The web comic Piled Higher and Deeper (PHD) has been commiserating with graduate students since 1997. And now you can watch the comics come to live on the big screen, as universities and institutes across the world (including Antarctica!) are screening the PHD movie.

Fans of the comic will recognize most of the jokes, but now the individual 3-panel strips have been turned into a full-length movie with a plot that summarizes the main story of the long-running comic. The film was shot in its entirety at the Caltech campus last spring, and all actors are students and staff from Caltech. As they’re by and large professional scientists rather than professional actors, the acting isn’t always very sharp, but they did a great job at bringing the comics to life. The trailer below gives a good indication of the film.

PHD Movie Trailer from PHD Comics on Vimeo.

Most screenings are only open to students from the hosting institution, but I was lucky to hear about an open screening at University College London. Even though the screening was open to absolutely everyone, the lecture theatre was not entirely full. Perhaps it really does appeal specifically to grad students? Nevertheless, the people who did attend seemed to enjoy the film, and laughed at every joke. Even the ones that you could see coming from a mile away if you were familiar with the comics.

But this was not just any screening: it was one of the few that PHD Comics creator Jorge Cham was attending. After the film, science-loving comedian Robin Ince hosted a Q&A with Jorge and with Alex Lockwood – the actress (and graduate student!) who plays the character of Cecilia in the film. Alex initially kept her role in the film a secret from her advisor. “I didn’t tell him I was doing it for a while, but his wife is really nosy on Facebook…” Once he found out, he was a lot more excited about the film than she was – as long as she still got her work done, of course.

Despite being based largely on the existing comic strips, the end of the film breaks a longstanding tradition. In the fourteen years that Piled Higher and Deeper has been running, the main character was never named. In the film, he finally introduces himself. When this came up during the Q&A, Jorge explained why the student didn’t have a name to begin with: “First I was just kind of lazy, but then it became a funny thing. It took my own professor about four years until he learned my name.” But now, wanting to give the film a more interesting resolution, the student gets a name. “I figured it was about time. And I can always deny that it’s not comic-canon, that it’s just movie-canon…”

After the Q&A, we caught up with Jorge and asked him how the film translates to international audiences. It’s set in the US, where PhD degrees can regularly take 5-7 years, and many jokes are based on the fact that graduate school takes forever. My own favourite joke involves Cecilia’s encounter with a high school classmate:

But in the UK, where several universities have now screened the film, PhD degrees are much shorter than in North America. Do the jokes hold up?

“Well I heard that the guitarist from Queen took 35 years to finish his PhD, so I think he pulls up the average,” jokes Jorge, “But I think what translates the most is that feeling of uncertainty, feeling stuck and not being quite sure what you’re going to do next. That’s international.”

Regular readers of the Node may recall that we’ve interviewed Jorge before, and that he mentioned a “biologist character” that would appear in the comic very soon. What is happening with that, we wanted to know. “That’s still coming, but probably not for another year, at least.” Aww. But of course, this is the man who has turned procrastination into a career: Jorge left research several years ago to pursue the comic full time, and to give talks about procrastination to graduate students. To tie in with the various posts we’ve had on the Node about alternative careers, we asked him what he learned in his PhD degree that he still uses today.

“Many things. I think part of what I do as an artist is trying to discover where the truth is – or at least ask the question “where is the truth?” – and being able to think analytically in a big picture sense but also being able to drill down, and work on the minutiae of the details. I think the PhD gives you that kind of macro/micro vision at the same time. But mostly it just gives me the ability to avoid questions…”

If you’d like to see the movie yourself, here is a list of places that are showing it. And if you’re a bit more patient (now there’s something you learn in grad school!) you can wait for the DVD release, tentatively planned for Pi Day (March 14) next year.

(6 votes)

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A new Nature study has again demonstrated the power of ES cells as a model system for recapitulating developmental processes in vitro. Following on from the amazing self-assembly of differentiated optic-cups reported earlier this year, Yoshiki Sasai’s latest work has resulted in the generation of functional pituitary gland tissue from mouse ES cells.

Using a modification of their 3D floating aggregate culture protocol (which can generate complex patterned neural structures), Sasai’s group, from RIKEN CDB in Kobe, Japan, observed the generation of small ectodermal pouches, which expressed markers typical of adenohypophysis (anterior pituitary) maturation.

