BMB Weekly #15: April 11, 2025

 

Grotewold to Give ASBMB Breakthrough Webinar Professor Erich Grotewold will deliver a talk titled "Biosynthesis and regulation of plant phenolic compounds" on May 14, 2025, 12:15–1 p.m. Eastern. This talk is part of ASBMB's Breakthrough Webinar series that seeks to offer a window into the cutting-edge biochemistry and molecular biology research driving discovery. More information on Grotewold's talk and event registration can be found here: https://www.asbmb.org/meetings-events/plant-phenolic-compounds Novartis Acquires Kate Therapeutics Novartis, the Swiss drug company, recently acquired Kate Therapuetics, a San Diego-base gene therapy biotech focused on the preclinical development of the saaafe delivery of AAV transgene strategies for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) and myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) for $1.1B. Mark Fielden, Co-Founder and Vice President of Kate Therapeutics, is an alumnus of the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology graduate from the Zacharewski lab in 2002. Congratulations Mark!

 

 

Jonathan Gershenzon from Max Planck Institute will be presenting the Sweeley Lecture titled "Fighting back with biochemistry: How insects resist plant toxins".

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

The Spring BMB Seminar Series will run through April 24, 2025. The complete schedule is available on the BMB Spring 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 Paul Neve from University of Copenhagen. The seminar will be held at 4:00 p.m. in room PLB 247.

Paul’s talk is titled “A walk on the weed side with herbicide resistant Alopecurus Myouroides”. We would like to invite graduate students and postdocs to join the speaker for a lunch and discussion on Monday, April 14th. 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 April 11, 2025 at 12pm. 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.

Attend this seminar on Zoom. Passcode: 028299

Join our guide, Ly Duong (PhD student in CITE), as this unique series of themed, guided walks continues spring semester. Each walk invokes a nature connection experience inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin Yoku. Registration for each session is required. Walks will be offered rain or shine with a minimum of 3 participants, 15 Max. Tea and snacks included! Learn more and register here.

Are you new to STATA or looking for a structured way to integrate it into your research? Have you tried learning STATA on your own but feel stuck? This seminar is here to help! Join us for a 60-minute interactive session designed to give you the foundational skills to confidently work with your data in STATA.

In this seminar, you will learn:

• How to load, clean, manipulate, and summarize your data in STATA
• Basic visualization techniques to explore your data effectively
• An introduction to statistical tools such as descriptive statistics, t-tests, and regression models in STATA

A curated collection of resources to support your continued learning. Learn more and register here.

MSU graduate and professional students, you are invited to the IN JOY! GALA, a free resplendent multicultural joy-filled night of celebration, appreciation and gratitude, in community and with the community. A Red-Carpet Affair with Catered Dinner, Live Music & DJ, Gifts, and More. A joy-full and jubilant event where graduate and professional students can celebrate themselves—and their contributions to the campus community as students, educators, and researchers—and are empowered with resources that promote joy (a marker of well-being) and boost morale. Learn more and register here.

Join us for a full-day symposium celebrating neurodiversity in STEM. Explore how neurodiverse perspectives drive innovation, hear from expert speakers and advocates, and engage in discussions about inclusivity and accessibility in the sciences. Learn more here and register using this link.

The Horticulture Organization of Graduate Students will host their annual Plant Science Graduate Student Research Symposium on April 25th. All are welcome! It's a great opportunity to present research and learn about the ongoing plant science projects on campus! Learn more and register here.

We are pleased to announce that GGS Day 2025 will take place on May 6th at ISTB, room 1404, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. This year's theme is "Innovations in Science". The event will feature three talks, a workshop, and a career panel. This year, we are hosting a poster presentation session, and the abstract submission deadline is April 28. Learn more here and register using this link.

 

The Weill Institute Emerging Scholars Symposium is a one-day event where exceptional senior Ph.D. students and postdocs in cell and molecular biology programs and related disciplines are invited to Cornell’s campus to share their research with the Cornell life sciences community. Awardees will additionally be invited to attend the 8th Weill Institute Symposium and interact with our distinguished invited speakers.

