Category Archives: Biochemistry

Biochemistry

Auburn chemistry graduate student shines as only Southeastern … – Office of Communications and Marketing

Kacey Ortiz, a graduate student in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, or COSAM, was chosen to be part of a highly competitive 2023 class of Future Leaders by the American Chemical Society, or ACS.

Im excited for this award because Ill get to travel to the ACS Headquarters and ACS San Fran, hear about a lot of incredible science and meet a lot of fantastic individuals also doing fantastic research, Ortiz said. The award itself is awesome because Ill be getting to network with other young scientists in the chemistry field who will be working in both academia and industry, and those same people might be the same individuals I get to do collaborative research with one day.

In this years class, hundreds of students from around the globe submitted applications. However, only a total of 35 students and postdoctoral scientists were selected. Of those, only 22 are from the United States, and Ortiz was the only recipient in the entire Southeast region.

I am proud that Kacey was selected as a future leader by the American Chemical Society, said Doug Goodwin, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, or DCB. Kacey has exceled in his research in Dr. Karimovs lab. More than this, Kacey has been an integral part of every aspect of our departments life, mission and programs.

He was selected as a 2022 Outstanding DCB GTA, he is a member of DCBs Inclusion, Equity and Diversity Committee, he is vice president of the local affiliate of the ACS Younger Chemists Committee, he recently presented his research at COSAMs Graduate Student Research Forum and he was a volunteer judge for the Alabama Science and Engineering Fair. He has been a driving force for the department reestablishing its social connections on this side of the pandemic. Kaceys selection by ACS represents a great opportunity for him to develop his skills as a leader that much further.

As a Future Leader, Ortiz will receive leadership training, have access to networking opportunities, learn from industry leaders, receive coaching from professionals, travel to the ACS headquarters and conferences and present his research.

Submitted by: Maria Gebhardt

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Auburn chemistry graduate student shines as only Southeastern ... - Office of Communications and Marketing

Biochemistry

Study uncovers aspect of how muscular dystrophies progress – ASBMB Today

A research study has shed new light on how congenital muscular dystrophies such as WalkerWarburg syndrome progress, bringing hope for better understanding, early diagnosis and treatments of these fatal disorders.

Published in March in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the research was led by scientists in the lab of Vlad Panin, professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The study is titled Protein tyrosine phosphatase 69D is a substrate of protein O-mannosyltransferases 1-2 that is required for the wiring of sensory axons in Drosophila. The primary author is Pedro MonagasValentin, one of Panins doctoral students.

The study uncovers new ways of how genetic mutations seen in patients with muscular dystrophies may lead to disease and create neurological problems. Namely, the mutations disrupt a newly discovered gene function and prevent neurons from forming connections properly. The research used fruit flies as a model system and has implications for humans.

Courtesy of Pedro MonagasValentin

This fruit fly brain shows the mutation the new study links to muscular dystrophies. The fly has wiring defects in sensory axons, pictured in fluorescent green.

Funders of the research included the National Institutes of Health and the Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture.

WalkerWarburg and muscle-eye-brain syndromes are rare, severe muscular dystrophies. Typically diagnosed in very young children, these conditions progress rapidly. They affect skeletal, heart and lung muscles as well as the brain, eyes and other organs. No cure exists for these diseases, and patients usually do not survive into adulthood.

Certain genes affected in these disorders are known, Panin said. But much remains unknown about how these genetic defects affect molecular and cellular processes to cause neurological and other problems.

This gap in understanding of pathological mechanisms impedes the development of treatments and efficient diagnostics, he said.

Many of the genetic mutations that occur with muscular dystrophies affect something difficult to study, Panin said, and that is the way our bodies build and use complex sugars.

The sugars, called glycans, are made by all living things. In addition to energy storage and regulation, glycans have countless functions that regulate other molecules in animal cells.

There are four languages of life, if you think about it in general, Panin said. Two are proteins and nucleic acids like DNA and RNA. And there are two more languages: lipids and glycans. The fourth one is arguably the most complex language, and this is what we study as glycobiologists.

Glycans can be complex and branching. Unlike DNA or proteins, they are not created from a genetic template. The mutations in muscular dystrophy patients disturb a complex chain of events needed to build and attach glycans to the right molecules inside our bodies. To understand that chain of events, scientists must study the structures and locations of glycans, and the technology to do that is still being developed.

To track the role of several genetic mutations in muscular dystrophies, the team genetically modified fruit flies, then studied how the mutations affected the flies nervous system structure and glycobiology.

My work involved a lot of crossing different lines of fruit flies to either raise or lower the activity of genes we wanted to learn more about, MonagasValentin said. Then I did a lot of fly brain dissections under the microscope, of multiple genetic combinations, with a lot of practice and a lot of messing up.

MonagasValentin used fluorescence microscopy and other methods to compare how different mutations in flies affected fly bodies and brains. He also sent samples for analysis using methods specifically designed for glycobiology. For that analysis, MonagasValentin and Panin collaborated with researchers at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center at the University of Georgia in Athens.

Our collaborators have expertise in glycan sample preparation, data analysis, protocol development every step is important, Panin said.

Putting all the data together, the team found that a protein called PTP69D enables the proper wiring of sensory axons in flies. The researchers also revealed that the genes mutated in muscular dystrophy patients are important for PTP69D to function properly. Whats more, PTP69D belongs to a large family of proteins that have very similar structure and function in flies and humans.

This story opens up new directions to understand neurological problems, Panin said.

Although PTP69D and its protein family members are similar in flies and in humans, there are limitations to what the present study says about human biology, Panin said.

