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misciwriterseditors blog, RNA2024

Dr. Brenton R. Graveley: A Comprehensive Binding and Functional Map of Human RNA-Binding Proteins

Live Blogger: Madison Fitzgerald
Editors: Lirong Shi and Ryan Schildcrout

This piece was written live during the 8th annual RNA Symposium, “Unmasking the Power of RNA: From Structure to Medicine” hosted by the University of Michigan’s Center for RNA Biomedicine. Follow MiSciWriters’ coverage of this event on Twitter with the hashtag #umichrna.

For millennia, humans have been collecting and compiling information. Literally – the first encyclopedia was published in the 1st Century by Pliny the Elder, a Roman statesman. Our funny-named friend compiled 37 chapters worth of information on topics such as astronomy, botany, geology, pharmacology, zoology, and human physiology. In the modern era, scientists look to other encyclopedic sources to find information. We go to PubMed to read journal articles, to GenBank or BV-BRC to view sequenced genomes, and to Kegg Pathway to browse metabolic pathways found in our favorite species. We use these databases containing information from disparate sources to inform our research and facilitate scientific discovery. University of Connecticut Professor Dr. Brenton R. Graveley and his team take a different approach. Rather than compiling data from experiments performed using a variety of materials, methods, and data analysis pipelines, this consortium is generating data with standardized protocols. The end goal? A comprehensive encyclopedia of RNA elements (ENCORE). In his talk at the Center for RNA Biomedicine’s 2024 RNA Symposium, Dr. Graveley presented the progress towards this goal. But first, what are functional RNA elements? 

Continue reading “Dr. Brenton R. Graveley: A Comprehensive Binding and Functional Map of Human RNA-Binding Proteins” →
misciwriterseditors blog, RNA2024

Dr. Peter Todd: Short Tandem Repeats in Neuronal Function and Neurological Disease

Live Blogger: Ryan Schildcrout
Editor: Madison Fitzgerald

This piece was written live during the 8th annual RNA Symposium, “Unmasking the Power of RNA: From Structure to Medicine” hosted by the University of Michigan’s Center for RNA Biomedicine. Follow MiSciWriters’ coverage of this event on Twitter with the hashtag #umichrna.

When we think of “DNA,” we normally think about genes that encode proteins. However, the vast majority of the human genome is thought to be “non-coding,” in that the DNA does not encode proteins. Non-coding DNA has been long thought of as biologically inert, but in the last few decades, scientists have started exploring its purpose. Since then, it has been recognized to be a key element in regulating gene expression. Within those non-coding regions exist millions of Short Tandem Repeats, or  microsatellites, which are repetitive DNA sequences of up to 6 base pairs. The number of repeats within a microsatellite can vary drastically across the genome. We know very little about the function of these microsatellites because next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are unable to sequence highly repetitive regions of DNA. Some of these repeats have been linked to neurological disorders such as Autism, ALS, and dementia, thus highlighting the need to study the mechanisms by which they cause disease. Dr. Peter Todd from the University of Michigan has recently uncovered some of these mechanisms in context with neurological diseases. 

Continue reading “Dr. Peter Todd: Short Tandem Repeats in Neuronal Function and Neurological Disease” →
misciwriterseditors blog, RNA2024

Dr. Victoria D’Souza: Structure-based redefinition of the HIV-1 reverse transcription initiation

Live Blogger: Brenna Saladin
Editors: Varsha Shankar and Ryan Schildcrout

This piece was written live during the 8th annual RNA Symposium, “Unmasking the Power of RNA: From Structure to Medicine” hosted by the University of Michigan’s Center for RNA Biomedicine. Follow MiSciWriters’ coverage of this event on Twitter with the hashtag #umichrna.

