Roseanne Davila-Rivera

 

Hello, my name is Roseanne Davila-Rivera. I was born and raised in San Sebastian, a beautiful town of Puerto Rico. When I started my Biology Major at the University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, I thought the best way to apply my scientific accomplishments was to become a physician. Then I met my Honors Chemistry professor, mentor, and advisor, Dr. Ruiz-Martinez. He was the first person to point out to me that there is no better way to understand and explain biological phenomena than through chemistry. Later, as a junior, I began to understand what he was saying when I took a biochemistry course with Dr. Nieves-Marrero. I was fascinated with understanding of how life works at the molecular level, the chemical interactions that make life possible, and the fact that all living beings share the same composition: carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and, my personal favorite, proteins. My motto is “Proteins have no life, but they make life possible.” From the hemoglobin that carries O2 to our body to the polymerase that replicates DNA to the telomerase that protects our genetic material, proteins carry out critical functions in all living systems. When proteins are folded accurately, they function appropriately, but as little as a single amino acid change can lead to devastating disease, affecting quality of life.
One of the most meaningful experiences in college and a major reason I am motivated to pursue a career in science was volunteering in Splendor Home, a residential home for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. That experience completely changed my perspective on life. It was very hard to understand how people could forget their most precious memories and entirely lose their independence. I felt that patient care was not enough. I wanted to do something more fundamental that could ultimately improve the quality of life of Alzheimer’s disease patients.
PREP@UGA has been a catalyst in my journey to define my career goals. It has given me the time and space to ask myself a very important question. Should I become a physician who diagnoses conditions and prescribes treatments for a limited number of patients? Or a scientist who develops the knowledge to understand biological function and dysfunction, which can ultimately be used to improve the quality of life of millions of people? I aspire to become a scientist and work for the beauty of science, hoping that someday my discoveries could benefit humanity.
I joined the lab of Dr. Shelley Hooks at the Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences Department, where I worked with my research mentor, Membere Yisfashewa Wendimu. The lab is investigating the role of the Regulator of G-protein Signaling 10 (RGS10) in neuroinflammation. The classic role of RGS10 is to regulate the duration and amplitude of G-protein signaling through their ability to function as GTPase-activating protein. RGS10 accelerate the deactivation of G-protein by increasing the rate of GTP hydrolysis. However, previous studies have shown that this protein can also have G-protein independent effects. RGS10 is highly expressed in the brain and immune tissues, and is specially enriched in microglia, which are the resident macrophages of the central nervous system. I worked in the identification of RGS10 binding proteins in microglia and neurons through co-immunoprecipitation experiments. In both cell lines, I identified a binding between RGS10 and Syntaxin-5, a protein involved in the endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi complex transport. Since I identified an interaction between these proteins, I am planning to look for physiologic implications silencing the transcription of Syntaxin-5 in wild type and RGS10 knockout cells.
I plan to pursue a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at University of Pennsylvania with the aim of understanding protein structure and function, especially the role of protein misfolding in neurodegeneration. I believe that understanding the causes of diseases at the molecular level can lead to the development of effective treatments and ways to lessen and event prevent disease. After graduate school, one of my goals is to conduct postdoctoral research in one of the national Alzheimer’s Disease Centers (ADC) or in the National Institute on Aging and pursue a career in academia.