Molecular Cellular And Integrative Biosciences News | Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences

A new study has described a potential mechanism that could help explain why some proteins refold in a different pattern than expected. The research showed that a type of misfolding, called non-covalent lasso entanglement, in which the proteins incorrectly intertwine their segments, can occur and create a barrier to the normal folding process. The image shows the native folded structure of the protein phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) on the left and one of the misfolded PGK structures predicted in this study on the right, with the entangled regions highlighted in red and blue. Credit: Provided by Yang Jiang / Penn State. Creative Commons

Mar 17, 2025

Protein accidentally lassos itself, helping explain unusual refolding behavior

New study demonstrates a potential protein misfolding mechanism that could solve a decades-old mystery of why some proteins refold in a different pattern than expected.

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On March 25, Erika Ganda, an assistant professor in Penn State’s Department of Animal Science, will discuss via Zoom how microbes in animals, people and the environment are interconnected through a concept known as “One Health.” The lecture is part of the Penn State Alumni Association's Virtual Speaker Series. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Mar 17, 2025

Virtual lecture to explore the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems

On March 25, Erika Ganda, an assistant professor in Penn State’s Department of Animal Science, will discuss via Zoom how microbes in animals, people and the environment are interconnected through a concept known as “One Health.” The lecture is part of the Penn State Alumni Association's Virtual Speaker Series.

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Nazifa Tabassum, left, and Katie Yan will speak at ENVISION: STEM Career Day Supporting Young Women on March 29. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Mar 17, 2025

Graduate students to present their journeys in science

Graduate students Nazifa Tabassum and Katie Yan are this year's I AM STEM contest winners. They will serve at this year's keynote speakers for ENVISION on Saturday, March 29, where they will share their experiences in STEM and provide advice to middle school and high school students eager to get involved as scientists.

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Mar 14, 2025

Plant biologist awarded the Masatoshi Nei Innovation Prize in Biology

Sarah Assmann, Waller Professor of Plant Biology at Penn State, has been awarded the Masatoshi Nei Innovation Prize in Biology. The award was established through a generous gift from Masatoshi Nei, professor emeritus of biology at Penn State; Laura Carnell, professor of biology at Temple University; and Nei’s wife, Nobuko Nei. The prize is intended to recognize a preeminent scientist who is on the faculty at Penn State, is an innovator in their field, and has achieved outstanding scientific research and leadership in the biological sciences.

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The new method may eventually help give insight into why bee populations are declining overall, according to the researchers. Credit: Adonyi Gábor/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Mar 12, 2025

Analyzing genetic ‘signatures’ may give insight into what stresses wild bees

A new method of examining gene expression patterns called landscape transcriptomics may help pinpoint what causes bumble bees stress and could eventually give insight into why bee populations are declining overall.

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Credit: Courtesy of the Bisanz Lab / Penn State. Creative Commons

Mar 04, 2025

Synthetic microbiome therapy suppresses bacterial infection without antibiotics

Precise, targeted treatment using limited strains of gut bacteria effectively protected against C. difficile infection, severe symptoms and recurrent infections in mice.

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Environmental contaminants don’t just pose direct risks to human health — they may also have hidden effects through the microbiome that researchers are working to uncover. Credit: Brenna Buck. All Rights Reserved.

Mar 03, 2025

'Growing Impact' discusses environmental contaminants, human health

The latest episode of Growing Impact discusses how environmental contaminants affect human health, a research focus for Penn State professors Andrew Patterson and Costas Maranas.

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Pennsylvania’s native bumble bee queens are particularly vulnerable to outside pressures, such as harsh winters, according to the researchers. Credit: Sandy Millar/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Feb 26, 2025

The complex effects of pesticide exposure on bumble bee health

The effects of pesticide exposure on pollinator health may be more complicated than originally thought, according to a team of researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences who recently published an article on the topic in Biology Letters.

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Feb 24, 2025

Penn State to establish Animal Diagnostic Lab-West

With $6 million in state funding, the new facility, to be located at Penn State Beaver, will enhance animal health and support for animal agriculture in western Pennsylvania.

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New research lends insight into the regulatory control of gene expression in the deadliest of the malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum, and provides opportunities for the development of new therapeutic approaches against the disease. PfSnf2L, in red, is an essential malaria parasite protein for developing from the asexual ring to the sexual transmission stage — shown at top with the arrow illustrating the trajectory of various stages of sexual development. When the PfSnf2L enzyme is inhibited by the small molecule, NH125, in green, this leads to disordered DNA packaging. Changes in DNA packaging with active — the white line — and inactive PfSnf2L enzyme — the blue line — are depicted. When the DNA packaging is disrupted, the necessary information for parasite development can no longer be read out and the malaria parasites die thereby blocking transmission. Credit: Längst and Kannan Venugopal/Marti laboratory. All Rights Reserved.

Feb 20, 2025

Disrupting parasite gene regulation reveals new malaria intervention strategy

Malaria's deadliest parasite relies on precise gene regulation to survive. A new multinational study, including Penn State scientists, reveals key insights into these control mechanisms.

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