Kathy Carlson was awarded the UAMS Graduate School Administrative Appreciation Award for 2023-2024 for her dedicated commitment to graduate students and faculty. Kathy is the education coordinator for the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department. Congratulations!
Congratulations to 10th grade Pulaski Academy high school students Akshara Chevireddy and Nyera Ali and their University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences mentor, Dr. Reine Protacio. Nyera and Akshara won two prestigious awards for their research project on DNA sites that help to position meiotic recombination in the genome. They earned second place in the Senior Division, Microbiology section of the 2024 Central Arkansas Regional Science Fair, which was held on March 1 at the University of Arkansas Little Rock. They subsequently earned second place at the state-wide Arkansas State Science Fair, which was held at the University of Central Arkansas on March 29 and 30. Akshara and Nyera conducted their award-winning research in the laboratory of Dr. Wayne Wahls in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UAMS. This research and training opportunity was supported in part by a research project grant (GM145834) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at the National Institutes of Health.
DNA sequences and distinct mechanisms for ura4-595 and ura4-294 alleles of S. pombe.
Protacio RU, Malone EG, Wahls WP.
MicroPubl Biol. 2024
Anti-apoptotic MCL-1 promotes long-chain fatty acid oxidation through interaction with ACSL1.
Wright T, Turnis ME, Grace CR, Li X, Brakefield LA, Wang YD, Xu H, Kaminska E, Climer LK, Mukiza TO, Chang CL, Moldoveanu T, Opferman JT.
Mol Cell. 2024
One-pot method for preparing DNA, RNA, and protein for multiomics analysis.
Biedka S, Alkam D, Washam CL, Yablonska S, Storey A, Byrum SD, Minden JS.
Commun Biol. 2024
Molecular, Metabolic, and Subcellular Mapping of the Tumor Immune Microenvironment via 3D Targeted and Non-Targeted Multiplex Multi-Omics Analyses.
Ferri-Borgogno S, Burks JK, Seeley EH, McKee TD, Stolley DL, Basi AV, Gomez JA, Gamal BT, Ayyadhury S, Lawson BC, Yates MS, Birrer MJ, Lu KH, Mok SC.
Cancers (Basel). 2024
Trichloroethylene metabolite modulates DNA methylation-dependent gene expression in Th1 polarized CD4+ T cells from autoimmune-prone mice.
Choudhury SR, Byrum SD, Blossom SJ.
Toxicol Sci. 2024
By Marty Trieschmann
March 26, 2024 | The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute received a five-year, $11.48 million federal grant to create the Center for Molecular Interactions in Cancer (CMIC).
The grant was awarded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program. COBRE grants are awarded to establish centers of research excellence around a specific scientific theme that will ultimately become self-sustaining.
The UAMS Center for Molecular Interactions in Cancer and its researchers will study the molecular features and properties of biomolecules that drive cancer using structural biology and high-resolution imaging with precise, quantitative analysis.
“The center will create a critical mass of researchers who are able to gain deep molecular-level insights into the mechanisms that govern the initiation, progression and treatment of cancer,” said Robert Eoff, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the UAMS College of Medicine. Eoff is the principal investigator and will lead the center.
“Essentially, we’re digging down to the level beneath the body’s organs to study the components of the cell — the molecules and even the atoms within them — to understand what makes a cancer cell cancerous.”
The grant will strengthen the UAMS cancer research infrastructure with the creation of two research cores, each with highly specialized equipment for cancer research. They are:
“Over the last several years, the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute has made a concerted effort to hire the best and brightest laboratory scientists,” said Michael Birrer, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Cancer Institute and UAMS vice chancellor. “This is a culmination of that effort in that we have created a successful critical mass of talented scientists focused entirely on oncology. This will greatly benefit the people of Arkansas.”
The center will offer researchers access to highly advanced technologies like cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), which uses high speed electrons to view high resolution images from frozen samples.
“In the past, we were limited in the types of molecules we could investigate, but recent advances, especially in cryo-EM, now allow us to study a wider array of molecules,” said Eoff. “Another barrier was related to the incredibly challenging and labor-intensive nature of these types of studies. To improve the speed and capacity of our workflow, artificial intelligence and robotics will also be incorporated into the center’s processes.
