BMB Weekly #44: November 8, 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! Fishing for biochemistry’s ‘dark matter' Featuring Skirycz Lab. Read the full article here. MSU researchers leverage cryo-EM for decades-in-the-making breakthrough Featuring Ben Orlando and Lee Kroos. Read the full article here.

 

 

Mary Andorfer from Michigan State University will be presenting "Structural and biochemical approaches to investigating radical enzymes".

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.

 

Join us for MPS speaker Tessa Burch-Smith from Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. The seminar will be held at 4:00PM in room BCH 101.

Tessa’s talk is titled “In Sights” into plant intercellular communication”. We would like to invite graduate students and postdocs to join the speaker for a lunch and discussion on Monday, November 11. 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 8, 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 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.

COGS invites you to experience Abrams Planetarium with us on November 12th for a fall semester edition of our popular Night Under The Stars with COGS! Discover the wonders of Abrams Planetarium, located in the center of MSU’s campus, with a special FREE show just for MSU graduate and professional students and their accompanied guests. The planetarium hosts a wide range of public programming throughout the year for all ages. This is your chance to check it out!  Show lasts approximately 30 minutes and is followed by a 30 minute live presentation of the current evening sky. Event is free of charge. No pre-registration needed, but in the event that (140) capacity is reached, attendance is first-come, first-served. Find out more about Abrams Planetarium here.

Plans for time management and working with others will be the main focus of this workshop. Participants will create academic timelines for their PhD work at MSU and discuss technologies and habits that can help them stay on task. Participants will also discuss how to manage the stress that often pervades the life of PhD students and share strategies for overcoming writer’s block and procrastination. Learn more and register here.

Every PhD program at MSU requires comprehensive exams, dissertation proposals, and dissertations. In the workshop, participants will explore and share their current writing practices and be given practical writing and revision strategies. During the latter half of the workshop, participants will develop a plan for developing and completing their dissertations. Learn more and register here.

Write Winning Grants comprehensively covers practical and conceptual aspects essential to the proposal-writing process. Learn how to tailor your content to relevant agencies, develop strategies for each section of the application, and to articulate your proposal in a way that makes reviewers want to read it. The Graduate School and COGS will pay $75 of the $95 fee for a limited number of doctoral students to attend. Learn more 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.

 

The Biochemistry Store is turning 60 this year, and we’d like to show our appreciation for your business because we would not be here without you. We’re planning to highlight some of our vendors promos/specials during the week of November 11^th – November 15^th, 2024.

• IDT (through BMB Store Portal ONLY – Nov. 11-15, 2024) – an extra 20% off of qPCR, CRISPR, gBlock and Genes.
• Genesee Scientific is offering a 60 Day Exclusive SALE through the BMB Store only.
• Free Samples and giveaways from our amazing vendors.

Visit the BMB Store for more information.

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 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 International Research Center for Enhancing Plant Resilience 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 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. A particular focus on public engagement and technology adoption aims to build trust and facilitate the widespread implementation of sustainable agricultural practices. This effort contributes to the broad bioeconomy and societal well-being.

Responsibilities include:

• Coordinate center activities within the US team 
• Coordinate center activities across the five partner countries
• Oversee the budget spending in collaboration with post-award manager
• Coordinate project team communications including organizing workshops, seminars, and site visits
• Participate in outreach activities

Learn more about this MSU Careers posting here.

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology invites applications and nominations for a tenured or tenure-track faculty position at the Associate or Full Professor level to serve as Co-Director of the nascent Center for Cancer Health Equity Research (CCHER). CCHER is a developing initiative in partnership with the Colleges of Human Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine and the Henry Ford Health System, with a mission to advance cancer health equity through innovative research, collaboration, and community engagement.

We seek an experienced and motivated leader with an established research program in cancer biology, cancer health disparities, or related fields, who is committed to playing a key role in shaping the Center's future and contributing to a growing initiative that addresses cancer disparities in underserved populations. Learn more about this MSU Careers posting here.

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Michigan State University (MSU) invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor. We seek an innovative scientist who will establish an outstanding, independent research program in cancer biochemistry, focusing on biochemical mechanisms underlying cancer development, progression, and treatment.

Areas of interest include but are not limited to:

• Cancer Metabolism
• Signal Transduction Pathways
• Epigenetics and Gene Regulation
• DNA Damage and Repair Mechanisms
• Protein-Protein Interactions
• Biochemical Approaches to Cancer Therapeutics

Learn more about this MSU Careers posting 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.

 

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

 

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College of Natural Science | BMB Weekly | Vol. 57, No.44