Meet PhD Student Nicholas Keegan

Nicholas Keegan, a 4th-year PhD student in the biomedical sciences program, produced and published his first paper titled “Promoter selectivity of the RhlR quorum-sensing transcription factor receptor in Pseudomonas aeruginosa is coordinated by distinct and overlapping dependencies on C4-homoserine lactone and PqsE”.  This paper was a group effort that combined datasets and perspectives between Joe Wade and Jon Paczkowski’s labs, hence its three first authors. The Wade lab, located at Wadsworth, studies regulation of gene expression in bacteria, mRNA stability, and translation by non-coding RNAs.

This paper’s focus was on the characterization of the binding of  RhlR with PqsE and/or its native ligand to DNA, and on how those interactions influence the activation of the expression of downstream genes on a genomic level. Keegan’s contribution to the paper was mainly in processing and interpreting ChIP-seq data, and comparing it with RNA-seq that was previously published by Kayla Simanek. This paper will end up being a great resource for other labs studying RhlR, especially as they identified new regulatory targets for RhlR. Although the protein is not the primary target of his research, it is similar to the one his research is focused on (SmaR). He reaped many benefits from collaborating on this project such as the experience he gained with the analysis of ChIP-seq and RNA-seq as well as practice in scientific writing, and his work on the paper will still contribute to his dissertation. 

Keegan speaks highly of the UAlbany biomedical sciences program’s collaboration with Wadsworth, which provides access to Wadsworth’s core facilities and frequent seminars, both of which offer connections that can benefit a future career. We are sure to see many more remarkable things coming from Nick Keegan as he continues to thrive in the unique environment that Wadsworth has to offer their graduate students.