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MCB statement on solidarity with Asian American communities

2021-03-22

The MCB community stands together in denouncing all acts of hate against Asians and Asian Americans, just as we denounce all acts of intolerance and hate within and outside our MCB community. We stand in solidarity with our Asian and Asian American colleagues against the forces of intolerance and...

Deciphering the impacts of small RNA interactions in individual bacterial cells

2021-03-10

Bacteria employ many different strategies to regulate gene expression in response to fluctuating, often stressful, conditions in their environments. One type of regulation involves non-coding RNA molecules called small RNAs (sRNAs), which are found in all domains of life. A new study by researchers...

New study identifies culprit behind onion rot: the chemical pantaphos, which is toxic to some brain cancer cells, could also have biomedical applications

2021-03-09

Since 1983, the bacteria Pantoea ananatis has been known to infect several important crops including onions, rice, and corn. It was unclear, however, what molecules were involved. A new study, published in mBio, has identified one of the culprits: pantaphos. Intriguingly, the researchers have...

Division of labor within regenerating liver maintains metabolism, mouse study finds

2021-03-02

The liver has a rare superpower among body organs – the ability to regenerate, even if 70% of its mass is removed. It also keeps up its metabolic and toxin-removing work during the process of regeneration, thanks to a subset of cells that expand their workload while the rest focus on multiplication...

Chris Brooke on The 21st radio show: New variants, vaccines and the future of COVID-19

2021-03-01

Chris Brooke, assistant professor of microbiology, recently spoke with The 21st public radio show about what scientists know about the virus that causes COVID-19, the emerging variants, and what they still have to learn.

Researchers examine the biological role of epigenetic regulator Brd4 in inflammasome activation

2021-02-24

Flat lay shot of three eggs in a container that can hold up to four.

Inflammasomes play a critical role in the innate cellular immune response to pathogen infection. The inflammasome, a cytosolic multiprotein complex, recognizes substrates produced during infection or tissue damage, and triggers an inflammatory response by releasing the proinflammatory cytokine IL-...

Belmont Lab offers new insights on nuclear speckles, improved mapping method

2021-02-23

Exterior shot of the School of MCB's Chemical & Life Sciences Building during summertime.

In a new publication, University of Illinois PhD graduate Liguo Zhang of the Belmont laboratory and colleagues introduce an improved version of TSA-seq and use it to demonstrate how changes in gene association with nuclear speckles correlate with changes in gene expression.

Cronan lab uncovers mechanism for synthesis of pimelate moiety, the biotin precursor

2021-02-22

Professor John. E. Cronan, Microbiology Alumni Professor and professor of biochemistry at the University of Illinois, is a leading researcher and innovator in the field of lipid metabolism. His recent work focuses on the synthesis of biotin and its building blocks across different species of...

Cari Vanderpool elected Fellow of American Academy of Microbiology

2021-02-18

Congratulations to Cari Vanderpool, professor of microbiology, who was recently elected a fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology.

Wu and collaborators develop new molecules which attack the virus that causes COVID-19 and resist 'escape' mutations

2021-02-15

An international team of researchers including Nicholas Wu, a professor in the Department of Biochemistry, has published a new study which developed highly potent molecules that can neutralize SARS-CoV-2 by simultaneously targeting multiple sites of vulnerability on the virus.

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