MB&B Department News and Notes
Please visit our club pages and follow MB&B on Instagram (@wes_mbb) for the latest news on department events!
The Wesleyan Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry is thrilled to welcome Professor Oriana Fisher as the newest member of the MB&B Faculty!
Professor Fisher double majored in Biochemistry and English at Brandeis University, where her interest in structural biology was sparked while working in Prof. Greg Petsko and Prof. Dagmar Ringe’s joint laboratory. After graduating from Brandeis, she went on to receive her PhD from Yale University. As a graduate student, she worked in Prof. Titus Boggon’s laboratory where she studied the structure and function of cerebral cavernous malformations 2 (CCM2), a protein in which mutations have been implicated in neurovascular disease. She subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University, where she worked in Prof. Amy Rosenzweig’s laboratory studying copper-dependent proteins produced by methane-oxidizing bacteria. Before coming to Wesleyan, she was on the faculty of the chemistry department at Lehigh University.
The Fisher lab investigates how bacteria respond and adapt to changes in their environments. We use a variety of complementary approaches spanning X-ray crystallography, bioinorganic chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, and microbiology to investigate metal usage and enzyme mechanisms. Our longer-term goals are to harness our findings to develop novel treatments for bacterial infections.
Please join us in welcoming Professor Fisher to MB&B!
Congratulations to MB&B Professor Amy MacQueen! Professor MacQueen is joining GENETICS as a senior editor in the Genome Integrity and Transmission Section. Read about Professor MacQueen's work and appointment here on the Genes to Genomes Blog.
The Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry is proud to congratulate Eric Sakkas, MB&B Class of 2024, on acheiving University Honors. University Honors are awarded to less than 1% of the graduating class each year, and is the highest academic honor that Wesleyan bestows. Well done and many congratulations on this impressive honor, Eric!
Congratulations to the MB&B 2024 Department Prize Winners!
Read the full list here
Well done to the class of 2024!
The Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry proudly celebrates the following MB&B Majors in the Class of 2024, who have been elected to Wesleyan University's Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.
- Ari Frankel Hart
- Emma Eileen Johnston
- Brianna Meiko Mark
- Mikoto Angelina Nakamura
- Alexis Sophia Papavasiliou
- Sara Maria Ptaszynska
- Michael F. Quinteros
Congratulations from the whole MB&B Department!
Wesleyan's chapter of SACNAS, led by Professor Teresita Padilla-Benavides, was featured this month in The Wesleyan Connection! Read the whole article here: Wesleyan SACNAS Chapter Helping to Prepare Next Generation of Scientists
Below, Wesleyan SACNAS members Jaime Carrazco-Carrillo (MB&B-PhD candidate) and Michael Quinteros (MB&B '24) lead a science demonstration for local elementary school students.
Antonio Rivera, Wesleyan Class of 2026 and a member of Padilla Lab, was recently featured in an article on the ASMBM website highlighting the recipients of the ASBMB 2023 Marion B. Sewer Distinguished Scholarship for Undergraduates! You can find the article here. Congratulations Antonio!
Please join the MB&B department in congratulating Julissa Cruz Bautista '25, MB&B and CIS Major, Etson Lab Member and SACNAS chapter secretary and Antonio Rivera '26, Padilla Lab member. Julissa and Antonio have both received full travel awards to attend to the 2023 SACNAS National meeting in Portland, where they will represent Wesleyan this fall. Well done Julissa and Antonio!
On August 18th, 2023, MB&B graduate student Lorencia Chigweshe successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis in front of a live and virtual crowd of colleagues, family and friends. Many Congratulations Dr. Chigweshe!
Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Tere Padilla-Benevides has been selected as a member of the ASBMB Maximizing Access Committee (MAC). Congratulations to Professor Padilla on this important three year appointment! For more information about the ASBMB, visit their website here.
- MB&B 2023 Department Prizes
Congratulations to the MB&B 2023 Prize Winners!
Read the full list here
Well done to the class of 2023!
- Wesleyan MB&B Professor Tere Padilla Benevides profiled in Conexión Cinvestav
Wesleyan MB&B Professor Tere Padilla Benevides was recently profiled in the Conexión Cinvestav of The Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute. Read the profile here.
- Congratulations to Rachel Nguyen, '23, Inducted to Phi Beta Kappa
Congratulations to MB&B's Phi Beta Kappa Spring 2023 Inductee!
