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CONTENTS

COVER ART

Amanda Nord

4 LETTERS FROM THE PRESIDENT AND

PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR

Michael Chung

Jenny Tse

2012-2013 EXECUTIVE BOARD

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6

SCIENTIFIC NEWS

Mental Exhaustion: Is it Real?

Heather Sheridan

Peptide Nucleic Acids as Antigene Agents for Multidrug

Resistance in Cancerous Cells

Jenny Tse

7-8 FACULTY INTERVIEW

The Ardent Research, Professor and Scientist: Dr. An

Steve Kwon

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STUDENT OPINION

The Power of Critical Thinking

Michael Chung

Sodexo Bringing You Down?

Roshni Khilnani

10 CROSSWORD

BINGHAMTON BIOCHEMISTRY CLUB T-SHIRT

ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/103_fall2011.web.dir/Cicely_Shankle/Images/protein%20molecule.jpg

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Letter from the President:

Dear Fellow Students, Faculty, and Alumni,

As anticipated, the Binghamton Biochemistry

Club is successfully carrying our progressive mo-

mentum from last semester, with a new series of pro-

jects serving the campus and the community.

On campus, we continue to provide peer aca-

demic advising for students of Biochemistry and oth-

er related fields. This semester, we supplemented

our academic advising with the introduction of the

Binghamton Biochemistry Club Mentorship Program

to pair Upperclassmen (Juniors and Seniors) with

Underclassmen (Freshmen, Sophomores and Trans-

fer Students). The Mentorship Program attracted

mentors and mentees not only interested in Bio-

chemistry, but also students of Chemistry, Neurosci-

ence, and Biology majors.

Our future involves projects that expand our

outreach on and off campus, by creating ties with

local charity organizations, expanding our mentor-

ship to local high schools and collaborating with oth-

er Student Association groups to create the student-

run Academic Tournament. With a dedicated stu-

dent body, I am confident that our club will be able

to complete these projects and much more.

Yours Truly,

Michael Chung

Letter from the Publications Coordinator:

Dear Students of Binghamton University,

Before all else, I would like to express my

thanks to everyone who made this second issue of

Titin possible: Heather Sheridan, Michael Chung,

Roshni Khilnani, and Steve Kwon for writing; Dina

Mayzel, Fanny Zeng, Karen Fu, and Stephanie Jiang

for editing; Amanda Nord for the beautiful MHC II

cover and logo; Morgan Zhao for organizing the lay-

out; and Dr. Ming An for the insightful interview.

Thank you all for contributing your time to the mag-

azine. Due to your great work, I am even more ex-

cited for the Biochemistry Club’s future publica-

tions.

Ranging from scientific articles, to student

opinion, to a faculty feature, I hope that you find at

least one article to your liking. If there is anything

you want to see published or if you would like to

contribute in any way to the next issue, feel free to

contact me at jtse2@binghamton.edu.

Sincerely,

Jenny Tse

2012-2013 Executive Board President: Michael Chung

Vice President: Lance Kong

Secretary: Morgan Zhao

Treasurer: Luke Pettinato

Historian: Travis Lageman

Publications Coordinator: Jenny Tse

Magazine Coordinators: Roshni Khilani, Steve Kwon

Newsletter Coordinators: Betty Chu, Stephanie Jiang

Advisor Coordinators: Dan Sha Li, Kurnvir Singh

Top Row: Lance Kong, Steve Kwon, Luke Pettinato, Travis

Lageman, Morgan Zhao

Middle Row: Roshni Khilnani, Betty Chu, Michael Chung

Front Row: Dan Sha Li, Stephanie Jiang, Jenny Tse, Kurnvir

Singh

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Mental Exhaustion: Is it Real?

By Heather Sheridan

Ferris Jabr’s article titled “Does Thinking

Really Hard Burn More Calories?” addresses the

topic of mental exhaustion after non-physical activi-

ties. From observation, it seems any level of activity

above a person’s standard level requires higher

amounts of energy, and results in greater exhaustion.

However, this notion is too simplistic – relative to

the large amount of energy the brain consumes nor-

mally, the small rise in the brain’s glucose levels

during strong mental activity is insignificant.

On average, the brain uses about 20% of all

the energy produced in the body, despite being only

2% of the total body weight. This large percentage

of total energy used is surprising, considering how

efficient the brain is compared to other machinery.

For example, the normal brain is powered by approx-

imately 12 watts, while the IBM supercomputer that

defeated Jeopardy’s champions ran on 750,000

watts. When more than 20% of our energy is needed

in the brain, the blood capillaries expand, allowing

more glucose to pass through and more ATP to be

formed. Since brain cells lap up any excess glucose

in the blood, this implies that higher level mental

tasks should cause a drop in glucose blood levels.

However, data has been inconclusive, showing a mix

of results on the rise and fall of glucose levels during

strong mental activity.

