topics or ideas but the ways in which we tackled the problems and the methods we used were completely different. With that being said I found Ayana’s project particularly interesting.

Although me and Ayana are both focusing on Cryptococcus neofromans and the ways by which we can treat this fungal pathogen, her project project looks at this opportunistic human fungal pathogen from a different perspective. While my project focuses on controlling sexual reproduction of Cryptococcus by regulating its essential gene expression Ayana’s project is focusing on a transcription factor of Cryptococcus that could play a role in its virulence. Tests have shown that when you delete the BZP4 transcription factor in a host, the fungal pathogen is no longer able to kill that host which is a very interesting finding. She is current running more experiments to confirm this finding but if this is true then its a major breakthrough in finding an efficient method of treating illness caused by Cryptococcus neoformans. 

During the course of this summer I have had the pleasure to work under a man by the name of Ci Fu in the Heitman lab. Having him as a mentor has been a challenging yet gratifying experience. I have learned so much over these past weeks than I learned in the classroom my entire freshman year. I can honestly say that I have never met anyone more dedicated and passionate about the field of research then he.

Ci Fu received his undergraduate training at Tiantin University of Science and Technology in China, where he majored in biotechnology. He was eager to find out what his true interest were so he decided to explore a variety of research opportunities. He joined a fungal lab to study genetics which exposed him to the field of microbiology. He was immediately fascinated with microorganisms and from that point on knew he wanted to be a research scientist. He knew he wanted to continue his education as well as feed his passion for research; thus, he decided to attend the University of New York at Buffalo where he majored in Molecular and Cellular Biology. He then received his masters degree and shortly after, joined the Heitman lab.

When asked if he would like to choose any other career, Ci immediately confirmed that research was his only passion. In his own words he said, “I love the challenge of research, it gives me the opportunity to ask the hard questions that I would not be able to ask otherwise.” He believes that through his research he can make profound change. From my time working with him I have been able to observe how his dedication to research work ethic has influenced those around him.

If you have been in the lab as long as Ci you are bound to make mistakes; however, he ensures that you realize that everyone does too. To empathize, Ci described an embarrassing moment he once had while in the lab himself. In his earlier days of research, he accidentally knocked down a full rack of glass tubes in front of his P.I. Looking retrospectively, he realized that its okay to make mistakes because that’s what makes us human. His advice for future researchers and scientist is that they learn to recover form their mistakes. Additionally he advises that all future researchers/scientist learn to ask questions because asking questions is how true and interesting research begins.

I have learned a lot from Ci with my time in the Heitman lab, and I am excited to see what else I gain from this experience. He has been an excellent mentor and it was a very interesting experience getting to know a little more about his background.

Simeon Holmes-What I am working on this summer!

Cryptococcus deneoformans is an opportunistic human fungal pathogen that mainly infects immunocompromised patients, including AIDs patients and patients with organ transplant. It infects approximately 280 thousand people and contributes to about 180 thousand deaths per year. Though C. neoformans species complex poses a huge threat to global human health, few strategies are available in treating Cryptococcosis.

The purpose of my research in Dr. Heitman’s lab is to study the functions of two essential cell cycle regulating genes involved in the endoreplication pathway during Cryptococcus deneoformans unisexual reproduction. To study these essential genes, we plan to use the copper repressive promoter pCTR4 and the galactose inducible promoter pUGE2 to modulate gene expression. By up- and down-regulating these genes, we would like to examine how perturbation of gene expression could impact C. deneoformans unisexual reproduction and other cellular processes.

Study of essential genes also provides opportunity in discovery of novel drug targets that are essential for cell growth. We are interested in testing how these genes impact the virulence of the pathogen by using DAmP alleles of these genes with disrupted terminators. Based on these work, we could potentially apply these techniques in studying essential genes in other fungal pathogens and provide hope in novel anti-fungal target discoveries