In a study appearing in Nucleic Acids Research, UC Davis College of Biological Sciences researchers identify and show how two molecular partners affect the overall assembly and structure of the breast cancer protein BRCA2.
Our DNA is built of base pairs, a spiral ladder of adenines, cytosines, guanines and thymines. In this molecular dance, adenine pairs with thymine and cytosine pairs with guanine. Undergraduate researcher Madeline Bright is trying to figure out just how damage to our DNA at the molecular level leads to disease-causing mutations.
Knots are a part of nature. From pocketed headphones to carelessly packed garden hoses, they find ways to manifest in strings and loops. This isn’t just a truth of mathematics; it’s a truth of biology. In fact, DNA molecules can also get tied into knots.
Since transferring to UC Davis in fall 2017, Timur Katsnelson has gone all in on the Aggie experience. He’s a member of the UC Davis ice hockey club team, has worked as an undergraduate researcher in a chemistry lab and volunteers as a junior editor with The Aggie Transcript, a student-run life sciences journal.
During oocyte quality control, a decision is made whether each oocyte should continue and join the reserve of eggs or undergo cellular death. New research from Neil Hunter’s laboratory at UC Davis reveals the surprising way that this critical oocyte quality control process works.
For excellence in biological sciences research, senior biochemistry and molecular biology major Benjamin Mallory is one of two recipients recognized with the Ronald and Lydia Baskin Award.
