Cells must continuously adjust metabolic output to maintain homeostasis under changing environmental conditions, yet the mechanisms that enable rapid and reversible control of pathway activity remain largely unknown. The methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway, of bacterial origin and conserved in plastid-bearing eukaryotes, including plants and apicomplexan parasites, produces isoprenoid precursors essential for growth and stress adaptation...

Mien’s continued scientific journey is truly inspiring. Even after stepping into retirement two years ago, she has continued her work in the Dehesh Lab, producing impactful science. In her just-published PNAS manuscript, “Metabolite Control of Enzyme Activity Links Stress to Biosynthetic Regulation,” Mien sheds light on a new control mechanism for stress adaptation mediated by...