Najla Ward-Conyers, an undergraduate researcher in Neher lab was featured on the Chancellor’s Science Scholar website for 2020 University Research Week.

By fostering collaborative research teams, Carolina is accelerating new discoveries and solutions to emerging challenges. Read the UNC.edu feature on some of the work faculty, students, postdocs, and fellows are spearheading.

Congratulations to graduate student Odessa Goudy in the Brian Kuhlman lab for making it to the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) finals! As part of the UNC Research Week, the Finals will be live streamed on October 21, 2000 at 7 pm. Please cheer on Odessa virtually on Wednesday night.

Cathy Spangler published a paper in collaboration with Joshua Boyer, Joshua Strauss, Andrew Cesmat, Pengda Liu, Robert McGinty, and Qi Zhang, titled "Structural basis of nucleosome-dependent cGAS inhibition."

Led by Qi Zhang, PhD, and Robert McGinty, MD, PhD, UNC-Chapel Hill scientists used cryo-electron microscopy technology to produce the first-ever high-resolution structure of the protein cGAS bound to the DNA packaging unit inside human cell nuclei, revealing how cGAS responds to foreign or damaged DNA, but not the body’s healthy DNA.

old well in summer with lady walking a dog

Carolina also ranked in the top 20 for 11 academic subject areas according to the 2020 Academic Ranking of World Universities released by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy on August 15.

postdoc Dr. Yanqiong Zhang in Liu lab, Dr. Zhe Ma in Damania lab and a BBSP student Ying Wang

Hyperactivation of innate immunity results in autoimmune diseases, while deficiency in innate immunity is prone to tumorigenesis. Thus, the activity of innate immune signaling is tightly controlled but the regulatory mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Recently, the labs of Liu and Damania published a study in iScience revealing a role of the bacterial protein streptavidin in binding and facilitating cGAS activation.

It is known that the three-dimensional organization of the genome within the nucleus is important for proper gene expression and ultimately development. The mechanisms behind this organization, however, are not yet fully understood. Recently, the lab of Jill Dowen, PhD, published a study in Epigenetics & Chromatin solving a piece of this complex puzzle.

Carolina is pausing all undergraduate instruction on Aug. 24 and Aug. 25 to help students catch their breath and make the transition to remote learning. Undergraduate classes will resume Aug. 26

Gabrielle Dardis, a BCBP graduate student in Albert Baldwin’s lab (Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center), was awarded the Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Predoctoral Fellowship.

Effective Wednesday, August 19, all undergraduate in-person instruction will shift to remote learning. Courses in our graduate, professional and health affairs schools will continue to be taught as they are, or as directed by the schools. Academic advising and academic support services will be available online. Our research enterprise will remain unchanged.

Clustered heatmaps displaying STAG1, STAG2, RAD21, and CTCF signal (Z-score normalized) at a union list of STAG1 and STAG2 peaks.

Nicole Arruda (Jill Dowen lab) published a paper titled “Distinct and overlapping roles of STAG1 and STAG2 in cohesin localization and gene expression in embryonic stem cells” in Epigenetics and Chromatin (DOI:10.1186/s13072-020-00353-9). GMB student Megan Justice is a co-author. Image: Heatmaps of expression changes in Stag1 and Stag2 mutant cells and of STAG1 and STAG2 ChIP-seq; see article for details). August 10, 2020 Arruda, …

Tag: Student News

Student Spotlight: Najla Ward-Conyers

Tackling tough challenges

Odessa Goudy makes it to Three Minute Thesis finals

Graduate Student Cathy Spangler in McGinty lab uses cryo-EM to determine structure of cGAS

Researchers Reveal Safeguarding of a Key DNA Sensor in the Innate Immune System

UNC-Chapel Hill ranked 30th in 2020 Academic Ranking of World Universities

Liu and Damania Labs identified new proteins controlling cGAS activation

Dowen lab untangles another part of the 3D genome

University leaders announce important academic updates

Graduate Student Gabrielle Dardis awarded NCI F31

Carolina Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz Updates the Roadmap August 17

Nicole Arruda in Dowen lab publishes paper in Epigenetics and Chromatin