During embryogenesis, adenohypophysis development is dependent on the interaction of two distinct neural tissues: Pitx1-positive rostral head ectoderm, and Rx-positive rostral hypothalamic neuroectoderm. By using greater cell numbers to establish ES-cell aggregates than in their previous reports, both of these tissue types were generated together. Pitx1-positive ectoderm formed an outer layer, with sheets of Rx-positive tissues within. Regions of Pitx1-positive ectoderm were then observed to express the adenohypophysis marker Lim3, invaginate, and bud, forming vesicles in a manner consistent with normal pituitary development.

Reprinted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: Nature doi:10.1038/nature10637, copyright (2011)

Reference:
Suga, H., Kadoshima, T., Minaguchi, M., Ohgushi, M., Soen, M., Nakano, T., Takata, N., Wataya, T., Muguruma, K., Miyoshi, H., Yonemura, S., Oiso, Y., & Sasai, Y. (2011). Self-formation of functional adenohypophysis in three-dimensional culture Nature, 480 (7375), 57-62 DOI: 10.1038/nature10637

(4 votes)

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Research Associate

University of Cambridge – Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Haematology

Salary: £27,428 – £35,788 pa

The funds for this post are available until 30 April 2014 in the first instance.

Applications are invited for the post of a postdoctoral Research Associate in the group of Dr. Katrin Ottersbach. Research in this group focuses on the developmental origins of haematopoietic stem cells and the molecular mechanisms regulating their generation, with a particular emphasis on how these processes are relevant to understanding blood malignancies.

The work will involve a number of molecular biology techniques, including miRNA profiling, deep sequencing, knockdown and overexpression studies, histological analysis and general cell biology techniques. Experience in any of these techniques and a background in haematopoiesis, developmental biology, leukaemia and/or miRNA biology would be of a particular advantage.

Formal applications, including CV, plus a completed CHRIS/6 form, parts I and III (available at: http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/hr/forms/chris6/) should be sent to: Ms Helen Milton, Department of Haematology, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, e-mail: hem28@cam.ac.uk

Quote Reference: SB09172

Closing Date: 2 December 2011

Interview Date(s): 14 and 15 December 2011

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California State University Monterey Bay
Tenure Track- Full Time

Starting Date Fall 2012

The Department of Biology in the Division of Science and Environmental Policy, California State University Monterey Bay invites applicants for a tenure track Assistant Professor of Evolutionary Developmental Biology.  Candidates should have a PhD in Biology or related field at time of hire, demonstrated excellence in biology instruction, expertise in developmental biology and excellent written and oral communication skills.  The successful applicant will teach upper-division developmental biology courses and teach other courses that may include evolutionary biology and population genetics, and assist with teaching of the introductory biology series for majors.  They will develop and maintain a research program that includes undergraduates; and contribute to the curriculum development and other service to the university.  CSUMB is located on California’s Central Coast and serves a diverse cultural, ethnic, and economic population.  Letters of recommendation should not be forwarded until requested.  Further details about the position and how to apply may be found here: https://mocha.csumb.edu/uhr/jobs/job_announce.jsp?job_number=FAC2011-169&req_id=001408 Interested candidates are welcome and urged to contact Dr. Steve Moore (stmoore[at]csumb.edu) for detailed information about CSUMB, SEP, the Biology program or the specific demands of this position.
Open until filled.  Application Screening Begins: January 9, 2012

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Next time you curse your hair for your bad hair day, consider thanking it instead.  The hair follicle has populations of stem cells that aid in skin regeneration after injury, and a recent Development paper unravels a new role for the transcription factor Lhx2 in this process.

Populations of epithelial stem cells in hair follicles serve to rebuild the hair bulb during the normal hair cycle throughout our lives, but they also can migrate to wounded skin in order to aid in skin regeneration.   This ability is quite handy—when the skin in a hairy area is injured, it heals faster and more efficiently than a wound on skin without hair.  Recently, a research group illuminated the importance of the transcription factor Lhx2 in the repair of injured skin by hair follicle stem cells.  Lhx2 functions in organ development, cell fate determination, and stem cell activity in some organs.  In hair follicles, Lhx2 was previously known to regulate the switch between stem cell maintenance and activity.  In their recent report, Mardaryev and colleagues found that Lhx2+ hair follicle cells co-express several stem cell markers.  Following injury, proliferating cells in the adjacent hair follicle were positive for Lhx2 expression, as seen in the images above.  Lhx2 (magenta) expression increases by days 3 and 5 following injury.  Most of the dividing cells (green) also are Lhx2+.  In addition, cell proliferation following injury was reduced in heterozygous Lhx2 knockout (+/–) mice.   Lhx2 ensures wound re-epithelization through its regulation of Sox9 and Tcf4, while at the same time inhibiting normal hair follicle cycling via Lgr5 regulation.

