ABSTRACT
First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Benjamin Wilander is first author on ‘ DRAK2 regulates myosin light chain phosphorylation in T cells’, published in JCS. Benjamin conducted the research described in this article while a graduate student in Maureen A. McGargill's lab at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, USA. He is now a postdoc in the lab of Jeffrey Rathmell, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, USA, investigating how temperature impacts immune function.
Benjamin Wilander
How would you explain the main findings of your paper in lay terms?
In short, my findings demonstrate that in the absence of the protein DRAK2, T cells have a reduced capacity to migrate and move proteins on their surface. These observations are likely due to the role of DRAK2 in the activation of myosin light chain, which functions to mediate cellular movement.
Why did you choose Journal of Cell Science for your paper?
A member of my thesis committee, Stacey Ogden, highly recommended Journal of Cell Science. After looking through the publications out of JCS, I found that the story I had developed through my research would fit well.
Have you had any significant mentors who have helped you beyond supervision in the lab? How was their guidance special?
Alex Mandarano played a significant part in helping me develop as a scientist. She provided crucial advice, assistance and assurance countless times throughout my time in graduate school.
Confocal images of wild-type and Drak2−/− CD8+ T cell receptor (magenta) microcluster centripetal accumulation during restimulation on an anti-CD3 coated surface.
What motivated you to pursue a career in science, and what have been the most interesting moments on the path that led you to where you are now?
I first became seriously interested in science as a career during an advanced-placement (AP) biology lecture in high school where the regulation of the Lac operon in bacteria was described. I vividly remember realizing just how much exploratory depth there was in biology. This realization, paired with the compelling and growing need for improved therapies for numerous diseases, drove me to pursue a career in science. One of the most interesting moments on that path was when I met Steve White, the then dean of the St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, at a conference in the spring of my senior year of undergraduate school. At the time I had not been accepted into a graduate program, and had planned to remain at my undergraduate institution, but after speaking with a poster competition judge, he introduced me to Steve. Through that judge's recommendation and after speaking with Steve about my research, I was given a second chance to reapply to the school and within a month I was moving to Memphis to start graduate school!
What's next for you?
I plan to stay in academia where I hope to develop an independent research program aimed at studying how immune cells respond to temperature and conversely, how immune cells harness heat generation in response to inflammation.
Tell us something interesting about yourself that wouldn't be on your CV
I am an avid houseplant enthusiast and at one point had over 250 houseplants. Now with a wife and dog that number has dwindled significantly, and many have found their way to the lab.
Benjamin Wilander's contact details: 1161 21st Ave S., B3302 Medical Center North, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
E-mail: [email protected]
