Chemistry alumna Dayna Patterson named a 2023 Hanna H. Gray Fellow
Former Penn State chemistry graduate student Dayna Patterson has been named a 2023 Hanna H. Gray Fellow by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program was developed to support the early careers of life sciences and biomedical researchers who belong to underrepresented groups, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. It not only provides support for postdoctoral training but also the transition into an independent academic career. Patterson was one of twenty-five early career scientists selected for the fellowship this year.
“To me, this fellowship means that I am doing great work and am also on the right track towards becoming a professor. It is important because it provides generous funding for my postdoctoral and early career phases. It will also give me the freedom to focus and pursue science without any boundaries,” said Patterson.
During her time as a graduate student at Penn State, Patterson was a member of the Weinert Group where she focused her research on characterizing a heme-gas sensor protein named DcpG. This was her first introduction to the world of bio-inorganic chemistry and metalloproteins. DcpG was the ideal protein to characterize because it was predicted to produce and degrade a bacterial second messenger molecule that plays a major role in biofilm formation. Patterson came to discover that DcpG activity was influenced by the gas bound to the protein’s hemeand domain conformation. This research allowed her to learn many biochemical and spectroscopic skills that are still relevant to her current research today. She received her Ph.D. in chemistry from Penn State in 2021.
“Professor Emily Weinert was my principal investigator at Penn State and one of my biggest supporters. Emily always encouraged me to push forward when science got tough,” remarked Patterson. “She also supported me whenever I wanted to apply for grants and fellowship opportunities. With that, her mentorship significantly improved my confidence as a scientist. Now, I am always putting myself out there for new opportunities to learn and grow!”
Emily Weinert, associate professor chemistry and of biochemistry & molecular biology, was beyond pleased to hear about her former graduate student receiving this fellowship.
“Dayna is an outstanding scientist, and it was wonderful to have her in the lab during her Ph.D.,” said Weinert. “She fearlessly tackled an extremely challenging project and her results provided novel insights into the regulation of bacterial second messenger signaling and behavior. In addition to her scientific achievements, Dayna goes above and beyond in terms of outreach, both within the department and in the broader community.”
Patterson is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Rosenzweig Group at Northwestern University. She was initially drawn towards the Rosenzweig Group after seeing Dr. Rosenzweig give a talk in 2018 on di-iron enzymes and how they play a role in the biosynthesis of the natural product methanobactin.
Patterson's current research involves characterizing a predicted di-iron enzyme from an enzyme family of unknown function. The gene that encodes for the enzyme is often found in biosynthetic gene clusters predicted to produce and export natural products. According to Patterson, “only three di-iron enzymes have been characterized from this family so far, and surprisingly, they all do different and exciting reactions on their substrate!”
The di-iron enzyme that Patterson is focused on is from bacteria known to live in symbiosis with mosquito-pathogenic nematodes. These bacteria secrete a cocktail of natural products that may play a part in killing the mosquito.
“Since there is a need to discover new insecticidal compounds that kill disease-carrying mosquitoes without adversely affecting human health, I was instantly interested in characterizing the function of a di-iron enzyme predicted to synthesize a novel insecticidal natural product,” said Patterson.
This fellowship will contribute to Patterson’s research exploring the function of the potential di-iron enzyme and the natural product that it produces. It will also allow her to take a step further to determine the potential insecticidal activity of the potential natural product.
Outside of her own research, Patterson is passionate about outreach, especially for underrepresented groups in STEM. She specifically chose Northwestern University because of its campus being in close proximity to Chicago. Patterson says, “being close to the city allows me to participate in outreach activities guided to encourage underrepresented groups to pursue science.”
You can learn more about the Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program on the Howard Hughes Medical Institute website.