Medieval Coat of Arms Inspires the Latest BiophysJ Cover

The latest cover of the Biophysical Journal was designed to depict the way the project proceeded. Read more about the cover art below from scientist Cesar A. Ramirez-Sarmiento!

The project proceeded via a coalescence of various experimental results into a unified conception. To represent this, I aimed for a design reminiscent of a heraldic structure, like those used on coats of arms during the Middle Age, to bring the images together with the “message.” In these structures, the message is held and protected on both sides by supporters. With this idea in mind, I intended to represent most of our findings through simple but key elements, like the blue icy background that was designed in Adobe Photoshop to evoke the cold environment of the denaturation. The message, that during the process of cold denaturation, subunit dissociation and solvent penetration are concurrent, is depicted by the bifurcated arrow points from the native dimer towards two dissociated and swollen subunits, structures that were rendered using PyMol. Because our findings are the result of measurements of backbone amide hydrogen/deuterium exchange using mass spectrometry, the change of the observed mass spectra during exposure to the cold were drawn using PerSeptive Grams/386 to depict the comparative approach used in this study and were placed on both sides as the supporters. The higher amount of exchange due to the increase in solvent accessibility was also reflected through the coloring scheme used in the structures shown in the middle. Finally, a few water drops drawn on the bottom helped to strengthen the idea of solvent penetration while at the same time improving the design.

I’m very pleased our image was chosen as a cover for Biophysical Journal, and it is not only because it is a renowned journal, or because my colleagues and I are avid readers. I’m also pleased because I truly believe science is, in some way, an art expression: there is a creative process that helps to decide which steps to take and how to develop tools or strategies to conceive a particular concept. In this sense, it is an honor to have the chance to expose our work to other people’s eyes and to illustrate it directly as an art conception.

Interested readers can view our recent research in:

http://www.ciencias.uchile.cl/ciencias/labbq

http://komiveslab.ucsd.edu

- Cesar A. Ramirez-Sarmiento

House Science Committee Chairman and the NSF at Odds

Over the last two months, Chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee Lamar Smith (R-TX) has been showing an extreme interest in the National Science Foundation’s grants.  It started with leaked draft legislation (The High Quality Research Act) reauthorizing the NSF that would require the NSF to certify in writing that each grant that it awards is in the economic or national security interest of the country.  This legislation was followed by an April 25 letter from Smith to Acting NSF Director Cora Marrett asking for the notes from peer review and from the program officers for five specific grants that the Committee thinks are not in the interest of US taxpayers. 

The proposed legislation and the inquiry into the grants have alarmed the science community about Chairman Smith’s intent. Past NSF Directors, dating back to 1985, sent the Chairman a letter asking him to rescind the letter, as did several past Assistant Directors.  Ranking member of the committee Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)  also sent Smith a letter opposing his request.

Why the fuss?  Members of the science community are very concerned that the inquiry and the legislation will lead to the politicization of science and an infringement on the peer review system that has worked well for decades and made the US the model for other countries. Reviewers make comments assuming they will be anonymous.  Will scientists agree to serve as reviewers if that confidentiality cannot be assured? Who better to judge the merit of a project than other experts in the field?  According to an interview with a House Science and Technology committee aide that appeared on the AAAS blog, ScienceInsider on May 9, Chairman Smith contends that the problem is not the scientific review, but whether those projects are vetted by NSF to see if they are an appropriate use of taxpayers’ money.

In a surprising development, Marrett sent her response to Smith’s request this week, and let him know that she was not going to divulge the information he requested.  She said that she would be happy to discuss the peer review process, how grants are selected, and how the five Smith has expressed a specific interest in are in line with the NSF’s mission.

It is unclear what will happen next.  Stay tuned!