The fly nervous system is much simpler, and in humans there may be additional protein and glycan interactions in play, Panin said. We can see the basic mechanisms, but nuances and additional layers cannot be studied in flies.

He said much is still unknown about the proteins and glycans involved in neuron development. The team will now study these molecules and interactions more deeply to see how mutations in muscular dystrophy genes affect individual neurons.

This article first appeared in AgriLife Today, the news hub for Texas A&M AgriLife, which brings together a college and four state agencies focused on agriculture and life sciences within The Texas A&M University System. Read the original.

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Study uncovers aspect of how muscular dystrophies progress - ASBMB Today

Biochemistry

Broccoli intake protects the small intestine lining, inhibits development of disease – News-Medical.Net

Broccoli is known to be beneficial to our health. For example, research has shown that increased consumption of the cruciferous vegetable decreases incidences of cancer and type 2 diabetes. In a recent study, researchers at Penn State found that broccoli contains certain molecules that bind to a receptor within mice and help to protect the lining of the small intestine, thereby inhibiting the development of disease. The findings lend support to the idea that broccoli truly is a 'superfood.'

We all know that broccoli is good for us, but why? What happens in the body when we eat broccoli? Our research is helping to uncover the mechanisms for how broccoli and other foods benefit health in mice and likely humans, as well. It provides strong evidence that cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts should be part of a normal healthy diet."

Gary Perdew, H. Thomas and Dorothy Willits Hallowell Chair in Agricultural Sciences, Penn State

According to Perdew, the wall of the small intestine allows beneficial water and nutrients to pass into the body but prevents food particles and bacteria that could cause harm. Certain cells that line the intestine -; including enterocytes, which absorb water and nutrients; goblet cells, which secrete a protective layer of mucus on the intestinal wall; and Paneth cells, which secrete lysosomes that contain digestive enzymes -; help to modulate this activity and keep a healthy balance.

In their study, which published in the journal Laboratory Investigation, Perdew and his colleagues found that molecules in broccoli, called aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands, bind to aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), which is a type of protein called a transcription factor. This binding, they found, initiates a variety of activities that affect the functions of intestinal cells.

To conduct their study, the researchers fed an experimental group of mice a diet containing 15% broccoli -; equivalent to about 3.5 cups per day for humans -; and fed a control group of mice a typical lab diet that did not contain broccoli. They then analyzed the animals' tissues to determine the extent to which AHR was activated, as well as the quantities of various cell types and mucus concentrations, among other factors, in the two groups.

The team found that mice that were not fed broccoli lacked AHR activity, which resulted in altered intestinal barrier function, reduced transit time of food in the small intestine, decreased number of goblet cells and protective mucus, decreased Paneth cells and lysosome production, and decreased number of enterocyte cells.

"The gut health of the mice that were not fed broccoli was compromised in a variety of ways that are known to be associated with disease," said Perdew. "Our research suggests that broccoli and likely other foods can be used as natural sources of AHR ligands, and that diets rich in these ligands contribute to resilience of the small intestine."

More broadly, added Andrew Patterson, John T. and Paige S. Smith Professor of Molecular Toxicology and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, "these data suggest that dietary cues, relayed through the activity of AHR, can reshape the cellular and metabolic repertoire of the gastrointestinal tract."

Other authors on the paper include Xiaoliang Zhou, Debopriya Chakraborty, Iain A. Murray, Denise Coslo, Zoe Kehs, Anitha Vijay, Carolyn Ton, Dhimant Desai and Shantu G. Amin.

The National Institutes of Health Grants, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Penn State Cancer Institute supported this research.

Source:

Journal reference:

Zhou, X., et al. (2023). Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Activation Coordinates Mouse Small Intestinal Epithelial Cell Programming. Laboratory Investigation. doi.org/10.1016/j.labinv.2022.100012.

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Broccoli intake protects the small intestine lining, inhibits development of disease - News-Medical.Net

Biochemistry

The Greek who gave $600 million to education – Kathimerini English Edition

My wife and I help students study without being shackled by debt on their chosen career path, says Greek-American Roy Vagelos, 93, a prominent figure in the pharmaceutical industry. He is so committed to helping create the next generation of scientists, he recently donated an additional $175 million to the University of Columbia to support doctors embarking on the first steps of their careers and PhD candidates. It is not, however, the only donation made by Roy and Diana Vagelos to the American institution, which is why they have a school named after them: the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Born in the US to Greek parents, Roy, or Pindaros as he was baptized, grew up admiring his grandfathers degree in physics from the University of Athens. He was very young when he died and his children migrated to the United States, without having been able to study, he reminisces in a recent conversation with Kathimerini.

Ancient names ran in the family. My father was Herodotus and my uncles were named Homer and Thucydides, he says.

The Vagelos brothers were in the catering business and Herodotus later opened a restaurant in New Jersey, where everyone pitched in. It was particularly popular among the executives working at Merck, whose headquarters were located nearby.

As he bused their tables and made small talk about the weather, young Roy could hardly have imagined that one day he would be the executive director of the pharmaceutical giant. These are the people I consulted when I was applying for college, he says.

Vagelos started studying chemistry but medicine and biochemistry soon caught his interest. I didnt have any problems studying because I was a very good student and got a scholarship immediately, he says. But I know that this is not always the case for youngsters with their eye on an academic career.

It is estimated that half of the students in the US have taken out some kind of loan to study. Tuition at the graduate level ranges from $30,000 to $35,000 at state universities and can reach $55,000 at private colleges, while it goes up even more at the postgraduate level.

I didnt have any problems studying because I was a very good student and got a scholarship immediately. But I know that this is not always the case for youngsters with their eye on an academic career

Love and marriage

Vagelos met his wife Diana also of Greek roots while he was at the University of Columbia and she was at Barnard College. We got married in 1955 and would have done so sooner if our finances had allowed it, he says.

