Guest Lecture - Maggie Werner-Washburne
Regina Rendon
Maggie began this lecture by discussing the different areas of biology and how they have
changed and influenced our studies over time. Cell biology has given us the ability to see
the differently through microscopy. Biochemistry has helped us learn about the mitochondria
through gel electrophoresis and the centrifugation process and has also led to the development
of many new disciplines within biology. Genetics and genomics have given us the ability to
look at genes and decide what function they serve and molecular biology which began with
restriction enzymes. We then visualized ourselves inside of the mitochondria and the cell.
We talked about how the models and pictures of mitochondria that we have observed so far compare
to what we understand about mitochondria and to how mitochondria is actually structured. We
experienced crossing the plasma membrane. We discussed the different surroundings in the cell
and why they were around us. We also discussed Gibbs free energy and Maggie stressed the
importance of logs.
Questions
- What are other areas where “going down to size” will help to create a visual understanding of function?
- How do mitochondria control apoptosis?
- How can we make it easier for doctors to recognize a mitochondrial disease?
Future Directions:
- Continue to study the effects of how mitochondrial function is related to aging and diseases.
- Think about the physics and chemistry occurring within the cell and how they influence mitochondria.
- Apply visual learning outside of biology and inside the cell.
