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SmithLabUMBC

@smithlabumbc.bsky.social
432 followers 167 following 219 posts

We are a diverse group of chemists and biochemists studying the structure-function relationship of metalloproteins 🏳️‍🌈🧪🧬 Find us here: t.co/eHC3pQp4dz

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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Window. Easy choice.
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
They've been used in gen chem and inorg labs (both have used crucible-based reactions) in the past. Biochem and biol labs use bunsen burners as well, so I think gen chem is the right time to learn it. In fact, learning how to light things on fire correctly (e.g., spreaders) is an important skill.
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Yes. Freshman year at the latest.
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Yeah, it's super slow for me on the desktop and never loads on the mobile app anymore! Sigh. I guess the ability to constantly refresh is being pulled...silver lining.
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Anyone else still having issues with eRA when trying to open “List of Applications/Awards”? It just flat out doesn’t seem to work on iPhone anymore…
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Thomas Arnesen @natmachinery.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Coenzyme A biosynthesis is regulated by two distinct Ubiquitin E3 ligase complexes | UBR4-KCMF1 and MKLN1-CTLH independently converge on a common N-terminal MK Arg/N-degron to promote PANK degradation and restrict CoA biosynthesis | @ispt-proteinterm.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Parallel Arg/N-degron recognition systems regulate coenzyme A biosynthesis
Coenzyme A (CoA) is an essential metabolic cofactor whose biosynthesis is controlled by pantothenate kinases (PANKs), the rate-limiting enzymes in CoA synthesis. Although CoA production is extensively...
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
So good. So true.
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N End Rules @n-end-rules.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
We introduce a new transducer of oxygen sensing: Cys2-HYT1 @isamanrique.bsky.social @charlene-kunaka.bsky.social Susanna Ubeda Tomas & @gunjansharma88.bsky.social ma88.bsky.social lead work defining HYT1 contribution to root hypoxia tolerance. @natcomms.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Hierarchical regulation of oxygen-sensing through coupled transducers in Arabidopsis thaliana - Nature Communications
The PLANT CYSTEINE OXIDASE (PCO) N-degron pathway contributes to oxygen sensing in plants. Here the authors identify HYPOXIA TRANSDUCER1 (HYT1) as a substrate of PCO and show it forms a coherent feed-...
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
😬
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
😂
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Absolutely fantastic news about this national resource!
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Laura M. K. Dassama @lmkdassama.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Truly delighted to share this work from @isaacapaddy.bsky.social on probing a metabolic vulnerability in the Lyme disease agent Borrelia burgdorferi! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
A cofactor‐promiscuous <fc>HMGR</fc> from the Lyme disease pathogen illuminates diversity in bacterial isoprenoid biosynthesis
The Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi contains a highly reduced genome lacking many primary metabolic pathways. However, B. burgdorferi retains the mevalonate pathway that synthesizes isopen...
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Already refreshing the page, no?!
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Sebastian Baumgarten @sebbaumgarten.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The singular job of all known ribosomes: synthesizing protein. Enter the malaria parasite. In our new work, we show that Plasmodium evolved an entire new kind that does just the opposite - inhibit mRNA translation. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
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Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
NSF just announced its GRFP solicitation due in October - deadline varies by field: www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo... Now for the bad news... * NSF estimates they will issue 1,500 awards, down from 2,500+ last year. * NSF removed STEM Education and Learning Research as a Major Field.
nsf.gov
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
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ACS BIOL: Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology @acsbiol.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Don't miss the ACS Infectious Disease Early Career Award session at 8 AM, Monday August 24 in Conference Center S106a. Awardees Laura Dassama of Stanford and Patrick Dolan of the NIH, among others, will present. #ACSFall2026
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Amen!
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ACS BIOL: Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology @acsbiol.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Don't miss the ACS Infectious Diseases Early Career Award session on Monday, August 24 in Conference Center room S106a from 8-12 PM as part of #ACSFall2026!
