Although humans have a similar number of genes as flies, part of our greater complexity comes from a process called alternative splicing, in which multiple different variants of proteins can be made from a single gene. This process is controlled by a molecular machine called the spliceosome. Until recently, much of the work on spliceosomes has been done using yeast spliceosomes as this system is well conserved and works very similarly across all eukaryotes.
Structure of a post-catalytic human spliceosome improves understanding of splicing control
Redefining the importance of astrocytes in the brain’s master body clock
Our daily cycle of sleep and wakefulness – our circadian rhythm – is controlled by a central master clock in our brains: the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Previously, Michael Hastings’ group in the LMB’s Neurobiology Division had demonstrated that astrocytes were not merely the supporting cells that they had been thought to be, but also had a role in driving the body clock alongside the approximately 10,000 neurons found in the SCN.
Structures of the human GABAA receptor reveal how it functions and could help improve key drugs
Practically all brain functions are controlled through a finely tuned balance of neuronal excitation and inhibition. The main inhibitory neurotransmitter in vertebrates is gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA signals through two types of cell surface receptors: GABAA and GABAB, with GABAA receptors mediating millisecond-fast neurotransmission and GABAB receptors mediating slower signalling events.
Catching enzymes in the act of making an antibiotic
Making a cell-based factory for polymer synthesis
Researchers in Jason Chin’s group in the LMB’s PNAC Division have for the first time engineered and optimised a ‘stapled’ ribosome that can act as a cell-based factory for synthetic protein polymer synthesis.
We are familiar with polymers in everyday life, from nylon to kevlar and plastics. Polymers are composed of chemical compounds strung together like beads in a necklace.
A new tool using genetic code expansion to study circadian rhythms
Circadian rhythms dominate our lives through our daily cycle of sleep and wakefulness. These rhythms are controlled by a master clock in the brain: the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Studying neuronal cell biology and how the SCN drives behaviour in humans and all animals has been made easier by the development of tools that allow rapid, reversible, and conditional control of these systems.