BMB Weekly #43: November 1, 2024

 

MSU iGEM 2024 Wins Silver at Global Competition! The MSU iGEM team presented their work at the iGEM Giant Jamboree in Paris last week and were rewarded with a silver medal for their achievements. This year they worked toward engineering a bacterium that could break down a plant-based plastic, polylactic acid (PLA), and produce electricity as a byproduct. The team hopes that their results can eventually be used to help treat microplastics in wastewater or even create in-home plastic recycling systems. Congrats to MSU iGEM 2024!

 

 

Thomas Makris from North Carolina State University will be presenting "Demystifying the biochemical logic for pathogenic folate biosynthesis".

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.

 

This workshop explores the basics of digital accessibility and the resources that are available to instructors at MSU. We will explore components of Universal Design for Learning and discuss the ways educators can apply these principles to their own courses. Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Explain the importance of implementing digital accessibility practices in the classroom
• Recognize the concepts involved in universal design for learning (UDL)
• Identify resources related to digital accessibility that are available at MSU
• Discuss possibilities for making their new and/or existing courses accessible

Learn more and register here.

Join us for MPS speaker Kyaw Aung from Iowa State University. The seminar will be held at 4:00PM in room BCH 101.

Kyaw’s talk is titled “Regulations of cell-to-cell communication during plant growth and defense”. We would like to invite graduate students and postdocs to join the speaker for a lunch and discussion on Monday, November 4. 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 November 1, 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.

To attend the lecture on Zoom, click here. Passcode: 028299

This free virtual event will provide critical advice and resources for anyone considering a postdoc position, including graduate students and current postdocs.

Sessions include:

• Navigating the transition to a postdoc
• Choosing and securing the right postdoc for you
• Exploring the Wisconsin postdoc experience
• Leveraging the postdoc experience to achieve your career goals

Learn more and register here.

During this workshop students will receive information regarding the following:

• How to format their thesis or dissertation correctly.
• How to successfully submit their thesis or dissertation via ProQuest.
• How to successfully submit required paperwork, complete their Graduate School degree requirements, and receive their diploma.

Students are encouraged to review the Graduate School's Electronic Thesis and Dissertation website where current information about formatting and requirements are listed prior to attending the workshop. Learn more and register here.

The aim of this talk is to show how methods for checking data quality can be fun and just as interesting as the analysis itself, and to advocate how important this is. This seminar is available for RECR Credit, 1.0 Hours. Learn more and register here.

The MSU AGEP Learning Community is an informal environment where students from varying disciplines can gather, share their research in a 10-minute presentation, or discover that their graduate toils are not unusual. Those in attendance are privy to information regarding fellowships, career opportunities, even summer internships, pertaining to the group. Learn more and register here.

This conference will provide a forum for discussing generative AI and its impacts on research and scholarship, why protecting technology in the age of AI is important, and what the impacts are of AI on peer review and publishing. Graduate students participating in this conference can receive 1 h of credit (discussion-based education) for the basic component of the RECR education program or up to 3 h of credit for the annual refresher education required for doctoral students. Contact Dr. Greg Swain if interested in participating in the conference for RECR credit. Learn more and register here.

 

MSU invites nominations for the Graduate Student Award for Science Communication and Outreach, conferred in recognition of the exemplary translation and communication of scholarly ideas, research findings, and advancements in all academic disciplines to the public by a graduate or graduate professional student. One student will be selected as the recipient of the Graduate Student Award for Science Communication and Outreach annually. Nominations should be initiated and completed by students. Learn more here.

 

This one credit seminar course will examine the mechanistic role of the immune system in disease conditions. Spring 2025 the course will be focusing on the role of the immune system in inflammatory diseases, including cancer, obesity, and neuro-immunology. Different topics will be discussed through student presentations of key journal articles and seminars by distinguished guest speakers. The contribution of key immunoregulatory networks and associated molecular mechanisms will be covered. The impact of these mechanisms on the development of therapeutics and clinical applications will also be discussed. Learn more about this MSU course offering here.

Looking for a meaningful way to give back during the holidays- or anytime? The MSU Student Food Bank supports over 300 individuals and families every week who are facing food insecurity. Contact us at foodbank@msu.edu for more information or to get started on your own drive! Let's make a difference together!

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 laboratory of Dr. Polly Hsu at Michigan State University has an opening for a Laboratory Technologist to investigate gene expression and RNA biology in Arabidopsis and crops. Candidates with experience in molecular biology and plant genetics are encouraged to apply. To learn more about the lab: https://sites.google.com/view/polly-hsu-lab.

 Duties Include:

• 70% support research, perform and document project-specific experiments, e.g. generating/identifying/characterizing mutants and transgenic Arabidopsis, DNA/RNA/protein-extraction, qRT-PCR, protoplast isolation, luciferase assays, and western blot, etc.
• 15% prepare lab reagents and maintain cell cultures
• 15% assist in lab organization (ordering, organizing/updating chemical inventory and lab materials) and in training future lab members on basic procedures

Learn more about this MSU Careers posting here.

