Written by: Zoe Yeoh
Editors: Stephanie Palmer and Jennifer Baker
The University of Michigan’s Center for RNA Biomedicine hosted its 7th annual RNA symposium on March 23rd, 2023. The theme of this year’s symposium was “From Molecules to Medicines,” and it featured an impressive lineup of RNA experts who shared fascinating research on a wide range of RNA topics.
Continue reading “Center for RNA Biomedicine holds 7th annual symposium”Live blogger: Varsha Shankar
Editors: Sadie Gugel and Jennifer Baker
This piece was written live during the 7th annual RNA Symposium, “From Molecules to Medicines,” hosted by the University of Michigan’s Center for RNA Biomedicine. Follow MiSciWriters’ coverage of this event on Twitter with the hashtag #umichrna.
You may recall learning in high school biology that ribosomes are the smallest organelle. Despite their miniscule size, these organelles are one of the most critical – that’s why they, unlike some organelles, are present in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. The site of protein synthesis in the cell, ribosomes are responsible for building proteins that dictate our bodily metabolic activity, and ultimately, who we are.
Continue reading “Joseph Wedekind: Redefining Riboswitches”Live blogger: Sadie Gugel
Editors: Varsha Shankar and Jennifer Baker
This piece was written live during the 7th annual RNA Symposium, “From Molecules to Medicines,” hosted by the University of Michigan’s Center for RNA Biomedicine. Follow MiSciWriters’ coverage of this event on Twitter with the hashtag #umichrna.
The nucleus, the endoplasmic reticulum, and the mitochondria are organelles likely familiar to many of us from biology class. These structures are separated from the rest of the cell by membranes and are used by eukaryotic cells to compartmentalize and organize molecules that support specific cell functions. While these organelles are certainly important, Dr. Amy Gladfelter and her group are interested in a different kind of cellular organization: biomolecular condensates.
Continue reading “Amy Gladfelter: Encoding temperature sensitivity in biomolecular condensates”Live blogger: Paul Dylag
Editor: Jennifer Baker
This piece was written live during the 7th annual RNA Symposium, “From Molecules to Medicines,” hosted by the University of Michigan’s Center for RNA Biomedicine. Follow MiSciWriters’ coverage of this event on Twitter with the hashtag #umichrna.
Biomolecular condensates are found throughout plant and animal cells in various organelles that lack membranes, such as the nucleolus and RNA granules. Normally, membraneless organelles would be an issue, as mixing their components with cytoplasm or extracellular fluid may result in mutations. However, there must be some chemical agents that prevent this, as otherwise life would not have evolved to such complex levels. Researchers are still investigating what prevents these issues from occurring, but one category of molecules called pickering agents have been determined to play a key role in this process.
Continue reading “Geraldine Seydoux: Regulation of biomolecular condensates by interfacial protein clusters”Live Blogger: Jennifer Baker
Editor: Eilidh McClain
This piece was written live during the 7th annual RNA Symposium, “From Molecules to Medicines,” hosted by the University of Michigan’s Center for RNA Biomedicine. Follow MiSciWriters’ coverage of this event on Twitter with the hashtag #umichrna.
The “central dogma” of biology – that DNA is transcribed into RNA is translated into proteins – is a scientific tenet that haunts many American 10th graders during high school biology class. You might recall seeing diagrams like this one of an mRNA molecule sandwiched between the two halves of a ribosome as a new strand of amino acids unfurls from the exit site.
However, it’s likely that your teacher didn’t spend much time on the how and why of this process – why does the ribosome bind to the mRNA? How does it find the start codon, the location on the mRNA that marks the spot where the ribosome starts translating?
Continue reading “Jody Puglisi: The Choreography of Translation Initiation”Live blogger: Eilidh McClain
Editors: Paul Dylag and Jennifer Baker
This piece was written live during the 7th annual RNA Symposium: From Molecules to Medicines, hosted by the University of Michigan’s Center for RNA Biomedicine. Follow MiSciWriters’ coverage of this event on Twitter with the hashtag #umichrna.
