Biosciences News

Biosciences Postdoctoral Researcher Estelle Schaefer was the lead author of a new study on plant cell division orientation released by Science on April XX. The study developed while Schaefer was affiliated with the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) in France and provides further insight into the actual mechanics of cell division in plants.

One phase of the cell division cycle is called mitosis, which is when replicated chromosomes are separated into two new nuclei. Mitosis occurs in several steps and in plants includes preprophase. Schaefer’s work focused on the preprophase band of microtubules, intracellular structures responsible for various movements within cells, and showed that this band controls the robustness of cell division orientation and consequent plant development.

Since completing her PhD three years ago, Schaefer has worked in the field of cell wall biosynthesis with Henrik Scheller (Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology Division) at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI). She will soon transition to the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI) where she will work with John Vogel to study the interactions between Brachypodium roots and microbes of the rhizosphere.

DOE National Lab Day was organized on April 18, 2017 at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The goal of the event was to provide exposure to the capabilities and mechanisms for collaboration at the DOE National Laboratories.

Jay Keasling, Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences, Mary Maxon, Biosciences Principal Deputy and Corie Ralston, Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging’s Deputy Director for Science participated at the event. During their opening remarks, Arkansas Congressmen Steve Womack (pictured) and Bruce Westerman highlighted the national significance of the Labs. Stanford University’s Arun Majumder, Founding Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), described energy innovation as a key aspect of our future, and Deputy Laboratory Director Horst Simon represented Berkeley Lab as part of a panel of National Lab Directors who illustrated many of the opportunities available at the National Labs. Maxon moderated a Bioscience and Healthcare breakout session and Keasling moderated a breakout on Renewables and Biofuels.

The new American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) fellows include Biosciences’ Jamie Cate from the Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division. The other Berkeley Lab scientists honored are Christopher Chang (Chemical Sciences), Roger Falcone (ALS), Michael Witherell (Lab Director), and Katherine Yelick (Computing Sciences). AAAS fellowships recognize leading figures in academia, the arts, science, business, and government. Read more in the Berkeley Lab News Center.

Grayson (D-Concord) and his district director Naser Javaid recently visited JGI to learn about their sequencing, metabolomics, single-cell genomics, and DNA synthesis capabilities. Grayson also met with JGI Director Nigel Mouncey and heard from researchers Susannah Tringe and Trent Northen.

The April 1 issue of The Scientist magazine profiled Mina Bissell, Distinguished Scientist at the Biosciences’ Biological Systems and Engineering Division. The article covers Bissell’s pioneering work in cancer research over the period of 40 years and how she was instrumental in researching the field of tumor microenvironments. Read more at The Scientist.