Students taking classes from the chemistry and biochemistry department may start paying less for course materials.

Starting fall, the department will require instructors to provide students with no-cost alternatives to course materials and are required to state in their syllabuses whether they profit off the sale of any written course material.

No-cost alternatives include online copies or hard copy library reserves of written course materials. Professors must explain how to access those alternatives in their syllabuses.

Catherine Clarke, chair of the department of chemistry and biochemistry, said an email that Chancellor Gene Block forwarded her from a students mother first brought the problem of textbook prices to her attention. In the email, the mother said she was upset over the high cost of a course reader in an introductory chemistry class.

It came to my attention that this was a really inappropriately priced material and the mom felt very outraged that her son was required to buy this, Clarke said.

She said she met with the department about the issue of textbook costs and the faculty decided to create a committee to approve written materials that impose a cost on students.

All instructors that use course materials that impose a cost upon our students must submit these materials so that they can be reviewed and approved by the committee, Clarke said. (The committee) will only approve items that provide value in proportion to cost.

Clarke added because this policy is still new and fall quarter has not started yet, the department will do its best to ensure compliance.

We do have a pretty good idea of the kinds of written materials that instructors have used in the past, Clarke said. Were particularly aware of which instructors have used these sorts of materials in the past and will follow up with them.

Clarke added she hopes every department will implement this policy.

Divya Sharma, the Academic Affairs commissioner of the undergraduate student government, said he thinks it is problematic if professors try to profit off students since the university already pays them. He added he thinks providing downloadable copies of textbook materials is better than asking students to use library reserves.

I know having reserves in a library does become an issue if students are all trying to access (the same book) at a time, Sharma said. I hope (this is implemented) in conjunction instead of one or the other.

Sharma added his office is working to make sure other departments implement similar policies. For example, Sharma said humanities professors often make reading materials accessible online, even though their departments do not have official policies on controlling textbook prices. His office will lobby to make this policy explicitly official.

Dawn Setzer, a UCLA Library spokesperson, said in a statement the library supports the policy and will work with instructors to align the UCLA Librarys collections with professors instructional needs.

We are fully supportive of the policy and provided the department with information we had gathered through our course materials initiative, our course reserves service, and ongoing partnership with the UCLA Store on course packs, she said.

Kahlo Baniadam, a third-year psychobiology student, said he thinks the policies will benefit students who are sometimes expected to pay hundreds of dollars in textbooks for chemistry-related classes.

Since the authors (of the textbooks) are definitely making money, the biggest thing for me is that there will be a free option, Baniadam said. (Having free alternatives) is the main thing that will solve all the problems, if the policy is enforceable.

Baniadam said in some classes, textbooks and course readers were strongly recommended and necessary for practice problems. He added students often had to buy the course readers brand-new because of frequent changes to the material, which he said he thinks caused financial burden to some.

Baniadam added he thinks professors should post lecture notes online instead of requiring students to buy them as textbooks or course readers.

Janet Song, a third-year biochemistry student, said she thinks the new policies increase transparency between students and faculty.

Textbooks are expensive, Song said. My financial situation wasnt too bad, but I could see how it could be difficult for other people.

See original here:
Chemistry, biochemistry instructors to provide no-cost course materials - Daily Bruin

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. High-resolution crystal structure reveals a new pathway for RNA during a nontraditional form of transcription the process by which RNA is produced from a DNA template. Caught during the act of reiterative transcription, a form of transcription in which a single base of DNA (represented by the letters A, T, C, and G) codes for several corresponding bases in the RNA (one G in DNA leads to several Gs in the RNA, for example), the new crystal structure reveals RNA exiting the polymerase enzyme through an alternative channel to enable this unconventional mode of transcription. A paper describing the findings by a team of researchers at Penn State and the University of Alabama at Birmingham appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In the classical view of X-ray crystallography, you would think that the enzyme RNA polymerase would be inactivated and we couldnt capture a biochemical process in action in a crystallized state, said Katsuhiko S. Murakami, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State and an author of the paper. But in some systems, including ours, the RNA polymerase is still alive, so we can monitor the structures while they are in the process of making RNA.