 

Biomolecular Discovery Dome Debuts New Video at Maryland Day

The Biomolecular Discovery Dome, which was featured at the BPS Annual Meeting in Philadelphia in February, made a return trip to the East Coast on April 27 as part of the University of Maryland’s Biophysics Program Exhibit at Maryland Day, an annual open house at the University that attracts more than 75,000 visitors. The Dome was filled to capacity throughout the day, hosting a total of more than 600 guests. The 9-meter tall inflatable dome allowed groups of approximately 30 individuals to enjoy 20-minute immersive presentations of biophysics via movies displayed on the dome ceiling and walls. Attendees included diverse groups, from toddlers to grandparents and students to research scientists. In addition to the movies, attendees participated in hands on activities including “Folding DNA Origami in UMD Colors” and a “Cell Tracking.” The event was co-sponsored by the Maryland Biophysics Program, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the National Center for Biomolecular Imaging, the Biophysical Society and the National Science Foundation.

Among the movies shown in the dome, one entitled “Cells in Motion,” was created by UMD biophysics PhD student Deborah Hemingway, who writes about the experience creating it below:

The movie was a collaborative video featuring the exciting world of cell motility from the macroscopic level of zebrafish embryogenesis down to the microscopic level of actin polymerization dynamics. The movie introduced these topics through selected research projects of the University of Maryland’s Biophysics Program, including joint projects with the National Institutes of Health. For example, it allowed me to highlight my own research in Dr. Wolfgang Losert’s group in collaboration with Dr. Ajay Chitnis’s group at NIH on zebrafish primordium migration. Other features projects included endothelial sheet migration, motion of neutrophils and dictyostelium, and actin filament simulations.

As the graduate student in charge of making the movie, my responsibilities included drafting the script, assembling the visual material, and incorporating the audio. The project allowed me to combine my visual communication expertise obtained from my prior professional experience in photography with my research to bridge the gap between researchers and a general audience. Making and showing the movie also brought PhD students from several programs together and enhanced the feeling of a biophysics community on campus.

Overall this was a wonderful experience, and the feedback from the community and campus was exceedingly positive. Given the success of the event, we definitely plan to include the Biomolecular Discovery Dome at next year’s Maryland Day.

- Deborah Hemingway, PhD student, University of Maryland Biophysics Program

Roadblock Molecules on the BiophysJ Cover

The cover image for the 104^th volume of Biophysical Journal aims to illustrate the complexity of proteins approaching and associating with DNA as they execute their regulatory genomic tasks. The question of how molecules that bind the DNA and block the way for proteins to propagate along DNA is challenging for many experimentalists and theoreticians.

The cover image was composed by collaborating and sharing our structural understanding of the problem and the participant molecules with creative minds at the graphics unit at the Weizmann Institute that assembled the impressive outcome. This image illustrates with simple concepts (i.e., brick wall, obstacle race) the possible effects of roadblock molecules for protein search on DNA as we found and describe in our research.

We are very pleased with the opportunity to illustrate our work in such an interesting and unique venue. We are most honored and excited by the fact that readers of the BiophysJ will be exposed to our project.

Readers can find additional details on our recent research in: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/sb/faculty_pages/Levy/

- Yaakov (Koby) Levy, Ph.D.

“Sense to Synapse” Draws an Interdisciplinary Crowd

The BPS-supported “Sense to Synapse” networking event, which took place on April 11 at Columbia University in New York City, brought together scientists working on the molecular and biophysical mechanisms of perception. Attendees included students, postdocs, and faculty from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, as well as editors of scientific journals.

Speaker Claude Desplan, New York University, answers questions after his talk.

The topic of the event – molecular and biophysical mechanisms of perception – was expanded from last year’s topic (biophysical mechanisms only) to encompass the growing number of scientists working on sensory systems. As we slowly answer the main questions regarding the mechanisms of perception, the problem of how different senses work together so we can perceive our surroundings remains open. This even has connected and will continue to connect scientists working on different sensory modalities and help establish collaborations.

Many of our participants enjoyed the smaller size of this meeting – though the group was smaller, it was concentrated with scientists interested in similar questions, but using different methods to find answers. The speakers and audience members had diverse backgrounds, from biologists to mathematicians, which provided a unique and defining quality to the meeting.