For a more general description of this image, see my imaging blog within EuroStemCell, the European stem cell portal.

 
Mardaryev, A., Meier, N., Poterlowicz, K., Sharov, A., Sharova, T., Ahmed, M., Rapisarda, V., Lewis, C., Fessing, M., Ruenger, T., Bhawan, J., Werner, S., Paus, R., & Botchkarev, V. (2011). Lhx2 differentially regulates Sox9, Tcf4 and Lgr5 in hair follicle stem cells to promote epidermal regeneration after injury Development, 138 (22), 4843-4852 DOI: 10.1242/dev.070284

(2 votes)

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Here are the highlights from the current issue of Development:

Skin-deep dermal niches

Hair follicle formation in the epidermis depends on signals from the underlying dermis and normally only occurs during late embryonic and early neonatal life. However, epidermal activation of β-catenin can induce follicle formation in adult mouse skin. One possible explanation for this observation is that epidermal cues can reprogram adult dermis to a neonatal state. On p. 5189, Fiona Watt and co-workers investigate this possibility by examining dermal fibroblasts from adult and neonatal mice. The researchers show that the gene expression profile of adult dermal fibroblasts isolated from skin in which β-catenin has induced ectopic follicles resembles that of neonatal fibroblasts rather than that of fibroblasts isolated from uninduced adult skin. This dermal reprogramming seems to originate within a specific subpopulation of fibroblasts near the hair follicle junctional zone and results in fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix remodelling. Together, these results suggest that the adult dermis is an unexpectedly plastic tissue, and that epidermal stem cells and their dermal niche exist in a state of dynamic interdependence.

Self-duplicating escorts for germ cells

During Drosophila egg development, differentiated germ cells, which are produced by germline stem cells (GSCs), are accompanied by escort cells (ECs) to the centre of the germarium, where the germ cells form egg chambers. It has been proposed that these ECs are generated by a population of escort stem cells, but Ting Xie and co-workers now overturn this idea (p. 5087). The researchers show that ECs undergo slow turnover and that lost cells are replaced by self-duplication rather than by stem cell division. Using fluorescent markers, they show that ECs extend elaborate cellular processes that interact with differentiated germ cells and that these processes are missing when GSC differentiation is blocked. Conversely, disruption of Rho function in ECs, which disrupts the formation of EC processes, leads to the accumulation of ill-differentiated single germ cells and the gradual loss of ECs. These findings reveal a mutual dependence between ECs and differentiated GSC progeny, and suggest that self-maintained ECs form a niche that controls GSC lineage differentiation.

Lens invagination Shrooms along

Epithelial invagination, a common feature of embryogenesis, involves coordinated modulation of individual cell cytoskeletons. For example, during eye development, lens pit invagination, which is accompanied by a columnar-to-conical cell shape change (termed apical constriction, AC), is dependent on the cytoskeletal protein Shroom3. Now, through experiments in chick and mouse embryos and in MDCK cells, Richard Lang and colleagues provide new insights into how Shroom3 drives AC and lens invagination (see p. 5177). The researchers show that the activity of Rock1/2 (serine/threonine kinases that activate non-muscle myosin and that are activated by the Rho family GTPase RhoA) is required for lens invagination and that RhoA activity is required for Shroom3-induced AC. RhoA, when activated and targeted apically, is sufficient to induce AC, they report, and is essential for the apical localisation of Shroom3. Finally, they show that the RhoA guanine nucleotide exchange factor Trio is required for Shroom3-dependent AC. Thus, a Trio-RhoA-Shroom3 pathway is required for AC during lens pit invagination.

Merlin casts a spell over glial cell proliferation

Glial cells perform many essential roles in the nervous system but how are their numbers controlled during development? Here (p. 5201), Venugopala Reddy and Kenneth Irvine report that glial cell proliferation in Drosophila is regulated by Hippo signalling, a conserved signalling pathway that controls organ growth and size. They show that Yorkie, the transcriptional co-activator of Hippo, is necessary for normal glial cell numbers and drives glial cell overproliferation when overexpressed. Yorkie activity in glial cells, they report, is controlled by a Merlin-Hippo signalling pathway; other upstream regulators of Hippo (for example, Fat) play no detectable role in glial cell proliferation. They also show that Yorkie affects glial cell proliferation by promoting the expression of the microRNA gene bantam, which, in turn, promotes Myc expression. Because homologues of Merlin, Yorkie and Myc are implicated in human glioma development, the authors suggest that the regulatory links identified here could represent a conserved pathway for the control of glial cell proliferation.