Thanks to Dianas first job and a decent salary, the young couple were able to tie the knot.

Roy got a job at Massachusetts General Hospital, then became a researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and later went on to become the head of the Biochemistry Department at Washington University in St Louis, before climbing to the top of the ranks at Merck.

During his 20 years at the firm, he was instrumental in the development of top cholesterol and drug pressure drugs, antibiotics and vaccines. I left the position of executive director, which Id held for 10 years, because I retired, says Vagelos, who is still active as president of the board at Regeneron.

I chose jobs that I found interesting, not those that would bring me more money. This is a luxury I would like young scientists to have, he says.

A lot of students in America graduate with massive debts of like $100,000 and this really clips their wings, adds Vagelos. These young people will not go into research or do a PhD or become pediatricians as these choices are less well-paid.

If they dont have the burden of debt, however, they may follow their calling and this will be for the good of society as a whole.

Vagelos, who has been supporting educational institutions since the 1980s, keeps in touch with many of the young scientists who have benefited from his donations. They are very talented and I am so proud of them, he says. Overall, the couple has supported the universities of Pennsylvania and Columbia their alma maters with donations worth almost $600 million. Their names, needless to say, are on many department plaques.

Their aim is to give medical students financial independence, support researchers, promote women in the sciences and also to fund research into tackling climate change. This is the second most important thing I am concerned about, says Vangelos, who helped develop the Climate Schools at Columbia and Penn.

Mentors for young scientists

It is important for our young colleagues to learn how to look for work, how to write a paper, but also how to say no, which is especially pertinent for women scientists, who often feel that turning down additional tasks will be perceived as a sign of weakness, says Dr Litsa Kranias, who sought to bolster these skills with her donation to the University of Cincinnati, where she is a professor and head of cardiovascular biology at the Medical School.

I pondered the idea for 10 years and three years ago made my wishes known to the relevant committee, says the Greek academic.

Thanks to the interest from her donation, the future of the annual Kranias Symposium on Early Career Mentorship is secured. There, a guest mentor advises doctoral and post-doctoral students and new professors on their next career moves. This is followed by a round-table discussion with four professors and then one-on-one consultations.

I have always wanted to help younger scientists do well, says Kranias, who is still grateful for the full scholarship that allowed her to move from Greece to the United States. I studied at the University of Chicago, which was one of the top five schools at the time, and it had just started taking graduates from universities outside the US on a trial basis, says Kranias, whose stellar academic performance paved the way for other foreign students.

Other initiatives giving back

Americans are very familiar with the notion of giving back. Young professionals often support their alma maters soon after graduating, even with a small amount like 100 dollars a year, says George Tsetsekos, Francis Professor of Finance and dean emeritus at Drexel Universitys LeBow College of Business.

Second- and third-generation Greeks whose parents had high aspirations for their futures and wanted them to study are no exception.

At first the Greeks gave money to the Church and associated organizations like the Theology School in Boston. Then they started giving to universities with which they had personal ties, says Tsetsekos.

He acknowledges that the cost of an education and the loans that make it possible are a big problem for young Americans. That said, I also believe that they are not getting realistic advice about their career prospects; they are encouraged to follow their dreams without being told that only certain professions can ensure a high standard of living in the US, where costs are admittedly high.

The list of benefactors is interesting and, apart from the sciences, also includes significant donations for Classical studies.

John Calamos, for example, founded a philosophy chair at the University of Illinois, where students learn about the ancient Greek philosophers. Angelo Tsakopoulos founded the Chair of Modern Greek Studies at Stanford and supports many similar programs across the US. Nicholas and Athena Karabots founded the archaeology program at the University of Arizona, which is responsible for the excavations in the Peloponnese at the Temple of Lycian Zeus, while they also cover the salary of one professor of ancient Greek archaeology.

Theres also the Nicholas & Nancy Vidalakis Scholarship for students who want to train in his native Crete, while the Clinical Cancer Center at the University of Iowa exists thanks to John Pappajohn, who has endowed many of the institutions programs. John Rangos is behind, among others, a pediatric hospital in Pittsburgh, and George Behrakis funded the Behrakis Health Science Center at Northeastern. Last but not least, the University of Boston has the Alexis Gavras Scholarship for Greek and Greek-American students.

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The Greek who gave $600 million to education - Kathimerini English Edition

Biochemistry

Man linked to firebombing of Wisconsin anti-abortion group via leftover burrito – Yahoo News

[Source]

A half-eaten burrito led to the arrest of a man believed to be responsible for firebombing the office of an anti-abortion group in Madison, Wisconsin, authorities announced last week.

Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury, 29, was charged with one count of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive for the incident, which took place at Wisconsin Family Actions headquarters last Mothers Day, May 8, 2022.

Police responded at around 6 a.m. to a fire that broke out at the Madison-based building. Inside, they found suspicious items, including a disposable lighter and two mason jars one broken and another containing a clear fluid that smelled like an accelerant.

Meanwhile, the outside of the building was spray-painted with If abortions arent safe then you arent either. Another wall was painted with a large encircled A and 1312.

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Last month, police identified Roychowdhury as a possible suspect and matched his DNA from a leftover burrito he had thrown in a public trash can to the crime scene.

Roychowdhury, who lives in Madison, was arrested in Boston last Tuesday. If convicted, he faces between five to 20 years in prison.

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Violence is never an acceptable way for anyone to express their views or their disagreement, Robert R. Wells, assistant director of the FBIs Counterterrorism Division, said in a statement. Todays arrest demonstrates the FBIs commitment to vigorously pursue those responsible for this dangerous attack and others across the country, and to hold them accountable for their criminal actions.

