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Helen J. Wing
Assistant Professor
School of Life Sciences,
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
4505 S. Maryland Parkway,
Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-4004
Phone: (702) 895 5382
Fax: (702)895 3956
Email: helen.wing@unlv.edu
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| Ph.D. University of Birmingham,
UK (1993-1997).
Topic: Bacterial genetics and molecular biology.
Thesis title: “Transcription activation
by the E. coli transcription factor,
FNR.”
Supervisor: Prof. S. Busby.
B.Sc. (Hons.) Nottingham University,
UK (1990-1993).
Biology specializing in microbial genetics and
molecular biology |
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Areas of Specialization:
Bacterial Pathogenesis, Bacterial Transcription
and Gene Regulation, Protein Localization Studies,
Anaerobiosis, Bacterial Motility and Chemotaxis,
Outer Membrane Proteases, Resistance to Cationic
Antibacterial Peptides |
Postdoctoral Research, Massachusetts
General Hospital / Harvard Medical School (2000-2004).
Topic: Virulence and biology of
Shigella flexneri. Interest: IcsP,
the Shigella outer membrane protease, its
regulation and role in bacterial pathogenesis.
Mentor: Dr. Marcia Goldberg.
Methods: Gene regulation and expression
studies; invasion and intercellular spread assays
using mammalian epithelial cells; fluorescence microscopy;
protein localization studies using immunofluorescence
and GFP fusions; genetic manipulation of Shigella
strains. |
Postdoctoral Research, University
of Birmingham, UK (1997-2000). Senior researcher
on the FNR project.
Topic:
Mechanism of transcription activation by the anaerobic
transcription regulator FNR.
Mentors:
Prof. Stephen Busby and Prof. John Guest (Sheffield
University)
Methods: In vitro
experiments to study the mechanism of transcription
activation by the E. coli anaerobic transcription
factor FNR including DNase I footprinting, transcription
start site mapping and abortive initiation assays
to measure the kinetics of transcription initiation |
Doctoral Research, University
of Birmingham, UK (1993-1997).
Topic:
Bacterial gene expression. Interest: The mechanism
of transcription activation by the E. coli anaerobic
transcription factor FNR
Mentor:
Prof. Stephen Busby.
Methods:
Random mutagenesis of fnr and genetic screens to
identify positive control substitutions in FNR.
Promoter deletions to determine spacing requirements
of FNR. Mechanism of transcription activation from
promoter carrying tandem binding sites. |
Undergraduate Research, University
of Nottingham, UK (1992).
Topic:
Bacterial motility and chemotaxis in Rhodobacter
sphaeroides.
Mentor: Dr. R.
E. Sockett
Methods: Methods
for studying bacterial motility and chemotaxis,
standard molecular techniques and cloning |
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Current
1. UNLV New Investigator Award:
($15,000) Role: PI
Title: “Comparative approach to study the
omptin family: Identification of additional roles
of IcsP, a bacterial protease of the pathogen Shigella
flexneri”
2. Funding
from three undergraduate research fellowships
awarded to three students under my mentorship ($1,000
per student) Role: PI
3. UNLV start
up funds ($225,000) |
Pending
1. Request for instrumentation:
($79,122 )
Title: “Tissue culture instrumentation to
further studies on gene expression in hibernators
and assess Shigella virulence and primary
defense mechanism in human cells.
”Department
of Defense: Defense University Research Instrumentation
Program (DURIP)(Role PI, Co-Pi, Dr. van Breukelen) |
Completed
1. Postdoctoral Fellowship
Goldberg (PI) 07/01/02-06/30/04
The Medical Foundation/ Charles H. Hood Foundation
Boston, MA
Title: “Regulation of the Shigella
virulence factor IcsP”
Role: Postdoctoral Research Fellow
2. Postdoctoral Fellowship
Goldberg (PI) 07/01/02-06/30/04
Role: Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Fund for Medical Discovery, Massachusetts General
Hospital, Boston, MA
Title: “Characterization of Shigella
proteins required for bacterial spread” |
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Poster Prize (1995) presented
at the Biochemical Society's Wales and West Post-graduate
meeting.
Chandler Poster Prize
(1995) awarded at “Graduate Research Day”
within the School of Biochemistry, University of
Birmingham, UK.
Recipient (1993)
B.B.S.R.C. Post-Graduate Studentship awarded to
Prof. S. Busby, University of Birmingham, UK.
