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    Metabolic rewiring driving metastasis formation

    Date:
    07
    Thursday
    September
    2023
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 14:00-15:00
    Location: Max and Lillian Candiotty Building
    Lecturer: Prof. Sarah-Maria Fendt
    Organizer: Dwek Institute for Cancer Therapy Research
    Contact: michal.av@weizmann.ac.il
    Details:

    Special Guest Seminar by Dr. Monther Abu-Remaileh

    Date:
    03
    Thursday
    August
    2023
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 13:00-14:00
    Title: Neurodegeneration: Intra-Lysosomal Lipid Metabolism in the Driver's Seat
    Location: Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Building for Biomedical Research
    Lecturer: Dr. Monther Abu-Remaileh
    Organizer: Department of Molecular Neuroscience
    Contact: ronitrosenberg@weizmann.ac.il

    Special guest seminar

    Date:
    04
    Sunday
    June
    2023
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 00:00
    Title: T cell memory, metabolism and the microbiome
    Location: Max and Lillian Candiotty Building
    Lecturer: Professor Sammy Bedoui
    Organizer: Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology
    Contact: ronen.alon@weizmann.ac.il

    PhD Thesis Defense by Omer Goldman (Ayelet Erez Lab)

    Date:
    21
    Sunday
    May
    2023
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 13:00
    Title: Non-liver cancers rewire liver metabolism in the host
    Location: Max and Lillian Candiotty Building
    Lecturer: Omer Goldman (Ayelet Erez Lab)
    Organizer: Department of Molecular Cell Biology
    Contact: michal.ovadia@weizmann.ac.il

    Solanaceae metabolic diversification from shoot to root

    Date:
    04
    Tuesday
    April
    2023
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 11:30-12:30
    Location: Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Biological Sciences
    Lecturer: Prof. Robert Last
    Organizer: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
    Contact: david.zeevi@weizmann.ac.il

    High resolution in vivo NMR spectroscopy: A tale about cells, a fish and a worm

    Date:
    23
    Thursday
    February
    2023
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 09:30-10:30
    Location: Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
    Lecturer: Prof. Andrés Binolfi
    Organizer: The Helen and Martin Kimmel Institute for Magnetic Resonance Research
    Contact: ana.naamat@weizmann.ac.il
    Abstract: To understand the functional properties of biomolecules, such a small metabolite ... Read more To understand the functional properties of biomolecules, such a small metabolites, protein or nucleic acids, we ought to study them with high resolution in their native context. NMR spectroscopy allows the direct observation of NMR-active nuclei in complex, undefined environments and can thus be employed to investigate isotopically enriched molecules inside live cells. This methodology is known as In-cell NMR and has been used to evaluate the structural properties of proteins, nucleic acids and other biomolecules in physiological environments and to resolve their functional characteristics in a cellular context. These methods have been applied to bacteria, yeasts or cultured mammalian cells. However these cells are clonally grown at high densities in artificial media, lacking the complex tissue context present in higher organisms and its associated biological activities. We funnel our efforts to extend In-cell NMR applications to in vivo conditions using zebrafish embryos and the nematode C. elegans as model organisms. We deliver 15N-isotopically enriched biomolecules, such as small compounds and proteins into fish embryos to delineate their conformational properties and enzymatic conversions. We also enrich live C. elegans with 13C atoms to directly interrogate about their metabolic compositions and enzymatic activities. Combined, these studies provide methodological advancements with regard to high resolution in vivo NMR applications.
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    A meta'omics perspective on the functional potential and regulation of metabolic activity in the global ocean microbiome

    Date:
    31
    Tuesday
    January
    2023
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 11:30-12:30
    Location: Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Biological Sciences
    Lecturer: Prof. Shinichi Sunagawa
    Organizer: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
    Contact: david.zeevi@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: Host: Dr. David Zeevi

    Triterpenoids - diversity and evolution of their biosynthesis in plants

    Date:
    03
    Tuesday
    January
    2023
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 11:30-12:30
    Location: Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Biological Sciences
    Lecturer: Dr. Adam Jozwiak
    Organizer: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
    Contact: david.zeevi@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: Host: Prof. Asaph Aharoni
    Abstract: Triterpenoids are a diverse class of secondary metabolites with important roles ... Read more Triterpenoids are a diverse class of secondary metabolites with important roles in plant defense, stress tolerance, and communication. In this study, we investigated the diversity and evolution of triterpenoids in plants using a combination of molecular, biochemical, and evolutionary approaches. Our results showed that various plant families have exploited the same evolutionary mechanism of molecular hijacking, whereby proteins involved in cell wall biosynthesis are co-opted for the production of triterpenoids. This process led to the formation of metabolons, which are protein complexes that facilitate the channeling of intermediates between enzymes in the biosynthetic pathway. Our study shows that the another gene involved in the pathway has undergone duplication and evolved to produce different types of metabolites in different Solanum species. Our findings provide insight into the complexity of plant secondary metabolism and the mechanisms underlying its evolution.
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    Computational approaches for identifying genomic and metabolic predictors of cancer patient response to immune checkpoint blockade therapy