Reiterative transcription was discovered by Penn State alumnus and Nobel Laureate in chemistry Paul Berg, the Robert W. and Vivian K. Cahill Professor of Cancer Research, Emeritus, at Stanford University, in the early 1960s. Although it could appear to be a simple error in accurately transcribing the DNA sequence into RNA reiterative transcription occurs when the strand of RNA slips relative to the strand of DNA inside the polymerase enzyme it has function in the cell. Reiterative transcription plays a key role in controlling gene expression for many genes, but despite this important role, its mechanism has remained a black box.

Our work expands our understanding of the flexibility of the molecular mechanisms involved in RNA transcription, said Vadim Molodtsov, a research associate at Penn State and an author of the paper. By capturing the crystal structure of RNA polymerase during reiterative transcription we were able to identify a new pathway used by RNA to exit the enzyme. Instead of leaving through the door, it sneaks out the window.

In addition to Murakami and Molodtsov, the research team includes Yeonoh Shin, a graduate student in the Penn State Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology Program, and Charles Turnbough Jr., emeritus professor of microbiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The research was funded by the U.S. National Institute of General Medical Science.

Read the original post:
Out through the window - Penn State News

Research News

Understanding the connection microorganisms have with our bodies may enable the development of precision medicine and empower individuals to have greater control over their health.

By MARCENE ROBINSON

Published August 21, 2017

Four studies focused on improving our understanding of the humangenome and microbiome were awarded funding through the third roundof research pilots supported by UBs Community of Excellencein Genome, Environment and Microbiome (GEM).

The projects, which total $150,000, will study how therelationship between the human body and the collection ofmicroorganisms that reside on or within it affect our risk forcertain diseases.

Understanding the connection these microorganisms have with ourbodies may enable the development of precision medicine and empowerindividuals to have greater control over their health.

The pilot grants award researchers from a variety of disciplinesup to $50,000 to develop innovative projects focused on themicrobiome. The funds support up to one year of research.

The awards are provided through GEM, an interdisciplinarycommunity of UB faculty and staff dedicated to advancing researchon the genome and microbiome. GEM is one of UBs threeCommunities of Excellence, a $9 million initiative to harness thestrengths of faculty and staff from fields across the university toconfront the challenges facing humankind through research,education and engagement.

Changes in the genome our own or those of themicrobes in, on or around us have a tremendous impact onhuman health and our environment, says Jennifer Surtees, GEMco-director and associate professor in the Department ofBiochemistry in the Jacobs School of Medicine and BiomedicalSciences.

With these newest projects, UB scientists from acrossdisciplines have come together to dig deeper into these changes andto help establish the infrastructure necessary for advancedprecision medicine.

Along with Surtees, GEM is led by Timothy Murphy, executivedirector and SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department ofMedicine; and Norma Nowak, co-director, professor in the Departmentof Biochemistry, and executive director of UBs New YorkState Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.

The funded projects involve faculty teams from the Jacobs Schoolof Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the School of Public Healthand Health Professions, and the School of Dental Medicine.

Vulnerability to seizures

Inflammation in the central nervous system can increasesusceptibility to seizures.

Given the role the intestinal microbiome plays in shapinginflammation in the body, UB researchers believe the tiny organismsmay have an impact on the onset, strength and duration ofseizures.

The study, led by Ira J. Blader, professor in the Department ofMicrobiology and Immunology, and Alexis Thompson, senior researchscientist in UBs Research Institute on Addictions, willexamine in mice the composition of the microbiome and which of itscomponents affect seizures.

If correct, this may suggest the gut microbiome as a therapeutictarget for the treatment of seizures and epilepsy.

Genomic research with Spit For Buffalo

To better understand how the human genome and microbiomeinteract to influence health, UB researchers will establish SpitFor Buffalo, a project that will collect DNA samples from volunteerUBMD patients for use in future studies.

