Jamie L. Elliott
5th year graduate student
Genetics
7th year of MSTP

EDUCATION

• B.A. 2003, Ripon College
  Chemistry/Biology Major - molecular-biochemical emphasis

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

• Pepperdine University, Summer 2002
  Advisor - Donna Nofziger-Plank, PhD
  Project - Study to determine the effect of interference with the Notch signaling pathway on the ability of mouse bone marrow stem cells to differentiate into adipogenic or osteogenic cells.

Learning and memory are believed to be the result of long-lived alterations in the strength of specific synaptic connections. The ability of the synapse to change in response to various stimuli, called synaptic plasticity, is thus the physiological foundation of memory. The Yin lab concentrates on elucidating the mechanisms of several proteins believed to be involved in regulating and maintaining synaptic plasticity, including PKM� and CREB. Behavioral studies in Drosophila melanogaster and murine models, cell culture, and biochemical techniques are all employed by various members of the lab as they explore the roles of these molecules in learning and memory. Understanding the functions of PKM� and CREB in memory will not only allow us to understand a basic element of human nature in a physiological light, but will also pave the way for development of treatments for neurological diseases, possibly including age-related memory loss, drug dependence, epilepsy, and various forms of mental retardation (Fragile-X syndrome).

PUBLICATIONS

• Kelley DJ, Davidson RJ, Elliott JL, Lahvis GP, Yin JC, Bhattacharyya A. The Cyclic AMP Cascade Is Altered in the Fragile X Nervous System. PLoS ONE. 2:e931, 2007.

PRESENTATIONS

• Elliott JL, Nofziger-Plank D. �The Effect of Inhibition of the Notch Signaling Pathway on Adipogenesis and Osteogenesis in the Bone Marrow Cell Line 7F2.� Argonne Symposium for Undergraduates in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics. Argonne National Laboratories, Argonne, Illinois, 2002.