Research Spotlight
Jasmine (Huiyaxin) Wang
(Macara lab)
Jasmine is studying the dynamics and mechanical forces involved in generating and maintaining tight junctions, which form between epithelial cells to create a barrier and gate between the outside world and the interior of the body. She is using timelapse confocal imaging to track tight junction movements in WT and mutant mammary epithelial cells that lack a key tight junction protein called Pals1, and has generated Python scripts to quantify vertex motion and tight junction integrity. Jasmine was funded by VUSRP this last summer.