What happens to plants as they enter spring? What’s the science that governs the growing season for different plants? Plant biochemist Rick Amasino shares some answers in this Q&A.
Highlights
Continuing a Legacy: Vitamin D Research in the 21st Century
The legacy of vitamin D research in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison runs deep — almost as deep as the vitamin’s involvement in a multitude of important processes in the body, such as bone health, muscle strength, the absorption of other vitamins and minerals, and more. Renowned vitamin D researcher and …
Friesen Lab: Apoptosis is a Potent Antiviral Defense
The Friesen Lab has resolved a twenty-year-long quandary in the field of viral apoptosis by explaining how viruses prevent apoptosis to gain a replicative advantage. Host cell apoptosis effectively stops intracellular parasites like viruses. Baculoviruses, a family of prolific insect DNA viruses, have therefore evolved strategies for preventing apoptosis. To this end, baculoviruses pirated the …
Women in Science Workshop
For one week in August the Weibel lab has been joined by two young scientists. Led by Katie Brenner, winner of 2014 Women in Science Fellowship, Ms. Autumn Greco from New York, NY and Ms. Jamese Mangum from Washington DC have joined the group for a week of intensive research. Throughout the week the students …
Holden Lab: Structual Enzymology of N-formyltransferases
Bacteria produce an astonishingly diverse array of carbohydrate-based macromolecules that serve important physiological roles. The lipopolysaccharide or LPS, for example, is a complex glycoconjugate attached to the outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria. It is often composed of unusual dideoxysugars that may be important for virulence. Recent research has demonstrated that some pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria contain …
Attie Lab: Unpuzzling Diabetes
Alan Attie has been at the forefront of genetics and biochemical research of diabetes and its links with obesity. A long article on CALS Magazine features his discoveries, his personal journey, his vision for the future and his worries about the current funding environment. Photo: postdoctoral researcher Melkam Kebede in the Attie group Unpuzzling Diabetes: …
Fox Lab: Understanding competitive protein-protein complex formation in oxidative multicomponent enzymes
The controlled generation of reactive oxygen has allowed certain organisms to grow in a multitude of harsh environments. The ability of these organisms to oxidize C-H bonds allows them to obtain carbon from otherwise inert or toxic compounds. This chemistry requires metal cofactors to activate molecular oxygen, and multiple protein-protein interactions to control the delivery …
Single Molecule Spectroscopy in the Hoskins Lab
Cellular machines like the ribosome, spliceosome, or replisome contain multiple components that transiently associate with one another. This compositional and dynamic complexity presents a challenge for understanding how these machines are constructed and function. Colocalization single molecule spectroscopy (CoSMoS) is used by the Hoskins laboratory to watch individual components of these machines in real-time. Colocalization …