Wisconsin Family Action, who blamed the attack on a leftist anarchist group, is a nonprofit that defends Gods plan for marriage, family, life and religious freedom.

No one was in the office at the time of the attack.

Story continues

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The incident came about a week after a draft opinion suggesting that the Supreme Court would overturn Roe v. Wade had leaked. The court officially made that call in June, bringing back Wisconsins abortion ban.

Twitter account Antifa Watch has shared social media posts allegedly made by Roychowdhury. In them, he identified himself as a graduate research assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) and made statements such as Im an anarchist now and I hope to see this country burn.

UW-Madisons May 2022 commencement announcement reportedly listed Roychowdhurdy as a doctoral candidate. A UW-Madison spokesperson confirmed that he received a doctorate in biochemistry but that he is no longer attached to the institution.

The individual that you reference received a PhD in biochemistry from UW-Madison in May 2022. He is no longer affiliated with the university, the spokesperson told Fox News.

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Man linked to firebombing of Wisconsin anti-abortion group via leftover burrito - Yahoo News

Biochemistry

Important enzyme for the composition of the gut microbiome discovered – Phys.org

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The intestinal microbiome, i.e., the community of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in the human gut, has been shown to affect the metabolism and the immune system. We still do not fully understand how the symbiosis between a healthy microbiome and the host is regulated and how bacterial overgrowth with pathogenic germs can be prevented.

A research team led by Professor Christoph Becker-Pauly from the Institute of Biochemistry at Kiel University (CAU) in collaboration with other working groups has now discovered an important mechanism influencing the intestinal microbiome in mouse models. The results were recently published in the journal Science Advances.

"For the first time, we were able to show that a complex of the enzymes meprin and meprin located on intestinal cells influences the microbiome composition by processing the substrate galectin-3," explained first author Cynthia Blck, Ph.D. student at the CAU's Institute of Biochemistry.

"The activity of this enzyme complex is in turn directly influenced by the microbiome," added Professor Christoph Becker-Pauly, member of the Cluster of Excellence "Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation" (PMI) and head of the Unit for Degradomics of the Protease Web. "This means that the microbiome influences host proteins, which in turn influence the microbiome."

The researchers studied this interplay of regulation of the enzyme complex in mouse models with different bacterial colonizations.

The research focused on the protein-cleaving enzymes meprin and meprin , which are strongly expressed in healthy intestine and are significantly downregulated in chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). "On the one hand, we wanted to elucidate the function of meprins in the small and large intestine, and on the other hand, we wanted to understand how the composition of bacteria in the intestine is fundamentally regulated," said Blck.

Meprin proteases are found throughout the entire intestine, but they are not typical digestive enzymes. "In previous studies, we were already able to show that these enzymes are responsible for constant detachment and renewing of the mucus layer that protects the small intestinal epithelium," said Becker-Pauly.

In order to clarify the further functions of meprins, which exist as the meprin / complex in the large intestine, the researchers first employed a mass spectrometry-based method to search for substrates that are processed by this enzyme complex. "We identified galectin-3 as an important substrate in the large intestine," stated Becker-Pauly.

Galectin-3 is permanently produced in the intestinal villi. It is found both within the cells but also outside the cell in the mucus layer and can interact with bacteria, for example by agglutination. Proteolytic cleavage of galectin-3 by meprin / resulted in altered bacterial binding properties. At the same time, depending on the bacterial composition, enzymatic processing of galectin-3 changes. "This means that depending on how many and which bacteria are present, it also has an influence on how much galectin-3 is enzymatically processed," explained Blck. "The host responds to the microbiome via the cleavage of galectin-3, which is then modulated differently."

The work also showed that the enzymatic cleavage of galectin-3 leads to strong agglutination (clumping) and elimination of the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a germ that is responsible for about 10% of all hospital infections in Germany.

"Understanding the physiological role of this enzyme complex in the intestine could provide new insights into the development of diseases as well as new ways to prevent and treat intestinal diseases," emphasized Becker-Pauly. In chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, not only the enzyme complex is reduced, but also the substrate galectin-3 is also downregulated. "This may lead to an imbalance of the the intestinal microbiome so that pathogens can spread more easily," suspects the Kiel biochemist. This constellation is certainly not decisive for the development of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, as many factors play a role in this regard, but it should be considered.

Further research will now focus on elucidating the mechanisms in more detail that lead to the agglutination of certain types of bacteria. In addition, further immunomodulatory substrates of the meprin / complex have been identified and their function will now be analyzed.

More information: Cynthia Blck et al, Proteolytic processing of galectin-3 by meprin metalloproteases is crucial for host-microbiome homeostasis, Science Advances (2023). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf4055

Journal information: Science Advances

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Important enzyme for the composition of the gut microbiome discovered - Phys.org

Biochemistry

Unraveling the protein map of cell’s powerhouse – ASBMB Today

Mitochondria, the so-called powerhouse of the cells, are responsible for the energy supply of the organism and fulfill functions in metabolic and signaling processes. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonnand the University of Freiburg have gained systematic insight into the organization of proteins in mitochondria. The protein map of mitochondria represents an important basis for further functional characterization of the powerhouse of cell and thus provide implications for diseases. The study has now been published in the renowned scientific journal Nature.

Mitochondria are among the most important cell compartments. They are delimited organelles surrounded by a double membrane. Mitochondria are considered the powerhouse of the cell, as they produce the majority of the energy required for all cellular processes. In addition, they take over many other functions in metabolism and provide a signaling surface for inflammatory processes and programmed cell death. Defects in mitochondria lead to numerous diseases, especially of the nervous system.