• Network with students, postdocs, and faculty, and learn about collaboration and career opportunities at Cornell University 
• Attend the Weill Institute Symposium on October 14 and interact with prestigious invited speakers from worldwide institutions
• Spotlight your research and academic achievements
• Visit Cornell’s beautiful Ithaca, NY campus and the surrounding area

Learn more and apply here.

This scholarship supports a Michigan resident with tuition and related expenses for Master’s level, Doctoral level, or advanced research pursuits at an accredited public or private college or university in Michigan. Students entering an accredited college or university or who are already enrolled in any of the former are encouraged to apply for this scholarship. An important part of the application process is a Statement of Purpose (SoP), demonstrating why the scholarship is needed, the academic program the candidate is pursuing, career plans for the scholarship applicant, and letters of recommendation. Learn more and apply here.

The Henry Ford Health (HFH) Cancer Epidemiology Prevention and Control research program invites applications for a postdoctoral fellow to begin a 1-2-year fellowships to start in July 2025. The successful candidate will join a team of over 100 cancer researchers conducting studies across the cancer continuum and have the opportunity to share in Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences research mission to become an NCI-designation worthy cancer center with robust clinical, basic and population science research programs that translate findings into state-of-the-art clinical care for our cancer patients. Learn more and apply here.

This award program is a one-year, paid fellowship designed to introduce early-stage life science researchers to the process of bringing medical breakthroughs from the lab space to the commercial shelf. Fellows will be connected to researchers at UIC, Northwestern University, and University of Chicago, as well as members of the Chicago biotech startup community, and industry partners. Learn more and apply here.

 

Throughout the month, MSU IT Educational Technology is offering a lineup of resources that highlight D2L Brightspace and educational tips. Learn more and register here.

You can find the latest department news over on LinkedIn and BlueSky. Give us a follow and be sure to tag us with research updates, publications, and lab updates to help spread the word!

Hot off the press! The second University Health and Wellbeing Annual Report is now available! Explore the latest insights on how health and wellbeing was advanced on campus and delivered positive impact for the Spartan community in 2024.

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 Lundquist lab group is looking for a Research Associate to assist in the study of plastoglobules and their roles in regulation of photosynthesis.

Duties will include:

• Cyanobacterial growth and handling, including genetic manipulation
• Confocal microscopic investigation of fluorescent-tagged proteins
• Photosynthetic measurements of cyanobacterial cultures and plant leaf tissue
• Mentoring and supervision of student workers
• Detailed recordkeeping
• Regular participation in lab meetings and other opportunities for scientific exchange and discussion
• Writing research articles

Learn more about this MSU Careers posting here.

 

A Farrugia, M., Rajagopalan, R., & Kroos, L. (2025). Transcriptomic analysis of Myxococcus xanthus csgA, fruA, and mrpC mutants reveals extensive and diverse roles of key regulators in the multicellular developmental process. BMC genomics, 26(1), 355. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-025-11417-z

Allahyartorkaman, M., Chan, T. H., Chen, E. H., Ng, S. T., Chen, Y. A., Wen, J. K., Ho, M. R., Yen, H. Y., Kuan, Y. S., Kuo, M. H., & Chen, R. P. (2025). Phosphorylation-Induced Self-Coacervation versus RNA-Assisted Complex Coacervation of Tau Proteins. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 147(12), 10172–10187. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c14728

Babineau, N., Dien Nguyen, L. T., Mathieu, D., McCue, C., Schlecht, N., Abrahamson, T., Hamberger, B., & Busta, L. (2025). A molecular representation system with a common reference frame for analyzing triterpenoid structural diversity. Plant communications, 101320. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101320

Babin, K. M., Kilinc, C., Gostynska, S. E., Dickson, A., & Pioszak, A. A. (2025). Characterization of the Two-Domain Peptide Binding Mechanism of the Human CGRP Receptor for CGRP and the Ultrahigh Affinity ssCGRP Variant. Biochemistry, 10.1021/acs.biochem.4c00812. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biochem.4c00812

