Welcome to Ching Pin CHENG !

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Hi! I am Ching Pin Cheng, a new postdoc in Dr David Gatfield’s lab.

I was born and raised in Taiwan before moving to the US to complete my undergraduate and PhD studies. I have had a strong interest in RNA biology and translational control, especially in the context of evolution and the origin of life. I look forward to continuing my academic career in this completely new environment.

Outside the lab, I am a geography nerd who enjoys cycling, traveling the world, and learning about different cultures.

Cell Metab.; co-auth. B. Thorens

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Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes as allostatic responses to chronic nutrient excess

Marc Prentki  1 , Christopher J Nolan  2 , David E James  3 , Bernard Thorens  4 , Christopher J Rhodes  5 , Barbara E Corkey  6 , Charlotte Ling  7 , Philippe Froguel  8 , Chantal Mathieu  9 , Jean-François Gautier  10 , Marc Y Donath  11

Affiliations

Abstract

Obesity-related type 2 diabetes (T2D) is currently defined by insulin resistance and impaired insulin secretion. Sulfonylureas, thiazolinediones, and insulin are effective at lowering glycemia yet have not consistently translated into improved long-term outcomes. In contrast, recent interventions often produce metabolic benefits that exceed expectations based on glucose lowering alone. These contrasting observations suggest that our understanding of T2D pathophysiology is incomplete. We propose that, in obesity-related prediabetes and early T2D, insulin resistance, attenuated glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, modest hyperglycemia, and glucosuria represent beneficial functional changes in response to nutrient excess. These allostatic adaptive responses limit glucose flux into metabolically vulnerable tissues and reduce nutrient stress (nutri-stress). From this perspective, T2D is not simply a failure of glucose regulation but a coordinated systemic allostatic response to chronic energy excess aimed at preserving metabolic homeostasis. Therapeutic success may depend not only on lowering glycemia but also on how interventions alter tissue-specific glucose handling and metabolic stress.

Trends Genet.; group van Leeuwen

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Genetic suppressors as new therapeutic targets for Mendelian diseases

Claire Paltenghi-Peceva  1 , Sabine van Schie  2 , Erfan Heidari  1 , Stephen Friend  3 , Jolanda van Leeuwen  4

Affiliations

Abstract

Most Mendelian diseases lack effective treatments, with current options often limited to symptomatic care rather than addressing the underlying genetic defect. In this opinion article, we argue that genetic suppressors, a specific class of modifier variants that can counteract the effects of disease-causing mutations, can identify promising new avenues for therapeutic intervention. We discuss the prevalence of potential suppressors across Mendelian diseases, describe approaches for their systematic identification, and consider their therapeutic relevance. As genome-wide screening technologies and machine learning methods continue to advance, we expect suppressor identification to accelerate in the near future. These suppressors present exciting opportunities for expanding our therapeutic arsenal and improving outcomes for individuals with inherited disorders.

Filter tips: Why pay more for the same performance?

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See: https://wiki.unil.ch/fbm-cig/books/monthly-tips-in-cig-newsletter/page/2-filter-tips

TIP OF THE MONTH (JUNE 2026) – SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE

Already used by two CIG groups for sensitive applications, Nerbe Plus filter tips offer reliable performance – at a lower price with less plastic packaging.

Filter tips are used in applications that cannot compromise on performance or reliability: qPCR, low-volume pipetting, sensitive samples, precious reagents. But when research budgets are under pressure, performance is not the only criterion. If two tips perform reliably, why pay more?

Two CIG groups use Nerbe Plus filter tips for sensitive applications, including qPCR. These tips cost only 35–68% of the price of alternatives commonly used at CIG: €3.83 vs €5.61-€11.00 per box. For every 100 boxes, this saves €180-€720.

The bonus: packaging. Nerbe Plus filter tips are supplied in cardboard boxes instead of the usual plastic boxes. Some suppliers collect used plastic tip boxes, but do not disclose how much is actually recycled. Cardboard packaging therefore reduces plastic at the source, without changing the way the tips are used.

What to do

  • Try them in your own workflow. Get testing boxes from Sustainability Committee members : Laure Allenbach Petrolati (Fankhauser lab) or Maria Cristina Gambetta.
  • Test them on representative applications. Low-volume pipetting, qPCR or other workflows where tip performance matters.
  • Keep your standards. Switch only if they pass your performance test.

Same standards. Lower cost. Less plastic.

SEE ALL MONTHLY TIPS HERE: https://wiki.unil.ch/fbm-cig/books/monthly-tips-in-cig-newsletter

SEE ALL MONTHLY TIPS HERE: https://wiki.unil.ch/fbm-cig/books/monthly-tips-in-cig-newsletter

Gene Regulation Workshop 2026 (September 7)

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https://generegulationworkshop.ch

Register here (deadline August 31)

Regulation from DNA to Protein

The Gene Regulation Workshop is a one day meeting in Lausanne featuring internationally recognized scientists that work on molecular mechanisms controlling transcriptional and post-transcriptional responses in gene expression to cell-type specific, developmental or environmental cues.

2026 Speakers

9:30-10:00Welcome Coffee
10:00-10:05Welcome address
10:05-10:50Aydan Bulut-Karslioglu Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
10:50-11:35Denes Hnisz Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
11:35-12:20Raffaella Santoro University of Zurich, Switzerland
12:15-14:15Lunch break
14:15-15:00Darío Lupiáñez Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Seville, Spain
15:00-15:45Tuğçe Aktaş Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
15:45-16:30Justin Crocker European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Heidelberg, Germany
16:30Apéro

Organizers

Coordinator

  • Corinne Dentan

Funding

Herbette Foundation

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A; group Vjestica

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Meiotic cohesin Rec8 imposes fitness costs on fission yeast gametes favoring the evolution of parental bias in gene expression

Celso Martins  1 , Harry Booth  2 , Clàudia Salat-Canela  1 , Zena Hadjivasiliou  2   3   4   5 , Aleksandar Vještica  1

Affiliations

Abstract

Differences between partner gametes, which evolved repeatedly in eukaryotes, can contribute to the evolution of the sexes, sexual selection, and non-Mendelian inheritance. Yet, the empirical evidence for how functional asymmetries arise between initially equivalent gametes is limited. Here, we combine theoretical and experimental approaches in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe to show how selective pressures acting concurrently on gametes and zygotes drive the evolution of gamete differences. We find that despite being morphologically identical, P- and M-type partner gametes invest asymmetrically in zygotic development by contributing different amounts of conserved meiotic cohesins. P-gametes preferentially produce the Rec8 cohesin that increases zygotic fitness but reduces gamete viability, revealing a trade-off between reproductive success and gamete survival. We demonstrate that this asymmetry is mediated by partner-specific communication and model its evolutionary dynamics using empirically determined parameters. Our results support classical theoretical predictions for the evolution of gamete differences and provide a mechanistic understanding of how molecular asymmetries between partners can originate from opposing selection pressures acting in species that lack morphologically distinct gametes.