Fibril Formation by Human and Bovine Insulin Fragments
Department
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Major
Chemical Engineering
Research Advisor
Forciniti, Daniel
Advisor's Department
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Funding Source
Missouri S& T Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experiences (OURE) Program
Abstract
Many diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are linked to amyloid deposits, which are insoluble protein aggregates. It is known that their formation damages tissue, but the kinetics of their formation is not well understood. Factors affecting protein aggregation include concentration, agitation, and pH. Bovine and human insulin fragments known to form aggregates were synthesized. Solutions of the fragments were frozen and thaw to induce the formation of fibrils. In addition, experiments were designed to incubate solutions of the fragments in a water bath under constant aeration. Unfortunately, this set of experiments has not been completed yet. Congo and ThT staining were used to detect fibril formation but the results were inconclusive.
Biography
Min kyung is from South Korea, is a senior in Chemical Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology. She is the president of Korean Student Association for 2012-2013. She is graduating in May, 2013 and plans to study cosmetic engineering in graduate school.
Research Category
Engineering
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Location
Upper Atrium/Hallway
Presentation Date
03 Apr 2013, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Fibril Formation by Human and Bovine Insulin Fragments
Upper Atrium/Hallway
Many diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are linked to amyloid deposits, which are insoluble protein aggregates. It is known that their formation damages tissue, but the kinetics of their formation is not well understood. Factors affecting protein aggregation include concentration, agitation, and pH. Bovine and human insulin fragments known to form aggregates were synthesized. Solutions of the fragments were frozen and thaw to induce the formation of fibrils. In addition, experiments were designed to incubate solutions of the fragments in a water bath under constant aeration. Unfortunately, this set of experiments has not been completed yet. Congo and ThT staining were used to detect fibril formation but the results were inconclusive.
