Amy Moran

E-mail: moran137@umn.edu

Thesis advisor: Kris Hogquist

Year entered: 2006

Degree received:
B.S., Biology, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA 2001

Honors and Awards:
3M Fellowship
Immunology Training Grant 2008-2010
Nominated for "Outstanding Performance Award for Teaching Assistants"

Thesis research:
Currently I am working on answering two different T cell development questions using two mouse models. I’m generating a negative selection reporter mouse that will allow us to identify and track thymocytes that have received a high affinity signal via their TCR from a self-pMHC. This red fluorescent protein reporter mouse will allow us to ask about the “history” of a T cell via RFP expression. Moreover, we will also be able to address questions about the frequency of thymocytes undergoing clonal deletion versus those being positively selected, as well as the origin of regulatory T cells agonistically selected in the thymus.

My second project is using the Sleeping Beauty transposase mutagenesis system to identify genes that regulate negative selection. Quadruple transgenic mice were generated and bone marrow from these animals was used to set-up bone marrow chimeras in a well-characterized negative selection mouse model. Our prediction is that Sleeping Beauty will mediate a defect in clonal deletion by mutating a gene necessary for thymocyte negative selection. These genes will then be identified and confirmed in further assays.