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.
Target of Rapamycin (TOR) is a protein kinase that is essential in maintaining cellular homeostasis. In mammalian cells the enzyme occurs as two large protein complexes and one of these, mTORC1, controls growth of cells by integrating signals from growth factors and the nutritional state of cells. Many tumours in humans are associated with inappropriate regulation of this protein complex, and it has been demonstrated to be an important therapeutic target for cancer and autoimmune disorders.
Most organisms, including humans and plants, have circadian rhythms that allow them to adjust their metabolism and behaviour to match the 24-hour cycle of day and night. Circadian rhythms are even observed at the level of individual cells, and are dependent upon a biological clock mechanism that is not fully understood.
‘Synthetic biology’ is a scientific approach that seeks to answer fundamental questions in biology by reconstruction and modification of the molecules and processes of life. Beyond its well-known role as the carrier of genetic information, DNA (and its close cousin RNA) have shown great promise as a nano-molecular building material: by careful arrangement of the bases A, T, C and G, DNA strands can be programmed to fold into specific 3D shapes.
Information transfer in the nervous system occurs at synapses, where presynaptic signals are interpreted by postsynaptic receptors. Ingo Greger’s group, in the LMB’s Neurobiology Division, study this process with a focus on AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs) at various levels of complexity. AMPARs are the prime mediators of excitatory neurotransmission and are regulators of synaptic plasticity, which underlies learning.
Every year hundreds of millions of people worldwide are affected by Malaria and nearly half a million die from the disease. More than two thirds of those dying are children under five. The disease is caused by parasites passed to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes, with Plasmodium falciparum being the parasite responsible for the most severe form of malaria.
Cell-to-cell variability in gene expression level (noise) has emerged as one of the fundamental concepts in genetics. Non-genetic, cell-to-cell variation in the abundance of a gene product can generate a diversity of behaviour in genetically identical population of cells. This phenomenon is pervasive and prevalent in development (e.g. stem cells) and disease (e.g. cancer). Genome-scale studies on gene expression noise have revealed that some genes are more random in their expression than others.