Epernicus: Meredith L Carpenter, B.Sc.

Meredith L Carpenter, B.Sc.

Position:
Graduate Student - Ph.D.

Molecular and Cell Biology

University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)
Advisor:
W. Zacheus Cande
Degrees:

B.Sc., Biology, Emory University (Atlanta, GA)
Past Advisors:

Stefan Lutz (as Undergraduate Student)
Research:
Evolution of the cytoskeleton and meiosis using Giardia intestinalis as a model organism

I am studying the evolution of sexual reproduction using the single-celled parasite Giardia intestinalis. Giardia is thought to be one of the earliest diverging eukaryotes, and is also thought to be asexual. However, its genome contains genes similar to those that are required for meiosis--the special type of cell division that produces gametes for sexual reproduction--in other organisms. Over the past year, I have been studying the functions of these genes in Giardia. I have determined when and where they are expressed in the Giardia life cycle, and I have developed a technique for interfering with gene function. I am now using this technique to determine whether these genes are being used for a meiosis-like process in Giardia. The results of these studies will be important for understanding the evolution of meiosis and sexual reproduction.
Honors:
2007-2010 National Science Foundation - Graduate Research Fellow

Communities:

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Using morpholinos for gene knockdown in Giardia intestinalis.
Carpenter ML, Cande WZ

Eukaryotic cell. 2009 Apr 17
The Trichoplax genome and the nature of placozoans.
Srivastava M, Begovic E, Chapman J, Putnam NH, Hellsten U, Kawashima T, Kuo A, Mitros T, Salamov A, Carpenter ML, Signorovitch AY, Moreno MA, Kamm K, Grimwood J, Schmutz J, Shapiro H, Grigoriev IV, Buss LW, Schierwater B, Dellaporta SL, Rokhsar DS

Nature. 2008 Aug 21;454(7207):955-60
Evidence for karyogamy and exchange of genetic material in the binucleate intestinal parasite Giardia intestinalis.
Poxleitner MK, Carpenter ML, Mancuso JJ, Wang CJ, Dawson SC, Cande WZ

Science (New York, N.Y.). 2008 Mar 14;319(5869):1530-3

Investigating the functions of meiotic gene homologs in Giardia intestinalis (poster)
Meredith L Carpenter, Marianne K Poxleitner, Joel J Mancuso, Scott C Dawson and W. Zacheus Cande

74th Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Quantitative Biology, Evolution: the Molecular Landscape; 05/2009
Morpholinos as a powerful tool for gene knockdown in Giardia intestinalis (poster)
Meredith L Carpenter and W. Zacheus Cande

Gordon Research Conference - Host-Parasite Interactions; 06/2008
Evidence for karyogamy and exchange of genetic material in the binucleate intestinal parasite Giardia intestinalis. (poster)
Meredith L Carpenter, Marianne K. Poxleitner, Joel J. Mancuso, and W. Zacheus Cande

Woods Hole Molecular Parasitology Meeting; 09/2007

The life cycle of Giardia intestinalis

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