Lab Members

Gillaspy Lab Members

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	Glenda Gillaspy, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biochemistry 542 Latham Hall Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA 24061 Office phone: (540) 231-1850 Lab: 532 Latham Hall; phone (540) 231-2945 gillaspy@vt.edu I have been at Virginia Tech since 1998. I am a molecular/cellular biologist and have been investigating inositol signaling since my postdoc at UC-Berkeley in the 1990's. I am originally from Alabama.
Current Lab Members
Shannon is our GC expert	Shannon Alford Ph.D. student sralford@vt.edu Shannon joined the lab in 2004. Shannon has a MS degree in Chemistry. She is interested in understanding the interface of inositol signaling and metabolism focusing on the enzyme responsible for inositol oxidation,myo-inositol oxygenase. Inositol oxidation leads to synthesis of cell wall components and/or ascorbic acid. Shannon is originally from South Carolina.
	Elitsa Ananieva Ph.D. student eanani75@vt.edu Elitsa joined the lab in 2005. She has a MS degree in Biotechnology. Elitsa is interested in the complexity of the regulatory networks that plant cell/organism develops to respond to the constantly changing environmental conditions as well as various developmental stimuli. She works with 5PTases that terminate Inositol Signaling. Elitsa discovered that one of these enzymes (5PTase13) forms a protein complex and regulates the activity of SnRK1 by preventing SnRK1 from proteasomal degradation. Elitsa is originally from Bulgaria.
	Natasha Safaee Ph.D. student nmsafaee@vt.edu Natasha joined the lab in 2005.
	Janet Donahue Our Lab Technician eanani75@vt.edu Janet joined the lab in 2005. She has a MS degree in Biochemistry. Janet is originally from Blacksburg, VA.
	Aida Nourbakhsh Ph.D. student anourbak@vt.edu Aida joined the lab in 2007. She is interested in understanding the role of inositol metabolism in regulating phosphotidylinositol and inositol phosphate turnover as signaling molecules and its ties to sensing phosphate nutrient availability. Inositol-containing lipid and phosphate metabolites have always been considered important in signal transduction pathways but recent studies call attention to their essential roles in maintaining basal cellular activity that are intrinsic to the development and survival of plants. Aida works with three enzymes, IMP, IMPL-1 and IMPL-2, that are involved in inositol synthesis. Aida is orriginally from Iran.
	William Slade Ph.D. student oswil07@vt.edu William joined the lab in 2008 . William wants to learn how plants translate environmental cues into molecular information that impacts society in a large way via food, fuel, and feed production. He is also interested in how protein:protein interactions facilitate signaling responses to environmentally relevant stimuli. Specifically, he wants to examine how environmental cues are interpreted by the enzymes of the inositol signalling pathway.William is originally from West Virginia.
	Christy Perry MS student perrycg@vt.edu Christy joined the lab in 2008. Christy's research revolves around the 5PTase enzymes in the Arabidopsis plant. Currently her primary research goals consist of 1) creating arabidopsis plants with 5-phosphatase GUS tags in an effort to determine where specific 5-phoshatase enzymes are located spatically, 2)creating arabidopsis "mutant" plants that lack specific 5-phosphatase enzymes through crosses, 3) determining/observing the effects of specific 5-phosphatase enzymes in the arabidopsis plant by testing "mutant" lines on varying growth media.
	Matthew Allen-Daniels undergraduate researcher alldan@vt.edu Matt joined the lab in 2006. He is an undergraduate biochemistry major studying myo- inositol monophosphatase (IMP) and cold stress.
	Blair Lyons undergraduate researcher blair10@vt.edu Blair joined the lab in 2008. She is an undergraduate biochemistry major studying myo-inositol 1-phosphate synthase (MIPS) expression using GUS staining. Blair is originally from Atlanta, Georgia.


Past Lab Members
	Robinson Jamille Y (Scoop) Undergraduate student researcher Scoop is a former undergraduate researcher and prep student who worked on the 5PTase project. Scoop left the lab in summer 2007 and is now a graduate student in Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee .
	Rachel Kerwin Undergraduate student researcher Rachel is a former undergraduate researcher who worked with myo-inositol genes involved in the myo-inositol metabolism. Rachel left the lab in summer 2007 and is now a graduate student in UC Davis.
	Javad Torabinejad postdoctoral fellow Javad is a former postdoc who worked with genes involved in the myo-inositol metabolism. He left the lab in fall 2006 and is now a Research Assistant Professor in the PPWS Department of Virginia Tech.
	Jonathan Watkinson postdoctoral fellow Jonathan is a former postdoc who worked with the Arabidopsis Ing1 and Ing2 genes involved in chromatin remodeling. He left the lab in summer 2005 and is now a full-time Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology at Roanoke College.
	Ryan Burnette Ph.D. student rburnett@vt.edu Ryan graduated in 2004. He worked with the 5PTase1 gene from Arabidopsis by examining gain-of-function transgenic plants. Ryan is originally from Richmond, VA.
	Mustafa Ercetin Ph.D. student mercetin@vt.edu Mustafa graduated in 2005. He worked with the smallest 5PTase, a gene we call 5PTase11. The encoded gene product of 5Ptase11 has an unusual substrate specificity (see 5PTase research). Mustafa is originally from Antalya, Turkey.
	Bhadra Gunesekera, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Scientist bgunese@vt.edu Bhadra joined the lab in 2001. She got her B.S. in Biochemistry from Oxford University and completed her Ph. D in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech in 1991. Bhadra worked with 5PTase1 by comparing it to the 5PTase2 gene product. Bhadra is originally from Sri Lanka. Bhadra is now working for Prof. John M. McDowell and Prof. John G. Jelesko in PPWS Department of Virginia Tech.

