UCLA MCDB

Recent Publication
Sears Lab
Cochlea development shapes bat sensory system evolution

Cochlea development shapes bat sensory system evolution Sensory organs must develop alongside the skull within which they are largely encased, and this relationship can manifest as the skull constraining the organs, organs constraining the skull, or organ...

Recent Publication
Goldstein Lab
Prostate lineage-specific metabolism governs luminal differentiation and response to antiandrogen treatment

Prostate lineage-specific metabolism governs luminal differentiation and response to antiandrogen treatment - Nature Cell Biology Giafaglione et al. define metabolic regulation of prostate epithelial lineage identity and show that modulation of lactate metabolism alters response to antiandrogen therapy.

Recent Publication
Banerjee Lab

A conserved mechanism for JNK-mediated loss of Notch function in advanced prostate cancer

A conserved mechanism for JNK-mediated loss of Notch function in advanced prostate cancer Analysis of Notch signaling suggests a tumor-suppressive role for Notch in Drosophila tumors and in advanced prostate cancer.

Recent Publications
Goldstein Lab

A conserved mechanism for JNK-mediated loss of Notch function in advanced prostate cancer
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scisignal.abo5213?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed

MYC is a regulator of androgen receptor inhibition-induced metabolic requirements in prostate cancer
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124723012330?via%3Dihub

MYC is a regulator of androgen receptor inhibition-induced metabolic requirements in prostate cancer Advanced prostate cancers are treated with therapies targeting the androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathway. While many tumors initially respond to AR…

Recent Publications
Coller Lab

Pan-cancer landscape of epigenetic factor expression predicts tumor outcome
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-023-05459-w

AI model can help predict survival outcomes for patients with cancer
https://www.uclahealth.org/news/ai-model-can-help-predict-survival-outcomes-patients-with?auHash=KDj3_5WYnGluTVU08qTVS2EUuRuqPahRneNpaOqUq6k

AI model can help predict survival outcomes for patients with cancer Investigators from the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model based on epigenetic factors that is able to predict patient outcomes successfully across multiple cancer types.

Recent Publication
Clark Lab

Reconstituted ovaries self-assemble without an ovarian surface epithelium

Reconstituted ovaries self-assemble without an ovarian surface epithelium Three-dimensional (3D) stem cell models of the o***y have the potential to benefit women’s reproductive health research. One such model, the reconstit…

Recent commentary from Goldstein lab: Prostatic proliferative inflammatory atrophy: welcome to the club
This article relates to: Club-like cells in proliferative inflammatory atrophy of the prostate

HTTP Status 429 – Too Many Requests

Recent Publication
Landecker Lab and Clark Lab

Human embryo models made from pluripotent stem cells are not synthetic; they aren’t embryos, either

Human embryo models made from pluripotent stem cells are not synthetic; they aren’t embryos, either Embryo models are potentially highly impactful for human health research because their development recapitulates otherwise inaccessible events in a poorly understood area of biology, the first few weeks of human life. Casual reference to these models as “synthetic embryos” is misleading and shou...

From UCLA Health: Researchers uncover critical clues about the origin of heart arrhythmias | UCLA Broad Stem Cell Center In a research article published today in Science, UCLA researchers have found that fibroblasts – scar-forming cells that reside in the scar tissue of an injured heart – directly play a role in promoting a disturbance of the heart rhythm, otherwise known as an arrhythmia. This finding holds promi...

