SmithLabUMBC

N-benzyl-N-methyldithiocarbamate (BMDC) combines with metals to produce antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcus epidermidis | mSphere Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcus epidermidis, are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in vulnerable populations, contributing to an escalating health and economic burden. Biofilms are an important reservoir that protects bacteria from immune clearance and antimicrobial agents. However, current strategies to effectively target MRSA biofilms are limited. This research describes a therapeutic approach that can disrupt biofilms in both MRSA and S. epidermidis, thereby enhancing bacterial clearance.

I am proud to share a new paper out of our lab. We showed that our antimicrobial works with copper and zinc to kill MRSA & Staph epi. It can function through mature biofilms they form and on multiple surfaces. This outstanding work was led by Yamil Sanchez-Rosario.

journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

😍 that cardboard glovebox!! 😍

Thrilled to announce a new @natcomms.nature.com paper led by Alastair Stewart and team @victorchang.edu.au with contributions from @mcdevittlab.bsky.social
Using #cryoEM we discovered unique features of the #Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATP synthase including an unexpected role for #zinc in the complex 🦠🔬

a man with a beard is singing into a microphone with the words i 'll die on this hill above him ALT: a man with a beard is singing into a microphone with the words i 'll die on this hill above him

Arial above them all.

Congratulations to the newest PhD from the lab!!

....or do you?! You never know what Rev 3 may bring!

Congratulations to the newest PhD!!

Looking forward to @hhmi-science.bsky.social Gilliam Fellow Alexander Paredes' Ph.D. thesis defense today at 11 am in Meyerhoff Chemistry and Biochemistry seminar room 120! Don't miss it!!

Hepatitis B vaccine guidance set to be rolled back for US babies: what the science says A panel of US vaccine advisers voted to rescind a recommendation that all newborns should receive a hepatitis B vaccine at birth.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Vaccines save lives

Was feeling really good about a manuscript in review until receiving feedback from a **single** reviewer that was **1461 words long** and asked for a solid R01's-worth of work for a single manuscript revision. Sigh.

Is the applicant a once-in-your-lifetime talent or a once-in-a-generation talent??! 🙃

Prof. Laura Dassama (Stanford Chem) is developing a small-molecule therapy for sickle cell disease that removes BCL11A, restoring fetal hemoglobin without gene editing. Her goal is a simpler, more affordable sickle cell therapy. brnw.ch/21wXP8k

Unless you're designing an [Fe-S] protein :)

At my blog, I write more about my concerns for aspiring entering grad students in chemistry for Fall 2026. To reiterate - if you don't have a plan for next fall RIGHT NOW, you need to talk to your professors and advisers and develop a plan NOW: chemjobber.blogspot.com/2025/11/towa...

#chemchat 🧪⚗️

Chemdoodle here; we never had ChemDraw 😭

Pleased to be hosting @jeffmugridge.bsky.social here at @umbc.bsky.social Chemistry & Biochemistry! Look out for his great talk today from 12 - 1 pm in Meyerhoff 120 entitled: "Metals, mechanisms, and messages: how metalloenzymes do chemistry on RNA to control gene expression" 🧪🧬⚛️

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa Membrane Histidine Kinase BqsS/CarS Directly Senses Environmental Ferrous Iron (Fe2+) Prokaryotic two-component signal transduction systems (TCSs) are widely utilized by bacteria to respond to their environment and are typically compose…

🚨Just in press @asbmb.bsky.social JBC!🚨 Alex & Chioma's paper detailing the interaction of Fe(II) with an intact membrane His kinase for the first time! Binding stoichiometry ✅ Fe(II) structure ✅ Direct observation of selectivity ✅ Signal transmission pathway ✅ Read more here: tinyurl.com/49wdkecu

The National Crystallization Center is hiring for two positions: a research scientist position focused on progressing our crystallization optimization projects, and a research support specialist to support operations of the Crystallization Center!

What another fantastic biomolecules costume night in CHEM 437!! 🎃 🧪 🧬

Let me see if I can find a single tear to squeeze out…

And Dan’s contributions added, too! Spooky 👻!

Chemistry pumpkins 2025! The periodic table o' pumpkins continues to grow!

The structure of B. subtilis DegQ from the DegS–DegU two-component system provide structural insight into DegQ oligomerization and its potential role in modulating DegS autophosphorylation and DegU binding #BacillusSubtilis #CrystalStructure #DegQ doi.org/10.1107/S205...

So happy for you both 😁

Hijacking a bacterial ABC transporter for genetic code expansion - Nature Bacterial ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters can be utilized and engineered to transport non-canonical amino acids into Escherichia coli for highly efficient synthesis of proteins with novel func...

🚨Our paper is out! 🥳
Hijacking a bacterial ABC transporter for efficient genetic code expansion.
Many congrats to everyone involved - a multi-year effort led by @taruniype.bsky.social @maxfottner.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

it all started years ago with a failed experiment
🧵👇 1/9

As U.S. shutdown drags on, ‘it’s just one blow after another’ Federal researchers confront growing uncertainty about future

"The pause has many academic researchers feeling anxious. The timing couldn’t be worse for Julie Kovacs, a bioinorganic chemist at the University of Washington (UW) whose grant proposal was slated to be reviewed on 23 October. Even if the... 1/2

www.science.org/content/arti...

Hopefully they are giving you a discount as the lifetime of the source continues to decrease!! 😬

Regarding the Compact | MIT Organization Chart The U.S. Department of Education recently sent MIT and eight other institutions a proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education," along with a letter asking that MIT review the document.

👏 👏 👏

orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...

Unintended proteins can easily sneak into experiments, but cryo-EM shows surprising power to uncover these `off-target' proteins in great detail #CryoEM #ArnA #AcrB doi.org/10.1107/S205...

Critical evaluation of three cryo-EM structures of particulate methane monooxygenase by quantum refinement We have studied the copper sites in three cryogenic electron-microscopy structures of particulate methane monooxygenase with quantum refinement. We show that the CuA, CuC and CuD sites are correctly modelled and that the CuB site is mononuclear in all structures, whereas we find no support for copper in the suggested trinuclear active site or two sites in the so-called copper sponge in PDB entry 7ev9.

Gayathri Yuvaraj et al.: Critical evaluation of three cryo-EM structures of particulate methane monooxygenase by quantum refinement #QuantumRefinement #CryogenicElectronMicroscopy @lundsuni...#IUCr https://journals.iucr.org/paper?S2059798325008356