    Date:
    29
    Thursday
    December
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 14:00-15:00
    Location: Max and Lillian Candiotty Building
    Lecturer: Dr. Keren Yizhak
    Organizer: Dwek Institute for Cancer Therapy Research
    Contact: michal.av@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/5065402023?pwd=a3Z6KzRCU0xJaUFoM2Y5emZwZm1oZz09

    Biosynthesis of Plant Natural Products: from the Colours of Beet to Defences in Wheat

    Date:
    27
    Tuesday
    December
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 11:30-12:30
    Location: Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Biological Sciences
    Lecturer: Dr. Guy Polturak
    Organizer: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
    Contact: david.zeevi@weizmann.ac.il
    Abstract: Plants produce a vast range of specialized metabolites that serve various roles, ... Read more Plants produce a vast range of specialized metabolites that serve various roles, including mediating interactions with their immediate environments and providing defence against (a)biotic stresses. The ‘omics era’ has brought a new golden age for plant specialized metabolism research, vastly accelerating the discovery of novel metabolites and our understanding of their biosynthesis, roles and regulation. Two studies exemplifying omics-driven discovery of metabolic pathways, in beet and in wheat, will be presented: 1. Betalains are red-violet and yellow pigments restricted to order Caryophyllales, which have attracted interest due to their health-promoting properties and use as food colorants. Transcriptomics-led discovery of enzymes catalyzing the last unknown step in betalain biosynthesis in red beet enabled us to heterologously produce these pigments in plants and microbes, providing a valuable platform for studying their in-planta roles and enabling their subsequent utilization as reporter genes and plant transformation markers. 2. Wheat is one of the most widely grown crops in the world but is susceptible to numerous pests and pathogens, leading to major annual losses. Despite its agricultural importance, current knowledge of wheat chemical defenses remains very limited. Using a genome mining approach we uncovered six previously unknown pathogen-induced metabolic pathways in hexaploid bread wheat, which produce a diverse set of molecules and are encoded by biosynthetic gene clusters. Discovery and characterization of these cluster-encoded metabolic pathways provides key insights into the molecular basis of biotic stress responses in wheat, thus opening new potential avenues for improvement of this major food crop.
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    ATFS-1 coordinates mitochondrial network expansion and peroxisome biogenesis in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans

    Date:
    27
    Tuesday
    December
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 10:00-11:00
    Location: Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Biological Sciences
    Lecturer: Dr. Tomer Shpika
    Organizer: Department of Biomolecular Sciences
    Contact: levana.ayvazo@weizmann.ac.il
    Abstract: As organisms develop, individual cells generate mitochondria and peroxisomes to ... Read more As organisms develop, individual cells generate mitochondria and peroxisomes to fulfill their physiological requirements. A decline, or dysfunction in these organelles is associated with ageing and a vast array of clinical manifestations including metabolic disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Despite this, it is unknown how mitochondrial network expansion and peroxisome biogenesis is scaled to cell growth, and how cells maintain the organelles’ function during stress. The mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) is a protective signaling pathway mediated by the transcription factor ATFS-1. Using genetic and biochemical approaches in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans we demonstrate that ATFS-1 mediates an adaptable mitochondrial network expansion program and a peroxisomal retrograde response that is active throughout normal development. These findings as well as the therapeutic potential and future directions of my studies will be presented.
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    Environmental viruses in biogeochemical cycles

    Date:
    22
    Tuesday
    November
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 11:30-12:30
    Location: Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Biological Sciences
    Lecturer: Dr. Ella Sieradzki
    Organizer: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
    Contact: david.zeevi@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: Host: Dr. David Zeevi
    Abstract: Viruses are the most abundant and diverse biological entities on Earth and can h ... Read more Viruses are the most abundant and diverse biological entities on Earth and can have a profound effect on biogeochemical cycles. In the sunlit ocean, viral lysis of 20-40% of hosts daily generates 20% of the dissolved organic carbon pool. Viruses can also affect their host’s metabolism during infection through expression of horizontally transferred host metabolic genes. While viruses in the ocean have been studied for over two decades, viral ecology and its effects have been neglected in other environments. I will present several of my studies that show how viruses in the ocean and in soil may affect their environment as well as ours through expression of metabolic genes and host-specific mortality. I’ll also discuss the current limitations in soil viral ecology, and technologies that can help us move forward.
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    "Fgf8 dynamics and critical slowing down in somitogenesis"

    Date:
    13
    Sunday
    November
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 14:00-15:00
    Location: Perlman Chemical Sciences Building
    Lecturer: Prof. David Bensimon
    Organizer: Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science
    Contact: ana.naamat@weizmann.ac.il
    Abstract: Somitogenesis, the segmentation of the antero-posterior axis in vertebrates, is ... Read more Somitogenesis, the segmentation of the antero-posterior axis in vertebrates, is thought to result from the interactions between a genetic oscillator and a posterior-moving determination wavefront. I will introduce the current state of knowledge of that important stage in the development of vertebrate embryos. Surprisingly while the oscillator period is very sensitive to temperature changes, the size of the segments is not. I shall describe our results pertaining to the importance of the decrease in time of the Fgf8 gradient on the propagation of the wavefront and the observation that the somitogenetic period, embryo growth rate, PSM shortening rate and Fgf8 decay rate all slow down as 1/(T-Tc) with Tc=14.4°C, suggesting that critical slowing may affect the embryo metabolism resulting in a natural compensation of thermal effects on somite size.
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    Kinetic Asymmetry, the Neglected Ingredient in Chemical Coupling