Model of the quality control mechanism for removing arrested proteins from the mitochondrial entry gate.

Therefore, the molecular understanding of mitochondrial processes is of highest relevance for basic medical research. The molecular workers in the cell are usually proteins. Mitochondria can contain around 1,000 or more different proteins. To execute functions, several of these molecules often work together and form a protein machine, also called a protein complex. Proteins also interact in the execution and regulation of molecular processes. Yet little is known about the organization of mitochondrial proteins in such complexes.

The research groups of Thomas Becker and Fabian den Brave at the UKB, together with the research groups of Bernd Fakler, Uwe Schulte and Nikolaus Pfanner at the University of Freiburg, have created a high-resolution image of the organization of proteins in protein complexes, known as MitCOM. This involved a specific method known as complexome profiling to record the fingerprints of individual proteins at an unprecedented resolution. MitCOM reveals the organization into protein complexes of more than 90% of the mitochondrial proteins from bakers yeast. This allows to identify new proteinprotein interactions and protein complexes an important information for further studies.

Researchers at UKB in cooperation with Collaborative Research Center 1218 (Regulation of cellular function by mitochondria)have shown how this dataset can be used to elucidate new processes. Mitochondria import 99% of their proteins from the liquid portion of the cell, known as cytosol. In this process, a protein machinery called the TOM complex enables the uptake of these proteins through the membrane into the mitochondria. However, it is largely unclear how proteins are removed from the TOM complex when they get stuck during the transport process. To elucidate this, the team led by Becker and den Brave used information from the MitCOM dataset. It was shown that non-imported proteins are specifically tagged for cellular degradation. Research by the Ph.D. student Arushi Gupta further revealed a pathway by which these tagged proteins are subsequently targeted for degradation. Understanding these processes is important because defects in protein import can lead to cellular damage and neurological diseases.

The example from our study demonstrates the great potential of the MitCOM dataset to elucidate new mechanisms and pathways. Thus, this map of proteins represents an important source of information for further studies that will help us to understand the functions and origin of the cells powerhouse, saidBecker, director of the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UKB.

This article was first published by University Hospital Bonn. Read the original.

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Unraveling the protein map of cell's powerhouse - ASBMB Today

Biochemistry

Celebrating undergrad thesis research at Barrett, The Honors … – ASU News Now

April 5, 2023

Chloe Leff, a junior in Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, has been awarded the Goldwater Scholarship, the most prestigious award in the United States for undergraduate researchers in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics, or STEM.

The Goldwater Scholarship was established in 1986 by Congress to serve as a living memorial to honor the lifetime work of Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater. The scholarship helps ensure that the U.S. continues to produce the worlds leading scientists and engineers. Chloe Leff, an ASU junior pursuing dual bachelor degrees in biochemistry and molecular bioscience and biotechnology, has been awarded the Goldwater Scholarship, the most prestigious award in the United States for undergraduate researchers in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. Download Full Image

If you are an undergrad in STEM, the Goldwater Scholarship is the big prize, said Kyle Mox, associate deanat theLorraine W. Frank Office of National Scholarships Advisementand the designated campus representative for the Goldwater Scholarship. In addition to a $7,500 stipend, winning a Goldwater carries immense prestige and positions you for admission to top-tier PhD programs and other major fellowships, like the Rhodes Scholarship, Churchill Scholarship or NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

Of the 2022 ASU Goldwater cohort, two seniors, Claire Blaske and Jasmin Falconer, were recently selected for the NSF program, and senior Katie Pascavis was selected as a Marshall Scholar.

Receiving the Goldwater Scholarship is a huge honor, not just for the recognition of what I have achieved as an undergraduate, but for the vote of confidence in my abilities to succeed in research, Leff said. I want to pursue a career in research, so receiving the Goldwater Scholarship is an added boost of confidence and testament to my capability as a researcher.

Leff, an Arizona native and graduate of Hamilton High School, is pursuing dual bachelor degrees in biochemistry and molecular bioscience and biotechnology. After graduation, she plans to pursue a PhD in immunology and conduct medical research pertaining to disease treatments, particularly cancer.

Since 2021, she has been a member of the Hariadi Lab in the Biodesign Institute, where she assists with research on the use of DNA nanostructures to decrease the infectivity of viruses. In the summer of 2022, as a participant in the DAAD-RISE program, she worked at Justus-Liebig University in Gieen, Germany, contributing to a project that investigates the impact and mechanism behind two synergistic cancer drugs.

Outside of her research work, she serves as the director of events for the Barrett Sustainability Club, is the president of the Gammage Scholars and plays for the ASU womens club soccer team.

Although the national submission deadline for the Goldwater Scholarship occurs annually at the end of January, the ASU scholarship office begins the recruitment and advising process in October.

Each college or university may nominate only four students per year to the Goldwater Scholarship, so the scholarship office establishes a preliminary deadline in early December.

In reality, the most difficult part of the process is receiving a nomination, Mox said. We have so many talented, motivated STEM majors at ASU, and there are ample opportunities to get significant undergraduate research here.

The applications are then reviewed by members of a long-standing faculty nominating committee, who evaluate the candidates academic records, research achievements and letters of recommendation.

I am so grateful to have been one of ASU's nominees, Leff said. Having worked in undergraduate research at ASU for nearly two years, it is an honor to be recognized as a high-achieving student by my university and community of scientists. ASU gave me my first opportunities in undergraduate research, so it is a privilege to be able to represent the university in a national competition centered around excellence in STEM.