Boismier, E. C., Aboulnaga, E. A., & TerAvest, M. A. (2025). Zymomonas mobilis: bringing an ancient human tool into the genomic era. Current opinion in biotechnology, 92, 103257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2025.103257

Chen, D., Chen, C. L., & Wei, G. W. (2025). Category-specific topological learning of metal-organic frameworks. Journal of materials chemistry. A, 13(13), 9292–9303. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ta08877h

Cross, M. C. G., Aboulnaga, E., & TerAvest, M. A. (2025). A small number of point mutations confer formate tolerance in Shewanella oneidensis. Applied and environmental microbiology, e0196824. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.01968-24

Fu, Y., Guzior, D. V., Okros, M., Bridges, C., Rosset, S. L., González, C. T., Martin, C., Karunarathne, H., Watson, V. E., & Quinn, R. A. (2025). Balance between bile acid conjugation and hydrolysis activity can alter outcomes of gut inflammation. Nature communications, 16(1), 3434. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58649-x

Jafari, M., Sagresti, L., Hu, J., & Merz, K. M., Jr (2025). Ion-Induced Dipole Interactions Matter in Metadynamics Simulation of Transition Metal Ion Transporters. Journal of chemical theory and computation, 10.1021/acs.jctc.4c01535. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jctc.4c01535

Lee, H. D., Grady, C. J., Krell, K., Strebeck, C., Al-Hilfi, A., Ricker, B., Linn, M., Xin, N. Y., Good, N. M., Martinez-Gomez, N. C., & Gilad, A. A. (2025). A novel protein for bioremediation of gadolinium waste. Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society, 34(4), e70101. https://doi.org/10.1002/pro.70101

Marks, R. A., Ekwealor, J. T. B., Artur, M. A. S., Bondi, L., Boothby, T. C., Carmo, O. M. S., Centeno, D. C., Coe, K. K., Dace, H. J. W., Field, S., Hutt, A., Porembski, S., Thalhammer, A., van der Pas, L., Wood, A. J., Alpert, P., Bartels, D., Boeynaems, S., Datar, M. N., Giese, T., … Rhee, S. Y. (2025). Life on the dry side: a roadmap to understanding desiccation tolerance and accelerating translational applications. Nature communications, 16(1), 3284. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58656-y

Petrich, J., Alvarez, C. E., Gómez Cano, L., Dewberry, R., Grotewold, E., Casati, P., & Falcone Ferreyra, M. L. (2025). Functional characterization of a maize UDP-glucosyltransferase involved in the biosynthesis of flavonoid 7-O-glucosides and di-O-glucosides. Plant physiology and biochemistry : PPB, 221, 109583. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2025.109583

Rhee, S. Y., Anstett, D. N., Cahoon, E. B., Covarrubias-Robles, A. A., Danquah, E., Dudareva, N., Ezura, H., Gilbert, K. J., Gutiérrez, R. A., Heck, M., Lowry, D. B., Mittler, R., Muday, G., Mukankusi, C., Nelson, A. D. L., Restrepo, S., Rouached, H., Seki, M., Walker, B., Way, D., … Weber, A. P. M. (2025). Resilient plants, sustainable future. Trends in plant science, 30(4), 382–388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2024.11.001

Singh, S. K., Kauffman, N., Lynch, I. M., Kunt, Z. M., Zinn, K. R., Agnew, D., & Fan, J. (2025). 212Bi-Macroaggregated Albumin Inhibited Mouse Melanoma Growth by Regulating Cell Cycle Checkpoint Markers Without Promoting Living Cell Repopulation. Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine, jnumed.124.269190. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.2967/jnumed.124.269190

Zia, M., Jones, B., Feng, H., & Wei, G. W. (2025). Persistent Directed Flag Laplacian (PDFL)-Based Machine Learning for Protein-Ligand Binding Affinity Prediction. Journal of chemical theory and computation, 10.1021/acs.jctc.5c00074. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jctc.5c00074

 

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College of Natural Science | BMB Weekly | Vol. 58, No.15