Multimedia Gallery
Tobacco Hornworm Research
Kristen Baker, a junior at Ohio University, views some of her study subjects, tobacco hornworms. Baker received a grant from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program to study the role a key enzyme plays in the reproductive process of tobacco hornworms.
Baker and her research advisor Frank Horodyski, associate professor of molecular biology, are studying how an unusual enzyme called JH Diolkinase acts in degrading juvenile hormone, an agent that left intact, will keep the green-skinned worm young. The hornworm must mature in order to reproduce but the enzyme prevents the hormone from working properly and metamorphosis occurs.
Baker's job has been to determine the enzyme's full DNA sequence. She began with a single sample containing a partial amino acid sequence of the enzyme. Next, she expressed the original sample into bacterial colonies to obtain multiple DNA samples, then performed a number of tests. Once complete, DNA sequencing was performed on a concentrated DNA sample. The results were successful: a computer report indicating she had found a partial DNA sequence.
REU program grants make it possible for students like Kristen to join research projects in the summer, giving them first-hand experience at how basic research is carried out and allowing them to contribute consequentially.
Credit: Photographer Rick Fatica; Image courtesy Perspectives Magazine
Images and other media in the National Science Foundation Multimedia Gallery are available for use in print and electronic material by NSF employees, members of the media, university staff, teachers and the general public. All media in the gallery are intended for personal, educational and nonprofit/non-commercial use only.
Images credited to the National Science Foundation, a federal agency, are in the public domain. The images were created by employees of the United States Government as part of their official duties or prepared by contractors as "works for hire" for NSF. You may freely use NSF-credited images and, at your discretion, credit NSF with a "Courtesy: National Science Foundation" notation.
Additional information about general usage can be found in Conditions.
Also Available:
Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (814 KB)
Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.