Student Profiles
Elana Paladino, School of Life Sciences Graduate Student, Molecular Biology and Genetics. Expected Date of Graduation: Fall 2010.
UNLV is a university with so much energy and potential. That is one of the reasons why I decided to stay in the School of Life Sciences for my Ph.D. The 2008 Wolzinger Family Research Scholarship is a lasting investment in not only my future but in the future success of UNLV. I am honored to be selected for such a prestigious award.
Tell us a little about your life before coming to UNLV - where you grew up, your family life, what interests did you have, academically and other wise?
My family is originally from the east coast and I was born in Alexandria, Virginia. We moved to San Diego, California when I was 5 years old. My family is very close, and our family would plan summer vacations in various parts of the United States. Originally, we began spending vacations in Las Vegas during the city’s family-oriented years of the 1990s. It was like a dream coming to visit this desert oasis. I never wanted to leave, and I was excited when my dad announced that we would move here. I have been a Las Vegan since 1992, and I spent my middle school years at the James Cashman and Grant Sawyer Middle Schools, where teachers ignited my interest in academics.
I was privileged to attend Durango High School from 1994-1998, only three years after it opened. Ms. Mary Pike stimulated my scientific interests with her freshman biology course and I truly enjoyed my literature courses with teachers such as Mr. Sassenberg, Mrs. Noreen, and so many others. I had a passion for academics and hard work such that I became one of three valedictorians by the time I graduated.
I then attended UCLA in Westwood, California, on a full scholarship, and earned a B.A. degree in linguistics and psychology in part because I was drawn to languages and I was also interested in my father’s work as a psychiatrist.
How did you end up attending UNLV?
After graduating from UCLA and returning home, I planned to pursue a graduate degree at UNR in speech pathology. I realized that I needed to take several biology and anatomy classes as prerequisites, and I enrolled at UNLV as a non-admitted student in Professor Andy Andres’ Cell Biology class. I then realized that I never really wanted to be a speech therapist or pathologist, and Professor Andres’ infectious excitement for cell biology and molecular genetics was “contagious.” I asked professor Andres for a research position in his lab, and he agreed. This work led me on my current path to earn a Ph.D. in biology from the School of Life Sciences. Most recently, I am proud to have passed my qualifying exam, proving that I am worthy of moving forward in the program.
Please tell me about your research, including how you became involved in this field? What are the possible benefits/outcomes of your research?
I am intrigued with cell and molecular biology and genetics. I think this is due to the fact that the biomedical significance of such research is enormous. We are the scientists whose work forms the foundation for what is known about fundamental cell biology.
Using Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly, as a model organism, I began studying steroid hormone action. Specifically, the intriguing question of my research is, “How does one, ubiquitous hormone bring about such different physiological responses in each tissue?” To answer this question, we genetically manipulate the larval salivary gland such that we can analyze the effects of hormone-signaling in this specific tissue. Specifically, I am working with a gene named E23 that is “turned on” by the hormone. It is an ABC transporter, and we hypothesize that it is transporting the very hormone we are studying extracellularly.
The implications of this research are tremendous. First, within the field of Drosophila, this transporter may help to explain the mechanism of tissue specificity to the hormone. Second, within the broader spectrum, understanding how this transporter works will lead to better insight into how higher metazoan transporters function, especially those specific to pumping steroids outside of cells.
It is extraordinary that something as tiny as a fruit fly could tell us so much about ourselves. Drosophila melanogaster is an invaluable model system for human biology. In fact, the cellular pathway that leads to human colon cancer was originally deciphered by using fruit fly genetics. I hope that I will be able to shed some light on human diseases that are the result of defective ABC transporters.
Specifically, E23 is an ABC transporter with high similarity to human transporters of the ABCG class. Many diseases are known to result from mutations in these transporters. One disease that I am very interested in elucidating is called sitosterolemia. It is a rare human autosomal recessive disorder and currently is highly underdiagnosed because it can be confused with other lipid absorption disorders.
Sitosterolemia if left untreated causes a significant increase in mortality associated with the development of coronary heart disease. Although defective sterol (a cholesterol-derivative) transport through ABC transporters has been shown to be the cause of the disease, little is known about the precise cellular details. I hope to answer questions such as: does E23 only pump one specific molecule or a variety of molecules?; does E23 form a complex with another ABC transporter in order to function?; how does disrupting E23 affect development?.
Answering any of these questions will be informative toward understanding how similar transporters function in humans. Furthermore, knowing these details are important foundations for the work of medical scientists who are specifically developing treatments for the disease.
What are your favorite/most important memories of UNLV and Las Vegas? People you have met, places you enjoy, classes you took...
Because I have lived in Las Vegas for such a long time, I have so many fond memories. I have had the pleasure of meeting Senator John Ensign in 1997 or 1998 when he was first running for office, as well as other political leaders in our state such as former governor Kenny Guinn.
Some of my fondest memories come from attending the Las Vegas Stars’ (now 51s) baseball games at Cashman Field with my mom and siblings, and more recently, attending the college baseball games at UNLV with my biology compatriots.
UNLV is a university with so much energy and potential. That is one of the reasons why I decided to stay in the School of Life Sciences for my Ph.D. I am working with a brilliant scientist and educator (Dr. Andy Andres), and I have made so many lasting friendships with students on campus.
I have learned that I really enjoy teaching, and I currently a member of the Teaching and Learning Center’s Graduate Student Professional Development Program in College Teaching. Under the guidance of Dr. Leora Baron, I am learning the essential skills to becoming an effective educator.
How will this scholarship help your studies?
This scholarship is a lasting investment in not only my future but in the future success of UNLV. I am honored to be selected for such a prestigious award, and believe that by offering these endowments, UNLV is achieving the highest standards of research institutions throughout the United States. I am invested in UNLV’s future and plan to use the money from this scholarship to further my research goals by eliminating the burden and worry of finances. I will rigorously set and achieve goals during the funding period, so that I can thrust forward with my research and unravel some of the mysteries of my transporter.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
People will be surprised to know that I never earned an undergraduate science degree. Those closest to me have always associated me with humanities and the social sciences, but I have fooled them. My love is biology and there it will always be.
The College of Sciences offers research opportunities, including laboratory experience working side-by-side with professors.