Sabeen Wazir

Abstract: Autophagy and lysosome biogenesis are highly conserved and regulated processes that remove unnecessary or dysfunctional components within a cell. The roles of autophagy and lysosome biogenesis remain poorly understood in the oligodendrocytes, a specialized glial cell type that enwraps neuronal processes (axons). Our previous work showed that Transcription factor EB (TFEB), a master regulator of autophagy and lysosome biogenesis, controls myelination spatiotemporal specificity and myelin sheath thickness. To characterize autophagy and lysosome biogenesis at the ultra-resolution, I performed electron microscopy analyses on in vitro differentiated oligodendrocytes that are deficient in Autophagy related gene 5 (ATG5) and TFEB. In comparison to wild-type cells, I discovered differentiation-stage-dependent changes of autophagosome and lysosome numbers in ATG5-/- and TFEB-/- deficient oligodendrocytes. My ongoing work will provide mechanistic understanding of the roles played by autophagy and lysosome biogenesis in the central nervous system myelination.

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What does research mean to you? 
Research, to me, means being a constant learner. It means constantly asking questions and thinking in unique ways. Furthermore, you can never know “enough” in research. Every day, something new is discovered and every day the way we look at science changes. Today, I might learn about development. Tomorrow, I might learn the cellular changes in the brain that relate to development. Beyond just learning, research is also a community and an experiment itself. You can always have interesting conversations with other researchers and you always see new information overturning or supporting past research. The scope of research is limitless, it’s almost like a playground for intellectuals.​
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Tell us about your journey.
Like most beginners in a new field, I experienced information overload. During this period, I was adjusting to the lab and meeting other members of the lab. With all the information, I felt overwhelmed. While drinking coffee with a graduate student, I explained how every day I couldn’t keep up with the amount of papers that I needed to read and all the information. To my surprise, she understood how I felt and reassured me that this is a natural process and that it’s okay to feel this way. She assured me that I don’t have to be 100% up to date, but rather slowly build my base and try to learn more every day. Although I did not directly work with this graduate student, she made sure that I felt welcomed and gifted me an agenda. As months progressed, I became quicker with experiments, gained experience with reading papers, and more passionate about research. Although I am still behind on literature to this day, I still use my agenda fondly to try to keep up with work and learn new things as a researcher.

What was your favorite part about the program?
Besides research, the people I work with are genuine. I can spend countless hours in the lab without realizing it. Every day, I laugh with my colleagues and we always offer insight into each other's work. I have never felt unwelcomed and the least favorite part of this program will definitely be leaving the lab and UT Southwestern. Erika and Stuart’s jokes and support, Dr. Sun mentoring and caring for me, coffee time with my postdoc, and lab meetings on Fridays, will always be memorable and remain in my heart.

What was the biggest thing you learned from the program?
The biggest thing that I have learned from the program is to think in different ways. Sometimes you should ask more than one question. I am learning this skill from my mentor Dr. Sun, who always asks unique questions that I would have never thought of when I first joined the lab. Asking unique questions and thinking in different ways helps you design better experiments.

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Advice for Future Green Fellows

​Never be afraid to ask questions, no matter how “dumb” they might seem to you, but try to do your research first before asking. People are busy and sometimes you can ask better questions when you do your research first! Of course, if something is confusing, always ask your mentor. Second, communicate your feelings and preferences to your lab and the people you work with. Communication makes everything easier. Third, try to enter work with a positive mindset, you will feel more satisfied and happier during the day. Lastly, have fun and don’t worry about making mistakes, mistakes are bound to happen when you are human!​

 

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