Kelly Kirkpatrick
Kelly is now a science intructor at a Toronto High School
Education
M.Sc. Candidate, Biophysics (Molecular), University of Guelph
B.Sc., Biochemistry, Co-op, University of Guelph
Research
The objective of my project is to functionally characterize the Ca+2 binding properties of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) cardiac troponin (ScTn). I will be testing the hypothesis that trout cardiac troponin I and T are responsible, along with trout cardiac troponin C, for increasing the Ca+2 sensitivity of the trout heart ten-fold compared to that of the mammalian heart.
In order to accomplish this goal, I am using RACE-PCR to amplify the ScTnI and ScTnT genes from trout heart RNA. Once the gene sequences are obtained, the proteins will be expressed using an E. coli system and purified using column chromatography. Ca+2 binding studies will be performed using fluorescence and stopped flow kinetic analysis.
I am interested in this research for its potential applications to human health. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a heritable disease in which the walls of the heart are enlarged, reducing the volume of blood that can be pumped through it, leaving some patients at risk of sudden death. A human patient with HCM has been found to possess a mutation at a key position in troponin C known to play a role in Ca+2 sensitivity in trout heart. Further examination of positions regulating Ca+2 sensitivity of trout cardiac troponin could reveal potential pharmaceutical targets for human patients suffering not only from HCM but other cardiac injuries as well.
Contact Information
Kelly Kirkpatrick
Department of Integrative Biology
University of Guelph
Guelph ON N1G 5C2
(519) 824-4120 Office: x56963 Lab: x56213