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.
Most historical research on immunity has focused on the dedicated cells of our immune system, but, ever since the first single-celled organisms evolved, cells have had to defend themselves against infection. Thus we have a more ancient form of cellular immunity, termed xenophagy, that allows cells throughout our body to capture bacteria that have invaded their cytosol and degrade those invaders inside specialised vesicles termed autophagosomes.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK. Virtually all colorectal cancers are initiated by hyperactive signalling through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. This can occur due to activating mutations in the protein β-catenin or inactivation of Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC), a protein that normally drives degradation of β-catenin.
Dyneins are a family of motor proteins that run along the microtubule tracks that make up the cytoskeleton. They drive beating of cilia/flagellar and transport of cargos, contributing to processes such as clearing mucus, allowing sperm to swim, positioning organelles and clearing up misfolded proteins. All members of the family move along microtubules in the same direction, but it was not known why this is the case.
Apoptosis is a highly controlled form of cell death important for cell turnover during life, in embryonic development, including separation of fingers and toes, and as a cellular response against cancer. Although mitochondria are more widely known for their role as the energy-generating “powerhouses” of the cell, they also have an important role in initiating apoptosis: rupture of the mitochondria releases factors that contribute to an accelerating cascade towards cell death.
Movement of cells is vital during processes such as wound healing and development. Where cells move is usually controlled by gradients of chemicals in the environment that guide them to particular destinations. These attractive chemicals, or chemoattractants, are detected by receptors on the cell surface, which signal to the cytoskeleton to control movement in the appropriate direction.
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.