Please join the MB&B department to offer congratulations to senior major Minh Chau Rachel
Nguyen, elected to Wesleyan University's Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Spring 2023!
- congratulations to Michael Quinteros '24, Category Winner in the ASBMB 27th Annual Undergraduate Poster Competition
Big congratulations to Michael Quinteros '24, Category Winner in the ASBMB 27th Annual Undergraduate Poster Competition in the category of Proteins: Structure, Function and Biophysics.
Michael presented his work on the mitochondrial Cu transporter PiC2, which was published in Frontiers last year.
Well done Michael!
- Professor Tere Padilla-Benavides featured by the Mexican Consulate
Congratulations to Professor Tere Padilla-Benavides who has been featured in a note by the Mexican Consulate of Boston in their social media. Click here to see the post on the Consulate's Facebook page.
- WING Talk: Dr. Henry Meriki, Public Health Microbiologist: A Cameroonian Scholar's Personal and Professional Journey Through Uncertain Times
Dr. Henry Meriki, Public Health Microbiologist: A Cameroonian Scholar's Personal and Professional Journey Through Uncertain Times
Thursday, March 30th 4:30 - 5:30 Fisk 121
Dr. Meriki is a Public Health Microbiologist professor from the University of Buea, Cameroon. In 2021, he joined the Wesleyan faculty with the Scholar at Risk Program, which preserves global academic freedom by arranging short-term research and teaching positions to temporarily protect scholars during periods of unrest at home that threaten their lives, liberty, and well-being.
Join the Wesleyan International News Group (WING) to speak with Dr. Meriki and learn more about the Scholar Rescue Fund which supports this program, and the current conflict in Cameroon.
Snacks will be provided!
- Congratulations to our Phi Beta Kappa Fall 2022 Inductees!
Please join the MB&B department to offer congratulations to senior majors Edrea Jiang, Aidan Jones, and Eleanor Kaplan, elected to Wesleyan University's Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Fall 2022!
- Fa’alataitaua Fitisemanu '24 was awarded for his poster presentation
- Jaime Carrazco-Carrillo was selected to participate in the 2022 SACNAS pre-conference 1st annual C.O.L.O.R. retreat in Puerto Rico
LatinX in STEM | Hispanic Heritage Month runs September 15-October 15, 2022New on the Inclusion in STEM blog! A profile of MB&B graduate student Jaime Carrazco-CarrilloJaime was selected to participate in the 2022 SACNAS pre-conference 1st annual C.O.L.O.R. retreat to be held this month in Puerto Rico.I'm the first Mexican—not even Mexican, the first Spanish speaker—in the MB&B grad school. So I didn't have anyone with a similar experience as me. SACNAS for me is really a place where I can talk with people. They have the same issues as me, pronunciation-wise, they [have trouble] understanding some sayings in English and everything. And also English in science is a little bit trickier for me compared to normal English speakers. ... I want to get enough building ground here in SACNAS when I come back after the conference, get it to grow, and when I leave, it stays growing and healthy [so it] can still help people from any background and whoever needs it.”Read the full profile: https://inclusion.research.wesleyan.edu/2022/10/06/jaime-carrazco-carrillo/
- Wesleyan has a new student chapter of the Biophysical Society
Wesleyan has a new student chapter of the Biophysical Society, with membership available to undergraduate and graduate students.
Complete this google form to join the mailing list.
- Michael Quinteros '24 co-author on paper published in Frontiers
Michael is in Prof. Padilla-Benavides lab and secretary/treasurer or the newly formed Wesleyan student chapter of the Biophysical Society.
Surface tension of model tissues during malignant transformation and epithelial–mesenchymal transition
Epithelial–mesenchymal transition is associated with migration, invasion, and metastasis. The translation at the tissue scale of these changes has not yet been enlightened while being essential in the understanding of tumor progression. Thus, biophysical tools dedicated to measurements on model tumor systems are needed to reveal the impact of epithelial–mesenchymal transition at the collective cell scale. Herein, using an original biophysical approach based on magnetic nanoparticle insertion inside cells, we formed and flattened multicellular aggregates to explore the consequences of the loss of the metastasis suppressor NME1 on the mechanical properties at the tissue scale. Multicellular spheroids behave as viscoelastic fluids, and their equilibrium shape is driven by surface tension as measured by their deformation upon magnetic field application. In a model of breast tumor cells genetically modified for NME1, we correlated tumor invasion, migration, and adhesion modifications with shape maintenance properties by measuring surface tension and exploring both invasive and migratory potential as well as adhesion characteristics.
