Alex Li
Program: Unspecified
Current advisor:
Undergraduate university: Washington University
Research summary
In my second rotation at the Dougherty lab, I used brain section IF imaging, Machine learning algorithms, linear modeling and image processing to probe at the question whether Myt1L heterozygous mutation in mice leads to differential expression and aggregation of the protein DARPP-32, which is present primarily in D1 D2 inhibitory neurons. Contrary to common belief, the expression pattern was not just localized to the striatum but also to deep layer cortex as well, and there’s a significant different between WT and Myt1L Het. In addition, I also leveraged MPRA assay to ask questions of whether SNP in the 3′ UTR regions would change RNA transcript stability and abundance in disease models such as autism spectrum disorders.
Graduate publications
Adamson SE, Li ZA, Hughes JW. 2023 Beta cell primary cilia mediate somatostatin responsiveness via SSTR3. Islets, 15(1):2252855.
Li ZA, Cho JH, Woodhams LG, Hughes JW. 2022 Fluorescence imaging of beta cell primary cilia. Front Endocrinol, 13():1004136.
Cho JH, Li ZA, Zhu L, Muegge BD, Roseman HF, Lee EY, Utterback T, Woodhams LG, Bayly PV, Hughes JW. 2022 Islet primary cilia motility controls insulin secretion. Sci Adv, 8(38)::eabq8486.
Djami-Tchatchou AT, Li ZA, Stodghill P, Filiatrault MJ, Kunkel BN. 2022 Identification of Indole-3-Acetic Acid-Regulated Genes in Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato Strain DC3000. J Bacteriol, 204(1)::e0038021.