Viruses are a routine occurrence in everyday life. The common cold, the flu, and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic has kept viruses at the forefront of the public mind. One of the key aspects of the viral life cycle and infectious mechanism is the fact that they rely on the host in order to replicate and spread infection. Viruses do not contain their own machinery for replication, but rather they hijack host cell machinery to do their bidding. Our speaker today studies one of the beginning steps of this process: reverse transcription initiation. This is the process by which the retroviruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), create the DNA template from viral RNA that encodes the necessary components for infection and proliferation in host cells. The D’ Souza lab studies these processes so that we have a better understanding of the mechanisms of viral infection, and therefore the potential to create drugs to combat them.

Continue reading “Dr. Victoria D’Souza: Structure-based redefinition of the HIV-1 reverse transcription initiation” →
misciwriterseditors blog, RNA2024

Dr. Drew Weissman: Nucleoside Modified mRNA-LNP Therapeutics

Live Blogger: Matthew Blacksmith
Editors: Sadie Schaus and Ryan Schildcrout

This piece was written live during the 8th annual RNA Symposium, “Unmasking the Power of RNA: From Structure to Medicine” hosted by the University of Michigan’s Center for RNA Biomedicine. Follow MiSciWriters’ coverage of this event on Twitter with the hashtag #umichrna.

What do measles, the flu, and most recently, COVID-19 have in common? Each of these viruses has vaccines which have been developed to prevent infection, reduce the severity of symptoms, and promote faster recovery. So what are vaccines and how do they work? The answer varies from vaccine to vaccine. Historically, vaccines have been created by weakening or outright killing viruses before injecting them into patients to expose them to viral proteins. Once injected, the body attacks the virus, priming the immune system for a later date where you’re exposed to the virus at full strength. However, the process of creating a vaccine from a weakened virus can be long and difficult. Fortunately, scientists have been hard at work trying to create vaccines which are as effective as the current vaccine standard, but can be produced more quickly in response to global needs.

Continue reading “Dr. Drew Weissman: Nucleoside Modified mRNA-LNP Therapeutics” →
misciwriterseditors blog, Spanish

La jornada agotadora de 60 horas: Desafíos y Oportunidades al Trabajar con el Láser de Electrones Libres de Rayos X 

Escrito por: Eilidh McClain
Editado por: Olivia Pifer Alge, Mena Davidson, Kristen Loesel, y Jennifer Baker
Ilustrado por: Jacquelyn Roberts
Traducido por: Juan Blume La Torre y Rocío Cisneros 

Inicio del experimento. Turno uno. 3 horas transcurridas.

¡Cucú! “La fase de escaneo ha concluido”.

Desde la sala de control en las instalaciones del Láser de Electrones Libres de Rayos X Europeo (XFEL) en Hamburgo, Alemania, pudimos escuchar el anuncio de que el escaneo ya había terminado. La primera vez que escuché el anuncio, no lo esperaba; es un sonido tan sutil que fácilmente podría pasar desapercibido e insignificante, lo cual contrasta notablemente con la importancia del laboratorio científico. Aunque inicialmente inesperado, este sonido se volvió un ritual familiar de celebración, marcando cada triunfo en nuestra serie de experimentos.

Continue reading “La jornada agotadora de 60 horas: Desafíos y Oportunidades al Trabajar con el Láser de Electrones Libres de Rayos X “ →
misciwriterseditors blog

Genetics and Global Policies

Written by: Christa Ventresca

Edited by: Christina Del Greco, Andres Rivera Ruiz, Kate Giffin, and Jennifer Baker

Illustrated by: Saaj Chattopadhyay

This is part three of a three-part blog series on genetic testing and its impacts on personal identity. Make sure to read parts one and two first!

As I’ve discussed in the last two blog posts, genetic testing is frequently seen as objective, and this view is promoted by genetic ancestry companies through their advertising (Parthasarathy, 2010). Yet when an ancestry test taker is incorporating genetic ancestry testing into their identity, most people see the results as flexible and reconfigure their identity through conversations with their community (Panofsky and Donovan, 2019; Marcon, Rachul, and Caulfield; 2021; and Nelson, 2008). 

