Filters close
Released: 19-Feb-2008 11:00 AM EST
Single microRNA Fine-tunes Innate Immune Response
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Findings: A single microRNA, microRNA-223, in mice controls the production and activation of granulocytes, white blood cells essential for host defense against invading pathogens. Relevance: This is the first microRNA shown to play a crucial role in the innate immune response. Absence of microRNA-223 increased the production, differentiation and activation of granulocytes, causing tissue inflammation and damage. Increased production of microRNA-223 may reduce inflammatory conditions and thus the effects of inflammatory diseases such as acute lung respiratory disease syndrome.

8-Feb-2008 12:00 AM EST
How Red Blood Cells Nuke Their Nuclei
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Findings: Late in their development, mammalian red blood cells lose their nuclei when a ring of actin filaments contracts and pinches off a segment of the cell that mainly contains the nucleus. Rac GTPases and mDia2, proteins previously identified for their role in creating actin fibers in many body cells, help to build the actin ring.

28-Nov-2007 4:35 PM EST
DNA Methylation Shown to Promote Development of Colon Tumors
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

DNA methylation has been directly proven in mice to promote the development of colon tumors, and to target specific regions of DNA rather than being distributed at random. Growing understanding of this process is a promising pathway to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of certain cancers with minimal side effects.

28-Nov-2007 4:20 PM EST
Hotspots Found for Chromosome Gene-swapping
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

During meiosis, the "crossover" gene-swapping process provides the tension needed to properly divide chromosomes. In yeast, double-strand DNA breaks (the precursors to crossovers) have been shown to happen most frequently in a band near the telomeres, which ensures that all chromosomes have sufficient crossovers.

4-Oct-2007 1:00 PM EDT
Adult Stem Cells Lack Key Pluripotency Regulator
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

The protein Oct4, which helps to maintain embryonic stem cells, has been shown to be virtually absent in adult stem cells. These results question the findings of more than 50 studies that found Oct4 in various adult stem cells, and put claims of pluripotent adult stem cells into perspective.

24-Sep-2007 2:00 PM EDT
MicroRNA Convicted of Triggering Metastasis
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

While past studies have shown that some microRNAs cause normal cells to divide rapidly and form tumors, this one offers proof that a single microRNA can also cause tumors to metastasize. It establishes an important new role for a class of RNA molecules whose significance was discovered only recently.

13-Sep-2007 4:25 PM EDT
Heat Shock Proteins Are Co-opted for Cancer
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists have discovered that a certain transcription factor — protein that binds to specific areas of the genome and acts to switch genes on and off"”known to aid in handling stresses also facilitates the survival of cancer cells. This transcription factor may be the basis for powerful new ways to fight cancer.

23-Aug-2007 3:30 PM EDT
Scientists Identify Embryonic Stem Cells by Appearance Alone
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientist can now identify pluripotent stem cells based solely on their physical appearance.

7-Aug-2007 10:25 AM EDT
Newly Created Cancer Stem Cells Could Aid Breast Cancer Research
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists have created breast cancer stem cells in culture by isolating and transforming a particular population of cells from normal human breast tissue. After being injected with just 100 of these transformed cells, mice develop tumors that metastasize.

11-Jul-2007 2:20 PM EDT
Cells Take Risks with Their Identities
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Contrary to textbook models, many genes that should be "off" in embryonic stem cells and specialized adult cells remain primed to produce master regulatory proteins, leaving those cells vulnerable to identity changes. The genes encoding the master regulators of cell fate begin making RNA templates for these proteins, though a control mechanism stops them from finishing the job.

9-Jul-2007 2:45 PM EDT
White Blood Cells Are Picky About Sugar
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Neutrophils recognize and respond to a particular form of sugar contained on the surface of pathogenic fungi. The key sugar could be used to boost the immune system and fight microbial infections that are resistant to current treatments.

4-Jun-2007 5:40 PM EDT
Reprogrammed Fibroblasts Identical to Embryonic Stem Cells
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers have manipulated mouse fibroblasts and, without using any eggs or embryos, turned them into cells with such developmental elasticity that they appear identical to embryonic stem cells.

14-May-2007 2:00 PM EDT
DNA-damage Test Could Aid Drug Development
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Whitehead Institute have developed a cell culture test for assessing a compound's genetic toxicity that may prove dramatically cheaper than existing animal tests.

7-May-2007 2:35 PM EDT
Scientists Identify Prion's Infectious Secret
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have found that small regions within prion proteins are responsible for their infectious properties. Moreover, these regions regulate the ability of prions to cross species barriers.

20-Feb-2007 6:25 PM EST
MicroRNA Helps Prevent Tumors
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers have found that when a single mircoRNA molecule is unable to regulate a specific cancer-related gene, tumors result.

16-Jan-2007 4:30 PM EST
Cracking Open the Black Box of Autoimmune Disease
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers identify the gene control circuitry that enables the body to prevent a wide range of autoimmune diseases.

