Student NameSnyder, Whitney
Faculty Mentor NameDr. Robert J. Cousins
CollegeCollege of Agriculture and Life Sciences
MajorBiology
Research InterestsNutrition and Zinc Metabolism
Hobbies and InterestsI enjoy cooking, gardening, and currently learning to play the piano.

Research Project

The Immunological Role of Zip14 Regarding Surfactant Protein D Expression in the Inflammatory Response of the Lung

The importance of zinc in immunological regulation is well-established. This study will investigate the role of zinc in the inflammatory response within the lung. Zinc homeostasis is maintained in part by Zrt/Irt-like proteins (ZIP). This study will focus on the Zip14 transporter using wild-type and knockout mice. The aim of this research is to determine the effect of Zip14 knockout on the expression of surfactant protein D (SP-D) under pro-inflammatory conditions. It is expected that SP-D will be differentially expressed in the wild-type and knockout Zip14 mice, with the knockout of Zip14 causing significantly lower SP-D expression. This will elucidate the relation between Zip14 and the inflammatory response of the lung, which can serve downstream experiments and conclusions about the role of Zip14 in lung diseases and acute lung damage.