iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

umasschan-bmb.bsky.social @umasschan-bmb.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

🧪 DISCOVERY! A new oligonucleotide inhibitor of APOBEC3A with single-digit nanomolar Ki was developed by BMB members, @jwattsgroup.bsky.social , and others! Check it out in @narjournal.bsky.social pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40156866/

schematic of publication results titled "next generation apobec3 oligonucleotide inhibitors." Shows how changing sequences and backbones increases potency, stability against nucleases, and activity in cells.

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umasschan-bmb.bsky.social @umasschan-bmb.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

🧪 Looking to gain a fundamental understanding of the field of paternal inheritance and sperm epigenetics? Check out this review by @epididymosome.bsky.social pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40163890/

A figure from the linked manuscript. A mating scheme between a control female and control male, and then control female and high-fat diet male is shown. F1 offpsring of high-fat diet male mice are known to have altered phenotypes in glucose control, anxiety behaviors, xenobiotic resistance, immune functions, and others.

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umasschan-bmb.bsky.social @umasschan-bmb.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

✅ ID new citrullination site in NF-kB p65 ✅ Show macrophage polarization is decreased when citrullination enzyme PAD2 is gone ✅ Develop a nanomedicine: gold nanoparticles + PAD2 inhibitor + ICAM-1 ✅ Show reduction of inflammation in acute lung injury syndrome 🧪 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40087815/

a complex infographic showing the proposed mechanism of action for the nanomedicine developed in this publication. in untreated cells, treatment with LPS increases ICAM-1 expression while simultaneously activating nfkb p65 signaling (this process is partly regulated by citrullination enzyme PAD2). in treated cells, the nanomedicine (covered in ICAM-1 antibodies) binds to ICAM-1 and is taken up by the cell. a PAD2 inhibitor is released inside the cell and reduces PAD2 activity, which therefore reduces nfkb p65 signaling.

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umasschan-bmb.bsky.social @umasschan-bmb.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

🧪 Finally!!! A single-cell atlas of the mouse seminal vesicle!!! (seriously though, it just might be the last major mammalian organ to undergo single cell sequencing). Check it out! pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40036847/#fu... @arturmansl.bsky.social @anashin.bsky.social @epididymosome.bsky.social

a scatter plot showing the relationships between all the cells sequenced from the adult mouse seminal vesicle. major cell groupings include the secretory epithelium, basal cells, stroma, macrophages, and endothelial cells, among others.

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umasschan-bmb.bsky.social @umasschan-bmb.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

🧪 Working to develop #drugs to treat #chikungunya ? Check out new fluorogenic substrates that help read out viral protease activity, developed by @tulsiupadhyay.bsky.social @westberglab.com @eunayoo.bsky.social @michaelzlin.bsky.social et al! pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39981948/

a figure from a scientific paper depicting the fluorescent reporter assay for chikungunya virus protease activity. in places where the protease is inactive, there will be no fluorescent signal due to the physical proximity of the quencher and the donor (linked by a peptide substrate). where the protease is active, the peptide substrate will be cleaved and will free the donor from the influence of the quencher and thus produce a fluorescent signal upon excitation.

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Reposted by @umasschan-bmb.bsky.social

UMass Chan Medical School @umasschan.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Sean Ryder, PhD, professor of biochemistry & molecular biotechnology, makes the case for NIH funding in this editorial: direc.to/mMoW “Gutting the NIH will harm those who stand to benefit from new, lifesaving therapies derived from NIH-funded research.” #NIHfunding @umasschan-bmb.bsky.social

direc.to

Opinion/Guest column: Gutting NIH a disaster in the making for research, local economy

Less research equates to less business between the university and these Worcester companies, spreading the pain far beyond campus borders.

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Reposted by @umasschan-bmb.bsky.social

PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 19/02/2025

#Transposons are parasitic genetic elements that act as raw material for evolution of new functions. @briankelch.bsky.social &co show that the capsid of the #virus-derived retrotransposon Copia mediates synaptic plasticity at the #Drosophila neuromuscular junction 🧪 @plosbiology.org plos.io/3X71IDa

Left: A Drosophila neuromuscular junction with a reduced expression of the retrotransposon Copia, resulting in an expansion of synaptic material (Green = motor neuron, Red = anti-Copia, and Blue = postsynaptic marker). Right: The Copia capsid structure as determined by Cryo-EM. Image credits: laboratories of Travis Thomson and Brian Kelch.

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umasschan-bmb.bsky.social @umasschan-bmb.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

Check out this video (not ours) to learn more about what indirect costs (F&A costs) are and why they MUST be preserved. Then please contact your representatives to protect funding for science and healthcare! #science #research #indirectcosts #nih www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxTD...

youtube.com

Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Costs Explainer

YouTube video by Association of American Universities

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