    Date:
    07
    Monday
    November
    2022
    Colloquium
    Time: 11:00-12:15
    Location: Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
    Lecturer: Prof. R. Dean Astumian
    Organizer: Faculty of Chemistry
    Contact: sarah.amzallag@weizmann.ac.il
    Abstract: Chemical coupling plays the essential role in metabolism of providing a mechanis ... Read more Chemical coupling plays the essential role in metabolism of providing a mechanism by which energy released in an exergonic chemical reaction (often ATP hydrolysis) can be used to drive a different reaction energetically uphill. Through evolution coupling has come to be used also to drive the creation of concentration gradients across membranes via membrane molecular pumps such as the Na+K+ ATPase, and to harness chemical energy to perform mechanical work via proteins known as molecular motors, the most paradigmatic of which is muscle, i.e. myosin moving along actin. Recent work on synthetic molecular machines has reinvigorated efforts, both experimental and theoretical, to better understand chemical coupling. The key idea involves a mechanism known as a Brownian motor where energy is used, not to cause forward motion but to prevent backward motion. These ratchet mechanisms, named after “Feynman’s ratchet”, and mathematically described by a non-equilibrium equality for a pumped chemical potential difference, have provided the intellectual basis for the design of synthetic molecular machines. Detailed investigations of these synthetic devices have provided several surprises regarding the mechanism by which external energy drives molecular machines, most especially highlighting the key role of kinetic asymmetry.
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    Kinetic Asymmetry, the Neglected Ingredient in Chemical Coupling Colloquium website

    Guest seminar with Prof. Utpal Banerjee

    Date:
    20
    Wednesday
    July
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 10:00
    Title: Metabolic control of the early steps of Development of the Mammalian Embryo
    Location: Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Building for Biomedical Research
    Lecturer: Prof. Utpal Banerjee
    Organizer: Department of Molecular Genetics
    Contact: sandra.britton@weizmann.ac.il

    How microbial interactions shape the exo-metabolic landscape of the ocean

    Date:
    12
    Tuesday
    July
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 11:30-12:30
    Location: Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Biological Sciences
    Lecturer: Dr. Constanze Kuhlisch
    Organizer: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
    Contact: david.zeevi@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: Host: Prof. Assaf Vardi
    Abstract: Algal blooms are events of high primary productivity and rapid population growth ... Read more Algal blooms are events of high primary productivity and rapid population growth that can cover vast oceanic regions. They thus play an important role for the marine food web and for the global carbon and sulfur cycling. Furthermore, algal blooms are hotspots of microbial interactions with e.g. grazers, heterotrophic bacteria, fungi and viruses. These interactions are mediated by metabolite signals, they can modulate metabolic pathways and can induce biosynthetic gene clusters – the diversity of microbial communities in natural blooms is thus crucial in understanding the chemical ecology of algal blooms. In my talk, I will show how lipid remodeling during the infection of E. huxleyi blooms by its giant virus imprints the marine dissolved organic matter pool. Further, I will present how a tripartite interaction between alga, virus and associated microbes leads to a unique halogenation activity during bloom demise. Lastly, I will discuss the potential ecological role of indole derivatives that accumulate in the blooms of E. huxleyi.
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    Multiplexed imaging of endogenous molecular beacons with MRI

    Date:
    09
    Thursday
    June
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 09:30-10:30
    Location: Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
    Lecturer: Prof. Moriel Vandsburger
    Organizer: Clore Institute for High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy
    Contact: ana.naamat@weizmann.ac.il
    Abstract: Novel treatments that are under development for heart failure, metabolic disorde ... Read more Novel treatments that are under development for heart failure, metabolic disorders, kidney disease, and other debilitating illnesses generally target specific molecular and cellular mechanisms of action. However, assessment of such treatments is often complicated by the lack of easily measurable blood biomarkers, and a reliance upon repeated tissue biopsy. Subsequently, many exploratory studies utilize non-invasive imaging methods to characterize changes in whole organ structure and function as surrogate markers for underlying cellular and molecular changes. Although such measurements can be performed serially, such macro-level imaging measurements are often insensitive to physiologically meaningful treatment responses. In addition, the lack of target specificity represents a fundamental barrier both in pre-clinical development and clinical trials where the information potentially gleaned from a more physiologically rich data set would be of high value to further therapeutic development. My primary research interest is in using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a platform technology for non-invasive and multiplexed molecular imaging in heart and kidney failure. Using a first principles approach, my group seeks to unify changes in myocardial and kidney MRI physics properties with advanced pulse sequence design and analysis in order to enable integrative physiological imaging that both identifies mechanisms of failure earlier than existing diagnostics, and directly measures the impacts of new therapies on their intended therapeutic targets. Using a process of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) we have designed pre-clinical methods to quantify viral carriers of somatic cell gene editing machinery, gene transfer following adeno associated viral gene therapy, and to longitudinally quantify cell survival/proliferation following intra-myocardial implantation in mouse models of regenerative cell therapy. In addition, cardiac CEST approaches for imaging of myocardial creatine and fibrosis using endogenous contrast mechanisms have been translated from mouse models to clinical application in obese adults and renal failure patients on routine hemodialysis. Most recently we have developed methods to probe renal physiology and failure based on endogenous CEST contrast generated by urea. When integrated, these approaches can enable serially non-invasive and multi-scale analysis from the level of gene expression up to whole organ function in disease settings that currently have limited non-invasive molecular tools.
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    Metabolism, diet, and cancer