5-Dec-2006 6:10 PM EST
Engineered Yeast Speeds Ethanol Production
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists from Whitehead Institute and MIT have engineered yeast that can improve the speed and efficiency of ethanol production, a key component to making biofuels a significant part of the U.S. energy supply.

15-Nov-2006 4:10 PM EST
Scientists Discover Role for Dueling RNAs
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers have found that a class of RNA molecules, previously thought to have no function, may in fact protect sex cells from self-destructing.

Released: 11-Jul-2006 5:05 PM EDT
3D Model Reveals Secrets of Metastasis
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers develop a 3D model to image the process of cancer metastasis.

19-Jun-2006 1:10 PM EDT
Researchers Reverse Parkinson’s Symptoms in Animal Models
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists at Whitehead Institute, in collaboration with colleagues at several research centers, have identified a key biological pathway that, when obstructed, causes Parkinson's symptoms. Even more importantly, they have figured out how to repair that pathway and restore normal neurological function in certain animal models.

10-Feb-2006 1:20 PM EST
Mad Cow Protein Aids Creation of Brain Cells
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers have discovered that the normal form of a prion protein may actually help the brain create neurons, those electricity-conducting cells that make cognition possible.

27-Jan-2006 12:10 PM EST
Researchers Alleviate Symptoms of Rett Syndrome in Mice
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have dramatically reduced certain manifestations of Rett Syndrome in mice, marking a clear path in which to explore possible therapies for people.

25-Jan-2006 1:55 PM EST
Mad-Cow Culprit Maintains Stem Cells
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Whitehead Institute scientists have found that the same protein that causes neurodegenerative conditions such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) is also important for helping certain adult stem cells maintain themselves.

17-Jan-2006 2:40 PM EST
Powerful Technique for Multiplying Adult Stem Cells May Aid Therapies
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers in the lab of Whitehead Institute Member and MIT professor of biology Harvey Lodish have discovered a way to multiply an adult stem cell 30-fold, an expansion that offers tremendous promise for treatments such as bone marrow transplants and perhaps even gene therapy.

10-Jan-2006 4:25 PM EST
Cloned Stem Cells Prove Identical to Fertilized Stem Cells
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Analyzing the complete gene-expression profiles of both cloned and fertilization-derived stem cells in mice, scientists at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research now have concluded that the two are indistinguishable.

5-Dec-2005 2:20 PM EST
Cell-Based Nano Machine Breaks Nano-Record
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers have known for some time that a long, fibrous coil grown by a single-cell protozoan is, gram for gram, more powerful than a car engine. Now, researchers have found that this coil is far stronger than previously thought, discovering clues into the mechanism behind this microscopic powerhouse.

Released: 29-Nov-2005 1:40 PM EST
MicroRNAs Have Shaped the Evolution of the Majority of Mammalian Genes
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

RNA continues to shed its reputation as DNA's faithful sidekick. Now, researchers in the lab of Whitehead Institute Member David Bartel have found that a class of small RNAs called microRNAs influence the evolution of genes far more widely than previous research had indicated.

Released: 8-Nov-2005 10:15 AM EST
New Tools for an Old Can of Worms
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Today's high-powered analyses begin to answer the question of how flatworms regrow.

12-Oct-2005 10:00 AM EDT
Researchers Offer Proof-of-Concept for Altered Nuclear Transfer
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have successfully demonstrated that a theoretical"”and controversial"”technique for generating embryonic stem cells is indeed possible.

7-Sep-2005 12:00 PM EDT
Researchers Discover Key to Human Embryonic Stem-Cell Potential
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers working with human embryonic stem cells have uncovered the process responsible for the single-most tantalizing characteristic of these cells: their ability to become just about any type of cell in the body, a trait known as pluripotency.

1-Sep-2005 12:15 PM EDT
Researchers Discover Why Melanoma Is So Malignant
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have discovered why melanoma is so ruthless. Unlike other cancers, melanoma is born with its metastatic engines fully revved.

29-Aug-2005 11:05 AM EDT
Human Y Chromosome Stays Intact While Chimp Y Loses Genes
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

The human and the chimpanzee Y chromosomes went their separate ways approximately 6 million years ago. But ever since this evolutionary parting, these two chromosomes have experienced different fates, new research indicates.

3-Aug-2005 11:15 AM EDT
Study Yields Insights Into Pathogenic Fungi--and Beer
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Chemotherapy and organ transplantation can compromise the immune system and leave patients vulnerable to infections from pathogenic fungi. Researchers have discovered one possible reason why these fungal microbes are such a scourge.

6-Jun-2005 8:50 AM EDT
Unweaving Amyloid Fibers to Solve Prion Puzzles
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers have discovered a way to decipher the structure of amyloid fibers.

3-May-2005 3:20 PM EDT
Cancer Exploits the Body’s Wound-Healing Process
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists in the lab of Whitehead Institute Member Robert Weinberg have discovered the process by which tumors hijack normal wound-healing processes and use them for their own purposes.

