BMB Weekly #36: September 13, 2024

 

Hsu receives NIH, NSF awards for genetic studies Read the full article here.

 

 

Laura-Isobel McCall from San Diego State University will be presenting "Chemical cartography: 3D insights into the chemical interaction between hosts and microbes".

To join us on Zoom, click this link. Password: bmbseminar

The Fall BMB Seminar Series will run through December 5, 2024. The complete schedule is available on the BMB Fall Seminar Series website. If you are interested in meeting with any of these speakers please email Leslie Williams, glady@msu.edu. Many speakers are planning to visit in-person. A zoom option will continue to be offered for all seminars.

 

Since 2010, MSU has observed the week starting on the third Monday in September to acknowledge the work and dedication of postdoctoral scholars and researchers. To celebrate, there will be events and activities throughout this week, including an ice cream social, sport outings, and more. Learn more and register here.

Join us for MPS speaker Tiffany Lowe-Power from The University of California-Davis. The seminar will be held at 4:00PM in room BCH 101.

Tiffany’s talk is titled “Why are Ralstonia wilt pathogens goopy”. We would like to invite graduate students and postdocs to join the speaker for a lunch and discussion on Monday, September 16. Lunch will be provided at 12:00PM in PBL 168. This is a great opportunity to meet our outside speaker in an informal environment. If you would like to participate in the luncheon, please RSVP to Keri Morris at morrisk@msu.edu with any dietary restrictions by Friday September 13, 2024 at noon. All students and post docs who are interested in this week’s seminar topic are welcome to attend. You do not need to be in the MPS program or affiliated with an MPS faculty member.

With a mission to share the latest, most impactful research findings in the molecular life sciences, the ASBMB Annual Meeting offers an exciting agenda that includes talks by the field's foremost experts, interactive workshops on the latest trends, technologies and techniques, and an invigorating exhibition of posters, services and products. The meeting attracts researchers in academia and industry, educators, trainees and students from across the globe. It offers unparalleled opportunities for collaborating, networking and recruiting. ASBMB members are invited to submit proposals for interest group sessions and workshops for the 2025 ASBMB Annual Meeting. Learn more and submit a proposal here.

Join our guide, Ly Duong (PhD student in CITE), on this unique series of themed, guided walks invoking a nature connection experience inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin Yoku. More information can be found on the COGS Events page. Registration for each session is required. Walks will be offered rain or shine with a minimum of 3 participants. Learn more and register here.

This virtual event is a unique chance for MS/PhD students and postdocs to connect with academic and research institutions hiring for tenure-track, non-tenure-track, research, teaching, and adjunct faculty, as well as staff research, lecturer, and postdoc positions. It’s a fantastic platform for those looking to continue their careers within academia. This is a free event for all MS/PhD/Postdocs within the BIG10 and all 18 Big Ten Institutions are added! Learn more and register here.

 

VentureWell envisions a world in which science and technology innovators have the support, training, and access to networks and resources they need to solve the world’s most difficult problems. VentureWell’s E-Team Program helps student inventors make an impact on the world. The E-Team Program, part of the VentureWell Accelerator, supports student ventures as you embark down the path you’re likely to take as an innovator and entrepreneur. We help you advance your invention through a powerful mix of up to $25,000 in grant funding, entrepreneurship training, mentorship by dedicated staff, national recognition, and networking with peers and industry experts. Link to opportunity: https://venturewell.org/e-team-program/.

For more information, please contact Jess Bitting (bitting7@msu.edu). If you are interested in learning about additional foundation funding opportunities, please visit the MSU Foundation Relations website.

This fellowship is awarded in honor of Dr. Karen Klomparens, Dean of the Graduate School and Associate Provost for Graduate Education at MSU from 1997 until 2014, in honor of her unwavering commitment to graduate education. Applicants should be enrolled in master’s or doctoral programs at MSU in any discipline including professional degree programs. Learn more and apply here.

Please consider nominating your best Biochemistry student for the 2024 BMB Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award. This award is presented to a Biochemistry senior who has demonstrated the highest excellence in scholarship and research activities. Students are not required to be working in a Biochemistry lab to qualify for this award. The nomination form is available here and more information can be found at the BMB Awards website. For any questions, please contact Mary Villarreal (Awards.BMB@msu.edu) or Bob Hausinger (hausinge@msu.edu).