The researchers will collect saliva samples, anonymously linkthe samples to each patients electronic medical record, andsequence the genome and oral microbiome. By determining which genesare associated with which diseases, new connections betweenspecific genes and diseases will be made.

Samples currently are being collected from patients in the UBMDNeurology, Internal Medicine and OBGYN clinics in the ConventusCenter for Collaborative Medicine.

The project will provide an infrastructure resource for genomeand microbiome investigations at UB.

The research is led by Richard M. Gronostajski, professor in theDepartment of Biochemistry and director of both the WNY Stem CellCulture and Analysis Center and the Genetics, Genomics andBioinformatics Graduate Program; Gil I. Wolfe, professor and Irvinand Rosemary Smith Chair of the Department of Neurology; MichaelBuck, associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry anddirector of the WNY Stem Cell Sequencing/Epigenomics Center; andNowak.

How RNA provides parasite with shape-shifting abilities

The parasite Trypanosoma brucei, the cause of HumanAfrican Trypanosomiasis commonly known as sleeping sickness radically alters its physiology and morphology as it movesbetween insect and mammal over the course of its life cycle.

These changes, researchers have found, are caused by various RNAbinding proteins, allowing the organism to survive in environmentsthat range from the human bloodstream to the insect gut. UBresearchers will examine how these proteins regulate theparasites transformations.

The study is led by Laurie K. Read, professor in the Departmentof Microbiology and Immunology; and Jie Wang, research assistantprofessor in the Department of Biochemistry.

Effects of oral and gut bacteria on heart health

UB researchers will investigate the connection between oral andgut bacteria and the onset and progression of atheroscleroticcardiovascular disease (CVD), or the buildup of plaque around theartery walls that eventually blocks blood flow.

The study will seek to understand how the microbes in the bodycontribute to plaque formation in the arteries, providing the basisfor interventions that reduce the effects of the microorganisms onCVD.

Previous studies have found microbes present in arterialplaques, but have not provided conclusive links to the parts of thebody where the microbes originate. Researchers will usenext-generation sequencing and advanced bioinformatics analysismethods to identify and characterize microorganisms in the arterywalls and compare the bacteria with those present in oral, gut andskin microbiomes.

Environmental factors such as smoking, blood cholesterol andperiodontal disease status also will be examined as potentialfactors that influence the bacteria-CVD relationship.

The research is led by Robert J. Genco, SUNY DistinguishedProfessor in the departments of Oral Biology and Microbiology andImmunology, and director of the UB Microbiome Center; and MichaelJ. LaMonte, research associate professor in the Department ofEpidemiology and Environmental Health.

Original post:
GEM awards $150000 in third round of funding for microbiome and genomic research - University at Buffalo Reporter

August 21, 2017 -- By Evelyn Boswell for MSU News Service

BOZEMAN -- A group of salt-loving bacteria with magnetic powers happens to be the perfect organism for trying to understand the development of complex life, says a Montana State University biochemist who was recently named a NASA Early Career Fellow.

Since NASA and the astrobiology community have made it a priority to understand the origin, evolution and organization of multicellular organisms, he will use his fellowship to study this unique bacteria, said Roland Hatzenpichler, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in MSUs College of Letters and Science.

"One of the biggest problems in evolutionary biology is how the transition from comparatively simple forms of life to something as complex as us occurs," Hatzenpichler said. "It's not really understood how that transition to organized, complex life happens. The only thing clear is that it happened very often in evolution."

These unusual bacteria, called multicellular magnetotactic bacteria, or MMB, live in the sediments below certain salt marshes and tidal pools on both coasts of the United States. The bacteria contain tiny magnetic crystals that allow the cell clumps to orient themselves in Earth's magnetic field. This leads the bacteria -- moving about as fast as a cheetah -- down into the sediments where they find nutrients needed for their survival. Beyond that, MMB are the only known bacteria that live an obligate multicellular lifestyle, which makes it ideal for his research, Hatzenpichler said.