Some studies have attempted to show a direct

correlation between mental tasks and blood glucose

levels (harder tasks would result in lower levels, and

vice versa). In one experiment, volunteers had to

name a color in print: first by the color directly stat-

ed, then the color of the ink that stated a different

word. One might predict that a smarter brain would

not experience extreme drops in blood glucose lev-

els, as it is more efficient. While most studies have

indicated so, some have showed that more skillful

brains use more energy.

Further contradictions to the theory that men-

tal performance is based on glucose levels arise from

the influence of physical activity on cognitive abili-

ties, especially moderate exercise. If more exercise

depletes glucose levels, one’s mental task perfor-

mance would become poorer. However, most scien-

tists have concluded that the opposite is true.

Thus, changes in blood glucose levels are ir-

relevant. The high amount of glucose used in the

brain at a normal rate ensures that the small differ-

ences that occur do not matter. It would be unethi-

cal, though, to study the root of mental exhaustion by

subjecting volunteers to long periods of mental fo-

cus. Nonetheless, part of the exhaustion seems to

stem from the fact that when we think something is

hard, it often appears harder because prolonged peri-

ods of mental activity merely stress on the body.

Theoretically, all would agree that a more difficult

task would require more energy because of higher

neural activity, but in the long run, these small

changes are trivial.

Reference: Jabr, F. (2012). Does thinking really hard burn more calories? Retrieved October 25, 2012, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/

article.cfm?id=thinking-hard-calories

Picture courtesy of: assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2012/06/mit-glucose-fuel-cell-brain-537x402.jpg

6

Several drug resistant cancers, including

acute myeloid leukemia and kidney cancer, cause

overexpression of the MDR1 (multidrug resistance

1) gene. This gene translates into P-glycoprotein (P-

gp), which, when in excess, causes efflux of chemo-

therapy drugs and limits effective cancer treatment.

Therefore, one possible method of treating these

cancers would be to inhibit the expression of MDR1

via an antigene agent. In this case, researchers stud-

ied the use of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) enclosed

in Simian virus 40 as a promising universal antigene

delivery system to cancerous cells1.

Antigene therapy is an established method

in which specific oligonucleotide sequences are used

to bind to a specific gene. As a result, gene expres-

sion can be sterically inhibited before translation.

Rather than using traditional DNA or RNA, PNA

can be used. PNA is a synthetic DNA mimic that

hybridizes with other oligonucleotides with some

added benefits, including: a more stable, neutral pep-

tide backbone; nuclease and protease resistance;

high thermal stability; and high specificity. Due to

its neutral nature, however, PNA is not membrane-

permeable. It is possible to add positively-charged

amino acids, such as lysine or arginine, to increase

permeability, but this will not work with all cells.

Simian virus, SV40, an in vitro-packaging system,

on the other hand, is a universal solution. SV40 is simply a vector that can be packaged with a PNA/DNA du-

plex encapsulated in the SV40 capsid protein. This pseudovirion is safe to use, as it does not contain viral se-

quences2.

In the study by Macadangdang et al., the level of P-gp in the cancerous cell was tracked in order to de-

termine the efficacy of the antigene agent. Cells transduced with the PNA antigene agent (P) were compared

with cells transduced with a scrambled PNA sequence (S). Over a 48-hr period, a 35% reduction in P-gp was

observed in P, compared to S. After transduction, the cells were placed in growth media containing the chem-

otherapy drug, paclitaxel. On day 15, cells in the P group exhibited a 32% reduction of viability. Thus, this

technique shows potential as a cancer treatment1.

References 1. Macadangdang, B., Zhang, N., Lund, P., & Marple, A. (2011). Inhibition of multidrug resistance by SV40 pseudovirion delivery of antigene peptide nucleic acid

(PNA) in cultured cells. PLoS One, 6(3), e17981.

2. Kimchi-Sarfaty, C., Vieira, W., Dodds, D., & Sherman, A. (2006). SV40 pseudovirion gene delivery of a toxin to treat human adenocarcinomas in mice. Cancer Gene Therapy, 13(7), 648.

Peptide Nucleic Acids as Antigene Agents for Multidrug Resistance in Cancerous Cells By Jenny Tse

Total P-gp expression in KB-8-5 cells transduced with IVP-

scrambled (S) or IVP-antigene PNA (P) was measured by

Western blotting using the P-gp specific monoclonal anti-

body C219

7

Here is a tip for all undergraduates who are

suffering from work overload: “Contrary to what

most people believe, when you work hard, you be-

come less stressed out—not more stressed out.”

These are words from Dr. An, one of the most pas-

sionate professors I have met at Binghamton Univer-

sity. He describes his work as single-minded, with

most of his time spent on teaching, doing research,

or writing grants. His motivation is not the money,

but his love for Organic Chemistry and his research.

