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Research appearing in microPublication Biology builds on 2022 paper in Epigenetics

ABOVE: Seven of the eight research authors attended The Allied Genetics Conference (TAGC) in Washington D.C. in March 2024. From left: Will Griffin, Jackson Parks, Andrea Duina, Reece Forrest, Agustin Kalinowski, Lilly Francis, and Joey Beard (not pictured: Caroline Tackett).

CONWAY, Ark. (November 15, 2024) — ���ϲ����� Professor of Biology Dr. Andrea Duina and his team of undergraduate researchers and lab technicians working with yeast cells have had additional research published that sheds light on certain cell mutations and defects associated with a human neurodevelopmental condition called Bryant-Li-Bhoj syndrome (BLBS).

The article, “,” was published in the journal microPublication Biology on October 25, 2024. It is based on National Science Foundation-funded research done exclusively in Duina’s lab at ���ϲ�����, and includes student authors Lilly Francis ’25, Reece Forrest ’24, Agustin Kalinowski ’25, Jackson Parks ’24, Will Griffin ’24, and lab technicians Joey Beard ’23 and Caroline Tackett ’22.

This latest publication stems from a project begun in the Duina lab about two years ago, which itself was an extension of work published in the journal Epigenetics in 2022. The work with yeast cells chronicled in both papers involved reproducing cell mutations that are associated with BLBS. The Duina lab team found that several of the mutations cause defects in specific processes associated with chromosomal functions. The new publication includes evidence that some of the mutations behave differently from each other in terms of the types of processes they interfere with.

“Our findings in yeast could provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying BLBS in human patients since yeast and human cells share a high degree of similarities in their biology,” Duina said.

Duina also noted that the all-���ϲ����� team showed remarkable dedication to the project that will serve them well as they progress through their scientific careers. “I am particularly thankful to the National Science Foundation for not only having funded this project, but also for continuing to support the research that is ongoing in my lab,” he said. “NSF support advances much-needed research and makes an incredible difference for the students who get to be involved.”

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