Kerstin Peterson (she/her)
graduate student
M.S. in Chemistry,
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 2023
B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
Truman State University, 2021
Research Keywords: Protein-protein interactions, photocrosslinking, genetic code expansion
Biography
Kerstin started her work in protein biochemistry at Truman State University in the Dobson lab. Her project centered around discovering the molecular mechanism of disulfide chaperoning of Disulfide Bond Forming Enzyme (DBF). She earned her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology there in 2021. During undergrad she participated in a summer REU at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Virology where she worked to genotype tear and tumor ocular surface squamous neoplasia patient samples for 16 strains of HPV. Before starting her PhD in Chemistry at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities she joined the Pomerantz lab under Noelle Olson for the LANDO program. There she investigated the incorporation of unnatural tyrosine analogs into tyrosine phenol lyase. Now Kerstin works in the Pomerantz lab on capturing transient protein-protein interactions in the scope of epigenetics by using photocrosslinking chemistry and subsequently identifying these interactions through proteomics.
To develop her skills, Kerstin went to a Proteomics short course at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories in the summer of 2023. (First 3 pictures in the carousel)
In her free time, Kerstin loves to play D&D and travel to visit friends.
Publications
Development of a single culture E. coli expression system for the enzymatic synthesis of fluorinated tyrosine and its incorporation into proteins
Olson, N.M.; Johnson, J.A.; Peterson, K.E.; Henisch, S.C.; Marschall, A.P.; Smanski, M.J.; Carlson, E.E.; Pomerantz, W.C.K. J. Fluor. Chem., 2022, 261–262, 110014.
Epstein–Barr Virus, But Not Human Papillomavirus, Is Associated With Preinvasive and Invasive Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasias in Zambian Patients
Julius, P.; Siyumbwa, S. N.; Moonga, P.; Maate, F.; Kaile, T.; Haynatski, G.; Minhas, V.; Snow, J.; Peterson, K.; Gihozo, P.; Streeter, S.; Kaur, S.; Evans, A.; Gonzalez, D.; Samwel, K.; Kang, G.; West, J. T.; Wood, C.; Angeletti, P. C. Epstein–Barr Virus, But Not Human Papillomavirus, Is Associated With Preinvasive and Invasive Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasias in Zambian Patients. Frontiers in Oncology, 2022, 12.