I believe that if each of us pursues our goals with Dr.

An’s level of passion and commitment, we can ex-

ceed our expectations and enjoy the process of doing

so, while finding ourselves less stressed.

Dr. An finished his undergraduate education

at the University of Michigan in 1996 and received

his PhD at University of California, Berkeley in

2003. He began working at Binghamton University

in 2011, teaching Organic Chemistry 1 and 2. After

a difficult and stressful start, he found his work much

easier as the year progressed. Outside of the class-

room, one aspect that surprises him is the big pool of

talented undergraduates interested in research from

which he can pick.

When it comes to choosing students for his

research group, Dr. An describes himself as a very

opinionated. He is not looking to recruit as many

young, bright students as he can, but the ones who

know what they are getting into and choose the path

that truly interests them. According to him, our un-

dergraduate years are the time to find our passions,

not glory. The chances that your undergraduate re-

search work will actually lead to a discovery are very

slim, thus students interested in research must enjoy

the work, for it will take up a large majority of their

time. This is similar to the painful and stressful pro-

cess of getting a PhD, as the reward for work in sci-

ence is often the work itself. When going into the

sciences, Dr. An says to not worry about being the

brightest and the most talented of the bunch: “If you

are interested enough, you will find the way.”

For students who might be interested in

working with him, thus far he has been working on

two research projects and is starting his third. These

projects include the synthesis of enzyme inhibitors to

elucidate enzyme mechanisms and searching for in-

hibitors that can be potential microbial agents or

herbicides. His other project includes his work on

pHLIP, which has potential applications for the treat-

ment of cancerous tumors. There is a better chance

of getting into his research group if you contact him

as early as possible, especially if you are prepared to

work during the summer and winter. This is very

important because during the school year, not many

students and teachers are available for as long as

(Continued on page 8)

The Ardent Researcher, Professor and Scientist:

Dr. An By Steve Kwon

Above: Dr. An and his Graduate Research

Assistant, Joab Onyango

Right: Dr. An guiding his Undergraduate

Research Assistant, Elle Langenbacher

8

they wish to be, due to classes and lectures. Long continuous availability is critical when going into research.

His last words of the interview were about getting through the undergraduate years. One point he

made was to not be single-minded. Going to the University of Michigan was very costly, so he made sure he

got his money’s-worth, in terms of education. While education is important, he realized that this immense fo-

cus on education may have caused him to stray from other, possibly bigger undergraduate experiences. The

undergraduate years were his youth. It is the time to learn how to evaluate yourself and become your own per-

son. Finally, science majors planning to attend graduate school should know that “Frustration will be your

constant companion…You need a normal life to sustain yourself. A relationship, maybe!” For a single-

minded person like me, Dr. An’s words of advice helped me reevaluate my life and I am sure he will influence

many other students that come across his path.

(Continued from page 7)

W hen I first entered Binghamton Uni-

versity, I thought I would learn what

it means to be a scientist through the

Biochemistry Major. However, it

was through my Macroeconomics Professor Kenny

Christianson that I realized most of my fellow sci-

ence majors and I are far from being one. He stated,

“Education is one of the few goods that we are hap-

pier when we get less.” I found his statement rang

true when other chemistry students and I cheered for

easy definition exams, while despising the times

when we had to apply our knowledge. Two and a

half years of college experience has allowed me to

reminisce about my immature undergraduate begin-

nings and how much effort it took me to gain the val-

ues I have today.

Like most students, my first two semesters

were filled with both science and literature based

general education courses. Although I did not real-

ize it then, I was able to excel through General

Chemistry by using the same methods of studying I

used for my literature courses. I memorized thou-

sands of concepts and was able to regurgitate them

word for word to do well on exams. I did not care to

discover why the concepts had the qualities that they

possessed or how the concepts could be applied. I

grew to hate application based questions and used

only a minimum amount of critical thinking. After

having a successful academic year, I prematurely

believed that I could finally call myself a scientist.

Fortunately, my naive belief was short lived

after I joined Dr. Ming An’s lab. After I read my

professor’s published papers, I confidently offered to

give a presentation on the material that I had learned.

With the mindset from freshman year, I stated the

names of chemicals, techniques and procedures ver-

batim from the paper and felt a strong sense of ac-

complishment. After the presentation, however, my

Professor calmly asked, “What is N-

HydroxySuccinimide, Michael?” I realized I did not

know one of the most important reactants discussed

in the paper. Then he asked, “Can you draw its

chemical structure on the board?” I could not. He

then asked me with disappointment if I had bothered

to do research into the mechanism. I told him I did

not. The shame that I felt from this presentation and

two other presentations of similar failure made me

realize that I had to fundamentally change my atti-

tude. Science is not simply a discipline of complex

terms but a discipline requiring genuine understand-

ing of what those complex words stand for.