 

The CIRTL (Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning) Network has released offerings for Fall 2024. These workshops and courses will help attendees with their writing, interview prep, and more. Learn more here.

The MSU Department of Police and Public Safety has released an online Active Violence Incident Awareness Training program that is available for students, faculty, and staff. This training includes a presentation explaining how to respond during an active violence situation. Throughout the training, knowledge checkpoint questions will appear on screen to evaluate participants’ understanding of the content. In addition, a video is in development, which will be included in the training at a later time. Learn more here.

The MSU Student Food Bank is a resource available to students and scholars who may be experiencing food insecurity. The Food Bank provides free food and other essential items to those in need within our MSU community. Learn more here.

 

The Hope College Chemistry Department invites applications for a tenure-track position to begin in Fall 2025. We anticipate filling at the Assistant Professor level, but candidates at all ranks are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be able to teach lectures and labs in either the Analytical or Physical Chemistry programs as well as the General Chemistry program. Candidates must have a Ph.D. in chemistry or a related field; postdoctoral experience is strongly preferred. The development of a strong, externally-funded, experimental physical, analytical, materials, or multidisciplinary chemistry research program involving undergraduates is expected. Start-up funds will be provided. Please submit application materials to Dr. Brent P. Krueger, Search Committee Chair, via jobs.hope.edu. Learn more about this opportunity here.

The Department of Cell & Systems Biology in the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Toronto invites applications for a full-time tenure stream position in the field of Plant Single Cell Biology at the rank of Assistant Professor with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2025. We seek outstanding applicants with a track record of demonstrated excellence in applying single cell biology approaches in 'omics or imaging to address fundamental questions in plant resilience, especially in the area of environmental or biotic stresses, that will complement the strengths of the Department of Cell & Systems Biology in plant-microbe interactions, plant and microbial biology, comparative genomics, chemical genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics. The successful candidate must have a Ph.D. in Biology or a related field (e.g., Systems Biology, Synthetic Biology, Molecular & Cellular Biology, Developmental Biology, Genome Biology, Genetics, Plant Biology, etc.), a minimum of two years of postdoctoral experience, and a demonstrated record of excellence in research and teaching. The successful candidate will be expected to pursue a vigorous, innovative, and independent internationally recognized research and to establish an outstanding, competitive, and externally funded research program. Learn more and apply here.

We seek to recruit a highly motivated and skilled postdoctoral researcher with training in molecular biology, plant genetics, or cell biology. The project will leverage recent advances in microscopy, genetics, and physiology to understand molecular mechanisms of dehydration and desiccation tolerance in Arabidopsis. This project is part of a recently funded NSF Biology Integration Institute called Water and Life Interface Institute (WALII, pronounced “Wally”). WALII studies how life interacts with water, from the molecular to the organismal level, across plants, fungi, and animals. WALII is a virtual institute, with scientists located at nine research facilities across the United States. Working together, WALII team members aim to uncover the rules by which organisms interact with water. The candidate selected for this position will be working primarily on Theme 2. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting and apply at this link.

 

Brose, J., Hamilton, J. P., Schlecht, N., Zhao, D., Mejía-Ponce, P. M., Pérez, A. C., Vaillancourt, B., Wood, J. C., Edger, P. P., Montes-Hernandez, S., de Rosas, G. O., Hamberger, B., Jaramillo, A. C., & Buell, C. R. (2024). Chromosome-scale Salvia hispanica L. (Chia) genome assembly reveals rampant Salvia interspecies introgression. The plant genome, e20494. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/tpg2.20494

Cavuzic, M. T., de Sousa, A. S., Lohman, J. R., & Waldrop, G. L. (2024). Kinetic characterization of the C-terminal domain of Malonyl-CoA reductase. Biochimica et biophysica acta. Proteins and proteomics, 1872(5), 141033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbapap.2024.141033

Chen, J., Xu, Y., Yang, X., Cang, Z., Geng, W., & Wei, G. W. (2024). Poisson-Boltzmann-based machine learning model for electrostatic analysis. Biophysical journal, 123(17), 2807–2814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2024.02.008

Cholico, G.N., Nault, R. & Zacharewski, T. Cell-specific AHR-driven differential gene expression in the mouse liver cell following acute TCDD exposure. BMC Genomics 25, 809 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-024-10730-3