Recent Publications
Nakano Lab

Response to Matters Arising: Intercellular genetic tracing of cardiac endothelium in the developing heart
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37348504/

Notch and retinoic acid signals regulate macrophage formation from endocardium downstream of Nkx2-5
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41039-6

Changes in macrophage immunometabolism as a marker of skeletal muscle dysfunction across the lifespan
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37244285/

Changes in macrophage immunometabolism as a marker of skeletal muscle dysfunction across the lifespan - PubMed One of the most pronounced changes in the elderly is loss of strength and mobility due to the decline of skeletal muscle function, resulting in a multifactorial condition termed sarcopenia. Although significant clinical changes begin to manifest at advanced ages, recent studies have shown that chang...

https://newsroom.ucla.edu/dept/faculty/andrew-goldstein-defense-department-grant-prostate-cancer

Dr. Andrew Goldstein receives grant from Department of Defense

Andrew Goldstein receives grant from Department of Defense The professor will seek better treatments for prostate cancer by studying how metabolism changes after hormone therapy.

Amander Clark is the inaugural director of the UCLA Center for Reproductive Science, Health and Education, a new center designed to improve human reproductive health for all.

New UCLA center promotes reproductive science and sexual health The Center for Reproductive Science Health and Education will support research and education initiatives designed to improve human health.

Recent Publications
Coller Lab

Soft strain-insensitive bioelectronics featuring brittle materials
https://science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn5142

Wearable microneedle-based electrochemical aptamer biosensing for precision dosing of drugs with narrow therapeutic windows
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abq4539

Wearable microneedle-based electrochemical aptamer biosensing for precision dosing of drugs with narrow therapeutic windows A microneedle-based aptamer biosensor was developed to minimally-nvasively measure the drug levels in real time.

Recent Publication
Shah Lab

Visualizing and quantifying molecular and cellular processes in Caenorhabditis elegans using light microscopy

https://doi.org/10.1093/genetics/iyac068

Recent Publication
Karen E. Sears

Limb development, evolution, and regeneration and repair: Part two

Limb development, evolution, and regeneration and repair: Part two Click on the article title to read more.

Dean Tracy Johnson receives $2.1M CIRM award to launch undergraduate stem cell training program

https://stemcell.ucla.edu/news/dean-tracy-johnson-receives-21m-cirm-award-launch-undergraduate-stem-cell-training-program

Dean Tracy Johnson receives $2.1M CIRM award to launch undergraduate stem cell training program | UCLA Broad Stem Cell Center Tracy Johnson, a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, and a team of stem cell researchers have received a $2.19 million Creating Opportunities through Mentorship and Partnership Across Stem Cell Science, or COMPASS, grant from the Califor...

Recent Publication
Sagasti Lab

The MAP3Ks DLK and LZK Direct Diverse Responses to Axon Damage in Zebrafish Peripheral Neurons
https://www.jneurosci.org/content/42/32/6195.long

The MAP3Ks DLK and LZK Direct Diverse Responses to Axon Damage in Zebrafish Peripheral Neurons Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinases (MAP3Ks) dual leucine kinase (DLK) and leucine zipper kinase (LZK) are essential mediators of axon damage responses, but their responses are varied, complex, and incompletely understood. To characterize their functions in axon injury, we generated zebr...

Avril Rincon has been selected by the Department of Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology as the 2021-2022 Kristen Hanson Memorial Scholarship recipient.

https://www.mcdb.ucla.edu/news/?news=7470

Recent Publication
Hirsch Lab

Thousands of small, novel genes predicted in global phage genomes
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110984

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Recent Publication
Clark Lab

EED is required for mouse primordial germ cell differentiation in the embryonic g***d

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1534580722003690?via%3Dihub

Recent Publication
Clark Lab

FGFR3 is expressed by human primordial germ cells and is repressed after meiotic initiation to form primordial oocytes

https://www.cell.com/stem-cell-reports/fulltext/S2213-6711(22)00204-1

Recent Publication
Coller, Johnson, Pellegrini Lab

Bruins-in-Genomics: Evaluation of the impact of a UCLA undergraduate summer program in computational biology on participating students

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268861

Bruins-in-Genomics: Evaluation of the impact of a UCLA undergraduate summer program in computational biology on participating students Recruiting, training and retaining scientists in computational biology is necessary to develop a workforce that can lead the quantitative biology revolution. Yet, African-American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native Americans, and women are severely underrepresented in computational biosciences. We estab...

