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Isomerization insights: a deeper understanding of Pin1-PPARγ dynamics

Jul. 11, 2025—By Cameron I. Cohen Amino acid peptides can exist in cis and trans conformations, with most heavily favoring the latter. Proline, however, is unique among amino acids in that its peptide bonds can stably populate both conformations. The exchange, or isomerization, between cis and trans proline conformations is a relatively slow process which acts as...

CSB Spotlight: Rachana Tomar, Stone Lab

Jun. 26, 2025—Rachana Tomar is a research assistant in the Stone lab. She spends her days unraveling the mysteries of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and its knack for causing mutations that can lead to cancer. When she clocks out, Rachana trades her lab coat for road trips where the only mutations she’s concerned with are the ones in...

External speakers set for CSB/CAIPD symposium

Jun. 17, 2025—The Vanderbilt Center for Structural Biology and the Center for Applied AI in Protein Dynamics invite you to Bridging Atoms and Algorithms: A Symposium on AI and Structural Biology. The symposium promises exciting research, collaboration and networking that navigates the intersection of AI and Structural Biology on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 17–18, 2026, on the...

CSHL macromolecular crystallography course

Jun. 10, 2025—Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) is a leading international center for research and education. As part of its mission, each year CSHL organizes 30 advanced technical science courses, with organizers, instructors and participants from all over the world. CSHL is offering a course in macromolecular crystallography October 12 – 28, 2025. X-ray crystallography has been...

Call for Nominations: 2025 Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar

Jun. 10, 2025—Nominations for the 2025 Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar are invited now through June 27, 2025. Candidates for the Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar are graduate students in biomedical sciences at Vanderbilt (Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. track) who have completed the qualifying exam and have at least one year left to complete the Ph.D. degree. Competitive nominees are...

CSB Spotlight: Prashant Singh, Iverson Lab

May. 30, 2025—Prashant Singh, is a Senior Research Associate in the Iverson Lab. He’s getting used to the spotlight from his recent appearance on the YouTube channel SmarterEveryDay. However, he’s still the down-to-earth Prash, as he’s known to his friends and family, who is always ready to respond to the “call of duty.” Meet Prash … What is...

Redefining synaptic architecture: nanoblocks as key organizing units in the postsynaptic density

May. 9, 2025—Cellular function relies on the nanoscale organization of molecular components. Pre-synaptic, post-synaptic and cell adhesion proteins within the synapse are carefully organized in nanostructures to facilitate the transmission of information between neurons, a process which is essential for synaptic plasticity, learning and memory formation. However, the precise structural arrangement of synapses is largely unknown due...

CSB Research Spotlight: Wankowicz Lab – How protein movement influences function

Apr. 28, 2025—Understanding how proteins get from point A to point B is top of mind for Stephanie Wankowicz, assistant professor of molecular physiology and biophysics. The Wankowicz lab conducts research on how entropy, a measure of the tendency toward disorder or randomness within a system, shifts when a protein binds to a drug or another protein....

CSB Spotlight: Katherine Stefanski, Sanders Lab

Apr. 25, 2025—Sanders Lab Postdoc Katherine Stefanski’s lab motto might be “a place for everything and everything in its place.” Outside the lab she likes to wreak a bit of havoc in Smashville! That is, when it doesn’t get in the way of a good book. Meet Katherine … What is the focus of your research? I...

From activation to repression: decoding the impact of PPARγ ligands on ligand-binding domain conformation

Apr. 11, 2025—Nuclear receptors (NRs) are a group of transcription factors that control gene expression in response to endogenous metabolites and synthetic ligands. Ligands bind the C-terminal ligand-binding domain (LBD) of NRs which is widely believed to alternate between transcriptionally active and repressive states and be stabilized upon ligand binding. Various X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy studies...

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