MCB researchers uncover a novel mechanism of STAT3 activation in cancer

Pallob Barai and Reean Abdullah at the lab bench
One day, on assignment researching non-canonical functions of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases — housekeeping enzymes essential for protein synthesis — Pallob Barai noticed an intriguing pattern.“A particular AARS enzyme, TARS1, was found to be correlated with poor patient survival in different cancers,...

MCB scientists’ discovery begets new insights into cancer tumor growth

Song and Prasanth
New research from the K.V. Prasanth lab, in collaboration with scientists across the University of Illinois and other institutions, has revealed that gene positioning near nuclear speckles — key nuclear domains that promote gene expression — along with the mechanistic functions of the non-coding...

MCB undergrads flourish in federal work-study CREW program

CREW Students
Ask any scientist and they’ll tell you what a joy it is to discover something they didn’t know they didn’t know. “The best parts of science tend to be serendipitous,” said the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology’s Jhewelle Fitz-Henley. “The things that you find out, you’re like, ‘I did not...

The mystery of schistosomes: Q&A with parasitologist Jim Collins

A man in a blue sweater smiles in front of a brightly-colored background
Jim Collins’ research isn’t for the faint of heart — or stomach. “We don’t talk about it at the dinner table,” he laughed. Collins, a parasitologist who conducted his postdoctoral work at the University of Illinois, studies parasitic flatworms known as schistosomes. These parasites have caused...

Researchers identify key regulators underlying regeneration in Drosophila

Drosophila wing courtesy of the Smith-Bolton lab
Some animals possess the remarkable ability to regenerate lost structures, exemplified by a lizard regrowing its tail. However, this regenerative process must be tightly regulated by the body to ensure proper tissue organization and to prevent abnormal growths, such as cancer. Yet, the precise...