“One of the goals of this center is to take advantage of the advances in structural biology and biophysics to understand the 3D shape of molecules — how they change and impact cancer progression and resistance to therapies.”
Eoff will lead the CMIC Administrative Core which will offer a pilot program for early phase researchers to help them gather preliminary data and compete for R01 federal grant support. The center will also have a formal faculty development program where seasoned UAMS researchers mentor junior investigators.
“It is exciting to bring these researchers together so they can find community and generate new ideas with other talented people doing cutting-edge science,” said Eoff.
The research grant of $11,475,000 reported is funded by NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), award number 1P20GM152281-01.
By Marty Trieschmann
March 26, 2024 | The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute received a five-year, $11.48 million federal grant to create the Center for Molecular Interactions in Cancer (CMIC).
The grant was awarded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program. COBRE grants are awarded to establish centers of research excellence around a specific scientific theme that will ultimately become self-sustaining.
The UAMS Center for Molecular Interactions in Cancer and its researchers will study the molecular features and properties of biomolecules that drive cancer using structural biology and high-resolution imaging with precise, quantitative analysis.
“The center will create a critical mass of researchers who are able to gain deep molecular-level insights into the mechanisms that govern the initiation, progression and treatment of cancer,” said Robert Eoff, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the UAMS College of Medicine. Eoff is the principal investigator and will lead the center.
“Essentially, we’re digging down to the level beneath the body’s organs to study the components of the cell — the molecules and even the atoms within them — to understand what makes a cancer cell cancerous.”
The grant will strengthen the UAMS cancer research infrastructure with the creation of two research cores, each with highly specialized equipment for cancer research. They are:
“Over the last several years, the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute has made a concerted effort to hire the best and brightest laboratory scientists,” said Michael Birrer, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Cancer Institute and UAMS vice chancellor. “This is a culmination of that effort in that we have created a successful critical mass of talented scientists focused entirely on oncology. This will greatly benefit the people of Arkansas.”
The center will offer researchers access to highly advanced technologies like cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), which uses high speed electrons to view high resolution images from frozen samples.
“In the past, we were limited in the types of molecules we could investigate, but recent advances, especially in cryo-EM, now allow us to study a wider array of molecules,” said Eoff. “Another barrier was related to the incredibly challenging and labor-intensive nature of these types of studies. To improve the speed and capacity of our workflow, artificial intelligence and robotics will also be incorporated into the center’s processes.
“One of the goals of this center is to take advantage of the advances in structural biology and biophysics to understand the 3D shape of molecules — how they change and impact cancer progression and resistance to therapies.”
Eoff will lead the CMIC Administrative Core which will offer a pilot program for early phase researchers to help them gather preliminary data and compete for R01 federal grant support. The center will also have a formal faculty development program where seasoned UAMS researchers mentor junior investigators.
“It is exciting to bring these researchers together so they can find community and generate new ideas with other talented people doing cutting-edge science,” said Eoff.
The research grant of $11,475,000 reported is funded by NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), award number 1P20GM152281-01.
By Marty Trieschmann
Experts in proteomics, the analysis of disease-causing proteins, gathered Feb. 20 and 21 at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute for a symposium.
Hosted by the IDeA National Resource for Quantitative Proteomics in the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the two-day event drew proteomics directors and staff from Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Puerto Rico.
Created in 2016 by Cancer Institute Deputy Director Alan Tackett, Ph.D., the proteomics national resource at UAMS is a model for other universities nationwide and is only National Institute for General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)-funded national resource for quantitative proteomics in the United States. Rick Edmondson, Ph.D., UAMS professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, oversees the daily operations of the facility along with Sam Macintosh, Ph.D., associate professor.
Dennis Province, Ph.D., principal staff scientist and outreach coordinator for the national resource team at UAMS, served as the host of the symposium. Discussions centered around state-of-the-art approaches and technology in the field as well as best business practices. Data collection methods, database searching methods and bioinformatics were also discussed. Stephanie Byrum, Ph.D., associate professor, oversees bioinformatics.
