Student Profile in Argonaute Proteins and microRNA Regulation
Krystal Johnson
Biological Chemistry Graduate Program
Mentor: David R. Corey, Ph.D.
Undergraduate Degree: Biochemistry
Undergraduate Institution: University of Texas, Austin
Hometown: Arlington, TX
Awards/Fellowships: Graduate: NIGMS F31 Diversity Fellowship, Alfred Gilman Memorial Student Award for Excellence in Research, Best Talk Award from Young Investigator Session at 4th International Long and Short Noncoding RNA Aegean Conference, Best Talk Award for Next Generation Early Career Scientist Session at 18th Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society Conference
How did you become interested in science and/or research?
As a kid, I loved playing with my Easy-Bake Oven. Mixing the ingredients and working with my hands to create things with my very own piece of technology was exciting and let me exercise my creativity. Now as a scientist, I get to use my hands, imagination, and cutting-edge tools to study how cells function and regulate themselves and make discoveries that can eventually cure disease.
Please describe your research.
I study small noncoding RNAs known as microRNAs in different colon cancer model systems. microRNAs are famous for carrying out sequence-specific silencing of messenger RNAs through RNA interference to control gene expression in the cytoplasm, yet my project expands this molecule’s realm of regulation by exploring the possibility that microRNAs can also localize and function in the nucleus. By collaborating with the Simmons Cancer Center, pathologists, and physicians on campus, we’ve observed a striking nuclear enrichment of the essential microRNA effector protein, Argonaute, in colon tumors compared to normal colon tissue from patients. These findings can impact our understanding of spatial regulation of microRNA action and reveal therapeutic targets that contribute to colon tumor progression.
Why did you choose UT Southwestern?
After spending two summers at UTSW as a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow (SURF), I got to witness firsthand that this campus has top-quality core facilities, cutting-edge technology, and incredibly innovative scientists working together to solve disease-relevant problems. Since UTSW focuses on higher education beyond the undergraduate level and is an advanced medical center, there are fewer distractions and a greater focus purely on disease-relevant research.
What do you think makes the Biological Chemistry Program one of the best?
UTSW scientists are ranked among the top 1% of highly cited researchers in the world, and the productivity, passion, and collaboration necessary to earn that ranking are obvious in every presentation given by UTSW scientists. Collaboration is encouraged and championed as a critical factor for success, and this culture of multi-disciplinary teamwork provides unique insights and skills that unlock greater potential for high-impact discoveries rather than being limited by your primary lab’s niche strengths.
What do you love about the Biological Chemistry Program?
This campus is home to six Nobel Laureates, 15 HHMI Investigators, and over 400 active research labs, so I love how easy it is to feel like hard work and good ideas are heavily concentrated here in the heart of Dallas. Despite being large in numbers, UTSW still feels like a small community where you can walk down the hall to take advantage of a colleague’s special reagent or tool and have access to a broad range of experts in one place.
– Krystal Johnson, Biological Chemistry Graduate Program