    Date:
    31
    Tuesday
    May
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 14:00-15:00
    Location: Max and Lillian Candiotty Building
    Lecturer: Joshua Rabinowitz, MD, PhD
    Organizer: Dwek Institute for Cancer Therapy Research
    Contact: michal.av@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: Meeting URL: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/5065402023?pwd=a3Z6KzRCU0xJaUFoM2Y5emZwZ ... Read more Meeting URL: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/5065402023?pwd=a3Z6KzRCU0xJaUFoM2Y5emZwZm1oZz09
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    Mapping the Arabidopsis Metabolic Landscape by Untargeted Metabolomics at Different Environmental Conditions

    Date:
    31
    Tuesday
    May
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 11:30-12:30
    Location: Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Biological Sciences
    Lecturer: Dr. Yariv Brotman
    Organizer: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
    Contact: david.zeevi@weizmann.ac.il

    Targeting metabolic vulnerabilities in cancer

    Date:
    26
    Thursday
    May
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 14:00-15:00
    Location: Max and Lillian Candiotty Building
    Lecturer: Prof. Tomer Shlomi
    Organizer: Dwek Institute for Cancer Therapy Research
    Contact: michal.av@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: Meeting URL: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/5065402023?pwd=a3Z6KzRCU0xJaUFoM2Y5emZwZ ... Read more Meeting URL: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/5065402023?pwd=a3Z6KzRCU0xJaUFoM2Y5emZwZm1oZz09
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    A Link Between Mitochondrial Metabolism and Ca2+ Signaling or How Coffee Enhances Learning

    Date:
    17
    Tuesday
    May
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 14:00-15:00
    Location: Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
    Lecturer: Prof. Israel Sekler
    Organizer: Department of Chemical and Structural Biology
    Contact: nicole.dorfman@weizmann.ac.il

    "SARM1 Ring to Rule Them All"

    Date:
    26
    Tuesday
    April
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 10:00-11:00
    Location: Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Biological Sciences
    Lecturer: Prof. Yarden Opatowsky
    Organizer: Department of Biomolecular Sciences
    Contact: levana.ayvazo@weizmann.ac.il
    Abstract: SARM1 is a central executor of neurodegeneration. Remarkably, neurons from SA ... Read more SARM1 is a central executor of neurodegeneration. Remarkably, neurons from SARM1 knock-out mice (which appear to be normal in many respects) show prolonged resistance for neuronal degeneration after mechanical damage, oxidative stress, and chemotherapy treatments. Mechanistically, SARM1 contains NADase activity, which, in response to nerve injury, depletes the key cellular metabolite, NAD+. To gain structural knowledge of SARM1 we use X-ray crystallography of isolated SARM1 domains and single particle EM 3D reconstruction of the intact protein. We discovered that SARM1, like other apoptotic complexes, assembles into an oligomeric ring. Structure analysis and additional experiments in cultured cells points at a surprising molecular mechanism by which SARM1 is kept inactive during homeostasis and how it becomes activated in response to metabolic and oxidative stress conditions 1,2,3. 1 Sporny, M. et al. Structural Evidence for an Octameric Ring Arrangement of SARM1. J Mol Biol 431, 3591-3605, doi:10.1016/j.jmb.2019.06.030 (2019). 2 Sporny, M. et al. Structural basis for SARM1 inhibition and activation under energetic stress. Elife 9, doi:10.7554/eLife.62021 (2020). 3.Khazma T. et al. A Duplex Structure of SARM1 Octamers Induced by a New Inhibitor. bioRxiv doi.org/10.1101/2022.03.02.482641 (2022).
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    Enteroviruses hijack lipid droplets to build their replication factories

    Date:
    12
    Tuesday
    April
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 10:00-11:00
    Location: Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Biological Sciences
    Lecturer: Dr. Orly Laufman
    Organizer: Department of Biomolecular Sciences
    Contact: levana.ayvazo@weizmann.ac.il
    Abstract: Positive-strand RNA viruses including corona, zika and dengue are a major threat ... Read more Positive-strand RNA viruses including corona, zika and dengue are a major threat to public health. A critical step in the life cycle of all positive-strand RNA viruses is the replication of their genome on cellular membranes called replication compartments. However, the mechanisms underlying the formation of the replication compartments are not well understood. Enteroviruses are positive-strand RNA viruses that cause diverse medical complications in humans including myocarditis, meningitis and paralysis. Combining biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology approaches, we discovered that enteroviruses hijack lipid storage organelles called lipid droplets and use the lipids stored within them to generate their replication compartments. I will describe the sophisticated viral mechanisms involved in the hijack of lipid droplets and the channeling of their content to promote virus replication. Our studies illuminate the mechanisms by which positive-strand RNA viruses rewire host organelles and lipid metabolism and provide a snapshot into the complex replication program of these viruses.
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    The impact of metabolic processes at the brain’s choroid plexus and of the gut microbiome on Alzheimer’s disease manifestation