String-ing out stem cell homeostasis and aging

Stem cells contribute to tissue homeostasis throughout life by producing differentiating daughter cells. Consequently, a decline in stem cell proliferation is thought to be involved in tissue aging. But what regulates the cell cycle in stem cells? On p. 5079, Yukiko Yamashita and colleagues report that String (Stg), a homologue of the cell-cycle regulator Cdc25, controls stem cell maintenance, proliferation and aging in Drosophila testes. The researchers show that Stg is highly expressed in germline stem cells (GSCs) and in cyst stem cells (CySCs), the two stem cell types present in Drosophila testes, and that Stg is required for GSC and CySC maintenance and proliferation. Moreover, Stg expression declines with age in GSCs, and this decline is a major determinant of the age-related decline in GSC and CySC function. Notably, restoration of Stg activity reverses this age-associated phenotype but also leads to late-onset tumours. The researchers propose, therefore, that Stg/Cdc25 is a crucial regulator of stem cell function during tissue homeostasis and aging.

Brainy new role for Pax6

Successful development of the brain requires the tight regulation of sequential symmetric and asymmetric cell division. The molecular machinery that regulates the mode of cell division during mammalian brain development is poorly understood but now Magdalena Götz and colleagues show that the transcription factor Pax6, a known regulator of neurogenesis and proliferation, regulates both the orientation and mode of cell division in the mouse cerebral cortex (p. 5067). Using live imaging, the researchers show that, in the absence of Pax6, there is an increase in non-vertical cellular cleavage planes in the cerebral cortex. This phenotype, they report, seems to be mediated by the Pax6 target Spag5, which is a microtubule-associated protein. Moreover, long-term live imaging in vitro shows that Pax6-deficient progenitors generate daughter cells with asymmetric fates at higher frequencies than wild-type progenitors. From these and other data, the researchers propose that Pax6 plays a cell-autonomous role in the regulation of cortical progenitor cell division that is independent of apicobasal polarity and cell-cell interactions.

Plus…

Chromosome silencing mechanisms in X-chromosome inactivation: unknown unknowns

In this issue, fifty years after Mary Lyon proposed her X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) hypothesis, Neil Brockdorff discusses the molecular mechanisms of chromosome silencing during XCI, focusing on topics in which new findings are challenging the prevailing view. See the Review Article on p. 5057

Fifty years of X-inactivation research

The third X-inactivation meeting ‘Fifty years of X-inactivation research’, which celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of Mary Lyon’s formulation of the X-inactivation hypothesis, was an EMBO workshop held in Oxford, UK, in July 2011. Gendrel and Heard review the results presented at the meeting and highlight some of the exciting progress that has been made in this field. See the Meeting Review on p. 5049

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Dates for your calendar
This is a selection of upcoming dates of interest, but it’s by no means an exhaustive list. We’ll try to do these once in a while, but don’t hesitate to write your own posts to let people know about similar deadlines, or leave a comment below. Also make sure to check the eligibility of all scholarships and grants before applying.

Conference registration opening.
November 8 – Start of abstract submission for the ISSCR meeting (June 13-16, 2012)
December 1 – Start of registration for the ISSCR meeting

Conference registration deadlines.
Keystone announced a few upcoming deadlines for conference abstract submissions, including dates for the following meetings:
November 9 – abstract & scholarship deadline for “The Life of a Stem Cell: From Birth to Death” (March 11-16, 2012)
November 16 – early registration deadline for “Angiogenesis: Advances in Basic Science and Therapeutic Applications” (January 16-21, 2012)
November 17 – early registration deadline for “Epigenomics” joint with “Chromatin Dynamics” (January 17-22, 2012)
November 22 – early registration deadline for “Cardiovascular Development and Regeneration” (January 22-27, 2012)
November 30 – abstract & scholarship deadline for “Non-Coding RNAs” joint with “Eukaryotic Transcription” (March 31 – April 5, 2012)

Grants and fellowships:
November 18 – Application deadline for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
December 16 – Application deadline for the Wellcome Trust’s New Investigator Award
December 16 – Application deadline for the Wellcome Trust’s Senior Investigator Award

Travel funding:
December 1 – The very last day to apply to The Company of Biologists Direct Travel grants, which fund travel for conference attendance. These grants are being discontinued.

