Publications by authors named "Matthew J Tarnowski"
Specialized or secondary metabolites are small molecules of biological origin, often showing potent biological activities with applications in agriculture, engineering and medicine. Usually, the biosynthesis of these natural products is governed by sets of co-regulated and physically clustered genes known as biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). To share information about BGCs in a standardized and machine-readable way, the Minimum Information about a Biosynthetic Gene cluster (MIBiG) data standard and repository was initiated in 2015.
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- Modern DNA sequencing is helping researchers understand the rich microbial biodiversity in soils, but using this information fairly is complicated.
- A public engagement project involved collaboration between researchers and high school students to explore urban soil microbiomes and discuss ethical implications of environmental data use.
- The project shifted the narrative from "bioprospecting," which suggests exploitative practices, to "biorespecting," emphasizing accountability and collaboration with ecosystems and communities from which the genetic data is derived.
Article Synopsis
- Transcriptional terminators guide RNA polymerases (RNAPs) on when to stop transcribing DNA, which can lead to two types of RNA transcripts: one that terminates normally and another that reads through the terminator.
- Researchers have developed a method to repurpose these terminators as 'transcriptional valves' to adjust the levels of these different RNA transcripts, allowing for better control in synthetic biology.
- By creating a large library of 1780 transcriptional valves and using advanced sequencing techniques, the study demonstrates a novel approach for regulating gene expression and highlights the advantages of long-read sequencing in genetic research.
Understanding how genotypes map onto phenotypes, fitness, and eventually organisms is arguably the next major missing piece in a fully predictive theory of evolution. We refer to this generally as the problem of the genotype-phenotype map. Though we are still far from achieving a complete picture of these relationships, our current understanding of simpler questions, such as the structure induced in the space of genotypes by sequences mapped to molecular structures, has revealed important facts that deeply affect the dynamical description of evolutionary processes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe development of new antimalarial compounds remains a pivotal part of the strategy for malaria elimination. Recent large-scale phenotypic screens have provided a wealth of potential starting points for hit-to-lead campaigns. One such public set is explored, employing an open source research mechanism in which all data and ideas were shared in real time, anyone was able to participate, and patents were not sought.
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