Wooster student receives undergraduate research fellowship to study potential antimicrobial development

Jude Cerniglia ’26, a major in biochemistry & molecular biology and mathematics at The College of Wooster, was one of six students nationally to be awarded an undergraduate research fellowship from the Cayman Biomedical Research Institute for work he is doing in the laboratory of James West, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. Cerniglia won the award for his research proposal, “Regulation of Branched Chain Amino Acid Synthesis Enzymes by a Mitochondrial Thioredoxin in Baker’s Yeast.”

For over a decade, West’s lab has been studying what proteins work together to alleviate oxidative stress, a stress that is often associated with inflammation and immune responses, on a molecular level. Cerniglia joined the lab as a first-year student, first learning how to complete many of the basic lab procedures before building his repertoire of advanced techniques that allow him to work independently now.

Yeast mitochondrial thioredoxin (Trx3), the protein Cerniglia studied in his sophomore year, became the focus of his award-winning research project. Trx3 plays a key role in oxidant defense by reversing protein oxidation. According to West, most cell types express thioredoxins in different compartments, including in mitochondria.

With the support of the fellowship, Cerniglia will continue studying whether proteins involved in a particular amino acid synthesis pathway are bona fide interaction partners of the mitochondrial thioredoxin in baker’s yeast. He also will determine whether the mitochondrial thioredoxin system has an impact on levels of this subclass of amino acids.  “Such work is of potential importance, since these amino acid synthesis pathways are unique to microbial species,” West said. “Blocking their function or the function of the mitochondrial thioredoxin could represent a new direction for antibiotic development.”

Cerniglia came to Wooster knowing he wanted to be a research scientist, which led him to get involved in research. “The main thing that interested me was working in a lab and conducting work outside of class that had real implications in the world,” he said. His interactions with the professors and small class sizes at Wooster contributed to his learning process and success. The experience of writing and completing the research proposal was another valuable skill obtained outside the classroom.

“Receiving this fellowship is an important step in my development as a research scientist,” Cerniglia said. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. after graduation and is considering working on drug development and research for his career.

Posted in Homepage Featured, News on December 9, 2024.