Anna York Email & Phone Number

School Of Life Sciences

My second mini-project was focused on the structure activity relationship of MurF substrate analogues, with the aim to develop a ‘torjan-horse’ antimicrobial compound. MurF was expressed and purified using a combination of IMAC, SEC and ion exchange chromatography. Michaelis-Menten kinetics of the natural substrate and five structural substrate analogues were determined using simple coupled spectrophotometric assays. All analogues were suitable substrates for the MurF enzyme, however the catalytic efficiency was considerably lower that that of the natural substrate. Crystallisation trials were conducted, aimed at obtaining structural information about MurF in complex with the substrate analogues for iterative structural analogue design.

Nelson, New Zealand

My Professional Internship for PhD Students (PIPS) was a three month project at The Cawthron Institute in New Zealand. This was a unique opportunity to gain insight into the importance of science communication and education within the wider community. Skills required for communicating science to the general public as well as specialist audiences were developed and refined. I was interviewed at a local radio station and my scientific presentation on “The antibiotic apocalypse” was videoed, these two unique opportunities enabled me to analyse and reflect on and enhance my presentation techniques as well as gain a better insight into how best to communicate my science to different audiences. A knowledge of programming in BASIC was used to create a versatile programme for the Community and Education Department to assist in the allocation of students, and judges at a large annual Science Fair in New Zealand, the programme was created with a variety of automated outputs including timetables and acceptance letters.

School Of Biosciences

My first mini-project was to conduct structural characterisation of proteins believed to be involved in control of predation in the deltaproteobacteria Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus. A combination of molecular biology techniques including cloning and PCR were used to generate mutant protein constructs. Proteins were overexpressed and purified using a combination of Immobilised Metal Affinity Chromatography (IMAC) and Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC). Crystallisation trials were conducted on the MglABd-Bd2592 complex as well as RomR and Bd2492 individually, crystallisation conditions were subsequently optimised, however, diffraction-quality crystals were not obtained.

School Of Life Sciences

An investigation into the interactions between auxillin and its binding partners, clathrin and Hsc70, using fluorescently labelled single cysteine mutants was conducted. Real-time perpendicular light scattering was used to demonstrate that fluorescently labelled mutants of clathrin and Hsc70 did not affect disassembly of clathrin cages. In a novel study, the potential for use of time-resolved fluorecence anisotropy in understanding clathrin cage dissassembly was investigated. The proof of principal study found that time-resolved fluorescence anisotrpic changes were consistent with current understanding of the system and could hold unexplored promise and potential for understanding disassembly at a molecular level.

Stevenage, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

Generation of tool monoclonal antibodies towards oncogenic transcription factors L-MYC and C-MYC. Techniques required for antibody generation included preparation of mouse splenocytes and fusion with myelomas, sterile mammalian cell culture techniques, colony screening using ClonePix system, Flow Cytometry (FACS analysis) and high throughput sample preparation with robotics, and purification techniques using AKTA. Antibodies were validated using a range of techniques specific to the request of the researcher, often including ELISA, FMAT and Western blot.

Phd Biomedical Science, Molecular Biochemistry

Bachelor Of Science (Bsc), Biomedical Sciences, General, 1St