Islet Neogenesis Associated Protein-related Protein: from Gene to Folded Protein

iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS God, I thank you for giving me the ability and determination to become a scientist. You could have taken me so many times, and for that I'm convinced I'm here for a real reason. Robin, I can't thank you enough for helping to turn my mind to the Most High. To my family, I love you ALL!! Mom and Grama, without you I would be nowhere. Dad, I'm glad I decided to forgive you…I love you. Chris and Kelly, what can I say, just keep doing your thing, you will find your treasures in due time. Amber, I'm just glad we met. We went through so much together, it's amazing we're still close. I will always be here for you…anything you need I will do my best to provide. Because of you I know what unconditional love is. As for everyone at IBB: Suzy, thanks for taking a chance on me. It's been hard at times, but I'm a better person for going through graduate school. To my committee, thanks for having faith in me. You all could have kicked me out after that first candidacy exam, but you saw some potential in me. I don't think I've fully realized the potential and when I do it's going to be a sight to behold. Vicki, you were a great teacher, both in and out of the lab. Thanks for " understanding Sketchy ". Bryan, thanks for all the help with the molecular biology and NMR. Best of luck in all you pursue. KJ, what can I say, I'll never forget the day you took me to the health center after I ate the banana walnut bagel, when I could barely breathe. Remember how swollen my face was? Damn, it still scares me just thinking about that. Josh and Beth, thanks for the entertainment. Dr. Gelbaum, thanks for putting up with me and all my failed NMR experiments. I think we both had faith that it would eventually work though. Charlie, iv thanks for all your advice and especially for the help with my FPLC work. Foster, you're like a brother, sometimes I love ya, sometimes I wanna kill you. Thompson, it's great knowing you, even though UCLA hoops will always have the edge on Kentucky. Thanks for letting me live with you and all, I won't soon forget about you.