Recipient (1992) Wellcome Summer
Research Fellowship, awarded to Dr. R. E. Sockett,
University of Nottingham, UK. |
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· Judge of Graduate Research Talks and
Posters at the Wind River Conference on Prokaryotic
Biology, CO (June 2006)
· Ad hoc Reviewer
of NSF grant
· Ad hoc reviewer of UNLV
SITE proposals
· Adjunct Assistant Professor
at Touro University, Henderson, NV (October 2005)
· Session Chair at Wind River Conference
on Prokaryotic Biology, Estes Park, CO (June 2005)
· Judge of Undergraduate & Graduate
Research Talks at Arizona./ Southern Nevada Branch
Meeting (April 2005)
· Chair of 10th
Boston Bacterial Meeting (2003-2004)
·
Fundraiser for 9th Boston Bacterial Meeting (2002-2003) |
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· American Society Microbiology
·
Society of General Microbiology & Biochemical
Society, UK |
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· Mentor of four undergraduate research
projects(BIOL 492); Ashley Connell, Aerial Carlson,
Young Park, Meghann Ditsworth (Summer 2006)
· Mentor of two undergraduate research projects(BIOL
492); Julius de Leon & Tim Struve
(Spring 2006)
· Mentor of one undergraduate
research project (BIOL 492; Fall 2005); Noam Moas
· Instructor: Current topics in Microbiology
(BIOL 493/796; Fall 2005)
· Examiner
for Integrated Cell Biology and Microbiology Graduate’s
Preliminary Qualifying Exam (Summer
2005)
· Mentor of two BRIN undergraduate
research students (BIOL493/492; Summer 2005); Lisa
Locaynia and Julius de Leon
· Participant/discussion
leader in Current topics in Microbiology (BIOL493/796;
Spring 2004)
· Supervision
of graduate student program in Biological and Biomedical
Sciences, Harvard Medical School (2000-2004)
· Lecturer, Basic principles of Molecular
Biology, University of Birmingham (Spring 1999).
· Supervisor, undergraduate student
research project and undergraduate class practicals
(1993-1996) |
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· Development of Biol
464x: Bacterial Pathogenesis (2005)
Upper division bacterial pathogenesis course was
developed. This course will address the molecular
mechanisms by which bacterial pathogens cause disease.
Bacterial infections will be considered as molecular
interactions between hosts and their infecting microbes.
Basic principles of bacterial pathogenesis will
be taught before students conduct surveys of the
pathogens and their specific virulence factors.
· Development of Biol 351x: Microbial
Systems (2005)
As part of the Microbiology Undergraduate
Curriculum Reform committee, I was involved in
the development of Biol 351X. This course is targeted
toward those students with specific interests
in microbiology, cell, molecular and integrative
biology and who have strong backgrounds in biology
and chemistry. This course can be divided into
three parts. The first part provides in-depth
coverage of microbiology including: history of
microbiology, microbiological methods, prokaryotic
cell structure and function, and prokaryotic genetics.
The second part of the course goes into the details
of microbial diversity including: taxonomy and
phylogeny of Bacteria, Archaea, and viruses; biochemical
pathways that are unique to bacteria including
aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, phototrophy,
and chemolithotrophy; and microorganisms’
roles in biogeochemical cycles. The third part
of the course focuses on human/microbe interactions
including virology, human-microbe interactions,
immunology, and the molecular/cellular basis of
pathogenesis.
· Changes to Biol 251: General
Microbiology (2005)
As part of the Microbiology Undergraduate
Curriculum Reform committee, I was involved in
the changes made to Biol 251.
· Use of WebCT and Instructor’s
website in teaching of Biol 493 / Bio 796
· Integration of a “Literature
search training session” in Biol 493 / Bio
796 in conjunction with the Lied Library training
department.
· Development and maintenance
of a “Microbiology” webpage.