Dr. Sue Rhee is seeking a highly motivated, organized, and creative person to coordinate the outreach and stakeholder engagement activities of an interdisciplinary, multi-institutional, international research center called C-SPIRIT (Center for Sustainable Plant Innovation and Resilience through International Teamwork).

C-SPIRIT addresses the critical challenge of stabilizing global food production amid unpredictable weather patterns. It brings together experts from the United States, Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom, to explore sustainable solutions for agriculture. By discovering and harnessing natural products from plants and microbes, it aims at enhancing plant and soil health. The goal is to ensure crop productivity despite increasing environmental stressors. By creating natural solutions to stabilize crop productivity, the Center addresses urgent agricultural problems. It reduces reliance on non-sustainable practices like synthetic fertilizers and extensive irrigation. The international collaboration also fosters multidisciplinary knowledge exchange and skill development across borders. It strengthens global scientific capabilities. It plays a pivotal role in training the next generation of scientists and leaders in sustainable agriculture. This effort contributes to the broad bioeconomy and societal well-being. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting here.

A post-doctoral Research Associate position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Yuan Wang in the Department of Animal Science at Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan). The Wang Lab at Michigan State University (MSU) invites applications for a postdoctoral position to work on stem cell differentiation and germ cell development. Germ cells carry genomic information across generations to ensure the continuation of life. Disruption of germ cell development will lead to infertility, affecting about 15% of couples worldwide. Using stem cell differentiation platforms and various mouse models, the Wang lab seeks to understand the regulatory pathways that govern germ cell development to eventually improve mammalian reproductive health. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work on multiple projects to gain experience in stem cell differentiation, mammalian embryonic development, and spermatogenesis. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting here.

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Michigan State University (MSU) and the MSU Center for Cancer Health Equity Research (CCHER) are recruiting a faculty colleague at any rank. CCHER is a newly formed collaborative endeavor between MSU's Colleges of Human Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Natural Science, and the Henry Ford Health System, to broadly advance research that promotes cancer health equity. We seek to hire a faculty colleague who is motivated to develop an independently funded research program that addresses cancer health disparities, with a future focus that includes minority populations, particularly Native Americans. The ideal candidate for this open rank tenure-track position will have a substantial record of achievement in discerning the molecular basis of cancer, including etiology, diagnostics, prevention, and/or treatment. Prior engagement with minority communities, including Native American populations, in biomedical research and training is desirable. An interest in furthering health equity through research, training and community engagement is integral to this position. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting and apply at this link.

 

Hu, J., & Jiang, Y. (2024). Evolution, classification, and mechanisms of transport, activity regulation, and substrate specificity of ZIP metal transporters. Critical reviews in biochemistry and molecular biology, 1–22. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409238.2024.2405476

Wojciechowska, I., Mukherjee, T., Knox-Brown, P., Hu, X., Khosla, A., Subedi, B., Ahmad, B., Mathews, G. L., Panagakis, A. A., Thompson, K. A., Peery, S. T., Szlachetko, J., Thalhammer, A., Hincha, D. K., Skirycz, A., & Schrick, K. (2024). Arabidopsis PROTODERMAL FACTOR2 binds lysophosphatidylcholines and transcriptionally regulates phospholipid metabolism. The New phytologist, 244(4), 1498–1518. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19917

Fang, F., Xu, T., Chien Hagar, H. T., Hovde, S., Kuo, M. H., & Sun, L. (2024). Pilot Study for Deciphering Post-Translational Modifications and Proteoforms of Tau Protein by Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry. Journal of proteome research, 23(11), 5085–5095. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jproteome.4c00587

Schlecht, N. J., Lanier, E. R., Andersen, T. B., Brose, J., Holmes, D., & Hamberger, B. R. (2024). CYP76BK1 orthologs catalyze furan and lactone ring formation in clerodane diterpenoids across the mint family. The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology, 120(3), 984–997. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.17031

Wang, Q., Gao, G., Fang, F., Wang, Q., Lundquist, P. K., & Sun, L. (2024). A simple and efficient approach for preparing cationic coating with tunable electroosmotic flow for capillary zone electrophoresis-mass spectrometry-based top-down proteomics. Analytica chimica acta, 1328, 343162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2024.343162

Liu, J., & Benning, C. (2024). A plant mutant screen CURE integrated with core biology concepts showed effectiveness in course design and students' perceived learning gains. Biochemistry and molecular biology education : a bimonthly publication of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 10.1002/bmb.21865. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21865

Guzha, A., Gautam, B., Marchiafava, D., Ver Sagun, J., Garcia, T., Jarvis, B. A., Barbaglia-Hurlock, A. M., Johnston, C., Grotewold, E., Sedbrook, J. C., Alonso, A. P., & Chapman, K. D. (2024). Targeted modulation of pennycress lipid droplet proteins impacts droplet morphology and seed oil content. The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology, 10.1111/tpj.17109. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.17109

 

To provide feedback or submit content, please email bmb.web@msu.edu. Don't forget to follow us on social media!

College of Natural Science | BMB Weekly | Vol. 57, No.43