Environmental Proteomics Laboratory
The Environmental Proteomics Laboratory (EPL) focuses on studying the dynamic changes that occur in the proteome of an organism in response to environmental stress. The proteome consists of all of the proteins in an organism, including their numerous isoforms. Proteomics is the science of studying the proteome. Although the goal of proteomics is to describe the entire proteome, in practice, laboratories tend to focus their research on limited parts of the proteome.
Why Focus on Proteins?
Proteins are the functional unit of the cell and, as such, they are responsible for setting in motion the wide array of cellular events that occur in response to environmental changes. Using genomics to study changing levels of gene expression is an alternative and complementary approach; however, gene expression does not necessarily result in the formation of a functional protein. Therefore, studying the proteins directly gives us a more accurate representation of the molecular phenotype and tells us more about the functional and regulatory aspects of the cellular stress response.
Proteomics utilizes a growing suite of technologies in order to identify proteins that act as biomarkers for disease states and to study the effects of pollutants. The EPL at Cal Poly applies this method to study the effect of environmental changes, such as temperature stress, osmotic stress, and pollution, on marine organisms. Cal Poly’s EPL is pioneering this work in the United States, bringing exciting research opportunities to Cal Poly students including collaborations with laboratories at Stanford University, Franklin and Marshall College, and the Romberg Tiburon Center.
Faculty Mentored Student Research
Proteomics is a cutting edge technique that is unavailable to most students in the country, which makes the lab at Cal Poly a unique and unparalleled opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to be involved in this field. At the EPL, students are able to conduct an entire research project from start to finish, giving them experience collecting animals in the field, designing and running experiments, and identifying changing proteins using our in-house MALDI TOF/TOF mass spectrometer. In addition to laboratory training, students are also given the opportunity to present their research at national meetings, collaborate with students in other labs, and publish their findings in scientific journals. Current student projects include studying the effects of ecotoxicoproteomics, heat stress, and salinity stress on marine organisms in order to investigate the implications of environmental change on the marine ecosystem.