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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
US scientists: Going into fall 26, how are you thinking about things? Following Fall 24 events and a tumultuous spring 25, I remember a convo with a colleague in which we agreed we just needed to wait things out until fall 25 and we'd have some clarity about the landscape (eg for funding). /1
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
VGA cable or a pencil in dire need of sharpening
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dave dougan @douganlab.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
An adaptor for feedback regulation of heme biosynthesis by a mitochondrial protease | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
An adaptor for feedback regulation of heme biosynthesis by a mitochondrial protease
Heme biosynthesis is tightly coordinated to support essential functions without accumulating toxic porphyrins and depleting cellular iron. Heme induces degradation of the heme biosynthetic enzyme, 5-a...
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David McQuarrie @davidmcquarrie.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
A multivalent RNA affinity tag enables selective purification of tagged RNAs and bound proteins doi.org/10.1093/nar/...
doi.org
A multivalent RNA affinity tag enables selective purification of tagged RNAs and bound proteins
Abstract. Efficient purification of specific RNAs from lysates remains a major challenge. Existing methods, such as MS2 tagging or oligonucleotide hybridiz
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Any idea, @ccp4mx.bsky.social ?
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Anyone running Coot 1.2 on MacOS having an issue where symmetry mates won’t display…at all…? Even with the master switch toggled on? Anyone….? I miss my functioning Coot 0.9 and Xquartz😭😭😭
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
🤔
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
I'm sorry to hear about the emotional whiplash, but great news, especially in this environment!!
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
This work was a fantastic collaboration with Marianna Patrauchan's lab at Oklahoma State and Kelly Chacón's lab at Reed College. Their contributions were invaluable--look forward for more on this topic soon :)
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Alexander's paper out now Nature Communications revealing how the regulator BqsR controls Fe²⁺ acquisition in P. aeruginosa, including structural characterization of BqsR & the discovery that it directly binds Fe²⁺, a previously unknown mechanism for these bacterial regulators! tinyurl.com/233vyumr
nature.com
The response regulator BqsR/CarR controls Fe2+ acquisition in Pseudomonas aeruginosa - Nature Communications
The BqsRS two-component system regulates biofilms in the infectious pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Here, the authors show that the global response regulator BqsR controls Fe2+ acquisition in PAO1 th...
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N End Rules @n-end-rules.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
New preprint: In collaboration with @yorgsvicen.bsky.social we show metacaspase9 and ATE N-degron pathway-dependent proteoform stability act to diversify UBP6 function during plant immunity www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Functional diversification of UBP6 in plant immunity through N‑degron pathway regulation
Deubiquitylases are key proteolytic regulators of ubiquitin-dependent cellular processes, catalyzing the removal or remodelling of ubiquitin modifications on substrate proteins, including those target...
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
static.klipy.com
Man Causes Own Bike Fall Meme
ALT: Man Causes Own Bike Fall Meme
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SBGrid Consortium @sbgrid.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Kicking Arsenic to the Curb: a paper from the labs of Douglas Reese & Bill Clemons of @caltech.edu that describe cryo-EM structure of a bacterial metalloid pump & the mechanisms that could offer more insight into ridding environments of toxic metalloids. Read more here: buff.ly/dnyw7U1 #SBGrid
buff.ly
Kicking Arsenic to the Curb
This publication highlight is part of the SBGrid Communities Project focused on science education and demonstrating how structural biology…
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trisre.bsky.social @trisre.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
1/ Happy to share our preprint! The Mtr complex catalyses the second-to-last step of the methanogenesis and is an essential bioenergetic machine in most methanogenic archaea. Anaerobic cryo-EM of Mtr reveals a nitrogenase-like metallocluster bound at its active site! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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mchanggroup.bsky.social @mchanggroup.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
New paper led by postdoc @yannikipouros.bsky.social is out today in Nature! We show how metal coordination mining of AlphaFold reveals dozens of new radical halogenase families, including the promiscuous biocatalyst BtnX. #enzymes #bioinformatics #biocatalysis #secmet www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Targeted enzyme discovery using metal-coordination mining - Nature
A methodology for mining protein structure databases on the basis of the distinct intrinsic structures of metal-binding active sites in enzymes enables the discovery of new families of radical halogen...
