Hello everyone! I had made significant progress in my research project this semester, and have learned many valuable experiences that helped me in conducting my research. In this last post, I will discuss my understanding of research, difficulties I faced during research, and reflect how my experiences in CURF helped me in becoming a experienced researcher.
My understanding of research is a process of gathering new understanding from previously known knowledge. However, the process of conducting research is definitely much more difficult than it seems from reading published papers, or learning experimental techniques in class. My experience in CURF this semester gives me a clear idea of the difficulties that may be faced in research. One research goal I have completed is to analyze which lysine residues on the membrane protein Fat3 that is ubiquitinated by the alpha-arrestin Aly1 and Aly2, that plays significant role in mediating its internalization and breakdown. Although I have read many research papers that use similar approach on a variety of other membrane cargoes, and there are protocols in lab that has previously worked well, I still met many obstacles during the experimental process. For example, I met difficulties purifying my target protein, which resulted in a failure to detect ubiquitination signal for only my target protein, and instead I got ubiquitin signal for all proteins within the sample. After talking to my PI and other researchers, and making some adjustments to my experimental procedure, such as changing detergent concentrations in my lysis buffer, I finally obtained an informative result. I feel this experience is very helpful for me, as it allowed me to develop an understanding of the difficulties that I may face when conducting research, and how I can overcome these difficulties.
Although CURF is over for this semester, I plan to continue to the next steps of my current research. I plan to further analyze important motifs on the alpha-arrestins Aly1 and Aly2 that is important for its function to interact with membrane cargoes and mediate membrane cargo internalization. I also plan to continue my path in research after my undergraduate studies in the US. Exploring the specific molecular mechanisms that defines protein interaction and function remains a fascinating avenue of study for me.
Through research, I have also learned to use many research techniques, such as immunoprecipitation, western blotting, and fluorescence microscopy. These tools have not only allowed me to address specific research questions but also equipped me with a versatile skill set. As I continue along the path of research in my career, my goal is to contribute to solving scientific problems and adding meaningful insights to the field of biological related research.
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