Chu, Y. H., Lee, Y. S., Gomez-Cano, F., Gomez-Cano, L., Zhou, P., Doseff, A. I., Springer, N., & Grotewold, E. (2024). Molecular mechanisms underlying gene regulatory variation of maize metabolic traits. The Plant cell, 36(9), 3709–3728. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koae180

Goff, N. J., Mikhova, M., Schmidt, J. C., & Meek, K. (2024). DNA-PK: A synopsis beyond synapsis. DNA repair, 141, 103716. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dnarep.2024.103716

Gomez, L., Jiang, N., & Grotewold, E. (2024). Extraction and Quantification of Phenolic Compounds in Maize. Cold Spring Harbor protocols, 10.1101/pdb.prot108576. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1101/pdb.prot108576

Jiang, N., Gomez, L., & Grotewold, E. (2024). Extraction and Quantification of Total Anthocyanins, Determination of Anthocyanidin Core Structures, and Characterization of Specific Anthocyanins from Maize. Cold Spring Harbor protocols, 10.1101/pdb.prot108577. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1101/pdb.prot108577

Jiang, N., & Grotewold, E. (2024). Flavonoids and Derived Anthocyanin Pigments in Plants-Structure, Distribution, Function, and Methods for Quantification and Characterization. Cold Spring Harbor protocols, 10.1101/pdb.top108516. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1101/pdb.top108516

Kopriva, S., Rahimzadeh Karvansara, P., & Takahashi, H. (2024). Adaptive modifications in plant sulfur metabolism over evolutionary time. Journal of experimental botany, 75(16), 4697–4711. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erae252

Lin, G., Barnes, C. O., Weiss, S., Dutagaci, B., Qiu, C., Feig, M., Song, J., Lyubimov, A., Cohen, A. E., Kaplan, C. D., & Calero, G. (2024). Structural basis of transcription: RNA polymerase II substrate binding and metal coordination using a free-electron laser. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 121(36), e2318527121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2318527121

Liu, H., Zhao, H., Zhang, Y., Li, X., Zuo, Y., Wu, Z., Jin, K., Xian, W., Wang, W., Ning, W., Liu, Z., Zhao, X., Wang, L., Sage, R. F., Lu, T., Stata, M., & Cheng, S. (2024). The genome of Eleocharis vivipara elucidates the genetics of C3-C4 photosynthetic plasticity and karyotype evolution in the Cyperaceae. Journal of integrative plant biology, 10.1111/jipb.13765. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jipb.13765

Rafnsdottir, S., Jang, K., Halldorsdottir, S. T., Vinod, M., Tomasdottir, A., Möller, K., Halldorsdottir, K., Reynisdottir, T., Atladottir, L. H., Allison, K. E., Ostacolo, K., He, J., Zhang, L., Northington, F. J., Magnusdottir, E., Chavez-Valdez, R., Anderson, K. J., & Bjornsson, H. T. (2024). SMYD5 is a regulator of the mild hypothermia response. Cell reports, 43(8), 114554. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114554

Raju, A. S., Kramer, D. M., & Versaw, W. K. (2024). Genetically manipulated chloroplast stromal phosphate levels alter photosynthetic efficiency. Plant physiology, 196(1), 385–396. https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiae241

Shiroda, M., Franovic, C. G., de Lima, J., Noyes, K., Babi, D., Beltran-Flores, E., Kesh, J., McKay, R. L., Persson-Gordon, E., Cooper, M. M., Long, T. M., Schwarz, C. V., & Stoltzfus, J. R. (2024). Examining and Supporting Mechanistic Explanations Across Chemistry and Biology Courses. CBE life sciences education, 23(3), ar38. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.23-08-0157

Walker, B., Schmiege, S. C., & Sharkey, T. D. (2024). Re-evaluating the energy balance of the many routes of carbon flow through and from photorespiration. Plant, cell & environment, 47(9), 3365–3374. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.14949

Wee, J., & Wei, G. W. (2024). Evaluation of AlphaFold 3's Protein-Protein Complexes for Predicting Binding Free Energy Changes upon Mutation. Journal of chemical information and modeling, 64(16), 6676–6683. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00976

 

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College of Natural Science | BMB Weekly | Vol. 57, No.36