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Also LOL for @bsky.app putting an "adult" label on the statue of David picture 🙃
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
I have been ignoring reality recently due to a much-needed vacation (I swear--see the pictures!), but lots to catch up on, and lots of exciting and positive announcements coming soon! Perhaps the first to say I'm no longer "assisting" and also no longer "associating" but now just "professing"? 😁
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Daumann Lab @daumannl.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
A [Cu-4Fe-4S] cluster? Yep, you read that right! We report a new bioinorganic motif in an acetol dehydrogenase and characterized it with our wonderful collaborators from @ribesresearch.bsky.social @lmu.de @cutsail-lab.bsky.social @ksgchem.bsky.social @mpi-mr.bsky.social @hhu.de 🧪 #chemsky
View of an iron sulfur cluster with an additional metal ion. Copper as copper-colored sphere, Iron as silver sphere, and sulfur as yellow spheres. Protein backbone indicated as golden tubes
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bioRxiv Biochemistry @biorxiv-biochem.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
An Unprecedented [Cu 4Fe 4S] Cluster in a Methanotroph Acetol Dehydrogenase www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
All those Zn sites secretly harboring [Fe-S] clusters!! 🤔😁
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Thomas Arnesen @natmachinery.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Structure of the E3 ligase CRL2ZYG11B with substrates reveals the molecular basis for N-degron recognition and ubiquitination. @ispt-proteinterm.bsky.social @cp-cellreports.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell-reports...
cell.com
Structure of the E3 ligase CRL2ZYG11B with substrates reveals the molecular basis for N-degron recognition and ubiquitination
Liu et al. define how the CRL2ZYG11B ubiquitin ligase assembles and recognizes Gly/N-degron substrates by cryo-EM. Structures with an NLRP1 Gly/N-degron and SARS-CoV-2 ORF10 reveal extended substrate-...
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Science Magazine @science.org · 29/05/2026
The White House today announced it plans to make major changes in how the U.S. government manages research funding. scim.ag/43HgW4s
scim.ag
White House seeks to tighten political oversight of grantmaking
Sweeping proposed rule, now open for comments, would also restrict foreign collaborations and remove federal funding for open-access fees
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MiTeGen @mitegen.com · 29/05/2026
Attention Advanced Light Source Users - Are you prepared for the upcoming 6 month shutdown period? We can help you find alternative beamlines for your research and equip you with the tools you need for their use - Learn more zurl.co/ChPy9 #beamline
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Graduation time!!
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ACS BIOL: Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology @acsbiol.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Applications for grad student and postdoc travel awards to #ACSFall2026 due tomorrow! tiny.cc/BIOLTravelFa... More info: www.divbiolchem.org/awards/stude...
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
That box o' joe is probably doing some heavy lifting today!
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Lazy Sundays…
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Try J Mol Biol … but I’m biased ;)
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Beth Cimini 🔬💻📊 @bethcimini.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
The Cimini lab is hiring for both postdocs and interns! The postdoc role will cover bioimage analysis projects and educational material creation; the intern will be working on our Bilayers project for helping distribute and access deep learning tools for bioimage analysis. Click below to learn more!
forum.image.sc
Postdoctoral Associate and Data Science Intern roles - Broad Institute, Cambridge MA USA
The Broad Institute Imaging Platform (the team behind CellProfiler, Piximi, and Bilayers) is currently hiring for postdoctoral and intern roles! Postdoc role: we are looking for 1-2 candidates who ha...
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Durham County Department of Public Health (DCoDPH) @durhamhealthnc.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Happy #StarWarsDay to all who celebrate! Check out this 1970s CDC poster that’s just as relevant today! If your kids aren’t up to date on vaccines, call their doctor or call us at 919-560-7608 to get them scheduled today.
R2D2 and C3PO on a poster that says “parents of earth, are your children fully immunized? Make sure - call your doctor or health department to day, and may the force be with you
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
Annie Karenina An American Sad Story Modest Expectations The Grapes of Indignation 🤭
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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Lab members discussing great science at #FCBIS2026 at U Del!!
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