Continue reading “Genetics and Global Policies” →
misciwriterseditors blog

The Brains Behind the Operation: How Disrupted Epigenetics Can Lead to Pediatric Brain Tumors

Written and illustrated by: Dana Messinger

Edited by: Olivia Pifer Alge, Julia Donovan, and Jennifer Baker

In September 2014, Ann Arbor local Chad Carr, grandson of University of Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor just days before his 4th birthday. His mother rallied the community for support and the #ChadTough mantra raised national attention. Meanwhile, Chad underwent 30 rounds of radiation and a clinical trial, unfortunately passing just 15 months later at the age of 5. 

Continue reading “The Brains Behind the Operation: How Disrupted Epigenetics Can Lead to Pediatric Brain Tumors” →
misciwriterseditors blog

Reoviruses use molecular switchblades to invade cells

Written and illustrated by: Madison Pletan

Edited by: Sarah Bassiouni, Claire Shudde, Sophie Maxfield, and Jennifer Baker

Imagine you’re a virus—a tiny shell of proteins surrounding some DNA or RNA. Your one mission is to infiltrate a living cell, navigate through its complicated compartments, and ultimately hijack it to make hundreds or even thousands of copies of yourself to perpetuate infection. As a virus, you are unable to multiply on your own. Since you lack the machinery to make new proteins and genetic material, you must enter a cell if you are to survive.

Continue reading “Reoviruses use molecular switchblades to invade cells” →
misciwriterseditors blog

Genetic Ancestry Testing and Identity Among Different Social Groups: Three Case Studies

Written by: Christa Ventresca

Edited by: Christina Del Greco, Andres Rivera Ruiz, Kate Giffin, and Jennifer Baker

Illustrated by: Saaj Chattopadhyay

This is part two of a three-part blog series on genetic testing and its impacts on personal identity. Make sure to read part one first; part three is coming soon!

Recently, it has become very common to take a genetic ancestry test! But it is much less common to critique them. This is because the study of genetics have become integral to science and public understanding of ancestry. The importance of genetics in society has been furthered by genetic ancestry companies which emphasize the perceived objectivity of genetics to attract customers to their genetic tests (Parthasarathy, 2010). 

Continue reading “Genetic Ancestry Testing and Identity Among Different Social Groups: Three Case Studies” →
misciwriterseditors blog, Spanish

Cuando tú te mueves, yo me muevo: Cómo los padres pueden influir en la actividad física y el desarrollo de habilidades motoras de los niños

Escrito e ilustrado por: Stephanie Palmer

Editado por: Chloe Rybicki-Kler, Emily L. Eberhardt, Sarah Bassiouni y Jennifer Baker

Traductores: Llilian Arzola Martínez y Hector Mendoza

¡Hola, lector! Este es el segundo artículo de una serie de dos partes sobre los factores que influyen en las decisiones y comportamientos de los niños durante la actividad física. En esta publicación se analizan las acciones que los cuidadores pueden emprender para impactar el progreso de las habilidades motoras fundamentales y los patrones de actividad física en los niños. ¡Para conocer más sobre los factores que influyen durante el desarrollo de los niños en sus elecciones sobre la actividad física, te invito a leer la parte 1 aquí!

Para empezar, te invito a recordar algunas vivencias relacionadas con la actividad física durante tu infancia. ¿Tenías un lugar para jugar en tu casa o en el patio trasero? ¿Jugabas en la entrada de tu casa o en la calle? ¿Tus padres te animaban a jugar afuera o te entretenían con programas de televisión? ¿Regresabas a casa en bicicleta para cenar después de jugar en el parque con amigos, o era inseguro jugar afuera en tu vecindario? Tus recuerdos, ya sean similares o diferentes, positivos o negativos, reflejan la influencia del entorno familiar en la actividad física. El entorno familiar desempeña un papel importante apoyando las decisiones y comportamientos de los niños ante la actividad física, así como el desarrollo de las habilidades motoras.

Continue reading “Cuando tú te mueves, yo me muevo: Cómo los padres pueden influir en la actividad física y el desarrollo de habilidades motoras de los niños” →