The Asian citrus psyllid, the most devastating threat to the worldwide citrus industry, may have met its match.
In a ground-breaking discovery encompassing six years of research, an international team of scientists led by UC Davis chemical ecologist Walter Leal announced they've identified the sex pheromone of the pest, which feeds on citrus and transmits the bacteria that causes the deadly citrus greening disease known as Huanglongbing (HLB).
In a review article published in Nature: Science of Food, Professor Raymond Rodriguez and his colleagues explore the relationship between diet and brain health, proposing a framework to understand the body’s “food-brain axis,” the intersection of diet and the formation of new brain cells. Rodriguez’s aim is to provide researchers with a dietary roadmap to help prevent cognitive decline.
How did plants develop photosynthesis? The story is really nothing more than a tale of biological thievery.
Publishing in The Plant Cell, Lagarias and his colleagues found that a pigment called biliverdin is essential to light-induced chlorophyll production in the alga. This discovery is helping scientists understand why diverse algae retain these pigments, although many lack phytochromes.
Roy H. Doi, distinguished professor emeritus of molecular and cellular biology, was a leader in advancing understanding of the mechanisms that control bacterial gene expression. Elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2006, Doi was recognized for his career contributions in molecular biology and biotechnology.
On Oct. 9, 2017, Doi passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, at the age of 84.
With funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, Associate Professor Bruce Draper, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, is studying zebrafish (Danio rerio) to learn about the genetics of sexual reproduction in vertebrates. Draper’s research, published in PLOS Genetics with postdoc and Dena Leerberg, ’17 Ph.D., may advance discoveries into the origins of ovarian cancer.
The UC Davis College of Biological Sciences has named Oliver Fiehn, professor of molecular and cellular biology, to the Paul K. and Ruth R. Stumpf Professorship in Plant Biochemistry.
An internationally recognized scholar, Fiehn has more than 220 publications to his name. He has driven significant developments in the field of metabolomics, the study of small molecules known as metabolites. Metabolites are the end products of cellular processes and form the chemistry of all life.
Eric Conn, professor emeritus of molecular and cellular biology, was a plant biochemist and member of the National Academy of Sciences. Conn is world-renowned in his field for his contributions to the understanding of plant metabolism, and he held tenure for 43 years with the University of California.
He passed away on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017.
Jodi Nunnari has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences. She studies mitochondria, tiny structures that provide energy to living cells and which are implicated in a wide range of diseases, including heart disease, stroke and inherited conditions.
A two-year, $150,000 research award from the March of Dimes organization will enable Assistant Professor Kassandra Ori-McKenney, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, to further explore cell structure and how that structure affects brain development.
Two professors from the College of Biological Sciences have been recognized for their contributions to plant biology by the American Society of Plant Biologists.
“Throughout their careers, Professors Comai and Lagarias have conducted critical research that increased our ability to produce food and other important commercial crops,” said Mark Winey, dean of the College of Biological Sciences. “They have significantly contributed to food security for the people of the planet.”
