Cat Adams, a research scientist in Biosciences senior scientist Trent Northen’s group, kicked off a busy season of public outreach with a keynote reprising her 2022 BioEPIC Slam-winning talk, “Funky Fungal Farts,” at the Mycological Society of San Francisco's (MSSF)’s Mendocino Mushroom Camp in November 2024. In her talk, Adams discussed her postdoc work examining how fungal volatile organic compounds (VOCs) affect bacteria. Yes, the same VOCs that one might air out after unwrapping a new foam … [Read more...]
Jennifer Doudna Awarded National Medal of Technology and Innovation
Biochemist Jennifer Doudna, a faculty scientist in the Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging (MBIB) Division and part of the UC Berkeley-based team for m-CAFEs, has received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement. The award is bestowed by the president of the United States on America’s leading innovators. President Biden named Doudna one of 11 recipients of the medal in a Jan. 3 announcement. Doudna, who is also … [Read more...]
Comparing profiles of three species reveals common core metabolites for plant roots
The Science Studying a plant’s metabolome, or the complete set of small molecules in a biological sample, provides a snapshot of the plant’s metabolic profile at a given time, and is a key tool for understanding how plants respond to environmental changes and stressors. It reveals metabolites that can be linked to specific traits or functions, which can be useful for crop improvement and other applications. In particular, studying root exudates—the suite of substances secreted by plant … [Read more...]
m-CAFEs Plant Metabolomics Tools Used to Make Vaccine Adjuvants More Available
Biosciences Area Senior Faculty Researcher Jay Keasling and his research team have modified yeast to make the adjuvant QS-21, an important additive to vaccines that stimulates the immune response, making vaccines more effective. This process, developed in collaboration with an international team of scientists, was recently published in the journal Nature. m-CAFEs Laboratory Research Manager Trent Northen and other members of the Northen lab, including Environmental Genomics and Systems … [Read more...]
Researchers Identify Key Genes Involved in Fungi-Fungi Parasitism
The Science Fungi in the Trichomaderma genus, which are commonly present in soils, are known to engage in mycoparasitism, or active antagonism of other fungi. The fungi targeted in these interactions are phytopathogenic (plant-harming) fungi, which cause significant economic losses in agriculture. Although there has been extensive research about the mechanisms involved in the mycoparasitic capability of Trichoderma species, there are still unsolved questions related to … [Read more...]