3-May-2005 3:25 PM EDT
Researchers Discover Mechanism for Multiplying Adult Stem Cells
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers in the lab of Whitehead Institute Member Rudolf Jaenisch have discovered a mechanism that might enable scientists to multiply adult stem cells quickly and efficiently.

Released: 17-Feb-2005 2:10 PM EST
Researchers Identify Target for Cancer Drugs
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

For nearly a decade, scientists have been trying to understand a particular communication pathway inside of cells that contributes to many malignant brain and prostate cancers. While scientists have identified elements of this pathway, other components have remained a mystery.

Released: 14-Jan-2005 4:50 PM EST
More Than One-Third of Human Genome Regulated by RNA
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

DNA and proteins are seen as the movers and shakers in genomics, with RNA little more than a messenger that shuttles information between the two. But researchers have found that certain RNA molecules regulate more than one third of the genome.

Released: 19-Nov-2004 11:00 AM EST
The Politics of Science
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Biological science is now caught under a political microscope -- one that will continue no matter who sits in the White House in future years.

26-Aug-2004 12:10 PM EDT
Researchers Identify the Genome’s Controlling Elements
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists have churned out dozens of genome sequences and won't be letting up any time soon. However, because a genome sequence is little more than a static list of chemicals, scientists are turning their attention to figuring out how organisms put their genes to work.

12-Aug-2004 1:50 PM EDT
Prions Act as Stepping Stones in Evolution
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

When a protein misfolds, the results can be disastrous. An incorrect change in the molecule's shape can lead to diseases including Alzheimer's and Huntington's. But scientists have discovered that misfolded proteins can have a positive side, helping cells navigate the dicey current of natural selection.

Released: 22-Mar-2004 6:10 PM EST
New Model for Breast Cancer
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

A team has successfully grafted human breast tissue into the mammary glands of mice. As a result, the mice formed functional breasts capable of producing human breast milk. More importantly, some of these mice were engineered to form early stage breast tumors like those found in humans.

23-Feb-2004 4:20 PM EST
New Genomics Tool Boosts Diabetes Research
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers have developed a method for scanning the entire human genome to successfully map the location of key gene regulators, mutated forms of which are known to cause type 2 diabetes. This marks the first time that human organs have been analyzed in this way.

18-Dec-2003 9:40 AM EST
“Mad Cow” Mechanism May Be Integral to Storing Memory
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists have discovered a new process for how memories might be stored, a finding that could help explain one of the least-understood activities of the brain. The key player in this process is a protein that acts just like a prion "“ a class of proteins that includes the deadly agents involved in mad cow disease.

Released: 8-Dec-2003 12:40 PM EST
Yeast Helps Researchers Better Understand Parkinson’s Mystery
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Scientists know that in patients with Parkinson's disease, certain proteins in the brain form clusters that somehow contribute to cell death and, eventually, lead to the onset of the disease's debilitating symptoms. The quest to figure out how these clusters form "“ and how to prevent them "“ has been slow and difficult.

Released: 15-Oct-2003 1:00 PM EDT
New Protein Provides Clue to Diabetes
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers still don't know much about the biological processes that predispose people to Type 2 diabetes. But scientists say they've found a protein that plays an essential role in regulating a cell's ability to absorb glucose, an important step toward understanding diabetes' underlying causes.

Released: 15-Jul-2003 12:00 AM EDT
Researchers Zero in on New Drug Combination Strategy
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Researchers at Whitehead Institute have developed a systematic approach to the discovery of novel combination drugs, a method they used to identify several new pairings with significant therapeutic promise, including a new combination that kills an infectious, drug-resistant strain of the yeast Candida albicans while leaving human cells unharmed.

19-Jun-2003 12:00 AM EDT
Rumors of Male Chromosome's Demise Greatly Exaggerated
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

The male-determining Y chromosome has seen its gene supply shrink in a downward trend predicted to continue until the Y disappeared altogether. But two studies suggest that the rumors of the Y's demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Released: 14-May-2003 12:00 AM EDT
Pathogenic Yeasts and Fungi: A Growing Health Concern
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Like weeds in a lawn, pathogenic fungi and yeasts can invade and overtake our bodies. In people with healthy immune systems, cells called macrophages and neutrophils engulf these pathogens, nipping them in the bud. But when the immune system is weakened by disease or drugs, fungi ˆ much like weeds in your garden ˆ can grow unchecked.

Released: 30-Apr-2003 12:00 AM EDT
New Piece of Cell Growth Puzzle
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

In biology, size matters. Cell growth, the process whereby cells increase in mass, is critical to many life functions and has been implicated in diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Spurred by the discovery of a cellular pathway that helps switch cell growth on and off, new research links growth to a cell"šs ability to sense nutrients in its environment.


Showing results 201–250 of 300


close
0.22958