    Date:
    24
    Thursday
    March
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 16:00
    Title: Student Seminar - PhD Thesis Defense -ZOOM-
    Lecturer: Afroditi Tsitsou-Kampeli
    Organizer: Department of Brain Sciences
    Contact: naomi.moses@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: Zoom link https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/98658552127?pwd=ZkZmWTBkd1AxZ0xPbGlpU3FPUW ... Read more Zoom link https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/98658552127?pwd=ZkZmWTBkd1AxZ0xPbGlpU3FPUWpzUT09 Meeting ID:986 5855 2127 Password:495213
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    Abstract: The immune system and the gut microbiome are becoming major players in chronic n ... Read more The immune system and the gut microbiome are becoming major players in chronic neurodegenerative conditions. One of the key interfaces between the brain and the immune system with an impact on brain function is the choroid plexus (CP). The CP interface is central to the maintenance of brain homeostasis by exerting a plethora of different biological processes. However, in aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), interferon type-I (IFN-I) signaling accumulates at the CP and impedes part of its beneficial function by inducing a CP-pro-aging signature. My research contributed to the finding that IFN-I signaling at the CP induces an aging-like signature in microglia and impedes cognitive abilities in middle-aged mice in a microglia-dependent manner. In addition, I demonstrated that the brain-specific enzyme, cholesterol 24-hydroxylase (CYP46A1), is expressed by the CP epithelium and that its product, 24-hydroxycholesterol (24-OH), downregulates CP-pro-inflammatory signatures. Furthermore, in AD, CP CYP46A1 protein levels were decreased in both mice and humans and overexpression of Cyp46a1 at the CP in 5xFAD mice reversed brain inflammation, microglial dysfunction signatures, and cognitive loss. Finally, while the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α impaired CP Cyp46a1 expression in vitro, boosting systemic immunity in vivo increased its levels in an IFNGR2-dependent manner. These results highlight CYP46A1 at the CP as a remote regulator of brain inflammation, which diminishes with neurodegeneration, but is amenable to rescue. Focusing on the gut microbiome, I found that 5xFAD mice devoid of microbiome exhibited a striking decrease of long-term spatial memory deficit and increased synaptic and neuronal survival. Spatial memory deficit in 5xFAD mice kept in germ free (GF) or specific-pathogen free (SPF) conditions, negatively correlated with the abundance of 2-hydroxypyridine, while systemic, chronic supply of 2-hydroxypyridine in SPF 5xFAD mice improved spatial memory deficits in comparison to phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-supplied 5xFAD mice. Overall, these findings demonstrate a microbiome-dependent effect on AD pathology in the 5xFAD mouse model and suggest a connection between 2-hydroxypyridine and AD manifestation. In general, this research thesis addresses novel aspects of choroid plexus and gut microbiome metabolism and their relation to AD progression. Zoom link https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/98658552127?pwd=ZkZmWTBkd1AxZ0xPbGlpU3FPUWpzUT09 Meeting ID:986 5855 2127 Password:495213
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    Seminar for PhD thesis defense

    Date:
    10
    Thursday
    March
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 12:00-13:00
    Title: "Dynamic rewiring of peroxisomal functions during changing metabolic needs of the cell"
    Location: Zoom: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/93020565048?pwd=V2F6aUFRVzBBTDFlM3JuQkhkY09aQT09 Meeting ID: 930 2056 5048 Password: 744219
    Lecturer: Mira Rosenthal
    Organizer: Department of Molecular Genetics
    Contact: evi.ben-ami@weizmnn.ac.il

    New metabolic functions can rapidly evolve in microbes by multiple convergent mechanisms

    Date:
    01
    Tuesday
    February
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 11:30-12:30
    Title: Special Guest Seminar with Dr. Avihu Yona via zoom
    Location: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/95436548996?pwd=Uk9yOVFrK0ZuTnRsdm5TY1JiM1NzQT09 Meeting ID: 954 3654 8996 Password: 356165
    Lecturer: Dr. Avihu Yona
    Organizer: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
    Contact: david.zeevi@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: Host: Dr. David Zeevi
    Abstract: Many plant foods contain oxalate C2O4(-2) that reaches the colon when we eat pla ... Read more Many plant foods contain oxalate C2O4(-2) that reaches the colon when we eat plant foods. When oxalate reaches high concentrations it can crystalize together with Ca+2 to form kidney stones. Humans don’t have enzymes to degrade oxalate, but microbes do. Therefore oxalate-degrading probiotics are a potential treatment for hyperoxaluria. Since clinical trials with oxalate-degrading microbes, like Oxalobacter Formigenes, could not show oxalate reduction, additional microbes that can degrade oxalate are of high interest, especially those that can perform in the human gut. In my talk I will describe how we harnessed lab evolution to develop novel gut microbes that can degrade oxalate. We obtained E. coli isolates from the stool of human volunteers and evolved them to metabolize oxalate in an anaerobic chamber. While no E. coli is known to utilize oxalate, our isolates evolved robust growth on oxalate as a sole source of carbon and energy. In my talk I will present findings on the genetic and molecular mechanism underlying this evolution.
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    The ins and outs of steroidal glycoalkaloid biosynthesis