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Assistant Professor
Universidade de São Paulo
Tenured Faculty position in Evo-Devo

The Department of Zoology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, Brazil invites applicants for a tenured appointment in Evolutionary Developmental Biology at the level equivalent to that of Assistant Professor (Professor Doutor). Candidates should have a strong research focus on the developmental mechanisms of phenotypic evolution. The candidate will be expected to establish and maintain an extramural-funded research laboratory and will have the opportunity to participate in the Department´s PhD program and both graduate and undergraduate teaching. Candidates should have a PhD recognized by the brazilian authorities or proof of request for such recognition and an adequate post-doctoral degree is highly recommended. For further information, please contact Prof Antonio Marques (marques@ib.usp.br)

Application deadline: December 8th, 2011

(1 votes)

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The Department of Biology at Syracuse University (SU) invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant/Associate Professor position to support ongoing interests in epigenetics, chromatin, and small RNA biology at SU. We seek applicants who utilize biochemical, genetic, and/or genomic approaches to address chromatin- and/or small RNA-based mechanisms of epigenetic regulation within a developmental context such as, but not limited to, stem cell biology, cell-signaling, or cellular differentiation.

The successful candidate will occupy space in the Life Sciences Complex, a new research facility designed to support collaborative research. This position is part of the epigenetics research focus at SU. The successful candidate is expected to develop an independent, extramurally funded research program and will be expected to interact effectively with colleagues in Biology as well as with colleagues from other departments at SU, SUNY-Upstate Medical University, and SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The successful candidate will also be expected to teach undergraduate and graduate courses and develop new courses as appropriate to his/her expertise and the needs of the Department of Biology.
Competitive salary, start-up funds, and laboratory space will be provided. Candidates must have a PhD in any area of biology relevant to this search and productive postdoctoral research experience.

For full consideration applicants must complete an online application at www.sujobopps.com , (#028464) and attach the following documents. Please send documents as follows:  FILE 1 – a cover letter outlining the candidate’s qualifications, a 2-3 page statement of research experience, interests and philosophy, a curriculum vitae, and contact information for three professional references to provide letters of recommendation.  FILE 2 – recent publication #1.  FILE 3 – recent publication #2.

Review of applications will begin December 5, 2011. For questions, please e-mail Eleanor Maine, Chair of the Search Committee, emmaine@syr.edu.

Syracuse University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer; qualified women and minority candidates are especially encouraged to apply.

(1 votes)

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THE MAMMALIAN GENETICS AND DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
A meeting of the Genetics Society

Venue: UCL Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH
Date: November 17th 2011.
Organisers: Nick Greene, Andrew Ward & Andrew Copp

The Mammalian Genetics and Development Workshop is an annual meeting covering any aspects of the genetics and development of mammals. Meetings are based on the submitted abstracts, and usually include diverse topics ranging from early mammalian development (not exclusively human or mouse), imprinting and identification of disease genes to human population genetics and association studies. In recent years, presentations on other model systems (such as chick and zebrafish) have also been included where these relate to general developmental questions or disease models.

The meeting is traditionally a venue for post-docs and PhD students to talk rather than laboratory heads and so is an excellent training ground and a friendly, informal forum.

Registration
A £10 registration fee is payable by all attendees on arrival at the meeting.  This fee entitles registrants to attend all of the scientific sessions, and to receive the abstract booklet plus tea and
coffee refreshments on both days.  Speakers and chairpersons will be provided with lunch, free of charge, on the day of their presentation. Other participants will be expected to make their own arrangements for lunch. There will also be a wine reception on the first day of the meeting.

Abstract Submission
All Workshop presentations will be in lecture format .  If you would like to present a paper at the Workshop at this year’s meeting, please e-mail your abstract to the following address: mgd.workshop@ich.ucl.ac.uk by Friday 4th Nov*, specifying your preference for a 15 or 30 min slot. *Due to the late notice there will be some leeway on this closing date for readers of the Node provided you let us know your abstract is coming!

With the authors’ permission, abstracts will be published in Genetical Research.

(3 votes)

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