Khatereh Motamed, senior manager of proteomics marketing for Thermo Fisher, spoke to the group about technological advancements in mass spectrometry, the primary instrumentation used in proteomics analysis.
“The study of proteins is at the core of nearly all cancer biology research and often serves as step one in the cancer therapy discovery process,” said Tackett, also a distinguished professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the UAMS College of Medicine and holder of the Scharlau Family Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at UAMS.
Cancer often occurs in the action or mis-action of proteins, activating cancer cells to promote tumor growth. Proteomics has supported the discovery of protein targets like HER2 in breast cancer which now has multiple treatment options available to patients.
Funded by a $10 million grant from NIGMS, the state-of-the-art program at UAMS initially focused on supporting investigators in the 23 IDeA states to help build research capacity in the historically underfunded areas. Today, the national resource at UAMS enables the research of thousands of NIH-supported researchers across the country, providing protein analysis and bioinformatics on an average of 10,000 samples each year.
“Our staff is one of the most skilled in the country in collecting, interpreting and analyzing complex biological data in support of developing new therapies for dozens of diseases including cancer,” said Tackett.
The national resource also serves as a shared resource for the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. In this role, the resource supports dozens of Winthrop P. Rockefeller cancer researchers for their studies focused on cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The national resource will continue this supporting role as the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute seeks National Cancer Institute designation.
To learn more, visit IDeAResourceProteomics.edu.
I am a fourth year student in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Hendrix College – Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience
My research focuses on the melanocortin pathway in the brain which controls appetite, energy homeostasis, and glucose homeostasis. In this pathway, I am particularly interested in the function of the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R), a G protein-coupled receptor, and the effects of cholesterol loss on MC4R function. Brain cholesterol is mostly synthesized from within the brain as cholesterol in the periphery cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. Studies have found that cholesterol biosynthesis is decreased in the brain of Huntington’s Disease patients and in mouse models of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. Using a drug called methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) to deplete cholesterol in a neuroblastoma cell line, I have found that cholesterol depletion impairs colocalization of MC4R with a vesicle-coating protein called clathrin and induces rapid desensitization of the receptor. Our lab is working to determine the mechanism of this desensitization and possible ways to restore MC4R function in a model of deficient brain cholesterol. In addition, to define the sub-cellular location of MC4R in a more physiological model, our lab expressed exogenous hemagglutinin-tagged MC4R (HA-MC4R) in primary neurons using Adeno-associated adenovirus type 2 (AAV2). We found that HA-MC4R was located both at the center and adjacent to post-synaptic sites containing ionotropic glutamate receptors, indicating that MC4R may be positioned to control glutamatergic signaling. My future research will determine how cholesterol depletion affects MC4R traffic and signaling at these sites.
One of the first mini-projects that I had when starting graduate school was to subclone a plasmid encoding for a fluorescently-tagged G protein, Gs, which activates adenylyl cyclase. After several failed attempts and at least three months of work, I finally subcloned a plasmid that worked. Because of those failed attempts (and good record-keeping of what worked and what didn’t), I became better at subcloning and teaching others what I had learned.
In whatever research capacity I am involved in after the PhD, I want to continue studying neurobiology of the brain and pathology of neurodegenerative diseases and ageing and to identify possible therapeutics for improving brain function.
Electrophysiology—I have never done it but would like to some day!
I started figure skating when I was four years old, and when I’m not in the lab I am on the ice coaching my skating students.
2024 – Received first place for the Bhuvan Award for Excellence in Biochemistry Research at UAMS Student Research Day
Congratulations to BCMB Students for their excellent performance at UAMS Student Research Day.
High school students from the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts who performed their capstone research projects in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department at UAMS won multiple awards at the West Central Regional Science Fair on February 23, 2024. Congratulations to all of these students and their teachers!
Impact of psychosocial factors on the success of neuromodulation treatment for patients with persistent pain.
Goree JH, Payakachat N, Byers L, Smith GL, Shah JR, Stephens KE.
Reg Anesth Pain Med.
The Role of Early Life Gut Mycobiome on Child Health.
Rodriguez KA, Gurung M, Talatala R, Rearick JR, Ruebel ML, Stephens KE, Yeruva L.
Adv Nutr.