- Congratulations to our class of '22 award winners!
- Congratulations to our Spring PBK Inductees!
Congratulations Amy Du, Isabella Gibaldi, and Jackson Goldman elected to Wesleyan University's Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in Spring 2022!
Please join us in congratulating our majors!
- Lunch with our visiting scholar, Henry Meriki
- Congratulations to our PBK Inductee R. Shaquille Bowie!
Congratulations R. Shaquille Bowie, elected to Wesleyan University's Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in Fall 2021! Shaq is a double major in Molecular Biology & Biochemistry and the College of Integrative Sciences. He is conducting research in Professor Olson's lab.
Please join us in congratulating Shaq!
- SACNAS Creates Space for Underrepresented Communities in STEM
Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry Teresita Padilla-Benavides founded a University chapter of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) in July 2020 to provide a space for underrepresented groups involved in STEM. SACNAS is a nationwide organization that has been around for several decades, with chapters providing mentorship and volunteer opportunities for undergraduate students and professionals.
- Undergraduate SACNAS students publish paper in the journal Frontiers in Education
Wesleyan undergrads Lily Barnes, Joshua Grajales, and Jocelyn Velasquez Baez, along with faculty representative Teresita Padilla-Benavides and her colleague Daniel Hidalgo (UMASS Medical School), published a paper on diversity in the journal Frontiers in Education.
Abstract
Undergraduate students from historically underrepresented groups (URG) in institutions of higher education with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers often lack the support, resources, and community necessary to succeed in their desired fields. Through mentoring, webinars, seminars, and various research presentation opportunities, national societies and “locally-based” institutional student chapters provide atmospheres in which URG undergraduates can develop the skills required for academic and professional careers in STEM. In addition, national societies and student chapters contribute to outreach activities aimed towards the public in order to foster interest in STEM, as well as to primary and secondary school students to help them develop competency in skills and areas that lead to successful STEM careers. While many of these societies have operated for decades, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be an unexpected roadblock, creating difficulties in terms of maintaining community dynamics and overcoming limits on in-person meetings. Though the conditions were challenging, they allowed for new perspectives on problem-solving in the face of adversity. The pandemic promoted the development of creative ways by which institutions and national societies could continue to educate students virtually. In this review, we discuss the role of national societies and student chapters in providing URG students with resources and skills to succeed in STEM fields while incorporating them into a community of like-minded peers with similar experiences.
You can read their paper here:
- Five MB&B Majors accepted to ASBMB Honors Society
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) inducted 30 new members into its Honors Society this August, including five past and present MB&B Majors:
- Nour-Saïda Harzallah '21
- Han Beom (Jack) Kwon '21, current BA/MA student
- Shawn H. Lin, current senior
- Alex Poppel '21, current BA/MA student
- Maya Vaishnaw '21
You can read more about their studies and accomplishments on the ASBMB webpage. Congratulations!
- FASEB Publishes Review from Padilla-Benavides Lab
The molecular and cellular basis of copper dysregulation and its relationship with human pathologies
Cell development and differentiation require lineage specific mechanisms by which cells initiate programs of gene expression. In normal conditions, lineage determination involves activation of genes that are transcriptionally silent by specific transcription factors, chromatin remodelers, coactivators, and other lineage specific molecules. Skeletal muscle differentiation is an excellent model for studying fundamental principles of tissue-specific gene expression and differentiation as there is a significant understanding of mechanisms controlling myogenic-specific gene expression. However, emerging evidence shows a novel category of Copper (Cu)-binding factors that may have a previously unappreciated direct impact in the regulation of myoblast proliferation and differentiation.
