Tanvi Dixit: Virulence Mechanism of Periodontal Bacteria

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This project provides the opportunity to develop research experience in the area of microbiology and immunology related dental diseases. Tanvi had the opportunity to apply what they learned in classroom lectures and lab courses to this research project. Here is what Tanvi had to say about the experience:

What I Did:

"I was a student researcher at Dr. Sharma's lab, where I worked to recombinantly express Tannerella forsythia beta-glucanase enzyme with a 6x-Histidine tag in an Escherichia coli expression system, and learned to purify the recombinant enzyme in large amounts from E. coli cultures using Nickel affinity chromatography, and performed gel electrophoresis based lichenin (beta glucan) zymography to detect beta-glucanase activity of crude E. coli extract and purified recombinant enzyme. Regarding the impact, I learned about recombinant protein purification technique of affinity chromatography which I had learned through my coursework, prepared and ran SDS gels, and compared enzyme activity of wild type and mutant E. Coli proteins by analyzing OD values and Excel. The techniques I learned and used are related to molecular biology and molecular biotechnology, and hence are relevant to my major, Biotechnology. With constant use of pipettes for varying sample measurements, I feel confident using micropipettes and serological pipettes. I feel that I have integrated concepts of biotechnology and microbiology into this research project such as using pipettes, PCR, centrifugation, gel electrophoresis, recombinant technology etc."

What I Learned:

"Being a Biotechnology student currently and aiming to pursue PhD in microbiology in the future, this research project will help me bolster my lab skills and use techniques and concepts to fulfill my career goals. The accomplishment I am most proud of is that I could relearn and revise lab skills and methods that I had learned in my lab coursework. The biggest takeaway from this project was that research requires a lot patience and commitment. Although some results may indicate failure, it is a way to learn about what went right/ wrong, or what can be altered in the experiment to obtain expected results. I believe other students should get involved in such projects to enhance their lab skills and know how to apply theory in a practical setting. It helps them to acquire more skills and develop individual personality too."