Blood cell family trees trace how production changes with aging
Jonathan Weissman and collaborators developed a tool to reconstruct human cell family trees, revealing how blood cell production changes in old age.
Capsid of HIV-1 behaves like cell’s cargo receptor to enter the nucleus
Biologists demonstrate that HIV-1 capsid acts like a Trojan horse to pass viral cargo across the nuclear pore.
How cell identity is preserved when cells divide
MIT study suggests 3D folding of the genome is key to cells’ ability to store and pass on “memories” of which genes they should express.
Wobbly gel mat trains muscle cells to work together
The vibrating platform could be useful for growing artificial muscles to power soft robots and testing therapies for neuromuscular diseases.
A more effective experimental design for engineering a cell into a new state
By focusing on causal relationships in genome regulation, a new AI method could help scientists identify new immunotherapy techniques or regenerative therapies.
3 Questions: Daniel Lew on what we can learn about cells from yeast
New professor of biology uses budding yeast to address fundamental questions in cell biology.
Study connects neural gene expression differences to functional distinctions
Researchers compared a pair of superficially similar motor neurons in fruit flies to examine how their differing use of the same genome produced distinctions in form and function.
AI models are powerful, but are they biologically plausible?
A new study bridging neuroscience and machine learning offers insights into the potential role of astrocytes in the human brain.
Study explains how part of the nucleolus evolved
A single protein can self-assemble to build the scaffold for a biomolecular condensate that makes up a key nucleolar compartment.
A cool path to disease deceleration
MIT PhD student Kathrin Kajderowicz is studying how hibernation-like states could pave the way for new hypothermic therapies.
Newly discovered bacterial communication system aids antimicrobial resistance
SMART researchers find the enzyme RlmN, which directly senses chemical and environmental stresses, can be targeted in drug development.
Making sense of cell fate
MIT researchers find timing and dosage of DNA-damaging drugs are key to whether a cancer cell dies or enters senescence.
New sensor mimics cell membrane functions
The device detects the same molecules that cell receptors do, and may enable routine early screening for cancers and other diseases.
It takes three to tango: transcription factors bind DNA, protein, and RNA
Whitehead Institute researchers find many transcription factors bind RNA, which fine-tunes their regulation of gene expression, suggesting new therapeutic opportunities.
Coloring outside the lines
Mathias Kolle’s color-changing materials take inspiration from butterflies and mollusks.