In this thesis project, I conducted an inhibition study of the epsilon class glutathione S-transferase 8 (GSTE8) enzyme from the Anopheles gambiae mosquito. To carry out this project, GSTE8 was heterologously expressed in an E. coli system. The vector containing the GSTE8 gene was transformed into E. coli cells using heat shock transformation. The expressed protein was subsequently purified using IMAC affinity chromatography. The purification of the protein was confirmed by SDS-PAGE analysis. Finally, the purified protein was used for enzymological and inhibition studies.
In this project, I identified two pathogenic fungi responsible for banana leaf spot disease in the region of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. To identify the fungi, I first cultured them and isolated their DNA. The DNA was then amplified using fungal-specific primers, and the amplified DNA was sent for sequencing. By performing a BLAST search with the sequences, the pathogenic fungi were identified.