UNC scientists expand the use of light to control protein activity in cells. Klaus Hahn and Nikolay Dokholyan have published a paper in Science, detailing how they use light- or ligand-sensitive domains to modulate the structural disorder of diverse proteins, thereby generating robust allosteric switches. The title of the paper is “Engineering extrinsic disorder to control protein activity in living cells.”

Congratulations to Brent Asrican, Research Assistant Professor in the Song Lab, for receiving a prestigious Junior Faculty Development Award! The award, which he was notified of this week, will provide support to Brent’s research in 2017. Brent proposes to use electrophysiology, optogenetics and chemogenetics to determine how neuropeptides, such as CCK, interact with neuronal circuits … Read more

Jones Lab paper featured on cover on Science Signaling September 20, 2016 issue View Cover The Online Cover “features a Research Article that describes the evolution and function of two distinct families of Gα proteins in plants. The XLG family is similar to the hare, rapidly evolving to enable adaptation to living on land; whereas … Read more

Although mutated versions of the protein Cdh1 have not been found in cancers, the protein’s degradation at a key moment during the cell cycle may spur on cancerous cell division.

The new compound could reduce overdoses and possibly curb addiction, while addressing the needs of millions of people suffering with chronic pain.

The Song lab will use the fund to study the cellular targets of Zika Virus (ZIKV) in the adult brain using a mouse model of ZIKV pathogenesis.

The image is from their paper, “Trim9 Deletion Alters the Morphogenesis of Developing and Adult-Born Hippocampal Neurons and Impairs Spatial Learning and Memory, ” published in collaboration with Stephanie Gupton’s lab in the same edition.

UNC School of Medicine researchers have found a protein that appears to protect against coronary artery disease in older people with surprisingly clear arteries.

Dr. Bryan L. Roth, recipient of the ASPET 2016 Louis S. Goodman & Alfred Gilman Award in Receptor Pharmacology Our congratulations to Dr. Bryan L. Roth for being the recipient of the prestigious 2016 Louis S. Goodman & Alfred Gilman Award in Receptor Pharmacology by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET). From … Read more

The Hahn, Kuhlman and Kasai labs developed a genetically encoded probe that can label and optically erase synapses that were enlarged or generated by motor learning. Dense labeling of synapses was found in a small subset of pyramidal neurons, and irradiation with blue light erased motor memory.