MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
One of the world's leading research institutes, our scientists are working to advance understanding of biological processes at the molecular level - providing the knowledge needed to solve key problems in human health.
DNA damage caused by formaldehyde is repaired involving CSA and CSB genes. KJ Patel’s lab have shown how, when this pathway is mutated such as in people with Cockayne syndrome, the appetite suppression hormone GDF15 is released leading to severe weight loss.
Time-lapse quantitative study of developing salivary glands in Drosophila embryos, conducted by Katja Röper’s group, reveals the key control factors behind cells’ behavioural transitions that are essential for correct organ formation.
Cryo-EM analysis reveals structure of structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) complex, and shows for the first time how the protein machinery entraps two DNA helices simultaneously in order to individualise chromosomes.
Electron cryo-microscopy continues to be a pivotal method for structural biology. Chris Russo’s group, in the LMB’s Structural Studies Division, share an optimisation process to meet increasing demand for cryo-EM grids.
Disassembly of the DNA replication machinery, known as the replisome, is the final step of eukaryotic chromosome replication. A collaboration between Joe Yeeles’ group at the LMB and the Deegan lab in Edinburgh shows how replisome disassembly is regulated through ubiquitin ligase activity and stearic hindrance from the DNA itself.
Alessandra Stangherlin (O’Neill group) found a cellular mechanism that facilitates daily changes in heart rate. ~24h rhythms in Na/K/Cl levels osmotically compensate for daily changes in macromolecular crowding to modulate cardiac electrical activity, in vitro and in vivo.