School: Eastlake High School
City: Sammamish, WA
Grades taught: 10-12

Principle Investigator: Ken Mackie, Ph.D.
Department: Anesthesiology, School of Medicine
Institution: University of Washington

Project Description
Dr. Mackie’s lab is interested in how cannabinoids, the active ingredient in Cannabis, produce their psychoactive effects. These effects appear to be mediated by the CB1 receptor, a G protein-coupled receptor that binds to and is activated by cannabinoids. Previous work in the Mackie lab has focused on how the activation of this receptor by cannabinoids modulates neuronal ion channels. Currently, the lab has a strong interest in understanding how tolerance to the effects of cannabinoids develops, and this tolerance is being studied at the level of the receptor.

My work involved an attempt to make a mutant CB1 cannabinoid receptor by incorporating a fluorescent protein into the receptor. More specifically, I worked at adding the proteins for Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) and Red Fluorescent Protein (RFP) to the carboxyl terminus of the cannabinoid receptor, which is a 7 transmembrane structure. Once the insertion of the GFP/RFP has been successful neuronal cells will be transfected to facilitate ongoing experiments involving internalization and receptor interaction studies.

The summer project time of 6 weeks was not sufficient to complete the experiment. Dr. Mackie has graciously agreed to let me continue to work with his senior lab technician, Jim Wager-Miller, until I achieve successful transfection. This work will continue throughout the school year consisting of 1-2 evenings a week in the lab.