Yanira Molina

Research Associate
Retrovirology Research Laboratory
Atherton Building, Leahi Hospital, Second Floor
3675 Kilauea Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii 96816
TEL (808) 732-7702
FAX (808) 735-3682
email: yanira@hawaii.edu

 

INSTITUTION AND LOCATION DEGREE YEAR(s) FIELD OF STUDY
California State University, Long Beach, California B.S. 1988 Medical Microbiology
California State University, Long Beach, California M.S. 1994 Microbiology
 
Professional Experience
1994-97 Graduate Assistant, Medical Bacteriology Lab, California State University, Long Beach
1996-97

Teaching Associate, California State University, Long Beach. Instructor of General Microbiology Laboratory
1996-97 Research Laboratory Manager, California State University, Long Beach
1992-97 Graduate and undergraduate Student Researcher, California State University, Long Beach
1997-04 Senior Professional Researcher, Allergan, Irvine
2004-present Research Associate, Retrovirology Research Laboratory, Pacific Biomedical Research Center, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii

 

Honors and Awards

1992-97 Member of American Society of Microbiology
1993-97 Minority Biomedical Research Support Program
1993 Howard Hughes Award
1995 Richard B. Loomis Research Award
1996 Harkisan D. Raj Award for Academic Excellence

 

Expertise

Maintained cell culture of various cell line (Vero, U87MG, 293, Lncap, Jurkat, Hela, sw480 and H292). Establish stable cell lines. Transfections in various cell lines, establish culture conditions for various cell lines.
Purification and biochemical analysis of proteins using Bradford assay, immunoprecipitations, SDS-PAGE, and western blots. Standardized and maintained nuclear receptor binding assays, kinase assays, in vitro translation and GST pull down experiment, ubiquitin conjugating assays, Yeast two hybrid assays, various oxidative stress (LPO, superoxide anion, GPx, SOD) assays.
Molecular Biology Techniques such as PCR, siRNA technology Subclone into expression vectors, transactivation assays, Real time PCR, Transformation of bacteria, plasmid isolation, restriction digest and gel electrophoresis. Extracted RNA and recombinant DNA. Analyzed RNA by Northern Blotting and RT-PCR.
Lipid Extraction from yeast and 3T3 pre-adipocytes and analyzed by Two-dimensional and Thin Layer Chromatography. Performed viability curves in bacteria and yeast, spectrophotometry, light and fluorescence microscopy. quantitated radioactivity by autoradiography and scintillation counter.

 

Publications

  • Zhao Y, Qin S, Atangan LI, Molina Y, Okawa Y, Arpawong HT, Ghosn C, Xiao JH, Vuligonda V, Brown G, and Chandraratna RA. 2004. Casein kinase 1 Interacts with Retinoid X Receptor and Interferes with Agonist-induced Apaptosis. J. Biol. Chem., 279(29): 30844-3084.

  • Keedwell RG, Zhao Y, Hammond LA, Qin S, Tsang KY, Reitmair A, Molina Y, Okawa Y, Atangan LI, Shurland DL, Wen K, Wallace DM, Bird R, Chandraratna RA, Brown G. 2004.A Retinoid-Related Molecule that Does Not Bind to Classical Retinoid Receptors Potently Induces Apoptosis in Human Prostate Cancer Cells through Rapid Caspase Activation. Cancer Res. 64(9):3302-12.

  • Nagpal S., Ghosn C., DiSepio D., Molina Y., Sutter M., Klein E. S., Chandraratna R. A. 1999. Retinoid-dependent recruitment of a histone H1 displacement activity by retinoic acid receptor. J. Biol. Chem., 274(32):22563-8.

  • Molina Y, Ramos SE, Douglass T, Klig LS. 1999. Inositol synthesis and catabolism in Cryptococcus neoformans. Yeast. Nov;15(15):1657-67.

Papers in Preparation

  • S. Verma, Y. Molina, and R. Yanagihara, and V. R. Nerurkar. Comparison of selenium deficiency-induced effect on oxidant/antioxidant system in Vero and brain derived cell lines. Free Radicals in Biology Medicine (In preparation May 2005).
  • S. Verma, Y. Molina, B. Cropp, R. Yanagihara, and V. R. Nerurkar.Induction of apoptosis via generation of reactive oxygen species by West Nile virus. Journal of Infectious Diseases (In preparation June 2005).

Abstract Presentations

  • Doerr, Jeanette R., Molina, Yanira, Shilling Melissa, and Klig, Lisa S. 1997. Effect of Environmental of Inositol on Cryptococcus neoformans. American Society for Microbiology 97 th General Meeting, Miami Beach, Florida, USA.
  • Doerr, Jeanette R., Molina, Yanira, and Klig, Lisa S. 1996. Analysis of Inositol Synthesis in Cryptococcus neoformans. American Society for Microbiology 96 th General Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
  • 3. Molina, Y. , Doerr, Jeanette, and Klig, Lisa S. 1995. A Cryptococcus neoformans Mutant Strain Auxotrophic for Inositol. Student Research Symposium at CSU Long Beach.
  • Molina, Y. and Klig, Lisa S. 1995. Analysis of Inositol Auxotrophy in a Mutant Strain of Cryptococcus neoformans. 95th General Meeting of American Society for Microbiology, Washington D. C., USA.
  • Molina, Yanira , Nice III, Daniel C., and Klig, Lisa S. 1995. Regulation of Inositol Synthesis in Cryptococcus neoformans. Eighteenth Fungal Genetics Conference, Asilomar, Pacific Grove, CA.
  • Molina, Y. and Klig, Lisa S. 1994. Characterization of an Inositol Requiring Mutant Strain of Cryptococcus neoformans. Student Research Symposium at CSU Long Beach.
  • Molina, Y. and Klig, Lisa S. 1994. Characterization of an Inositol Requiring Mutant Strain of Cryptococcus neoformans. Abstracts of the 94 th General Meeting of American Society for Microbiology, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA,.# F-62 p.599.