Wayne State University Biological Sciences

07/31/2026

📢 Publication Alert!

Congratulations to Marwa Aboumourad from the lab of Dr. Hanaa Haririon their latest publication:

📝 "Structural Organization of the Nvj3-Mdm1 Complex Reveals a Conserved Lipid-Compatible Contact Site Module"

📖 Contact, Volume 9

🔗https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/25152564261471395

Cellular organelles do not function in isolation—they communicate through specialized contact sites that help coordinate essential cellular processes. In this study, the authors reveal the structural organization of the Nvj3-Mdm1 complex, providing new insights into a conserved module that facilitates lipid-compatible interactions at membrane contact sites. These findings advance our understanding of how cells organize and regulate communication between organelles.

07/30/2026

📢 Publication Alert!

Congratulations to Dr. Marianna Sadagurski on her recent collaborative paper with Dudley Lamming on their new publication in Nature Aging! This work included graduate students Dulmalika Manchanayake and Hashan Jayarathne, Ph.D.:

📝 "Lifelong restriction of dietary valine has sex-specific benefits for health and lifespan in mice"

📖 Nature Aging (July 24, 2026)

🔗 https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-026-01169-0

This exciting study explores how lifelong reduction of the essential amino acid valine influences health and longevity, revealing important sex-specific effects in mice. The findings provide new insights into how nutrition may shape healthy aging and lifespan.

Calubag et al. report that reduced dietary intake of the branched-chain amino acid valine is sufficient to improve healthspan in both male and female mice, as well as to extend lifespan in male mice.

07/29/2026

🎉 Congratulations to Eleazar Reward for his recent dissertation defense!🎉

He gave a brilliant defense of his dissertation:

"Modular substrate recognition by HSV-1 ICP0: Discrete molecular bases govern SUMO-dependent and SUMO-independent targeting of ND10 componenets"

Great work from the lab of Dr. Haidong Gu!

Congrats!

07/20/2026

🚨 Dissertation Defense Announcement 🚨

The Department of Biological Sciences at Wayne State University invites you to attend the doctoral dissertation defense of Hadi Yassine. His dissertation advisor is Dr. Jared Schrader:

Dissertation Title:

Bacterial Ribonucleoprotein-Bodies (BR-Bodies) Store Messenger RNAs to Promote Recovery from Stress
📅 Wednesday, July 22, 2026
🕥 10:30 AM
💻 Via Zoom
Meeting ID: 897 8575 5527
Zoom Link: https://iu.zoom.us/j/89785755527

Join us as Hadi presents research exploring how bacterial ribonucleoprotein bodies (BR-bodies) help cells respond to and recover from environmental stress by storing messenger RNAs. This work provides new insights into fundamental mechanisms of bacterial stress adaptation.(This description is a general interpretation of the dissertation title; the flyer itself does not provide additional details.)

All are welcome to attend.

07/20/2026

🚨 Dissertation Defense Announcement🚨

The Department of Biological Sciences at Wayne State University invites you to attend the doctoral dissertation defense of Eleazar Reward. His advisor is Dr. Haidong Gu.

Dissertation Title:
Modular Substrate Recognition by HSV-1 ICP0: Discrete Molecular Bases Govern SUMO-Dependent and SUMO-Independent Targeting of ND10 Components

📅 Tuesday, July 21, 2026
🕛 12:00 PM
📍 Room 1167, Biological Sciences Building

Join us as Eleazar presents his research examining how the herpes simplex virus protein ICP0 recognizes and targets cellular ND10 components through distinct molecular mechanisms.

All are welcome to attend.

07/17/2026

📢 Publication Alert 📢

Hot of the presses from the lab of Dr. Hanaa Hariri with work led by three impressive undergraduates:

Hasnat Ahmed, Mohamad Rahal, and Ahmad Sleiman.

Congratulations to Dr. Hanaa Hariri and her team on their newly published paper in Cells:

“Low-Glucose Metabolic Remodeling Drives Reversible Sequestration of Yeast S-Adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) Synthase” [mdpi.com]

In this study, they discovered that under low-glucose conditions, the yeast enzyme Sam1 reorganizes into dynamic cellular assemblies that rapidly dissolve when glucose becomes available again. These findings reveal how cells can respond to changing nutrient availability by altering the spatial organization of metabolic enzymes, providing new insights into the relationship between metabolism and cellular organization.

The work highlights a previously unrecognized mechanism linking metabolic state and enzyme localization, advancing our understanding of how cells adapt to environmental stress. [mdpi.com]

🔗 https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/15/14/1267

S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) is a central metabolite required for methylation and sulfur metabolism, synthesized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by the cytosolic enzymes Sam1 and Sam2. While transcriptional and metabolic regulation of AdoMet biosynthesis have been extensively studied, how metabolic sta...

06/29/2026

📢 Publication Alert!

Congratulations to the lab of Professor Hanaa Hariri on their latest publication in Molecular Biology of the Cell! 🧬✨

This work was led by graduate student Daniel Adebayo

This study reveals how sphingolipid regulation by the yeast protein Mdm1 supports adaptive remodeling of the methionine transporter Mup1, shedding new light on how cells adjust membrane composition and nutrient transport in response to changing conditions.

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Membrane lipid composition influences endocytic remodeling of nutrient transporters, yet how lipid metabolism is spatially coordinated to support sustained adaptation to nutrient limitations remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–vacuole tether Mdm1 links sph...

06/26/2026

📢 Publication Alert! Go worms! 🐛

Congratulations to the lab of Professor Joy Alcedo on their new publication in PLoS Genetics! 🧬✨

This work was led by former graduate student Deniz Sifoglu with assists from previous graduate students Bianca Pereira and Christina DeGregory.

In this study, the team uncovers how the neuropeptide receptor NMUR-1 helps buffer insulin signaling to support C. elegans survival in response to bacteria—highlighting an important link between neural signaling, metabolism, and host–microbe interactions.

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Author summary Host-microbial interactions influence animals’ survival dynamics. A key pathway that regulates survival is insulin receptor signaling, which responds to bacterial-derived cues. Because too high or too low insulin receptor signaling can be harmful, its activity must be kept within a ...

06/25/2026

Check out this interview with Dr. Marianna Sadagurski, recognized with the 2026 Cristofalo Rising Star Award 🎉

Her work explores how the brain and body communicate to influence metabolism and aging—helping us better understand health across the lifespan 🧠

👉 Read the interview

AFAR is pleased to share our Ask the Expert interview with the 2026 Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star Award in Aging Research recipient Marianna Sadagurski,

06/18/2026

📢 Lab Feature + Fieldwork in Action! 🌲💧

If looking at cool, pristine streams sounds appealing right now, check out this fantastic article:

👉 How mining impacts water quality in Michigan’s pristine streams

It highlights a project from Donna Kashian’s lab studying how a new nickel mine could impact nearby freshwater systems up north 🧪🐟 The team has been monitoring streams in this incredibly pristine region to better understand potential environmental effects 🌊

Even better—former department members Brenna Friday, Katrina Lewandowski, and Hector Esparra-Escalera are featured doing fieldwork! 🙌

Love seeing this kind of hands-on science making an impact 👏✨

Since 2008, a team of researchers has been collecting stream data in Michigan, recording the impact of a new nickel mine in the Upper Peninsula.