    Date:
    25
    Tuesday
    January
    2022
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 11:30-12:30
    Title: Zoom Seminar
    Location: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/91930507137?pwd=UDRlaTlBN00vS2FDSllRa0J6dTFRdz09 Meeting ID: 919 3050 7137 Password:843282
    Lecturer: Dr. Yana Kazachkova
    Organizer: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
    Contact: dzeevi@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: Host: Prof. Asaph Aharoni
    Abstract: Steroidal alkaloids and their glycosylated forms (SGAs) are a well-known group o ... Read more Steroidal alkaloids and their glycosylated forms (SGAs) are a well-known group of specialized metabolites produced by Solanaceae species. In tomato, almost 100 steroidal alkaloids were detected, α-tomatine being the most predominant in leaves, flower buds and green fruit tissues. When consumed, high concentrations of α-tomatine in food are associated with bitter taste and burning sensation in the throat. In the course of tomato fruit ripening the shift in the SGA profile occurs towards the non-bitter and non-toxic esculeosides by extensive modification of the entire pool of α-tomatine by hydroxylation, acetylation, and glycosylation. Nevertheless, wild accessions exist, that display high levels of α-tomatine in fully ripe fruits. In this study, we aimed at deciphering the molecular mechanism(s) by which ripe tomato fruit of natural species and commercial varieties maintained low α-tomatine levels and stayed non-bitter. We discovered that GORKY, a member of the nitrate and peptide family (NPF) of transporters, is essential for preventing high α-tomatine levels in ripe tomato fruit. GORKY is responsible for relocating α-tomatine and other steroidal alkaloids from the vacuole to the cytosolic domain during ripening. This facilitates the metabolic conversion of the entire α-tomatine pool to non-bitter forms rendering the fruit more palatable. Hence, the discovery of GORKY action provides a molecular mechanism for a vital process that renders tomato fruit attractive to frugivores in nature and commercial tomato varieties delicious to consumers.
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    Glial Metabolic Mechanisms Regulating Axonal Regeneration - Looking Beyond the Neurons

    Date:
    16
    Thursday
    December
    2021
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 14:00-15:00
    Location: Max and Lillian Candiotty Building
    Lecturer: Prof. Oshri Avraham
    Organizer: Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology
    Contact: michal.av@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: Meeting URL: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/5065402023?pwd=a3Z6KzRCU0xJaUFoM2Y5emZwZ ... Read more Meeting URL: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/5065402023?pwd=a3Z6KzRCU0xJaUFoM2Y5emZwZm1oZz09
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    Zoom: “Fast, accessible hyperpolarization for MRI and liquid-state NMR”

    Date:
    28
    Thursday
    October
    2021
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 09:30-10:30
    Lecturer: Ilai Schwartz
    Organizer: Clore Institute for High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy
    Contact: ana.naamat@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: .
    Abstract: Zoom Lecture: Zoom: : https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/92362836861?pwd=Q29EMVcxaXJ ... Read more Zoom Lecture: Zoom: : https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/92362836861?pwd=Q29EMVcxaXJkSE5QbWxpUEdPdGNQUT09 Passcode: 526083 Nuclear spin hyperpolarization provides a promising route to overcome the challenges imposed by the limited sensitivity of nuclear magnetic resonance. Significant progress in the last decades was achieved by the development of new hyperpolarization techniques (e.g. dissolution-DNP). This has resulted in the demonstration of new MRI applications utilizing hyperpolarized 13C nuclei in metabolic probes as well as promising results in hyperpolarized liquid state NMR. However, hyperpolarization for both MRI and liquid state NMR applications is still a challenging endeavor, requiring expensive hardware and imposing limitations on the experimental setup. In this talk I will present our latest developments for achieving fast, accessible polarization for both MRI and NMR applications utilizing a variety of polarization techniques: (1) For MRI applications we have demonstrated for the first time that using parahydrogen induced polarization (PHIP), hyperpolarized fumarate and pyruvate can be prepared at clinically relevant concentrations (> 100mM) and hyperpolarization values up to 20% at the time of injection. In a comparative study we show that PHIP based methods can compete and even surpass both polarization and concentration levels of metabolic tracers prepared by DNP but at a fraction of the cost, complexity and preparation time. (2) Leveraging optical polarization, we developed a technique for versatile liquid state NMR hyperpolarization, achieving between 200- and 1730-fold signal enhancement at 1.45T for a range of small molecules. The signal enhancement is induced by using optically polarized pentacene-doped naphthalene crystals as a source of spin polarization. We demonstrate that rapid dissolution of the highly polarized crystal enables transfer of polarization to the target molecules via intermolecular cross relaxation in the liquid state at room temperature. Due to the extremely high magnetization of the naphthalene molecules, the cross relaxation leads to a substantial polarization buildup in the target analytes. Crucially, the polarization transfer is achieved without costly instrumentation and occurs in less than a minute inside the NMR spectrometer
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    Special seminar with Dr. Yaara Oren

