Student Profiles - 2003

Felipe H. Santiago-Tirado
Bretscher Lab
BMCB (entered program fall 2003)

From: Ponce, Puerto Rico
Undergraduate: University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus; BS (Industrial Biotechnology) in 2003

Statement

Why Cornell? Simply because of the environment--not only the natural setting of the Finger Lakes area, which is “gorgeous”, but the friendly nature of the departments, professors, staff, and students. Everything combines to make you wake up every day, happy to go to the lab and continue on your experiments. The Graduate School, as well as the BMCB program, really work for the students.  Everyone wants you to succeed. Also, the interdisciplinary way in which the grad programs are built not only allows you to make connections outside your field, but makes learning new things and applying them easy. After visiting for a weekend and noticing all of these things, and knowing the kind of research that is done here every day, how could I not come to Cornell?

Research

In most eukaryotes, the several regions of the cell are differentially organized, a phenomenon called polarity.  Our lab tries to understand how polarity is established, maintained and regulated.  We use two model systems to answer that question: epithelial cells and the budding yeast. My work concentrates on elucidating how the essential myosin motor in yeast, Myo2p, binds secretory vesicles and transports them into the bud.  In particular, I am looking at the role that phosphoinositides may have in this process. To tackle this problem, I apply such tools as yeast genetics, biochemistry, and microscopy.

Awards

2003-04 SUNY Underrepresented Minority Fellowship
2006-present NIH Predoctoral Fellowship
2009 Inductee to the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society

Publications

Legesse-Miller A, Zhang S, Santiago-Tirado FH, Van Pelt CK, Bretscher A. (2006) Regulated phosphorylation of budding yeast's essential myosin V heavy chain, Myo2p. Mol Biol Cell. 17:1812-21.

Oral presentations

“A Role for PI-4P in Myo2p secretory functions.” 2007 NERY Meeting, Syracuse, NY
“PI-4P is important for Myo2p-secretory functions.” 2007 Yeast Cell Biology Meeting, Cold Spring Harbor, NY
“PI-4P is important for the association of the myosin V, Myo2p, with secretory compartments.” 2009 Yeast Cell Biology Meeting, Cold Spring Harbor, NY

Poster presentations

“Interactions of yeast Rab proteins with the myosin V Myo2p by two hybrid.” 2008 Keck Biomembranes Retreat, Ithaca, NY
“The essential function of the myosin V Myo2p involves PI4-P for transport of secretory vesicles.” 2008 Plant and Fungal Cytoskeleton GRC Meeting, Lucca, Italy
“PI-4P is important for the association of the myosin V, Myo2p, with secretory compartments.” 2009 NERY Meeting, Ithaca, NY