	Dianne Kanter Undergraduate student researcher dkanter@vt.edu Dianne joined the lab in summer 2003. She was working towards her B.S. in Biochemistry at Virginia Tech. Dianne was investigating the catalytic activities of different 5PTases. Dianne is from Pearisburg, VA.

	Sara Berdy Sara is a former lab specialist who worked on characterizing the 5PTase1 gene and the catalytic activity of the encoded gene product. Sara left the lab in 2001 and is now employed as a scientist by the biotechnology company, Tularik in the San Francisco area.
	Tatiana Boluarte, Ph.D. Tatiana is a former postdoctoral scientist who worked on characterizing inositol metabolism mutants and gene discovery (see Inositol Metabolism and D-Chiro Inositol Research).
	Jeff Butler Jeff is a former undergraduate researcher who got his B.S. in Biochemistry in 2002. Jeff worked on the 5PTase project by constructing 5PTase1:GFP fusions. Jeff is a Ph.D. student in the department of Biochemistry at the University of Colorado- Boulder.
	Michael Goley, M.S. Biochemistry, 2001 Michael is a former M.S. student who worked on characterizing inositol metabolism mutants. He is now a scientist working at Monsanto in St. Louis, MO.
	Katherine Hubbard Kate is a former undergraduate researcher who got her B.S. in Biochemistry in 2001. Kate worked on the Inositol metabolism project by examining antisense MIPS transgenic plants. She is a Ph.D. student at Emory University.
	Margaret (Katey) Pauls Katey is a former undergraduate researcher who got her B.S. in Biochemistry in 2002. Katey characterized antisense At5PTase1 transgenic plants. She is a Ph.D. student in the department of Biochemistry at the University of Illinois.
	Jeremiah Spence Jeremiah is a former summer undergraduate intern who worked on characterizing expression of IMP genes in tomato.
	Jean Styer, M.S. Biochemistry, 2001 Jean is a former M.S. student who worked on characterizing expression of IMP and MIPS genes in tomato. She is now a scientist working at Monsanto in St. Louis, MO.

Updated January, 2009

Gillaspy Lab Members

Natasha joined the lab in 2005.

Janet joined the lab in 2005. She has a MS degree in Biochemistry. Janet is originally from Blacksburg, VA.

Matt joined the lab in 2006. He is an undergraduate biochemistry major studying myo- inositol monophosphatase (IMP) and cold stress.

Ryan graduated in 2004. He worked with the 5PTase1 gene from Arabidopsis by examining gain-of-function transgenic plants. Ryan is originally from Richmond, VA.

Mustafa graduated in 2005. He worked with the smallest 5PTase, a gene we call 5PTase11. The encoded gene product of 5Ptase11 has an unusual substrate specificity (see 5PTase research). Mustafa is originally from Antalya, Turkey.

Sara is a former lab specialist who worked on characterizing the 5PTase1 gene and the catalytic activity of the encoded gene product. Sara left the lab in 2001 and is now employed as a scientist by the biotechnology company, Tularik in the San Francisco area.

Tatiana is a former postdoctoral scientist who worked on characterizing inositol metabolism mutants and gene discovery (see Inositol Metabolism and D-Chiro Inositol Research).

Jeff is a former undergraduate researcher who got his B.S. in Biochemistry in 2002. Jeff worked on the 5PTase project by constructing 5PTase1:GFP fusions. Jeff is a Ph.D. student in the department of Biochemistry at the University of Colorado- Boulder.

Michael is a former M.S. student who worked on characterizing inositol metabolism mutants. He is now a scientist working at Monsanto in St. Louis, MO.

Kate is a former undergraduate researcher who got her B.S. in Biochemistry in 2001. Kate worked on the Inositol metabolism project by examining antisense MIPS transgenic plants. She is a Ph.D. student at Emory University.

Katey is a former undergraduate researcher who got her B.S. in Biochemistry in 2002. Katey characterized antisense At5PTase1 transgenic plants. She is a Ph.D. student in the department of Biochemistry at the University of Illinois.

Jeremiah is a former summer undergraduate intern who worked on characterizing expression of IMP genes in tomato.

Jean is a former M.S. student who worked on characterizing expression of IMP and MIPS genes in tomato. She is now a scientist working at Monsanto in St. Louis, MO.