Dr. Karen Sears
Recent Publication
Bat Dentitions: A Model System for Studies at The Interface of Development, Biomechanics, and Evolution
https://academic.oup.com/icb/advance-article/doi/10.1093/icb/icac042/6586353

Bat Dentitions: A Model System for Studies at The Interface of Development, Biomechanics, and Evolution Abstract. The evolution of complex dentitions was a major innovation in mammals that facilitated the expansion into new dietary niches that imposed selection fo

Congratulations to Jeff Maloy recipient of My Last Lecture Award
https://alumni.ucla.edu/traditions/my-last-lecture-award/

My Last Lecture Award - UCLA Alumni More than 50 years ago, notable UCLA professors were given the chance to put all of their life lessons and advice for students into one “last lecture.” In 2010, the Alumni Scholars Club (ASC) brought back this tradition through the My Last Lecture Award. This award was established to honor a UCL...

Congratulation Professor Alvaro Sagasti, who will be honor with the Educational Innovation Excellence Award for a Tenured Faculty Member on May 13th celebration of excellence in Life Sciences honoring 2021-22 Life Sciences Excellence Award Winners.

Congratulation Professor Hanna Mikkola, who will be honor with the Excellence in Research Award for a Tenured Faculty Member on May 13th celebration of excellence in Life Sciences honoring 2021-22 Life Sciences Excellence Award Winners.

Recent Publication
Jeff Maloy

Factors Influencing Retention of Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students in Undergraduate STEM Majors

https://www.lifescied.org/doi/10.1187/cbe.21-05-0136

Recent Publication
Clark Lab
Human reproduction is regulated by retrotransposons derived from ancient Hominidae-specific viral infections
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28105-1

Human reproduction is regulated by retrotransposons derived from ancient Hominidae-specific viral infections - Nature Communications The transcription factor network required for primordial germ cell (PGC) specification is known to diverge in mammals. Here the authors show that hominidae-specific transposable element (TE) LTR5Hs becomes transcriptionally active during PGC specification, and LTR5Hs inactivation abrogates human PGC...

Recent Publication
Dr. Utpal Banerjee

Intermediate progenitor cells provide a transition between hematopoietic progenitors and their differentiated descendants

https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.200216

Intermediate progenitor cells provide a transition between hematopoietic progenitors and their differentiated descendants | Development | The Company of Biologists Carrie M. Spratford, Lauren M. Goins, Fangtao Chi, Juliet R. Girard, Savannah N. Macias, Vivien W. Ho, Utpal Banerjee; Intermediate progenitor cells provide a transition between hematopoietic progenitors and their differentiated descendants. Development 15 December 2021; 148 (24): dev200216. doi: ht...

Congratulations to Tracy Johnson, Dean of Life Sciences at UCLA, on receiving the 2022 Ruth Kirschstein Diversity in Science Award.
https://www.college.ucla.edu/2021/12/10/dean-tracy-johnson-honored-for-dedication-to-diversity-in-science/

Dean Tracy Johnson honored for dedication to diversity in science – UCLA College Dean Tracy Johnson honored for dedication to diversity in science December 10, 2021/in Box 5, Faculty & Research /by Lucy BerbeoTracy Johnson, Dean of Life Sciences Tracy Johnson, dean of the UCLA Division of Life Sciences, has received the 2022 Ruth Kirschstein Diversity in Science Award from the A...

Recent Publication
Utpal Banerjee, PhD

Paths and pathways that generate cell-type heterogeneity and developmental progression in hematopoiesis
https://elifesciences.org/articles/67516

Paths and pathways that generate cell-type heterogeneity and developmental progression in hematopoiesis A combination of mRNA sequencing and genetic analysis reveals mechanisms that govern the development of distinct differentiated blood cell types from hematopoietic progenitors.

