dfmiller's blog

Climate change, specifically global warming, has been associated with increases in atmospheric CO₂ levels. Fixation of this airborne carbon dioxide and subsequent removal from the atmosphere is possible, though impractical due to little or no economic incentive. Hepburn et al. counter this position with viable utilization of captured CO₂ that yield decent economic return. Some of these utilities include chemicals (methanol, urea, plastics), fuels (methanol/methane), microalgae products (biofuels, biomass, aquaculture feed), and concrete and various building materials¹. In addition to these ventures, Hepburn et al. also lay out the probability of re-release of carbon dioxide from these various applications¹.

(1) Hepburn, C., Adlen, E., Beddington, J. et al. The technological and economic prospects for CO₂ utilization and removal. Nature 575, 87–97 (2019) doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1681-6

Alcohol-related liver disease can result in alcoholic hepatitis, a diseased and inflamed state of the liver. In mice, the gut microbiome produces toxins that contribute to liver damage in response to ethanol. Duan et al. identified a two-unit exotoxin cytolysin, excreted by Enterococcus faecalis as a cause of injury to the liver¹. In patients with alcohol-related liver disease, Duan et al. also found increased numbers of E. faecalis in these patients' microbiomes¹. Analyzing this further, Duan et al. used E. faecalis targeting bacteriophages in humanized mice with ethanol-induced liver disease¹. They found that through this treatment, ethanol-induced liver disease was abolished in these test subjects, though more comprehensive testing must be performed to determine the true efficacy of this treatment.

(1) Duan, Y., Llorente, C., Lang, S. et al. Bacteriophage targeting of gut bacterium attenuates alcoholic liver disease. Nature (2019) doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1742-x

Mollecularly, cancer is typically associated with gain of function mutations in oncogenes as well as loss of function mutations in tumor-suppressor genes. One gene in particular has been associated with a wide variety of cancers, PIK3CA. PIK3CA is a gene responsible for PI3K, a downstream protein in RTK signaling that converts PIP2 to PIP3, thus continuing the signal transduction pathway. However, in double PIK3CA mutants, PI3K acts independently of RTK signaling, converting PIP2 to PIP3 leading to hyperactive downstream AKT, activating the signal pathway with no ligand present in the RTK. This hyperactivation leads to increased and unregulated cell proliferation and survival¹. This double mutant PIK3CA is a common mutations in many cancers, especially breast cancer.

The use of birth control via oral tablets is an effective, yet inconvenient method for contraceptive hormone administration. Patients may forget to take their pill, or might be unable to take it at the correct time. A solution to this would be a long-term birth control treatment. There are many methods of long term contraception available, but many have significant drawbacks that cause patient hesitation in adopting these treatments. To increase access to long term, reliable birth control, Li et al. developed a microneedle skin patch to administer the contraceptive hormone levonorgestrel for about a month¹. The microneedles themselves detatch from the pad and embed themselves in the skin after a minute of manual pressure applied to the patch. The needles are made out of a biodegradable polymer, and therefore produce no sharp hazerdous waste. In creating this treatment, Li et al. hope that "an effervescent microneedle patch could facilitate greater access to long-acting contraception"¹.

(1) Li, W., Tang, J., Terry, R. N., Li, S., Brunie, A., Callahan, R. L., … Prausnitz, M. R. (2019). Long-acting reversible contraception by effervescent microneedle patch. Science Advances, 5(11). doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw8145

The cell is the foundation of all life. This fundamental unit has given rise to a vast array of organisms, some unicellular and some multicellular. But what if we changed this view, instead considering these life-carrying elements as small machines? Jason Kelly, CEO of Ginko Bioworks, seeks to make this kind of thinking into a reality. Kelly views cells much akin to that of a computer, with a coding language made out of adenine, cytosine, guanine, and tyrosine. As Kelly puts it, "synthetic biology is programming cells like we program computers, by changing the DNA code inside them"¹. Ginko has already implemented this methodology in a variety of fields, such as fragrances and flavorings. Kelly states that the next target of this technology is the fertilizer industry, replacing nitrogen-based fertilizers that create runoff and greenhouse gas emissions with simple seed treatments. Through synthetic biology, Kelly hopes that his company will innovate and provide novel solutions to the most environmentally unfriendly and expensive problems we face in society.

(1) Weber, J. (2019, November 6). Ginkgo Bioworks CEO Wants Biology to Manufacture Physical Goods. Retrieved November 8, 2019, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-11-06/ginkgo-bioworks-ceo-w....

Glucose sensing neurons are far from a new discovery, they have actually been known for around 50 years. However, their physiological function has yet to be understood clearly. In a recent study, Oh et al. discovered the mechanism of glucose sensing these cells perform. Oh et al. identified a pair of neurons with bifurcated axons. One of these axons signaled to insulin producing cells to trigger the release of Drosophila Insulin-like peptide 2 (DILP2)¹. The other signals to adipokinetic hormone (AKH), a fly equivalent to glucagon, producing cells to trigger its release¹. Oh et al. then proposed that this mechanism is used for glucose homeostasis in Drosophila.

Our goal in this experiment is to determine the effects of temperature on slime mold plasmodium form. Specifically, we will be using the slime mold Physarum Polycephalum as a test subject. This will carried out through the utilization of an ice bath to reach a temperature of 0ºC, and a hot plate to reach temperatures of 40ºC, 50ºC, 60ºC, and 70ºC. A control experiment at room temperature will also be performed. Physarum Polycephalum plasmodium form and spacing will be assessed after 2.5 hours. 

Slime molds have been a topic of interest in our class for a scientific project. Current in-class research has focused on the plasmodium form of different slime molds. These plasmodia function as a single celled organism, with multiple nuclei and a lack of membranes separating these. Many slime molds prefer the same temperatures that are ideal for human comfort to grow and develop. What is not known, however, is the effect of increased or decreased temperatures on the structure of the plasmodium. Performing such an experiment will provide further insight into the function of slime molds, and allow for further branching and experimentation on other aspects of slime mold life and development.