The planning, drafting and revision process can be arduous. The Goldwater application requires multiple short essay responses and a three-page research proposal, in which applicants summarize their previous research and describe their future research goals. Throughout the process, applicants seek advice and guidance from the scholship office and their faculty members.

I found that the application process was a great opportunity to reflect on the reasons why I am so drawn to science and research, Leff said. For as long as I can remember, a career in some sort of science was in my future, but having to clearly articulate that passion and clarify how it has transformed into a desire to pursue research specifically encouraged me to recognize how that path reflected my values.

Over the past decade, 21 Sun Devils have been awarded the Goldwater Scholarship, ranking ASU alongside Duke and Princeton and ahead of Northwestern and UC-Berkeley. In the 2023 application cycle, 413 Goldwater Scholarships were awarded from a national pool of over 5,000 applicants. More than 400 colleges and universities submitted nominees.

Story submitted by the Lorraine W. Frank Office of National Scholarships Advisement

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Celebrating undergrad thesis research at Barrett, The Honors ... - ASU News Now

Biochemistry

NSCBMC Recruitment 2023: Check Posts, Qualification and How to … – StudyCafe

NSCBMC Recruitment 2023: Check Posts, Qualification and How to Apply

NSCBMC Recruitment 2023: Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College (NSCBMC) is inviting applications from eligible candidates for the posts of Research Scientist-II, Research Scientist-I, Lab Technician, Lab Assistant Cum Data Entry Operation (Grade-A) and Project Technician (IPEM Filed Worker) on a temporary and co-terminable with the project. As mentioned in the official notification of NSCBMC recruitment 2023, there are a total of 06 vacancies for the given posts. According to the official notification of NSCBMC recruitment 2023, the upper age limit is different for every post as given below in the article. As given in the official notification of NSCBMC recruitment 2023, the selected candidates will be given a monthly salary of upto Rs. 67000.

In accordance with the official notification of NSCBMC recruitment 2023, interested and eligible candidates can appear for the interview along with a duly filled-in application forms and relevant documents. The walk-in interview will be held on 11.04.23 at the Office of the Dean, NSCB, Medical College, Nagpur Road, Jabalpur (M.P) between 11 am to 1 pm.

NSCBMC is looking for qualified candidates for the posts of Research Scientist-II, Research Scientist-I, Lab Technician, Lab Assistant Cum Data Entry Operation (Grade-A) and Project Technician (IPEM Filed Worker) on a temporary and co-terminable with the project. As mentioned in the official notification of NSCBMC recruitment 2023, there are a total of 06 vacancies for the given posts.

According to the official notification of NSCBMC recruitment 2023, the upper age limit is given below.

For Research Scientist II- The upper age limit is 40 years.

For Research Scientist-I- The upper age limit is 35 years.

For Lab Technician- The upper age limit is 30 years.

For Lab Assistant Cum Data Entry Operation (Grade-A)- The upper age limit is 30 years.

For Project Technician (IPEM Filed Worker)- The upper age limit is 30 years.

Note 5 years age relaxation in case of ST/SC category candidates.

Candidates applying for NSCBMC recruitment 2023, must have the given below qualification.

For Research Scientist-II-

1- Postgraduate degree (MD/DNB) in Pathology/Biochemistry/Microbiology subject from a recognized university with 5 years R&D experience in Pathology Genetics or biomedical subjects OR MBBS Degree recognized by MCI from a recognized university with a minimum of 10 years R&D experience in Genetics or biomedical subjects OR Ph.D. degree in life sciences/ Biochemistry/ Microbiology/ Biotechnology in the relevant subject or equivalent from a recognized University with 5 years R&D experience in the related subject after Ph.D. OR First class Masters Degree in Biochemistry/ Microbiology/ Biotechnology /equivalent degree from a recognized University with 8 years R&D experience in Genetics or the biomedical subjects in recognized institute(s)

2- Thorough knowledge of Medical Statistics, Computer Applications/Data Management, data analysis and interpretation of results of statistical analysis

Desirable-Experience on Molecular biology techniques, immunohistochemistry and tumor pathology including histopathology and cytopathology. 2. Not less than 3 research publications (accepted) in indexed scientific journals 3. Supervised/ investigated scientific research projects as PI/ C-PI/ Co-L

For Lab Technician-

1- First class M.Sc. degree in life sciences / Biochemistry/ Microbiology! Biotechnology or related subject or equivalent degree from a recognized University with a minimum of 1 year of working experience in a clinical/ research laboratory and working knowledge of molecular biology equipment

2- Knowledge of Computer applications.

For Lab Assistant Cum Data Entry Operation (Grade-A)-

B.Sc degree from a recognized university with 1 years relevant experience as a Laboratory Assistant cum Data Entry Operator in clinical/research laboratory in a reputed institution.

Desirable-

1- Postgraduate Diploma in computer application.

2- Data evaluation experience.

To read the qualifications of all posts check the official notification

In accordance with the official notification of NSCBMC recruitment 2023, candidates will be given a monthly salary as given below-

For Research Scientist-II- The selected candidate will be given a monthly salary of Rs. 67000.

For Research Scientist-I- The selected candidate will be given a monthly salary of Rs. 56000.

For Lab Technician, Lab Assistant Cum Data Entry Operation (Grade-A) and Project Technician (IPEM Filed Worker)- The selected candidate will be given a monthly salary of Rs. 20000.

As per the official notification of NSCBMC recruitment 2023 notification, eligible candidates can appear for the interview along with duly filled-in application forms and relevant documents on 11.04.23 at the Office of the Dean, NSCB, Medical College, Nagpur Road, Jabalpur (M.P) between 11 am to 1 pm.

