Bond LSC News, Page 47 // Bond Life Sciences Center

Aug. 19, 2015

The CRISPR Revolution at MU

By Caleb O’Brien | MU Bond Life Sciences Center James Amos-Landgraf, assistant professor of comparative medicine and genetics at the University of Missouri, is helping develop a pig model for colon cancer using CRISPR. //photo by CALEB O’BRIEN/Bond LSC James Amos-Landgraf needed a pig. The assistant professor of comparative medicine and genetics at the…

July 17, 2015

Bridging the gap between science and art

By Caleb O’Brien | MU Bond Life Sciences Center Tommy Langdon waits for a bee to land on a flower. // photo by CALEB O’BRIEN/BondLSC Emily Fulcher came face-to-face with science while dissecting a hackberry gall: “Ewww,” she exclaimed, “it’s peeking out a little bit!” Fulcher and 12 other high school students were observing plant galls…

June 26, 2015

The view from the trenches: a conversation about Alzheimer’s disease

This immunofluorescence picture shows the brain of an Alzheimer’s disease mouse model, also known as the TgCRND8 mouse. In the picture, the amyloid beta plaques are stained green and the microglia, or immune cells of the brain, are stained red. Image courtesy of Luke Woods. By Caleb O’Brien | MU Bond Life Sciences Center Jean Camden…

June 22, 2015

Scientists uncover how caterpillars created condiments

The next time you slather mustard on your hotdog or horseradish on your bun, thank caterpillars and brassica for that extra flavor. While these condiments might be tasty to you, the mustard oils that create their flavors are the result of millions of years of plants playing defense against pests. But at the same time,…

June 5, 2015

Filling in the gaps of HIV

By Caleb O’Brien | MU Bond Life Sciences Center The HIV capsid protein (shown above in an array of hexagons) plays a critical role in the virus life cycle. Bond LSC researchers recently developed the most complete model yet of this vital protein. Image by Karen Kirby and Anna Gres Seeing the whole picture can mean…

June 3, 2015

Poor parenting or BPA?

Endocrine disruptors alter parent behavior in California mice California mice exposed to bisphenol A (BPA) or ethinyl estradiol changed their parenting behavior, according to an MU Bond LSC study. | Photo by Roger Meissen, Bond LSC By Roger Meissen | MU Bond Life Sciences Center What if a chemical changes the way an animal parents? That…

May 28, 2015

Move over Arabidopsis, there’s a new model plant in town

Bond LSC researchers showed for the first time ever that a grass, Setaria viridis, can receive 100 percent of its nitrogen needs from bacteria when associated with plant root surfaces. This grass will now serve as model for research into biological nitrogen fixation that could benefit crop development. | Photo by Roger Meissen, Bond LSC…

May 21, 2015

Forest at your fingertips: smartphones enhance fieldwork

An MU student uses his cell phone while in Costa Rica. | Photo by Jack Schultz, Bond LSC By Jack Schultz | Director of MU Bond Life Sciences Center “Fieldwork” means many things to researchers, but in the past it often meant working without easy access to communication. Now cell phones allow my students visiting the…

May 11, 2015

The Curious Case of Inflammation: One Lab’s Mission to Put the Pieces Together

White coat, dark room. Jean Camden, a senior technician in the Weisman lab, reviews salivary gland and brain tissue samples for research on inflammation. | Photo by Paige Blankenbuehler, Bond LSC By Paige Blankenbuehler | MU Bond Life Sciences Center There’s a criminal on the loose, striking every day. Millions fall victim, but there’s still no…

May 8, 2015

Unlocking plants’ metabolic thermostat — award-winning LSW posters

Matthew Salie would like to see chubbier plants. “You’ve probably never really seen a fat plant before, right?” said Salie, a fourth year MU graduate student in biochemistry. “Humans, we make plenty of extra fat and store that as energy. But plants don’t really need to do that — they make just as much as they…