The Goldman lab’s work to pinpoint the pulmonary cellular targets of Yersinia pestis – and to understand the role of these host cells in disease — was recently published in PLOS Pathogens. Also check out this nicely written article by freelance science journalist Dyani Lewis, Why the Plague is so deadly, still.
In September, PNAS Early Edition featured a paper from Matt Wolfgang’s lab describing the identification of RsmF, a member of the CsrA family of regulatory proteins. They demonstrate how RsmF and another CsrA family member, RsmA, function as dual post-transcriptional regulators to modulate biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Postdoc Jeremiah Marden is co-first author … Read more
The October 1st edition of PNAS features a paper from Ralph Baric’s lab introducing a cassette-based infectious cDNA clone of MERS-CoV, an important first step in understanding viral replication and pathogenesis of this emerging pathogen. See the article at the link below. Reverse genetics with a full-length infectious cDNA of the Middle…
Science Magazine recently featured a study from Ed Miao’s lab on how bacterial endotoxin is detected if it enters the cytoplasmic compartment of mammalian cells. The paper shows that caspase-11 is activated by cytoplasmic endotoxin and describes how certain pathogens can avoid cytoplasmic detection by modifying their LPS. The implications of this TLR4-indepedent response to … Read more
The September TIBBS Times newsletter features M&I alumnus Jory Weintraub, who recently talked at a TIBBS Career Networking Lunch talks about working in science outreach. See page 7 at the link below. Also in this month’s newsletter: An article by M&I student Megan Meyer about another Career Networking Lunch on industry postdoc opportunities (p. … Read more
Our Department’s weekly seminar series re-starts on August 27 with a seminar by virus hunter Ian Lipkin (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/science/23prof.html). The Tuesday series features 30 speakers from 24 different institutions, with topics balanced among the major research areas of the Department. Thanks to those of you who contributed ideas for great speakers and volunteered to serve as … Read more
PLOS Pathogens recently published a paper from Tom Kawula’s lab demonstrating that non-canonical autophagy provides a source of amino acids for Francisella tularensis. This provides a novel explanation for how these bacteria proliferate in what is typically thought to be a nutrient-limited intracellular environment. M&I graduate students Shaun Steele and Jason Brunton are co-first authors, … Read more
The beautifully re-designed website for UNC’s Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program features interviews with Rodrigo Gonzalez (graduate student in Virginia Miller’s lab) and Bonnie Gunn (former graduate student in Mark Heise’s lab).
A recent article in mBio, ASM’s open access journal, is from Ralph Baric’s lab and describes a systems biology approach that combines transcriptomics, proteomics, and comparative biology to understand the mechanisms of acute lung injury. The result is identification and validation that the urokinase pathway has a major role in SARS-CoV pathogenesis. Postdoc Lisa Gralinski … Read more
M&I was well-represented in the programming of at least five international meetings. The FASEB Summer Research Conference on Autoimmunity was held in Saxtons River, Vermont. Jenny Ting spoke on “NLRs in Immunity and Beyond.” (Conference organizer Rachel Caspi will be one of our M&I seminar speakers in September.) The 38th Annual International Herpesvirus Workshop was … Read more
