Rebekah Bartelt

McCord Research Foundation Fellow, University of Iowa

 

Rebekah Bartelt, a native Iowan, is a third-year graduate student in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Iowa under the mentorship of Dr. Jon Houtman. Her research interests at the University of Iowa include identifying and characterizing the phosphatase(s) for the T cell adaptor proteins linker for the activation of T cells (LAT) and SH2-domain containing lymphocyte protein of 76 kDa (SLP-76). Currently she is characterizing the binding of the adaptor protein Grb2 and the guanine nucleotide exchange factor SOS1, an interaction important in several essential signaling pathways.

Prior to coming to the University of Iowa she attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota from 2002-2006, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and English Literature, graduating Cum Laude in 2006. During her studies at Augustana College she was named Freshman Chemistry Student of the year (2002-2003) and was in the Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society (2004-2006).

Rebekah is the recipient of the 2008 McCord Graduate Fellowship for Wound Healing. The award is based upon her work regarding the identification of the phosphatase for LAT, an adaptor protein critical for wound healing.

Publications and Conference Presentations

Bartelt, R., Cruz-Orcutt, N., and J. Houtman. (Nov 2007). Are Jurkat E6.1 cells good models of proximal TCR-induced signaling?. Presented at Autumn Immunology Conference, Chicago, IL.

Bartelt, R., Cruz-Orcutt, N., and J. Houtman. Examining TCR-Induced Proximal Signaling and Downstream Functions in Immortalized Cell Lines and Primary T cells. In preparation.

Bartelt, R. and J. Houtman. (Nov 2008). Characterization of Grb2 and SOS1 binding downstream of TCR stimulation. Presented at Autumn Immunology Conference, Chicago, IL.