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NSCBMC Recruitment 2023: Check Posts, Qualification and How to ... - StudyCafe

Biochemistry

Taking a first bite of biochemistry – ASBMB Today

Amid the thousands of grad students, postdocs, early-career investigators and tenured professors streaming into the Seattle Convention Center for Discover BMB last month was 17-year-old Kimy Hernandez, a high school student.

Hernandez is a senior at Longmont High School in Colorado and like most of the more than 100 teenagers who attended the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2023 meeting a member of a Students Modeling a Research Topic, aka SMART, Team. Their mission: to present group research projects developed with their high school science teachers and, in many cases, with working scientists.

KELLY LUBKEMAN

Kimy Hernandez, 17, a senior at Longmont High School in Colorado and member of the SMART Teams program, shows off a 3D model of p53, a mammalian protein that suppresses tumors.

Inspired by SMART Teams meld of 3D modeling, analysis and research, Hernandez, who uses the pronoun they, is poised to become a first-generation college student. They plan to study molecular biology; their parents, both Mexican immigrants, were unable to study beyond high school.

SMART Team really served as a catalyst for my love of science and for pursuing it as a career, Hernandez said.

This years SMART participants hail from 21 schools in nine U.S. states and one Canadian province. As recently as 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, SMART Team and a sister program, Modeling a Protein Story, known as MAPS, sponsored 63 teams across the continent.

The only regret I have about SMART Team is not starting earlier, Hernandez said. SMART really provides you with a diverse group of people who teach you a lot about yourself.

Veteran attendees might experience ASBMB conferences as a collegial yearly break from their professional routine, but for high schoolers, the camaraderie can come as a revelation.

Tim Herman started the SMART Team program in 2001 and began bringing participants to the conference in 2004. The most powerful thing that happens is in the opening session, he said of the annual meeting. There will be SMART Teams in the audience, and they see people greeting each other. High school students can imagine themselves as future members of this community of science.

When they make their SMART Team presentations, students experience the realities of research life, said Luke De, a long-time teacher with SMART Teams at private schools in New Jersey and California. This includes giving talks about their studies and fielding sharp questions.

Kids have to get in front of M.D.s and Ph.D.s, De said. We harp on the idea that science is a conversation, but rarely do kids get to experience that conversation.

At the ASBMB meeting, that passionate exchange comes alive.

TIM HERMAN

SMART Team program founder Tim Herman, second from right, talks protein molecules with students from Governor's Academy of Byfield, Massachusetts in April 2016.

Weve always been focused on introducing students to the real world of science, including publishing and presentation, Herman said of SMART Teams. The conference gives these high school students the chance to stand alongside undergraduates and present their work.

A strength of any profession lies in its ability to recruit the next generation of practitioners, Herman pointed out. We have former SMART Team students who are now running research labs and interested in working with local SMART Teams, he said.

At Longmont High, Chris Chou, co-coordinator of the schools Medical and BioScience Academy, has been offering the SMART Team program for 11 years. She tells a story that illustrates the conferences impact.

During a SMART Team visit to the University of Colorado Boulder about six years ago, high schooler Maya Lippard Blau became smitten with X-ray crystallography for the study of proteins, Chou said. At the 2017 ASBMB annual meeting, Blau met Stephen White, a scientist doing this work at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. The two swapped contact information, and the teenager went on to a 2018 summer research internship with her new mentor.

Instead of just reading about x-ray crystallography, she was doing it, Chou said, and that launched her interest in science.

Blau followed her passion through college and into an M.D./Ph.D. program in infectious diseases at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Because I was close to both the medical and the research side, I realized I couldnt picture my future career without both, she said.

In the short term, SMART Team means students having the opportunity to dive deeper into topics only touched on in courses, Chou said. They get to interact with professors, visit research laboratories.

Longmont students have taken a field trip to a Pfizer laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, to witness cancer drug research and visited the Biomolecular X-ray Crystallography Facility at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Kelly Lubkeman, co-coordinator with Chou of the academy at Longmont, echoes her colleagues enthusiasm. Her students normally would get the skills and basics in their classes but dont getthe exposure to what a research scientist really does on a daily basis, she said. SMART Team helps fill that gap.

Longmont students in the program now are studying and modeling the tumor suppressor protein p53. Mutations at several points in this macromolecule have been linked to human cancers and at least one is a potential drug target.

They call it the holy grail, Lubkeman said. If we could successfully target a drug for that mutation it will open the door for a lot of other cancer drug treatments.

Across the country at Mahtomedi High School in Minnesota, biology teacher Jim Lane has witnessed social and cognitive growth in his SMART Team students.

I see kids coming out of their shell but also developing discourse skills and collaboration, Lane said, adding that his students begin to forge the intellectual skills needed for research. They are constantly rethinking, iterating and reflecting on their learning. The collaborative atmosphere is what really pulls the team together.

SMART Team veteran Luke De believes the program can lead students to the heart of science as they gain confidence in their own curiosity.

Kids think the crazy ideas they have are frivolous, De said, but what they learn is that those crazy ideas are the things that make scientific research.

SEAN RYAN

Mark Arnholt, a high school teacher turned SMART Team coordinator, center, looks on as students at Cedarburg High School use 3D Molecular Designs Flow of Genetic Information Kit.

Abi Ferguson, 17, another Longmont senior, has been exploring the fine points of beta adrenergic receptors, which affect the function of smooth muscle and digestion. She has noticed the many medications, such as beta blockers, that interact with the protein she is studying.

While exploring her macromolecules, Ferguson got hooked on biology. She learned to find and decode crucial insights in research studies, gleaning more details about her proteins.

SMART Teams really pivoted me to science, Ferguson said. This is what I want to do.

