THE WHITEMAN LABORATORY
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  • "Monarch Fly"

Anna Nelson Dittrich, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher

University of Arizona
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
BioSciences West Room 310 
1041 East Lowell Street
Tucson, Arizona 85721

Office: BioSciences West 333
Email: annand [at] email [dot] arizona [dot] edu
Picture

Background

I joined the Whiteman lab in the summer of 2012, just after receiving my Ph.D. in biochemistry from Texas A&M University. Since then, I've learned a little about evolutionary biology and have tried to apply some of my biochemistry knowledge to a new system.

Lately, I have been working on glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) present in the herbivorous fly
Scaptomyza flava. GSTs are ubiquitous in eukaryotes, and they perform a wide range of functions mostly related to cellular detoxification. Cells come into contact with many harmful molecules; some are produced by the cell itself (e.g. reactive oxygen species), whereas others are introduced from the environment (e.g. insecticides). GSTs form one part of the cell's detoxification system, conjugating glutathione to the toxin to prevent it from reacting with important cellular components like proteins, nucleic acids, or lipids. Because GSTs are broadly important for cellular protection, and because GST evolution is known to contribute to insecticide resistance, we think GSTs could also help insects cope with a novel diet and its associated toxins.

S. flava's ancestors probably fed on rotting plant products, as the majority of Drosophila do. However, a few million years ago, S. flava diverged to begin living on and in mustard plants (family Brassicaceae). This behavioral shift was likely accompanied by numerous genetic changes, which many members of our lab are working to elucidate. I'm hoping to figure out whether S. flava's detoxification genes have gotten better at removing the anti-herbivore defense compounds produced by mustards. With the genome of S. flava almost complete, I have been working on finding and characterizing GSTs that might have a role in adaptation to an herbivorous lifestyle.

CV
The Whiteman Lab | Integrative Biology | University of California | Berkeley, CA 94720

Photographs are copyright protected by Noah Whiteman, Whiteman lab members, or were obtained through Creative Commons licenses.
  • Home
  • Group Members
    • Principal Investigator, Dr. Noah Whiteman
    • Research Specialist Susan Bernstein
    • Postdoctoral Researchers and Research Associates >
      • Dr. Samridhi Chaturvedi
      • Dr. Moe Bakhtiari
      • Dr. Benjamin Goldman-Huertas
      • Dr. Carolina Reisenman
    • Graduate Students >
      • Jessica Aguilar
      • Nicolas Alexandre
      • Diler Haji
      • Julianne Pelaez
      • Hiromu Suzuki
      • Rebecca Tarnopol
      • Kirsten Isabel Verster
    • Undergraduate Students >
      • Saron Akalu
      • Jaden Ha
      • Selah-Marie Grogan
      • Gillian Oaks
      • Ashleigh Takemoto
      • Jossie Tamsil
    • Former members >
      • Eric Rogers
      • Ted Chor
      • Dr. Teruyuki Matsanaga
      • Anna Pham
      • Anna Leipertz
      • Michael Astourian
      • Ashley Bendl
      • Elizabeth Ordeman
      • Bridget Cheng
      • Irene Liang
      • Gillian Montross
      • Esteban Rodas
      • Giovani Pimentel-Solorio
      • Faye Romero
      • Marissa Sandoval
      • Shivani Sundaram
      • Kannagi Yashroy
      • Derrick Yip
      • Haarini Sridhar
      • Sneha Agrawal
      • Dr. Marianna Karageorgi
      • Kevin Miao
      • Dr. Rebecca Duncan
      • Kelly D'Ambrogia
      • Jiarui Wang
      • Tim O'Connor
      • Judith Okoro
      • William Farley
      • Dr. Cathy Rushworth
      • Andy Gloss
      • Alana Augur
      • Hoon Pyon
      • Julianne Ray
      • Dr. Simon "Niels" Groen
      • Dr. David Hembry (PERT Postdoctoral Fellow)
      • Dr. Jennifer Koop (PERT Postdoctoral Fellow)
      • Dr. Anna Nelson Dittrich (PERT Postdoctoral Fellow)
      • Dr. Rick Lapoint (PERT Postdoctoral Fellow)
      • Dr. Paul Nabity (USDA-NIFA Postdoctoral Fellow)
      • Christina Meyer
      • Parris Humphrey
      • Lea Flechon
      • Research Specialist, Tim Rast
      • Amir Abidov
      • Allan Castillo
      • Matt Cravens
      • Mitchell Feldmann
      • Jason Giles
      • Lauren Johnston
      • Noel Kitchen
      • Erika LaPlante
      • Matthew J. Velasquez
    • Internal page >
      • Protocols
      • Recommended Reading
  • Research
  • Publications
  • DEI
    • #leadership
    • #participation
    • #recruitment
    • #belonging
    • #accountability
  • Join
  • Contact
  • "Monarch Fly"