Organisms must accumulate scarce nutrients from their environments to survive. This often involves moving molecules up a concentration gradient, which is entropically unfavorable. Active transport proteins embedded in…
Tag: Publication
For Signaling Receptors, Location Matters [Ramanathan Lab]
For embryos to develop properly, cells must communicate with one another over long ranges through diffusive chemical signals called morphogens. These signals act as instructive cues for the…
For Bacillus subtilis, Fate is Just a Game [Losick Lab]
Bacillus subtilis is a bacterium with many talents. Some cells devote themselves to exploration, abandoning their relatives to live as swimming ‘motile’ cells. Others instead choose a cooperative,…
Computing the Evolution of Specificity in Dynamic Protein Interfaces [Gaudet Lab]
As our brain develops, neurons need to connect to each other through synapses. We study a family of proteins called clustered protocadherins that help ensure that only proper…
Comparative Computation Across Biological and Artificial Neural Networks [Engert- and Schier Labs]
In a recent paper in Neuron (PDF) the Engert and Schier labs uncover striking similarities in stimulus representation and computation across biological and artificial neural networks performing temperature…
Pain in the (Fish) Brain [Engert-, Kunes-, and Schier Labs]
When we think of the neurons that control pain-induced behavior, what usually comes to mind are the simple peripheral and spinal reflex circuits described in medical textbooks. This…
Gut Microbes Eat our Medication
The first time Vayu Maini Rekdal manipulated microbes, he made a decent sourdough bread. At the time, young Maini Rekdal, and most people who head to the kitchen,…
Remodeling Flagellar Motors [Berg Lab]
Most bacteria swim through fluids by rotating helical flagella, driven at their base by a macromolecular rotary motor. The motor drives the flagellum against the viscous resistance of…
The Genetics of Schizophrenia [Schier Lab]
A recent study in Cell (PDF) from the Schier lab defines candidate genes for schizophrenia and identifies shared roles for these genes. Schizophrenia is a devastating psychiatric disorder.…
Ketamine Response Cycles in Females [Hensch Lab]
Ketamine for clinical use is clouded in controversy. Hallucinogenic party drug (“Special K”) and well-known anesthetic, it is increasingly touted as a panacea at low-doses for unresponsive depression…
