Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Eric Pang L&S Sciences

Single-molecule analysis of the AMPA receptor2 TARP interaction

This summer I will be researching the interaction between Transmembrane AMPA-receptor regulatory proteins (TARPS) and AMPA glutamate receptors at the single molecule level. In order to do this I will have to make constructs containing fluorescent proteins paired with various members of the TARP family and AMPA glutamate receptor family. The interaction between TARPs and AMPA receptors particularly interesting because TARPs play a critical role in the regulation of synaptic AMPA receptor trafficing. While TARPs are not the only protein involved in this regulation it is believed that the regulation of these receptors underlies some forms of synaptic plasticity, a molecular correlate of learning and memory.

Message To Sponsor

Being a part of the SURF program has been a great experience for me. During the year I had done some research, but it was difficult to plan my day so that I could see my experiments through to the end. Now that I am working full time, I can see everything through from start to finish. I've also been able to get more involved with the planning behind the projects and that is something that I've found particularly interesting. This has already been a good learning experience for me and given be a better feel for what its like to do research.