Hatzenpichler will study MMB from three different locations in California and Massachusetts. His main study site is the Little Sippewissett salt marsh on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

"The fellowship award speaks to the promise of Roland's scientific contributions," said Matthew Fields, director of MSU's Center for Biofilm Engineering and one of Hatzenpichler's collaborators. "In addition, my lab has worked with Roland in applying some of the techniques he developed to our environments of interest and I look forward to many fruitful collaborations with Roland in the Center for Biofilm Engineering."

Hatzenpichler said scientists have long tried to find organisms that were in the process of transitioning from single cells to multicellular organisms. They knew such transitions occurred. They had seen evidence in 25 separate lineages of life.

"We observe this over and over and over in life on our planet, but we don't understand the underlying mechanisms, Hatzenpichler said.

Past studies on the transition from single cells to multicellular entities mostly focused on algae and simple animals, Hatzenpichler said. Scientists did look at multicellular forms of bacteria, but they realized MMB were different because they don't have a stage where it exists as a single cell. Instead, it starts out as a clump of 10 to 60 cells arranged in symmetry around a central hollow compartment. When the clumps divide, they form two seemingly identical groups of cells. The number of cells around that central compartment stays the same.

"These characteristics render MMB the only identified bacteria with an obligate multicellular lifestyle and make them a prime subject for the study of the early evolution of advanced life, most importantly the origins of and environmental factors driving multicellularity, as well as the cellular organization of complex life," Hatzenpichler said.

He said he plans to study the biology of MMB with cutting-edge molecular biological and microbiological approaches. Among other things, he wants to understand how the cells communicate and stick together. He also wants to learn more about their metabolism and whether they collaborate with each other, similar to how different organs work together to keep an animal alive.

"Roland's work focuses on novel and unique microorganisms that live in different environments, but are difficult to grow in the laboratory," Fields said. "Because they are difficult to grow in the lab, we know very little about their metabolism -- including how they process carbon and other nutrients -- even though they can be abundant.

"Roland's work not only targets these organisms that play important roles in the planet's geochemical cycles, but also pioneers the techniques to bring them from their respective environments to the lab," Fields said.

Hatzenpichler is a native of Austria and was the first in his family to attend college. After earning his masters degree, he received a pre-doctoral fellowship from the Austrian Academy of Sciences. He earned his doctorate in microbial ecology at the University of Vienna in 2011. The same year, the Austrian Science Fund named him an Erwin Schroedinger Postdoctoral Fellow and the California Institute of Technology awarded him an O.K. Earl Postdoctoral Fellowship in geobiology.

Hatzenpichler moved to the United States in 2011 to conduct postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology. Three years later, he received a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Science Foundations Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigation. Dark energy in this case refers to life that doesn't need light. Hatzenpichler moved to MSU last summer and set up his laboratory in January 2017.

Before coming to MSU, Hatzenpichler met Fields and Kristen Brileya, technical operations manager for the CBE, when they visited the Department of Microbial Ecology at the University of Vienna where he was conducting his doctoral research and now, they work together, he said.

He said he was drawn to MSU by the opportunity to conduct research in Yellowstone National Park.

"MSU is pretty much the perfect place to do environmental microbial research," he added.

Mary Cloninger, head of MSU's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said Hatzenpichler is a "fantastic addition" to the university and the department.

"We are delighted that his creative approach to complex research problems is already being recognized by the scientific community," Cloninger said. "His research involving systems that are relatively unstudied and are often difficult to grow in the laboratory opens up an exciting new area of biochemistry within the department."

In addition to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the CBE, Hatzenpichler is affiliated with MSU's Thermal Biology Institute.

To learn more about Hatzenpichlers research, visit the Hatzenpichler Environmental Microbiology Lab at http://www.environmental-microbiology.com/.

Contact Roland Hatzenpichler, roland.hatzenpichler@montana.edu or 406-994-5469

More:
MSU biochemist named NASA Early Career Fellow for research on 'magnetic' bacteria - Montana State University