Lindy Hop and Charleston Routine about phosducin for Dance Your Ph D 2009

Dance your PhD 2009 contest entry Rachelle Gaudet Michael Richters (aka transducin betagamma) and I (aka phosducin) use Lindy Hop and Charleston to illustrate my PhD thesis: Structural analysis of phosducin and its phosphorylationregulated interaction with transducin betagamma. These proteins function in our eyes, as part of the retinal proteins that transmit visual signals to the brain. In a bright environment, phosducin binds to transducin betagamma and the two are found in the cytoplasm. Upon darkadaptation, phosducin becomes phosphorylated, while transducin betagamma returns to the cellular membranes to increase the responses to small amounts of light. During my PhD, I determined the crystal structure of the complex of phosducin and transducin betagamma. In this complex, phosducin s Nterminal half interacts extensively with betagamma, illustrated in our Lindy Hop dance, a partner dance which relies on intricate leadfollow technique. We dance the Lindy H