McNair Scholar 2021 Dalton Piotter
Dalton Piotter is a junior at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities triple majoring in Microbiology, Genetics, Cell biology, and Development (GCD), and Plant and Microbial Biology (PMB). His research interest includes drug resistance, stem cell biology, and virology. He plans to receive a Ph.D. for genetics or microbiology.
My dream is to receive a Ph.D. and conduct groundbreaking research in the field of genetics. DNA is the instruction manual of life and I want to increase our understanding of its functions and mechanisms. By better understanding genetics we can better understand ourselves.
Research project
Centromere Orientation and Genomic Instability of Candida albicans
Abstract: Antifungal drug resistance and limited number of antifungal drug classes pose severe threats for the treatment of fungal infections caused by Candida species. Candida albicans, the most common fungal pathogen, is capable of large chromosomal rearrangements that confer drug resistance. One rearrangement includes an amplification of the left arm of chromosome 5 (Chr5) in an isochromosome structure, i(5L). Our experiments have identified that the centromere of Chr5 (CEN5) can undergo inversion in cells that have acquired the independent isochromosome. To determine if CEN5 inversion is independent of the isochromosome, single colonies were isolated from a strain that previously underwent CEN5 inversion and acquired i(5L). Growth curve, PCR, and CHEF gel analyses were performed to predict genotype, determine the orientation of CEN5, and confirm the absence of i(5L). The CEN5 inversion was observed via PCR and gel electrophoresis for six isolates predicted to lack i(5L).
Faculty mentor
Dr. Anna M. Selmecki is an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities Medical School. Dr. Selmecki received her Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics at the University of Minnesota in 2007. She currently works on genome plasticity in diverse fungal pathogens, including Candida albicans and Candida auris. Her previous work includes identification of copy number variation, loss of heterozygosity, and chromosomal inversions that result in drug resistance. Dr. Selmecki has published research articles in Nature and Science and has received the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and NIH R01 awards.