This provides graduate and undergraduate
students with up-to-date microbiology course information,
schedules and links to instructors’ websites. |
· Research Presentation to
Clark County Science Teachers. Invited by Gene Butler
of Department of Curriculum & Instruction
(Oct 2005)
· Touro University, Las Vegas, N V (Sept
2005)
· Wind River Conference on Prokaryotic Biology,
Estes Park, CO (June 2005)
· Arizona./ Southern Nevada Branch Meeting,
Tempeh, AZ (April 2005)
· Association of Pre-Health Professionals,
UNLV (March 2005)
· University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV (May
2004)
· University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
(March 2004) |
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· Wind River Conference on
Prokaryotic Biology, Estes Park, CO (June 2006)
· Western NIH INBRE States Infectious
Disease Symposium, ID (April 2006)
· Arizona/ Southern Nevada Branch Meeting,
Las Vegas, NV (February 2006)
· Wind River Conference on Prokaryotic
Biology, Estes Park, CO (June 2005)
· Arizona./ Southern Nevada Branch Meeting,
Tempe, AZ (April 2005)
· Microbial Pathogenesis and Host responses,
Cold Spring Harbor, NY (2003)
· Gordon Conference on Bacterial Pathogenesis
and Toxins (2002)
· 101st ASM General Meeting (2002)
· FASEB Microbial Pathogenesis (2000) |
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1)
Savery NJ, Rhodius VA, Wing HJ, Busby SJW.
1995. Transcription activation at Escherichia
coli promoters dependent on the cyclic-AMP
receptor protein – effects of binding sequences
for the RNA polymerase alpha subunit. Biochem.
J. 309: 77-83.
2)
Wing
HJ,
Williams SM, Busby SJW. 1995. “Spacing requirements
for transcription activation by Escherichia
coli FNR protein.” J. Bacteriol.
177: 6704-6710.
3)
Savery
N, Belyaeva T, Wing H, Busby S. 1996. Regulation
of promoters by two transcription activators:
Evidence for a 'simultaneous touching' model.
Biochem. Soc. Trans. 24: 351-353.
4)
Williams SM, Savery NJ, Busby SJW, Wing HJ.
1997 Transcription activation at Class I
FNR-dependent promoters: identification of the
activating surface of FNR and the corresponding
contact site in the C-terminal domain of the RNA
polymerase alpha subunit. Nucl. Acid Res. 25:
4028-4034.
5)
Li B, Wing H, Lee D, Wu HC, Busby SJW.
1998. Transcription activation by Escherichia
coli FNR protein: similarities to, and differences
from, the CRP paradigm. Nucl. Acid Res.
26: 2075-2081.
6)
Williams SM, Wing HJ, Busby SJW. 1998.
Repression of transcription initiation by Escherichia
coli FNR protein: repression by FNR can be
simple. FEMS Microbiol. Letts, 163: 203-208.
7)
Wing HJ, Green J, Guest JR, Busby SJW.
2000. Role of activating region 1 of Escherichia
coli FNR protein in transcription activation
at class II promoters. J. Biol. Chem. 275:
29061-29065.
8)
Lee
DJ, Wing HJ, Savery NJ, Busby SJW. 2000.
Analysis of interactions between activating region
1 of Escherichia coli FNR protein and the
C-terminal domain of the RNA polymerase alpha
subunit: use
of alanine scanning and suppression genetics.
Mol. Microbiol. 37: 1032-1040.
9)
Marshall
FA, Messenger SL, Wyborn NR, Guest JR, Wing
H, Busby SJW, Green J. 2001. A novel promoter
architecture for microaerobic activation by the
anaerobic transcription factor, FNR. Mol. Microbiol.
39: 747-753.
10)
Wing
HJ,
Yan AW, Goldman SR and Goldberg MB. 2004. Regulation
of IcsP, the outer membrane protease of the Shigella
actin tail assembly protein IcsA, by virulence
plasmid regulators VirF and VirB. J. Bacteriol.
186: 699-705.
11)
Wing
HJ,
Goldman SR, Ally S, Goldberg MB. 2005. Modulation
of an outer membrane protease contributes to the
virulence defect of Shigella flexneri
strains carrying a mutation in the virK
locus. Inf Immun. 73:1217-1220.
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| I am looking for interested undergraduates to
work in the lab. This can be done several ways,
depending on your interests, needs and eligibility
for work-study. |
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Undergraduate
Research (Bio 492).
Bio 492 is an independent research project that
can be worth between 1-3 credits per semester. It
can be repeated for a total of 8 credits. The student
should expect to spend a minimum of 3 hours of hard
work every week of the semester to gain 1 credit;
but it is important to realize that successful research
generally demands dedication beyond the minimum
requirement. There is no set pay for Bio 429 students
but I will work with dedicated students to obtain
funding. |
Work-study program:
Students who qualify for financial aid can join
the lab as work-study students. Students will receive
$2000 per semester through this program. Contact
me and/or the financial aid office if you’re
interested. |
Useful links:
There are other opportunities each summer. Contact
me if you are interested in applying for one of
the programs described below.
NIH
BRIN Summer Studentships
NSF
EPSCoR Summer Studentships
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