Cu is an essential trace metal that serves as a catalytic co-factor for a wide variety of enzymatic reactions that play critical roles in life. Cu deficiency and overload leads to pathophysiological conditions including Menkes and Wilson’s diseases, neutropenia, impaired iron absorption, peripheral neuropathy, mitochondrial deficiencies and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Therefore, the mechanisms for Cu distribution and usage in different tissues and organs, as well as the consequences due to dysregulated Cu acquisition, are important to human health. Limited information is available regarding Cu and Cu-binding factors and their mechanisms of action in myogenesis and most developmental processes. We propose to elucidate novel mechanisms of gene regulation that drive muscle differentiation and development and that are dependent on copper and Cu-binding transcription factors. We propose integrative studies that combine diverse molecular, biochemical and spectroscopic techniques to characterize novel molecular mechanisms by which Cu-binding factors regulate myogenic differentiation. We propose a novel model where Cu controls myogenesis by activating Cu-TFs that may act synchronously, either by acting on different promoters at the same time or by acting sequentially at different stages of differentiation, or both. Our experiments will identify new components and mechanisms for mammalian Cu-binding factors in the regulation of lineage-specific gene expression. Our studies also will establish a basis for understanding muscular diseases related to aberrant Cu biology using well-characterized mouse models for Menkes and Wilson’s diseases. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that drive lineage specific gene expression dependent on Cu will greatly advance our knowledge of several Cu-related diseases.Contact PD/PI: Padilla-Benavides, Teresita - Two MB&B Majors Recive ASBMB Research Award
Two MB&B Majors Recive ASBMB Research Award
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology awarded Lily Barnes '22 (working with Professor Padilla-Benavides) and Amy Du '23 (wrking with Professor Mukerji) the 2021 ASBMB Undergraduate Research Award. Congratulations! You can read more about their projects below:
- Lily Barnes Research Statement
- Amy Du Research Statement
- Congratulations Class of 2021!
Congratulations Class of 2021!
Congratutlations to all our majors! The MB&B Prize list is available here.
- Lin ’22 Wins Poster Awards at Two Conferences
Lin ’22 Wins Poster Awards at Two Conferences
During the 65th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting held virtually Feb. 22–26, 2021 Shawn H. Lin '22 was honored with an Undergraduate Poster Award for his work on "Elucidation of Interactions Between Integration Host Factor and a DNA Four-Way Junction." Lin, a Wesleyan Freeman Scholar, is among only six undergraduate students internationally to receive the award.
Lin won a second award from the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, announced April 28, 2021, in the category of DNA, Chromosomes and Gene Regulation.
Lin's advisors are Ishita Mukerji, Fisk Professor of Natural Science, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, and Candice Etson, assistant professor of physics. You can see the poster on Wesleyan's blog here.
- Professors Mukerji and Oliver Participate in Vaccination Webinar
Professors Mukerji and Oliver Participate in Vaccination Webinar
The University hosted a webinar titled “Why Get Vaccinated? A Conversation and Q&A with Wesleyan’s experts” on Monday, March 15. You can watch the full presentation here.
Read the write up on the Wesleyan Blog: Wesleyan Experts Explore Benefits of Vaccination
Read the write up in the Wesleyan Argus: University Staff and Faculty Host Webinar to Discuss COVID-19 Vaccinations
- Socially Distanced Science
Curious about how a hybrid science class works? Along with teaching assistants, Professor Michelle Murolo is teaching Principles of Biology—both over Zoom and in a socially distanced lab. Hear from Professor Murolo and students about the unique way they are experiencing class this fall.
- Welcome Professor Teresita Padilla-Benavides
Welcome Professor Teresita Padilla-Benavides
When Assistant Professor of Molecular Biochemistry and Biology Teresita Padilla-Benavides moved from Mexico City to the United States, one of the things that struck her most was the ‘If you see something, say something’ campaign signs.
“For me, coming from Mexico City, it was like, no-- if you see something, you stay quiet or you get fired or something worse could happen,” she said. “You can imagine, as a teenage girl, you’d be terrified, right? We would never ever speak up.” [Profile by Sophie Wazlowski | Read More] - SACNAS Scholarship Awarded to Julia Kan '22
SACNAS Scholarship Awarded to Julia Kan '22
Please join Professor Padilla-Benavides in congratulating Julia Kan, recipient of a scholarships awarded by SACNAS to present her summer/fall project at the national conference in October.
- Congratulations Class of 2020!
Please join us in congratulating the class of 2020!
This Spring was like none other and we are so proud of your hard work and achievement at Wesleyan!!
Congratulations to all MB&B 2020 Majors and Graduate Program Prize Recipients!