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This summer Daniel Griffith '07 (Sidney, N.Y.) is back in the lab of Associate Professor of Chemistry Ian Rosenstein to continue two projects which could contribute to an eco-friendly pesticide. "I was kind of getting my feet wet last year," says Griffith. "Now I know where I'm going." His two projects center on obtaining a better understanding of the insect-specific neurotransmitter octopamine.
The formation of octopamine is catalyzed by the enzyme tyramine-β-hydroxalase (TBH) which is found in the nerve cells of many insects. Also found in these nerve cells is another neurotransmitter, nitric oxide. It has been hypothesized that, because the two neurotransmitters are co-localized, they might react with one another. Other researchers have combined nitrite (a derivative of nitric oxide) and octopamine in vitro. This reaction raises questions about the two resulting products: do they have biological significance? And, the bigger question: does this reaction actually take place in the cell?
Of the two products created in this reaction, only one is available commercially. The other, 4-hydroxy-phenylacetaldehyde, must be synthesized in the lab, which is what Griffith is trying to do. He began this project last year and has finally managed to synthesize what he wants; he is now trying to purify the sample. With a pure sample, a scientist can create anti-bodies, inject the insects, and thus determine whether or not the compound is already present in the insect. "I've essentially got what I want," he says.
Griffith's other project deals with tyramine, a substrate of TBH and precursor to octopamine. Griffith wants to modify it and create another, similar molecule which would inhibit the TBH enzyme and, consequently, the production of octopamine. Since this neurotransmitter is important for muscular control in insects, as well as regulating hormones and other functions, its loss would incapacitate the insect. If Griffith can build a compound which "knocks out" octopamine, that compound could be used as an insecticide which, because of the nature of octopamine, would only target insects. Griffith also started this project last summer, and he feels that this summer's work will be valuable to the project. "We're making headway," he says. "We're getting there."
Griffith, a chemistry major, is in his third summer of research. On campus he plays golf and has participated in the Alternative Spring Break program; he is also a member of the Newman council and the Scrabble club. He is making plans for his senior thesis – "I'm exploring," he says. Griffith hopes to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship for chemistry research and eventually go to graduate school for a Ph.D. in chemistry.
- Lisbeth Redfield