Recent Publication
Ann Hirsch

Medicago root nodule microbiomes: insights into a complex ecosystem with potential candidates for plant growth promotion

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11104-021-05247-7

Medicago root nodule microbiomes: insights into a complex ecosystem with potential candidates for plant growth promotion - Plant and Soil Purpose Studying the legume nodule microbiome is important for understanding the development and nutrition of the plants inhabited by the various microbes within and upon them. We analyzed the microbiomes of these underground organs from both an important crop plant (Medicago sativa) and a related l...

Recent Publications
Chentao Lin

Regulation of Arabidopsis photoreceptor CRY2 by two distinct E3 ubiquitin ligases
https://nature.com/articles/s41467-021-22410-x

A photoregulatory mechanism of the circadian clock in Arabidopsis
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-021-01002-z

A photoregulatory mechanism of the circadian clock in Arabidopsis - Nature Plants Cryptochromes (CRYs) perform various functions in both plants and animals, including photoperception and circadian regulation. Now it is shown in Arabidopsis that blue light induces liquid–liquid phase separation of CRY2, co-condensing the interacting m6A writer and altering epitranscriptome with ...

UCLA scientists receive more than $10 million in CIRM grants to advance therapies for stroke and heart failure | UCLA Broad Stem Cell Center Researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have received more than $10 million in grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the state’s stem cell agency, to help them propel two potential therapies to clinical trials...

Recent Publication
Arjun Deb

The cardiomyocyte disrupts pyrimidine biosynthesis in non-myocytes to regulate heart repair
https://www.jci.org/articles/view/149711

JCI - The cardiomyocyte disrupts pyrimidine biosynthesis in non-myocytes to regulate heart repair 7Division of Functional Genetics and Development, The Roslin Institute, R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Recent Publication
Hilary Coller

Is there a histone code for cellular quiescence?

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcell.2021.739780/abstract

Is there a histone code for cellular quiescence? Many of the cells in our bodies are quiescent, that is, temporarily not dividing. Under certain physiological conditions such as during tissue repair and maintenance, quiescent cells receive the appropriate stimulus and are induced to enter the cell cycle. The ability of cells to successfully transi...

Recent Publication
Ann Hirsch

Comparative Analysis of the Cultured and Total Bacterial Community in the Wheat Rhizosphere Microbiome Using Culture-Dependent and Culture-Independent Approaches

https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/Spectrum.00678-21

Comparative Analysis of the Cultured and Total Bacterial Community in the Wheat Rhizosphere Microbiome Using Culture-Dependent and Culture-Independent Approaches | Microbiology Spectrum Bacteria colonizing the rhizosphere, a narrow zone of soil surrounding the root system, are known to have beneficial effects in improving the growth and stress tolerance of plants. However, most bacteria in natural environments, especially those in ...

MCDB would like to congratulate Professor Arjun Deb and Professor Matteo Pellegrini. Researchers from the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have received a $6.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how the SARS-CoV-2 virus causes multiple organ failure.
https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/nih-grant-how-covid19-causes-multiple-organ-failure

$6.2 million NIH grant to support UCLA study of how COVID-19 causes multiple organ failure “We need to figure out how this is happening in order to develop treatments to stop it,” said UCLA’s Arjun Deb.

Congratulations to MCDB Alumnus Ardem Patapoutian on being awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine!
https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ardem-patapoutian-ucla-alumnus-nobel-prize-physiology-medicine

UCLA alumnus Ardem Patapoutian shares 2021 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine The neuroscientist, a 1990 graduate, helped answer a fundamental question about how the nervous system senses temperature and touch.

Recent Publication
Dr. Ann Hirsh

The hologenome hypothesis and its application to plant-microbe interactions on an evolutionary scale.
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-63512-1_21

The Hologenome Hypothesis and Its Application to Plant-Microbe Interactions on an Evolutionary Scale When roots are pulled from the ground, one cannot ignore the soil particles with their rhizosphere microbes still attached to the root surface and root hairs. The rhizosphere is home to a vast...