In response to multiple external factors, chromatin in chromosomes is able to dynamically shift in order to facilitate gene regulation. Gene expression is altered in part by the use of RNA-protein interactions within the chromatin. However, study of these interactions features many experimental requirements that are not optimized for studying chromatin dynamics as a whole and its role in gene regulation. Dr. Steve Henikoff and coworkers at the Basic Sciences Division of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center have tackled this RNA-protein interaction problem by developing new and powerful tools for studying those interactions. Now that these tools have been developed, they can provide interesting insights to the role of chromatin dynamics in regulation of gene expression and silencing with relative ease compared with previous methodology.
Continue reading “Steve Henikoff: Genome-Wide Mapping of Protein-DNA Interaction Dynamics”Written & illustrated by: Mallika Venkatramani
Edited by: Chloe Rybicki-Kler, Sheila Marte, Madison Fitzgerald, and Jennifer Baker
“Why don’t you use your genetics knowledge and do something crazy with our plants?”
A friend asked me this question while volunteering at a community garden a few months ago. When they found out I study genetics, they immediately got inquisitive. Did they think my genetics background meant I could create some sort of plant monster? Coolly, I replied that plant genetics is not my area of expertise.
Continue reading “Genetics: What Jurassic Park doesn’t tell you”Escrito en inglés por: Daniela Tapia Pitzzu
Editado en inglés por: Sarah Bassiouni, Olivia Alge, Peijin Han y Madeline Barron
Traducido al español por: Daniela Tapia Pitzzu
Editado en español por: Valeria Tapia Pitzzu, Neikelyn Burgos Tirado y Andrés Rivera Ruiz
Ilustrado por: Devon Hucek
Durante una clase de química de escuela secundaria, mi maestro le entregó a la clase un documento que describía los peligros del monóxido de dihidrógeno (DHMO, por sus siglas en inglés). Había reportes de que si el DHMO se inhalaba, causaba asfixia. Esta parodia sobre el agua (cuyo nombre molecular es monóxido de dihidrógeno) se hizo para abogar por el alfabetismo científico. Sin embargo, había otro mensaje: incluso uno de los compuestos químicos más inofensivos puede ser peligroso si es utilizado inadecuadamente.
Continue reading “Mejor sin Sal”Written by: Michele Marenus
Edited by: Mena Davidson, Olivia Pifer Alge, Christian Greenhill
Illustrated by: Jessica Li
My Ph.D. journey began in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving from the big, vibrant city of Boston on the East Coast to Ann Arbor, a small college town in the Midwest, was different from what I expected. Making friends in a new city is always hard, but COVID added an extra challenge that left me reeling. The loneliness that I felt taking classes, assisting undergraduates, and launching my own research in a 100% virtual environment was overwhelming at times. I strongly reconsidered my decision to pursue a doctorate. Why am I living far away from my loved ones for a career that I’m not sure I want? I strongly considered leaving the Ph.D., but I first wanted to evaluate all other options before deciding which would be the right move. I actively explored more options for my career, leading me on a quest to learn about research opportunities outside of academia.
Continue reading “Taking risks and exploring new opportunities: An unpaved path to better mental health during the PhD”Written by: Kelley Dugan
Edited by: Ryan Schildcrout, Nick Janne, April Kriebel, and Jennifer Baker
Illustrated by: Jacquelyn Roberts
Have you ever wondered about the quality of your drinking water?
You’ve probably heard of the Flint Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan. The water crisis began on April 25, 2014, when Flint’s water supply was switched from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Due to the switch, lead and other contaminants were leached from water distribution pipes into Flint’s municipal drinking water. While lead levels dropped below the federal limit in January of 2017𑁋years after the crisis began𑁋long-term effects of lead exposure and mental health impacts continue in 2022.
Continue reading “What’s in your water?”
misciwriters.com 