Greta Wedel, also 17 and a senior at Longmont, said shes learned to read scientific journal articles and help her teammates write research abstracts. With these science-based skills, Wedel envisions a different career path but one that also demands high-level analysis and writing: the law.

No matter who you are, how you learn or what youre interested in, theres something valuable to find in SMART Teams for everyone, Wedel said.

Their classmate Hernandez has found it challenging to forge constructive relationships among SMART Team members. Yet, in their classmates differences, they have learned, lie the group's collective strength, as members take on specific tasks from model making to reading peer-reviewed research studies.

Theres a lot of people with lots of learning styles, Hernandez said. Everyones able to specialize.

SMART Teams are largely female, including young women of color a striking contrast to the historic underrepresentation of women and marginalized groups in the biological sciences.

KELLY LUBKEMAN

From left, Greta Wedel, Kimy Hernandez and Abi Ferguson, seniors at Longmont High School in Colorado, discuss their SMART Team project in late January, as they gear up to present at Discover BMB in Seattle.

What were doing is exposing more students to science research, because science is stereotypically done by white males, Chou said. Were trying to recruit a more diverse group of students who are traditionally underrepresented in science to pursue future careers in science.

The team aspect of the program plays to adolescent strengths and interests, as peer relationships gain importance in their social and academic development, noted SMART Team coordinator Mark Arnholt. You end up with students from very different social backgrounds working together and creating long-lasting friendships, he said.

Blau looks back on SMART Team as a foundation for the science she studies now. I ended up learning to read scientific papers, she said. It felt like I had a huge advantage in college and beyond.

For Abbey Kastner, 25, a doctoral student in neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina, the path to a science career started with SMART Team. She traces her first steps on that path to a talk on the program during freshman orientation at Hartford Union High School in her Wisconsin hometown. That introduction, Kastner said, made me realize theres jobs out there that involve research, and I can do them.

With the guidance of Arnholt, then a teacher at Hartford Union, Kastners SMART Team built a model of CYP17A1, a gene on chromosome 10 involved in drug metabolism and lipid synthesis.

We worked with researchers at Marquette University, Kastner said, which is something most high schoolers dont have the option to do.

MICHAEL OKAS

Abbey Kastner, a doctoral student in neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina, credits the SMART Team program getting her started on her journey toward a biological research career.

In 2016, Kastners senior year, her team project won a first-place award in a statewide spring competition at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. But the crucial takeaway from SMART Team was bigger than one prize.

The first thing was confidence, Kastner said.

Her burgeoning ambitions led to a summer internship at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Kastner went on to study biochemistry and neuroscience at the University of WisconsinEau Claire. There she spent four years as a student researcher and two years as a lab manager.

Im grateful for all the mentorship Ive had because that is not extended to all students and certainly not to all female scientists, Kastner said.

Looking back, she said her first exposure to SMART Team was a catalyst for her science career: Its crazy that one conversation can change everything.

Blau and Kastner are case studies in the way SMART Team can help steer young people toward a research career.

SMART Teams, by offering high school students the chance to engage with basic scientific research, is inspiring the next generation of scientists, said Blau.

In addition to becoming a scientist, Kastner wants a role in the public conversation about scientific research. I feel like there is a gap between what the public knows and what scientists do in the lab, Kastner said. I want to be part of communicating between these audiences.

When 3D printing was a new invention, Tim Herman saw its potential as a tool for modeling macromolecules with crucial roles in living things and for strengthening secondary science education.

"I envisioned this 3D printing technology as the key to introducing high school students to the invisible molecular world, Herman said. Models give meaning to words.

Multiple research studies support the idea that 3D physical models help engage students and that students prefer them to other forms of learning.

While on the faculty of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Herman learned that the Milwaukee School of Engineering had a rapid prototyping center. He founded the Center for BioMolecular Modeling, or CBM, at the engineering school in 1998 and went on to launch 3D Molecular Designs, a family-owned company, the following year.

In the early 2000s at CBM, Herman led teachers in a new course, Genes, Schemes and Molecular Machines. They 3D-printed a ribosome, the cell structure that synthesizes polypeptides. The ribosome recently had been described for the first time by Thomas Steitz, a Yale University professor who would go on to win the 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry with two colleagues.

The teachers were the ones who told us they wanted their students to have the same experience, Herman said.

And so Students Modeling a Research Topic, or SMART, Team was born in 2001 at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. In December 2021, the program moved as CBM merged into 3D Molecular Designs.

SMART Team garnered long-term support through the Science Education Partnership Award from the National Center for Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health. It also has received grants from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Each high school pays an annual $250 participation fee that helps fund technical support in the form of an experienced science educator and 3D model printing.

For high school students, the program begins with a training phase thats followed by a research phase. At the heart of the experience is the macromolecular model.

Mark Arnholt is a veteran science teacher and now coordinator for SMART Team. The second theyre holding that physical model is one of those aha moments, Arnholt said. They can finally understand why this protein is interacting the way it does.

Students start with the known story of a protein, model making, drafting an abstract, and reading both primary and secondary sources. Then they have the chance to devise their own research project.

Science is all about asking questions, and once youve identified those questions, you can start to chase them down, Arnholt said. A lot of the questions dont have answers, and those are the ones you want to pursue.

Luke De was a director of independent researchprojects at the Pingry School in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, in the early years of the program. SMART Teams did something genius: It paired kids with a researcher and forced them to tell a story, De said. All the stories were tangible; you were literally building a model.

And, in addition to being a learning tool, protein modeling helps high schoolers shine a light on the roots of human illnesses, Arnholt said. Slowly and steadily, students realize that every disease can be traced back to a protein that is misbehaving.

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Taking a first bite of biochemistry - ASBMB Today