This meeting was a great place to learn about how different senses work on a molecular as

Robert LaMotte, Yale University and Ellen Lumpkin, Columbia University, discussing touch and itch during a coffee break.

well as a systems level. Both the keynote and short talk speakers were excellent, offering something for everyone to learn from their covering research performed in multiple model organisms, from nematodes to primates.

We are already preparing for Sense to Synapse 2014 – recruiting new organizers and sponsors! This meeting is on its way to becoming a very important part of scientific tradition in the NY-tristate area, and I’m looking forward to next year’s event!

- Adema Ribic, Yale University

Rally for Medical Research Makes the News

Last week we asked you to join the Rally for Medical Research, either in person or online, to draw attention to the importance of federal funding for medical research and the National Institutes of Health.  I am happy to report that the event was a great success.  Speakers poignantly made the connection between research and cures—drawing from their own experiences.

The Rally was not only powerful for those in attendance and watching online, it also garnered media attention to the important cause.  The story was covered on local news in Washington DC (Watch it–its a great news piece!) as well as on local newscasts in Boston, New York, Florida, Michigan, and Arizona. Nationally, the event was covered by CNN, USA Today, About.com, The Hill, and several medical publications.  On Twitter, the Rally hashtag,  #RallyMedRes,  was a top trending topic globally. In fact, it was in the #2 position from 11:00 AM through 12:30 PM on Monday April 8, the time period during which the  event occurred.  There were over 6,500 tweets during the time period on the rally.

President Obama also released a statement supporting the rally. “To meet the challenges of the 21st century we must commit to a serious sustained effort to advance medical research,” Obama said.

Do what you can to continue to educate your friends, family, and the public about the important role of research in our lives and economy!

Building a New Biophysics Network in Wisconsin

The BPS-supported Wisconsin Networking Event, which took place on March 23, was the first student organized biophysics conference held at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). The conference had about 45 attendees, including professionals, graduate students and undergrads from MSOE and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). The organizers of the event wrapped it up for our blog readers below!

We wanted to host this conference to help build our network in biophysics and enhance the new biomolecular engineering program at MSOE (proudly graduating our first class of seniors this spring!). The program is somewhat unique as we include a few courses that are not offered nationwide including mathematical biology, mammalian cell culture, molecular nanotechnology and biophysics. These courses emphasize the broad spectrum of opportunities and paths that us as students can pursue post-graduation, and the variety can be seen in the senior design projects done during our last year at MSOE. The field of biophysics is of particular interest because it combines the well-known principles of physics to the rapidly developing world of biology, making it ever important when it comes to industrial, medical and agricultural problems that we as a society are facing today. In fact, one speaker specifically talked about identifying and modifying the structure of a specific type of virus. As mutating viruses and antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria become a prominent and pressing issue in the medical field, the study of unique topics such as biophysics become more and more promising.

We were pleased with the amount of interest and continued interest now that the event has passed was a very exciting result. You can never be quite certain about the turnout or feedback when it is a first time event! We would like to hold a biophysics conference next spring, and continue to host an event annually. The event was very helpful in creating a network between the UWM and MSOE biophysics communities and we are looking to extend this network next year to include Marquette and other south eastern Wisconsin institutions, such as University of Wisconsin-Madison. A suggestion that we are also looking forward to completing is the involvement of surrounding industry people who work in the biophysics field.

Organizing this event was a learning process for all involved. We were not quite sure how to approach some things, but are very happy with how it turned out. Our main conference goal was to begin a network of resources in biophysics in the Milwaukee area, in an effort to help enhance research and promote progress in local researchers’ work. Being a young academic program there is nothing more important than exposure and building a strong network, and we are excited that the UWM biophysics program feels the same way! We look forward to hosting events like this for years to come and foster a strong biophysics research community in the Milwaukee and south eastern Wisconsin area.