Alex Moyzis ’13 has worked closely with biology professor Irene Tang since she first came to campus. Fitting, then, that her senior thesis is a synthesis of everything they’ve taught one another.
“I am very intrigued by the potential health implications of prevalent industrial compounds such as BPA, BHA, and BHT,” she says. “These compounds are found in a wide variety of consumer items: water bottles, cans, cosmetics, and food preservatives. Given their extensive use, it would be beneficial to determine their adverse effects.”
The above mentioned abbreviations stand for Bisphenol-A, Butylated Hydroxyanisole, and Butylated Hydroxytoluene, respectively. Their extensive use has caused concern due to studies suggesting they may have adverse effects on cellular function; unfortunately, it’s difficult to gather hard evidence of this in humans or other mammals. Instead, scientists have turned to yeast cells as model organisms, specifically the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
Moyzis’ thesis examines the biological pathways involved in the response network to BPA, BHA, and BHT using a genomic analysis approach in S. pombe. Her tests suggest that genes sensitive to the compounds are involved in a number of important functions, including mitotic cell cycle regulation, cytokinesis, conjugation of cellular fusion, DNA damage/repair, and more. The data also reveals BPA is able to trigger a variety of morphological changes, including cell elongation, cell polarity, and cytokinesis-defect phenotypes.
Her study is one of the first genomic studies of its kind, and ultimately Moyzis’ findings can be used to understand how the phenol compounds interact with cells at the molecular level—and enable us to assess human risk of exposure.
“My Scripps experience prepared me for thesis because I was able to work closely with faculty members to determine my interests and pursue research opportunities,” she says. “My thesis is a culmination of work I have spent the past several years doing.”
Set to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences at UC San Diego, Moyzis nonetheless appreciates her close relationships with both faculty and other students at Scripps. “I’m going to miss the sense of community,” she says, “and the close relationships I’ve developed during my time here.”