    Date:
    16
    Monday
    August
    2021
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 15:00-16:00
    Title: Beyond Darwin: understanding cancer persister cells
    Lecturer: Dr. Yaara Oren
    Organizer: Department of Molecular Genetics
    Contact: sandra.britton@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: zoom: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/96160519106?pwd=ZSs0NXd0WWZSaTBQTTRxSkZ5dmRvdz09
    Abstract: Despite favorable initial response to therapy, a third of cancer patients will d ... Read more Despite favorable initial response to therapy, a third of cancer patients will develop recurrent disease and succumb to it within five years of diagnosis. While there has been much progress in characterizing the pathways that contribute to stable genetic drug resistance, the mechanisms underlying early reversible resistance, also known as persisters-driven resistance, remain largely unknown. It has long been believed that persisters represent a subset of cells that happen to be non-proliferating at the time of treatment, and therefore can survive drugs that preferentially kill rapidly proliferating cells. However, in my talk I will describe a rare persister population which, despite not harboring any resistance-conferring mutation, can maintain proliferative capacity in the presence of drug. To study this rare, transiently-resistant, cycling persister population, we developed Watermelon, a high-complexity expressed barcode lentiviral library for simultaneous tracing of each cell’s clonal origin and proliferative and transcriptional states. We combine single cell transcriptomics with imaging and metabolomics to show that cycling and non-cycling persisters arise from different cell lineages with distinct transcriptional and metabolic programs. Finally, I will describe how by studying persister cells we can gain critical insights on cellular memory, fate, and evolution, which can guide the development of better anti-cancer treatments.
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    Metabolic Profiling – a Tool for Discovering Biological Processes

    Date:
    03
    Thursday
    June
    2021
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 09:00-10:00
    Location: ZOOM
    Lecturer: Dr. Sergey Malitsky
    Organizer: Department of Life Sciences Core Facilities
    Contact: sergey.malitsky@weizmann.ac.il
    Gallery: Metabolic Profiling – a Tool for Discovering Biological Processes Gallery
    Metabolic Profiling – a Tool for Discovering Biological Processes Lecture / Seminar website

    Departmental Seminar with Lena Sapoznikov

    Date:
    09
    Sunday
    May
    2021
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 13:00-13:30
    Title: The Interplay Between Regulation of Cell Migration and Invasion by Caspases, EMT Signaling and Cellular Metabolism
    Location: Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Building for Biomedical Research
    Lecturer: Lena Sapoznikov
    Organizer: Department of Molecular Genetics
    Contact: sandra.britton@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/99788562655?pwd=K25ZenlWOUdtRWlxd2hTb2FLcGg5dz09 Mee ... Read more https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/99788562655?pwd=K25ZenlWOUdtRWlxd2hTb2FLcGg5dz09 Meeting ID: 997 8856 2655 Password: 491284
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    Clinical development of mRNA vaccines and therapeutics: COVID and beyond

    Date:
    09
    Sunday
    May
    2021
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 09:15-10:00
    Location: Michael Sela Adutitorium
    Lecturer: Dr. Tal Zaks
    Contact: andrea.shveika@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: Zoom link: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/94905298503
    Abstract: mRNA based vaccines prevent COVID-19 infections, putting them at the forefront o ... Read more mRNA based vaccines prevent COVID-19 infections, putting them at the forefront of the current global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The scientific and clinical development of mRNA medicines, which began in ernest only ~10 years ago, has the potential to not only change the landscape of infectious disease vaccines but to also impact the treatment of cancer, genetic metabolic, autoimmune, and cardiovascular diseases. This talk will review the translational medicine approach to the research and development of both infectious disease vaccines, as exemplified by COVID-19 vaccine Moderna, as well as other applications of mRNA medicines currently in clinical development. ᐧ
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    Examples of method development for targeted metabolic analysis using LC-MS

    Date:
    06
    Thursday
    May
    2021
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 09:00
    Location: via ZOOM
    Lecturer: Dr. Alexander Brandis
    Organizer: Department of Life Sciences Core Facilities
    Contact: Alexander.Brandis@weizmann.ac.il
    Gallery: Examples of method development for targeted metabolic analysis using LC-MS Gallery
    Examples of method development for targeted metabolic analysis using LC-MS Lecture / Seminar website

    Therapeutic Exploitation of Metabolic Vulnerabilities of Cancer

    Date:
    22
    Thursday
    April
    2021
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 14:00-15:00
    Lecturer: Prof. Eyal Gottlieb
    Organizer: Dwek Institute for Cancer Therapy Research
    Contact: michal.av@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/5065402023?pwd=a3Z6KzRCU0xJaUFoM2Y5emZwZm1oZz09

    Dissecting the functional organization of sensory neurons in gut-brain communication