After a semester of deep reflection, I finally

began maturing and developing a scientific mind.

For every passage in a textbook and for every line in

a scientific paper, I began asking why these phenom-

ena occurred instead of simply restating the observa-

tion. I discovered an entire world of ingenious

mechanisms and beautiful chemistry techniques that

occurred even for seemingly trivial reactions and

work ups. Although I only had this revelation for

less than a year, I challenge every student to look

beyond the surface when it comes to science. I chal-

lenge everyone to truly ask themselves if their A on a

memorization test defines themselves as scientists.

The Power of Critical Thinking By Michael Chung

9

The age old college stereotype

“Freshmen Fifteen,” forewarns of an epidem-

ic that afflicts many freshmen. Upon entering

college, students experience a whole new

world of independence in choosing when and

what to eat. Sadly, this independence gets the

best of all students, and some may see a few

additional pounds here and there. However,

there is a solution to avoiding this problem:

cooking your own balanced and healthy

meals, with staples from the dining halls or

the local grocery stores.

As a Junior living off campus, I now

have the freedom to choose when and what to

eat, by simply cooking my own meals. So

far, I’ve tried making a blend of American

and Indian dishes along with few Indo-

Chinese dishes that I’ve learned from my dad.

For example, I sometimes like to add a little

flavor to my fried rice by sprinkling in some

Indian spices. Even though, my cooking is

not as good as my dad’s, it’s still way better

than the weekly menu rotation offered by So-

dexo. Although, many of you still live on

campus and may not be able to cook every

day, definitely take advantage of the kitchens

available to you in the housing communities.

Some may find cooking a tiresome

task after a long, stressful day of classes, but

cooking your own meals is an excellent skill

you will most likely need for the rest of your

life. Planning your own meals teaches organ-

ization and time management, along with giv-

ing you more control of what goes into your

food. For me, it has also been a learning ex-

perience for post-living with my parents. So

grab a few friends, divide up tasks, and try

out this microwavable scrambled eggs recipe!

Pictures courtesy of::

oldcookbooks.corecommerce.com/images/products/S/starving-students-cookbook.jpg

www.math.rutgers.edu/undergrad/Activities/Lectures/NoPizza.bmp

www1.assumption.edu/living/images/dorms/Slideshow2.jpg

Sodexo Bringing You Down?

By Roshni Khilnani

Ingredients:

4 eggs

3 teaspoons milk

salt and pepper

onion, diced

Total Time: 9 minutes

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 4 minutes

Directions:

Beat eggs well.

Add milk, salt and pepper

Stir in diced onion

Place in microwave save dish and cook on high for 2 minutes.

Stop and stir.

Cook 1 1/2- 2 minutes longer on high.

Microwavable Scrambled Eggs Recipe

Recipe from: http://www.food.com/recipe/jims-microwave-scrambled-eggs-131426

10

Down

1. The smallest structural unit of an organism

that is capable of independent functioning,

consisting of one or more nuclei, cytoplasm,

and various organelles, all surrounded by a

semipermeable cell membrane

2. A stable positively charged subatomic parti-

cle that is a fundamental constituent of all

atomic nuclei

3. A substance that reacts with an acid to form

a salt and water; an electron-pair donor

4. A colorless, volatile, water-soluble, flam-

mable liquid; C3H6O

5. Neutral molecule with positive and negative

charge

6. The condition when a chemical reaction and

its reverse reaction proceed at equal rates

8. Bond that is dissociated by dTT

10. A cylindrical container usually used for

stirring, heating, and mixing liquids. These are

commonly used in laboratories

13. Organic sulfur compound with R-SH func-

tional group

14. Protein secondary structure with a spiral

Across

2. Bacterial "reproductive" appendage

6. A stable negatively charged subatomic particle that

is a fundamental constituent of matter, and exists as

the component outside the nucleus of an atom

7. An alkane with formula C100H202

9. Located in the cytoplasm, they are the sites of cel-

lular respiration that use ATP to generate energy,

which ultimately provides fuel to other cell activities

10. A laboratory equipment that produces an open

gas flame from a single source. This can be used for

sterilization, heating, and combustion

11. Informational molecule translated into mRNA

12. Weak organic acid with three Carboxyl groups

15. A substance that reacts with a base

16. A class of organic compounds corresponding to

the inorganic salts and formed from an organic acid

and an alcohol

17. Accumulation of cholesterol rich in lipid

material in tendons

Binghamton Biochemistry Club Crossword #1

Binghamton Biochemistry Club

T-Shirts $12

Hoodies $25

If you’re interested in purchasing, please email us at

biochemistry@binghamtonsa.org

Design by Lance Kong

Submit your completed cross-

word on our Facebook page for a

chance at winning a gift card by

December 3rd!