Raeva
Pandey
Sponsor: Heike Wulff, Ph.D. MED: Pharmacology The Kv1.3 channel, a voltage-gated potassium channel, plays an important role in regulating membrane potential and calcium signaling. Kv1.3 is found on T cells, microglia and macrophages, where its expression often increases during inflammation. This makes it a potential therapeutic target for inflammatory diseases like Alzheimer's disease and ischemic stroke. Currently, the most common method of functional inhibition of Kv1.3 involves blocking its ion-conducting pore with peptide or small molecule inhibitors. We recently discovered a small molecule that inhibits Kv1.3 currents through a unique mechanism that enhances its inactivation kinetics, allowing the channel to rapidly transition into a non-conducting state to stop the flow of potassium ions. Using computer-assisted molecular docking to identify a potential binding site for the small molecule, an agonist of the mechanosensitive channel, Piezo1. We investigate this binding site with a combination of site-directed PCR mutagenesis and whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology. Our overarching goal is to understand which amino acids on Kv1.3 essential for channel inactivation can be exploited by gating-modulating small molecules to develop more selective drugs targeting the inhibition of Kv1.3 for the treatment of inflammatory diseases or cancer. Elucidating the Roles of Potassium Adsorption Ratio and Electrical Conductivity on Microbial Nitrogen Cycling in Vineyard Soils
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Raeva Pandey
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For the California wine industry, reusing winery wastewater (WW) onsite has become an emergent management alternative to freshwater use. However, considerations regarding the reuse of WW include its higher electrical conductivity (EC), an indicator of its high concentration of sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) salts. Dissolved Na+ and K+ salts can negatively impact soil physical structure and chemistry. While K+ salts might be less harmful to soil structure compared to Na+ salts, there is no clear agreement on how WW that is highly rich in K+ salts affects plant health and soils. Moreover, soil microbes and their activities, which affect soil quality and fertility, may also be significantly impacted by salinity. I examined select ranges of EC and potassium adsorption ratio (PAR) that reflect the values currently found in winery wastewater in wineries. I selected four different soil types from vineyards, each with distinct soil mineralogy that is reflective of vineyards in California. The first goal of this study was to determine how varying PAR and ECs affect microbial nitrogen (N) cycling, as measured using the anaerobic potentially mineralizable nitrogen (PMN) method, in vineyard soils. The second goal was to propose mechanisms for observed treatment effects on microbial N cycling. UC Davis 36 th Annual Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference 214 Cigarette Smoking Induces NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation in Atrial Fibrillation Patients Prisha Pandita
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UC Davis / Land Air & Water Resources / 2025
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Raeva Pandey