    Date:
    13
    Tuesday
    April
    2021
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 12:30
    Lecturer: Dr. Henning Fenselau
    Organizer: Department of Brain Sciences
    Contact: naomi.moses@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: Zoom link to join-https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/96608033618?pwd=SEdJUkR2ZzRBZ3laUUd ... Read more Zoom link to join-https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/96608033618?pwd=SEdJUkR2ZzRBZ3laUUdGbWR1VFJTdz09 Meeting ID: 966 0803 3618 Password: 564068 Host: Dr. Rita Schmidt rita.schmidt@weizmann.ac.il tel: 9070
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    Abstract: Sensory neurons relay gut-derived signals to the brain, and thereby contribute ... Read more Sensory neurons relay gut-derived signals to the brain, and thereby contribute to systemic energy and glucose homeostasis regulation. However, the relevant sensory neuronal populations innervating the gut along with the pertaining underlying functional neurocircuits remain poorly understood. Advances in this field have been impeded by the challenges associated with targeting distinct sensory neurons of vagal and spinal origin in a cell-type-specific manner, thereby making the accurate determination of their function highly difficult. We employ a combinatorial set of modern molecular systems neuroscience tools and novel mouse genetic approaches to elucidate the role of molecularly defined sensory neurons in feeding behavior and glucose metabolism, and map their downstream neurocircuits in the brain. The overarching goal of our studies is to gain greater insights into the integral components of sensory neurons as gut-to-brain connectors in controlling metabolism. Zoom link to join- https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/96608033618?pwd=SEdJUkR2ZzRBZ3laUUdGbWR1VFJTdz09 Meeting ID: 966 0803 3618 Password: 564068 Host: Dr. Rita Schmidt rita.schmidt@weizmann.ac.il tel: 9070
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    Inflammation, Metabolism and Immunity in Liver Cancer: From Pathogenesis to Treatment

    Date:
    04
    Thursday
    March
    2021
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 09:00-10:00
    Lecturer: Dr. Michael Karin
    Organizer: Dwek Institute for Cancer Therapy Research
    Contact: michal.av@weizmann.ac.il
    Details: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/5065402023?pwd=a3Z6KzRCU0xJaUFoM2Y5emZwZm1oZz09

    "Beyond Weight Watchers: The Tools of the Metabolic Phenotyping Unit" - Dr. Yael Kuperman - Spotlight on Science

    Date:
    24
    Wednesday
    February
    2021
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 11:00-12:00
    Lecturer: Dr. Yael Kuperman
    Organizer: Department of Life Sciences Core Facilities
    Contact: tomer-meir.salame@weizmann.ac.il

    Seminar for PhD thesis defense - Lior Lasman

    Date:
    24
    Wednesday
    February
    2021
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 10:00-11:00
    Title: "The Role of m6A RNA Modification Reader Proteins Ythdf1, Ythdf2 and Ythdf3 in mRNA Metabolism, ESC Differentiation and Development"
    Location: Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84921855732
    Lecturer: Lior Lasman
    Organizer: Department of Molecular Genetics
    Contact: Evi.ben-ami@weizmann.ac.il

    “Low-field MRI: new perspectives”

    Date:
    28
    Thursday
    January
    2021
    Lecture / Seminar
    Time: 09:30-10:30
    Lecturer: Prof. Najat Salameh
    Organizer: Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science
    Contact: ana.naamat@weizmann.ac.il
    Abstract: Zoom: Link: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/98957854014?pwd=ZTEyazd6cThxUE90L3ZJbkdkb ... Read more Zoom: Link: https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/98957854014?pwd=ZTEyazd6cThxUE90L3ZJbkdkbkFWQT09 passcode: 159170 Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a non-ionizing, non-invasive imaging modality that has become key in modern medicine. Its high value resides in a broad range of soft tissue contrasts or biomarkers that can be tuned to enable the identification and follow-up of many pathophysiological or metabolic processes. Such developments were made possible thanks to almost forty years of hardware and software development, yet access to MRI nowadays remains exclusive, bound to radiology suites in hospitals, and restricted to less than half of the world population. This limited accessibility is mostly due to its one-fits-all design and its prerequisites for intense magnetic field strength that impact cost, siting infrastructure, and clinical compatibility. One way to improve accessibility in MRI is to lower the magnetic field strength that will naturally influence cost, siting, and compatibility. Further, lowering the field strength can translate in smaller footprint designs which geometry and contrast could purposely be tuned to certain targeted applications. Indeed, relaxation mechanisms are known to change with the surrounding magnetic field, with larger T1 dispersion at low field that have for the most part been unexplored. Although very promising, many challenges arise linked to the lower intrinsic nuclear spin polarization inherent to low field technologies, calling for original and innovative approaches to reach clinical relevance. During this seminar, Prof. Najat Salameh will describe those challenges and possible solutions by presenting the current landscape of low field imaging and recent progress made at the Center for Adaptable MRI Technology, Basel University.
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    MicroEco 2020

    Date:
    06
    Wednesday
    January
    2021
    -
    07
    Thursday
    January
    2021
    Conference
    Time: 08:00
    Location: David Lopatie Conference Centre
    Contact: microeco2020@gmail.com
    MicroEco 2020 Conference website