Structural biology and collaboration are two strong and enduring aspects of research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In keeping with this tradition, the Department of Biochemistry has led a concerted cross-campus effort to bring cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to campus.
Research
For some plants, winter carries the keys to spring flowering
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.
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, …
With designer lignin, biofuels researchers reproduced evolutionary path
A new study shows that poplar trees and many other plants from all over the phylogenetic tree have actually evolved to naturally produce zip-lignin. In other words, not only can we potentially breed for degradability in plants, but humans may have been doing just that – selecting certain plants for easier processing – for thousands of years.
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, …
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 …
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 …
Pagliarini lab: An ancient kinase required for mitochondrial CoQ biosynthesis
Mitochondria are dynamic organelles whose functions are essential for nearly all human cells. Numerous human diseases, ranging from rare inborn errors in metabolism to common cancers, have been linked to mitochondrial dysfunction. However, our ability …
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 …
Sussman and group identify key pathway for plant cell growth
Michael Sussman’s group have identified a key pathway for plant cell growth.